Page 72

Chapter seventy

D imitri focused his magic, repairing the brand instead of restoring his smooth skin. Astrid rocked her hips over his cock as she watched her mark become permanent.

Possessive little thing.

He took the Serpents’ Crown and laid it on the nightstand before sweeping his wing over the bed in a sharp motion. The metallic sound of her pins and combs scattering across the floor filled the room and Astrid’s nails dug into his throat.

“You are ruining my jewels,” she hissed

Her grip wasn’t strong enough to cut off his air and Dimitri leaned into her, tasting her lips. “I didn’t want a hidden dagger stabbing my wife while I fuck her.”

He held on to her as he got his legs under him. Her dark hair fanned over the sheets as her back met the bed. He moved with her, withdrawing to the tip then thrusting the hard length of his cock back inside. She took his thrusts, sighing as he fucked her slow and deep.

Astrid’s palm pressed to his chest. Her nails bit into him, flexing each time he drove into her.

Her panting breaths. The way she tossed her head and tightened her thighs over his waist. The breathless sounds she made when he was buried inside her and twisted his hip. The blush trailing down her throat to bloom between her breasts. He adjusted his tempo to her subtle reactions.

“Give me your shadows,” Astrid breathed.

Warmth spread through Dimitri’s chest and his heart squeezed. She wanted his death magic. She viewed his ravenous shadows as a blessing.

Dimitri kissed her, loosening his hold on the ever-present hunger burning within him. His magic reached for her, caressed her. The sweet taste of her soul coated his tongue.

His shadows churned around them, spilling over their bed as he deepened their kiss. Dimitri savored the feel of her mouth, the taste of her soul.

Wispy notes of warmth accentuated her taste. It was lighter than honey. The sweetness was airy, like spun sugar. He’d tasted the heat of her temper and the rich notes of her schemes but this …

It was new and—Dimitri groaned when she sucked on his tongue. He tangled his hand in her hair, isolating this new taste.

Is this trust?

No, she trusted him. He laid two kingdoms at her feet. He would bring her the very stars if she loved him.

His mind blanked.

Could it be love? The culmination of the bond between them?

Please, let it be.

Astrid moaned and Dimitri swallowed her cries as she came around his cock. His shadows surrounded them, darkness lit with glimmers of Astrid’s soul.

Dimitri relished her nails raking over his back. Cherished each time she came, screaming his name. He kept her slow rhythm and let his pleasure build. He imagined the life they would shape together. How he would sleep with her in his arms, and wake to her each morning.

He was hers and nothing would separate them.

The muscles in Dimitri’s back tensed as his ecstasy mounted. He drove into her once. Twice.

He came hard, emptying himself into his wife.

His queen.

His fate.

Dimitri held her in the cage of his arms and Astrid absently stroked his hair as her breathing settled.

“I’m not sleeping like this,” she said after a time, tracing the point of his ear. He pressed his lips to her throat and pulled away. Astrid took him by the wrist and tugged him forward. “I’m blaming the compulsive desire to shower on you.”

He chuckled and paused when they entered her ensuite. “This will need to be adjusted,” Dimitri said. Her shower was far too small for his wings.

“I’ll arrange a new set of rooms tomorrow. You’ll need to make do with this tonight, my king.” Astrid kissed him and turned, entering her miniscule shower.

His wife cleaned herself and left him to struggle in the tight confines of her bathing apparatus.

Once dry, Dimitri stepped back into the room his wife had occupied as a princess. He’d expected to find her asleep, but Astrid stood on the balcony wrapped in a black robe with splashes of red florals.

He approached from behind her and pressed a kiss to her temple as he wrapped her in his arms. She leaned into him, maintaining her gaze on the lights of the town surrounding her palace.

Astrid traced circles over his wrist. “The Mothers laid you in my path.”

“As you’ve told me many times,” he murmured, content to simply hold her.

“You’re the only male who could love all of me,” she said.

She was vicious and bloodthirsty. Loyal and fearless. “We are the same, neva. And I would have no one else.”

“The only male I…could ever love.”

Dimitri held her closer and whispered, “My heart has been yours since the moment you stabbed it.”

Astrid laughed and interlaced her fingers with his.

She guided him to bed and curled up against his chest. Her bed was too small.

His wings hung off the mattress at odd angles that would ache come morning, but a calm settled over him as she fell asleep.

It reminded him of the ease he felt in Astrid presence, but it ran deeper.

It was peace. And he’d found it in her.

Dimitri gently stroked her hair as she slept. He didn’t need titles or riches. Kingdoms and crowns were meaningless to him.

An eternity with her was all he needed.