Chapter 211
Elowen's POV
"Want to eat something first, babe?" Cassian's voice was low, magnetic, the kind of sound that made my stomach flip.
I sat on the edge of the bed in nothing but my underwear, my skin still flushed from Casper's earlier touch. The question hung between us, loaded with double meaning. I could smell him from here—that intoxicating mix of cold ore and rose that made my mouth water.
"I'm not hungry," I said, letting my gaze drift deliberately between him and Casper. "Not for food, anyway."
Juno rumbled in my head, her laughter low and throaty. "Our mates smell too fucking good. Little freckle's about to get devoured."
Casper's deep red-brown eyes darkened instantly, pupils dilating until they were almost black. His amber irises glowed like molten honey as he dropped to his knees in front of me, those broad shoulders wedging between my thighs.
"That can be arranged, cutie." His hands slid up my legs, callused palms rough against my sensitive skin. His fingers hooked into the waistband of my panties, and he tugged them down with agonizing slowness.
The cotton dragged against my heated flesh, and I bit my lip to suppress a whimper. Casper's gaze never left mine as he peeled the fabric away, tossing it carelessly over his shoulder.
"Fuck," he breathed, his voice rough with reverence. "Look at you."
His hands gripped my thighs, spreading them wider as he leaned in. The first touch of his tongue made my back arch off the bed. He worked slowly, deliberately, like he was savoring the finest wine in the world.
"You look like you're praying," I managed to gasp between broken breaths, my fingers threading through his red-brown hair.
He paused, lifting his head just enough to meet my eyes. Those amber depths burned with something fierce and fragile all at once—love mixed with fear, desire tangled with desperation.
"I am praying, baby." His voice cracked slightly. "Praying I never lose you."
The words hit me like a punch to the chest. Through our bond, I felt it—the roiling storm of emotions he was trying to hide. Desperate longing. Bone-deep fear. Love so fierce it felt like drowning. And underneath it all, something darker. Something that tasted like guilt.
Before I could question it, he dove back in, his tongue and lips working magic that scattered my thoughts like autumn leaves. My thighs trembled around his head, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
"He's so fucking good at this," Juno purred. "Death by Casper's mouth—he definitely wouldn't mind that way to go." Her tone was playful, but I caught the undercurrent of concern. "But El... why do I feel Leo's fear? Something's wrong."
I didn't have time to process her words. Cassian was there suddenly, behind me, the bed dipping under his weight. His bare chest pressed against my back, one muscular arm wrapping around my waist while his other hand cupped my jaw, tilting my head back.
"Open for me, babe." It wasn't a request.
His mouth claimed mine in a kiss that tasted of possession and desperation. His tongue swept past my lips, demanding entry, taking everything I had to give. His hand—that protective hand—slid down to rest on my lower belly, fingers splayed wide as if shielding our unborn children from the world.
The dual sensation made me dizzy. Casper between my legs, working me higher and higher. Cassian behind me, his kiss swallowing my moans, his hand cradling the tiny lives growing inside me.
"Lift your leg," Cassian murmured against my lips, his breath hot and ragged. "Drape it over Casper's shoulder."
I obeyed without thinking, my body responding to the Alpha command in his voice. The new angle made stars explode behind my eyelids. Casper groaned against me, the vibration sending shockwaves through my core.
Cassian's mouth moved to my neck, finding the mating mark on the right side. The one that belonged to him. His teeth scraped over the raised skin, and I cried out, my hands flying up to grip his hair.
"That's it," he growled against my throat. "Let us hear you."
But the bite was harder than usual. More possessive. Almost desperate in its intensity. He sucked and licked and bit until I was trembling, caught between pain and pleasure so acute I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
Through the triple bond—mine to Cassian, mine to Casper, and the twin connection between the brothers—I felt it. A flash of communication, quick and private, but the emotional echo hit me like a tidal wave.
"I can't do this." Casper's mental voice, raw with anguish. "I can't pretend I don't love her."
"That's why we need to make her remember now." Cassian's response, cold steel wrapped around breaking glass. "We need her to know how much we love her."
My eyes flew open. What did that mean? Why did it sound like goodbye?
"Cassian," I tried to say, but his mouth swallowed the word. His kiss turned brutal, consuming, his hand tightening protectively over my belly as if someone might try to take my babies away.
Casper's rhythm never faltered, but I felt his hands shake slightly against my thighs. Felt the wet heat of tears that weren't mine tracking down my legs.
"El, something's really wrong," Juno insisted. "They're in pain. Both of them. Why—"
My body betrayed me, cresting toward release under their combined assault. My leg trembled violently against Casper's shoulder. My breathing turned to gasps, then sobs, then something inhuman as pleasure crashed over me in waves.
"She's close," Cassian said against my ear, his voice thick. "Too close. We need to adjust."
Casper pulled back reluctantly, his lips and chin glistening. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his amber eyes swimming with unshed tears and something that looked like grief.
"Not finished yet," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Never finished. I'll never be finished with you, Little freckle."
The last words were so quiet I almost missed them. They sounded less like a promise and more like a prayer. A desperate plea to the universe.
"You're shaking," I said, my voice hoarse. "Both of you. What's—"
"Because we love you too fucking much, babe." Cassian's arms tightened around me, his face buried in my hair. "Because you're everything."
He lifted me effortlessly, laying me down on the bed like I was made of spun glass. His ice-blue eyes—usually so cold and calculating—were molten with emotion as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.
Casper crawled up beside me, his hand immediately finding my belly. His palm was warm, protective, trembling slightly as he traced small circles on my skin.
"You and our children," he whispered, his eyes locked on mine. "You're my whole world, Little freckle. My everything. Do you understand? My everything."
The intensity in his voice made my chest ache. This wasn't just love. It was devotion. Worship. The kind of fierce, consuming adoration that could burn the world down.
And underneath it, threaded through the bond like a black ribbon—guilt. Fear. The bitter taste of an incoming betrayal.
I reached up to cup his face, my thumb brushing away a tear I wasn't sure he knew he'd shed. "I love you both. So much. You know that, right?"
"We know." Cassian's voice came from my other side, rough with emotion. "God, we know."