Page 65 of Crown of Light and Ashes
"Fuck me Kaan... please," I beg, pushing away all the hesitation. He brushes his thumb over my lips and smiles.
"With pleasure," he states. In one fluid motion, he lifts me and carries me backward until my spine meets the cool stone wall. He positions me so that my legs naturally wrap around his waist. "I want your greedy pussy to milk my cock, taking all of me."
The wall is against my back as he presses me against it, but I barely notice, too consumed by the feeling of him positioned at my entrance. With one powerful thrust, he buries himself to the hilt, drawing cries from both our throats.
"Mine," he growls, establishing a punishing rhythm that has me clinging to his shoulders for support. "Say it,hatun. Tell me who you belong to."
"No one," I gasp, even as my body welcomes every thrust, "I belong to no one."
His eyes flash with dark amusement as he adjusts his angle, hitting a spot deep inside me that makes stars explode behind my eyelids. "Liar," he accuses, increasing his pace, slamming into me in and out. "Your body knows the truth even if your mind refuses it."
The room around us becomes a blur of sensation and destruction. A painting crashes to the floor as the force of his thrusts rattles the wall. Books tumble from shelves, scattering across the carpet. I'm dimly aware of the destruction, but can't bring myself to care, too lost in the overwhelming pleasure building within me.
"Kaan," I cry out as he drives into me relentlessly, my body tightening around him with approaching release.
"That's it," he encourages, his voice rough with exertion. "Come for me again, beautiful one. Let me feel you."
The combination of his words and the almost brutal pace pushes me over the edge. I shatter around him once again, wave after wave of pleasure crashing through me with an intensity that borders on pain. As I convulse around him, his control finally breaks. With a roar that seems to shake the very foundations of the room, he slams his fist into the wall beside my head. Stone cracks beneath the impact, hairline fractures spreading outward, but the wall holds.
His release follows immediately, his body tensing as he emptieshimself deep inside me. For endless moments, we remain locked together, both trembling with the aftershocks of shared pleasure.
Slowly, reality returns. The destruction around us becomes apparent—books scattered across the floor, artwork hanging askew or fallen completely, the cracks in the stone wall beside us. My legs are still wrapped around his waist, his body still joined with mine, both of us breathing heavily.
"Well," he says, his voice rough but tinged with satisfaction, "I believe we've thoroughly tested the structural integrity of this room."
A laugh bubbles up from my chest, surprising us both. "Is this how you redecorate? No wonder the palace always seems to be under construction."
His answering smile transforms his face, making him look younger, almost boyish, despite the predatory gleam that never fully leaves his eyes. "Only when properly motivated,hatun."
He withdraws from me carefully, his shadows helping lower me to my feet when my legs prove too unsteady. I should feel embarrassed standing before him like this—naked, marked by his touch, surrounded by the evidence of our passion. Instead, I feel strangely powerful, knowing I drove him to such loss of control.
"This still changes nothing," I say, though even to my own ears the words sound hollow.
He retrieves my torn clothing, offering it with surprising gentleness. "Keep telling yourself that,hatun, if it helps you sleep at night."
As I dress in the ruined garments, I notice him watching me with that same unreadable expression from earlier. Whatever the name Isil means to him, it's clearly significant enough to remain tightly guarded, even after this level of intimacy.
"You still owe me a truth," I remind him, fastening what remains of my gown.
His expression closes, shadows gathering more densely around him. "Not that one."
"Then another," I press, unwilling to leave empty-handed after everything we've shared.
He studies me for a long moment, then nods once. "Very well. Ask, and if it's within my power to answer, I will."
I consider carefully, knowing this opportunity may not come again. Despite my father's mission for me, the reality of our blood bond complicates everything. If I managed to kill Kaan but died in the process, my brother's life would still be forfeit. I need to understand what's possible.
"Is there a way to break the blood bond between us?" I ask, my voice steadier than I feel. "Can it be undone?"
His entire body goes still, shadows freezing in mid-swirl around him. For a moment, he looks genuinely shocked by my question, vulnerability flashing across his features before his expression hardens once more.
"No," he answers, the single syllable falling between us with the weight of finality. There's no mockery in his tone, no cruel amusement—just brutal, simple truth.
"Never?" I press, needing to be certain. "Even with powerful magic? Ancient rituals?"
"Never," he confirms, his shadows resuming their movement, though more subdued than before. "The blood bond is permanent,hatun. Until death and beyond. There have been attempts throughout history—desperate ones, fueled by hatred or fear—but none have succeeded." He studies my face carefully. "The bond can be blocked temporarily, as you've discovered through your fairy friend's potions, but broken? No. It simply isn't possible."
The realization settles over me like a shroud. I'm truly bound to him, then—not just in name or by politicalarrangement, but by magic older than either of our courts. My father's plan was always doomed to failure, unless he intended my death alongside Kaan's.
