Page 35 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 34

Lana

" T alk to me,” Kade said, rubbing his warm calloused hand over the back of my neck as we lay in his tent together.

The tingle against my skin mixed with the soothing way he kneaded the tension from me felt like bliss despite my lingering fears.

“I’m worried about Ian. I’m worried about what’s next,” I admitted, leaning into his touch. The other fears I wanted to keep to myself. Not voicing them made me believe I could store them in the box I tried so hard to keep them locked in.

Kade kissed my shoulder. “Give me whatever it is you’re holding on to, Little Rebel. Let me help you carry it.”

“I feel like everyone has been handed an incompetent, worthless Fae to lead them. How can I help Brookmere when I have no magic? How do I stand a chance against Andras as weak as I am? All of this comes down on the shoulders of others. How can a queen ask that of her people, let alone the people she loves most?”

“Look at me,” Kade demanded. I rolled over on the bedroll to face him. His eyes completely clear of any darkness .

I sucked in a sharp breath at their intensity, at the adoration staring back at me.

“You have never needed magic to prove your worth. You have never been weak.” He rested his hand over my heart. “In your darkest moments you survived, and then chose to not only continue but to throw yourself into caring for your people. You inspire loyalty for who you are, Illiana, not what magic you can offer.”

My lip quivered. “They’re beautiful words, Kade. But at the end of the day, it will take someone extremely powerful to do whatever is needed to take back my kingdom."

“You are powerful,” he whispered. “It will take you. Magic does not determine a Fae’s worth. I know you believe that. You treat lesser Fae exactly the same as nobility, if not better. You don’t let their worth be determined by their magic. So why allow your mind to use it to condemn yourself?”

I shook my head, but he gripped my chin tightly, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Hear me, Little Rebel. You are worthy. You have always been worthy. There is no one else I would follow into any battle, any fight so willingly as you. There will never be a moment when I doubt what you can accomplish.” He kissed my forehead, lingering there.

I shuddered, soaking in his words. "What if I fail?”

He pulled back, not allowing me to look away. “Then I will tell you the Fates had something else in store for you to rise again. You will never fail because you will never give up. And when you think you cannot continue, I will carry you until you stand beside me once more.” He brushed his fingers over my face. “There is no kingdom, no world where I am not kneeling before you as queen. You will not fail.”

I swallowed as the ferocity of his belief in me ignited all the dark corners of doubt. I may not know where to go from here, but I would never have to determine it alone.

“You're not holding back anymore, are you?” I smiled, unable to stop the grin from spreading at his utter confidence in me.

He leaned in and yanked me toward him so no space lingered between our intertwined bodies. “You have ruined me, Little Rebel. Completely ruined me. I refuse to go back to acting as if that isn’t the truth.”

“Prove it,” I said against his lips.

A low sound rumbled in Kade’s chest as his lips crashed into mine. Gone was any hesitation, and I relished it. I ground my hips into him, whimpering at how hard and ready he was for me.

I reached down, stroking him over his pants. He nipped my bottom lip. “I don’t want to take advantage, so do not tempt me.”

“It’s not taking advantage when I’m asking nicely,” I practically whined. “I need this. I need you. Make me feel whole again. I cannot be consumed by grief anymore.”

I reached inside his pants. This time he groaned but didn’t pull away. “I’m holding on by a very loose, unstable thread.”

“Break for me.”

Kade lunged, hovering over me, and flipped me to my back. His fingers trailing down my throat and over my thin shirt, running between my breasts. He traced his fingers over my pants, slowly rubbing until I arched into his touch.

“More,” I begged.

“Greedy girl.” He smirked, removing his fingers from my body to lift my shirt. He dipped his head, tracing his tongue along the line of my pants.

I jerked at the divine sensation of the heat from his mouth. Running my fingers through his hair, I tugged, forcing him to look at me. The satisfaction dancing over his features drew out a moan from deep inside of me.

“I haven’t even touched you yet, and look at you.” He slipped my pants off with his shadows. “Perfect. Beautiful. Mine . ”

I arched again when his lips caressed the inside of my thigh. I tugged his hair, desperate to pull him to my core, but he simply laughed against my skin. “I warned you the next time I had you I would not be rushed.”

“I need you,” I said, breathy and urgent. Fates, I had never been so desperate for anyone, and I didn’t care that he saw it. That he heard it.

He moved lower, farther from where I wanted him. He raised my ankle to his lips, kissing my skin before slowly running his tongue up my leg. When he finally reached my clit, he pulled away, retreating to the other side.

I let out an anguished moan.

“I better shield our friends from all the filthy things about to come from your mouth.” Kade smiled as his shadows arched outward around the edges of the tent.

“Fuck me, Kade,” I demanded.

“Are you wet for me, Illiana?” He kissed my thigh and slipped a finger inside of me.

“Yes,” I managed to hiss out.

He pressed deeper into me, taking his sweet time. His shadows curled toward me and suddenly pulsed outward. “They had their turn. You’re all mine now.”

He pressed into me steadily with his finger, and he added another, building a toe-curling rhythm. He curled them upward inside of me until I thrust my hips up for purchase.

Kade controlled my body like a damn musician, gradually coaxing the crescendo of pleasure further toward his goal.

“Please,” I begged.

He let out a satisfied sound and ran his tongue along my clit right as he curled his fingers again, thrusting inside of me.

“Beg for me again, Little Rebel.”

“Please,” I obeyed, willing to say anything to get more of this. More of him.

He sucked my clit hard, and I knew I was headed for oblivion. The skillful stroke of his tongue in time with his fingers brought me closer and closer, until suddenly I exploded.

He groaned, slowing his movements. “Fates, I’ll never have enough of you on my tongue.” He licked and kissed and refused to relent, even when I squirmed from the sensations.

Too much.

Not enough.

The orgasm did nothing to quench the desire building these past few days. A tugging inside of me flared at his touch, refusing to be sated. I knew I needed him deep inside me if I had any hope of quelling this uncontrollable urge to have him.

Have him completely mine.

Kade lifted his head, like he knew my very thoughts. He moved, crawling to his knees before spreading my legs wider as he rested between them. He pulled his fingers from me and put both of them in his mouth, licking them slowly, before leaning over me and kissing me.

His tongue swirled over mine, demanding my submission, and I was all too willing to give it.

He leaned back and removed his pants, stopping to stare at me as he stroked his cock once. Twice.

I leaned up, tugging his shirt. “Off.” Full sentences were impossible. I wanted to see all of him.

He tugged his shirt over his head and gave me the sexiest smirk as he went back to his cock. “Better?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

His smile widened, and he ran the tip of his cock over my slit. My eyes fluttered shut and he stopped.

“No,” I cried.

“Then look at me,” he said. “Watch me take you or I stop.”

My eyes flew open, meeting his, and he triumphantly smiled and lined himself up against me. I thought the torture would continue, but he gave me what I wanted, sliding into me .

I tensed when he made it halfway in and looked down to see where he was inside of me. Fates, watching him pressing into me. I was undone.

His body shook as he ran his hands over my thighs. “Relax your body, Little Rebel. I don’t want to hurt you.”

I reached for him, and he intertwined his hands with mine, bringing them over my head.

As my body relaxed, he slid farther in until he was to the hilt. Everything stopped. Nothing existed outside of Kade and this moment. His breath against my face came out shaky. He rested his forehead on mine. “The soul-searing memories of being inside of you did zero justice to the real thing. You were made for me, Illiana.”

He kissed my lips, my entire body melting into him. He slid out of me, and when he didn’t thrust back in right away, I almost cried at the loss of him.

“Say it,” he whispered.

“Mmm.” I choked back the plea. “Say what?”

“Tell me you were made for me.”

“I was made for you,” I answered, as reverently as a prayer.

He slammed into me, then torturously slowly pulled out again. “Again.”

“I was made for you,” I said louder this time. The words were barely off my lips when he dragged us upward to rest on his knees. He wrapped one hand around my throat and another around my back.

“You are mine,” he growled before taking my bottom lip between his teeth. He nipped at me, and it snapped that tugging, deep tether inside of me.

“Harder,” I demanded, no longer satisfied with his speed. I needed this at my pace. As much as he claimed I was his, Kade Blackthorn was mine.

He obeyed, his own control slipping as he took me over and over, holding my body on top of his and demanding every pleasurable sound that escaped me.

His hand squeezed around my throat. “I can feel you, Little Rebel. You’re so close.”

“Yes,” I said. “Don’t stop.”

“Never.”

I wrapped my arms around him, letting my tongue take the lead as I took control of his mouth, using my arms to drive myself downward harder on him. I swallowed his own groans until the frantic way our bodies moved begged for that final release.

“Now come for me,” he ordered, and my body obeyed. Instantly.

His words flooded my senses as I screamed his name, throwing my head back.

“Fuck,” he bellowed. “Fucking Fates, Lana.”

As he spilled inside of me, another orgasm ripped through my body. Kade’s tremors coaxing it out of me until I thought I’d never stop. He held me in place, forcing my body further onto him somehow.

“Don’t move,” he whispered, pulling back and looking into my eyes. He brushed my hair back, holding me in place. He opened his mouth as if he planned to say something, but closed it again quickly, replacing the look of reverence with a stunning smile instead. “I missed you. I didn’t think I could miss anything. But fuck, I missed you, Little Rebel.”

I wanted to say something back, but I hesitated. These feelings were dangerous. They were exactly the sort of thing Andras would use against me. Andras or the king. I couldn’t risk it. Instead, I kissed him gently, trying to convey the words I remained too fearful to say.

Kade laid me down on the bedroll before rolling over and grabbing something from his pack. He took out a cloth and wiped between my legs, trailing kisses up my chest .

“If you keep that up, we’ll be going again,” I said, unable to stop my smile.

“If you go to sleep, I’ll give you more in the morning,” he chuckled.

My grin spread at the warm sound of his joy.

When Kade curled up next to me, he pulled my body firmly into his, wrapping around me until no space existed between us.

I soaked in his warmth. His shadows hovered, welcomed back and allowed to touch me again.

“Sleep,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes and allowed my heart to crack open enough to let in the scent of fresh rain and the safety of Kade’s arms. This time, I knew there would be no coming back from him. From us.

And that was one fate I realized I might not mind.