Chapter 101: Its been a while, pirate queen - 2

When she came this time, it was with a broken, sobbing cry of his name, her body arching violently off the bed, her inner walls clamping down around him so tightly it dragged him over the edge with her. Jake groaned deeply, burying himself to the hilt as he spilled inside her in hot, pulsing waves, his body shuddering with the force of his release.

They stayed locked together for several long moments, both breathing hard, sweat-slicked skin pressed close.

Jake slowly lowered her legs and leaned down to kiss her—slow, deep, and tender now that the urgency had passed.

Elise kissed him back with equal tenderness, her hands sliding up to cup his face, her thumbs brushing over his cheekbones.

"I missed this," she whispered against his lips, her voice soft and sated.

"I missed you." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Jake smiled against her mouth, his hand gently stroking her hair.

"Then don’t wait so long next time."

"Come to me whenever you feel like you need a f*cking."

He eased out of her carefully and gathered her into his arms, carrying her properly onto the bed. They lay together in the warm tangle of sheets, her head on his chest, his fingers tracing idle patterns on her bare shoulder.

The candlelight flickered softly around them, casting dancing shadows on the carved dragon pillars of the bed.

Elise traced a finger over the faint glow of the dragon mark on his chest.

"I really did come here with something important to tell you," she murmured sleepily.

"But... I seem to have forgotten what it was."

Jake chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Then it can wait until morning."

She smiled against his skin, her body relaxing fully into his.

"Good. Because right now... I don’t think I can remember my own name."

Jake’s arms tightened around her, protective and possessive all at once.

The night was far from over, and the complications of the world outside these chambers—the reincarnated gods, the political intrigues, and the lingering shadows of the pirate queen and the noble houses—could wait.

For now, there was only the warmth of skin against skin, the quiet satisfaction of two bodies that had found each other again, and the promise of whatever new angles and new pleasures the rest of the night might bring.

***

The next day, Elise had gotten herself busy with learning about the clan. She wanted to know more about the Raikarndel, so she can be of help to Jake.

While Rosa and Chelsea were busy with the household work. Especially, Chelsea was indulged in it, taking care of the food and other things—all of those things to prepare for Jake. So he wouldn’t get short on anything.

Meanwhile in the private courtyard at the rear of Raaya Villa had been transformed into a sanctuary of steam and stone under the deepening evening sky.

High walls of pale marble, veined with faint traces of gold that caught the last rays of sunset, enclosed the space completely, ensuring absolute privacy.

Dragon Maidens stood guard at the single arched entrance and along the upper parapets, their armored forms silhouetted against the twilight, their presence a silent testament to the new lord’s growing power and the constant need for vigilance in a world where gods plucked souls from distant Earth and cast them into this realm as their chosen agents.

The air was thick with the mineral-rich scent of the natural hot springs Jake had claimed and refined upon his arrival—steaming pools fed by underground veins that carried the faint, ancient heat of this bloodline.

Torches flickered in iron sconces carved with coiling serpents, casting dancing shadows across the water’s surface and the smooth, heated stone ledges that ringed the largest pool.

Jake sat submerged to his chest in the largest basin, the hot water lapping gently at his skin, easing the deep aches from days of relentless combat and political maneuvering.

His powerful frame leaned back against the carved stone edge, arms resting along the rim, head tilted slightly as he let the heat seep into his muscles.

His dark hair was damp and tousled, water droplets tracing paths down his broad chest and the hard planes of his abdomen. His eyes were half-lidded in relaxation.

The hot springs were his sanctuary, a place where he could wash away the blood and salt and scheme in solitude.

The heavy wooden door at the courtyard’s entrance creaked open, and Raani entered with purposeful strides, a rolled parchment in one hand.

She was still in her Dragon Maiden armor, the black scale-mail clinging to her athletic frame, the silver dragon insignia on her breastplate catching the torchlight. Her dark hair was braided tightly back, revealing the sharp lines of her face and the faint scar along her jaw.

She had come with urgent news from the scouts—movement along the western borders, whispers of unrest among the houses that had scorned Jake at the council—but the moment her golden eyes landed on him, she froze mid-step.

Jake was half-submerged, the steaming water lapping just below his chest, but the angle and the gentle ripples made it impossible to miss the rest of him.

His body was on full display in the low light: the powerful lines of his shoulders and arms, the defined ridges of muscle across his torso, and lower, where the water’s surface did little to conceal the heavy, limp length of his cock resting against his thigh.

Raani’s cheeks flushed hot, a deep crimson spreading across her sun-bronzed skin.

She had seen him in battle, in council, in moments of command, but this—this raw, unguarded masculinity—struck her like a physical blow. Her grip on the parchment tightened, and for the first time in years of iron discipline, words failed her.

Jake turned his head at the sound of her entrance, water sluicing off his shoulder as he shifted slightly. His eyes met hers, calm and assessing, a faint smile touching his lips at her obvious discomfort.

"Raani," he said, his voice low and steady, carrying easily across the steaming water.

"What is it?"

She opened her mouth and closed it again. Her golden eyes flicked downward involuntarily before she forced them back to his face, but the damage was done.

The image of him—naked, relaxed, utterly unashamed—was burned into her mind. Her cheeks burned hotter.

She had faced charging beasts and enemy blades without flinching, yet standing here, watching water droplets trace paths down the hard lines of his body and linger on the impressive length between his legs, her usually sharp focus scattered like leaves in a storm.

Because she was infatuated with him, she saw him as the ultimate being in her life and the one above all, and the fact that she was seeing him in such a form made it difficult for her. If it had been another man, she wouldn’t even linger for a second.

"I... the scouts..." she began, then faltered again. Her voice, normally crisp and commanding, came out softer, almost hesitant.

"There is movement near the western passes. There were four of your siblings moving south. There had been talk about you... they may be testing the borders after your arrival."

Jake studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable at first, then softening into something more knowing.

He could see the way her eyes kept drifting despite her efforts, the way her posture—always so straight and warrior-proud—had shifted ever so slightly, as if she were fighting the urge to look away... or look longer.

Slowly, deliberately, he rose from the water.

The hot springs cascaded off his body in rivulets, steam rising from his skin as he stepped onto the heated stone ledge. Water streamed down the powerful contours of his chest, down the hard ridges of his abdomen, and lower still, where his cock—still heavy and impressive even in its relaxed state—swayed slightly with the movement.

He made no move to cover himself.

He simply stood there, letting the evening breeze kiss his wet skin, watching Raani’s reaction with quiet intensity.

Her breath caught audibly.

The flush on her cheeks deepened to a vivid rose, spreading down her neck and disappearing beneath the high collar of her armor. Her golden eyes widened, then darted away, only to return despite herself.

She had seen men before—warriors in the training yards, wounded soldiers she had tended—but never like this. Never with this particular man who carried the blood of Raaya and the confidence of someone who had lived more than one lifetime.

Her usually iron discipline cracked, and for several heartbeats she could only stand there, parchment forgotten in her hand, her body betraying her with the heat pooling low in her belly and the rapid flutter of her pulse.

Jake stepped closer, water still dripping from his hair and shoulders, his presence filling the space between them.

He stopped just an arm’s length away, close enough that she could feel the residual warmth radiating from his skin.