Page 20 of Bound in Flames (The Savage Hearts #1)
Chapter 20
Cleo
M y hand lingered on the rough wood of the door as I hesitated. Moving into Dex’s quarters felt monumental, not just for our new relationship but for my place among the clan. To be here, beside my mate, meant more than just sharing a room. It was a silent recognition of our bond.
Taking a deep breath, I leaned into the door and pushed it open. The room was vast, larger than any space I’d seen since arriving at the stronghold. The thick stone walls kept out the cold mountain air, while a large hearth crackled in the corner Above the hearth, a mantle held relics of orc history. Carved horns, ceremonial weapons, and a polished stone that emitted a soft, faint light.
To the left, a large table was piled with maps, scrolls, and tools of leadership, a clear sign of how much Dex was involved in the daily life of the clan. I could picture him sitting in these chairs, working late into the night, pouring over plans for the next battle, doing everything he could to protect the stronghold and his people. My heart clenched with worry for him, carrying the weight of his clan’s future on his shoulders.
Across the room was an immense bed covered in furs and thick blankets, far too large for any human. Dex was larger than life in every sense of the word, but the sight of that bed made my heart race. It wasn’t just about sleeping beside him; it symbolized trust and intimacy, something I hadn’t known for so long.
I brushed my fingers over the furs, taking in the strength and simplicity of Dex’s personal space. The tapestries, hung on the stone walls in a deep red and adorned with clan symbols, made the room feel rich in history. I wondered how long it had taken him to grow comfortable here. I wondered how long it would take me to feel like I could belong somewhere too.
I turned to face him as Dex stepped up behind me, watching me explore in his rooms. He had grabbed a basin of hot water from the table, muscles flexing under its weight as if it was nothing. Our eyes met, and a warm smile spread across his face.
“Thought you might want to relax.” Dex nodded toward a small alcove hidden behind a curtain. “The bath’s been drawn for you.”
I followed his gaze and saw the massive wooden tub, big enough for Dex to fully recline should he wish. Steam was rising from the water, filling the air with the faint scent of herbs. Only now did I realize how loud my muscles were screaming from all the walking and scrambling over rocks. My thighs ached, and my mind was heavy from using my magic. A bath felt like a blessing.
Dex added the basin of hot water to the tub and crossed the room to me. His hand guiding me toward the bath. “You’ve been carrying too much. Tonight, let me shoulder the weight. Let me care for you, please,” he murmured, his hand a steady presence on my back.
I leaned into his touch, appreciating his offer. I hadn’t realized how much I needed someone to be my rock. Dex moved to the tub and began adding salts and oils to the water, and the smell of lavender, rosemary, and something unfamiliar filled the air. The room held a cozy warmth as the scents wrapping around me like a soft embrace.
“Please, allow me.”
His fingers brushed against my skin, untying the laces of my dress with such care that it sent my heart racing. Laces undone, he turned to give me privacy as my dress slid down my body, pooling at my feet. The air felt cool against my skin, and I hurried to rid myself of my underclothes and climb into the steaming water.
Stepping into the bath, I let out a soft moan of appreciation as the water’s heat eased the ache in my muscles. The cloudy water covered my breasts as I let myself sink deeper. I was painfully aware of the fact I was completely naked inches from Dex, and my core clenched at the thought of him joining me in the tub, my nipples pebbling in response to my inappropriate thoughts.
Dex began to move quietly around the room, adding more logs to the fire, then tinkering with a jeweled box above the mantle. The soft glow of the flames made the space feel like a sanctuary where the chaos of my thoughts were allowed to drift. Feeling at peace, I allowed myself to simply exist. No magic, no responsibilities—just the soothing caress of the water against my skin. The world felt miles away.
Even without looking, I could sense Dex, his energy filling the room. My heart beat a little faster. There was a heaviness between us now, not just from our growing connection, but from something deeper, something primal driven by the bond between us.
My eyes fluttered open and found him standing beside the tub, watching me with a quiet intensity. His eyes were heavy, hungrily tracing the lines of my exposed collarbone and neck. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, but I didn’t look away. The way he looked at me was thrilling and drove my body wild. The attraction between us had been simmering for days. Now, in the quiet warmth of this moment, it felt as if we were on the edge of something neither of us could stop.
I shifted in the tub, the water rippling around the swell of my breasts. His breath hitched almost imperceptibly, but I caught it, and it sent a spark of electricity through me. I wondered if he was thinking about what had happened in the river. I certainly couldn’t stop thinking about it. The way his touch had lit a fire inside me, and how my body had responded to him so instinctively. I was desperate for more, addicted to the blistering heat he had set free on my body.
Kneeling beside the tub, Dex gently pushed a wayward curl from my face. His touch was soft, almost reverent, but there was a heat in his gaze that made my pulse quicken. For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze hungry as it roamed over me. His hand dipped into the water, fingers brushing over mine. “Cleo, I need to explain something important.”
His thumb began tracing circles on the back of my hand. “In orc culture, a mate isn’t just someone you care for. It’s a bond that goes deeper. Deeper than anything I’ve ever known. It’s a connection that can’t be broken, not by time, not by war, not by anything.” His voice trembled as he spoke, the weight of his words sinking into the space between us.
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. “Okay. What are you trying to say?”
He held my gaze, his eyes intense. “I’m saying that you're my mate, Cleo. Not just by fate, but by choice. By everything I am.” He paused, and his hand lifted from his side, revealing a delicate gold chain bracelet, ornate and shimmering with rough cut gems. A fine loop extended from the chain, designed to slip over my middle finger, linking the bracelet to the wrist with an elegant drape of gold. “This is a symbol of that bond. Of my promise to you.”
My breath caught as he took my hand, sliding my finger through the loop before fastening the chain around my wrist. The stones on the bracelet glimmered in the firelight, each facet reflecting the warmth of the room.
“These stones are sacred in our culture. Strength, loyalty, and the power of the earth itself. They belonged to my mother, passed down to my sister before I took the Chieftain trials. This bracelet is a vow that our bond is as unbreakable as the fiercest of storms. You are mine to cherish and protect, and you are now part of the Kenryr line.”
I stared at the bracelet, its significance washing over me as his words settled around my heart. Their weight was both comforting and powerful, as if binding me to him, not unlike the jewelry now encircling my wrist. I was touched, and my emotions were building until tears threatened to spill over. “Dex, it’s beautiful. I don’t even know what to say.”
His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek. “Say you accept it, you formally accept me as your mate.”
I leaned forward, pressed my forehead against his, my heart swelling with emotion. “I feel it, Dex. I accept you as my mate, and I will be honored to wear it every day.”
We stared at each other for a long time, the silence thick with unspoken emotions. The world outside the room seemed to disappear, and all that mattered was this. The mate bond between us, the warmth of his touch, the intensity of his gaze. The safety this connection.
Resting his hand on my cheek, his thumb traced the line of my jaw, and I felt the flames of desire roar back to life. My breath caught, the air between us charged with something almost dangerous. Every nerve in my body was alight with anticipation, waiting for him to close the distance between us, to bridge the gap that had been growing narrower with every passing day.
But then, as if sensing the tension between us had reached its breaking point, Dex pulled away and cleared his throat.
“Can I help you bathe?”
“Please,” I whispered, desperate for his touch in a way that was downright embarrassing.
Reaching for a cloth, he dipped it into the warm water, wringing it out with deliberate movements. I swallowed hard as he pressed it to my collarbone. The rough fabric gliding down my skin in a slow path that made my skin buzz.
The cloth trailing lower, over the curve of my breasts, down the swell of my hips. My breath hitched, my head falling back, shifting to offer him more skin to explore as his touch moved with an agonizing patience over my body. The glide of the cloth over my thighs had me parting my legs, and a soft moan slipped past my lips before I could stop it. My pulse thundered in my ears as Dex's nose brushed the exposed column of my throat, his breath hot and ragged against my skin.
His hand moved slowly, dragging the cloth down my calves and back up, grazing over my core in a way that was almost innocent, but left me aching. My body trembled beneath his ministrations, my fingers gripping the edge of the tub. When he traced back up over my pebbled nipples to reach my collarbone once more, I whimpered and chased his touch. His grip on the cloth tightened, and the groan that rumbled deep in his chest sent heat racing to my core.
His lips grazed my neck, tusks scraping against my sensitive skin with a delicious burn that made my toes curl. I whimpered louder, desperate to feel his mouth trail my needy body, following the path the washcloth had just taken. As the cloth passed back down over my left breast, my back arched up into his touch.
“I want you,” I whispered.
Chuckling darkly against my throat, he nibbled at my pulse point, dragging his sharp teeth roughly on the skin before soothing it with his tongue. He pulled back with a pained groan and I could see the struggle etched into every line of his face. “Not like this,” he said, his voice thick with restraint. “You need rest.”
I could have sobbed as he back, the ache inside me only deepening. I knew he wasn’t rejecting me; he was holding himself back, for both our sakes. And somehow, that made me want him even more. Gods, I was desperate for him.
Dex exhaled sharply, brushing a damp strand of hair from my face, his touch lingering just a moment longer than necessary. “Relax, Cleo. I've got you.”
I leaned back into the water, my body still thrumming with want. Dex stayed close, his watchful gaze never leaving mine, his restraint both a comfort and a torment. And as the fire crackled softly in the hearth, I knew one thing for certain. I was his, and I wouldn’t be able to wait much longer for the moment he finally claimed me.
The warmth of the fire still lingered on my skin as I woke, the soft bed of furs beneath me feeling like a distant dream after the hard earth I’d grown used to during our journey. The scent of woodsmoke and herbs filled the room, and for a brief moment, I forgot where I was. But as I blinked sleep from my eyes and sat up, the reality of the stone walls around me and the echo of distant voices reminded me that I was far from the world I had known.
I pulled the furs tighter around me, feeling a strange mix of comfort and unease. The weight of the prophecy was still fresh in my mind— the shaman with hair of fire —and the memory of the orcs’ voices rising in unison as they recited the ancient verse sent a shiver down my spine. The orcs believed in me, believed I was the one to restore balance, to lead them back to their ancestral lands. But the enormity of it all still felt impossible, like a dream I couldn’t wake from.
I had fallen asleep in the tub last night, and I vaguely recalled Dex lifting me from the water and wrapping me in cotton towels before placing me into his bed, before climbing in behind me. Thinking of the way his hands had travelled along my body in the bathtub had heat curling low in my stomach, and I groaned in frustration.
A soft sound of the door latch drew me from my thoughts, and I clutched the furs to my chest as I looked towards the heavy door. Dex appeared in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame. His golden eyes met mine, a small, reassuring smile on his lips.
“Good morning, mate,” he said softly, stepping inside. “I didn’t want to wake you, but the clan is eager to meet you. We have much to do today.”
I nodded, feeling a rush of nerves at the thought of meeting more of the orcs. The ones in the hall had been wary of me, to say the least. Though they had recited the prophecy, there was still doubt in their eyes. I wasn’t one of them.
“Are you ready to meet our people?” His voice was gentle, though there was a hint of concern in his gaze.
I took a deep breath and nodded again. “I think so. I just... don’t know what to expect.”
Dex stepped closer and reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “They’re curious about you, but they will come to trust you. You’ve already proven yourself to me and the others.”
His words were a comfort, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease. Dex had been a source of strength, and though the growing bond between us was undeniable, I still wasn’t sure how to navigate it. There was something more between us, something that went beyond just being allies. But in the midst of everything else—the prophecy, the dark magic, the orcs’ hopes—I wasn’t sure what to do with those feelings.
“I had your clothes cleaned. The women made some repairs to your dress until we get you fitted for more. Get dressed,” Dex offered me his hand. “Let’s go meet the rest of the clan.”
How could he be so sweet and so deliciously tempting all at the same time? It was like he was immune to the pull between us, while I was a slave to my thoughts and desires. Taking his offered hand, I let him pull me from the bed. Once standing, I turned from him and approached my clothing on the table. I couldn’t help but smirk at my devilish thoughts as I allowed the furs to fall to my feet, leaving me naked, before stepping slowly into my underwear, shimmying as I pulled them up my thighs and into place.
I felt the heat of his presence as I straightened, and he pressed into me, grasping my hip and pulling back roughly back against his chest. His fingers were unyielding, and I watched as they sunk into the flesh of my hip. The sight was one of the most erotic things I had seen, and I rolled my head back, resting it against his chest with a satisfied hum. His claws traced my throat before drifting lower and taking my breast roughly in his palm. His thick fingers pinched my nipple and rolled it softly. The moan that was torn from my throat was desperate, and I ground my hips back against him in response, my breathing quickly becoming ragged when the press of his hard cock nestled against my lower back.
“Fuck Dex, please don’t stop,” I whispered breathlessly, my voice needy with arousal.
“You’re a temptress, little shaman. Gods, how I wish to show you exactly what you do to me.” He groaned, chin brushing against my temple as he pressed a gentle kiss against my temple. The stark difference between his punishing grip and his soft lips made my knees weak, and I could feel heat pooling inches from his rough fingers on my hip.
“Make no mistake, Cleo, there is nothing more I want than to hear you beg for me as I take you apart. But we have things we must do first so we can have the evening to ourselves.”
The crack of his hand over my ass had me squealing. He grabbed my chin and tugged my head to face the far wall, my eyes landing on a giant mirror. I wasn’t surprised by the heat in my gaze, fueled by my orc mate towering behind me. I watched as my throat bobbed tightly when I tried to swallow, the sudden nervousness racing through me at my body being on display for him like this.
“Look at me as you get dressed, slowly. Let me enjoy your body before you hide it from me.”
Heat scorched my chest and moved up my cheeks as he watched, a predatory gleam in his eyes. I fumbled with my clothes as I tried to keep eye contact, my body alight with need. My core was dripping with arousal by the time my dress was back in place. He knew exactly what he did to me, and the dichotomy between his Chieftain side, his playful humor, and this ravenous beast had me all but begging at his feet for him to touch me again.