He pushed in, and I gasped at his size even as my body accommodated him. When he was inside me to the hilt, I rocked my hips, and a long moan ripped from Vale’s lips.
“You’ll be the end of me, little beast.”
“Promise?”
He grinned. “Promise.”
With one hand, he tilted my hips upward, deepening his angle, and together we began to move. Maybe it should have surprised me that it took no time at all for us to find a sublime rhythm, but it did not. So much about Vale and I had been easy. When I was supposed to hate him, I’d found an ease, a comfort, in his presence that I had not been able to explain.
And as our bodies moved together, another wave of delicious tension and heat and electricity rose inside me, I knew it wasn’t ever supposed to be hard. Now, a thread was tightening between us, pulling at my heart and strengthening our bond. Winding us together.
“Fates, Neve. I’m close.” Vale exhaled and kissed along my jawline. “You are too?”
He felt my channel tightening as well as I.
“Yes.” I was shocked at how breathy I sounded; how much I shivered with delight all over. Almost as though he were inside me fully. Like we were merging as one.
Vale tilted his head to the cavern ceiling and swallowed. He was seconds away. I was too, and I wanted us to come together. I rolled my hips, and he let out a long moan as he spilled into me at the same time as I came with the force of a winter storm.
My orgasm, however, seemed mild compared to the snapping of something in my chest. I let out a sharp yelp, and my eyes squeezed shut as Vale did the same.
The pain—which was also somehow pleasurable—was short-lived, however, and the bliss of orgasm took over again, a breeze on a hot day. Something novel and lovely.
When it ended, Vale stilled, lowered, though he was careful not to give his entire weight over to me. He kissed me passionately, and I kissed him back, the floaty sensation washing through me, making me sedate and tired.
He pulled away, and I opened my eyes to find Vale staring down at me, smiling.
“Stars, you’re beautiful,” he murmured and brought his hand to my face and brushed aside a stray lock of hair.
I stiffened. “Vale? What’s on your hand?”
“What?” Instead of looking, he pulled out of me, probably still caught in the haze of our lovemaking.
“Your hand. There’s a mark.”
He had tattoos on his chest and arms, but what I’d spied looked different. White and glowing and?—
He raised his hand, and his eyes widened before snapping to me. “Show me yours.”
Body trembling, I lifted my hands, and my heart nearly exploded when a matching mark stared back at me. Intricate snowflakes, trailing down the fourth finger of our left hands. Deep inside, a tug alerted me to the fact that the strange sensation I’d felt during sex was still there. Pulsing and hot and strong as steel.
A bond had snapped into place. A symbol had marked us. Upon our bodies, our hearts, our souls.
“Soulmates,” he murmured, before gathering me to his chest. He sounded as though he barely dared to believe that what he was seeing was true.
“Soulmates!” I kissed him with a passion so hot none of the forges in the city matched it. “All along!Soulmates!”
Vale picked me up to soar above the water. We spun in the air, hearts leaping as we laughed.
Dizziness began to set in when Vale descended into the water. He released me so that my legs were free and took a pace back, eyes burning into me.
“You’re not getting away from me.” I swam closer and wrapped my legs around him again.
“Never would I try, my love. We’re it for each other.”
“Until death.” I whispered.
“Until the stars fall from the night sky.” He took my chin in his fingers and kissed me again.
