My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 73

Sera

My thighs rubbed together as I walked, smearing my own wetness across the dark cotton of my underwear.

Fenris did not slow down. He kept his heavy grip on my upper arm, pulling me down the stone corridor away from the Great Hall. The muffled roar of the pack faded behind the thick walls. My heart hammered violently against my ribs. My breathing was ragged.

I was completely ready. I wanted him to push me against the stone wall. I wanted him to tear the leather laces off my pants and finish exactly what he started under that heavy oak table. My clitoris throbbed with a heavy, localized ache. Every step I took sent a sharp spike of friction straight into my core.

We reached the central staircase. I stepped toward the winding stone steps that led up to his private den.

Fenris pulled me the other way.

"Where are we going?" I asked. My voice sounded entirely wrecked.

"Outside," he replied.

He didn't explain. He dragged me down a narrow, dark hallway I had never seen before. We reached a solid iron door at the very end. He threw the heavy latch open and pushed me through.

The freezing mountain air slammed into my flushed skin. It felt like walking into a wall of solid ice. I gasped, wrapping my arms around my chest. The contrast between the suffocating heat of the Great Hall and the biting cold of the northern night was absolute.

We were standing in a narrow gorge behind the main keep. High walls of sheer black rock blocked out the wind.

I followed him. My boots crunched loudly on the frozen dirt. I tried to ignore the agonizing, unsatisfied ache between my legs. We walked for ten minutes, venturing deeper into the natural fissure in the mountain. The air grew surprisingly warmer. The sharp, biting cold began to recede.

I inhaled.

I smelled wet earth. I smelled crushed leaves and blooming night-flowers.

"How is that possible?" I muttered.

Fenris stepped out of the narrow gorge. We entered a wide, sunken pocket in the mountain.

It was a massive, thriving garden. The ground was covered in thick, lush green grass. Tall, leafy trees formed a canopy overhead, blocking the snow entirely. The air was incredibly humid. Small, bubbling pools of water sat among the rocks, emitting thick clouds of steam. The thermal heat from the deep mountain springs kept the entire caldera perfectly warm, creating an impossible oasis right in the middle of a frozen wasteland.

"My brother made this place," Fenris said. He stopped walking and let go of my arm.

I rubbed my bicep, staring at the vibrant green vines crawling up the black stone walls.

"He tended to it," Fenris continued, his voice dropping in volume. "These were his children. He spent hours down here digging in the dirt. If you looked for Dimitri around the fortress and couldn't find him, you just came here. He was always here."

Fenris paused. The silence stretched out. I watched his broad shoulders stiffen. He looked like a man bracing himself against a physical blow.

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