Thorns & Fire, page 35
‘What about you?’ the Warsword asked. ‘What do you see for yourself?’
‘I want the same thing, only with one minor addition,’ she replied. ‘I want a cat.’
Torj made a noise of protest. ‘Surely you can be convinced of a dog instead?’
‘Not a chance.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘Shall we go and join our friends?’
‘If we must,’ Torj sighed, clicking his tongue in mock frustration. ‘Whose idea was this anyway?’
With warmth blooming through her chest, Wren laughed and tugged her Warsword towards the revelry.
CHAPTER 58
Torj
‘When a pair is soul bonded, it is the creation of something entirely new, like dawn born from the marriage of night and day’
– Tethers and Magical Bonds Throughout History
TORJ THOUGHT HE’D known happiness when Wren had told him that she loved him. But watching her beautiful face light up with joy, watching as tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks, was something else entirely.
He studied her with a sense of wonder. That this woman, who had walked through shadow and fire, who had faced her own darkest monsters, was here with a smile on her lips.
He knew Wren and Dessa were worried about Zavier, who remained sedated in the infirmary, but he was glad they were here. The women celebrated Wren’s triumph together, and that was exactly how it should be.
Torj sat beside Wren at the wooden table beneath the stars, the grass growing wet with dew around them as the night wore on. He couldn’t stop himself touching her: a fleeting squeeze of her thigh beneath the table, a brush of his leg against hers. Every graze of contact sent lightning singing through his veins. He could feel Wren’s power thrumming inside him, and as the hour grew late, he was practically vibrating with need for her.
‘Something wrong, Bear Slayer?’ she teased, her gaze dropping to the bulge he was adjusting in his leathers.
‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ he murmured.
‘Is it something I could handle?’ she asked coyly, glancing around at their drunk, distracted friends and wetting her lips.
‘You’re playing with fire, Embers . . .’ he warned.
‘Am I?’
He sucked in a sharp breath as her hand slid into his lap beneath the table, and another as she brushed over his hard cock, squeezing him through the layers.
‘You’re forgetting how much I like to go up in flames,’ she whispered in his ear.
Desire swept through Torj like a current, and he clenched his fists so suddenly he nearly upset his drink.
‘Alas,’ she said. ‘I need to speak with Wilder.’
‘That is not the name I want to hear on your lips right now,’ Torj grumbled.
To his dismay, Wren looked delighted. ‘I didn’t take you for a jealous Warsword . . .’
‘Only when my woman drives me to the point of madness under the table and then—’
‘Your woman?’ Wren echoed, grinning.
‘Yes,’ Torj replied, studying her expression for any signs of objection. ‘My woman.’
Wren was all smiles. ‘Well, your woman needs to speak to Wilder alone, without Thea. Can you occupy her while we get another round of drinks?’
‘Anything for you, Embers . . .’
‘Do I already have you wrapped around my finger so thoroughly?’
‘That’s been the case since the first day I met you,’ he said warmly, spotting Thea standing hand-in-hand with Wilder at the far side of their table, deep in conversation with Kipp.
He squeezed Wren’s knee before he got to his feet and approached her sister.
‘A word?’ he said to the older Embervale.
Thea flashed him a smile. ‘Can’t say I didn’t see this coming . . . Alright, Bear Slayer, lead the way.’
Not sure what Thea was talking about, Torj led her away from the curious looks of the others, hoping he’d be able to stall her long enough to give Wren the time she needed with Wilder.
Thea folded her arms over her chest and smirked. ‘So . . . you and my sister.’
‘Yes,’ Torj said simply. There was no point in denying it, not to Thea, who had seen them kissing in the alchemy workshop, who suspected – if not knew – about the soul bond.
‘And you’ve patched things up properly?’ Thea pressed.
‘We have.’
Thea nodded. ‘I’m glad to hear it, Bear Slayer. Wren was . . . not herself after the attack. I didn’t like seeing her like that.’
‘Nor did I.’
‘Good. Because if she ends up in that state again, you’ll have me to answer to.’ Thea’s words were light, but the storm in her eyes revealed the threat beneath them.
‘I love her,’ Torj told her.
‘Of course you do.’ Thea laughed. ‘You’ve loved her for years. Good of you to finally catch up. Now, what is it you wanted to discuss?’
For a moment, Torj blinked, until he remembered that he had asked Thea for a private word. He recovered clumsily. ‘I just wanted to explain. About Wren.’
Thea raised her brows. ‘So, it had nothing to do with Wren wanting to talk to Wilder without me?’
‘Uh . . .’
Just in time, Wilder and Wren appeared from the tavern, each carrying a fresh tray of drinks.
Thea clapped a hand on Torj’s shoulder. ‘No matter, Bear Slayer. Just remember . . . Hurt my sister again, and I’ll end you.’
He huffed a laugh. ‘Noted.’
She waved over her shoulder and strode back to Wilder.
‘What was that about?’ Wren asked, staring after her.
‘Just Thea threatening my life,’ Torj replied. ‘Did you have enough time to talk with Hawthorne?’
‘Yes. Thank you for that.’
‘Are you going to tell me what it was about?’
Wren sighed. ‘Not yet. Is that alright?’
Torj studied her as she seemed to gather herself, smoothing her palms over her apron and redoing her bun with her hairpin. Gods, she was beautiful. He admired the gentle slope of her neck, the slight flush of her freckled cheeks.
‘You’ll tell me when you’re ready?’ he asked.
‘I will.’
‘Then it’s alright.’
He led her back to the table, where Kipp was trying to convince everyone to play a drinking game.
‘Not on your life, Kristopher,’ Torj told him as Kipp tried to push a cup of fire extract towards him.
Wren laughed. ‘A wise move, Bear Slayer. You were a tad pathetic the next day.’
‘I learned my lesson,’ he replied, wishing he could pull her closer to him.
Kipp threw his hands up in surrender. ‘Fine, fine. I’ll have to ask my real friends.’
‘May the Furies take pity on them,’ Torj called after the strategist as he made a beeline for Dessa.
As they found themselves alone, Wren turned to him with a wicked grin, the very sight making his cock twitch. With a quick glance around, she ran her hand over him beneath the table and he swore under his breath. He’d have to untuck his damn shirt to hide the full outline of his cock straining against his leathers. Wren watched him do exactly that, smiling at him smugly.
‘You’re pleased with yourself, aren’t you?’ he ground out.
‘Very,’ she replied sweetly, rubbing his shaft again.
He covered her hand with his, giving it a warning squeeze over the length of him before releasing her hand back into her lap. ‘Time to go,’ he said, adjusting himself and standing abruptly. They’d done enough socializing for one night, he decided.
‘So soon?’ Wren asked innocently.
‘You’d already be halfway up that hill if you knew what was good for you, Embers,’ he replied darkly.
His body hummed with barely contained restraint as he bid the others goodbye and waited for Wren on the outskirts of the gathering. Her eyes were bright with mischief as she rejoined him. They walked along the stone pavers towards the academy. Torj waited until they were out of sight before he pounced.
She squealed as he swept her up in his arms and pulled her into a shadowed alcove behind a statue. ‘You’ve been playing a dangerous game tonight,’ he murmured, leaning in to breathe in the addictive scent of her, his nose grazing the delicate column of her throat.
‘What are you going to do about it, Warsword?’ she taunted, licking her lips as she stared up at him.
Torj captured her mouth with his. ‘Everything.’
CHAPTER 59
Torj
‘Scholars documented rare cases of soul-bonded pairs whose senses transcended mortal limits. What one perceived, the other knew – not through conscious sharing, but as naturally as breathing’
– Tethers and Magical Bonds Throughout History
WREN MOANED AGAINST him, the sound vibrating straight down into his cock. He knew she’d worked herself up just as much as him by the way her body arched for him. He cupped her breast over her gown and relished the whimper that escaped her, swallowing it with another kiss.
Wedging his knee between hers, Torj let his hands slip around her waist and drop to her backside, squeezing hard.
‘This arse, Embers . . .’ he groaned, kneading the soft flesh there. ‘I can’t get enough of it.’ Still gripping her behind, he brought her forwards, so her core rubbed on his thigh.
‘Torj . . .’ Wren’s voice was needy and breathless.
Smiling against her lips, he rocked her against his leg, feeling the heat of her through their layers. ‘Not so smug now, are you?’
Wren rolled her hips, grinding against him as she fused her mouth back to his.
Longing ripped through Torj like a storm, and he matched her ferocity, tangling his tongue with hers, exploring every inch of her mouth. He felt every kiss in his blood, molten with the need to touch her, to feel her bare skin.
Wren reached down between them and palmed him through his leathers. A low groan broke from him, the friction deliciously torturous. More. He needed more of her. He needed her crying out his name as she shattered on his tongue.
Pleasure bloomed at the base of his spine, spreading to his tightening balls and his throbbing cock. Gods, if he didn’t do something soon, he’d come in his leathers. He focused on the feel of Wren, inching her skirts up behind her.
She gasped as the cool night air hit her skin and Torj slid his hands over the bare curve of her rear. He knew he was being reckless, but he couldn’t stop, not with her panting against him and rubbing herself on his leg.
He manoeuvred them deeper into the shadows, so they were covered by the huge plinth of the statue, and turned Wren so her back was flush with his chest, her skirts still rucked up behind her.
Torj dropped to his knees.
‘What are you doing?’ Wren whispered, sounding alarmed.
He kissed the base of her spine, down one curved cheek, biting gently. ‘Do you want me to stop?’ He bit the other side, moaning against her warm skin.
Wren’s breathing hitched. ‘No . . .’
‘Then bend over for me, Embers. Hold on to the stone.’
‘Torj . . .’
‘Say the word and I stop,’ he murmured, dipping his hand between her legs and cursing at the wetness he found there.
‘Don’t stop,’ Wren whimpered, bending at the waist, baring herself completely to him.
‘Fuck . . .’ He parted her further and took in the view like a starved man, the nearby torches illuminating her glistening skin just enough that he almost lost control. ‘Need to taste you,’ he groaned.
And then he put his mouth on her.
Her legs trembled beneath his hold as he worked her with his tongue. He moaned at the taste of her as he devoured her, building her up to her climax, increasing his pace and keeping his rhythm steady.
‘Furies – fuck,’ Wren rasped, gripping the edge of the stone plinth.
Torj smiled against her as he swirled his tongue and sucked on her clit.
When he slid a finger inside her, she let out a strangled cry. He loved seeing her like this, quaking with pleasure, cursing and begging with his name on her lips.
‘More,’ she gasped, rocking back against his face in earnest now, any vulnerability long gone.
Torj obliged her, adding a second finger, his cock leaking at how good she felt, how good she tasted, imagining sheathing himself inside that addictive heat. He was losing his damn mind with desire for her, his cock ready to spill right into his trousers. Every time he thought his attraction to Wren couldn’t get any more intense, he was proven wrong.
‘Torj, I’m going to—’ She cut herself off with a cry.
‘Ride my face, Embers,’ he groaned against her skin.
Torj felt her contract around his fingers, and he sucked her clit through the throes of her release as she shuddered around him.
He nearly came at the sound of her orgasm alone.
Wren’s legs buckled and he extricated himself smoothly, holding her up, holding her close. But Wren twisted to face him, her hands at his belt.
‘I want to feel you, all of you, inside me,’ she murmured, buttons popping free beneath her fingers.
‘We should get back to our rooms,’ Torj managed, his breath stolen as a warm hand closed around his cock.
‘I think that ship has sailed, Bear Slayer,’ Wren said wryly.
She pumped him slowly, his whole body tensing in anticipation of the next stroke. Her hand worked him over until he was groaning into the crook of her neck, his balls tightening.
‘Need to fuck you,’ he growled, his hands sliding down to her backside again.
‘So fuck me, Warsword,’ she challenged.
He didn’t need telling twice. He picked her up and propped her against the plinth as she pulled her skirts up around her waist.
Torj aligned the head of his cock with her entrance, holding his breath, tensing his body so he didn’t lose control too soon.
Wren arched her hips towards him, and the tip of him slipped inside.
‘Fuck,’ he groaned, watching the crown of his cock disappear inside her. ‘Embers,’ he rasped. ‘Look at this view . . . See how well you take me . . .’
There was nothing more erotic than watching Wren’s eyes widen at the sight.
‘Give me more,’ she panted.
Torj gave her another inch, slowly, savouring the tight heat of her around his cock. ‘Like this?’
‘Stop toying with me, Bear Slayer.’
At her command, he slid home, watching as she took every inch, watching as her head tipped back in ecstasy with a gasp.
Torj gripped her hips and thrust inside her again and again, curses spilling from his lips as he gave himself over to her. Sweat beaded on his brow as he moved, his muscles trembling with restraint while she pulsed around his shaft.
Wren freed her breasts from the top of her gown, cupping them with her hands and pinching her nipples.
‘Fuck,’ Torj muttered at the sight, feeling his climax build. Gods, she was perfect. So fucking perfect. He reached between them and stroked Wren’s clit until she was bucking against him, demanding more.
‘Torj,’ she cried out. ‘I’m going up in flames—’
‘Me too, Embers.’
Her walls contracting around him set him alight, and he erupted with a carnal moan. Pleasure rippled through him, a powerful tidal wave as he spilled himself inside her.
‘Furies fucking save me,’ he panted against her chest. ‘You’re going to kill me.’
She brushed a damp lock of hair from his eyes. ‘I’m not nearly done with you.’
He huffed a hoarse laugh as he slid himself free, and helped Wren steady herself as he let her down, tucking his cock back into his leathers with a grimace at the mess.
Wren fixed herself as well, and they both paused behind the plinth, listening for any sign of life beyond. All was quiet, which only made Torj cringe at how loud they might have been, how their moans might have echoed across the academy grounds.
‘That was reckless of us,’ Wren said lightly, peering out at the stone pavers.
‘I blame you and your wandering hands at the tavern,’ Torj quipped, nuzzling her neck, dropping a kiss to the sensitive spot there.
Wren leaned into his touch. ‘Perhaps next time we can fuck in a bed?’
Torj kissed her, hard. ‘I’ll fuck you wherever you want, Embers.’
CHAPTER 60
Wren
‘Most concerning in the limited study of soul bonds is not what has been discovered, but what remains hidden’
– Tethers and Magical Bonds Throughout History
TORJ DID FUCK her in a bed that night. His, to be precise. He also fucked her on his desk and on the floor, and once in the bath.
The man was ravenous, and so was she.
Wren had never known a man like him, had never felt desire so all-consuming. It was only as he wrung another orgasm from her with his tongue the next morning that she held him at arm’s length and panted, ‘No more . . . I can’t take any more.’
He gave her a roguish grin. ‘I’ll wager that you can—’
She hit his chest with the back of her hand. ‘You fiend. I’ll never walk straight again.’
Another smirk tugged at his lips and he winked, echoing her words from the previous night: ‘I think that ship has sailed, Embers . . .’
Even as she shook her head in disbelief, she was smiling. Gods, her cheeks ached from smiling so much. When was the last time she’d experienced that sensation?
A knock at the door sounded and Torj groaned, pulling a pillow over his head.
‘Just some food sent from Warsword Embervale,’ the guard’s voice called through the door.
Wren leapt to her feet, tugging Torj’s shirt over her head and retrieving the tray. The guard blushed at her dishevelled state.
She closed the door, biting her lip to keep from laughing. ‘So much for being subtle about us . . .’
Torj gave her a lazy grin from the bed, stretching out in all his naked glory. ‘Embers, that poor bastard has been standing guard outside since we got back. These walls aren’t soundproof.’
Wren waited for the wave of embarrassment to hit, but it never came. She simply didn’t care. She’d spent the night fucking the Bear Slayer senseless, and gods, had it made her happy.
