Page 86 of Oath of Betrayal
That glimpse of his mind was my undoing. Tears filled my eyes as Orm’s body stiffened. I felt him filling me so completely that I didn’t know where my body ended and his began as he once again roared, his pleasure pulsing inside me. It took us several moments to catch our breaths, but as I stirred, Orm kissed me between my shoulders and chuckled.
‘Gods, Nivale, I think I died a little. I could feel your emotions, and this … I’ve been with women before, but never like this. I will worship you in this life and the next. I may know your geas, but you own my soul,’ he murmured before gently withdrawing and turning me around.
A soft smile ghosted his lips when he gazed at my chest. ‘Is that how you see me?’ I looked down as he lowered me back into the water and settled me onto his lap. The dragon mark on my chest was now entwined with a longsword, its sharp, clean edges covered with frost and surrounded by mist. They were a striking contrast with my skin.
‘Yes, it looks like it,’ I chuckled, stretching lazily, satiated by our joining. I trailed my finger over Orm’s skin, enjoying the heat of his body wrapped around me. I felt power pulsing like a steady beacon, no longer unstable but blazing brightly within me.
‘I feel like I could break another keystone just by raising my eyebrow. You were so wild,’ I said, and he smiled, looking down at me.
‘Let’s avoid breaking any more of those for the moment. You certainly broke another mountain, though. Will this be an everyday occurrence, or is it the unexpected result of the Anchoring Oath?’ he said with amusement.
When I frowned, Orm held up his hands in surrender. ‘I’m not complaining. I’m just asking in case we have to be more careful with where we make love.’ I looked over his shoulder. A crack ran through the field of flowers, uncovering the hard granite bed of the mountain itself, and I grimaced with embarrassment.
‘If I hear you boasting that you gave me earth-shattering pleasure, I will fry that pert arse of yours,’ I said, and he threw his head back, laughing.
‘Can I at least tell Alaric, or even better, show him?’
Orm looked so relaxed and happy that I had almost forgotten the troubles that had brought us together. He was mine. Together with Vahin, I felt him deeply in my soul; and the gratifying soreness between my legs reminded me of how deeply he’d been in me.
As Orm sat in silence for a moment, stroking my back, I could tell he wanted to revisit our previous conversation. He didn’t last long. ‘Now, where were we with our argument? Ah, yes, care to tell me why you were bashing heads in the tavern? I hope you weren’t looking for a companion there. And why you didn’t send a messenger to tell me about the latawce attack?’ he asked, fingers dancing across my arm.
‘I can barely handle you three. I don’t need any more hairy, scaly, or pointy-eared trouble.’
‘I’m not that hairy,’ he said before pulling me even closer and kissing me behind my ear. I acquiesced.
‘I just needed to release some tension, and those new idiots were bullying Ian, so I decided to teach them a lesson. I like Ian. He makes a mean mead and truly cares for those around him. He helped me after the attack, and I found out that he had sheltered several families in his tavern … What happened to him? Do you know?’
‘He’s a rider who lost his dragon. We were in the Barren Lands scouting when spectrae attacked his unit. His dragon fell, and he was caught in the crossfire of another dragon’s fire,’ he explained. ‘When our dragons die, we lose their protection. It took him a long time to heal, but he insisted on staying here.’
‘I’m glad he stayed. I like him. He reminds me that no matter what scars you bear, you can still keep living.’
‘Careful, I’m getting jealous.’ Orm wiped the droplets of water trailing over my cheek before he sighed with resignation. ‘I need to revise our defences. I can’t believe they lured us out in order to attack the fortress. Ani … our lives may become even more dangerous soon. We are going to rebel against the king; my brother is rallying the nobles to dethrone the senile bastard as we speak. Please be careful and don’t let any strangers get within arm’s length.’
Orm’s words took me by surprise, especially since I could feel his anger rising with each sentence. I slipped my hand into his hair, trailing my fingers through the thick, black mess.
‘I will, but please don’t worry. We will live or we will die. Life is never certain, but I will fight for you, Ormond. For you, for the fortress, and for all the people of the Lost Ridge. Still, I have to tell you something. When the latawce attacked the town, the Lich King sent his projection through one of them. He promised to bring Tal and Arno back if I went to Katrass. He knew I was here and knew my weakness. I was never in danger of being killed; the latawce didn’t even scratch me. He wants me alive.’
Orm’s face paled, and he rose slowly, lifting me from the water. His hands drifted to my face, cupping my cheek as he gazed into my eyes. ‘Alaric told me he’s connected to that undead scum. What if his connection goes both ways? If he sent his minions for you, he must know about your abilities. Fuck, if that’s what’s happening, the situation just got even more complicated,’ he murmured, half to himself.
Orm helped me dress before he pulled on his shirt and trousers. He didn’t bother with the armour, simply tying everything to his breastplate before we walked to the edge of the basin. After mentally calling Vahin, he moved behind me, burying his face in my neck and inhaling deeply while I stared at the vast, open vista in front of me.
The translucent barrier rose high above the peaks in the distance. It shimmered in the sunlight, distorting the view on the other side. A smooth magical curtain that appeared gossamer thin, it was an impenetrable barrier for those of the Foul Order—everywhere along it, except for the one dark scar near a jagged peak where the Barrier looked torn. But as I peered closely at the Rift, I saw oily black tendrils spreading from the centre, weakening and widening the gap. The void seemed to absorb magic … It was no longer a mere tear, but a wide-open gap for the monsters to use.
‘Oh gods …’ I whispered as the realisation hit me. The Barrier was broken—truly broken—the terrors of the Barren Land able to pour out into our kingdom at any moment.
‘Shit. Look at me, Ani,’ Orm said, turning me around. ‘Don’t think about the Barrier right now. Together, we can handle anything. But first, let Vahin take us home before Ari curses us for worrying him too much.’
1.With aether aligned in this world and beyond. Forever united with our Anchoring bond.
The last few days had been eventful, to say the least. Since I’d Anchored Ormond, my access to the aether had stabilised, but not in the way I’d expected. I could weave it as usual, but whenever I held the skeins of aether in my hands, I felt a wild exhilaration flow through my body. I couldn’t help but remember that moment on the mountain as the magic washed through me. It took a little getting used to, and after Orm caught me blushing a few times, he teased me mercilessly.
I loved the change in his attitude, and it became a ray of happiness during an otherwise difficult time. That it was Alaric’s darkening mood that made those days difficult hurt me more than I cared to admit. I tried to spend as much time as I could with him, but between exploring my burgeoning relationship with Orm and the time spent training with the soldiers, I often felt distant from my dark fae.
Today, Orm was chasing another group of Vel demons. I stayed in the garrison, working through the spectrae strategywith a group of riders before we headed to the Rift on patrol tomorrow. It was immensely thrilling to work through various flying patterns, theorising which would best lure more of the vampiric ghosts to within my reach. After a few hours doing that, however, I was glad I could escape to the library alone.
Blissful silence descended when I finally made it there and closed the door. It was empty; apart from Alaric and me, few people showed an interest in the dusty room. It was exactly what I needed in the moment.
I looked up at the high, vaulted ceilings, inhaling the scent of leather and paper that made me feel at home. The afternoon sun, filtered by large crystal windows, highlighted the dust dancing in the air, eliciting a sneeze as I walked towards the reading area in the centre of the room. Unlike the university, there were no rows of tables with uncomfortable chairs; instead, we had a few comfortable armchairs and a large sofa where one could lose one’s self in reading without giving up feeling in their backside. I loved how thoughtful that was.
