Ciaran's POV
The shadows paused, their movement reverent, as though sensing she'd gone too deep. Her breathing was shallow, her head limp against the air. Floating, bound, and blissfully unconscious.
Ciaran stepped closer from the dark, his voice a thread in the stillness. "Little one…"
No response.
He watched her—admiring and alert—his own breath tight in his chest. Her face was soft, her lashes fluttering like she was dreaming. The shadows curled protectively around her, awaiting his next word like loyal pets.
"Therrin," he said more firmly, his voice sliding low and rich, cutting through the haze. "Come back to me."
She stirred.
A tiny sound escaped her lips, barely audible. Her body shifted slightly in the air, the arch of her back instinctive. She blinked slowly, her eyes unfocused and glazed with submission and softness.
"There you are." He touched her cheek, his fingers cold and grounding. "You went deep, didn't you?"
She nodded slowly, dazed. "What… happened?"
"You slipped into subspace. Drifted out. You were stunning like that." His voice deepened, a darker note curling behind his next words. "So obedient. So fucking perfect, bound and undone."
Therrin's lips parted on a soft inhale, her breath shaky.
Ciaran leaned in, his voice wrapping around her like silk and smoke. "But I need to ask you something now, little shadow."
His hand slid to the back of her neck, his thumb tracing the line of her spine, grounding her.
"Do you want to stop," he murmured, "or do you want more?"
She didn't answer at first. Her body was still floating, arms still bound behind her back, hair mussed from where shadows had toyed with it, her breath caught somewhere between pain and pleasure.
Then she whispered it.
"More."
His smile was all hunger.
"Good girl," he breathed, stepping closer, his eyes glowing like midnight flame. "You have no idea how proud I am of you."
His mouth brushed her ear.
"So soft for me… so ready to be ruined all over again."
The shadows stirred like wolves behind him.
And then—
He kissed her. Possessively. Invading her mouth with his tongue. She moaned at the intrusion. Giving him more strength to push forward.
He ripped her nightgown open, exposing her body to the cool air. The shadows he commanded resumed their task, rubbing her skin, teasing her throat by squeezing and letting go. But this time, he decided, she needed something more, something…vulnerable.
The shadows obeyed his wordless command, wrapped down her thighs in tendrils, and spread her legs apart, keeping her open.
The shadow hand on one of her breasts let's go, and roams down her stomach, further down to her core to rub that already sensitive nub. Ciaran immediately took her breast in his mouth, sucking, and tracking with his tongue. He nipped her nipple and pulled, at the same time, the shadow hand squeezed her bud. She jolted and moaned at the sensations as she reached her climax.
Wet, and leaking, the shadowed hand evaded even further, starting with one finger, gently and slowly protruding in and out of her core before inserting another. Ciaran had moved at this point. Right between her legs, watching the shadow do its work.
He commanded the shadow to move both fingers separately, giving her new sensations, and she moaned and bucked at the actions. He smiled wickedly, watching her writhe underneath them.
"The shadows play with you, but I'm the one who owns your pleasure."
He took action then. Called the shadow to retreat right before she could reach the end, and shoved himself inside of her, hard. Now is not the time to be gentle. No. Her body is demanding the dark, deep, primal thrusts.
The shadow hand at her throat begins to squeeze harder than before. Another stuck its fingers in her mouth, first gagging at the intrusion, and then when she relaxed, she began to suck on them.
He went deeper inside her. Picking up the force and pace. Only slowing as she was reaching her climax, teasing and taunting her over and over. Relentless. He wanted her to beg.
"I'll push you deeper, take you farther. You trust me, don't you?"
The hand retreated from her mouth, gripping her jaw, allowing her to answer.
"I trust you… but I'm scared…I need you to take me further…I'm yours to break".
He groaned at her words, and went even harder on her. He moved faster and deeper, but she needed more. So, so much more.
She was writhing underneath him. Wild and mad. Frantically trying to meet his movements. Some shadows moved to her shoulders, ones in her hair moved to the crown of her head, and they began pushing her, moving her body fervently. She was a screaming mess at this point. Tipping on the edge.
Just as they were both to find their release, another tendril snaked down her back, and moved further down, and intruded a spot that had never been touched.
"CIARAN!" She screamed as she finally started to go limp. She was quaking, and moaning still, feeling the aftershock of their release. Her breath, uncontrollable. He lifted her up. And held her against him, while still being inside her, and walked over to the bed. He laid them both down, never breaking contact. Allowing her to feel everything she was feeling, with his arms around her.
"You're exquisitely broken—and I love every part of you."
And then, they slept.