“Luke!” she screams, my name tearing through the air. Threading my fingers into her hair, I draw her face down to the crook of my neck, until she’s pressing her lips against my skin. It only takes her a moment to figure out what I’m asking. When her teeth puncture my flesh, my dragon releases a roar that rattles the windows.
Our shared climax is so intense it whites out thought, leaving only sensation and connection and wholeness where there had been emptiness for too long. For one breathtaking moment, I can’t tell where I end and she begins, our minds, bodies, and dragons perfectly aligned and unified.
Breathing hard, I remain buried inside her, our breaths mingling in the quiet of the empty room. The bond thrums between us, steady, unbreakable. I can feel her emotions now: satisfaction, wonder, love flooding through the connection like sunlight. More than that—I can sense flashes of her thoughts, fragmented images and impressions flitting through my mind.
“I can feel you,” Ember whispers, awe coloring her voice. Her fingers trace my jaw, and I feel the sensation echoed as if her fingers were also on her own face. “Everything.”
“Me too,” I manage, inadequate words for the completeness washing through me. My senses have sharpened dramatically; her heartbeat is as clear as my own, her scent more complex, layered with nuances I never detected before. “It’s—” No description seems sufficient.
She touches the bite mark on her shoulder, my teeth marks already healing, but the bond permanent in ways that transcend the physical. The skin around the mark gleams with a faint silver light, my dragon magic leaving its mark on her just as her fire has marked me.
“We’re really mated,” she says, wonder in her voice.
“Yeah.” I brush a strand of hair from her face, marveling at the right to do so. As my fingers touch her skin, I feel a spark ofher power responding to mine; fire and scales dancing together where we connect. “We really are.”
I can sense that my own power has changed, too. My dragon breathes with new purpose, responding to her presence, strengthened rather than diminished by her fire.
The weight of it settles over me, not as a burden but as certainty.
No going back now.
Not that I want to.
“My mother is going to have a fit,” Ember says, a hint of mischief in her eyes. Through the bond, I feel her genuine concern beneath the humor.
“Spectacularly,” I agree, almost smiling at the inevitable confrontation. I send reassurance through our connection. We’ll face Vanya as a mated pair. Inseparable. Right.
She receives it, her eyes widening slightly at the nonverbal communication. The bond is already strengthening, allowing us to share more than just emotions.
“Worth it?” she asks, still tracing my jawline with her fingertips.
I kiss her gently, feeling the bond pulse between us with each beat of our hearts. The taste of her lingers on my lips, sweet and addictive.
“Every second.”
A sudden commotion outside the armory door breaks the moment; voices raised, orders being called. Reality intrudes, reminding us of tomorrow’s dangers.
Ember’s eyes meet mine, and through our new bond, I feel her resolve hardening. No words are needed. Whatever comes tomorrow, we’ll face it, not as protector and protected, but as equals.
As mates.
Chapter 35
Ember
The bench beneath me is hard, but I barely notice with Luke’s warmth against me and our bond pulsing within. My body hums with satisfaction, every nerve ending alive with a strange new awareness.
It’s not just his physical presence. Though that alone would be enough to leave me breathless. It’s something deeper. Through our newly formed bond, I feel the echo of his emotions: love, fierce protectiveness, and a sense of wonder that matches my own.
I’m surrounded by the earthy scent of Luke’s skin and the clean smell of weapon oil from the racks surrounding us. An unlikely sanctuary for such an intimate moment, but somehow perfect for us.
I reach up to touch the mark on my shoulder again, still tender where his teeth broke skin. Already, the edges are silvering intowhat will become a permanent scar. The skin feels warm to the touch, almost vibrating with energy beneath my fingertips.
“Does it always feel like this?” I whisper, not wanting to break the bubble we’ve created. My voice sounds different to my own ears; fuller, somehow, as if the bond has changed even that.
Luke’s smile is lazy, satisfied. His eyes, normally so alert and watchful, are half-lidded with contentment.
“I don’t know. First time for me too.”
