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With a sweep of my hand, I summon the current—heat and wind twining together.
Steam lifts from our skin, our hair dries in soft curls, the chamber itself sighs with comfort.
I lower her onto the great bed, its linens white as foam, and for a moment I only stand there, staring down at her.
My viyella.
My miracle.
The woman who defied the sea’s cruelty and the SoulTaker’s darkness, who calls the creatures of my realm as if she were born of it.
She gazes up at me, her eyes shining with a trust so fierce it hurts.
I sit beside her, brushing damp strands of hair from her cheek. My thumb traces her jaw, slow, reverent.
“You are the gift I never dared ask for,” I tell her, my voice thick. “The tide brought you to me, and I will spend every day proving I am worthy.”
Her lips tremble into a smile.
“Kael,” she whispers my name.
I lean down, kissing her gently this time.
No frenzy, no storm.
Just the press of my mouth to hers, lingering, savoring. She answers in kind, her hands sliding up my arms, steady and sure.
When I lie beside her, I take my time.
Every touch is a benediction, every kiss a vow. I map her skin slowly, memorizing her with patient devotion.
She is not just desire—though desire burns through me still—she is home.
Sacred. Mine.
Her breath hitches, her body arches into mine, and I murmur against her ear, “You are safe, my beautiful viyella. I have you. You are mine. And I am yours.”
The bond hums between us, a thread of light that tightens with each heartbeat.
We kiss for a long time. We touch, too.
It’s an unrushed thing this time around, and I relish tasting her, memorizing every inch of her.
It’s like finding your favorite meal and sipping of it rather than chugging only to make it last.
My body is ready.
My heart calls to hers.
I’m a thing of want and desire, of purpose and pleasure.
“Need you, Kael,” she whispers, her fingers tangling in my hair, touching my horns, and fuck, I know I won’t be gentle for long.
She runs her tiny hands up and down my curved horns, and fuck me, now my cock is leaking precum on the sheets, and I am aching to be inside her.
“Easy, sweet. Horns are an erogenous zone for Demons, Telya,” I growl, nipping her earlobe between my teeth and nuzzling her neck.
“I-I know,” she confesses, and I raise an eyebrow and cant my head as I peer at her. “Jules kinda told me. Is it okay? Do you not want me to touch you there?”
