Page 45 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin (The Nightfire Quartet #4)

FORTY-FOUR

Zarya drifted in and out of a troubled sleep as she shivered in the cold cavern. Her back ached, and her nightmares plagued her dreams. She saw her mother huddled in the corner of her tower while Loka stood over her, giving Zarya a sad smile.

She saw the Ashvins and Taaranas as it once stood in all its glory. She saw their temple and the people who worshiped them, offering benedictions as they fell to their knees.

She saw their magic—glittering stars against black night. A door opening high in the mountains. The demons entered, and shadows and darkness swept over the land.

She moaned as she shifted against the moss. Part of her wanted to wake up, but part of her wanted to remain inside the cocoon of her dreams forever.

A rush of warm air coasted over her chilled skin as she exhaled a sigh of relief.

It pulled her eyes open to reveal a violet sky strewn with a river of stars so thick, it felt like she could scoop them up and tuck them into her pocket.

Her mouth parted on a surprised exhale as a tear slipped down her cheek.

The forest.

She pushed herself up into a seated position as the wounds on her back pulled, causing her to wince. At least she’d stopped shivering, but she couldn’t say much else for her state. The moon hung low and large, and the leafy trees waved softly in the breeze.

With some difficulty, she forced her aching body to her feet. Still naked, the grass tickled her soles. She slowly spun in a circle, seeking out the dark corners, with her breath held in anticipation.

Was he here, too? Had the enchantment finally broken?

Everything remained still and silent for several long minutes, but she wouldn’t give up hope. She called for him in her mind, trying to reach for him. He had to be close. Why else would she be here?

When she noticed a shift deep in the shadows, her breath hitched.

A moment later, moonlight revealed a sliver of a face she knew and loved with every piece of her heart.

Rabin emerged from the darkness, also naked, his brown skin gleaming in the starlight. He kept his head down as she watched him approach, her gaze sliding over the contours of his shoulders and chest and stomach and then to his erect cock, bobbing as he walked, the tip shining with the hint of his arousal.

As he drew closer, he lifted his face, and she inhaled sharply at the sight of his glowing red eyes.

He was here physically, but where was he in his mind?

“Rabin,” she whispered. “Are you there?”

He blinked, watching her carefully, like a predator assessing a weaker opponent. She studied him with her breath held, wondering if she should run. Wondering if there was anywhere she could run.

A growl rumbled in his chest before he prowled towards her on sure steps. His pace never slowed, and she found herself retreating, having no idea what to expect. Her breath squeaked when she came into contact with the trunk of a wide tree, the wounds in her back causing her to whimper.

He stopped at the sound, his gaze assessing and his head cocking with a feline sort of grace. Wincing at the ache, she clung to the bark as he drew closer, looming over her and planting his hands on either side of her head.

“Rabin?” she whispered as he stared down, his eyes glowing brightly as he perused her from head to toe. She felt that look as it touched her face and her throat. Her breasts and her stomach, then dragging lower as a growl rumbled in his chest.

Without warning, he reached out to grip her arm and flipped her around so her stomach was against the tree. He pressed himself against her, and she sighed at the familiar warmth of his big body. Gods, how she’d missed him.

He gathered her hair in his hand and pushed it over her shoulder, exposing her back.

She tried to contain her agonized moans as his hand drifted over her shoulder and then ghosted over her wounds. She gritted her teeth as her skin burned from his touch before he placed his hand flat against her back. She gasped as a tear escaped her eye, and then heat seared her skin, almost too hot to bear.

Relief came next as she felt the wounds begin to knit together.

The Bandhan.

Kishore couldn’t break their bond. Their connection had been the will of the gods. No mere mystic could shatter destiny.

She felt the dragon on her shoulder pulse as Rabin healed her wounds. Her skin flushed hot, and the cuts sealed up until the pain melted away. She tasted the salt of her tears on her lips as her head tipped against the tree while she sobbed from relief.

Rabin moved, crushing his body against hers. He folded himself so that he was covering every inch of her skin before his nose buried into the curve of her throat, and he took a long, shuddering breath.

“Rabin?” she whispered. “Are you there?”

She kept trying to reach him. Kept trying to call to him in her mind.

He flipped her around so she faced him again.

She couldn’t help the way her thighs flexed as he licked his lips, his fiery gaze hungry with desire. He lifted a hand as smoke swirled around his fingers, weaving back and forth. A moment later, they transformed into a set of sharp dragon claws.

His gaze met hers, and she exhaled a short gasp. What was happening?

Slowly, he reached out, the tip of a claw touching her cheek and then carefully dragging lower. Her breath pushed out in tight gulps as he trailed his nail over her throat and collarbone and down one breast.

She whimpered as he scraped over a nipple, his talons coming together to gently pinch it with just enough sharpness to send a straight shot of heat between her thighs.

He drifted lower over her stomach and stopped right below her navel. She looked down, her gaze snagging on his bobbing cock covered in veins—the tip swollen and purple, begging for release.

“Rabin,” she said again, her voice barely a whisper as he dragged his hand lower. He knocked her ankle with his foot, forcing her to spread her legs. His burning red gaze found hers again, but she wasn’t afraid. He was there, buried somewhere inside the enchantment.

She let out a sharp breath as his hand moved lower, the pointed tip of his nail grazing her clit. She gasped and her stomach clenched when he did it again. The touch was featherlight, yet it felt like she was being turned inside out.

Slowly, he continued exploring her body, using his sharp talons as he scraped her breasts and stomach, leaving red streaks that didn’t break the skin. She pressed against the tree, no longer in pain—all she could feel was the hollow ache between her legs.

He snarled, his lip curling up as he gripped the tree behind her head. Then, without warning, he wrapped his other hand around her leg and hoisted her up. He thrust against her, his hard cock rubbing her clit to the point of bruising. She clung to his shoulders as he rutted against her, and then, without warning, he slammed in.

Her back arched as she cried out, waves of pleasure rolling through her limbs. He fucked her with abandon, their flesh slapping and their moans and growls tangling in the clearing.

He filled her up, stretching her, hitting so deep that she whimpered with every thrust.

“Rabin,” she practically sobbed. “I feel you. I see you.”

She clung to him as he continued pounding into her. His dragon claws melted away as he grabbed her breast, pinching her nipple, and then dipped his head and sunk his teeth into her throat. She cried out as the magic of his bite filtered into her blood, her release tightening in her stomach.

He churned his hips over and over as sweat coated their bodies, and her cries grew more frantic. He squeezed her ass as he thrust again, then they both came together in a flash of bright blinding light and sparks.

Her nails dug into his shoulders as her release crashed over her, twisting her from the inside, sending waves of tingling sensation straight to the tips of her fingers and toes.

He continued pumping, wringing out his release as she felt his warmth spill between them. With a growling shudder, he pulled up to meet her gaze.

She recognized him buried in the depths of his glowing red eyes.

“Come back to me,” she whispered.

Zarya’s eyes opened a moment later, and she found herself lying on her stomach in the chalky white cavern. She shivered from the cold air and wondered if it had all been a vivid dream.

She rolled over to notice a throbbing ache between her legs along with the faint red marks Rabin had left on her skin.

Not a dream.

She’d nearly reached him there. She’d nearly found him.

That had been real, and maybe that meant something.

Yasen and Row entered Taaranas to an eerie silence. They shared a worried look. A chill skated down Yasen’s back as he took in the strange white buildings and the complete stillness.

“Is this it?” he asked as he turned around slowly, searching for threats or clues.

“It looks like the city I’ve seen in drawings,” Row answered. “But this…”

“Is dead,” Yasen finished.

Row nodded as they turned to face the massive temple standing at the end of the road with a glittering star hovering over it. It had obviously stretched to the sky until something had destroyed the roof.

“I suppose that’s probably where we’re headed,” Yasen said.

Row grunted something that sounded like agreement as they searched their surroundings again. Looking up, Yasen noted thousands of shimmering white roots clamoring across the ceiling peppered with tiny black marks of rot. He looked back at the city and the wisps of black smoke curling around the windows and buildings.

“What do you think happened there?” Yasen asked, pointing towards the street where a patch of grey stone had broken up the endless stretch of white.

Row shook his head. “Maybe it has something to do with Zarya.”

The way he said it didn’t make it sound like a good thing.

After drawing their weapons, they marched towards the temple, up the steps, and through the high doorway. Inside, they found a mess. Large stones covered the floor, and dust hung in the air.

They approached the largest pile sitting in the center.

Yasen climbed on top to find himself looking down into an empty well.

“It looks like this was a pool,” he said. “And someone cleared this all away to enter.”

Row nodded as he ascended the rubble. “This must be the way they went.”

Yasen peered down. “Only one way to find out.”

He scrambled down the wreckage and peered into the well. Broken stone filled the hollow, and someone had cleared it to reveal a narrow path.

Yasen took a step and lightly dropped to the bottom in a crouch.

With any luck, they’d catch up to Zarya soon.

And with even more luck, maybe they’d bring her home.