He sinks his teeth into my neck, and I scream, my orgasm overtaking me. He holds me close as I ride out the wave.
The sensation overwhelms me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The bond between us explodes like lightning, connecting us in a way that goes beyond our corporeal selves. I can feel his emotions bleeding into mine: desire, love, possessiveness, and underneath it all, that bone-deep relief of finally giving in to destiny.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs against my neck, his voice strained. “I’ve got you, Daciana.”
And I believe it. For the first time in weeks—maybe months—I let myself believe that someone has got me. That I’m not alone.
He’s still moving, and I feel him coaxing another orgasm out of me. My fingers dig into his shoulders as the pressure builds, coiling tighter and tighter. His name falls from my lips like a chant, like a plea.
“Look at me,” he commands roughly, and I force my eyes open.
The intensity in his gaze nearly undoes me. There’s no distance there now, no walls, no carefully maintained control. Just raw emotion and need and love so fierce, it takes my breath away.
The world shatters around me, and I cry out, clutching him like he’s the only solid thing in existence. He follows a heartbeat later, my name on his lips, and I feel the bond between us lock into place with an almost audible click.
We stay like this for a long moment, pressed together with my back against the wall, both of us trembling and gasping for breath. His forehead rests against mine, and I can feel his heart pounding, matching the frantic rhythm of my own.
“Daciana,” he whispers, and there’s so much in that single word—relief and love and wonder.
I have no words. Can’t form them. So, instead of speaking, I pull his mouth to mine in a kiss that’s softer than before but no less meaningful.
When we finally break apart, he’s looking at me like I hung the stars.
“I love you,” he says simply. “And I’m not going anywhere. Not anymore.”
The tears that have been threatening all day finally spill over. But for once, they’re not tears of pain or frustration or loneliness.
“I love you, too,” I whisper back, and I feel the truth of it resonate through the bond between us.
Chapter Twelve
Kieran
Daciana is sprawled over me. Her frame is much smaller than mine, so she lies on top of me easily. We’re in her bed, tangled in sheets that smell like us, like what we’ve done. The fated mate bond burns brightly between us, a constant pulse of connection I couldn’t shut off even if I wanted to.
I can feel everything through the bond—the soft, sleepy contentment that makes her limbs heavy, the gentle pull of exhaustion, the way she melts into me like she was made to fit against my chest.
I run my fingers through her hair, watching the firelight dance across the ceiling.
I can’t bring myself to regret this. Even knowing what I know—that this bond might be a curse, that something is hunting us—I can’t regret her. Whatever curse there may be, I’ll shatter it. I’ll keep my woman with me. I’ll protect her.
“Where did you go this afternoon?”
The sleepy question makes me freeze. My hand stills in her hair.
“Kieran?” Daciana lifts her head, my name a question on her lips.
I don’t answer. Can’t answer.
She sits up, and then—gods be damned—she straddles my hips.
We’re both still naked. Every curve of her body presses against mine, warm and soft and impossible to ignore. Heat floods through me, the bond urging me to pull her down, to lose myself in her again.
I grit my teeth, fighting for control. This position is torture.
“No more secrets.” Her hands flatten on my chest, her gaze fierce. “What are you hiding?”
The feel of her on top of me, the weight of her, the heat…I have to clench my jaw to keep from flipping her over right now. But the look in her eyes won’t let me deflect.
