CHAPTER 183: CHAPTER 183: BOUND

Victor’s tongue swept into his mouth, tasting him, claiming him. One hand slid down his side, over the thin fabric of his sleep shirt, mapping the curve of his hip. The low thrum in Elias’s blood ignited into a feverish blaze.

The clothes were a frustrating barrier. Victor’s movements were swift and rushed with his own need. His own shirt was discarded, then Elias’s, the fabric tossed into the shadows by the bed. The sight of Victor’s bare chest, pale and sculpted in the moonlight, made Elias’s mouth go dry. Then Victor’s hands were at his waistband, pushing the soft sleep pants down his legs. The cool air hit Elias’s overheated skin, and he shuddered.

Victor stilled for a moment, his gaze traveling down Elias’s body. His eyes darkened, the crimson deepening to near black. "Look at you," he breathed, his voice full of raw hunger. He pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to Elias’s sternum, his tongue flicking over a nipple, making Elias jolt and cry out.

He continued his path downward, kisses and licks and gentle nips, mapping every inch of trembling skin. He pushed Elias’s thighs apart, settling between them. The first touch of Victor’s tongue against his entrance was electric. Elias’s back bowed off the bed, a strangled gasp tearing from his throat. It was too much and not enough.

Victor’s tongue was relentless, licking into him with a focused intensity that unraveled Elias completely. He writhed on the sheets, his fingers tangling in Victor’s dark hair, holding on as pleasure, sharp and bright, lanced through him. The coil in his belly wound tighter and tighter, threatening to break. "Victor... please..." he begged, his voice a broken whisper.

Victor withdrew slowly, his chin glistening. He rose over Elias, his expression one of pure, undiluted possession. He guided his length, pressing the broad head against Elias’s slick entrance, and pushed inside.

The stretch was overwhelming, with a burning fullness that stole Elias’s breath. He gasped, his nails digging into Victor’s shoulders. Victor paused, buried to the hilt, his body trembling with the effort of holding still. "Breathe, my love," he commanded, his own breath coming in ragged gusts. "Just breathe."

Elias forced air into his lungs, and as he did, his body slowly adjusted, the initial shock melting into a deep, aching pleasure. He nodded, a slight, desperate movement.

Victor began to move.

Each thrust was a measured, powerful stroke that hit a spot inside Elias that made him see stars. The world narrowed to the slick, hot sound of their joining, the ragged rhythm of their breathing, and the overwhelming scent of their mingled arousal with sweet and dark pheromones. Victor’s pace quickened, losing its careful control. His thrusts became harder and deeper, driving Elias up the bed with their force.

Elias was lost in it, in the sensation of being filled, owned, and completely consumed. He met every thrust, his own hips rising to meet Victor’s, chasing the euphoria building within him. He could feel a different pressure now, a thickening at the base of Victor’s shaft with every inward drive. It stretched him further, a promise of what was to come.

Victor’s rhythm became erratic, his thrusts shallower and harder. A deep, continuous growl rumbled in his chest. He drove in deep and held there, his body rigid. Elias felt the final, impossible swell. The knot.

It pushed past the tight ring of muscle, a thick, powerful expansion that locked them together. Elias cried out, the sensation overwhelming, a perfect, punishing fullness that anchored Victor irrevocably inside him. His body clenched around it on instinct, muscles spasming and holding the knot tight, sealing them both.

Victor’s release pulsed into him, hot and endless. Elias could feel every burst, a torrent of heat that seemed to go on forever, filling him up. The intensity of it tipped Elias over his own edge. Pleasure, white-hot and shattering, ripped through him. His own climax was a silent, breathless wave that left him trembling and boneless beneath Victor.

For a long moment, there was only the sound of their harsh breathing. Victor, careful not to put his full weight on Elias, collapsed over him, his face buried in the crook of Elias’s neck. They were tied, bound together in the most intimate way possible.

The feeling was... profound. The constant, throbbing fullness. The hot pulse of Victor was still inside him. The way his own body refused to let go. Elias could feel the slight, involuntary twitches of Victor’s length within him, each one sending a fresh, tiny shock of sensation through his oversensitive nerves.

Victor shifted his head, his lips brushing Elias’s ear. His voice was a hoarse whisper, laced with a satisfaction so deep it was almost tangible. "Now you’re mine."

Elias floated in the warm haze of it, every slow, involuntary clench of his body around Victor’s shaft an echo of the pleasure that had just racked him. Victor’s weight was a comfort, his scent a thick blanket of smoke and spice that grounded Elias in the moment.

Victor nuzzled into his neck, his breathing a steady rhythm against Elias’s damp skin. "Still with me?" The words were more a low vibration than a sound.

Elias’s nod was weak, his hand sliding into Victor’s dark hair. His entire universe was this bed, this man, and this incredible, stretching bond.

A soft kiss pressed against his jaw. "Good. We’re going to be here for a while. Just feel it."

And Elias did. He felt everything. The slight, almost imperceptible pulse of Victor’s knot inside him. The way his own body answered each tiny throb with a reflexive, possessive squeeze. The heat that had subsided to a warm, liquid glow in his veins. He was utterly claimed, utterly full.

Victor shifted above him to adjust his position. The movement sent a fresh, dizzying ripple of sensation through Elias, a reminder of the sensitive, overstimulated state he was in. He gasped softly, his fingers tightening in Victor’s hair.

"Shhh," Victor soothed, his voice a dark caress. "I know." His lips found Elias’s temple, kissing it gently. "You feel so perfect around me. Holding on so tight."