Page 13 of A Trial of Two Worlds
Gray eyes widened with the same look of shock I imagined mine held. He was barefoot, standing in the rolling waves, with his pants rolled up to his knees. The same black tunic with silver thread opened along his chest.
“Daxton!” I shouted.
He sprinted toward me. I lifted my buried feet from the sand and raced to meet him.
“Daxton!” I screamed once more, tears threatening to blur my vision.
“Skylar!” he yelled, a smile stretching across his face.
I soared into his open arms, spinning around in an all-consuming embrace that melted away every ounce of distress or dread, feeling his touch as if this were real. His grip was so tight it was difficult to breathe, but I didn’tcare. I wrapped my arms around my mate, burying my face in his neck.
Daxton was here.
Lowering me onto the sand, he released his hold on my waist, cupping my face and kissing me with a feverish need. His tongue swept through my open mouth, tasting me, reminding me what it was like to feel alive and whole. I threaded my fingers through his hair, pressing my body flush against his, needing to feel his touch on every inch of my skin. His hands moved to stroke my ribs as our kiss deepened, migrating over the curves of my hips as I moaned into his mouth.
Then, suddenly, Daxton stilled.
His entire body tensed like he was in pain. His eyes clutched shut, and he sucked in sharp breaths of air through his gritted teeth.The chasm in my chest widened as I helplessly watched him suffer.
“Dax?” I rasped, stroking his face with uneasiness etched in my voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, sucking in a pained breath through his teeth. “They… They’re just moving me.”
“Who’s—”
His eyes snapped open to meet mine, and I understood. Gods above, I understood more than anyone what he meant. They were moving his body from wherever they deemed fit to torture him, back to his holding cell.
“I will kill themallfor this. Every last one of them,” I vowed. Their blood would be a welcome stain on my hands for harming my mate.
Daxton’s body went taut again as the strength in his legs gave way. He crashed onto the sand, gripping the olivine crystals with his fists, groaning with agony at wounds I could not see. He was fighting to stay here, fighting to remain unconscious in this place with me.
I knelt next to him, placing my hands on his shoulders to call upon my magic, but nothing came.
“It’s all right, Spitfire,” Daxton said, inhaling a sharp breath. “But I don’t have much time. I’ll be awake soon.” He moved to a sitting position on the beach, beckoning me to move into his lap so he could hold me.
I happily obliged, wrapping my arms around him and burying my head in his chest, trying to will his pain away. I listened to the thundering strength of his heart and his even breaths as the ocean waves gently rolled over our legs.
“You found me.” There was a hint of a smile in his voice.
“Was there any doubt?” I answered.
He chuckled and drew me in closer, kissing the top of my head and inhaling deeply. “I believe you’ll never stop surprising me.”
“We were never meant to be mundane. You said so yourself,” I said.
“I’m so wise.”
“Oh Gods. Let’s not stroke your already enlarged ego.”
“Care to help it along?” He shifted, and despite himself, I could feel him hardening against me.
“Have you ever had these kinds of dreams about me before, Daxton Aegaeon?” I asked, giving him a playful smirk. “About touching me,” I purred as I guided his hands between my thighs.
Arching my back, I moved against him. A deep moan escaped his lips as he moved to run his mouth along my neck.
“Can’t say it would be a first,” Daxton whispered against my fevered flesh. “I’ve dreamt about having you long before I had the privilege of doing so.” His voice dropped into a more serious tone. “But I have to admit, it does not come close to the real thing.”
I shuddered as his fingers brushed against my inner thighs, teasing me with a whisper of his touch. I pulled on the base of his neck, needing to kiss him, savoring every touch and feel of his lips as they brushed over mine.
