Chapter 77: Moments claimed
Zaeryn's breath caught. Her words, whispered against his skin, weren't a suggestion; they were a conclusion reached after three long years of waiting.
"Overdue?" he asked, his voice a low murmur. "I didn't know you were keeping a schedule."
A confident smile touched Ravena's lips. "I've waited long enough, Zaeryn," she said, her tone softening but losing none of its fierce determination. "Now is the time."
He started to ask, "Time for what?" but the answer was already in her gaze. It was in the heat radiating from her and the undisguised longing that had replaced her earlier frustration.
Ravena leaned in until her lips were just an inch from his. "I want you to make me yours," she whispered, the words a perfect mix of vulnerability and command. "All of me. No more waiting."
Across the room Marceline and Aeris sat down and were now in their own quiet conversation over cups of tea. The hushed discussion trailed off as they both sensed the shift in the room's atmosphere.
Aeris glanced over, her expression unreadable, and met Marceline's calm gaze. A single, knowing eyebrow arch was all that passed between them, an entire conversation of understanding and approval in one silent gesture. Marceline gave a faint, almost imperceptible nod before returning her attention to her tea, granting the pair a sense of privacy.
Ravena's whisper was a velvet promise against his ear, laced with three years of unspoken history. "Let's go somewhere private."
Zaeryn hadn't planned on being with Ravena today. But that… had just changed. Suddenly, it was very much in his plans.
His body understood perfectly. The exhaustion from his Vitae overexertion was a dull ache in his bones, but a different, more primal energy surged to life at her touch. This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss, not just for the pleasure she promised, but for the power he knew it could unlock.
He turned his head, his lips brushing hers in a silent agreement. "Lead the way."
Ravena's triumphant smile was all the answer he needed. She disentangled herself from his arms and, with a final, possessive glance, took his hand and led him away.
"Where are they going?" Aeris asked, watching them leave.
Marceline spared a glance at their retreating figures up the stairs. And then she shrugged. "I don't know. But I think we should give them some privacy," she said, and immediately realized something across Aeris's face. "Hmmm, don't tell me you're jealous?"
Aeris rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous…." She sighed, realizing she can't fool anyone, she was jealous. "Well, I'm not jealous of Ravena. I just think it's unfair, that I'm like his older sister and he hasn't slept with me yet. And Ravena just arrived today and she is already going to."
Marceline took a slow, deliberate sip of her tea, her eyes, full of a knowing warmth, studying Aeris over the rim of the cup. She set it down with a soft click.
"Complicated?" Marceline repeated, her voice gentle but sharp. "Darling, has it ever occurred to you that you're the one making it so? Perhaps this is your own fault."
Aeris stiffened, a flicker of irritation in her eyes. "My fault?"
"Yes, yours. Who else would it be?" Marceline leaned forward, her expression softening. "You've wrapped yourself in the role of 'older sister' for years. You're his protector, his guardian. Zaeryn is many things, but he isn't blind. He sees the line you've drawn, and he respects it. He won't cross it unless you invite him to."
She paused, letting the words sink in. "In this house, in this world, a woman takes what she wants. If you desire him to see you as more than a sister, you have to be the one to show him. You must give him permission to see you as a woman. And I would suggest you do now, before his roster grows even more,"
The advice was so direct, so typically Marceline, that it left Aeris momentarily speechless. It was true. She had hidden her own growing feelings behind a wall of sisterly duty.
Seeing the understanding dawn on Aeris's face, Marceline had an idea, and then a grin appeared across her face. She leaned back, her eyes twinkling as she gestured with her cup towards the stairs.
"Or," she purred, the suggestion dripping with wicked amusement, "you could just go up there now. I'm sure Ravena wouldn't mind sharing. It could be... efficient."
Aeris visibly recoiled at the thought, a genuine eye-roll breaking through her contemplative mood. "Absolutely not," she said, her voice firm with a possessiveness she didn't try to hide. "I'm not the type to share such a moment.' When I finally have my moment with him, it's going to be mine. All of it. Not some leftover scrap from Ravena's reunion."
A deep, satisfied smile curved Marceline's lips.
The frustration in Aeris's eyes was now replaced by a new, smoldering resolve. She wasn't just his protector anymore. She was a woman who knew what she wanted, and now, thanks to Marceline, she knew exactly how she was going to get it.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the air grew heavier with anticipation.
Ravena led him not to his room, but to a guest suite at the end of the hall, it was a space that felt both intimate and temporary. The door hissed shut behind them, sealing them in a cocoon of silence broken only by their own breathing.
She turned to face him, her green eyes searching for him. The teasing glint was gone, replaced by a raw vulnerability.
"Before... anything happens," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I need you to know. This isn't just... a reaction. It's not because I'm afraid I might lose you to Sage, or because I'm feeling competitive. I came back for you, Zaeryn. I have been thinking about this moment for three years. I hope for you it's not just a power up."
Zaeryn's own look softened. He saw the genuine emotion in her eyes, the history that connected them stretching back to a time before goddesses and Dragon Lords complicated his life. But then again, his life was always complicated.
"I know," he said, his voice quiet. He reached out, his hand cupping her cheek. "You're not just a power up, Ravena. You're... special, you know that."
The words were exactly what she needed to hear. "Good," she said, her voice regaining its confident fire. "Then you know I'm not going to be second best."
Without another word, she began to undress slowly, her movements a deliberate and seductive dance. Her fingers hooked into the waistband of her shorts, sliding them down her toned legs. The shorts pooled at her feet, revealing the faint trace of dark ink curling just above the curve of her hip - a secret rebellion against the noble academy's pristine standards.
Zaeryn's gaze roamed hungrily over the toned legs, lingering on the sheer black fabric of thigh-high stockings held in place by a garter strap. The contrast against her smooth skin made her look even more seductive and alluring.
Next, her hands moved to the hem of her crop top, pulling it up and over her head. As the fabric lifted, her full breasts spilled free, bouncing slightly. The rosy nipples hardened under his intense gaze, as if responding to the heat in his eyes.
Zaeryn's eyes roamed every inch of her naked body, taking in every curve and contour. From the swell of her breasts to the dip of her waist and the flare of her hips, she was utterly beautiful. Her flawless skin seemed to glow, her body a work of art. In that moment, she was his, and he knew he would worship every inch of her.