"About?"
"Magic," she lied.
Valentine raised a brow but went back to tattooing. "Sure you were."
Yelena drank some of her water, and it did nothing to cool her insides. "I was thinking about the feeling of your magic on my skin. I like it."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "I like my magic on your skin, too. I'm about to add in your bits to this sigil. I'll try not to mess it up."
"I trust you," she replied.
Valentine's neck went red again, and he said softly, "Thank you."
Yelena felt the magic in the air charge and shift. A silvery thread of power rose out of Valentine's hand, and it wove its way over the gun and down to touch the needles. They both sucked in a surprised breath as their magics danced and sang, making the sigil on her arm glow with scarlet and silver light.
"It's working. Don't stop," Yelena whispered.
The power was coursing through her arm, up her shoulder to the bite on her neck. It circled around it, making it throb like another heartbeat. Yelena whimpered, her eyes fluttering shut.The threads of power climbed higher, making the back of her neck tingle before fanning out over her head.
"You still with me, Yelena?" Valentine asked, his voice cracking.
"Yes. Don't stop. I feel it inside of me, Val. It's...connecting. It's in my skull, dancing about. Is it almost done?"
"Five more lines," he said, and dipped his needles into the ink. "Don't pass out on me."
"I won't," she replied dreamily. "You feel so good inside of me, deep under my skin."
"Fucking hell," Valentine cursed softly.
"Don't get distracted. It's almost there."
"Then you really need to stop talking because I need all the blood I can get in my brain right now," he said.
Yelena pressed her lips together to keep herself from giggling. Valentine muttered something under his breath, and the needles touched her skin again.
Yelena kept her outer eyes closed, her inner eyes open to try and focus on the magic building connections like artificial nerves. Her heart was beating too fast, her body flooding with endorphins, and the intimacy of having a part of Valentine moving about inside of her. Her body wasn't rejecting it. It was welcoming it, and her eyes pricked with tears because she knew what it meant.
My mate.The dragon had been right all along.
It was the only explanation for why his magic could live in harmony with hers. It was because he belonged there with her. Her other half in magic and heart. She sniffed back her tears, breath shuddering out of her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. It's just... The magic is beautiful," she replied. It was the truth, but not the whole truth.
Valentine wiped her arm down with a damp cloth. "Open your eyes, Yelena. We are done."
Yelena wiped away a few unshed tears with the back of her other hand. She looked down at the tattoo covering the stump of her wrist. It was in red and black lines, and it was perfect.
"How does it feel?" Valentine asked, still looking worried.
"Good. Amazing. I can feel the magic running out of it and through me. Everything is flowing the way we thought it would," she reassured him. She smiled, anticipation building in her. "Go get the hand, Valentine."
Valentine did as she asked, stretching out his long back and shoulders. The back of his shirt rose to show off a patch of skin, and her mouth watered.
Magic first, magic first, she told her raging desire.
"It might be wise to let the tattoo settle..." he began, but then wisely shut his mouth. "Sorry."
