She moved closer. They were finally alone.
He turned toward her and drew her into his arms. A kiss followed, but it wasn’t like anything he’d known before. Maeve was a first for him. His alpha-wolf was at the fore, but beneath were his growing warlock senses.
He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. With his left hand, he held her loosely across her shoulders. He kept kissing her.
His alpha drive took over. He knew he was releasing a flood of his bonding scent, but he couldn’t help it. Everything within his soul and his body wanted her, wanted to make her his own, now and forever.
She drew back. “Braden, what is this?”
“What do you mean?” He tried to kiss her again but she pulled away just enough to plant a hand on his chest.
“I’m sorry, Maeve. I…want, no I need to bond with you.”
She stared at him, her lips parted. Tears touched her eyes. “Even after what happened with Laura, you want to bond with me?” She sounded stunned.
“Well, yes.”
She laughed, then she slung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.You are the most remarkable man I have ever known.
Maeve.
She parted her lips and he drove his tongue inside. He was trembling. His wolfness was taking over.I can’t control this, Maeve. If you don’t want to bond with me, I’d better leave now.
He drew back and released her. He shook with need, head-to-toe. His cheeks kept elongating.
But she didn’t leave, instead she picked Sheba up off the bed, went to the bedroom door and gently pushed her outside. Sheba meowed, but to Braden’s ears, it sounded like approval.
Maeve closed the door and turned to face him. “So, how do we do this, wolf, because I’m all in.”
Braden levitated swiftly toward her, picked her up and carried her to the bed. He levitated as he tore her clothes from her body. He then stripped faster than lightning out of his own.
Maeve laughed the whole time and the sound was a symphony to his wolf’s ears. She would never fully shift, but she sprouted a thin layer of red fur on the backs of her hands and along the sides of her cheeks.
When he had her on her back, he jumped on top, part wolf part man.
She reached up and stroked his face, digging her nails into his fur.Will you bond with me, Maeve? Will you be my alpha-female? Will you serve the Landing Pack as you’ve served them for months already?
She didn’t answer right away, but he saw a rim of gold around her light blue eyes. Even her cheeks had elongated wolf-style. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
She stroked his fur with her fingers and looked at him.You’re beautiful as a wolf, Braden.
He waited, his body tense. If she didn’t verbally agree to the bond, he’d have to take a cold shower. Maybe an ice bath. Then he’d have to leave, take up a room in the shifters’ quarters.
But her wolf-features softened so that she smiled. “Of course, I’ll bond with you. You are the man I want, the wolf I desire, and more than anything in the world, you’re the future I know that’s right for me.”
His own wolfness eased back. His fur disappeared as well.
In this moment, he was more man than wolf. “I vow to do everything in my power to bring a portion of happiness into your life. Our work has only just begun. I never thought my path would take me permanently here to Elegance, but together we’ll scour the Graveyard every night and hunt down dark covens and free those enslaved by dark spells.”
She caressed his neck, his shoulders, his chest. He loved the feel of her hands on him. “And I vow to love you, to ease you, to be your burrow-mate for now and always. Thank you for coming to Elegance and being willing to stay. I will be your partner in everything.”
“So, you’ll bond with me.”
“I will.”
He let his wolf swell over him once more. His scent poured from his body and enveloped her. He remained in his fully human form as he kissed her and entered her. His mark was already there. The bond sealed the mark and made it permanent. No other wolf would come near her without knowing she belonged only to him.
It seemed odd that at the very moment he was most wolf, he felt more human than he had in a long time. He made love to her, taking her to the heights repeatedly.
