The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

deeply into me. My back arched as I kicked my head back,
his name a hoarse shout on my lips. He rolled into me,
grinding his hips against my rear.
I cried out, and a word snuck out, a demand that
scalded my cheeks. “Harder.”
“Harder?”
“Yes.” I curled my upper body around, reaching back
and clasping his hips. “Please.”
“Fuck,” he growled, and I felt him jerk deep inside me. “I
love you.”
There was no chance to tell him the same. He forced an
arm under me, curling it just below my breasts. His chest
came down on my back, his weight supported by the arm
propped by my head. Then he gave me what I wanted,
thrusting into me hard.
Casteel was relentless, his body pounding against mine.
We became twin flames, burning bright and uncontrollable,
lost to the fire. It was a welcomed madness, the frenzy in
our blood and our bodies, and it went beyond sex and
finding pleasure. It was all about us taking and giving from
one another, falling and letting go together, being swept
away in trembling waves of rippling pleasure.
But when the tremors subsided and Casteel eased us
onto our sides, my promise to him returned like a vengeful
ghost, there to warn me that I might not be able to keep it.
Casteel and I dressed as the last traces of sunlight
slipped over the floor, both of us donning the extra black
tunics I’d packed. I did manage to eat some of the roasted
chicken that had been delivered to the room, and we were
able to freshen up. I took my time smoothing my hair into a
braid.