Page 39 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

“Well hello,” he murmured, tugging back on the bond as he flopped onto the bed. I felt the tug deep in my core as he pulled me atop him.

“Hello,” I whispered back, shivering as his fingers traced over my spine and our eyes met.

“That was…”

“Very.”

“Are you—”

“I’m perfect,” I whispered, tracing the scars on his chest with the hand not pinned to his body. “You?”

“More than perfect,” he replied, pressing a tender kiss to my lips. “I finally feel complete. Like something was missing and I didn’t realize it.”

I nodded, unable to find any better words to describe the new, gilded thing between us.

Caspian idly pulled feathers and shells from my hair where they were now hopelessly tangled. “I love you. So fucking much it feels like I might explode with it.”

“Something exploded,” I teased, earning a pinch to my bottom and a chuckle. I moved so I was resting fully on his chest, my chin propped on my arms as I looked into his eyes. He traced the curves of my face, his fingers gentle and exploring. “I love you too.”

He kissed me briefly before settling back on the pillow and weaving his fingers into my hair to loosen the braids. “I feel like I perhaps didn’t do justice to my promises,” he said, his smirk telling me he wasn’t actually concerned. “I believe there are parts of you yet unmapped.”

“You’ll have to do a more thorough job next time then,” I replied, pressing a kiss to the largest scar, the result of his challenge to his father.

“I shall indeed,” he agreed, his hands doing a fairly comprehensive job of mapping my curves as we lay there. “Regrets?”

“No,” I insisted, shaking my head and frowning at him. “Were you worried?”

“No,” he assured me, his fingers scratching my scalp gently as he toyed with my hair. “I’m a catch.”

I laughed, intending to smack him with a pillow when he caught me in an embrace and kissed me deeply, turning us so he was above me and cradling me in his arms.

“Next time will be slower,” he murmured, brushing his nose against mine as I felt him harden against me again. Holy gods, this mating bond was no joke. “I plan to savor every inch of you, Marina.”

“You cannot possibly be ready again so soon,” I chided, laughing as he pressed insistently against me in a way that assured me he most definitelywas.

“I hope now that the first time is over, we won’t create a storm with our lovemaking,” he mused, trailing playful kisses down my shoulder and arm. “Or we’re going to have an extremely seasick and ineffective crew on this voyage.”

“Did our magic do that?” I asked. I had been too distracted by all the pleasure to really notice the storm outside. I knew that mates often experienced an increase in their magic when they joined, but I hadn’t realized it would be quite that powerful.

“Hmm?” Caspian asked, not bothering to interrupt his exploration south down the length of my body.

“The storm,” I insisted as I tried to tug him back up by the hair. “Caspian I couldn’t possibly—oh!”

I didn’t get my answer about the storm.

It was atrociously earlywhen I was awakened by the sun streaming through the open windows. We were sailing north, but the glare from the east was bright enough to cast everything in orange light as Caspian groaned and threw a wing over us.

“That will teach me to close the drapes,” he groaned, pressing his face into my neck in a scratchy kiss.

“Good morning,” I murmured, eyes adjusting to the light which was only slightly dimmed by Caspian’s feathers. “Seas, everything hurts.”

The ache between my thighs was of the delicious sort—one of satisfaction and fulfillment. But Caspian’s lovemaking had been vigorous and enthusiastic throughout the night, and I’d had a thorough workout with only a few hours of sleep.

Caspian chuckled, looking entirely too satisfied as he brushed his nose against mine. “Did I keep my promises?”

“Yes,” I murmured, brushing his lips with mine as his hands and mouth woke me up with gentle kisses and caresses. “I think I need a day to recover though.”

“You’ll be fine in a few hours,” he rumbled, making me laugh as he grinned up at me. “Stamina, Urchin. We’ll work on it.”