Page 50 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

He chuckled, pressing all of his weight into me as he pressed against my back. He slid the hand in my hair over my breast and to my throat as he pressed us into the mattress and began to thrust in earnest.

I felt completely dominated by him, pleasure and sensation building as one of his hands teased and stroked while the other held my throat. He continued kissing my neck and ear and murmuring to me all while he thrust and stroked a steady rhythm into me.

My cry as I found release was muffled by the blankets, and Caspian tutted. “Louder, Urchin. I promised screaming.”

He withdrew from me, leaving me panting against the bed.

“Where are you—”

My question was answered as he scooped me up, laying me out gently again with my head on the pillows and my legs splayed as he prowled over me. “Perhaps this will inspire you.”

The press of his tongue between my thighs nearly undid me all over again, but Caspian was a skilled lover, and he knew just how to tease without tipping me all the way over the edge.

I moaned as I fisted my hands in his hair, the temptation to grab onto his wings and pull him up to me nearly overwhelming. “Caspian,” I begged. “Please. I want you inside me.”

“Soon, my love.” He swirled his tongue and sent spasms rocking through my core before sliding two fingers into me. “Let me feast first.”

I was over the glittering edge of release again in minutes, the stroke of his fingers inside me coupling with his tongue in a way that had me coming wholly unraveled as I cried his name.

“There it is,” he laughed, his lips glossy as he rose and pressed kisses to my inner thigh. “Much better, Urchin. Now you can have me.”

He was rock hard as I pulled him over me. He hissed as I dug my fingers into his feathers, nipping the tip of my ear in retaliation. “Those are sensitive.”

“I know.” I stroked the white softness again and felt his length twitch against me. “This is payback.”

“Wicked thing.” He kissed me, his tongue twining with mine as he thrust into me, one arm wrapping around my back to pull me as close to him as I could possibly be. A thrust of his hips had me gasping, and he grinned against my parted lips. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes.” I arched into him, trying to get closer and feel more, wishing we could always be so close, so wholly connected to one another. “Caspian.”

“I know,” he murmured, his breath coming in pants as he thrust harder and faster, his face buried against my neck. “Come for me again.”

The words undid me, and Caspian followed, my name a prayer on his lips as he lay limp above me still buried deep inside me.

“Marina,” he murmured, lacing his fingers in mine as we panted together, sweaty and spent and blissfully sated. “My love. My mate.”

I hadn’t noticed the rain that now beat against the cabin, nor the rocking of the ship on waves that were a bit too vigorous to be natural.

Seas, everyone would know.

Caspian turned, pulling me into the protective crook of his arm. I was too boneless to protest with more than a whimper when he slipped out of me.

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my brow as the rain began to lessen. “Satisfactory?”

“Very,” I agreed, kissing the deep scar across his chest. It was the most I could move. “I think you broke me.”

“Nonsense. You’ll be ready again in half an hour.”

I laughed, glancing up to see a feral smirk that told me he was completely serious. “Don’t you have work to do,Captain?”

“Let Zephyr handle it,” he replied, his smirk falling into a lazy, self-satisfied grin that sent heat flooding me all over again. Seas, what was wrong with me? “Tomorrow, we work. Today, we play.”

When he kissed me again, the rain resuming a steady thrum against the deck outside, I lost the will to protest.

Chapter 19

Caspian tried to putoff our visit to Theia for as long as he possibly could. He ordered the crew about all morning while Zephyr and I trained, and only stopped when I—in deep annoyance at his procrastination—managed to shape the wind and water into a little personal storm cloud and threatened to rain on himuntil he was done.

He then tried to stall by expressing interest in this combination of my magics, which I responded to with a heavier downpour of constructed rain.