✔ The Way We Burn || Kol Mikaelson (Complete)

Chapter 8

Kissing Nora felt like magic. The rush, the thrill, the wild fire burning and threatening to consume him. And gods, the electricity shooting through him. His body was alit, humming, and Kol wanted nothing more than to lose himself into her, to delve into her and never let her go. Releasing her wrists, he cradled her face and tilted her head to deepen the kiss, his hold on her firm and unyielding.

She thrust her hands into his hair, her fingers burying themselves into his locks and pulling him down. She parted her lips with a sigh of relief. Her whole body was pressed up against him and his soaked clothes, the damn fabric being the only things between them. He could feel all of her, her breasts against his chest, her erect nipples, her stomach muscles clenching.

There was nothing soft or delicate in their embrace. It was wild and hard. She bit his tongue and he replied in kind. She lifted herself up thanks to the water, wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed his head down her neck and he trailed down her collar bone with his tongue and teeth. He nibbled at the skin under his lips, bruised it, marked it as his.

He craved her, he realized as they locked eyes, and she wasn't close enough. She could never be close enough. His hands slid down her body, grazing her breast and he listened to her whimpers with relish. He grabbed her butt and yanked her closer, pushed her into him, his fingers digging into her flesh. He groaned, feeling the heat of her core through his pants.

Suddenly, she pulled strongly on his hair, forcing him to tilt his head back, and dragged her lips to his jaw. Her fingers left his hair and stroke his neck, her nails deliciously scratching his skin.

She gasped his name and the word had never sounded better than when it left her half open mouth, her cheeks red while she gazed at him through lidded eyes. Her wet hair clung to her face, the water running along her bare skin, sliding down her breasts. Seeing those water drops suddenly made him aware of his surroundings. Here they were, being intimate in a pond after a quarrel. Once again, he was reminded that Nora was neither his wife nor his betrothed. As much as he wanted her, she deserved better than to be taken in the wood like a common whore.

As his eyes took in her every features, the fire inside him cooled, leaving only a warm feeling. His thumb stroke her cheek and he kissed her forehead. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, almost as an afterthought as inwardly he was pondering on how to make things right.

"I want you Kol," she whimpered, her breath short and her heart beating fast. "I need you."

A soft smile appeared on his face and he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "It please me to hear that Darling, because I want you too. Very much." Relief sprang through her and she gripped his outer clothes to pull him closer. He stopped her and cupped her face. "But I want to do right by you Nora."

He really did. And he knew the right step, the proper thing to do, would be to marry her. He cared for her, deeply, and knew the feeling was entirely mutual. Maybe it was love, maybe it wasn't. He didn't really know, as love was quite uncommon amongst his people and rarely - if never - taken into account for a wedding. A weakness, his father always said to describe the sentiment. But then again, Kol was pretty sure the man didn't even know what the word meant. All in all, love was something he had only felt for his siblings and what he felt for Nora was completely different - thank you very much. There was no need to know what he truly felt for Nora to wed her though, especially when marrying her meant she would be able to integrate the village.

Although it was rather uncommon for foreigners to do so otherwise than as a slave, it wasn't unprecedented. His mother, for example, had been taken from her own people during a raid. Her marriage with Mikael saved her from a life of slavery.