Page 44 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
The sight and feel of it dragged him over the edge. He groaned into her mouth and spilled deep, hips jerking as pleasure tore through him.
For a long moment, he couldn't do anything but breathe. Her hands moved on his back, soothing, stroking lines across muscles that had gone tight with effort and sleek with sweat. He eased his weight down carefully, chest to chest, heart poundinginto her palm where she had slipped her hand. He kissed her shoulder, the hollow of her throat, the sweat that had gathered at her hairline.
She laughed softly, breathless and pleased. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Make each time better than the last?"
"It's not me. It's you."
They lay tangled, catching their breath, the room settling around them. Eluheed felt himself soften inside her, the leisurely slide as his body began to relinquish its claim, but only temporarily.
They were immortals, and one time was never enough.
He kissed her again and rolled to his side, bringing her with him, keeping them joined a few heartbeats longer before slipping free. She made a noise of protest and then curled into his chest, leg thrown over his hip possessively.
"Tired?" she asked teasingly.
"I just need a moment."
They drifted on the edge of sleep, not ready to cross. He traced slow circles on her back and let his mind wander aimlessly, which was a mistake. The swirling abyss of the enhanced ones' shared consciousness surfaced, threatening to pull him into its vastness.
"Tell me about the ocean of minds," she said as if she could read his thoughts.
He tensed, and she noticed, her hand soothing him. "You don't have to."
"It's vast and tempting," he told her. "It promises connection and offers drowning. I don't want it in here with us."
"It's not here," she said. "You left it outside the door."
"I did." He imagined doing exactly that, leaving the memory of that connection outside the door.
When their breathing slowed again, she tipped his chin up with two fingers. "Ready for once again?" She smiled like a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and did not intend to accept no for an answer.
Eluheed laughed. "Greedy."
"For you, always."
He moved down her body again, learning the new map of her afterglow, which was softer, more fluid. He drew another climax out of her with his tongue and fingers and watched the heat rise under her skin. When she pulled him up with a strong hand and guided him inside, he went easily, their bodies finding the path faster this time, slick and sure, heat exchanging, breath mingling. He set a lazy rhythm at first, then switched them around and let her ride him, her palms pressed to his chest as she took what she wanted, pace building, hair wild, a queen remaking the night.
He came with her again, slower, deeper, both of them groaning into each other's mouths, the pleasure this time a heavy tide that lifted and set them down in perfect tandem. He held her hips until the aftershocks eased, then tugged her down to lie flat against him.
18
TAMIRA
Eluheed slept the way men at peace with their world slept—deep and unguarded.
Chin propped on her hand, Tamira watched him, committing to memory the way the corners of his mouth curled up in almost a smile, the way his lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, the proud line of his nose, and the burn mark on his right pectoral that looked almost like a symbol of something.
He still refused to tell her about it, saying that it had been part of a shamanic ceremony and that he had vowed not to reveal it. She traced it with her fingertips, feeling him tense beneath her touch, but he didn't wake up. Somehow, she knew that the burn mark had something to do with his immortality, which was also connected to his secretive shamanic tradition.
Eluheed kept so many secrets from her, secrets that had been burned into his mind with vows as strong as the fire or acid that had marked his flesh. He would never be able to reveal them to her because his vows didn't come with an expiration date.
It was frustrating, especially to someone like her who thrived on solving mysteries, but if that was the only obstacle in their lives together, she would count herself lucky. They needed to find a way to escape the island before Navuh realized that Eluheed wasn't aging, or he would torture his secrets out of him.
Perhaps her wish to take her sisters with her was selfish.
