Sam’s forehead creased. “You are my fated mate. It is natural for you to calm me.”
“No. Ultimately, you have to learn to calm yourself.”
Sam leaned back, trying to understand her meaning. He wanted to sing when she had saidI want to be with you, but he knew he had totread carefully at that moment. “My love, I have been trying to calm myself for over twenty years. Yet I’ve never felt more in control than when I’m with you.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, but I’m not the solution you think I am.”
“That first time at the Padu when I was about to lose control, it was your touch that brought me back. It was our bond.”
“It may have played a part, but I believe the fated mate bond helps us develop new strengths from each other.”
“How so?”
“I’ve been more in touch with my anger since being with you, and I feel like I’m not such a pushover anymore. You helped bring that out in me, and I’m grateful. Maybe I bring out the calm you already have inside of you.”
He rubbed his chin, considering. Was it foolish of him to assume that claiming his fated mate would solve all of his problems? Once, it was unthinkable that he would release his burning desire for vengeance against Zaybris. Yet, he had made peace with his defeat. He had also assumed his demonic instincts would run wild without Selene, but he had kept control. Even when he believed she was dead.
He looked into her eyes and saw yearning there. She wanted to be with him. Yet she would not accept being anything less than an equal partner. In a flash, he understood her plea. She believed he only valued her for her calming presence, not for who she was.
“Selene, I didn’t say I need you because I want you to balance my instincts,” he said slowly. “I said I need you because I love being with you.”
He stood up and came around the table toward her. Bending to one knee, he took her hands and said, “I need you because I’m in love with you. I need you because I don’t ever want to leave your side.”
Selene’s face bloomed into a smile.
He kissed her knuckles. “You don’t have to help me manage my instincts. You don’t have to be anything to me but yourself. I’m sorryfor lying to you and betraying your trust. I have spent countless nights thinking of what I should have done differently. I will never stop regretting how callous I was with your feelings in my plans for our future. It was agony to be without you.”
Her eyes sparkled. “I missed you too. Everything in my life back home felt so meaningless. I saw how I’ve always tried to be what other people needed, but I’ve never done that for myself.”
Sam reached out to stroke a lock of hair that had escaped her bun. “I want you to be the personyouneed for yourself. And I want to be the type of mate you want. The one you deserve.”
She cupped his cheek and said, “Thank you, Sam.”
“Please stay. Let me prove it to you,” he said. “I love you.”
Her smile widened. “I love you, too.” Dropping her face close to his, she kissed him.
When her lips met his, it was as if lightning had struck them both. Instantly, his arms banded around her, pulling her off the chair. Tremors reverberated through his body, sending shock waves of feeling to every nerve. He palmed the back of her head, and she straddled his waist.
Without warning, the shadows came bounding toward them from every direction. They surrounded them both, cocooning them in tingly mist. He continued to kiss Selene, reveling in her taste. The feel of her tongue dancing against his. The warmth of her body pressed against him, and the scent of her hair and skin. The shadows grew and intensified until he realized it wasn’t mist surrounding them… it was magic.
The mating bond.
Her words and kiss had made it shimmer over them both like the sparkle of starlight. He felt a pull in his chest as the connection snapped into place. The ache of loneliness that had followed him his entire life was replaced with a powerful sensation of belonging. Then as quickly as they came, the shadows dispersed.
Selene pulled back to look into his eyes. Her expression was awedand gratified. He stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes, absorbing the magnitude of what had just happened.
“I think I just claimed my mate,” Selene said, smiling.
He nodded and squeezed her to him tighter. Now that the mating bond was truly in place, he understood Selene’s point about their strengths complementing each other. He brought fire and ferocity to her while she gave him peace and restfulness. The feelings of elation after he believed he had claimed her in the cave were nothing compared to what he felt at that moment. It was bliss. Joy. Peace. Satisfaction. Fulfillment.
They kissed again for several moments, and although Sam was grateful for the privacy Eldridge and Brunie had given them, he was anxious to get more private with her in his newly appointed room. Keeping her legs wrapped around him, he cupped her thighs and stood.
“I built a room for myself upstairs, but we don’t have to live there,” he said while climbing the stairs to the loft. “We can build a house of our own or go back to Queen Thema’s. I want to go wherever you go.”
“Sam, we don’t have to stay in Aurelia.”
Gently, he laid her on his bed then frowned. “What do you mean? Do you wish to go back home to Gaia?”
“No. I want to visit there, of course. But… ” Selene began to twirl the traveler's stone between her fingers. “We have a lot more options now.”
His eyebrows rose. “I see.”
“You know how I’ve always wanted to travel.”
“I remember. Where would you like to go first?”
The way her blue eyes sparkled made Sam feel weightless. Complete. Smiling up at him, she said, “Let’s go to the Underworld.”
THE END
