Page 78 of Bound In Shadow

“Xelith,” she murmurs, voice low and unsteady. “I want this… I want you… so much.”

Emotion surges in me, mingling with raw lust. “I’m yours,” I rasp, kissing a line across her collarbone. My shadows swirl, dark ribbons meeting her illusions in playful spirals. “Always.”

She clings to me, nails scraping lightly over my shoulders. The water sloshes around our hips. I’m reminded of the orchard stable, the final confrontation, the battered path that led us here. Everything feels so distant now, overshadowed by the intimacy of this moment. Our souls are one, yet we still hunger for the physical connection that cements it.

Gently, I shift her stance, guiding her further into the pool until she’s submerged to her waist. She wraps her legs around my hips, arms hooking around my neck. We float together, bodies pressed in a slow, sinuous motion that banishes the last chill of the water. I tilt her face up, capturing her lips again.

The kiss deepens, turning molten. My heart thunders. She arches against me, illusions flashing in pulses that reflect her rising need. My shadows tighten around our joined forms, an embrace of living magic. I sense her heartbeat, rapid and fierce, echoing in my own chest through the newly formed bond. The orchard illusions seem to sing with every touch.

I lower my mouth to her throat, teeth grazing lightly. She moans, a breathy sound that sends heat coiling in my stomach. “Yes,” she whispers, nails digging into my shoulders. “Don’t stop.”

My body trembles, half in relief, half in anticipation. Gently, I explore the curve of her waist, her hips, sliding my hands in slow, reverent strokes, memorizing the warmth of her skin. She returns the favor, lips pressing to the hollow of my collarbone, illusions flickering bright at every pulse of desire.

Tension builds, sweet and relentless. I sink deeper in the water, sliding my hands over her thighs until I cup her. She inhales sharply, illusions sparking in a swirl of pastel light across the pool’s surface. Our eyes lock, a question unspoken. She answers with a faint nod and a trembling smile.

The water laps at our hips, cool and liquid silk against heated skin. Lysandra’s legs tighten around my waist, her pussy slick and welcoming as I sink deeper into her. My cock throbs, every inch of her clenching around me, and I groan into her neck, biting back a curse.

“Gods, Lysandra?—”

Her breath hitches, fingers digging into my shoulders as she arches, taking me deeper. “Xelith… yes, move, just like that. Give me more.”

The pool ripples around us, her magic shimmering across the surface like scattered stars. My shadows coil beneath the water, dark tendrils caressing her thighs, her hips—anywhere I can’t touch her fast enough. She gasps as they brush her skin, her magic flaring in response, painting the night in streaks of silver and gold.

I move inside her with slow, deliberate thrusts, savoring the way her body grips me, hot and tight. “You feel… fuck, you feel perfect,” I rasp, dragging my lips along her collarbone.

She whimpers, nails scraping down my back. “More—please.”

I give it to her. My hands grip her hips, lifting her slightly before pulling her back down onto me, harder this time. Her cry echoes through the orchard, illusions bursting overhead in radiant arcs. The bond between us sings, amplifying every sensation—her pleasure, her need, the way her pussy flutters around my cock as I fill her again and again.

“I feel you,” she gasps, her voice trembling. “All of you… your shadows, your heart?—”

“Yours,” I growl, claiming her mouth in a searing kiss. “Always yours.”

Her thighs shake, her body tightening around me as pleasure builds, relentless and sweet. I can feel her nearing the edge, her breath coming in ragged bursts, her magic sparking against my skin like static.

“Come with me,” she begs, her voice breaking. “I want to feel you when I fall.”

I can’t deny her. My thrusts grow rougher, water sloshing around us as I drive into her, chasing that blinding release. Her pussy clenches around me, and she screams, her back bowing as her climax crashes through her. The force of it drags me under—my cock pulses inside her as I spill deep, my groan muffled against her throat.

“Lysandra!” I let out a roar of pure, unadulterated ecstasy.

For a heartbeat, the world whites out. Magic erupts around us—her magic, my shadows—twining together in a radiant storm, sealing this moment between us.

When I finally come back to myself, she’s trembling in my arms, her forehead pressed to mine. Tears streak her cheeks, but she’s smiling, her breath still uneven.

“That was…” She laughs, breathless. “Gods, Xelith.”

I brush my thumb over her lower lip, my voice rough with emotion. “Forever. That’s what this is.”

Her eyes soften. “Forever,” she whispers.

And as the water stills around us, the orchard silent except for our shared breaths, I know—no vow could be stronger than this.

Slowly, the illusions subside, shimmering motes dissolving into the moonlit water. My shadows recede as well, leaving only the quiet of the orchard clearing. We remain entwined in the pool, foreheads pressed together, breath mingling in the aftermath.

My heart thuds, hammered by the enormity of what we just experienced. Lysandra’s eyes flutter open, a tear tracking down her cheek. I brush it away, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

She lets out a trembling laugh, voice hoarse. “That… was unlike anything I’ve ever felt.”

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