Tainted roots
Chapter 16

We lay there, with him still laying on top of me, but holding most of his weight on his forearms. His head remained buried against my neck as our breaths slowed. I stroked my fingers through his silky waves as I stared up at the setting sun. The sky was painted in vivid colors of pink, purple, and orange. The rushing water, and our slow breaths were the only sounds.

A sense of being whole and content buzzed through my body. Matching the warmth radiating from the bond, feeling stronger and more vibrant. Before the cord felt like a flimsy string, but now it felt stronger and more durable.

Thoughts tried invading this peaceful moment, trying to remind me why this was a bad idea, and that I shouldn't be letting myself get attached again. While I knew this, I couldn't stop the desperation to stay in this moment for a little longer.

“Tell me something about yourself that not many others know," I whispered, hating the hint of desperation in my tone. Koa's eyes snapped to mine, observing me in that see-all kind of way. I held his gaze, silently begging him to distract me from my thoughts and to trust me with something personal about himself.

He pressed lazy kisses down my neck. "What do you want to know?" He asked between kisses as he trailed them down my neck. "Do you want me to tell you about the first time I had to kill someone? About the time I thought I was going to die?" His serious words were at odds with his languid kisses.

“I don't—" My words turned into a gasp as he nipped at my tender neck, swirling his tongue over the stinging flesh. "I definitely don't want to hear about you almost dying."

“The first time I killed someone, I was sixteen," he murmured after several moments of silence, running his nose up the column of my throat, nearly distracting me from his words. "My parents and I were visiting the Lynx clan, when my mom received a distress call from one of her friends."

“Starling's parents," I whispered remembering Starling telling me Koa's mom had been friends with her parents. My voice was breathless as his hands drifted up my sides. This wasn't an appropriate conversation to be having right now, but I wasn't about to complain. He was finally sharing something personal with me. I was also a greedy bitch, and loved being touched by him.

"I won’t go into the details of what happened to her parents, it isn't my story to tell, but Starling was separated from her parents during the attack. I found her and killed two of the summoners following her." He paused his movements, pinning me with swirling amber eyes. I was lost in their depths, while hanging onto his every word. "I protected her that day, and I haven't stopped for the past twenty-seven years."

Sixteen was so young to have gone through that. My heart broke for little Starling, being chased by grown Mythics when she was just a child. I wanted to know the details of what happened, but Koa was right, this was Starling's story and she'd let me know it when she was ready.

In an attempt to shake off the melancholy, I trailed my right hand down his shoulder, feeling his muscles bunching under his skin. My fingers lightly traced over the tattooed script intertwined with swirling designs, that trailed down the back of his left shoulder and along his side. "What does this tattoo mean?"

I now recognized the script as the deity summoner's language—their real language, not the coded shit we found in the hotel. A couple of weeks ago, I looked up what the deity's scripts looked like. Just in case. I still couldn't understand a single word of it, never even attempted to figure it out. Why would I learn the language of beings that didn't exist?

“It's a myth about a dragon summoner woman." His hand slid between us, grasping my breast, making it near impossible for me to pay attention. "My mother told it to me when I was a child and it's always stuck with me."

“Wha-what is it about?"

“Heartbreak. Loss." My mouth dropped open, having not expected him to say that.

I gasped, dropping my head back as he pinched my nipple. "Why would you have a sad story tattooed on you?"

“Because it's not just about heartache, it's about her replaceing her own strength and the will to live."

“Will you tell it to me?" I wasn't sure I could handle a sad story right now, but the idea of losing this moment had me ready to listen to any story he was willing to tell me.

“One day, but not today," he murmured and before I could protest, he pressed his lips against mine. His hard cock pressed against my dampening core, and I forgot all about his tattoo and the story behind it. He grabbed my thigh and hiked my leg around his hip as he thrust into me.

This time he didn't wait to let me adjust, nor did he start slow, and I was more than okay with that.

On a whim, I lifted my hips and pressed my hands against his shoulders. Shock was my dominant emotion when I managed to roll him onto his back and settled on top of him. I hadn't actually expected to be able to move him, and I wasn't sure if he allowed it, or if I’d caught him by surprise.

Whatever the case was, my shock soon disappeared as I rolled my hips against his. The new angle allowed him to go even deeper than before. His large hands caressed my ass, pinching and kneading it as I kept my slow pace.

He looked content as he started up at me while I pushed myself off his chest, and started moving faster against him. His hand drifted from my ass and dragged along my hip bone until it reached my clit. My rhythm was thrown off when he pinched and rolled my clit between his fingers. Pleasure slammed through my body as I threw my head back screaming his name. It was honestly surprising I still had my voice, even with my healing. His fingers never stopped their pinching and teasing as I rode out my orgasm.

Smoother than I would've thought possible, he sat up, gripping my hips in a firm hold, and took control. Using his hold on my hips, he slammed my body up and down on his cock, creating delicious tingles of pleasure mixed with pain. I dug my nails into his shoulder as sweat slid down my body.

Acting on pure instinct, I bent my head down to the crux of his neck and bit down as he'd done with me, stopping shy of breaking his skin. His fingers tightened as he slammed my hips down even harder.

A couple of thrusts later and another orgasm ripped through my body, leaving my hands and legs shaking as he kept slamming me down on his cock. His movements became less controlled until finally his body stilled, and his face was wreathed in pure pleasure. I couldn't look away, amazed by the ecstasy and awe in his expression as he opened his eyes and met my gaze.

He threaded his fingers through my hair and dragged my mouth to his, his tongue plunging into my mouth and twining with mine. Not stopping until both of us were breathless.

His chest rose and fell with quick breaths as his eyes tracked my every small movement, feeling like a physical caress. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by the flash and ringing of his wristband. The crystal flashed yellow, signaling someone was essentially trying to video chat with him.

Growling under his breath, he tapped the crystal to see who was calling. "I need to take this," he said with a sigh. I bit my lip, trying to hide my disappointment and fear that what happened last time, would happen again.

I must've telegraphed my emotions because he cupped my face and pressed his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. "It's just Starling." I sighed in relief and his lips brushed against mine in teasing touch.

After another small kiss, he lifted me off of him, and I wasn't much help, not with my still shaking legs. Once he was dressed, the only sign of our time together was his disheveled hair, swollen lips, and my scent intertwined with his. He bit his lip and groaned as his eyes tracked over my naked body—no way did I have the balance to even attempt dressing right now.

A smile lifted my lips and he growled again, closing the distance between us. Within seconds he picked me up and slammed his lips against mine, my legs wrapping around his waist. Our moment was ruined when his wristband beeped again, and we both groaned as we broke the kiss. "She'll never stop calling if I don't answer." A rueful smile tugged at his lips, and his hands squeezed my ass, a complete contradiction of his words.

“Sisters, what cockblockers," I grumbled—seriously, what was up with his fucking family and sending him messages, or calling him when we were fucking? His chest vibrated against mine as he threw his head back and laughed. The rich sounds flowed over me, making my already shaky limbs feel like jello.

With great reluctance on both of our parts, he set me down, keeping his hands on my hips until he was sure I could stand on my own. After another small, but lingering kiss, he turned and walked back toward town, and disappeared from my sight as he followed the bend of the river.

It was hard to tell how long I stood there staring at where he disappeared, but eventually, my body began shaking from the cold—even though it was a warm day, and I hadn't been cold earlier. My shorts and tank top wouldn't do much against the chill, but they were better than nothing.

My thoughts were a turbulent mess as I stated at the river. I knew I should've been mad at myself for crumbling so easily, but I couldn't make myself regret it. How could I regret something so natural and right?

“Do you realize how loud you were screaming?" A lilting and amused voice asked from behind me. Sitting on a boulder several yards from the river and where I stood, was a blonde-haired woman. An amused smile lit up her face as she observed my shocked expression. "Loud enough to wake the dead."