Lady Dhampir
Chapter 296

"Milena. Milena."

She heard the voice calling her, but her mind was trapped. Trapped in that darkness again, struggling to escape. She was scared of what was lurking in the shadows, watching her, getting closer and closer to her. She heard her own cries, and suddenly, a hand appeared.

She shouted.

"Milena! It's me. It's me, my love. It's me."

She blinked several times, her eyes wet and blurry with her tears. She had jumped to the other side of the bed, out of breath and panicked. It took her a few seconds to readjust to her surroundings. Milena let out a faint sob, and tried to wipe her tears and nose, gradually calming down as the gap between her nightmare and reality grew. She remembered. She had gone to bed with Rayan, in his arms. She was far from that tower, she was safe. She let out a long sigh, and covered her face. Her sudden burst of panic had exhausted her.

"It's alright," Rayan whispered. "You're alright."

"I know," she muttered. "Sorry, I just... I had a nightmare."

"Milena."

He grabbed her hand, and gently but firmly, pulled her to sit right in front of him on the bed. Rayan then wiped her tears for her, and caressed her wet cheeks with his thumbs, but looked at her with a very serious expression on. "Milena, it's me. Your husband. You don't have to act tough in front of me, remember? I'm here for you, my Queen. Don't apologize, and don't justify yourself."

She nodded slowly, and leaned against him. This time, she really did let go, in his arms. She cried a bit more, but more importantly, she simply let down all of her defenses, sobbing and curling up like a child in Rayan's embrace, letting him pat and rub her back until she calmed down. In how long had she tried to hold so much in, kept up the appearances, swallowing her emotions down? It felt good to finally let it all go.

It was only for a few minutes, but once she stopped crying, Milena felt a whole lot better. For a little while, she silently stayed in his arms, calming down, indulging in her husband's gentle embrace. He endlessly caressed her hair, her arms, her back, and put faint kisses against her forehead or curls, as if to reassure her constantly that she wasn't alone.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked after a while.

Milena slowly nodded against his shoulder.

"Do you want something to drink? There's water and lukewarm tea, I think."

"No, I'm alright."

That was true. She felt like her body had really enjoyed the food from earlier, and replenished her body to the best it could already. She still felt a bit tired, but it was that strange state where she couldn't tell if it was from just waking up, or really needing more hours of sleep, her sleeping schedule was just completely messed up. Moreover, she could tell it was still daytime, from the streams of sunlight that came from behind the curtain. "Did you stay awake the whole time?" She asked him.

"No, I slept too, but I was still watching you. One of the advantages of war is that I learned not to fall asleep too deeply... I was a bit worried about you."

"Do I look that bad?" She chuckled.

She finally sat back to face him, staring with a little smile on. She felt a lot better already, but she was aware she was probably not in her best light, after everything that had happened, plus her ugly crying just then, and waking up... Rayan smiled, and tilted his head.

"You've had better days," he chuckled. "But even so, my wife's still the most beautiful woman of this Kingdom. The other Ladies must be crying and cursing you right now." "I'm sure they are."

He let out a little sigh, and caressed her hair again.

"...Kiss me," she suddenly said.

Rayan froze, visibly surprised. He knew she wasn't asking him for just a kiss. Milena frowned at his hesitation.

"I look that ugly?" She exclaimed, a bit vexed.

"My Queen, even on the worst of your worst days, I'd let you do absolutely anything to me."

"Anything?"

"I do mean it."

"Careful what you wish for, Rayan."

"Never....Do you still have those black high heels? The one with the lace...?"

She slapped his chest, amused but a bit annoyed to have him elude her question, too. Milena combed her hair back, staring at him with a bit of hesitation.

"Do you really not want me?"

Her husband rolled his eyes.

"Milena, you can kill a man with that kind of question."

"I'm serious!"

"Me too! My Queen, you're facing a man who's been in a camp for months. I told you, I'm working hard on my self-restraint, but your wolf is a dog in heat right now, you can't ask me that..." "But I'm saying I want it," she insisted.

She suddenly climbed on his lap, making Rayan back away a bit and frown. Milena was half amused to see him so tortured, but also a bit pissed off she had to insist.

"I am grateful for your concern," she said, her fingers coming up to his buttons. "But I know my body, Rayan, better than you. I am alright, and I want it. I want to feel my husband, I want you. Right now."

He didn't say anything, and frowned, but she could see his resolve weakening the longer he looked at her. She was once again surprised to see how this man was battling his instincts out of concern for her health. Still, she knew what she wanted, and she knew she wasn't so fragile. Moreover, she had a feeling she'd regret it if she didn't reassure him now, if they didn't get an intimate moment together. She had missed him, but they only had so little time left together before they parted ways again for the final battle. They didn't know for how long they'd be separated, but this time, she didn't want to take chances; She wanted to make the most of the present moment.

After a little while, he sighed, and leaned back forward to put a quick kiss on her lips.

"I'm genuinely worried for the future education of our children if I'm already this weak to their mother's pouting."

"It's alright," Milena smiled. "I'll be the harsh parent."

Her smile was so bright, genuine and full of relief, Rayan couldn't help but smile too. She kissed him again, and he gently pushed her onto her back, leaning over her. They were across the bed, but neither of them cared. Rayan was gently but quickly undressing her, and his shirt was out of the picture at record speed as well. After a while, he suddenly grabbed Milena's wrists, and stopped kissing her to look at his wife with a very serious expression. "My Lady," he said. "I'll agree to grace you with the best of my person, only if you lay back and let me do the physical work."

"Is that a subtle way of asking me to just lay there?" Milena frowned, unhappy.

"Yes."

"Rayan..."

"Jokes aside," he said. "I'm still genuinely worried for you, so please, we'll take it easy, alright?"

Milena raised an eyebrow. They were rarely the type to take it easy... They were infamous for their passion, and during their love encounters, they had rarely been anything but quite ruthless. To her surprise though, Rayan put a gentle kiss on her lips first, and, slowly, began going down on her face, neck, between her breasts he fondled, kissing her terribly slowly. For once, she decided to obey, and stay still, only caressing his hair with one hand. Her other hand had her fingers interlaced with his, and she could tell he was also holding her down a bit. However, she found herself strangely nervous. They hadn't done this in months, and her body had changed... Milena bit her lip, trying to ease down and not think about it, but as Rayan went down her belly, she couldn't help it. "Rayan, I'm not the same, you know. I had the twins, and..."

"My Love," she heard him sigh. "Unless you grew anything extra I might replace down there, I think I'll be alright."

She laughed, helplessly, to his joke. At least, he did a good job of making her relax, and Milena gasped in surprise when she felt her husband between her legs. He was definitely gentler than before... Even his coarse hands on her bare skin were much more careful than usual, taking into account the smallest shiver of her skin, caressing her endlessly, making sure she felt well. After a few deep breaths, Milena finally relaxed, and let go, focusing on her growing pleasure. Things did feel different... but it was still Rayan with her. Her husband, so brutal yet gentle, so dangerous and caring. He was so much, everything she loved, and she wanted him more and more as they went. She didn't even let him finish what he was doing down there. She pulled him up, in need of his kisses, and hugged her husband.

"I missed you," he whispered against her lips. "You have no idea... I missed you, I missed you, I missed you..."

He kept repeating it, so much, that Milena felt her tears come back. She was a mess inside, but she was echoing his despair so strongly it felt like her own. She just wanted to feel him. Her husband, in her arms, his breathing, his body, his hoarse voice against her ear. She didn't care if it hurt. Nothing was as painful as what they had gone through being apart for so long. It didn't matter at all.

"...Slowly, alright?" He whispered against her cheek. "We're going slow."

He kept to his word, and penetrated her, incredibly slowly. Milena felt her whole body react anyway. She hadn't thought it would be so intense, but her whole body trembled, and she gasped loudly, tightening around him. He chuckled, and kissed her cheek, caressed her hair, as if trying to soothe her.

"Almost like our first night," he chuckled.

"Shut up," she pouted, embarrassed.

"It's alright," he whispered, kissing her cheek again.

Who knew her body would betray her like this? Milena was confused about her own sensations. He began moving, slowly, and she felt almost grateful with how familiar that rubbing inside was. Even if she didn't recognize her own body, she knew his by heart. His size, his length, and the way he filled her, the way he breathed in and out as he moved inside. She focused on getting used to it again, while Rayan found a calm rhythm, slow but regular. She heard his breathing, and knew that, even if this wasn't like what they were used to, he enjoyed it too. What had he called it? A dog in rut... Well, it seemed even this kind of slow love-making was enough to satisfy the wolf for now. She caressed his nape, his back, provoking him to accelerate a bit with her hands. It was probably the most tame love-making they had ever done since their first night indeed. They were almost kissing more than they were having s*x. Still, Milena found herself strangely satisfied and happy with it, and she could tell her husband was, too. They were taking it slow, like rediscovering each other's body, not losing an inch of the other, exchanging countless kisses and caresses, mixing their breaths, smiling against each other's lips. It was as if time had slowed in the room, and was only following the slow movement of Rayan's hips. Milena wrapped her legs around his, their bodies as close as possible, and touched his b**t with her free hand, making his shudder.

"Easy Lady," he groaned. "That's sensitive stuff..."

"I know."

Milena took even more pleasure caressing him, and as a retribution, he caressed her breasts, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "... We should have kids more often," he chuckled, his eyes going down on her new size.

"You're not the one giving birth to them," she protested.

"Fair enough... But we sure are working hard at making them. What should we aim for next? A third one? Or should we do another two at once..."

She chuckled again, but slapped his butt as a warning. She was not ready to go through the hell of pregnancy again, and the mere idea of having another set of twins was terrifying. Thankfully, her husband was merely joking, and soon enough, they resumed their kissing, his waist accelerating a little. He wasn't going fast, but Milena felt something in her triggered at that new rhythm. She breathed louder, and opened her legs a bit wider, welcoming him in with faint moans. He kissed her cheeks and jawline some more. "Your voice... I love it..."

She couldn't control herself. She felt her body respond, more and more, to his thrusts, the heat gathering in her lower abdomen, making her cry out, in pleasure, for more. Rayan was happy to pick up the pace. She heard him groan and breathe louder as well, his hand pushing hers further down in the mattress.

"Ha... Milena... ..."

She suddenly cried out, the sensations exploding in her. She couldn't tell if she really had come or not, but she was satisfied with this, for now. Rayan kept going less than a minute longer, before he found his own release, and let out a long sigh of relief, letting himself fall by her side. Milena chuckled, and rolled to the side, until he let her head rest on his shoulder. Then, he kissed her forehead.

"One day," he said. "One day I'll win an argument against you..."

"I'll let you believe that," she chuckled. "...Thank you."

"I love when you say thank you for my s****l performance; Not my best, but next time, I'll surely..."

"Not this, you silly man," she grunted, slapping his chest. "For comforting me... And going along with my wishes."

"I'll be happy with any whim you want to throw at me," he smiled. "Not just the ones that involve s*x... When it's just you and I, at the very least, we should be free to be honest with ourselves and each other. The world out there can keep spitting lies and faking bows. I don't want to have to lie to my wife, and I want to know everything about you. I promised I'd never betray you, and I mean that in every single way."

"... Me too," she smiled.

For a little while, they simply laid down, in silence. Neither of them fell back asleep, but they were happy to cuddle and caress each other, exchange gentle kisses, and play with their fingers. After a while, Milena rolled to lean on her husband's chest, her chin on her hands, a little smile on.

"...I can't wait for all this to be over," she said. "So that we can finally be reunited, you and I, with our children."

A smile immediately appeared on Rayan's lips at the mention of their twins.

"Me too. I want to succeed everywhere my parents f****d up," he said. "I want to be a good father to them... I don't want them to ever need to rival each other."

"Maybe just for academics," Milena muttered.

"No," Rayan shook his head. "Let our children grow and be free. I've learned one thing, the less you try to control a kid, the better they grow up."

"You're the one who skipped every lesson and kept running away," Milena frowned. "I don't want to have a pair of runaways."

"If they take after their mom we should be alright," he chuckled. "Plus, we'll make it so they don't have to worry too much... But I want them to grow close. As close as possible. If we manage to have more, too, let's make sure all our children get along." Milena smiled, and nodded. She knew what he meant. Rayan had grown up with a terrible rivalry with his twin, while she had been raised in a loving family, with three older brothers who loved her. She wanted to give that to their children. She wasn't sure they'd succeed in having more children, but there was no doubt they'd try... Either way, Milena would be happy as long as their family got to stay close to each other.

Time passed, slowly but surely in their bedroom. Both of them were ignoring the light gradually lessening behind the window but, the afternoon slowly was getting to its end, and the promise of the battle was coming. Milena let out a long sigh, and the two of them sat up together, exchanging another kiss. Rayan gently rubbed her cheek, a confident look in his red eyes. "Ready for one last battle?"

"Don't you dare die," she whispered.

"I wouldn't dare disobey my Queen."

They exchanged another kiss, and left the bed, leaving behind that glimpse of happiness.