Seeds of Sorrow (Immortal Realms Book 1)

Eden’s eyes wrenched shut as Draven’s mouth clashed with hers again. Every nerve ending in her being had ignited as she came undone moments ago. Yet, she still craved more. Her body yearned to unite with him fully.

When had her trust in him grown so much? She surmised it had happened alongside the love that blossomed within her chest. It drove her actions, and when she was still enough, she could feel it humming in the back of her mind, in a voice that wasn’t her own but Draven’s instead.

Perhaps it was silly of her to think Draven could grow to love her. He was the king of Andhera, and she was a naive fae from Lucem, who belonged to the dark world as much as a fish belonged on land. But she could dream, and while she was in this bed with him, she’d allow herself to.

“The beginning?” she rasped out with laughter, and it soon turned into a moan as the tip of Draven’s length nudged her center. Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest, and Eden wondered if he could feel her desire as it spread through her limbs. This time, it had little to do with his blood in her system and everything to do with how he made her feel, that in his presence, beneath his gaze and his touch, she came to life.

Draven’s lips slanted into a grin against hers. “I’m not through yet, Eden.” When he pulled back, his fangs gleamed in the golden light of the room, and while they may have inspired fear in many, they were simply part of him and no longer frightened her.

He lifted his brows in a silent question, to which Eden replied by hitching one of her legs around his slender waist.

“Wait.” The word slipped out from her, stilling both of their movements. If Eden could have read his thoughts, she assumed he would have groaned in frustration. But Draven didn’t utter a word, nor did he move. “I want to feel you here too.” She lifted her hand, fingers splaying against his firm chest.

He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, letting his fang graze it enough to cut into the tender skin. When a drop of blood formed, he lifted his hand, wiping it away, then reached out toward her.

Eden parted her lips, and her tongue licked away the residue. She closed her mouth around his thumb and suckled.

Draven’s blue eyes focused on her mouth, and he hissed the moment she pulled away. “By the moon, Eden, if you—”

She silenced whatever chastisement waited for her with a kiss. His blood, even in the smallest dose, melded with what was coursing through her already and heightened her arousal. Or was that his? By the sun, it was Draven’s desire flooding her senses too.

Eden swept her hand down his shoulder, toward the small of his back, as she lifted her hips to meet his. “I need you, Draven.” She panted as the silken tip of him pushed against her barrier.

“Just breathe. It’ll hurt for a moment.” Draven cupped her face with one hand, his forehead against hers, while his other lifted her knee as he pushed against the resistance.

Pain blossomed within her, hot and overwhelming. She exhaled as Draven sunk into her depths, filling her entirely. Her inner muscles were so tight, and his member stretched her, furthering the sting. However, his blood coursing through her dulled the pain.

He pulled his head back to gaze into her eyes, and when the pain faded a fraction, she nodded her head. Draven’s hips shifted, which brought forth a moan from her. A delicious need blazed in her again, and the slow, torturous motion of his hips withdrawing only to surge within again drove her into maddening bliss.

Draven’s lips trailed down her neck in heated, reverent kisses. Then his hands slid beneath her bottom, and he pulled her onto his hips at the same time he sat down. His length drove into her in a deliciously slow movement.

Eden moaned as he filled her more completely. Meeting his gaze, she leaned forward and brushed a kiss along his jaw and to his neck. His hands pulled her against him as he thrust upward, and it drew a hissing moan.

“Show me what to do,” she whispered as she ground against him. The motion drew more pleasure from her as her sensitive flesh slid against him.

Draven captured both of her hands in his and squeezed them before he lay lingering kisses against her knuckles. “I plan to do just that.” He chuckled, and Eden had never wanted to hear a noise more than she did just then.

In the next moment, Draven twisted and lay backward, so that it was Eden straddling him. His hands tugged her hips forward and then lifted her, encouraging her to follow the motion.

Her fingers splayed on his chest as she gave in to following the rhythm of their bodies. With every one of his upward thrusts, she crashed down on him and ground her flesh into him. Her breaths grew ragged as the familiar intensity unfurled within, and she chased it until she felt as though she would burst. And then she did. In the most heavenly way. Her inner muscles tightened around Draven’s length, and in the same instant, he groaned.

Her lips sought his out, even though she could scarcely breathe, but as the waves of her pleasure continued, she felt Draven meet his own release.

Every muscle felt spent. Eden sucked in a breath as she leaned down onto his chest. Her heart beat wildly, so hard that she thought it might gallop away from her. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of his flesh beneath her and the smell of him around her.

“If we spent the remainder of my time like that,” Eden began, still breathless, “I’d be content.”

Draven’s fingers swept the hair away from her face, and he laughed. It was a throaty noise that Eden delighted in. “Just content? By the moon, Eden. What would it take to sate you?”

She twisted in his grasp and nipped at his neck, laughing. In return, Draven growled at her, and his fangs grazed her shoulder. Eden writhed on top of him, then his hands lowered to her bottom, and he squeezed.

“I could task you with finding out.” She dragged her nose along his collarbone and kissed a trail to the tip of his pointed ear.

In a quick roll, Draven pinned her to the mattress, his hands seeking hers out to keep them occupied. “I could do just that.” His head lowered and his lips circled around one hardened peak. “Did you not have your fill?”

Her body flushed at his words. She had, and in a moment, she could fall asleep if she allowed herself. But his mouth on her sensitive flesh awakened her desire again.

“Perhaps, but even if I didn’t . . . I don’t think I could possibly go again.” She lifted her hand and cupped his face, her thumb brushing beneath his eye. “Do you have to leave?”

Draven ran his hand along her arm and to her wrist. “No. You have me all night.” When he lowered his mouth to hers, he pulled on the blankets and lifted them over them. “I will be here.”

His words constricted her heart. If she could freeze this moment for a lifetime, she would. Never had she felt so at peace or so cherished.

“And if I wake?”

“If you wake, I’ll still be here . . . And if you find yourself wanting more, we can see what it takes to fill your appetite.” He fairly purred his words as he settled onto the mattress and pulled her against him.

“And if you can’t keep up with my needs, what then?” It was a playful question, but in return, Draven growled. Eden rested her cheek against him, one arm curling around him.

“Your lack of faith in my abilities is insulting. However, we will cross that bridge when we come to it.” He swept his hand along the back of her head and down her back. “Now please, for the love of the sun, moon, and sea, get some rest.” It was quiet for a moment, then he added, “Because you’ll need it.”

Exhausted as Eden was, she laughed and let the pulse of their twined emotions, coupled with Draven’s fingers combing through her hair, lull her into a restful slumber.