Page 31 of Horns of Wicked Ebony (Deathcaller Duet #2)

R okath hadn’t been lying when he said his rooms were incredible.

At the top of one of the rear towers, the suite was both private and luxurious.

Set into the stone of the sitting area were wide windows with a view sweeping over the vast sea cliffs and into the ocean.

I pressed my hand to the cool glass as I peered down, trying to glimpse what waited beneath.

My mate moved through the suite with crisp efficiency, stripping cloths from the furniture like he was readying a battlefield instead of our accommodation.

Backing out of his way, I took in the rest of the space.

A set of double doors led into a sleeping chamber, and beyond, the promise of a place to bathe.

The space wasn’t quite as nice as his rooms at Gyor Palace, but far better than the tent to which I’d become unfortunately accustomed.

Grem and Zeec trotted past me and onto plush beds jutted against the wall beneath the windows, flopping onto one each. Thankfully they didn’t leap onto the bed, because like me, both could use a nice, long bath. The promise of the fluffy mattress was almost too good for me to pass up, though.

Rokath dropped our bags in a corner of the sleeping chamber, drawing my attention. “I’ll warn you now that life here is extremely regimented, and I expect you to follow along with it–”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Rokath beat me to it. “Without protest.”

My teeth clicked shut, and I huffed. “What kind of regimen are we talking?”

“There are three groups, all of which maintain a similar schedule that starts at different times. But everyone in that cohort rises at the same time. Eats every meal at the same time. Trains at the same time. Studies at the same time. Goes to bed at the same time. And that time never deviates,” he explained slowly, his hands rising ever so slightly like he was preparing to defend himself.

“Okay but we’re above the rules right? That’s been made abundantly clear time and time again,” I quipped, crossing my arms and popping out a hip.

Rokath removed his helmet slowly, revealing the utter seriousness etched in his face. Internally, I groaned.

“Here, especially with the females joining us, we must demonstrate the utmost respect for the rules. Even the males accompanying us haven’t ceased grumbling about the changes, and if they believe even for a second that the females receive different treatment, that will only fuel their arguments,” Rokath pointed out.

“Arguments you’ve used for centuries to keep females out,” I shot back.

“I am aware,” he groused, setting his helmet to the side.

Then, he unbuckled his armor piece by piece and strapped it around a dummy to hold its shape.

When he yanked his shirt overhead after, my thighs clenched.

His powerful physique never ceased to swirl up a twister of desire inside me, especially now that we’d admitted our feelings to one another.

“So about that bath…” I began, the rule following and rule breaking forgotten. With unashamed hunger, I raked my gaze over the hard planes of his torso and the ink that covered them.

He returned the look with equal heat as I yanked on the laces of my leather tunic and dropped it to the floor. “Come,” he commanded in the only way that made me want to obey.

The bathing chamber alone was nearly as large as the sitting area.

My jaw dropped as I took in every inch of the space.

A massive tub stood before windows taller than Rokath with a perfect view of the ocean.

Stone slabs lined the floor, while the ceiling, much like the sleeping chamber, crescendoed upward.

Light danced around the space as the clouds parted.

Rokath turned the taps, and water crashed into the carved rock, echoing in my ears. “You’ll probably want to rinse over there first,” he said, pointing to a waist-high faucet that protruded out of the wall. Beneath it, a thick drain waited.

I stripped out of the last of my clothes, nose crinkling at the pungent stench that clung to them, and flung them through the open doorway. “Don’t tell me I’ll have to wash my own clothes now too.”

His pants sailed past me a moment later. “That is a perk we will maintain.”

“Thank the Fates,” I breathed, nearly sagging with relief. I kicked a foot beneath the stream of water, only to be met with a bitter chill. With a yelp, I jumped straight into the warmth of Rokath’s skin. His laugh rumbled against my back. Along with a press of his massive length.

Whipping around, I faced him. The layers of grime on both of us were apparent, especially now that we had stripped down .

He handed me a rough cloth. “This should help speed up the process.”

My attention dragged to the luxurious tub and the steam wafting off its surface with a divine hint of lavender. I hadn’t appreciated the bathing chamber on the estate in Stryi nearly enough.

Together we worked quickly to remove the worst of the dirt so we wouldn’t have to soak in it. And I planned on taking a long soak.

After the cloth was so brown that I wasn’t sure it was helping any more, I assessed my skin and deemed it clean enough. Draping it over a nearby rack, I approached the tub.

Liquid splashed as I dipped a foot in, nearly shivering at the temperature change.

It wasn’t quite full enough yet, and thank the Weaver, the water didn’t immediately get dirty when I settled myself into it.

What would happen when I dunked my head to wash my hair was an entirely different story.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get all the sand off my scalp.

Moments later, Rokath joined me, ceasing the flow from the tap.

I almost protested, but when he sat down, the water nearly sloshed to the rim, displaced by his bulk.

The tub was large enough for both of us to stretch out comfortably, but to my surprise, Rokath grabbed my hands and tugged me into his chest. I straddled his lap, his hardness pressing against my core.

I rocked against it, a moan tearing from my lips. He moved his grip to my hips and dragged me along his length. “Keep that up and we’ll have to bathe thrice before dinner.”

“Please tell me we have time for that,” I groaned because that was exactly what I wanted. His thick cock filling me before, during, and after I cleansed months of sweat and dirt from my skin.

“Unfortunately not, little imposter,” Rokath rumbled, my ribs vibrating from the depths of his voice.

He settled me into his lap, then leaned forward and dragged his nose up the length of my neck so he spoke his next words in my ear.

“So I’m going to need you to come quickly for me. Can you do that?”

Heat coiled low in my belly. “I can,” I breathed, and Rokath reclined against the stone. The sun glimmered off the droplets clinging to his physique. His biceps flexed as he repositioned himself below me, the tip of his thick cock nudging at my entrance.

In one powerful thrust, he entered me, sending water spilling over the lip of the tub and onto the floor. A heady moan escaped me as he stretched me along his length. “Rokath,” I breathed, head tipping back.

“Look at me,” he growled, and I snapped my attention forward, finding his burgundy eyes igniting with lust. He speared into me from below, sending another cascade over the sides.

Our bond thrummed with pleasure as he did it again, and again, and again.

Tension wound through me as our eyes remained locked, water continuing to disappear around us.

It was as if the ocean had entrenched itself in the tub, churning and frothing while Rokath held me in place and delivered me the most delicious ecstasy.

“You’re going to have to refill the tub,” I panted, bracing my hands on his bouldered shoulders to keep my balance as I began floating higher, higher, higher.

Rokath quickened his pace, brows pinching together and breath coming in ragged. “We live beside the sea now, little imposter. There is no shortage of water.”

He switched his grip, arching my lower back and dragging my clit against his hard abdomen.

A gasp ripped from me as the friction increased.

“Don’t stop. I need more,” I pleaded. He slammed himself to the hilt, making stars dance in my vision.

Nearly all the water had sloshed out, and the barest amount remained to lap around my ankles .

In one smooth motion, he unseated and flipped me so I faced the windows. Crowding me from behind, he breathed in my ear, “Grab the edge.”

I did immediately, knuckles turning as white as the stone. In this position, Rokath was always relentless. He smacked my ass, hard, the sound echoing around the chamber. A cry tore from my throat, replaced instantly with a moan as he entered me again.

Fingers digging into my hips, he bowed my spine, hitting that spot deep inside me.

“Fuck,” he rasped as my walls clenched around him.

The polish of the window reflected his dark rapture as he moved inside me.

And in that obsidian expression, I found safety.

Protection. Certainty that he’d never let anyone hurt me again.

The ache from his boundless devotion bloomed in my chest, mirrored back to him as our eyes locked in our reflection.

Yet, the panes were wide, open, and should anyone fly up here, they’d have an unfiltered view into what we were doing. The thought made my blood heat.

“Your body is so fucking perfect. You are so fucking perfect, mate,” Rokath rumbled, reaching around for my neck. He tightened his grip ever so slightly and cut off my air. I floated even higher.

“What if someone flies up here and sees us?” I gasped out around his hand.

“Then they die,” he said simply, like there was no question about it.

Rokath pressed images of what exactly he’d do to the unfortunate person who witnessed him claiming me from behind into my mind. That only heightened the ecstasy of him thickening inside me. A small, wanton sound slipped out of me before I could stop it .