NOVEL WEB Chapter 56: Twin Flames
It all was all worth it. Markos had counted all the lonely nights in the years since that fateful intersection of worlds where they had been together. He counted all the harsh rides towards the next mission with only the memories of the night of the festival to keep him warm when nothing and no one else could. As ephemeral as it had been, the magic of their first joining was the only solid proof he had of Sintija's mutual affection. Every lover he took since that night had been Sintija's stand-in. He knew it. Jo knew it and resented him for it.
But Sintija was here, alive and nothing else mattered. With all sense drained away, Markos was left only with the need to couple and move with Sintija. She was a twin flame that he stoked into a mutual inferno with a frantic pace. Their pulses raced and throbbed in time as they clung together and burned. The need for silence and conversation fell to ash as their harsh moans echoed through the cave, drowning in the roar of the blizzard outside.
Their breath melded together, the air crackling with power as they drew power from each other, the Word and feed that energy united back creating a feedback loop. Intense pressure built up within the cavern as they edged closer to the precipice of their desire. Blue ghost flames rolled and licked the maraium chamber yearning for release. Sintija tightened around Markos with a cry into his mouth, her nails digging into the taunt flesh of his muscular back for support. It was too much and not enough as Markos pressed her back against the fur blanket. He was close but instinct urged him deeper and faster.
Markos drove harder, pulling her left leg over his shoulder to Sintija's eager moans. They fit together like they had been made for one another. He wasn't sure if fate and the gods had brought them together and he didn't care. He was joined with his woman, his first love in a way that pushed beyond their bodies. The bawdy tales talked of gods and lovers joining souls but he knew what it meant. Her body was welcoming him, drawing him deeper with each insistent thrust, massaging his passion towards completion.
He sought her mouth, crushing his mouth around hers as they kissed, their tongues pressing together as they pulled each other closer, desperate for the other's breath. Tension coiled in his abdomen until it could turn no further, he bared down, embracing Sintija tightly as something snapped inside him, exploding out in a rush of heat that shook the cavern around them. Together they rode a wave of ecstasy, shuddering together and rolling in a hazy afterglow. Only when the spasms stopped did they break their kiss to catch their breath.
Sintija's leg trembled against Markos's shoulder as he eased it down so she could be more comfortable. He was simultaneously exhausted and energized, he'd lost his sense of time in Sintija but he didn't care, there was still plenty of time to keep going, once he caught his breath. He pushed up on his forearms to lessen his weight on top of his elven lover. He saw the pink flush of her spade shaped ears, her cheeks, that ran down to the pink tips of her breasts. Sintija was lovely, he loved staring into her sky blue eyes the most. This close he savored the way her body fit against his and the sweet smell of tuberoses and honeysuckle that melded together into an intoxicating scent that was unique Sintija.
Sintija watched him, caressing his face before lightly kissing his lips once more. Breathlessly she whispered once more asking, "You finally caught me. Whatever shall you do with me, Sir Markos Louvel?" She gently rocked her hips beneath him, reminding him that they were still joined.
Markos grinned, capturing the back of her head to hold it still. "I'm going to love you until I can no longer move, sleep, and do it again," he whispered against her lips, embracing her tightly as he realized he was ready again to continue.
"Mara you might have the children you want after all if this keeps up," he inwardly mused as he sank back into the elf that stole his heart.
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Markos woke, basking in Sintija's warmth, her slender form tightly snuggled against his side beneath his cloak and bedroll. The fire had burned low since neither of them had stirred to feed it while tightly entangled in one other. With Sintija naked against him and their magic coiling in the air around them, he didn't see the need for another source of heat. Sweat cooled against his skin, as he kissed the top of Sintija's head. He loved her before and he loved her even more now. Together they had created something at the coaxing of the goddess that lay imprisoned in the heart of Jord.
Mara had bade Markos and Caelyn to go forth and multiply with those that drew their flames together. Magic users drew one another and to them, no fire had burned brighter nor more enticing than Iliana. Markos remembered the passion filled fog of recovering her alive from the Heart gate. They had lost their senses then, and Mara had granted them boons. No longer did their maraium stunt their power. Iliana was whole and alive. And they could touch her, join with her without fear of her killing them - their shared breath only further empowered them.
Markos hugged Sintija tighter. It wasn't a sense of possession but a sense of shared belonging. With Sintija here with him, it changed the plan. He had been riding North to look for her but it was also time. The aphotics were gathering in force at the Teeth, threatening to spill south into the villages beyond. It all heralded the return of the demon dragon. Mara believed that there was an interloper disrupting the system and Caelyn stated that the Church of the Holy Sword was breaking the natural order of their world with the suppression of the embers and slaughter of the elves. All their answers laid in the North.
It had been years since Markos last saw Caelyn and Iliana but it was time to take Sintija north to join them. With the four of them, they had a chance to spare lives by slaying the demon dragon before another templar could steal the kill and power to change their world. The aphotic Markos was chasing was only the start. He was a heretic for disobeying the Ordinary's order to both destroy the arrow he wore and to kill Sintija. Jo would no longer be silent as he operated in the North when she saw Sintija fighting along side him. Caelyn and Iliana would welcome Sintija but he wasn't sure about Emilio. Did Emilio harbor a similar attachment or was he still too tightly bound to the conventions of the church and marriage in the traditional sense?
The templars would come for him once they knew he was betraying the Order. He just needed them to wait until after Caelyn became the Dragonslayer to catch him. It had always been dangerous to operate like nothing had happened in the temple. It was more so now. Would they understand his heart? Would they look the other way or would they kill him in a vain attempt to save his soul?
Markos felt a tickle at his ear that came with the scent of rich chocolate and a sense of reassurance. Iliana's projection lovingly brushed against him. "You found her. When are you coming home?" She purred in his ear, "We miss you."
Markos smiled enjoying the tickling sensation, feeling incredibly selfish. "We have to deal with an aphotic and then we'll be headed to you," he replied in his thoughts to not disturb the woman sleeping next to him.
"I sense you didn't tell her everything." Iliana commented gently in a way that made Markos feel guilty.
"It's complicated. It'll be better to show her. You seem well," Markos replied, reaching out to caress the illusion.
"Well enough," Iliana pleasantly commented before continuing. "They are hunting us, and you. Even Mara can't slow them too much without drawing attention, you need to hurry. You've awakened Sintija, so she'll draw the aphotics to her more readily now as well. Be ready for when he finds you."
"You know this one?" Markos felt a warm sensation against his hand that reminded him of Iliana holding it to his cheek.
"He was a Flamen Soulis once, Kamon." Iliana stated sadly. "He drank too deeply, hurt too long along and now he unfurls his rage upon knights and templars for damning him."
"She told you that?" Markos blinked in surprise. Mara didn't normally feed them useful information like that. "That's a first."
"In a way. It's still hard to hear her outside the temple." Iliana paused, he saw a slight twitch of her lip to a frown. "The storm has abated. You need to hurry. They are coming."