Page 69 of Burning Ice
Mirel did. Gold-blue eyes met eyes of fiery dark. For a breath, the world stilled. No sirens, no smoke. Just two hearts hammering against each other through skin.
He moved again, slow, reverent. The kind of slow that felt like worship disguised as hunger.
His muscles tightened with restraint. Part of him wanted to devour Mirel, to punish him for the fear he’d caused, but he forced it down. That fury belonged to the arena, not here. Not with his mate.
Kylix’s teeth found another inch of skin, sinking in with euphoria.
Fated mate.
His. Only his.
His hips rocked deeper, his hands sliding over the body he called his. He grabbed hold of Mirel’s cock.
“Look at you, claimed one. Look at how you open up for me.”
He stroked in rhythm with his thrusts, slow, deep, meant to last. Mirel bucked beneath him, stammers breaking apart into wordless sound. Pale skin flushed, sweat tracing his throat, mouth open, lips trembling.
“Good Light,” Kylix muttered. Mirel’s slit gleamed with precum, pulsing in his grip.
“You feel perfect in my hand, little darae.” His movements slowed as the pressure built. “Like you were made for this.”
The need rose fast, burning through him. “Fuck… Mirel…” His teeth latched once more as Mirel shivered beneath him. Kylix’s tongue soothed the mark as Mirel cried out, spillingover his hand. The sight dragged him over the edge, his body tightening, a growl caught in his throat as he came.
White flared behind his eyes. For a heartbeat, he felt everything. Mirel’s pulse, the tremor in his breath, the wild rush that wasn’t just his own. It was too much, too deep. The Dariux inside him stirred and answered. For the first time, it didn’t feel like power; it felt like recognition.
They stayed like that for a moment. The fury stilled.
Kylix breathed deeply, heartbeat slowing. He eased out of Mirel carefully, catching the soft sound that escaped him. For a long time, only their breathing filled the room.
He reached for a cloth, cleaning them both in silence. His movements were slower now. He wiped the sweat from Mirel’s thighs, the traces on his stomach, the faint streaks of red that shouldn’t have been there. He paused at the sight, gaze sharpening, then softened, checking with light fingers that nothing had torn.
“Easy,” he murmured when Mirel flinched. “Just making sure you’re not hurt.” He worked in slow circles, drawing warmth back into cool skin. “Good. No bleeding. You’ll ache, but that’s all.”
His thumb brushed the inside of a trembling thigh. “Still with me?”
Mirel nodded, more breath than word.
Kylix set the cloth aside and wiped himself clean. When he was done, he pulled the sheets over them, drawing Mirel against his chest. The faint scent of frost still clung to his skin. Kylix brushed a thumb along his jaw. “You did well,” he said softly. “Better than you know.”
Mirel’s eyes half-opened. “You’re still angry.”
Kylix’s mouth curved, a low hum against his temple. “Of course I am. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.” His voice softened,promise and warning at once. “You’ll learn what it costs in daylight.”
A flicker of panic crossed Mirel’s face; Kylix caught it with a slow kiss, the kind that soothed and warned. “Sleep,” he whispered against his mouth. “I said you were safe, not free.”
Mirel exhaled, tension easing. He turned slightly, voice rough. “Don’t leave.”
“I won’t.” Kylix settled deeper into the sheets, one arm heavy across him. The warmth between them steadied, human and quiet.
A faint hum began from the corner of the room, the old wall speaker catching a low, slow tune. The sound was almost static, a pulse of rhythm that filled the quiet.
Mirel stirred, already half-asleep. “That music,” he murmured, voice faint. “That’s what I used to miss most. No one played anything at the graveyard. I forgot what it felt like… to fall asleep to sound.” His words trailed off, breath softening against Kylix’s chest.
Kylix looked down at him, the faintest smile ghosting his mouth. “Then you won’t sleep in silence again.”
The song kept playing in the background on a low loop, a heartbeat made of light and static. It filled the room without intruding, soft enough that even their breathing seemed to match its rhythm.
He closed his eyes, letting the sound lull them both toward sleep. The music stayed, a steady pulse beneath the dark, reminding him how close he had come to losing Mirel.
