grinding deeper into her. She shivered under the rough pummel of his hips as his breath panted against her skin, each exhalation a possessive growl.
The roar that broke from him echoed through the living room as his seed burst through her, spraying hot jets within her. Diana arched against him, and another orgasm lit through her as he held himself deep within her.
His arms quivered, and very gently he lay her down on the rug, his body still joined to hers. Curled together, they snuggled, their cheeks brushing, his lips trailing against hers and along her face and neck. She snuggled comfortably into his embrace, her body relaxed and her heart full. When his cock finally slipped out, Silvas sighed and snuggled closer against her, the dying fire warming their sides as they dozed in each other’s arms.
A content feeling swept through Diana as she nuzzled Silvas sleepily. Although the future loomed over them like a twisted shadow, for right now they had this. They had each other, and that was going to make all the difference.
Chapter 46
Selvans kept a firm grip on his mate as they descended through the corridors of Arx. It hadn’t taken much convincing to get Diana to return to the palace. Part of him had been worried that she would never wish to return to the place, considering the horrors that she had witnessed there and their own painful history in the cavern of the vegoia. Instead of being reluctant, Diana had readily agreed. At least the halls and grounds had been cleaned of all remains, and even Arx appeared to be rapidly recovering from its damage. There were still several broken areas that were leveled, or half rebuilt, but it looked far less of a sad case than it had months prior.
If he were truthful with himself, he hadn’t wanted to bring her back to Arx until the palace had been rebuilt and the grounds repaired. Yet, they had both agreed that they would have a better chance of finding and defeating Cacus if they caught him while he was still aground. Diana had pointed out that the method had served them well with the strix, and he hadn’t been able to argue with her logic.
The fact that he didn’t want his uxorem anywhere near Cacus was another matter. He had spent considerable time the night before trying to work out a way to keep her out of it. He thought of leaving her with Larce and Cassia, but when he suggested it to Diana, she refused to hear it. She had taken a little too much pleasure in throwing back at him that Dorinda had emphasized that they were both were needed, and reminding him of the fact that his sister was refusing to so much as speak to him without Diana.
He was less than thrilled with the situation and didn’t bother to hide his feelings on the matter. He hadn’t cracked a smile since they entered the palace grounds, though he had nodded respectfully to everyone who had greeted them. The one bright moment was when the crocotta clan came rushing around the ruin of the gardens to greet them.
“Silvas, I had a thought,” Diana murmured at his side as they drew close to the exposed hidden courtyard.
Although it always had open-air access, it had been well concealed, but the outer walls had fallen, leaving the staircase visible to anyone who happened by. He was surprised that Arx had not yet started rebuilding there. He frowned at the crumbled stone and grunted as his uxorem’s elbow jabbed him.
Selvans raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry.
Now that she had his attention, Diana fidgeted and gave him a warm smile. “I know that you and Dorinda have a strained and difficult history together, but what if you did not rebuild the hidden courtyard. The garden could be expanded in place of walls. We could even tap into her pool and raise a fountain to the courtyard where she can choose to spend time outside of her cavern. It’s just that… well… she really misses contact with the outside world and, despite your intention to protect her, feels imprisoned down there.”
“She told you this?” he asked.
“She did,” Diana said, her free hand stroking the back his. “She hates that she is missing everything, and the world passes her by without her seeing it anymore. It is not fair. And I think it would go a long way to mend your relationship if you tried to meet