Page 28

VAEL

T he moment Trinity's confession leaves her lips, something inside me breaks open. All the barriers I've built, all the distance I've maintained over decades of isolation—gone in an instant. I pull her against me, mindful of my injured side but desperate to feel her warmth.

"I love you," I say again, the words strange yet perfect on my tongue. I've never said them to anyone before her. "I fucking love you."

I brush my lips against hers, tentative at first—giving her a chance to pull away. When she doesn't, when she instead presses closer, I deepen the kiss, one hand cradling her head while the other splays across her back.

This isn't our first kiss, but it feels like it. Everything before was a shadow of this—an approximation. This kiss contains no calculation, no ulterior motives, no boundaries. Just Trinity and me, finally honest with each other.

Her fingers thread through my hair, tugging me closer as her tongue slides against mine. The small moan that escapes her vibrates through me, igniting a fire that's always simmered between us. But this is different from the raw hunger we've shared before. This burns deeper, hotter, more consuming.

"Vael," she whispers against my mouth, her voice still rough from her injuries. The sound of those bruises on her throat makes rage flare within me again, but I push it down. That bastard is dead. Trinity is here, safe in my arms.

I trail my fingers over her neck with a feather-light touch, following the marks his hands left on her perfect skin. "I will never let anyone hurt you again," I vow, pressing the gentlest kisses to each bruise. "Never. You're mine to protect now."

Her hands slide up my chest, careful around the bandaged wound. "And you're mine," she says, those green eyes fixed on me with an intensity that steals my breath. "All mine."

The possessiveness in her voice makes my cock throb painfully against the confines of my pants. I've wanted Trinity from the moment I saw her, taken her body in countless ways since bringing her home. But I've never had all of her—not her heart, not her soul.

I lift her in one fluid motion, ignoring the twinge in my side as I carry her to my bed. Our bed, now. I lay her down reverently, watching as her hair fans across my pillows like spilled ink.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted you here," I murmur, crawling over her, careful to keep my weight off her. "In my bed. In my life. Mine."

She reaches up, tracing the curve of my horn with delicate fingers. "Show me," she challenges, that familiar spark of defiance in her eyes that has always driven me wild.

I growl, low in my throat, and capture her mouth again. My hands slide down her sides, feeling the curves that have changed subtly since giving birth to our daughters. I savor every inch of her, mapping her body with my touch as if discovering it for the first time.

Her nightdress is a flimsy barrier between us, and I push it up slowly, exposing her inch by taunting inch. When her breasts come into view, fuller now from nursing, I groan with appreciation.

"So fucking beautiful," I murmur, lowering my mouth to take one sensitive nipple between my lips. She gasps, back arching as I circle it with my tongue.

"Careful," she breathes, threading her fingers through my hair. "They're sensitive."

I smile against her skin. "I know exactly how sensitive," I promise, gentling my touch but not relenting. I've learned every reaction of her body over our months together, memorized each gasp and moan like a favorite melody.

Trinity's hands are busy too, pushing at my sleep pants with impatience. I chuckle, helping her shove them down before kicking them away entirely.

"Need something?" I tease, nipping at her collarbone.

"You," she answers simply, all pretense gone. "Just you, Vael."

I pause, struck by the naked honesty in her voice. In all our couplings—frantic, passionate, calculated for conception, or simply to satisfy mutual hunger—there's always been a part of her held back. Until now.

"You have me," I promise, sliding her nightdress off completely and tossing it aside. "Every fucking part of me."

I kiss my way down her body, lingering at the places I know drive her wild—the hollow of her throat, the undersides of her breasts, the soft curve of her hip. When I reach the apex of her thighs, I look up to find her watching me, lips parted, eyes dark with desire.

"I'm going to taste you first," I tell her, spreading her legs wider. "Going to make you come on my tongue before I fill you up."

A flush spreads across her chest, up her neck to her cheeks. "Vael," she whispers, half protest, half plea.

I position myself between her thighs, inhaling her scent deeply before dragging my tongue through her folds in one long, deliberate stroke. She's already wet for me, her taste addictive as ever.

"Fuck, Trinity," I groan against her sensitive flesh. "I could live between your thighs."

She laughs, the sound transforming into a moan as I circle her clit with the tip of my tongue. Her hands find my horns, using them to guide my movements in a way that makes my cock throb painfully against the mattress.

I work her with my mouth, adding fingers when she begins to rock against me frantically. Curling them inside her, I find that spot that makes her thighs tremble around my head.

"That's it," I encourage, watching her face contort with pleasure. "Let go for me, Trinity. Let me see you."

Her climax hits with stunning intensity—back bowing, thighs clamping around my head, my name a broken cry on her lips. I work her through it, gentling my touch as the aftershocks ripple through her body.

When she tugs at my horns, urging me upward, I comply, crawling back up her body to hover over her. The look in her eyes—soft, open, trusting—nearly undoes me.

"I need you," she whispers, reaching between us to guide me to her entrance. "Inside me. Please."

I enter her slowly, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. It's been weeks since her body healed from childbirth, but I'm still careful, still reverent with what she's giving me.

When I'm fully seated inside her, I pause, overwhelmed by the sensation—not just the physical pleasure, but the knowledge that this is different. This is Trinity, all of her, giving herself to me completely.

"I love you," I say again, the words coming easier now. The way Trinity's eyes shine up at me, full of wonder and vulnerability, makes my chest tighten with emotions I've never allowed myself to feel.

"I love you too," she whispers, her hands finding my face, fingers tracing the strong lines of my jaw. "I never thought I could—never thought anyone would?—"

I silence her with a kiss, unable to bear the pain in her voice. I know what she means. Trinity never thought she could love someone like me—a demon who bought her for breeding. And I never thought anyone would love me for anything beyond my status or strength.

I begin to move inside her, slowly at first, savoring each drag and thrust. Her body welcomes me, wet heat gripping my cock in the most exquisite way. But it's the openness in her eyes that truly undoes me—the way she holds my gaze without barriers, without calculation.

"You're everything," I murmur, dropping my forehead to hers as my hips find a rhythm. "Fucking everything to me."

Trinity wraps her legs around my waist, changing the angle so I slide deeper. We both groan at the sensation. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, mindful of my injury but desperate to hold me close.

"Don't stop," she pants against my mouth. "Please don't ever stop."

I growl, picking up pace as her words fuel the fire inside me. "Not stopping. Not ever." Each thrust punctuates my promise. I brace one hand beside her head, the other sliding beneath her hips to lift her slightly, letting me hit that spot inside that makes her walls clench around me.

When she tosses her head back, exposing her bruised throat, I can't help but lower my mouth to it—not to mark her further, but to heal with gentle kisses what that bastard tried to take from her.

"Mine," I whisper against her pulse point, feeling it race beneath my lips. "Only mine to touch. Only mine to please."

"Yes," she agrees, her voice breaking on a particularly deep thrust. "Yours. Always yours."

Her hands slide down my back, nails digging in just enough to send shivers up my spine. The slight pain mixes with pleasure, heightening everything. I'm drowning in her—her scent, her sounds, the way her body trembles beneath mine.

I shift my weight, allowing me to slide a hand between our bodies. When my fingers find her clit, circling it with practiced precision, Trinity cries out, her back arching.

"That's it," I encourage, maintaining the rhythm of my hips while working her with my fingers. "Let me feel you come around my cock."

Her eyes flutter closed as tension builds in her body. I can feel it in the way her thighs tighten around me, the way her breath comes in shorter gasps.

"Look at me," I demand softly. When those green eyes open, hazy with desire but locked on mine, I nearly lose myself. "I want to see you when you come. Want to watch what I do to you."

Trinity's lips part on a silent cry as pleasure overtakes her. Her inner walls pulse around me, her body shuddering beneath mine. The sight of her—completely unguarded, completely mine—pushes me toward the edge.

"Fuck, Trinity," I groan, my rhythm faltering as I fight to hold back. "You feel so goddamn good."

She cups my face, pulling me down for a kiss that's both tender and desperate. "Come with me," she whispers against my lips. "Let go, Vael. I've got you."

Her words break something loose inside me. With a final thrust, I bury myself deep inside her and let go, my release tearing through me with an intensity that makes my vision blur. I growl her name against her throat as pleasure pulses through my body.

For long moments, we remain joined, our hearts racing against each other, our breath mingling in the small space between our mouths. I'm careful not to crush her with my weight, but I can't bear to separate from her yet.

When I finally find the strength to move, I roll to my side, bringing Trinity with me. She nestles against my chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns through the light sheen of sweat on my skin.

"Trinity," I say, tilting her chin up so I can see her face. This moment feels monumental, like the world has shifted beneath us. "I want you to be my mate."

Her eyes widen slightly.

"Not because of our arrangement," I continue, needing her to understand. "Not for the twins. I want you to be my mate. I want to wake up to your smart mouth every morning. I want to argue with you and make up with you and build a life with you. Regardless of everything else, I want you. Forever."

She stares at me, those expressive eyes filling with tears.

"I never thought—" She stops, swallows hard. "I spent so long trying not to feel anything. Trying to be what men wanted without giving anything real of myself. And then the twins came and you—" Her voice breaks. "You showed me what family could be."

I brush a tear from her cheek with my thumb. "Is that a yes?" I ask, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Trinity smiles, and it's like watching the sun rise over Aerasak's mountains. "Yes," she says, pressing her palm to my chest, right over my heart. "I love being their mother in a way I never expected. I love being here with you. I don't want to lose this—lose you."

I pull her closer, burying my face in her hair to hide the emotion threatening to overwhelm me. "You won't," I promise fiercely. "You're stuck with me now, little human. For life."

She laughs softly, the sound vibrating against my chest. "Good," she whispers. "Because I love you, you stubborn demon. Every grumpy, protective, secretly sweet part of you."