Page 56 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

Rohan

I fucked up.

I shouldn’t have taken her, and especially not as hard as I did. But my Little Whisperer didn’t heed my warning and continued with those noises, with her little fingers digging into me… I lost all sense of control.

But when she begged?

Fuck.

She was free last night. It felt like I saw a version of her that even she didn’t know existed, and I want more of it. More of that look of pure desire, more of her cheeks flushed, eyes dazed, more of the way she reaches for me, clings to me like I was the most important thing to her.

Just more of her.

I run my hands over her stomach, not able to help myself as I dip them lower through the small patch of hair there, feeling where we’re still joined.

We bathed last night, and then I sunk my cock in her again. She fell asleep just as I came, and when I tried to pull out, she made the sweetest noise of protest that I could never deny.

So I left my cock in her and I never want to leave.

She must be sore though, I wasn’t gentle. I couldn’t be.

I haven’t wanted to be inside another that way. I was adamant that a mouth would do, never wanting to risk adding to my fucked-up bloodline, wanting it to end with me.

But I couldn’t with her.

Could never with her.

She’s tempted me since I met her. She’s different from anything I’ve come across in the lands. Her beauty is one I’ve never set my eyes upon, but it’s her heart that captures me most of all.

Her kindness, her love of roses, how she is with my dragons. How she holds my hair when we sleep and the gentle touches she gives me.

No one is gentle with me but her, and I want more of it.

My resistance is futile.

One look and I know I would do anything she asked of me.

A moan pulls me from my musing, followed by hips rocking back and forth. I grind my teeth as she hisses in pain, and then I pull out of her as gently as I can, rolling her onto her back.

“Rohan?” she whispers, voice full of sleep.

“Shh, let me make it better.”

“What better?”

“Your pussy.” Then I spread her little thighs and dive in. She gasps, my Little Whisperer, clutching my hair and throwing her head back as I softly lick around her, making sure to spear my tongue inside gently.

“W-what are you doing?” she says on a breathy exhale, and I groan into her.

“I was too rough with your pussy, wasn’t I? Let me apologize and make it better.”

She starts to tremble, and I love how responsive she is to me. Only me. And I can’t say I’m not the same.

I’ve been inside of a woman exactly one time, not wanting to pass on my family line, and that’s with the one under me, writhing against my tongue, clawing at my hair and releasing whimpers that make my cock leak.

I’m a bastard.

I’m a lying, deceiving bastard, and she will hate me, but I intend to rectify it all because she’s mine.

Possessiveness rips into me, followed by something warm heating my chest as she calls my name and I go for her clit.

Knowing I’m the only one to have touched her there sends me feral, and I move my hands under her, clutching her ass and bring her up to my hungry mouth.

I groan as more wetness seeps onto my tongue, and I continue to suck and lick at her, pulling back a little to see how red and puffy she is. Hating myself for hurting her, but smug that I made her this way.

“Please, don’t stop,” she begs.

Like I ever could.

Her sweet voice hits me, and I smile into her, licking around her clit in circles, causing her to jerk when I add a little more pressure before she comes against me on a light moan.

Beautiful.

So Gods damn beautiful.

When she slumps back, red hair flowing around her like fire, I sit up and take my aching cock in hand, stroking hard and fast.

“You want my cum, Little Whisperer?” She wiggles and peels her dazed eyes open. “Tell me. What do you want? Use your words.”

“I want it,” she says, reaching out to me but I’m already coming, never once taking my eyes off of her as I coat her pretty pink pussy and stomach.

Stroking a finger through it, I feed it to her, a desire to still have some of me inside of her, and she groans like it’s the best thing she’s ever tasted.

Fuck. Me.

“Dragonbond,” Kaldar calls from outside the tent, and my head snaps to it, baring my teeth. I grab my axe from the side and throw it his way, splitting the material and landing just outside the entrance. “What the fuck?!”

No one can see her like this!

“Do not come in here!” I bark, fire licking my skin which only calms when a soft laugh comes from below me.

“You find it funny, hmm?”

She bites her lip, shaking her head. Liar.

I kiss her breathless before walking over to the tent flap and retrieving my axe.

“What?” I glare through the material.

“Meeting.”

I sigh.

“Coming.” Moving back to the bed, seeing her on her side watching me, I can’t resist taking her lips with mine again. “I’ll be back soon.” She frowns, looking at me warily.

I’m instantly on alert.

“What’s wrong?”

She sits up, fidgeting with her hands, and I watch them, remembering how she tentatively wrapped her hand around my cock in the tub last night.

“Do you…” she looks away, biting her lips and I guide her face back to me with a hand.

“Be brave. Tell me.”

She deflates, shoulders slumping. “Do you regret it?” I frown. “What we um—did?” Her cheeks are bright red now, but insecurity shines in her eyes.

I sit down next to her and take her face in my palms. “No one could ever regret you, Little Whisperer.” Her eyes widen, and then soften into something I’m not sure of. “I want to keep you. I want you in my bed. I want you with my dragons. What do you want?”

“I want you,” she replies softly, bringing a hand up and placing it over my heart that speeds up at her words and her touch. “I want to… live.” Her eyes shine as she locks her gaze with mine. “I want to live with you. Keep you too if… if that’s okay?”

She looks like she’s ready to be rejected, steeling herself in the way her shoulders stiffen, her fingers digging into my chest.

Doesn’t she know I will give her anything she wants?

“You already have me,” I tell her, my lips resting against hers. “You can keep me, just like I’ll keep you.”

I rise quickly, trying not to show how her words have affected me.

She doesn’t know that no one wanted to keep me either. Or stay with me.

“Rest up, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

With one last glance at the woman in my bed, at my woman, I exit the tent.

Yes, our relationship will be frowned upon, not from my clan, but from the rest of the lands. But I’ll burn it all down before I let that affect her.

The choice of a Dragonbond is of no concern to anyone.

I’ll see to it that she’ll go to a market place, she’ll learn to ride a horse on her own, braid better, enjoy all types of food.

I will give her everything she’s ever wanted and not been given.

“Where?” I ask Kaldar. He looks tired, more so than usual.

“The hill before The Glade.” I nod, then look him over.

“Where’ve you been all night?”

The sigh he releases is heavy as he turns and folds his arms. “With Adora and Olaf.”

“Then why the long face?”

His jaw tics. “Olaf said he likes someone else.”

I blink, surprised. “What? Who?” They’ve been a trio for nearly a year now, and I’ve never seen Olaf take an interest in anyone else.

“He won’t tell us, but I saw him with a Highwing clan member.”

I stop short, and so does he. “Sigrid’s clan?” He nods. “What the fuck?”

“I know.” He runs a hand down his face. “I don’t even know how they got so close, but they were laughing by the fire, and the guy was comfortable touching him in a way that looked familiar.”

“Did you confront him?”

“Not yet.”

The clans don’t interact apart from The Glade’s Blessing, trading and The Games, so I have no idea how Olaf found the time to become familiar with another. It isn’t frowned upon to have relations with another clan, but it does warrant them telling me so I can keep an eye on it.

Though we rarely have new members from other clans, most are accepted with being under the watchful eye of everyone until trust is earned.

You never know if they could be plotting.

“What are you going to do?” I ask him. “He should have told me, as per my rules.”

“I know. I’ll deal with him if you let me?” I nod. “I need to talk to Adora and see what she thinks. She likes Olaf a lot, hearing this will hurt her.”

“Because he likes another?”

He shakes his head. “Because he kept it from us. You.”

“Maybe they just found each other that night?”

“His hands suggest otherwise. Olaf doesn’t work that way. He needs a bond before the physical is involved.”

I nod like I understand, but I don’t. I haven’t been in a relationship before. Haven’t wanted someone in my space.

Apart from my little Elf.

“Anyway,” Kaldar gestures behind him as we walk to the hill. “Seems you two have gotten closer.” He nudges his shoulder against mine.

“It was inevitable,” I admit.

He laughs. “I know. We all saw the way you looked at her. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I don’t, but I’m keeping her.”

“What about—”

“Finally,” Olaf says with a strained smile on his face. “Breakfast is done.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Kaldar says quietly, squeezing my shoulder before walking off with Olaf, the tension between them noticeable.

I walk through my clan’s tents, people rising with the morning sun, rubbing eyes and beginning to light fires.

I say my morning greetings, directing people with what needs to be done.

I would rather be back in my bed, tongue-fucking my woman, but duty calls.

Reaching the hill and the four shadowy figures at the top, I stand next to Sigrid and eye her like she’s eyeing me.

She gives me a small nod, and I wonder if Elf was right. Can she be trusted? She did make sure Darcia was gone.

“What happened?” I ask, because we don’t usually call meetings at The Glade like this.

“Varan saw someone entering The Glade this morning,” Sigrid says, and I tense. “He followed but lost him.”

“Who was it?”

“I don’t know,” Varan says, “but I’m certain the king’s sigil was on his cloak.”

“What?” I bark, turning to face them.

“Are you sure?” Durruk asks him, and he nods.

“Why?” Karag says, arms crossed. “The Games begin soon, what is the purpose?”

We’re silent, because we never fucking know what the purpose is, only that the king keeps putting us all in danger.

“Let’s search The Glade,” I say.

“It’s close to the Blessing day, we could get torn to shreds,” Sigrid says, running a hand down her face.

“We have no choice.”

“He’s right,” Karag says, surprising me. “He could be in there, there may be more, we have to protect The Glade.”

“The dragons haven’t alerted us though,” Varan says.

“They can’t if Nighturn is used,” I say grimly.

“Fuck,” Sigrid curses.

“Let’s grab some people and then we’ll search until mid-afternoon, I don’t think we can push it any longer than that,” I suggest.

“Agreed.”

We part ways and I head back to my Elf, because if whoever went in there is causing any harm, she will be the only one who can feel it.