Shadows of Desire Ch. 05

She wore a simple peasants dress with a faded apron and, to Rowan's astonishment, was bare foot. Such a lovely sight to behold and if Rowan didn't fancy men he might have found himself vying for the woman's affections. As it was though, he only had eyes for Thaden. Lavina showed the pair to a table and waited for them to be seated. She gave the dwarf a stern look that had him plopping himself back down in his seat instantly. As meek as Lavinia looked, Rowan suspected that she was no pushover. The patrons as well as her staff treated her with the utmost respect.

"Now, I'll go and get the food ready and Esta will make up a room for you. I assume you'll want to share a room?" She asked, giving Thaden a mischievous smirk.

Thaden shifted uneasily in his chair. "Oh, I-um..."

"Yes." Rowan spoke up when he noticed Thaden fumbling over his words. "A single room is fine." He smiled. Lavinia nodded then left them for the kitchen. Moments later and a young boy, about ten years, brought goblets of wine to the table and sat one in front of each Prince then, without a word, hurried off again.

Thaden looked up, his face red with embarrassment. Rowan chuckled as he sipped his wine. "Why, my dear Prince." Rowan teased. "You look absolutely flustered. Whatever could be the matter?"

Thaden rolled his eyes. "Drink your wine." He murmured and Rowan laughed again.

Not ten minutes later and Lavinia had returned with two steaming plates of potatoes, meat, cheese, and fresh cut bread. She placed one plate before each of the men then returned to the kitchen. Rowan, being famished, dug in at once. The food was good, so good that he had to stifle a moan when the meat hit his tongue. He couldn't believe how hungry he was. The more he ate the less full he felt, which was odd for him as he normally didn't eat as much.

Thaden finished his food slowly, nearly half way done when Rowan ordered a second plate. Thaden smirked as he watched him. "I take it the rabbit stew wasn't as filling." He remarked with a chuckle. Rowan swallowed the bit of cheese he'd just put in his mouth then reached for a slice of bread. "I'm not used to riding long distances." Rowan explained. "It must have taken more out of me than I realized."

As Rowan downed his third glass of wine he began to feel flushed. He wiped his forehead across his brow and leaned back in his chair. "Gods, it's getting hot in here." He murmured.

Thaden looked to him, concern etched across his face. "Perhaps we're sitting too close to the fire?" He suggested. "We could move to a different table."

Rowan shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just feel..." He paused suddenly and groaned. "Oh Gods."

Rowan bowed his head as he ran his hands through his hair. "Not now. Please Gods, not now." He whispered.

"Rowan?" Thaden leaned forward, growing more worried by the second. "Rowan, what's going on?"

The dwarf and the elf with white hair was watching Rowan suspiciously, each one on edge as if they expected Rowan to suddenly become some blood thirsty beast and attack. Thaden shot them each a warning glare then turned his attention back to Rowan.

"Are you ill? Do I need to send for a doctor?" Thaden asked.

Rowan looked up then, his expression strained with torment. "I need to get out of here." He groaned. "Before..." He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. His body shivered as though in pain and in that moment Thaden noticed a new scent coming off of him. It was sweeter, and thick, with a heady mix of vanilla and musk. The aroma drifted over and hit Thaden hard, making his breath catch. He was instantly aware of Rowan in his most primal self. His scent, his eyes, his body, all screaming out for Thaden to take him and in that moment Thaden knew what the problem was.

His eyes went wide and Thaden suddenly pushed back from the table and stood up. He took Rowan by the hand and pulled him to his feet then looked to the bar where Esta was cleaning. "The room?" He asked, frantically.

"Upstairs, last door to the right." She answered.

Thaden gave her a nod of thanks then quickly pulled Rowan along to the stairs. He found the door to the room easy enough and slid the brass key into the lock. The door swung open and he ushered Rowan inside, closing and locking the door behind them. The room was small compared to what Thaden was used to but it was cozy with a hearth for a fire, a double bed, and a writing desk and stool. There was also a wash stand in the corner with a bowl and pitcher. Rowan disregarded the rest of the furniture and went straight to the bed. He collapsed against the soft mattress, sighing a breath of relief.

"What do you need?" Thaden asked, almost in a panic. "Cold water? Ice? Name it."

"Your cock." Rowan groaned, surprising even himself with his bold and lewd statement.

Thaden chuckled, relaxing a bit. "Honestly, I had planned to wait until after we were married for that, my love."

Rowan whimpered as he shifted uneasily on the edge of the bed. "Then get a priest." He closed his eyes and gripped the comforter tightly in his hands. "We can wed quickly then you can fuck me."

Thaden sighed and sat beside Rowan. It pained him to see his mate suffering so but he really had no idea what to do to help, other than the obvious. His knowledge of omegas was meager at best having never been with one before. And, omegas were rare in elves. Not unheard of, but rare. When one was born it was usually do to one of the parents being of a different race such as a shifter or dragon. Since Rowan was the only vampire omega known to exist, Thaden could only assume that he was similar to the other races where omegas were more common.

"How do you normally handle your heats?" Thaden asked him.

"My father has me sequestered away in a part of the castle where no one can hear my constant wailing. Only female servants were allowed to attend me."

Thaden nodded. "It's too late for that now. If I tried to take you out of here every male in the vicinity would be after you."

"They'd have to rape me." Rowan told him with a shudder. "In the past I would have given myself willingly to any strong male, usually an alpha. That's why my father had me hidden. Not so now. Once an omega recognizes their mate, they'll never desire anyone else."

"Why an alpha? Wouldn't any male do?" The very thought of another man touching Rowan caused a surge of anger to ripple through Thaden but he was also curious as to what exactly went through an omega's mind while they were in heat.

Rowan shook his head. "I don't know about other species but vampires seek out the strongest male to breed with and reject weaker ones. If someone weaker than me tried to breed me, I'd likely kill him."

Thaden swallowed. "How-how do you know you won't reject me?"

Rowan grinned and turned his head to look at Thaden. His eyes filled with lust and he licked his lips. "You're my mate. Besides, I'm fairly certain that you are not weaker than me."

Thaden thought back to how Rowan had opened the door in the wall with seemingly no effort at all. "I wouldn't be so sure of that." He said, shoulders slumping forward.

"It's just physical strength that makes one strong." Rowan said, attempting to reassure Thaden. "You're an ideal mate. Trust me. I wouldn't be reacting to you being so close to me otherwise."

"Oh?" Thaden raised an eyebrow, teasingly. "And, how are you reacting?"

Rowan rolled over onto his knees, drawing close to Thaden he wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed his lips to his ear. "I want to rip your clothes off, push you down, and slide onto your cock. I want you inside me. I want to feel you buried deep in my body, and I want to ride you hard until you spill your seed inside me."

Thaden tensed as Rowan's words ignited a fire within him. It took all the strength he had not to give in to their desires. Gently, he pushed Rowan back and kissed his forehead. "As much as I would love to make love to you here and now, it's not the right time nor place. I want our first time to be special, and not something rushed. I want to know that it's because you want me, not because your biology is forcing you into it."

Rowan snaked his arms around Thaden again, trying to push their bodies closer together though Thaden resisted he could feel his resolve weakening. "Nothing is forcing me." Rowan said, his voice becoming dark and sultry. "If I didn't want this, I would have rejected you by now but instead, my body is screaming for your touch. I need you. You're the only one that can quench this desire building within me. You're the only one I want to share this with."

Thaden's eyes turned a fiery red as his chest rumbled with a low, animal like growl. He pressed Rowan down against the bed and forcefully pressed their lips together. Rowan opened his mouth and their tongues collided, twirling in an erotic and sultry dance. Thaden sucked at Rowan's lips. His hand moved to the neck of Rowan's tunic and loosened the laces that held it together, exposing his soft, perfect flesh. Thaden moved from Rowan's lips to his neck, kissing and sucking his way to Rowan's collar bone. Rowan moaned and writhed beneath him on the bed, begging for more.

Thaden captured Rowan's mouth again and kissed him until they were both breathless and aching with need. Thaden brushed his lips against Rowan's ear, nibbling at his lobe. "You are the part of me that has been missing all my life." He whispered against Rowan's ear. "You are all I have ever dreamed of."

Rowan blushed and his eyes shone with the love he felt for Thaden. "I feel the same." He said. "I never thought a love like this was possible, not for me."

"Always." Thaden whispered. "Always you. No one else. There will never be anyone else for me. Only you." He leaned down and left soft, feathery, kisses all across Rowan's neck and collar bone. On his lips, his face, his forehead. He kissed every inch of exposed flesh that he could find. "I want to marry you." Thaden told Rowan.

"I want that too." Rowan smiled up at him. Thaden could see that Rowan was flushed with the raging heat that was overtaking him. He could sense his need for release and the burning desire that consumed him. The same burning need had ignited in Thaden as well and he knew in that moment that he couldn't allow Rowan to suffer through it. Not when he could ease his torment.

He sighed, feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of what to do. "I want to help you." He said, finally. "But I want to do this right. I want it to be real."

Rowan shook his head. "We don't need a priest or fancy words spoken in a church for it to be real. Our love is real. Any vows spoken now will be real and we have the Goddess to witness our vows."

Thaden smiled, kissing Rowan on the lips once more. "Every second I fall more in love with you." He said. "I'm a lucky man to be blessed with something so rare and beautiful."

"I'm the lucky one." Rowan purred beneath him. "I may have run away from my father but you are the one who set me free. For that, I'll be eternally grateful."

"Eternally? Are you sure, that long?"

Rowan nodded. "Eternally, because, that's all the time we have to love each other. For eternity."

"That's a long time, love." Thaden teased. "You sure you want to put up with me that long?"

"Absolutely." Rowan told him. "The sun may rise each morning but you Thaden, are what brightens every day."

"And you, Rowan are the star that lights my way at night." Rowan's eyes shimmered with tears of happiness as Thaden kissed his brow and then his lips. "You are my love, my heart, and the other half of my soul." Thaden kissed his cheek. "On this night, with the glorious moon to bear witness, I Thaden, pledge my love to you Rowan, and all that I have, all that am is yours." Rowan wrapped his arms around Thaden's neck and pulled him down for another kiss.

"And all that am is yours." Rowan repeated. "My love, my heart, my soul...all belong to you. There is no other for me but you. You and you alone. I promise to love and to honor you through all that may come. It will be your name only that I shall cry out in the dead of night. My husband."

"Through all our lives, will I love you." Thaden kissed Rowan's ear, whispering the words as he kissed along his neck and throat. "In this life and the next will I be by your side. This vow I make to you. Everyday I shall love you, even after my death. I will love you for all eternity."

"And I vow the same." Rowan said through his tears, smiling up at the man he loved more than anything in the world. "I shall love you in this life and the next, for all eternity."

"I thank the mother Goddess Danu for bringing you into my life." Thaden said, nearly crying himself. "You say that you are dead but, my dear, I am the one who was dead. Before I met you, I was dead and you have brought me back to life."

Rowan blushed. "Such things you say, my love."

"All true, I swear it." Thaden smiled down at him then loosened the rest of the lacing that tied Rowan's tunic together. He slipped his hands beneath the hem and pulled the tunic up. Rowan lifted some from the bed as Thaden pulled the tunic over his head then discarded it. Rowan reached for the string that tied his breaches together but Thaden gently moved his hands away. He wanted to explore more of Rowan and take his time doing it. He allowed his hands to move along Rowan's smooth flesh, so sweet and beautiful the way it shimmered in the candle light.

"Your beauty is... celestial. That's the only word I can use to describe you, celestial. Divine. Like an angel sent down from above."

"I'm no angel." Rowan frowned. "I'm a creature of the night. There is nothing heavenly about me."

"You're wrong." Thaden told him, nuzzling his neck. "You are an angel. You're my angel. My angel of the night."

Rowan blushed. "Don't tease me so. I can not take much more before I explode."

"I am being completely honest." Thaden told him. "Every inch of you is like a work of art carved by the Gods and I want to forever bask in it's splendor." He gently pushed Rowan back down against the mattress, his hands exploring his body. Thaden caressed his skin with his hands, his fingers tracing a line from his neck to his navel. His eyes drank in his beauty as they moved along his bare chest. Thaden licked and sucked at his nipples and kissed his way down to his belly.

Finally, when Thaden had had his fill, he untied Rowan's breaches and gently eased them down, revealing Rowan's hard and waiting cock. He removed his boots and stockings, making a pile of discarded clothing on the floor beside the bed. When he was done, Thaden removed his own clothing, adding them to the pile then he leaned over Rowan, both of them naked, their warm flash pressed against each other and Rowan trembled with need.

Thaden was gorgeous. His body a sculpted masterpiece of perfection. From his strong, muscular biceps, to his flat, hard abs. His chest was beautifully defined with just a dusting of auburn hair spread across his pecs and, his organ, thick and large, had already sprang to life once released from the confines of his riding breaches. Rowan bit his bottom lip and allowed his fingers to trail along Thaden's sides, memorizing every line, every curve of his body until his hands came to rest on his firm, muscular ass.

Rowan spread his legs wider, giving Thaden all the invitation he needed but Thaden wanted to tease him a bit more. Pushing himself up, Thaden slid down a bit then took Rowan's hard cock in his hand. He looked down at him with a mischievous grin then dipped his head and before Rowan even realized what Thaden was about to do, he licked the head of Rowan's organ then took the full length of it in his mouth and began sucking his way along the shaft.

The warmth of Thaden's tongue against his flesh and the urgent lapping and sucking at the tip heightened Rowan's arousal. Rowan moaned and tossed his head back, his long, ebony tresses fanned out over the pillow elegantly, like black silk. Rowan reached his hands up, grasping at the headboard as he whimpered and writhed on the bed, his legs quivering as he squirmed under Thaden.

Thaden took his time, savoring the taste of his mate. He licked up the shaft again, stroking Rowan with his hand as his tongue circled the head of Rowan's already leaking cock. Thaden loved the taste of him, the hot, sticky, juices dripping from his hardened member. Thaden lavished all of his attention on devouring Rowan from tip to balls. He cupped his balls in his hand and massaged them gently. Rowan gasped, moaning as he thrashed against the bed. He arched his back and gripped the sheets tightly in his fists.

Rowan's breathless panting and soft whimpers filled the air. Thaden increased his efforts, sucking and running his hand along Rowan's shaft until Rowan cried out, his body tense as he came. Thaden continued to suck, drinking down Rowan's juices hungrily. Rowan relaxed a bit as Thaden kissed the inside of his thigh then rose up to his knees.

"Gods, you are beautiful." Thaden whispered, looking down at his spent mate. Rowan was still hard but for the moment, looked completely sated.

Thaden went to move away but Rowan caught his wrist and gazed up at him, his eyes wild and pleading. "I need you." Rowan whispered in that same, seductive voice. "Please. I can't..."

"Shh." Thaden stroked Rowan's wet hair. The vampire Prince was shivering with need. Beads of sweat glistened all over his body. He licked his lips as he tugged Thaden closer.

"Are you sure you want this?" Thaden asked him.

Rowan nodded. "I'm sure." He panted, his voice sounding more desperate with each passing moment. "It's only going to get worse if we don't. Please, I can't stand this waiting. It's torture."

Thaden nodded, then he parted Rowan's legs and slid between them. He caressed Rowan's ass. Bringing his hand down to Rowan's entrance, Thaden circled his hole with his finger. Rowan was already wet with something slick and lubricating. It leaked from his hole and onto to the sheets. Thaden looked at him, questioningly.

"It's alright." Rowan told him. His face flushed as he attempted to explain omega biology. "It's normal when I'm in heat. A natural lubricant meant to help you...um...slide in more easily."

Thaden chuckled some. Rowan was positively adorable when flustered in such a way. "That comes in handy." Thaden mused. "I was a bit worried at first. We have no oils and I know it's your first time being breached. I don't want to hurt you or cause you any pain."

Rowan's eyes went wide with embarrassment and he quickly turned his head away so Thaden wouldn't see the look of horror in his eyes. Thaden only laughed harder.

Rowan scowled. "Shut up already, this isn't funny."

"Oh, but it's positively delightful, my dear. My little fox is so shy and innocent." Thaden teased. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

Rowan groaned. "Shut up and fuck me."

Thaden chuckled. "Yes, Sir. As you wish."

Thaden slid a finger in, working Rowan's hole open. Even with the slick aiding him, he was still so tight. Thaden wondered if Rowan had never used his own fingers on himself before. He thought not but decided asking Rowan would only cause the boy to shy away again awkwardly. He didn't want the experience to be too painful though so he inserted another finger. Rowan groaned and urged Thaden to stop prolonging his torture and take him but Thaden told him to have patience. He wanted to make sure that Rowan was ready and able to easily take his large size first.

After inserting a third and final finger, Thaden knew they could wait no longer. Rowan was struggling more as the heat became more intense. Thaden felt his pain as he stroked his own aching cock. When Rowan begged again for Thaden to take him, Thaden obliged. He centered himself between Rowan's legs and gently lifted one of his legs up and onto his shoulder. Rowan lay back, ready and anxious for what was to come. Thaden lined himself up with Rowan's hole then slowly and gently pushed in. Thaden moaned as he felt Rowan's tight hole give way, accepting him in, then just as quickly clench around him.