Page 31

Chief Aiken Oakley

Valor

After they’d changed out of their combat attire, he and Zorion were escorted out of the facility.

Ren approached them with a smile too blasé for the rigor they’d just endured. “I arranged for your dinners to be served on the terrace in your dining facility.”

Neither answered as they redirected their steps toward the opposite hall. Valor didn’t care where he went as long as Zorion was close to him.

They sat at a round table under a violet sky away from relentless surveillance.

The cool air was welcome on his warm skin, and even the distant hum of the world beyond their captivity didn’t bother him. Valor was just glad their day was over…and they were alone.

A silent staff of three served their meal with their heads bowed and eyes averted as if it was a punishable offense to look at them.

“Thank you,” Zorion whispered when his glass was filled with water.

The server let out a brisk exhale before he nodded and hurried away.

“They probably assume we’ve already been put through phase three,” Valor said, stabbing at his lamb chops. “I’d be nervous around soulless men too.”

Valor got lost in staring at Zorion, watching the unguarded expressions that crossed his face. He wanted to comfort him, allow him to sink inside him to relieve the tension radiating off him like heat from desert sand.

They ate to the sounds of nocturnal birds and crickets chirping and the occasional clank of their cutlery.

Every now and then, Zorion’s soft gaze would meet his, and Valor swore he saw a vow in his eyes promising that no matter how far the Ravens pushed them toward their agenda, the bond between them would only grow stronger.

Valor trailed behind Zorion, glad to be rid of their escort.

Instead of going in the direction of his own quarters, he stayed on Zorion’s heels until they stood in front of his door.

Valor could sense the faint tremor in Zorion’s muscles, the tension of his desire. He pressed closer, his own pounding heart thrumming with urgency.

“Rio,” he whispered, his voice low and heavy with lust. “Let me in.”

He didn’t know when he’d abbreviated Zorion, but he liked it, and judging by the way Zorion shuddered, he must’ve too.

Today, he’d been more beast than man, but when he was alone with Zorion, his body responded in another way.

Zorion punched in the code until the soft click of the lock was released. Once inside, Valor couldn’t restrain the tidal wave of lust as he pressed Zorion’s back against the door.

He melded his body to him and ran the tips of his fingers up his side until they were wrapped around Zorion’s throat.

The room was dark and its terrace doors were open. The chill from the night did little to lessen the heat rushing through him.

He brushed his lips across Zorion’s cheek, and the shudder he was rewarded with pleased him.

Zorion breathed heavily, leaning closer into his embrace as if surrendering to his comfort.

Valor’s cock was so hard that he struggled not to throw Zorion on the floor and take as much of him as he wanted. But he’d never behave in a way that made Zorion leery of his ability to control himself.

Valor searched for his lips in the dark. When he found them, the kiss was warm and quiet, like his soul.

Zorion opened for him, sighing into Valor’s mouth.

The space around them felt charged. Every sound was amplified times ten. The soft creaking of the floorboards, the drone of the ventilation system, the singing of night’s creatures, and the beating of their hearts.

Zorion’s guttural moan almost drove Valor mad, making his ache grow more intense, lower, as their circumstances faded and he was able to focus only on the man in his arms.

Valor kept his palm across Zorion’s Adam’s apple, not tight, but enough to stake his claim.

He tilted Zorion’s head back and deepened the kiss and Zorion didn’t resist. He submitted beautifully, and Valor could already feel the tension melting.

As he sucked hard on the sensitive skin of Zorion’s throat, the taste of sweat filled his mouth, the scent of his endurance and uniqueness provoking Valor’s heightened senses.

He slid his hand beneath Zorion’s shirt and splayed his fingers across his ribs, feeling the flexing muscles. He wanted to scratch and leave marks no one else would be able to see.

Zorion turned so his chest was to the wall and Valor was pressing into his back.

Zorion’s groan was salacious as he reached behind him and clutched Valor’s hips to yank him closer until his hardness was nudging at his ass and leaving no doubt of his intent.

A low growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating against the back of Zorion’s neck where his lips touched his skin. He scraped his teeth along the salty flesh until he got to Zorion’s pulse.

He fought his instincts, barely winning the fight before Zorion gave him permission. “Bite,” he urged in a pained whisper.

Power, hunger, and minimal restraint collided in his core as Valor sank his teeth in.

His eyes rolled at the beat of the rhythmic pounding of life against his tongue.

Zorion’s shook as he craned his neck farther to the right, his fingers digging into the wall.

“Fuck,” Zorion growled.

Valor felt a primal, carnal satisfaction when he clamped his teeth down in such a delicate place, wanting to mark his possession.

The faint tremors of Zorion’s breath and the vulnerability of his position made something tight coil in the pit of Valor’s stomach. A rush of heat and strength flooded him at the thought of the act and what it all meant.

He had Zorion’s trust.

Valor had him right where he wanted him. Zorion would never run from him, he was his, their bond now unbreakable.