His head dropped back, mouth open on a moan. Dante sucked, and Ollie swore his wrist and cock were connected. Tingles wound down his spine. His balls ached. He groaned and rolled his hips, unable to hold back.
No wonder this was usually sexual.
But Dante didn’t respond to Ollie’s rocking hips. He remained painfully still, except for the bobbing of his throat as he sucked on Ollie’s wrist. Even his eyes were closed.
Ollie forced himself to stop moving. He couldn’t hump Dante like a horny animal.
But it didn’t help. The lack of friction didn’t stop the pleasure winding tight inside him. Dante’s still hands felt like fire on his skin.
“Dante,” Ollie whispered in warning. Or was he begging for more? He wasn’t sure. Much longer, and it wouldn’t matter if Ollie was rubbing against Dante or not. His balls drew tight.
How was he about to come from Dante drinking his blood?
Dante released Ollie’s wrist, and the bite closed so fast that Ollie’s brows flew up, knocking him out of his lust-induced daze. Part of Ollie still couldn’t believe magic was real or that Dante had healed him, but seeing his wound disappear banished his uncertainty.
Soft pants brought Ollie’s attention back to Dante, who gave him a shy, unsteady smile. “We’re mates.”
“We are.” Ollie grinned back. He could feel the change inside him. All the uncanniness had dissolved, leaving no doubtthis was all real. He hadn’t died. He felt more alive than he ever had.
He wanted to rip the towels away and beg Dante to fuck him, then fuck Dante in turn until they were both dripping with cum.
But that wasn’t what friends did. Under normal circumstances, Ollie wouldn’t even be sitting on Dante’s lap. The lines he’d drawn weren’t arbitrary.
Ollie’s erection deflated as all the reasons he’d kept Dante at a distance crashed through him. He needed space. Needed to remember he was his own person, with his own priorities. But was he? He was linked to Dante. Via magic. How had he not realized what that meant until now?
A connection like this could consume Ollie. It already had. His feelings weren’t his own. His urges confused him. Who was he? He didn’t get horny over blood play. How could he live like this and not get lost in Dante’s world?
“Hey.” Dante shifted Ollie off his lap and onto the couch. “It’s all right.”
Oh shit, Dante could tell Ollie was freaking out. He could feel Ollie’s emotions. Practically read his mind. Dante could influence him without even trying.
“The bond is what we make it, Ollie.” Dante repeated his earlier words much more firmly. “I’m not asking any more of you than I did this morning.”
Fuck, he could tell exactly where Ollie’s thoughts had gone. “You might not be asking, but this isn’t something that happens between normal friends, Dante. You know what I’m thinking.”
“We’ll learn to close off that part of the connection. Think of it like meditating or clearing your mind. We’ll practice, and it’ll become second nature. You won’t have to share more than you want to.” Dante seemed one hundred percent confident it was that simple, his conviction lending calmto the situation.
Ollie needed to relax. Take this one step at a time.
He took a deep, shuddering breath to clear his head, but it didn’t work. None of this worked. Dante’s calming presence dulled Ollie’s worry but couldn’t banish it. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be your mate even though I don’t date or do relationships?”
“Yes,” Dante said vehemently, looking unblinking into Ollie’s eyes. “Our bond can be platonic. It’s ours. It suits us, not the other way around.”
“You won’t regret bonding with me?” What would happen if Dante met someone he’d rather be mates with? This wasn’t like marriage. There was no divorce.
Shit, he was more than married. To Dante. As friends.
“I won’t regret this.” Dante sounded so sure Ollie almost believed him. “How could I? I’d never let you die.”
“Okay.” Ollie tried for a light smile like his pulse wasn’t pounding. How was Dante this understanding and accommodating? “Don’t tell Dex, but you might be my best friend now.”
Dante returned his smile. “He can still be your best friend. Being mated doesn’t change your other relationships.”
Ollie supposed he couldn’t tell Dex any of this regardless. None of his friends would believe him. Except, apparently, Harper. Which reminded him. “What were you saying about Harper? With…Lucifer?” The name tasted bad on his tongue, sending a jolt of fear through him.
Dante’s smile faded. “There’s a lot to tell you. Harper is a witch—a person who possesses magic. He’s Ash’s mate.”
“They mated? Like did the bond?” Harper’s relationship had gone even faster than Ollie had realized.
