Chapter Seventy

CONTENT ADVISORY / TRIGGER WARNING

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DEPICTIONS/STRONG IMPLICATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE OR DISTURBING:

~ SEX AND INTMACY

~ EXPLICIT SEX SCENES

"Libelle," he whispered. "Show me your face."

She shook her head, her lower lip sucked in between her teeth as she gnawed on it. He called her name again, paying closer attention this time when she released her lip; it was quivering and she was struggling to stop it. He wanted her to look at him but she wouldn't. He was willing to play dirty to get what he wanted.

He slid his fingers between her legs, finding the wet lips that were aching to be touched. One finger slid inside her, and she returned to biting her lip as a second, then a third found their way inside her to her most sensitive spot. He furiously rubbed until he felt her clench her slick tunnel around his fingers. She moaned and cried out, unconsciously spreading her legs further apart to grant him better access. His motions slowed to a crawl, gently massaging her throbbing sex and flicking his thumb over her clit.

Libelle's breathing had quickened, her chest rising with each shaky breath. He heard her sniffle, followed by a sharp inhale and hiccup. "Please," she cried out, her voice weak and barely a whisper.

"Libelle," Eskil responded, leaving her aching sex so as to rest his chest against hers.

She shook her head when he tried to pull her hands from her face. "Please, Eskil, just stop. I can't. I can't do this."

Eskil used more force this time, grimacing as he felt a sharp twinge of pain stab at his mind when he pried her arms apart and held them at the side of her head. Her icy eyes were full of life, but also full of tears. Her gaze darted about, looking everywhere but at him. Her lip was trembling, red and sore from her chewing. Tears rained down her cheeks, and an unattractive bubble of snot blew from her nostril as she tried to control her crying.

Eskil tried to kiss her, the motion meant to be kind and gentle, but she shook her head again. "Please, please stop. Please stop. I can't do this." She hiccupped again with a wave of tears, her chest jerking with each sharp inhale.

Eskil felt his own heart aching with the knowledge he had made his lifemate feel like this. She was scared, truly terrified, and he was to blame. He brushed a hand against her cheek and trailed his fingers along the jagged scar that he had given her.

"Libelle, I am sorry," he said. "Libelle, lifemate, my beloved. I could never hurt you."

She shook her head and interrupted him. "Yes, you can, and you already have."

He stared back at the old wound, one he had given her long ago, and a sour taste formed in his mouth. "Libelle, I did not know then. I did not know you were my lifemate. I know that now, I cannot harm you." He bent down and kissed her forehead as her teary eyes came back to look at his. He held her hand gently and placed her open palm against his chest over his heart.

"Libelle, you are my lifemate, my beloved, my one and only. I belong to you just like you belong to me. I cannot hurt you, and I will never hurt you for as long as I breathe. You are my world, and surprisingly you always have been. You have never once left my mind, and I regret that I did not acknowledge these feelings sooner. If I had listened to them, I would have done things so differently. I would give anything to go back to the first time I met you, to hold you then like I am now.

"Libelle, you are everything to me. Lifemates are everything to a dragon. You are the very air I breathe, the wind in my wings, and the fire in my lungs. You are everything. My life, my love, and my heart is yours. Libelle, I'm pleading with you, I need you to believe me. To understand me. To understand that I regret my past actions that caused you harm. I would take it all back in a heartbeat if I could."

Libelle searched his gold eyes for deceit but found none. The heat under her hand flooded into her as she felt his heart rate quicken. She parted her lips to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, more tears gushed from her eyes and she wiped them away with her free hand.

"Libelle, you are a lifemate to a dragon. I can't expect you to understand everything, but I can explain it to you as best as I am able." He brushed his hand against her cheek, wiping away the stray tears she had missed.

"You are my whole world, and without you I cannot exist. Now I have found you, I will never let you go. I would lose my mind without you. My heart would break and my soul would shatter. You are what makes me whole. I will do nothing but cherish you, protect you, and please you. I want you by my side always. I want you to give me your heart, and I'll give you mine. Our souls were meant for each other; Freyja decided that for us. Without you, I am nothing."

He squeezed her hand. "My heart beats only for you."

Eskil stared into her eyes, every word he spoke was the truth. More tears flooded her eyes and blurred her vision. She felt the ice around her heart starting to crack, her hardened spirit faltering in his presence. How hard she had tried to avoid complicated relationships, and how easily Eskil had just opened her soul to one. He let go of her hand so she could wipe away the new wave of tears. Wind spiraled around them, blowing his long black hair into his face.

Eskil brushed his hair away with annoyance, but paused when he saw a very faint smile on Libelle's lips. He smiled back at her. "Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Do you believe me?"