Chapter 48 Unavoidable
Rhea POV
Rhett’s laughter barked out instantly. “Told you.”
Korr chuckled, deep and amused. “Dragon’s honor, I will never forget this morning.”
They moved without protest, their boots crunching toward the tent flap, still laughing as they left us alone.
The canvas fell shut. I leaned closer to Nox, my breath warm against his ear, and my eyes blazing.
“Now,” I murmured, my voice low and dangerous, “where were we?”
His answering smile was anything but gentle.
Nox still held me straddling his lap, with my thighs spread wide over his hips, and his powerful arms locked around my waist as though he feared I might vanish. His mouth hovered just beneath my jaw, and his lips were wet and crimson with my blood. The punctures at my throat throbbed in time with my pulse, each beat sending a fresh wave of molten heat straight to my core.
I had ordered the others out, my voice a raw command born of pure, unbearable need, because Nox feeding from me had unraveled every last thread of my restraint. The sight of his elegant restraint fracturing, the feel of his fangs buried deep, the intoxicating pull as he drank… it had left me drenched, aching, and frieken desperate.
His silver eyes lifted to mine, with pupils blown wide with the same hunger. A single drop of my blood clung to his lower lip before his tongue swept it away.
“Rhea,” he murmured, and his voice was low and refined even through the haze of desire, “your taste lingers upon my tongue like the rarest vintage, intoxicating, and divine. I am utterly enslaved.”
I growled, the sound primal and possessive, and crushed my mouth to his. The metallic tang of my own blood flooded my senses, mingling with the dark spice that was uniquely Nox. He kissed me back with controlled ferocity, and one hand slid up my spine to cradle the back of my head, and the other tightened on my hip.
“Strip,” I demanded against his lips, and my fingers were already tugging at the laces of his tunic.
He obeyed instantly, leaning back just enough to pull the garment over his head and discard it. His pale skin stretched over hard, defined muscle, and every line was elegant, yet lethal. My hands roamed greedily over his chest, tracing the sharp cut of his abdomen, and savoring the heat of him beneath his cool skin.
Nox’s breath hitched as I reached between us, freeing him from his trousers. His cock sprang hot and heavy into my palm. It was long, thick, and impossibly ridged. A low growl escaped me again at the feel of him, so perfectly made to ruin me.
“You command me, my queen,” he said, and his voice was like velvet and smoke, “and I surrender myself wholly to your pleasure.”
I rose up on my knees, guiding him to my entrance, and sank down in one slow, deliberate motion. The stretch was exquisite, bordering on pain, yet perfect. His impressive length filled me completely until I was seated flush against him. We both groaned, and the sound harmonized in the charged air.
For a moment we simply breathed together, joined, and trembling. Then I began to move, rolling my hips in a deep, grinding rhythm. His hands gripped my waist, guiding but never dominating, allowing me to take what I needed.
“Delicious” he whispered, and his head fell back to expose the strong column of his throat. “You envelop me in silken fire, Rhea. I could lose myself in you for eternity.”
Magic stirred around us, faint purple flames flickering along our skin. They were harmless, warm, and alive. I rode him harder, and faster, chasing the building storm. His hips rose to meet each downward thrust, driving deeper, striking that perfect place inside me that made stars burst behind my eyes.
One of his hands slid up to cup my breast, and his thumb circled the hardened peak with deliberate precision. The other tangled in my hair, pulling my head gently to the side to expose the fresh bite marks. His tongue traced the wounds, drawing a shudder from me.
“I need to claim you fully,” he breathed against my skin, and his voice trembled with restraint. “I need to mark you as mine in every way, body, blood, and soul.”
“Do it,” I gasped, clenching around him deliberately.
His control snapped. He surged upward, and flipped us in a blur of motion so that I lay beneath him on the furs, with his body covering mine without ever breaking our connection. He thrust deep and hard, and each stroke was precise and fucking devastating, and his pale eyes remained locked on mine.
“Come for me, my beloved,” he commanded softly, the words elegant yet filthy with promise. “Let me feel your exquisite surrender. Let me spill inside you and bind us forever.”
The words, combined with the relentless pleasure of his body driving into mine, shattered me. Orgasm tore through me in a blinding wave, my back arched, and a cry tore from my throat as I clenched around him in rhythmic pulses.
Nox followed instantly, burying himself to the hilt and stilling as he came, his hot pulses flooding me. His fangs sank into the curve of my neck once more, deeper this time, sealing the bond with perfect, possessive finality.
Magic erupted between us in a brilliant surge of violet light. Harmless purple flames swirled around our joined bodies, licking over skin and furs alike. I pressed my palm flat to his chest, directly over his heart, and felt the answering thrum of power. His hand covered mine, holding it there.
Warmth bloomed beneath my touch. It was intense, and hella radiant. When the light faded, the intricate purple heart mark that bound me to Rhett now glowed anew over both our chests, its edges threaded with delicate silver flames that spoke solely of Nox.
He withdrew his fangs gently, licking the wounds closed with tender reverence before resting his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingled, slowing together.
“You are mine,” he whispered, his voice soft with wonder and fierce possession. “And I am irrevocably yours.”
I traced the new mark on his chest with trembling fingers, feeling our shared magic pulse in perfect harmony.
“Forever,” I answered, pulling him down into a slow, deep kiss that tasted of blood, magic, and unbreakable bonds.
Nox was still on top of me, his eyes all dark and luminous, and those fangs barely retracted. His mark throbbed at my neck, warm and unmistakable.
“Well,” I muttered. “That escalated quickly.”
He smiled faintly, reverent more than amused. “You accepted me.”
Before I could respond, the tent flap ripped open.
Rhett stormed in first, followed by Korr, both radiating tension. Korr was already barking into his comm, and his voice was clipped and sharp.
“Repeat that. The Ashborn hit where?”
He paused, listening, and his jaw tightened. “Understood. Lock it down.”
Rhett’s gaze snapped to me. Then to Nox. Then to the glowing purple mark over my heart.
His breath left him slowly. “You bonded.”
I shrugged, unapologetic. “Guess I did.”
Korr turned, his bronze eyes flaring as he took in the scene. “You did this now?”
I swung my legs off the bed and stood, reaching for my clothes. “Timing’s never been my strong suit.”
As I dressed, I looked between them. “You want to know what I think about your little rebellion problem?”
Neither answered.
“You brought this on yourselves,” I said flatly. “You enslave humans. You treat them like resources. Of course they fight back.”
Korr bristled. “Our systems...”
“Are fucked,” I snapped. “Humans aren’t cattle. They’re people.”
Fire licked up my arms before I could stop it, and heat rolled through the tent. Rhett stepped back immediately, with his palms up.
“Take a minute, Rhea,” he said calmly. “Breathe.”
Korr cursed under his breath and stormed out. “This is a fucking mistake.”
The tent flap slammed.
Rhett sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his face. “This isn’t going to be easy. We’ve ruled a certain way for centuries.”
I met his gaze, with my fire simmering. “I don’t give a fuck. Change.”
He held my stare for a long moment, then turned and followed Korr out. The tent went quiet.
Nox rose behind me, close but not crowding, his presence steady. He rested a hand over his heart, mirroring my earlier gesture.
“I stand with you, beloved,” he said softly. “I have never taken pleasure in human suffering.”
I glanced back at him. “But you still need blood.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “That will not change.”
I nodded slowly, thinking. “Then we find a way that doesn’t involve chains.”
His eyes sharpened with interest. “You have an idea.”
I smiled, dangerous and bright. “I always do.”
And somewhere far away, the gods shifted uneasily.
\~~~~~~
King Korr POV
I didn’t stop walking until the tent was far behind me and the fire in my chest had somewhere to go.
The cold bit at my skin, sharp and bracing, but it did nothing to cool the inferno rolling beneath it. Vaelrith shifted restlessly inside me. His wings scraped against my ribs, and his agitation echoed my own.
"She spoke truth," he said.
“I know,” I muttered. “That doesn’t make it simple.”
I found Gryn and Dryn near the ridge, standing watch as they always did. Twin sentinels. Twin burdens. They turned as one when they sensed me approach, and their eyes narrowed at the tension coiled in my frame.
“What happened?” Gryn asked. “You stormed out like you meant to burn the mountain down.”
I stopped in front of them and finally let it spill.
“She told us to end human enslavement,” I said bluntly. “All of it. Vampires. Dragons. Everyone.”
Silence.
Dryn’s brows drew together. “She said that?”
“She didn’t ask,” I snapped. “She demanded. Said if we don’t change, she’ll burn the world clean and start again.”
Gryn let out a slow breath. “Bold.”
“Suicidal,” I countered. “She stands against centuries of dragon law.”
"And centuries of dragon cruelty," Vaelrith added, unhelpfully.
Dryn studied my face. “And you believe her.”
I hated that they knew me well enough to say it so plainly.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Part of me does.”
I turned toward the mountains. “We were gods once. Humans worshipped us. Built temples. Sang to us. When we crossed the rift, we expected the same.”
Gryn’s voice was quieter now. “Instead they fought.”
“They hunted,” I said. “They killed our young. Poisoned our lands. They feared us.”
"As we feared extinction," Vaelrith murmured.
“And now,” I continued, “we rule them because we refuse to be powerless again.”
Dryn crossed his arms. “And she says that must end.”
“Yes.”
Gryn frowned. “The Tri Scale Council will never accept it.”
“I know,” I said sharply. “They’ll call her a threat. They’ll call me compromised.”
Dryn stepped closer. “Are you?”
I looked back toward the temple, toward the Phoenix who burned and lived freely and swore like a man.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But I know this, if she means what she says, if she truly can burn the world down…”
Gryn finished the thought. “Then we either change.”
“Or we die fighting her,” I said.
Vaelrith’s presence settled, heavy and certain. "She is not our enemy."
I exhaled slowly. “No,” I said quietly. “She isn’t our enemy.”
Gryn looked confused. “Then what is she?”
I thought of fire that did not consume blindly. Of a woman who stood between kings and told them to be better or burn.
“A reckoning,” I said at last.
Dryn let out a breath. “The world won’t thank her for that.”
“No,” I agreed. “Worlds rarely thank those who force them to change.”
Vaelrith shifted again, and his approval curled through my spine. "But they remember them."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
“She doesn’t make this easy,” I said. “She makes
it unavoidable.”