Alaric's POV
I cradled him gently in my arms, his small, pliant body still trembling faintly from the aftermath of our passion. His lips were kiss-bruised and red, glistening with the remnants of my release. A ribbon of it slipped from the corner of his mouth, catching the morning light filtering in through the curtains. I wiped it away tenderly with my thumb before placing a soft kiss to his temple.
His breathing was shallow but steady he had passed out not from exhaustion alone, but from sheer surrender. I carried him to the shower, easing him under the warm stream of the shower, letting the water wash away what we had done, but never the memory of it. His head lolled weakly against my shoulder, his skin slick and glowing under the cascade. My chest tightened with a feeling I barely understood. Possession. Reverence. Love? I know for sure that I love him.
