Chapter 28: Chapter 28
(Elena)
I don’t tell him where we’re going.
I just say come with me after the council session empties, the weight of Marcus’s betrayal still hanging thick in the air. He follows without question, falling into step beside me as we leave the settlement behind. The walk takes twenty minutes through snow-dusted trees, the cold biting at our skin. Rhydian stays quiet, but there’s a settled calm to him now—an afterglow from what he did in that hall.
The hot spring sits hidden in a natural hollow, steam curling lazily into the freezing air. My father showed it to me years ago. No one else knows. Tonight, I’m sharing it with him.
He stops at the edge of the hollow, eyes widening at the sight of the clear, steaming water nestled in smooth stone, surrounded by frost-kissed moss and bare trees.
"This is yours," he says softly.
"Mine now," I reply, glancing back at him. "Ours tonight."
---
We undress in the quiet. I peel off my coat, boots, then the rest of my layers, feeling the sharp contrast of icy air on my bare skin before I slip into the water. The heat envelops me instantly—delicious, penetrating deep into every tight muscle I’ve been carrying for weeks. I sink to my shoulders with a low sigh, eyes closing for a moment as the warmth soothes me.
Rhydian joins me. The water laps around his powerful frame as he lowers in, a soft groan escaping him at the heat. He settles across from me at first, head tilted back against the stone, steam rising around his wet hair and broad shoulders. The scars on his chest and arm catch the low light, faint reminders of everything he’s survived.
I watch him. He catches me looking and holds my gaze, those golden eyes darkening with quiet heat.
"Come here," I say.
He moves through the water like a predator—slow, deliberate—until our knees brush beneath the surface. I reach up, pushing damp strands of hair from his face. He leans into my touch, no longer flinching, just melting into it.
"You were extraordinary today," I murmur, my thumb tracing his jaw.
He starts to brush it off, but I shake my head. "Don’t. You walked into that hall and changed everything. Let me say it."
"Okay," he breathes.
I pull him in. Our mouths meet in a slow, deep kiss that quickly grows hungry. Steam curls around us as his hands slide under the water to grip my waist, thumbs stroking my ribs. His mouth trails to my jaw, then my neck, finding that sensitive spot below my ear that always makes me shiver. He sucks gently, then harder, drawing a soft moan from me.
"Rhydian," I whisper.
He hums against my skin.
I guide his hand lower, but then pull back slightly. "Come up here. I want to teach you something."
His eyes flare with interest. I lift myself onto the wide, flat stone shelf above the waterline—warm from the spring below, smooth and inviting. Water sheets off my naked body as I lie back, knees bent, thighs parting just enough to invite him.
Rhydian follows, water dripping from his powerful frame. He kneels between my spread legs on the stone, gaze raking over me with open hunger. His cock is already hard, thick and flushed, curving up against his stomach.
"I want your mouth on me," I tell him, voice low and steady. "All the way down. I’ll show you."
He nods, eyes locked on mine. "Show me."
I thread my fingers through his wet hair and guide him lower. He starts at my throat, kissing and licking like he always does, then trails down between my breasts. His mouth is hot, reverent. He pauses at my stomach, pressing open-mouthed kisses there before I nudge him further.
"Lower," I breathe.
He settles between my thighs, broad shoulders spreading me wider. His breath ghosts over my soaked pussy, making me clench with anticipation. The first touch of his tongue is tentative—a slow, exploratory lick from my entrance up to my clit.
"Good," I praise, tightening my grip in his hair. "Just like that. Again."
He does it again, firmer this time, tasting me thoroughly. His hands slide under my ass, lifting me slightly as he grows bolder. He licks broad stripes through my folds, then circles my clit with the flat of his tongue. I moan, hips twitching.
"Use your fingers too," I instruct. "Two of them. Curl them up—yes, like that."
He pushes two thick fingers inside me, stretching me open while his mouth latches onto my clit. He sucks gently at first, then harder, matching the rhythm of his curling fingers. The combination is devastating. Wet, obscene sounds fill the hollow as he devours me.
"Fuck—right there," I gasp, back arching off the stone.
He learns impossibly fast. Every moan, every twitch of my hips, every tightening of my fingers in his hair—he reads it all. He adds a third finger, pumping deeper, faster, while his tongue flicks rapidly over my swollen clit. The heat of the spring, the cold air on my wet skin, and the relentless pleasure of his mouth push me higher.
He growls against me, the vibration shooting straight through my core. I’m grinding against his face now, chasing the edge, thighs trembling around his head.
"Don’t stop— Rhydian—"
He sucks my clit hard, fingers driving into me with perfect precision, and I shatter.
I scream his name, loud and raw, the sound echoing off the stone walls and into the winter trees. My orgasm crashes through me violently—pussy clenching around his fingers, thighs locking around his head as wave after wave of pleasure rips through my body. He keeps licking and fucking me through it, drawing it out until I’m shaking and breathless.
Only when I finally sag against the stone does he lift his head. His face is flushed, lips swollen and glistening with my arousal, eyes glowing with raw satisfaction and lust.
I pull him up over me, kissing him deeply, tasting myself on his tongue. His hard cock presses hot and heavy against my thigh.
"You learn fast," I whisper against his mouth, still trembling.
"I have the best teacher," he replies, voice rough with need. That rare, real smile curves his lips—the one that makes my chest ache.
We stay like that for a long moment, steam rising around us, the world outside forgotten. His forehead rests against mine as our breathing slows.
Tomorrow the council reconvenes. Varek and Shadowpine are still coming. But tonight, in this hidden place, there is only heat, surrender, and the man who keeps learning exactly how to unravel me.
