Born From Ash (Book I of The Flame Trilogy)

I remain rooted in my place until he lets out a feral growl which makes the clenching in my gut tighten, my nipples stiffening at the beautiful sound. I take a few small calculated steps forward until I’m standing directly in front of the bed where he is seated.

I barely have time to react as his hand shoots out towards me, clamping down on my wrist with a gentle pressure, pulling me ’til the fronts of my thighs are pressed against the bed between his own spread legs. His thumbs graze over the branded numbers that burn from the memory. They had scarred ugly, the keloided skin bumpy but firm; my given identity, branded in both flesh and memory.

“That’s why you told me it was your name.” His voice is soft- a mere whisper almost like it isn’t there at all.

I suck in a breath as his fingertips trail over the inked sleeves on my arms in a slow sensual path, teasing my sensitive skin with the tingles his touch creates. His eyes drink in the dark, twisted chains wrapping around my left arm, twisting between the branded numbers to stop at my wrist. Then he moves his attention to my other arm, his hands following its previous trail back up again as he studied the burning forest, smoke, and then a rising phoenix above it all.

I hiss a sharp breath when he continued his exploration, a mix of lust, eagerness and intrigue colouring his features. Cool air brushes against my skin when his fingers hook in the spaghetti straps of my top, dragging the material down in a languid stroke. He makes sure to take his time, inspecting me- sending flames of anticipation to curling up my spine.

The material falls lower, until he reaches the top of my breasts- he pauses, letting his hand graze over the ink below my clavicles. An outline of decaying leaves and flowers, resembling tulips, frame a large ornate skull. Colourless, simply jet black lines of ink and shading. It’s final part lay hidden below the material of the kami, which Dimitri’s finger slowly dips into, dragging it further down as he traces the hanging lines from the skull. Right over my heart, inked is an illusion of ripped skin, and below lays a dark, empty space.

The heartless machine that I am, penned right onto my skin.

His fingers brush it gently, he even dares to lean forward and place a kiss between my breasts, right over the organ beating in my chest before continuing his downward path. He is literally mapping out my skin, my body, my ink- tracing each piece of ink as if it is a form of precious art.

Once he sees the continuation of the ink down my sides a feral growl of approval rips through his throat. My nipples harden painfully at the mere sound of his masculinity, goosebumps raising on every inch of my skin in sheer arousal. He can see and smell how turned on I am. It’s so thick it almost fills the entire room. Hell, just the smell of my arousal is enough to arouse me even more.

He no longer takes his time to slip the fabric off my body, instead he yanks nearly ripping the fabric clean off until my top half is bare to him. His self-control hangs by a thread, and I’m unashamedly thrilled watching him try not to lose control. Him knowing that I’m thoroughly enjoying this display, only makes things harder for him; he seems determined not to rush, wanting very much to savour the moment.

His tongue darts out to lick his chapped lips as his eyes slowly drink in my naked flesh once more. His fingers trail my sides teasingly, eliciting another sharp hiss as I try not to get too lost in any of the sparks that he sets off.

“Why thorns?” His free hand creates a path over one of my scarred inky sides, brushing over the ink there with tender strokes. His fingers are warm as they follow some of the twisted individual branches that wind up and across my ribs and stomach.

I consider not answering him, but his tightening grip tells me that he won’t let me go without some kind of answer.

“Because I am not a flower, I’m the harshness underneath and those that underestimate me will get hurt.”

I don’t tell him that each thorn is a life that I have taken. Or that I chose to get them in one of the most painful places as a reminder of the pain that I have caused. Even being tattooed with a mix of ink and silver with a tattoo gun of pure Theras doesn’t come close to what I am capable of inflicting. It’s probably the closest I would- could- ever come to feeling remorse.

“Oh, mate. I have no doubt about that.” He smirks, only looking up to me for a moment before he let his hungry eyes drop back to my skin.

His fingers hook into the band of my boy shorts that obscure the top of one of my larger designs. I bite my lip in anticipation, waiting for his next move. His curiosity takes over as he tugs them until they fall to my ankles.

His face is level with my heated pussy, just the thought is enough to send another pulse of desire straight to my core. All I can think about is having his face buried between my legs; I wonder how his beard would feel against my thighs, or how good he is at using his tongue.

Dimitri grips my hips gently, letting out another deadly growl, no doubt the temptation growing now that there’s absolutely nothing separating me from him. My breath catches in my throat, a soft moan leaving me, evidence that if he were to do something I wouldn’t stop him.

I watch as he grits his teeth, turning his attention back to my ink. I have to admit his discipline is impeccable.

His fingers brush over my thigh and I fight the urge to groan again; it’s sweet torture having his hands so close but so far from where I really want them. Once he sees my inked thigh, he becomes momentarily distracted. Most of my pale skin is completely covered from the top of my thigh, wrapping all the way around in a grizzly grim reaper that goes all the way down to my ankle. The scythe in his skeletal hands stretches all the way up, kissing my hip and curving close to my pussy.

“Fucking hell,” He groans. His detailed inspection suddenly becomes a little less detailed; he casts a quick glimpse over the flames on the opposite calf before his sturdy hands hold onto me again.

Both his hands clamp down on my hips with a punishingly tight grip, turning me so that my back faces him. More sparks and goosebumps are set off as warm hands span my back, caressing the scarred and inked skin carefully. He starts on the left, mapping out the twisted, gnarled branches of the dead tree, slowly moving towards the right side, where he does the same to the folded, leathery, demon wing on the other side.

I bite my lip, secretly enjoying his cool fingers against my heated skin; those sparks that he ignited adding a new wave of pleasure altogether. Fuck me, I want to bend over right fucking now and show him exactly how much I want him.

“Why did you get so many?” He murmurs in a tone akin to wonder.

“They’re rewards,” I whisper, looking away. I told him before that members of my pack are rewarded for carrying out orders. He seems to understand, but knowing doesn’t make him recoil at all like I thought it would.

“They must have hurt.”

“Like a bitch.”

I don’t really want to say much more because I don’t want him to see my darkness- if he knew he wouldn’t want me anywhere near him or his pack. This ink is a window into my identity, they are my past scattered over my skin in murals and images to remind me that I can never be innocent; I am stained in more ways than one.

His finger traces down my spine where I have the phases of the moon in a vertical line. I can’t stop myself, the shockwaves completely taking over as they dance down my spine; my head falls back, a low moan filling the room as the sparks go straight to my core.

I can feel how wet I am as it makes a mess on my inner thighs. Instinct takes over causing me to rub my legs together to try to get a little bit of friction to ease the heat there. He takes a deep breath, by now the scent of my wanting sex is so strong it dominates the whole room.

A dark growl ripples from his throat, more feral, wild and unrestrained than the last. I know in that moment, that he is going to have me and I can’t think of anything better. A thick arm snakes around my stomach, pulling my frame down onto his lap; my nipples painfully stiff from the need for him to touch me.

The sparks that flood my body from his touch are addictive. I almost surrender to the idea of having his skin on mine for the rest of time if it means that I can feel these pleasurable tingles.

I shudder under the soft brushing of his lips against my shoulder, lingering softly. In that moment it feels right, as if I belong here- in his arms. The air between is both charged with electricity but somehow still tender.

In that moment, there’s a small awakening in my gut, that perhaps I want to be more. I have never contemplated the commodity of companionship, I never needed it before. However, being around Dimitri ignites something inside me- something hidden, suppressed.

Whenever he’s around it fights to come out, but I have yet to even understand for myself what it is. I know that we are mates but to me that’s just a word. The connection itself confuses me too; it feels like I’m playing a game of tug of war in my mind as I try to figure myself out.

I don’t want to think about what is happening between us, but I don’t want to stop it either. It isn’t like we’re doing anything wrong, but I’m not used to soft tender kisses and caresses. All I know are quick, hard fucks, with no feelings just a release. The tenderness that Dimitri shows is terrifying because I know that it means something greater; something that I can’t have but something I want all too much.

“Goddess what I want to do to you.” He grunts into the skin on my neck. His teeth grazing there, a powerful urge to groan overtakes me but I bite my lip. His lips continue its tortuous path down my neck, to my shoulders; licking, sucking, biting. All the while his hands roam my front, one tweaking a sensitive nipple, the other skillfully playing between my legs.

I can’t hold in my moans any longer, gasping and moaning at each new sensation; his touch has my eyes rolling back, the added sparks sending me to a whole new high. His hot mouth on my neck is a completely new and erotic feeling- of all the times that I’ve had sex, and trust me there are plenty, I had never let my partners kiss me in any way. But with Dimitri, I want more of the intimacy; I had never been this high before.

His dick presses into my ass, completely hard and straining against his bottoms. The pounding of his fingers into me has my hips rocking into him, giving him a taste of his own torture as I grind against him. I’m so close, the moment he starts circling my clit fast I meet my climax. But he is far from done.

His arm curls around my waist, pulling me down on the bed beside him. He rolls over until I’m underneath him, his frame settling between my thighs. He leans down until his bare chest rubs against mine; I moan as the friction against my nipples increases. His mouth nibbles my ear, creating a trail down my neck and down the valley of my breast.

He kisses, sucks and nibbles at one of my pebbled nipples whilst pinching the other, causing my eyes to roll back in sheer pleasure and my hips to buck upwards seeking friction to soothe the ache I have there. The wetness between my thighs dripping onto the bed below me.

I hook my toes in the waistband of Dimitri’s sleep pants and boxers, pulling them down to his knees, silently urging him to give me what I want. I can feel his freed erection against my stomach, long and thick; just thinking about him inside of me is enough for me to let out a wanton moan.

I choke on a moan when Dimitri finally grinds his hips against mine, his cock getting coated with my slickness. His dick nudges my entrance, sliding against my slit but never going any further. I want to scream in frustration at his torture but instead I find myself gasping in delight as the friction increases and he continues to grind against my wet heat.

One of his fingers reaches between us to play with the bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs. My back arches suddenly, and I rock my hips against his hands as I feel myself start climbing back up the slope.

“Stop fucking teasing me and fuck me.” I growl into his ear, sucking and nibbling on his lobe. I let myself continue the heated trail with my mouth to his neck, kissing, sucking and biting the way he had with me.

Finally he stops toying with me, a quiet ‘fuck’ falling from his lips as he sheaths himself in me. His pace is steady, speeding up gradually as he ruts into me ferociously; all I can do is pant and moan- I wouldn’t be surprised if the entirety of Chaka’s pack could hear us.

My arms instinctively wrap around his large body, my fingernails scratching his skin and drawing blood. He speeds up; the sound of my moans and wetness spurring him on. My mouth opens, a scream ripping my throat as his name falls from my mouth. My orgasm washes over me, sending me hurtling over the edge. It’s unlike anything I’d ever felt, it may as well have been my fucking first time.

I’m so wrapped up in my own high that I barely notice as Dimitri reaches his own climax, he pulls out of me, letting his cum coat my stomach and thighs.

“Fucking hell.” He collapses half on top of me as he pants heavily trying to catch his breath. My entire body feels limp, just from two measly orgasms and he’s only fucked me once.

I want to tell myself that it’s just sex, a chemical reaction, nothing more, but deep within I know that there is more to it. Every day that we spend near one another, it becomes harder to ignore or resist the bond between us; I’m beginning to really understand what Angel meant when she said that accepting the bond is inevitable.

Dimitri rolls off the bed, coming back with a wet rag before cleaning us both off from our previous activities. He takes my clothes up from the floor beside the bed, handing me the kami and my underwear. I put them on, watching as Dimitri puts back on his boxers before climbing back into bed.

His arm slings over me carelessly as he pulls a blanket over our bodies. I tense for a moment, it’s the first time we have ever slept together, and I’m not sure how to react to it. This is a different level of intimacy that I’m not sure I want.

I lay still, my tense body rigid as Dimitri curls around me. I pretend not to notice that we fit together perfectly. Dimitri, noticing my apprehension, kisses my neck gently.

“Relax. We have a long day tomorrow, now get some rest.” He mutters into my neck, burrowing further into me.

It doesn’t take long for his breathing to even out, and I slowly relax. Tiredness pulls at me giving me no choice but to close my eyes and obey Dimitri’s command.