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Those purple wings fluttered and twitched like a songbird drying its feathers. Rook giggled against Lucanis’ lips, feeling his blush under her fingertips.
“Sorry,” he said quietly, “He’s just… we are, ah… excited.”
She smiled, sprawling comfortably on the chaise.
“Me too,” she whispered, drawing him back to her mouth. The way they’ve coiled around each other together already felt good, and she had to restrain herself from simply rutting her hips in to him, as he’d grown hard enough to feel through two layers of clothes. “What are you waiting for?”
Her nails scratched lightly at the hair just above the nape of his neck, and a cut-off groan spilled into her mouth.
“I…” he pulled away, dark eyes darting away from her, “Rook, I’m not very… You must understand, I had little time for these things—”
Her nails scratched over that sensitive spot again, and he reactively ground down against her. “Rook,” he muttered like a prayer, and she took pity on him, tucking his head into the safety of her collar.
“You’ve never done this, have you?”
He panted lightly, the steam heating and cooling the sensitive skin of her neck. The feathered wings that had been shimmering over them retreated back into his body in a flourish that she guessed to be a gesture of frustration, as if Spite was throwing up his hands in defeat. He was quiet a moment longer, which was not a rare occurrence when the matter at hand was of interest to his demon.
“Alright,” he nearly spit, and she pinched back a grin. Spite seemed to be in rare form that evening. “No,” he admitted reluctantly, and the burn of his blush was like a brand on her skin. “Honestly, I haven’t often felt the urge to, really. Unless I came to really care for a person, I didn’t really see the appeal.”
“Hm. I suppose that makes sense.” She let herself grind against him in response, her legs wrapped around his waist, adoring the little breathy sounds of frustration he emitted. “Do you see the appeal now?”
“Mierda. Yes, I definitely see the appeal now. But I’m sorry if that’s a disappointment, Rook.”
“You’re ridiculous, Dellamorte.”
She dragged him up by the gentle grip on the roots of his hair to meet his lips again in a comforting kiss, feeling smug as he moaned in response. They’d begun to press against each other mindlessly, and the kiss didn’t last long before he broke away to catch his breath.
“I’m not—I mean, I’ve read some things, but…” She watched him stumble over his thoughts, hips still squirming down like he couldn’t help himself. It was so painfully endearing and such a turn on she felt suddenly very grateful she was the first and only to witness it. “I’m not certain what you— Tell me what you want.”
“It’s not just about me, Lucanis,” she reminded him, pressing a few sweet kisses to his cheek and jaw, “It’s about what both of us want.”
“Of course,” he breathed as she latched onto a spot just below his beard, “What I mean is, I could use some—”
His body jerked away from her as he was overcome, glowing eyes beaming down at her.
“Give. Directions, Rook. This is embarrassing.”
Spite scowled at her laughter, but she sat up with him to throw her arms over his shoulders fondly. He gave the reigns back to Lucanis after receiving a giggly peck on the cheek.
“Okay, okay. I think I can do that,” she pinched the satin of his vest, “First, I want this off.”
“Of course,” Lucanis smiled shyly, removing the garment with deft fingers and tossing it away.
“And the shirt.”
Lucanis nodded and obediently got to work on his shirt, undoing only as many buttons as it took to tug the thing off over his head. He was trim and defined from decades of athletic training, and dark hair dusted his broad chest, migrating down all the way until the trail disappeared under the hem of his trousers. In short, he was utterly gorgeous, which came as no surprise.
“Why do you ever wear a shirt? It’s selfish of you, really.”
He laughed breathily, his posture not befitting his beauty in the slightest, curling in on himself ever so slightly. He leaned closer to kiss her again and asked, “What next?”
“How about you take off mine?”
His eyes widened slightly, but his typically nimble fingers fumbled for the zipper on her leather jacket.
“Okay.”
She tried to encourage him by letting her hands wander, palms smoothing over his firm thighs. The jacket fell open and she helped him slip it off her shoulders. A simple shirt lay underneath, and she coaxed him to grab hold of the bottom so he could pull it up over her head. When it fell, his gaze did too, those warm brown eyes taking in a new swath of bare skin. Carefully, she took his hands and guided them behind her back, and with a some mild struggle, he managed to release the clasp on her undergarments. When it too fell into her lap, he sort of froze, eyes more courageous than his hands. Then he flickered purple for just a moment and he scowled at an invisible figure just beside him.
“I’ve got it,” he muttered, and Rook giggled again. She rose up to sit on her knee, draping her arms around his tense shoulders again. He shivered at the sudden contact, his hands sliding up her back and pressing them close together. He idled like that a moment and released a happy sigh, and Rook smiled to herself fondly. Of course Lucanis would answer her offer of a pair of unclothed breasts with a hug.
“Do you want to continue?”
The question was genuine, but Lucanis laughed at himself, shaking off a bit of nerves.
“Of course,” he said as he pulled back, “Though, I like that. We should do more of that.”
“Deal.”
She guided his hands to her chest, too impatient for his politeness, and he sucked in a gasp through his teeth. That adorable blush burned down to his chest as he took her in hands, squeezing and fondling under her instructive hands.
“That’s good, darling,” she whispered, “Is this okay so far?”
“Better than okay,” he answered with that shy little smile she adored so much. A nipple found itself pinched between two of his knuckles, and she hissed.
“Good,” she said breathlessly, adoring the little look of self-satisfaction that crossed his face.
She left him to his experimentation when his actions grew more confident, letting her own hands finally take in his gorgeous body. Under a thin layer of fat, muscles wove through his chest and stomach and arms. She could have spent a decade appreciating every little beauty mark that decorated his neck and arms, the warm tan of his skin, the elegant angles and sloping lines of strength.
“Is this what you wanted?”
She tore her eyes away from the V trailing down his hips to meet his gaze, inquisitive eyes watching for each reaction to his touch.
“I want anything you’ll give me,” she admitted huskily. “But tell me what you want. You deserve to feel good too, you know.”
He huffed, lashes fluttering for a brief second, and before he could answer, she chose a little mole under his ear to mouth at. He gasped, tugging her up by the firm grip under her thighs, propelling her high enough to latch his mouth onto her breast. Her breath shuddered, letting him have his fun and enjoying every second of it. His hands wandered wherever they wished, mindless and hungry, his mouth landing wherever the hunger struck. They let their lips meet indiscriminately as they grew used to each other, Rook rattling off a few hushed encouragements when she’d feel him hesitate. Soon his grip on her ass made her nearly dizzy, and she took the initiative to try and unclasp her belt with one hand.
“Can I?” He asked breathlessly, dark eyes following her movements.
“Please,” she answered simply, falling back into the chaise for him to undress her at his leisure. “Yours too, if you’re comfortable.”
He laughed, eyes crinkling. The belt came loose, and he tossed it away, commenting, “I wouldn’t describe my current situation as ‘comfortable,’ believe it or not.”
Well, that much was glaringly obvious. The undeniable shape of his arousal pressed taut against his pants, and Rook playfully ran a feather-light finger up the path it made. He gasped again, but managed to unbutton her own bottoms dutifully.
“That’s what you get for wearing such tight pants all the time,” she grinned, lying back and lifting her hips for him to drag her pants down.
“You love it,” he said cockily, and she shivered at the sound of it. “Spite tells on you, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. Care to enlighten me?”
“Oh, nothing,” he smiled, bending to mouth over her chest now that he was encouraged to do so, “Just that we know why you prefer walking behind me.”
Spite’s purple returned, too tempted by the goading, it seemed.
“Watching. Wanting,” Spite nipped at the softest part of her stomach, and she gasped in surprise, “You smell different when your mind wanders. Bad as Lucanis. Maybe worse.”
It’s not as though Spite had never been… around during their private moments. He was always there in spirit— literally— and it had become commonplace for him to emerge from time to time to give his input. Namely critiques of his host or demands for attention like a bossy lapdog. She’d even kissed him before. Shortly after first kissing Lucanis, actually. But then, and every subsequent time, it felt more on this side of platonic, a quick peck of blanket affection and acknowledgement. It was so second nature that she and Lucanis had never even thought to talk about it. But now, she wondered if that would be changing in the near future, since things were changing for the lot of them.
“That’s enough, Spite,” Lucanis decided for her with a little shiver, eyes back to their warm brown. He unbuckled his own pants and unfastened them enough to take the pressure off his hardness, “And he was the one in a hurry.”
“Lucanis, please.”
“Anything, mi querida,” he promised as he returned his attention to her body.
“Take these off,” she nearly demands, already tugging at her smalls. “Please, I need—”
He obeyed, dragging the last scrap of clothing from her, eyes wide and full of awe as she lay splayed open for him to see. He took a second to just take her in, and as much as she wanted to let him savor this first experience, she was about to lose her mind.
“Rook, tell me—”
“Touch me,” she begged. Her own hands were restless, taking turns running over what she could reach of him and herself, feeling more wanton than she ever remembers being. “Please, I’ve waited so long, Lucanis. I’m so—”
She gasped as the heel of his hand met her sex, the sound turning into a groan as he simply pressed down against the entirety of her, letting her buck into the pressure.
“I’m… I’m not sure how…?”
“Just—gods—”
She tried to guide his hand like before, but it seemed he beat her to it, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing over it experimentally. She couldn’t help the little sounds that escaped her as he got his bearings.
“Oh, never mind. I got it.”
She snorted, throwing an arm over her face.
“I’d say so, y-yeah.”
“That idiot Illiario said it was hard to find.”
She laughed, reaching up with grabby hands to coax him closer. He fell into her arms, trading heated kisses while he ground little circles into her with the pads of his fingers.
“If Illario gave you the advice, maybe— ffffffuck, that’s good—maybe take it with a… a grain of salt.”
“Noted.”
He migrated down and away from her panting lips, further than he’d ever ventured. Up till now, he’d been careful about how heated he’d let them get in these stolen moments. The times where he’d gotten carried away and licked and sucked at her neck and under her jaw had made her ache for days, always desperate to ask for more but waiting for him to initiate. Seemed that all it took to convince him was disappearing into the fade for a few weeks and the imminent threat of an all-powerful ancient elven god on the horizon.
By the time his lips pressed sweet little kisses to her knee and on toward the inside of her thigh, she was nearly vibrating out of her skin.
“Rook,” he prompted with dark, intoxicated eyes, “Can I?”
“Please,” she whined, grabbing at one of his hands, and he threaded their fingers together. “Just use your tongue, and don’t overthink it too much at the start.”
His first taste was tentative, experimental— just a light kiss over her clit. She watched intently, meeting his dark eyes from below. His next pass was more deliberate, kissing it like he would her mouth, hot tongue meeting sensitive flesh. They both released a wordless sigh. He settled down more comfortably on his knees and dragged her body down closer to the edge of the chaise. She moaned at the mere ease with which he manipulated her, and those wanton sounds didn’t slow as he began to explore her with each kiss and lick.
He was so soft and warm against her, from his tongue to his well-manicured beard. His hair was silken under her fingertips, and he grumbled in delight as she scratched at his scalp.
“You can— you can suck, too,” she told him breathlessly. And immediately, he closed his lips around her and sucked, almost too hard, and she keened, gripping a fistful of his hair. “Easy, easy… yeah, like that. That’s —ohh—That’s good, darling.”
A hand that had been gripping her thigh slipped away to his own waist, the jingle of his belt clueing her into the fact that he had finally broken down and released himself from his trousers. The relieved groan that followed proved her right, and she watched his shoulder tense and release as he gave himself a few pitying strokes.
“Do you like this?” She asked needlessly, but she wanted to hear it anyways.
“Rook. El aliento del Hacedor. I could live down here.” She laughed, petting his hair mindlessly, “What can I do better?”
“You’re doing great,” she assured, but his eyes flickered off in thought.
“How do I… I want to make you…”
“You want to make me come?”
He nodded wordlessly, kissing mindlessly up her thigh.
“Consistency helps.”
He gave her a rueful smirk. “Are you telling me to shut up?”
“Maybe.”
“Ouch,” he said teasingly, but he did as told, latching back on with determination.
“Good, that’s—” she gasped as he rolled his tongue in time with the suction, “Fuck, that’s perfect, Luca.” He moaned, only adding to the sensation. “And you can use your fingers. Inside. Get me ready for you.”
He followed her instructions without question, prodding at her entrance. He pulled away with a nervous chuckle so that he could see what he was doing, but once he found what he was looking for, he slipped in two fingers at once. She moaned gratefully, letting her head fall back. Just the girth of them soothed that hungry emptiness she’d felt since they began.
“Now, turn so your wrist is facing the ceiling. Good, now—now,” she could barely focus between the feel of his mouth and the heated look in his eyes as he took in every word. “Curl your fingers like this. You’ll find the—fuck! Yes, like tha—”
He chuckled against her, the sound low and cocky. She adored it, imagining just how cocky he’d get once he knew how to please her without instruction. How incredible he’d sound bossing her around for a change.
“Yes, Lucanis, please! Just like that— please keep fucking me like that—”
He moaned, happy to do just that. Then he abruptly sucked in a startled gasp, tearing himself away entirely as a quick flash of purple overtook him.
“Lucanis?”
“You can’t,” he panted, accusingly addressing someone just beside her. “You can’t just—”
“What’s wrong?”
“Spite is being…” he huffed in frustration, smoothing his hair back away from his face. “Selfish.”
“I’m… shit. I didn’t even think to check in with him. I’m sorry, Spite,” she told the space Lucanis was glaring at.
“That’s not— he wants—” He sighs in utter defeat. “He wants to help.”
She froze, eyes fluttering at the rush of blood leaving her head all at once. Here she lay, sprawled out and naked, and instead of complete disinterest as she’d assumed, the spirit felt left out, presumably watching the debauchery from the sidelines.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Rook,” Lucanis said, beginning to tuck himself back into his trousers. “Maybe this wasn’t a good—”
“—If…Would it bother you?”
He stared in disbelief.
“I mean,” she continued, “I mean, he’ll always be a part of you, right? Lucanis, I want to be with you. For everything that you are. Spite’s part of that. Of you. So, if you… don’t mind. I don’t either.”
He went on staring, then his gaze fell away, considering. She wished she could hear whatever pitch Spite gave in those few silent moments, for she could only interpret by the expressions on Lucanis’ troubled face. Finally, he sighed and smoothed his hair again, Rook staring lecherously at the muscles in his arm and shoulder as he did.
“Fine. You can ‘help’,” he conceded with exasperation, “But I stay in charge.”
His arm from elbow to the tips of his fingers shone with the faintest purple glow, like delicate veins streaming and pulsing light, a delicate balance of the two of them working together. It wasn’t uncommon to see these days, ever since they’d become better roommates, so to speak.
“You’re sure?” Lucanis, his voice still very much his own, asked.
“I’m sure. I trust you. Both of you.”
“Only because you don’t know the half of his enthusiasm,” he commented with a shake of his head. “Treats everything like a competition.”
He slipped their fingers back inside, deliberately gentle, letting Spite get used to the sensation. His eyes fell shut, almost as if it felt as good for him as it did for her.
“I know,” Lucanis said mindlessly under his breath, and his other hand returned to her clit, not willing to lose all his progress during this diversion.
“What did he say?” Rook grinned, her breath beginning to increase its frequency once more as they began exploring her with a few careful thrusts.
“Only pointing out how tight you feel on our fingers. How hot,” he said, and she was a little shocked and very pleased he had the confidence to voice such a thought. And oddly not so shocked that Spite had said them first. “You feel incredible, Rook.”
“You could feel it for real, if you want,” she offered, losing her composure at the thought of both of them staring down at her, at both taking such joy in her pleasure.
“I want,” Lucanis breathed, settling back down lower on his knees, “But I don’t think, ah…Not sure that will be a… long ordeal. Not with how— mierda. Not if you feel like this.”
“That’s okay,” she giggled. “That’s normal when men are new to it.”
“You’re sweet, but…Let me take care of you first, okay?”
“Of course,” she sighed, moaning approvingly as his mouth found her once more, “Anything you want, Lucanis.”
With his new resolve, and with Spite’s determination, they soon picked up the intensity. It seemed Spite indeed listened well to her directions, finding that sensitive spot inside and abusing it with Lucanis’ strong fingers. She lost all train of thought as they worked in tandem, her hand gripping Lucanis’ hair as if it would ground her. It didn't take long to find herself on the edge, grip tightening unintentionally.
“I’m, fuck, I’m so— perfect, that’s perfect, please—”
She found her release on Lucanis’ tongue, hips squirming into their ministrations, feeling more than hearing Lucanis’ groan of pleasure, of pride as she squeezed down around their fingers. Neither of them were keen to let up, dragging her climax out with persistent attention. A little squeak of overstimulation was the only thing that made them pause, Lucanis finally releasing his hold on her clit and merely licking over her with a broad, soothing tongue.
“Another,” came Spite’s voice unexpectedly, “Can do it better this time.”
“I need a little break, Determination,” she laughed. But the sight of them between her legs, mouth slick with her release made her throb around their fingers. “But that was very good.”
Lucanis pushed him out of the spotlight with a quick shake of his head.
“You really don’t want more? I just figured you out,” he almost pouted. But still, he let his fingers slip out of her, a self conscious forearm coming to wipe the moisture from his face. “Woman can,… you know, more than once, right? Or was that my cousin being an idiot again?”
She laughed, “No, that can happen, but I’m just a little…sensitive at the moment. Besides,” she dragged him back in for a kiss, “I’m dying to get my hands on you. Don’t you think you’ve teased me long enough?”
“Mierda,” he breathed, and without further argument, he tugged his pants the rest of the way down. At the first sight of him, she had to stop from drooling. She sat up and forced them to effectively trade places, guiding him to sit on the chaise. She replaced him on the floor, feeling like a dog preparing to beg for table scraps. He watched, perhaps a little overwhelmed, as she found her spot between his legs, grabbing onto his length feverishly. She’d seen longer, but he was pleasantly thick, her fingers just able to touch when circled around him. And like everything else on him, he possessed an elegant shape, a curve that pointed up toward his bellybutton.
“Gods, Lucanis.”
“Mierda—” He repeated, fighting the urge to snap his stunning, tapered hips into her fist.
“Can I please..?”
“Of course.”
And that was good enough for her. His hands curled into fists at his side the second she got her mouth on him. Her tongue made broad, wet passes from base to tip, hand following behind in a tight grip. By the time her lips closed over the head, he was mewling, eyes shut tight and covered by one of his restless hands. He squirmed beneath her, hand anchoring itself on her shoulder— needing to touch her but unwilling to trust itself on her head.
And she was perhaps too enthusiastic, in truth, consuming him like a woman starved. And she was. He seemed not to truly understand the effect he had on people, always shrinking or deflecting, letting his cousin bask in the title of the ‘charming one’. But he was wrong. If he knew how many contracts he could have completed by seduction alone, he’d be staggered. But she was glad he didn’t go that route the way Illario did. And, at times, the way she did. She selfishly wanted him all to herself. And she finally had him. Even if they all died tomorrow, no one could take this night from her.
He was steadily leaking into her mouth, his cock hard as stone on her tongue, and sooner than she would care for, his hips started to try and retreat from her mouth, the hand on her shoulder pushing her away. She let him go with a little pop!
“Rook, I can’t—”
“Was that too much? Sorry if I—”
“Rook,” he said, his voice wrecked, “Come here.”
She went happily, letting him guide her into his lap. He kissed her like he’d never get the chance again, wild and hungry, hands mapping out all he could touch.
“Too much?” She whispered again, and he nodded, briefly hiding away in her neck.
“Too close.”
“Why stop me? I want to make you feel good, too.”
He surged up to kiss her again, and she nearly forgot the line of questioning before he finally tugged away to respond.
“I just… When I imagined this…”
“Oh, so you imagined this?”
“Mierda, Rook. You are insufferable.”
She laughed, kissing his lips again.
“‘When you imagined this…’?”
“I wanted… I want… everything. I don’t want this to end yet.”
“We have all night,” she reminded him, and she thoughtlessly teased a loose fist up his shaft, and he shuddered.
“But only one first—” He huffed, covering his eyes with a palm, “This is idiotic.”
“It’s not,” she assured, uncovering his eyes, and holding the hand fondly in her own. “Tell me what you imagined, and I’ll happily make it so. I want this to be perfect for you. Really.”
“I… I want to feel you. Inside, I want—” His long lashes flutter as she kisses his forehead, down his cheek bone and the shell of his ear. “But I want you to feel— Hacedor— I want to please you so badly, Rook.”
“You have,” she promised, “But pleasing you also feels good to me.”
“Hmm…I guess I know the feeling.”
“You know what? I think I’m beginning to understand.”
She guided a hand back between her legs, wondering if it would quell the issue. And so it did, Spite’s glow rematerialized as Lucanis’ eager hand performed what they’d just learned, and she clenched down on their thick fingers in delight.
“One more,” Lucanis whispered between them, eyes sultry and pleading, “Give me at least one more, Rook.”
“Lucanis,” she sighed, hiding her own face away in his shoulder, her arms circling his neck. It shouldn’t have surprised her, this desperation to please, but it did. For all the men she’d stumbled into bed with, none had been so concerned with her perception of them, her enjoyment, her fulfillment. Want, and often alcohol, ran too rampant for such purposeful, deliberate care. And in some cases, it would have been awful, as some of those men had ended up completed contracts by morning. Now as Lucanis, possessed with his own demon of determination, worked his clever hand between them, she found herself surrendering to his desires to please, squirming and rocking into the thumb on her clit, on the thickness inside her.
“Gods, you’re so— You’re so good, Lucanis— so good at that. So good.”
“How do I make you feel, Rook?”
The words buzz into her bicep, almost too soft to hear. But she answers desperately.
“Amazing, Lucanis. So good with your hands, so beautiful, so considerate.” He brought his other hand to down to replace his thumb, the position surely uncomfortable to maintain, though he would never think to complain to her about it. She bit gently on his ear, the closest thing to her mouth, and he groaned.“Sound so pretty like that, darling. So gorgeous.”
“Rook…”
“Luca, I’m almost—”
“Anything, Rook. Anything for you.”
Their hands persisted, rubbing and curling and thrusting, every muscle in her body tightening in anticipation.
“—Amazing. You make me feel so— fuck, I’m—”
She gasped, limbs locking tight around him, squeezing down around their fingers as she came again, every huff and sigh and moan inches from Lucanis’ beet-red ear. She had hardly finished before she was lifted and dumped on her back, arms and legs still wrapped around his tense body. He stroked himself a few times, wetting his length with the pre that had been dripping for the last several minutes.
“Rook, can I—?”
“Please, I want it so bad.”
He groaned again, glowing like lyrium, and lined up the tip to her entrance. As he sank in, he collapsed into her arms, hiding his face in her neck, muscles tight as a bowstring. She held him close and waited for him to get used to it, for him to gather his faculties enough to move. After a long moment, he ground into her, breath shuddering against her skin.
“That’s it, darling, take what you need.”
He moaned her name, rising up enough to withdraw and press back in, a swear on his lips. The angle could be better, and he twitched like he was a hair’s breadth from coming already. But each time he seated himself inside, she buzzed with residual pleasure. She really hoped they didn’t die tomorrow, if only to let him get as much practice and acclimation as he wished while she reaped the benefits. But tonight, it didn’t take long for his breath to become ragged little whimpers and mewls deposited into to her neck as he struggled to maintain control.
“Te siente demasiado bien.”
The words were half-muffled, but she smiled fondly, pressing a kiss to his sweaty temple.
“Quiero que te sientas bien.”
His hips stuttered, an agonizing groan escaping him. His pace picked up, making her sound nearly as overwhelmed as he. She instinctively brought a hand between them, wondering if she could give him just one more, her fingers working her clit in haphazard circles. A growl, far more Spiteful than she’d been expecting emerged from his throat, and her own hand was shoved aside and replaced by the spirit’s, the glow between them vibrant and demanding.
“Fuck, that’s— oh my— Fuck, Spite you’re a quick l-learner—!”
“Rook,” Lucanis asked in concern, “do you want him to st—?”
She interrupted him with a strangled cry, the sound sharpening to a squeak as she they pushed her over the edge again, clamping down on Lucanis’ cock over and over. He swore through his teeth, his thrusts becoming almost brutal, stripped bare of any thought of self-consciousness, leaving only animal want in control.
“Mierda, Rook,” he panted desperately, lips finding hers one more in a sloppy excuse for a kiss.“Te quiero, mi vida.”
“Yo también te quiero,” she rasped without a moment’s deliberation, something that only hit her after the fact, “my—my darling.”
“Rook—”
He captured her mouth even as he pulled out of her, balancing over her on one arm as the other hand stroked desperately at his cock. His groan of relief poured into her mouth, sweeter than cioccolata calda, and his release spilled over his knuckles, painting her stomach and breasts.
“Rook…. Rook…”
He stayed perched over her, arm beginning to shake as he simply relished in the calm as his desperation dissipated. His eyes remained shut, long lashes resting on rosy cheeks. She wasn’t certain she’d ever actually seen him so unguarded.
“Come here. Let me hold you,” she said softly, guiding him back down to her by a hand on the back of his neck.
“But I just—” he gestured vaguely at the mess, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t care. We’ll take a bath,” she insisted, kissing his lips before guiding his face back into her neck. He settled down, hot and sweaty on top of her, the glow of purple finally shimmering out of sight. After a quick internal deliberation of their shared grossness, he finally relaxed, humming into her skin and enjoying the last of their aftershocks in peace.
“A bath sounds nice,” he murmured, a little sleepy and slurred.
“I thought you might like the sound of that.” Letting her fingernails lightly trace over the skin of his broad back, she asked, “You okay?”
“Mhm,” he replied, mindless and exhausted. “Thank you for that.”
She snorted affectionately.
“My pleasure. Truly.”
They lingered in relative silence for a while, and she was half-convinced he would start snoring soon. But the faint, feather-light brush of his lashes against her skin told her he was fighting sleep again, at least for now.
“Did you mean that?” He asked softly. She squeezed him closer.
“That I love you?”
“Yes.”
“Yes,” she answered simply, though her heart raced at the admission. “Did you?”
“Yes,” he breathed, pressing a few impulsive kisses to her skin, “You are everything to me, mi vida. When I thought you were gone… I couldn’t…”
“Shh, it’s okay,” she comforted him. But he lifted himself up just enough to meet her eyes.
“I will not lose you again, Rook. You have my word.”
She smiled.
“A Crow never fails a contract, right?”
“Right,” he said seriously. “I would kill the entire elven pantheon and all their archdemons to keep you safe.”
Spite’s shimmer coursed over his skin and vanished in a ripple, as if agreeing with the vow.
“I know,” she smiled, kissing one cheek, then the other. It had become a sort of greeting for the three of them, as it felt rude to ignore the demon early on in their relationship. Now it felt like second nature, an acknowledgement of them both as important figures in her life for their own unique reasons. Which reminded her…
“We should probably talk about the whole… Spite joining in our sex life thing at some point.”
He sighed and flopped back down into his little nook.
“We should, yes. But let me relish in my newfound sex life before he decides to give me a headache about it.”
“Oh, he wouldn’t do a thing like that,” she teased, hugging him tightly. “Is he satisfied, at least?”
“Not in the slightest. He’s under the impression he could do a far better job if I gave him full control.”
She giggled, kissing his cheek again.
“Well, I guess we’ll see one of these days, won’t we?”
“Rook. Please don’t encourage him.”