The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

I drew his blood into me, struck first by the citrus-in-thesnow
scent and then the luscious, dark taste of him. My
mouth and then throat tingled as he filled me, thick and
warm. I drank as images of pine and snow-draped limbs
flashed, and the feel of the cold snow against my skin
surfaced. I knew he was thinking about us in the woods. I let
myself fall into that memory, into the taste of him and the
power that was his blood. I didn’t know how he moved us to
the bed, but we were suddenly there, and his mouth was on
mine, and our combined taste was in me. Casteel moved
slowly, tenderly, and this…this was different than what we
had done on that desk. In this moment, I felt bonded to him.
It was more than just sex, more than two bodies enjoying
each other. It was us, living and loving one another.
Casteel and I lay there, our skin cooling in the breeze
coming in from the opening of the small cabin window as
the ship gently rocked on the waters of the Stroud Sea. His
chest was pressed to my back as he traced idle circles down
my arm, and I toyed with his other hand. He’d shucked off
his clothing at some point, and the soft fur of the blanket lay
pooled at our feet. There would’ve been a time when I
would’ve balked at the idea of being so exposed, but not
with Casteel. Never with him.
“You’re worthy,” I said, just because I wanted him to
know that. I lifted his hand, kissing the backs of his
knuckles.
He pressed his lips to the back of my shoulder. “And
you’re being sweet.”
“I’m being real,” I told him. His hand stilled on my arm,
and he fell quiet. I looked over my shoulder at him. Several
emotions rolled through him. The sweet and spicy flavor of