Page 51 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Declan

E lena’s back slammed against the door as I shoved her against it. The gasp that escaped her luscious lips sent a bolt of electricity down my body, straight to my already aching cock. Invigorated by the sultry sound, I devoured every inch of her lips like a starved man.

I’d meant for our kiss to be delicate, tender, a gentle caress of the way she made me feel every day.

However, after what she’d done in the city, the temptation had become insatiable.

Elena had no idea what that simple gesture meant to me.

Shame had always loomed over me like the very shadows I summoned.

Darkness might fuel my dynamis, but it had its claws wrapped tightly over my mind as well.

Tonight, when the people of my city kneeled in respect, some of that darkness dissipated from my soul. It had been a long time since I’d felt a smidge of the happiness that seemed to exude from Elena.

There were no words to explain the emotions that had flooded my body when the people of our city smiled, even laughed together with… me . Forgiveness was something I knew I didn’t deserve, but even in the cold depths of my frozen heart, it was my deepest desire.

Slowly, the weight of my world was being lifted by this gorgeous woman in front of me. Elena’s power didn’t just reside in her dynamis. Her entire being radiated with kindness, passion, and immeasurable strength. It hummed with hope.

Perhaps hope was one of the strongest emotions of them all? Maybe it was hope that we needed to light our way through the darkness of this kingdom.

I needed this woman.

All of her. Mind, body and soul.

My restraint had shattered into a million pieces, as well as all the reasons that had kept me away from her. Tonight, I was going to show my Wildfire just how much I’d fallen in love with her.

When I’d first laid eyes on Elena, there was no doubt that she would be my undoing.

Tonight, I would be hers.

I sucked on her bottom lip, eliciting a whimper from her.

Delight filled my chest at her silent plea for more.

My hands fell beneath her thighs, pulling her legs around my waist. Heat radiated off her in waves as she squeezed her legs around my back, pulling me flush against her chest. Our heartbeats danced together as one.

“Declan…” she gasped.

“Yes, love?” I panted in between needy kisses, my hands exploring every gods-given inch of her body. I slipped my hands under her tunic, palming the underside of her breast while my thumb brushed over the thin fabric covering one of her pebbled peaks.

“I—I… oh…gods?—”

A chuckle rumbled deep within my throat. “Love, the only name that will leave your lips in the heat of passion will be mine. Do you understand?”

“Is that an order?”

I nodded. Then, the little vixen stared me straight in the eye and smirked. “Yes, sir.”

Hells. This woman was going to destroy me.

I twined my fingers in the waves of her hair, palming the back of her head.

When I tugged on her locks, she tilted her head back to expose her neck.

Lena’s vibrant eyes glossed over before they snapped shut when my lips caressed their way down to the sensitive spot between her shoulder and neck.

I grazed my teeth over the smooth flesh.

Another breathy moan fled from her beautiful mouth.

Pushing away from the wall, I carried my Wildfire towards her bed. Her arms were draped around my neck, fingers gliding through my hair. Our lips began a delicate, featherlight exploration. Each brush became more reverent than the next, filled with the passion our words couldn’t express.

Elena’s body trembled beneath me as I laid her back onto the bed. I used my legs to spread hers further apart, inching my way closer to her body.

A wince spread across her face, and I looked down to see her pant leg reddened with blood.

“Damn it! Elena, you’re bleeding.” I reared back.

After tearing off her boots, I saw the bite wasn’t as bad as my fears had thought.

I wrapped my hands around the wound and summoned the dynamis I had left in my well.

She glanced down at me with wide eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful sight.

As I grabbed a wet cloth to clean both of us, she sat stunned in silence on the bed.

“Clara’s been teaching me a few things.” I grinned, trying my best to chuckle at her gaping mouth. “Healing dynamis has been a slower process for me to learn, so I’m not the best. It would probably be wise to see her tomorrow to make sure you’re completely healed.”

Without another word, I enveloped one of her hands in mine. Turning it over, I pressed my lips against her palm. She rolled her lip between her teeth before she spoke.

“I…I’ve not done this ,” she whispered, “yet.”

A rosy flush filled her cheeks, stirring a sly smile across my face. She shielded her head into the covers and her gaze avoided mine at all costs. I held her chin between my fingers as her anxious eyes met mine through her thick lashes.

“Wildfire, while I am honored to know you’ll allow me to be your first, I’m more enthralled to know that I will be your last,” I whispered into her ear, smiling against her cheek as her breath hitched.

“Because after tonight, there will be no other man who lies beside you but me. You will be mine, Lena, and I’m never letting you go. ”

Guiding my hand leisurely up her thigh and along her body, I paused only to tease the exposed skin at the edge of her tunic. Pieces of her long locks fell into her face, and she gave me a nod, permission to keep going.

I tangled my fingers in the laces of her white tunic until it was loosened. As my calloused palms brushed against her supple skin, her body hitched towards me. Lena’s fingers curled around the edges of my tunic as she helped me strip it over my head and toss it to the floor.

Air escaped my lungs at the sight of her.

I feared I might have forgotten how to breathe.

Delicate, smooth skin sang to me like a siren, my hands unable to stop roaming over the curves of her.

Freckles sprinkled over her entire body like constellations in the night sky.

Long, luxurious auburn hair spread across the sheets in waves.

Gods, her eyes were like crystal pools of water urging me to dive in and never surface.

Elena was breathtaking, and unlike my panic attacks, I’d allow her to steal my breath any day, any time.

Cheeks still dusted in a rosy shade, her arms went to shield her chest, protected only by a thin wrap of material. I gathered her hands in one of mine and lifted them above her head. “No more hiding from me, love.”

My lips caressed her forehead, then feathered the tip of her nose with my own. Our eyes locked as I captured her lips once more, pouring into it all the passion that had been pent up inside of me. Her aqua eyes were clouded in a lusty haze, but there was a fire within them that emboldened me.

There’s my Wildfire.

“There’s nothing that you could tell me or show me that would keep me away from you. I want all of you. No more hiding.”

One of her hands wiggled between mine, breaking free.

Without tearing away our gaze, she glided her hand across my chest. Fingertips light as feathers trailed a path down my arm towards my free palm.

She trapped my hand beneath hers, and they began an excruciatingly slow path towards her breasts.

Together, we began to pull down the material wrapped around them.

Until we were interrupted by a knock at her door.

My head sagged beside hers on the bed. I groaned into the sheets. Her chest shook underneath me, not from trembling but from the laughter she was trying desperately to contain.

“Are you laughing at me, Wildfire?”

Lena’s eyes went wide as she shook her head. Her hand slid over her mouth to contain the snort that flew from her nose. Giving a little pinch to her side, I couldn’t hide the smile that peeked out at her squeal.

Another rap at the door sent my blood boiling once more. My roar bellowed out to the unfortunate person standing behind it.

“This interruption better be urgent. Especially if you like your head to remain attached to your body. I am not to be bothered the rest of the night otherwise!”

A deep chuckle I knew all too well floated into the room from the other side of the door. Slowly I rose, taking a few steps towards the door. Liam’s voice rumbled through it.

“My apologies, Your Highness, but the king has requested your presence…urgently.”

Both hands curled against my side as another rumble of frustration rattled inside my chest. A shy smile lifted Lena’s flushed face.

Entranced, I couldn’t take my eyes off her even as she hid her beautiful body with her tunic.

Long legs fell to the floor as she rose from the bed and closed the gap between us, intertwining her delicate fingers between mine.

“I’ll be waiting.” She brushed her smooth cheek against mine as she whispered against my ear, “Come find me when you’re done, sir .”

Lifting my other hand to her face, I rubbed my thumb over her swollen lips. “I will return shortly…I promise.”

She pressed her lips against my thumb as she tilted her head towards the door. I willed my legs to leave the room before I could change my mind.

My boots felt full of iron as I stomped alongside Liam. A ripple of nerves flooded through me and wrapped around my spine. This feeling wasn’t coming from me. Liam cleared his throat as my gaze drifted towards him.

“S-sorry, my ward slipped a little,” Liam stuttered. The man’s ward has always been as solid as a rock. He’d never slipped before, much less stuttered.

“Liam,” I barked, “just tell me. What the Hells has you so shaken?”

He cleared his throat. “The king and Alastor—as you may have guessed, are not very happy about our little display in the city.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” I huffed.

Silence fell as whips of shadows rippled over my arms.

“Hells, just spit it out, Liam.”