Page 47 of Stolen By Dragons

"Aria," he groaned, his pace quickening, "you are mine, and I am yours. I can feel it, can’t you?”

“Yes,” I gasped, and he let out a low, primal growl as he drove into me harder and faster. The intensity of the moment was more than I could bear.

The second orgasm hit me like a tidal wave, tearing a cry from me as the room went hazy, the bliss claiming me. I clung to Chris, my body shuddering with the force of my release. With a final, powerful thrust, Chris found his own finish, burying his face in my neck as he rode out the waves of his own climax.

The room swum over me as I held onto him, blinking through the haze as my body trembled from the high.

In the aftermath, we lay entwined, our bodies hot and slightly sweaty. Well, maybe I was the sweaty one, I wasn’t sure, but I was sucking in air like I’d forgotten to breathe through it all.

Chris pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead as he rested on one elbow. "I meant what I said, Aria. You are my everything." He rolled onto his side, pulling me with him, not seeming to care that we’d made a mess. We hadn’t even discussed protection, but I had an IUD in, thankfully.

I pursed my lips, my fingers tracing lazy patterns on his chest. “That was amazing, Chris. You said… you said you felt a bond with me before…”

“And I felt it now. It’s there Aria, I know it for certain. Normally, shifters will claim one another once they know it’s true,” he said as he nuzzled me.

“Claim one another?” I questioned.

“We share a mark, a bite, that binds us together.” He stiffened a little as he said that, his arms tightening around me.

“Right,” I said softly, my mind whirling. Sure, I felt something profound here, something I’d never have felt before, but was this it? Was it something I was ready to do? Was it the bond I felt too?

I had no clue. And it sounded awfully final. Sure, I liked Chris a lot, enough to have slept with him, hell, maybe I was falling for him, but was I ready to commit my life to him?

“There’s no rush, Aria. I know it’s different for you. We can go at your pace,” he said gently, and I relaxed.

“Okay, thank you. It’s all still so much for me, supernaturals, along with everything else,” I admitted.

“I know.” He kissed my temple and pulled me tighter into his chest, and I closed my eyes, the tiredness creeping in.

A little nap sounded good before we focused on spending our last free day with the others and went back to the reality of the situation.

For now, I wanted to enjoy this moment of tenderness and closeness, wrapped up in his arms.

Chris was the one who roused first, and we headed out to see Lydia and Zephyr, wanting to spend time with them and even some of the others we’d spoken to. We ended up spending majority of the day in the communal area, and I couldn’t keep from at glancing at Chris, my mind still swimming with what we’d done. It had been so special, so wonderful, and I wanted to feel it as strongly as he did, that it was the be-all-end-all like he’d spoken about. I’d asked Lydia too, and she spoke about the bond like it was the greatest thing there could be.

And yet… I was unsure. I did feel for him quite deeply, it was hard not to. He was supportive, kind, and romantic in his own way, checking on me often and wanting to be with me.

But I had no clue, and after dinner, when nearly everyone was so lost in thought and overwhelmed, he came back to my room with me.

Neither of us wanted to do anything, the dinner conversations of the dining hall having been far too heavy and uneasy, that we just held one another as we drifted off.

Th next day, we were back at it, hard at work training. Our breaks were tense and unsettled, and night came with insane exhaustion and frustration after my magic refused to perform. Chris and my friends had tried so hard to help, but it felt like a lost cause, and I went to my room alone, emotionally spent and drained, wanting to be alone so I could wallow in how useless I felt. Chris hadn’t been too keen on allowing me to go alone, but I’d asked him to let me be, that I needed to rest and just wanted a night to myself. He’d looked hurt, and guilt had gnawed at me, but I honestly was getting overwhelmed too much, especially with being around everyone constantly.

I liked my own space, and after my shower, I’d proceeded to pass out instantly from exhaustion.

As night fell on the eve of the trial after another hard day of training with minimal advancement on my part despite my best efforts, sleep eluded me. Despite my attempts to rest, my mind raced with thoughts of the upcoming challenge. Chris and Lydia had invited me to join them for some last-minute magic practice, but I had declined, hoping to get a good night's sleep. That plan, it seemed, had backfired spectacularly.

Unable to lie still any longer, I found myself wandering towards the communal room. It was the first time I'd ventured there since Marcus's attack, and I felt a flutter of nervousness asI approached. To my surprise, I found Zephyr lounging in one of the armchairs, creating a little dragon with his illusion magic and watching it flutter around.

He looked up as I entered, the dragon dissipating as a warm smile spread across his face. "Aria! Can't sleep either, I take it?"

I shook my head, sinking into the chair opposite him. "Too many thoughts swirling around. What about you?"

Zephyr shrugged. "Fae don't need as much sleep as humans. And tonight... well, let's just say I'm a bit too keyed up for rest."

We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of tomorrow's trial hanging heavy in the air between us. Finally, I gathered the courage to ask something that had been nagging at me for a while.

"Zephyr," I began hesitantly, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... why do the other fae seem to keep their distance from you? I've noticed they don't really interact with you during training, and you said that there was a falling out in your court?”

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