Chapter 430: His Mark
From the chair to the wall and then to the bed, Xion had lost count of how many times his body broke apart under pleasure.
The only thing that remained clear in his hazy mind was his desperate need to cling to Darius, to bury himself in his warmth until even breathing felt suffocating with his scent.
He needed something to anchor him, and only Darius’ touch could keep him from drifting away.
So he held on. Through every thrust, every kiss, every shiver of overwhelming bliss, he held on.
And when the morning finally came, Xion felt as though he were floating in the air, weightless and untethered, carried only by the strength of Darius’ arms around him.
The warm rays of sunlight slipped past the curtains, soft and golden as they brushed over the tangle of sheets.
Xion stirred slightly, his body aching in ways that reminded him of every place Darius had touched and kissed.
Good thing he had placed a barrier around the room, or his cries would have surely alerted the guards.
For a long while, he didn’t move.
He only lay still, letting the slow rhythm of Darius’ breathing sync with his own.
His gaze traced the Archduke’s face, buried in the crook of his neck.
After pushing the silver strands away, he could see it all.
The sharp lines of his jaw, the proud nose, the lashes that fanned against flushed skin...
It was almost unfair, Xion thought, how someone could look so beautiful even now, after wrecking him to pieces through the night.
But what truly caught his attention were the marks.
Faint crescent-shaped dents on Darius’ broad shoulders from his nails.
Red streaks along his chest where Xion had clung too hard. And lower still, a scattering of bites that stood stark against tanned skin.
His chest grew hot with shameless satisfaction.
Those were his marks. His.
A tremor passed through him as he leaned closer, pressing the lightest kiss to Darius’ cheek, unable to resist.
"I love you, Darius. I love you so, so much," he whispered, so faint he wasn’t sure if the morning air swallowed it.
Yet the smile tugging at Darius’ lips in sleep made him wonder if the Archduke had heard him after all.
There was no sign of movement.
The night had been long and tiring, though Xion couldn’t exactly complain, being the one who started the chaos.
When he looked at the things scattered inside the room, the heat on his face intensified. His robe was still on the floor, and Darius’ trousers were near the chair, while his shirt was thrown near the edge of the bed.
I am never doing it again.
His throat felt sore, and as for his lower body? He didn’t even want to comment on it.
When Darius didn’t stir even after waiting, Xion carefully wiggled out of the grip around his waist.
He had moved to the edge of the bed, about to put his feet down, when he was dragged back into the same warm cocoon.
"Awake so early?"
Xion looked out of the window where the sun had barely climbed into the sky.
If he compared it to the time Darius usually left for his official duties, it wasn’t late at all.
But... it was too comfortable to stay in his arms.
The silly healer nearly groaned in comfort when warm fingers traced gently over his bare skin.
"We should get up."
"I don’t want to," Darius whined, rubbing his head against Xion’s nape.
"You are their lord, Darius. You need to get up," Xion was almost amused by how childish this icy Archduke was acting.
"I don’t want to."
The hands on his body moved to his chest, and Xion had to suck in a breath when Darius lazily twirled his abused nipple.
Even without looking, he could imagine the condition on his body.
"Hurt?"
"Not really. More sore." Xion had used healing on himself, and all the internal ache was gone.
However, the tiredness and ache that came after the night of indulgence were still present. As if to put a cherry on top, his entire body was littered with dense marks.
Even the base of his spine wasn’t spared.
"Sorry, my love. But honestly, it was your fault for looking so sexy. You looked so good when you were on your knees for me." Darius drawled right beside Xion’s crimson ear.
"Darius, p-please don’t," Xion pressed his eyes closed, embarrassment flooding his chest all over again.
"Baby is shy? Why, though?" The Archduke gently kissed the heated ear before his lips moved down the delicious curve of the marked neck. "I like it very much. When we go back to our home, we are doing this again."
"No," Xion snorted, but his voice turned into a gasp halfway through when the cruel devil pressed his fingers over his sensitive spot at the back of his waist.
"Let me see you," Darius said, and before the healer could deny, the duvet was yanked away.
Xion could only lie there, letting his beloved stare at him.
Those green eyes slid down every inch of his body, and when Xion tried to use his hands to cover himself, the elf was quick to pin his hands beside his head.
"Xion..."
Xion had turned his head to the side. He was exposed completely.
There was not a shred of anything he could hide from Darius. Not his body, and especially not his thoughts.
"Look at me," the words slithered down his spine just like the previous night. Every time Xion tried to turn away, this seductive demon would say the same words.
’Look at me,’ and like a puppet, Xion would turn to Darius.
Even now, before he could fight the urge, he was staring right back at the Archduke.
"My baby," Darius whispered in pure adoration, intense love dripping from his every glance. "You wanted to make me happy. Was that it?"
Just as Xion thought, there was nothing he could hide from his husband, not when Darius seemed to read every thought from his eyes.
So, with crimson in his cheeks, he hummed softly.
"And you did. You always have." Darius let his lips linger on Xion’s forehead before moving down to his lips.
The kiss was soft, so gentle, melting both of them into each other.
There was a glow on Darius’ face, and Xion could tell they both had a good time. At least he didn’t embarrass himself.
A slow smile finally appeared on the healer’s face. "I am glad."
Darius fell down, pressing his weight on Xion, trapping him right under him.
"Oh, we are so doing this again. How about I get some things as well?"
Xion couldn’t help but laugh when the warm breath tickled his side of the neck.
"Okay."
His word nearly gave Darius a shock. He leaned back, just enough so he could properly look at Xion.
"Really?"
Xion hummed, smile still lingering in his eyes.
"Anything I want? Like anything?"
"Sure, but only if you come back victorious." Xion wrapped his arms around his darling’s neck and pulled him down for a messy kiss.
"I will, Xion. I definitely will," Darius replied between the kisses he rained down on his dear husband.