Kneeling beside the couch, I drew her finger out, running my tongue around it so I could taste her. Sweet. So very, very sweet.
She ran her hand beneath my shirt and guided it above my head. Just as I unbuttoned my jeans, she ran the heel of her palm against my cock.
“Teddy,” I said on another hiss.
Goosebumps trailed over her fevered skin, and she shivered.
Once I removed my pants, I crawled to her, hovering over her gorgeous body and taking her in. She stroked my cock, edging it toward her entrance and moaning when I slipped inside her.
I rested my palm against her chest, where I felt the erratic rhythm of her heartbeat.
“I don’t want you to take it easy on me.” Her words came out as a breathy whisper, making the air around us thicken with an animalistic energy that pounded through me with insatiable hunger. She gripped my ass and pulled me toward her. “I want you to fuck me, Elias. Fuck me like you own me.”
I knew what she was offering and why she was offering it. Even without our connection, my soul-bound mate knew me and knew I needed to lose myself inside her and find the release I only found with her.
I slammed into her hard, making the couch move. She moaned, digging her fingers and nails tighter against me.
“Again,” she breathed out.
I thrust into her harder. “I do own you, just as you own me.”
With each hard, fast thrust, I fucked her, telling her how much I craved her. With each biting kiss, I told her the waysshe owned me. With each held gaze, I told her how much I adored her.
Her breathing grew turbulent as her cheeks flushed with her mounting pleasure. Just as I smelled her arousal, I brought my hand to her thighs and rubbed my thumb over her sensitive clit, sending her over the edge. Beneath me, she moaned my name, so I pressed my lips to hers to steal it from her.
“Fuck,” she shouted, her body trembling as she came. “Elias, fuck.”
My muscles tensed as pleasure speared through me in a hot burst, coming hard and fast while she continued to shake beneath me. I lost myself inside her, wave after wave that crashed through me while I moaned out her name.
I pacedthe expanse of our front yard while George circled me. His canines were pulled as low as mine. Anger emanated from every limb while his black eyes shone with betrayal.
Nalari stood to the side, watching us carefully but never intruding in my thoughts. I didn’t know whether she felt my decision had been foolish or selfish since she hadn’t voiced her opinion yet. While I expected her to, it felt as though she wouldn’t.
I wasn’t sure if it was because she no longer saw herself as my Guardian or because she respected that it was my choice to make.
“Did you bother thinking about the repercussions?” he asked, his deep voice carrying over the whipping wind.
“Which part?” I asked, my tone low as I snarled inwarning. “The repercussions of tying my life span to Teddy’s or losing my magic to save Donnie’s life?”
“Either. Both.”
“No,” I answered honestly. “The only thought that filtered through my mind was the torment of spending hundreds of years without Teddy.”
“This . . .” He braced his fists up as he continued circling me.
I steadied my feet while I waited him out. I didn’t mind fighting him. We’d done it plenty of times in our youth. It’d been an effortless way to release tension and anger, made simpler since we’d both been able to heal ourselves.
I no longer had that luxury, yet I wouldn’t back away from a fight. Not with George. If he needed his fists to speak the words that swarmed his mind, I’d oblige him. Then maybe, hopefully, we could move on.
“This is madness, Elias,” he said, shaking his head. “Surely, you see the madness in this.”
I dropped my hands, letting my shoulders slump forward. “What’s madness is living a life without Teddy. I can’t. I can’t do it, George.”
“Brent has lived most of his life without his mate so she could be happy,” George said. “For decades, Everly and I ignored our bond because of our allegiance to the crown. But you . . . you couldn’t think past it enough to consider the lives your decision would damage.”
“That’s the thing.” Energy built inside me, needing release, so I started pacing again. “You, Everly, and Brenton have had years of learning how to grow into and control this natural connection. I’ve had months. Mere months, when we’ve been apart, and her life has been endangered too many times.”
“Then you shouldn’t have saved Donnie.” He tipped his chin up, narrowing his eyes at me. “You shouldn’t have traded anything for him and should have let him die. You saved one life but hurt even more.”
