Where Ashes and Oaths Collide

Chapter 37: Protector and More…

“That’s it,” Luz encouraged gruffly, his voice taking on that younger, warmer tone Amelia remembered. “Let me hear you say it. Let me hear the woman I love lose herself in me.” His hands moved from her hips to tangle in her red hair, angling her head back so her could watch the ecstasy wash over her features. “You feel incredible,” he confessed between ragged breaths, his movements becoming more deliberate as he focused entirely on her pleasure. “Like coming home after a lifetime of wandering.” His movement became slower, more deliberate, each thrust now aimed at drawing out the pleasure rather than chasing his own release. The crimson glow in his eyes softened to that familiar amber as he focused entirely on her.

His hands slid up from her hips to cup her breasts, thumbs brushing over the sensitive peaks with practiced gentleness. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed against her skin, his lips trailing along her collarbone. “Even when you are lost in ecstasy like this, you are still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Amelia struggles to catcher her breath, softly moaning with ever slow movement of his hips. “You are so handsome,” she managed to say. The compliment struck him with the force of a physical blow, his movements faltering for a moment. The word– “Handsome”– was one he had not heard directed at him in a long time. Not since he had become the traitorous commander who struck fear into the hearts of villages.

“You think so?” he asked roughly, his voice cracking with vulnerability. “Even with this?” His hand gestured vaguely at the black veins crawling up his neck and along his jawline. His crimson eyes searched her intently, looking for any sign of revulsion or pity. Instead, he found only the same adoration she had shown to him when she was a young girl. “Gods, Amelia. You look at me like I am still the knight you feel in love with,” Luz breathed out, his forehead resting against hers. “You– you are– you wear armour and carry a sword– and fight to protect me,” she said breathless. He hands moving to cup his cheek. Her hips move in rhythm with his below him, desperate for the pleasure she felt before.

The touch of her hand against his cheek sent a jolt through Luz’s entire system, the simple gesture carrying more weight than any battled he had ever won. “Don’t,” he said hoarsely, catching her wrist gently but firmly. “You can’t touch me like that and expect me to keep fighting this.” His crimson eyes flickered with the amber warmth of his true self, the mask of the Traitorous commander cracking under the pressure of her belief in him. The rhythmic motion of their hips drove him deeper into both physical and emotional territory he had not dared to visit in years. “You are making me forget who I am,” he confessed roughly, his voice dropping to that younger tone she remembered from that summer. “Forget that I am the monster who burned your village to the ground.”

“You are more than that,” she said between moans. “You are the man who protected me from raiders today.” The reminder of their recent battle– how he had killed to keep her safe– shattered the last of Luz’s defences. The crimson in his eyes flared with emotion, the amber warmth spreading until it consumed the crimson entirely. “You saw me kill those men and you still think I am the same knight–” he asked, his voice cracking with disbelief. His movements became more urgent, driven by the sheer impossibility of her faith in him. “You should not,” he said hoarsely, burying his face in the curve of her neck. “I am not that man anymore. The things I have done–”

“The man I love is still in there,” Amelia insisted, her voice firm despite the pleasure coursing through her. “The one who would sacrifice himself to save innocent people. The one who I gave that ribbon to and the man who promised to come back safe.” Her hands framed his face, forcing him to meet her gaze directly. “He is not gone,” she continued softly but with conviction. “I saw him today when you fought for me.” Luz’s thrusts faltered completely as her words struck him with the force of a physical blow. “You do not understand,” he said hoarsely, his voice cracking with emotion.

“Don’t stop,” Amelia pleaded as his thrusts faltered. “Please, Luz.” The desperate plea in her voice was his undoing. His control shattered. “f**k,” he breathed out roughly, his voice cracking with emotion. “How can you still want me after everything I have done?” his movement became more urgent, driven by desperate need to feel huma again– even if only for this moment. “You are going to be the death of me,” he confessed between ragged breaths, his forehead pressing against hers. “First you make me feel like a man again, then you make me want to be that man permanently.” His hands gripped her hips possessively as he drove into her with renewed intensity, the amber warmth in his eyes burning brighter than any crimson glow could ever match.

Amelia moaned loudly, as she felt the familiar rise of her climax. “Luz,” she cried out. “I–” The sound of his name on her lips, sharp and breathless with approaching release, sent a surge of raw emotion through him. “Say it,” he commanded roughly, his voice dropping to that younger, more familiar tone. “Tell me what you want from me.” His movement became more deliberate, each thrust timed to draw out her pleasure and chase his own release. “You are so close,” Luz murmured against her neck, his lips finding the sensitive skin there. “More,” Amelia muttered desperately. “Please.” Her muscles shook slightly as her orgasm washed over her. His control fractures as he felt her body clench around him. “f**k, Amelia,” he growled, his voice raw with emotion. His movements became frantic, driven by the overwhelming pleasure of watching the woman he loved fall apart beneath him.