When he bites my neck, the first thing I feel is the piercing of his fangs in my flesh. To keep from screaming as a third orgasm detonates within me, I decide that if he’s biting me, I’m biting him. So, I do. I lean in and bite down on him in the same place—hard—and he releases me on a roar. He’s growing even harder and more swollen within me. He still looks at me lasciviously, but with a hint of confusion, then surprise overtakes his gaze. Surprise that must be mirrored on my own face because . . . something is happening.
I look at my body, expecting to see a cheesy cartoon glimmering string of light to be surrounding us based on the sensations coursing through my body and across my skin. When it rolls up and over my head, I release a heavy breath I didn’t realize I was holding. When my eyes meet his, there’s a solidifying kind of twang feeling between us . . . within me? I can’t explain what’s happening, but if I had to guess, that’s what he was referring to as our bond.
17
Kodi
Holy shit that was amazing. Are you okay?I ask Anya through our mind link for the first time.
She jolts where she lays under me, eyes locking on mine. “Did you just—”
Nodding, I cut her off.Try it. It’s part of our bond.
Her entire face scrunches in concentration.Um, hello?
I can’t help but laugh.I hear you loud and clear.
“That’s incredible!” she squeals in happiness and excitement. It’s rippling off her in bubbly streams, and its hands down one of my new favorite feelings—her happiness.
Reigning my thoughts in, “Are you okay though?” I move a little, still knotted inside of her and she hisses, her head tilting back.
“I think so. How long willthislast?” She waves between us where we are still very much locked together.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I answer her honestly. “Well, since you’re my mate and I’ve never done this before, I’m not certain.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” She blushes and I can’t help but touch her, laying my hand on the side of her face.
I nuzzle her nose with mine. “I love you, Anya. Thank you for taking this chance with me. I promise to always be the best mate that I can be. You may just have to keep me in line, tell me what you need. I want to make sure you’re always happy and taken care of, Anirniq.”
The words pass my lips before I can catch them. I’ve been tossing around fun names and calling her whatever fits the situation. But this one. This is it.
Her eyes gloss over as she stares at me, her mouth hanging open just a bit. “What does that mean?”
I haven’t spoken any of the languages from back home in so long, but it just slipped out. With my father being the Arctic guardian, it’s imperative that he be able to speak with all manner of humans and shifters, not only the languages he may need in Alaska, but also the majority of the far Northern Hemisphere.
As the son of the guardian and heir to the responsibility, I had been taught a number of languages as naturally as I was taught English.
I gently push her bright auburn hair back behind one of her ears. “It means soul, Anya. Youaremy soul.”
Tears trickle down her cheeks and she pulls me in for the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had in my life. There’s no urgency. Just her soft lips on mine flooding me with the love she’s drowning us in.
“I don’t think I’ve ever really been loved before, Kodi. You’re all I’ve got.” Her sniffles are killing me, but her words make me want to be everything she’s ever deserved. I hate that she’s been so alone her whole life.
“Well, I’m here now. You’ll never be alone again.” I promise.
It’s at that moment that the swelling starts to go down enough that I’m able to slide out of Anya and crash beside her on the bed. When she props herself up on her hand, with her elbow resting on the bed, her smile morphs into a gasp as she points at me, then runs her fingers along my trap muscle, eliciting a groan from me.
My head whips to the side to see what she sees, and I don’t believe it. I didn’t know it could be done. Apparently, when my feisty little mate decided to bite me, she left her own mark. A scar-like, white wreath of snowflakes, one where each of her teeth pierced my flesh, adorns my skin. “You marked me.” I beam with pride. “How will I ever wear a whole shirt again and cover this masterpiece?” I wail dramatically.
She giggles and swats at me for my theatrics. Getting tangled in her hair, she pulls it into her fist and twists it out of her way. It’s my turn to gasp, except I also nearly drool, which results in me choking on my spit.
Through another, smaller fit of laughter, she worries over me. “Oh my gosh. Kodi! Are you alright?”
Repeating the same motion that she did on my body, I run my fingers over her mark. Two large snowflakes are visible where my upper canines were, and two smaller ones on the inside. She shudders and moans beneath my touch before she gathers herself and scrambles out of the bed and to the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to see it!” she hollers back from the bathroom before coming back, teary-eyed once more. “I didn’t even know my body still knew how to make tears anymore and it’s all I’ve been doing lately with you.”
