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Theirgalderseemed to merge at the moment they looked at each other now, Maude slowly riding him as this moment seemed to pause time altogether. Herrick knew she felt the same solidifying presence settle in her soul the way it settled in his, like molten lava cooling into obsidian after being doused with water, creating an impenetrable bond between them.

The moment that bond settled in Herrick’s core, Maude surged forward and kissed him with all the fire he knew she held in her body. Flames ignited between them again as Maude pushed him onto his back to get a better angle. As soon as she was fully seated on top of him again, she let out a small moan and closed her eyes.

Her hands braced on his chest, right over his fatemark and rapidly beating heart; Maude began moving again, emptying every thought from Herrick’s mind. Herrick could feel his release building quickly with this change in position. He gripped Maude’s ass as she increased her pace, her muscles tightening around him in a way that he knew he wanted to get lost in forever.

Feeling close to his end, Herrick slammed into Maude, causing her to cry out his name.

His name on her tongue was his final undoing as his release that had been gathering in the base of his spine exploded through him, bringingMaude with him as he felt her tighten around him. Herrick poured himself into her as her climax seized her, her breaths coming fast and uneven as she continued to ride him through the waves of her orgasm.

Maude collapsed onto his chest, their breathing heavy from their joint release as Herrick withdrew and turned them onto their sides.

For a small eternity, they lay joined together until their hearts slowed and their breathing evened out. Gentle touches of hands traced skin as a content silence spread over the room.

When Herrick felt Maude shift, he looked down to see her watching him as he had dozed. Their eyes met, and the hazy aftermath of their sex dissipated, ravenous hunger sparking in its place as they became aware of their naked bodies pressed together.

Herrick knew then that there would never be anyone else for either of them.

He tucked a strand of Maude’s hair behind her ear before kissing her slowly and intently. Feeling himself harden against her, he watched Maude become aware of the pressing matter against her abdomen. Her eyes took on a wicked gleam at the sensation, his echoing grin sparking that fire he loved so much in her deep emerald eyes as he pulled himself over her, deepening their kiss.

Maude’s legs were still wrapped around him as they settled into a slower, softer pace, and Herrick felt he was finally home.

Maude had no idea how satisfied and unsatisfied her body could be at the same time until she had met Herrick. Even after they had wrung all the pleasure they could from each other, they both savagely pounced for moresoon after. She could get lost in his body for the rest of her life, never having to leave this room for anything.

They had spent most of the day tangled up in each other, only surfacing for food now and then. Herrick had returned from the tavern downstairs with enough food to feed an army, and Maude laughed when he said he had no intention of leaving her side again so soon, just in search of nourishment.

When they weren't diving into each other's skin, they talked about everything and nothing. Maude told him about her sister and how they would fight as children but always makeup when it came time for supper. Herrick told her about what it was like to grow up in Veter and the responsibility of becoming the general of their armies.

When they were tired of words, they would get lost in each other. Maude had not been prepared for the sheer size of Herrick, but the way he fit in her was a pleasure that bordered on pain. He stretched and filled her the way she desperately craved. Only frenzied reactions were pulled from her the deeper he got.

Herrick had wanted to see her when they had joined the first time, and the intimacy of it had made her hesitant, but she was glad to have seen how she undid him just as thoroughly as he undid her. After the first time, they had gone slower, his movements more intent than before when they were all passion and teeth. This was a new experience for Maude, as any coupling in the past had been about satiating a base need, but with Herrick, her need for him never ended.

She was lying on his chest, her leg thrown over his and tangled up in the thin sheet that covered their naked forms when he broke the brief silence. His hand was tracing patterns on her back, fingers following the phases of the moon that she had inked on her spine.

“Why did you get this tattoo?” he asked.

“The moons?” she replied, drowsy after their most recent joining.

She had ridden him while he lay on his back, his hand gripping her thighs so hard she knew there would be bruises on them later. The thought made her smile. He met her stroke for stroke every time like they were fighting.

“Yes, I always thought it was odd for the Heir of Flame to have the moon phases on her back,” he said, running his fingers up and down her spine in a way that made her skin come alive.

She was quiet for a moment while she tried to choose the right words. Herrick waited patiently for her response, moving to play with her hair.

“I guess I’ve just always been drawn to the moon,” Maude finally said. “The way she changes in the sky every night and becomes something new for a time while remaining who she is at her core. Through each phase we see, there is a part of her that goes unseen but is still present.”

Herrick was quiet, perhaps sensing that there was more to her story and allowing Maude to decide if she was going to continue.

“I guess I see myself that way too,” she continued, now tracing the phases of the moon onto Herrick’s bare chest. “I’m so different now than how I used to be, but I suppose I’m still the same person I always was. I hope so, anyway.”

“How very Elven of you,” Herrick joked. “They spoke of the moon the same way you are now.”

“I know it’s silly,” she chuckled. Herrick gripped her chin and tilted her head up to look at him.

“It’s not,” Herrick said gently. “It makes sense. And I know you are that same person you were before; I see it every day in the little things you say and do.”

Maude’s eyes burned as her throat thickened.

“We’re never done growing or changing,” he continued, stroking his thumb across her lips. “It’s all part of living.”