Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
His hoarse shout mingled with her sobbing cry of his name. She felt the heat of his release, the rocketing jets of seed coating her walls and triggering more powerful quakes.
His body shuddering with pleasure, Afanasiv collapsed over her, burying his face in her neck. His tongue slid over her pounding pulse, and then his teeth sank deep. Her body went wild again, clamping down, desperate for more.
His cock seemed as full as ever as he moved in her, one hand stroking her breast and then tugging at her nipple. All the while, his hips moved, driving deep again while he took her blood. It was the most erotic moment she could imagine. She sank her fingers into his thick hair, raising her hips to meet his while he sent jagged bolts of lightning flashing through every nerve ending leading straight to her sex.
He closed the twin holes in her neck with a sweep of his tongue and caught her legs, pushing them back so her knees were nearly in line with her head. At the same time, he leaned over her. Take my blood, sívamet.
His blood was an aphrodisiac, created just for her. The scent of him surrounded her. She didn’t hesitate but sank her teeth into his chest. Immediately his cock hardened more. Swelled more. Pushed against the sensitive tissues, straining her capacity to take him, triggering an expected series of rolling waves all over again. He moved in her, driving through her contracting sheath over and over until it was too much, and she was forced to slide her tongue over the marks on his chest just to breathe. His release was explosive, and she fragmented, taking him with her.
They lay together for a long time, content to hold each other as their heartbeats returned to normal and the fierce heat cooled a little.
“The sun is coming up, Vasilisa,” Afanasiv murmured against her breast. “We will have to wait for the bath until next rising.”
“I was supposed to do all the exploring.” She pretended to grouse.
He laughed softly. “I promise you can have all rising tomorrow to explore as much as you want. We need a few days to ourselves.”
“And you need to heal, Siv,” she said firmly. “And let me take care of you. I’m sending word to my family not to bother us for several days. Sorina will meet us at the cave of crystals when I put out the call to her, and we can discuss how best to handle the situation with the gates deteriorating then.”
Afanasiv nuzzled her throat and then slowly, reluctantly, allowed his body to slip from hers. She felt a little bereft. He reached for her, lifting her into his arms as she waved aside the bed and floor to reveal the stairs leading to the sleeping chamber. Once below the bedroom, she gave a silent order to have the floor and furniture return to the normal position.
Arms around his neck as they floated into the welcoming soil, she decided maybe a week was needed to heal him properly. At the very least. With her overseeing every aspect of his care.
CHAPTER
20
Do you have any idea why the gates are breaking down?” Afanasiv asked Vasilisa as he followed her through the underground tunnel leading deeper into the labyrinth of caves.
“Both Sorina and I have speculated on that. According to Sorina, the gates were made of ancient wood and protected by safeguards considered the best at the time they were set,” Vasilisa answered. “It’s Sorina’s blood on my tarot cards that allowed them to stay vital and be handed down from mother to daughter until your lifemate was born. She’s very powerful, and she watched as the gates were constructed and the safeguards put in place. You can ask her yourself. She’s waiting for us in the cave of crystals.”
Afanasiv knew ancient wood didn’t break down on its own. Insects couldn’t penetrate it. It was nearly impossible to burn. He glanced at Petru, Benedek and Nicu as they moved carefully through the cave system following Vasilisa. It was easy to feel the powerful energy in the walls of earth as they passed through narrow openings and long halls and caught glimpses of shockingly beautiful gems gleaming occasionally as they moved through chambers with vaulted ceilings.
“In those times,” Petru said, “Xavier was the instructor for all Carpathians learning how to weave safeguards. If those safeguards put into the gate were of his creation, he could easily unravel them.”
“Not all Carpathians relied solely on Xavier,” Afanasiv disagreed. “We are ancients, far older than Xavier. The safeguards I learned as a child from my father came in part from the earth itself.”
“Your safeguards have always been different from ours,” Petru admitted.
“You had safeguards long before those attending Xavier’s school ever had them,” Afanasiv pointed out. “Where did you learn yours?”