toppled to the ground.
Her adversaries were dead. Her first fight as an Ivory was over.
Maybe it had been a little sloppy but in the end she had come out on top of it, with her flaming sword in hand. She had killed, yes, but it was a trade - lost souls to save innocent ones. She was surrounded by mess, but deep down inside she knew she had saved lives. And that was a heady feeling. Exhilarating.
Heart knocking with adrenaline, fear exploding into nothingness, and delight in her chest she stared at Raz. He was breathing hard, the muscles in his arms flexing before his sword disappeared, and he was looking at her, with pride in his piercing eyes and respect.
It was a gift that made it all the more real, that made her heart swell until there was just too much inside of her. Too many sensations that wanted to explode and needed release. She cried out, a sound of joy about being alive and so much more, before she closed the small distance between them and threw her arms up to embrace Raz.
Her cry of sheer happiness was still ringing in his ears as she jumped up to give him a peck on the lips. It was meant as a celebratory sharing of their achievement, he knew it. But it didn’t stop the snap of power in the air - or maybe it was in his blood, he couldn’t say - and they both stopped moving, staring into each other’s eyes. The thrill of battle and rush of victory was pumping through them, mixing with something deeper, even more primitive.
She swallowed and wet her lips. Thought fleeing him, Raz dropped his head and kissed her and all he could suddenly think of and feel was Lillian. Her scent, her body and her warm lips against his.
His arms went around her, pulling her e ven closer, molding her to him as her legs went up and around his waist, and for one perfect moment there was nothing else but the two of them. No thought to the blood covering them, to the scent of sulfur wafting around them as the dead went up in red flames. Nothing else existed but this new and intoxicating heat burning through his veins. Her mouth was inviting and warm as he dipped his tongue into it. A deep moan escaped him at the unfamiliar sensations and pleasure rushing through him.
In the haze he didn’t even notice that he had moved until her back was up against a tree. He moved his lips along her jaw, tasting her skin, the healthy sweat, and then trailed a line of kisses from the soft, warm flesh underneath her ear to her collarbone which made her tremble and gasp his name. Fuck. He wanted to hear it again.
In his mind he knew all about kissing, knew everything there was to know - and used it now - but feeling it, experiencing it was so much more than words could ever express. He could have fallen to his knees. Or even further …though merely the whisper of a thought it had the power of a sledgehammer bringing him back to reality with a snap. A cold shower was nothing against the chilling apprehension flooding him.
What the hell was he doing? He had to get himself back under control, now.
With images of bloody fire and blackened wings flashing behind his eyes Raz found the strength to pull away, his hand grabbing her knee and setting her back down on her feet. Their breathing was ragged. A look at Lillian, her eyes darker and more alive than he had ever seen with desire, her inviting lips swollen and red from his kiss, made his jaw clench. He silently cursed her for being so goddamn tempting, for making him feel this way. Cursed himself for cursing her, since he was the one who had failed.
He took a step back , but it felt as if he put much more distance between them than that. “This was a mistake and won’t happen again. Keep your emotions under control the next time you’re close to a hellhole. Head in the game, if you don’t want to lose it.”
Her mouth opened on a mute gasp, her eyes wide. Something sharp and hot pierced his heart but he ignored it. Without another word he turned around, wondering whether he would ever forget
Her adversaries were dead. Her first fight as an Ivory was over.
Maybe it had been a little sloppy but in the end she had come out on top of it, with her flaming sword in hand. She had killed, yes, but it was a trade - lost souls to save innocent ones. She was surrounded by mess, but deep down inside she knew she had saved lives. And that was a heady feeling. Exhilarating.
Heart knocking with adrenaline, fear exploding into nothingness, and delight in her chest she stared at Raz. He was breathing hard, the muscles in his arms flexing before his sword disappeared, and he was looking at her, with pride in his piercing eyes and respect.
It was a gift that made it all the more real, that made her heart swell until there was just too much inside of her. Too many sensations that wanted to explode and needed release. She cried out, a sound of joy about being alive and so much more, before she closed the small distance between them and threw her arms up to embrace Raz.
Her cry of sheer happiness was still ringing in his ears as she jumped up to give him a peck on the lips. It was meant as a celebratory sharing of their achievement, he knew it. But it didn’t stop the snap of power in the air - or maybe it was in his blood, he couldn’t say - and they both stopped moving, staring into each other’s eyes. The thrill of battle and rush of victory was pumping through them, mixing with something deeper, even more primitive.
She swallowed and wet her lips. Thought fleeing him, Raz dropped his head and kissed her and all he could suddenly think of and feel was Lillian. Her scent, her body and her warm lips against his.
His arms went around her, pulling her e ven closer, molding her to him as her legs went up and around his waist, and for one perfect moment there was nothing else but the two of them. No thought to the blood covering them, to the scent of sulfur wafting around them as the dead went up in red flames. Nothing else existed but this new and intoxicating heat burning through his veins. Her mouth was inviting and warm as he dipped his tongue into it. A deep moan escaped him at the unfamiliar sensations and pleasure rushing through him.
In the haze he didn’t even notice that he had moved until her back was up against a tree. He moved his lips along her jaw, tasting her skin, the healthy sweat, and then trailed a line of kisses from the soft, warm flesh underneath her ear to her collarbone which made her tremble and gasp his name. Fuck. He wanted to hear it again.
In his mind he knew all about kissing, knew everything there was to know - and used it now - but feeling it, experiencing it was so much more than words could ever express. He could have fallen to his knees. Or even further …though merely the whisper of a thought it had the power of a sledgehammer bringing him back to reality with a snap. A cold shower was nothing against the chilling apprehension flooding him.
What the hell was he doing? He had to get himself back under control, now.
With images of bloody fire and blackened wings flashing behind his eyes Raz found the strength to pull away, his hand grabbing her knee and setting her back down on her feet. Their breathing was ragged. A look at Lillian, her eyes darker and more alive than he had ever seen with desire, her inviting lips swollen and red from his kiss, made his jaw clench. He silently cursed her for being so goddamn tempting, for making him feel this way. Cursed himself for cursing her, since he was the one who had failed.
He took a step back , but it felt as if he put much more distance between them than that. “This was a mistake and won’t happen again. Keep your emotions under control the next time you’re close to a hellhole. Head in the game, if you don’t want to lose it.”
Her mouth opened on a mute gasp, her eyes wide. Something sharp and hot pierced his heart but he ignored it. Without another word he turned around, wondering whether he would ever forget
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