Not one man moved. Around them, the forest animals fell silent,as if they knew something huge was taking place. Her heart began to pound so hard her chest hurt.
“Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed.I belong to you.Élidamet andam.I offer my life for you.”
His gaze didn’t waver from hers. Those brilliant, slashing eyes held her captive. Revealed too much. His stark, raw passion. His total commitment to the path he had taken.
“Pesämet andam.I give you my protection.”
She put up her hand to stop him, so afraid of the way he was making her feel inside, as if a million tiny threads bound them together. Strong threads. Unbreakable. “Luiz can protect me.” That was a plea if she ever heard one. She wanted to break eye contact and look at her cousin, but she was helpless to do anything but stare into his eyes. It was a little like being mesmerized by a cobra. Lethal. Frightening. Shocking. But she was frozen to the spot.
“Uskolfertiilamet andam.I give you my allegiance.Sívamet andam.I give you my heart.Sielamet andam. I give you my soul.”
With his free hand, he captured her outstretched palm, pressing it against his chest, right over his heart. His fingers began to move in slow caresses over the back of her hand, right over her bare skin. That was soothing. Gentle. So at odds with the raging storm in his eyes.
“Ainamet andam.I give you my body. Sívamet kuuluak kaik että a ted.I take into my keeping the same that is yours.”
At his declaration, she shook her head, horrified that he thought she would share her body with a man who was a stranger. Letters be damned. She didn’t care how gorgeous she found him or if their attraction was off the charts; she wasn’t going to just give herself to him.
“Ainaak olenszal sívambin.Your life will be cherished by me for all time.Te élidet ainaak pide minan.Your life will be placed above mine for all time.Te avio päläfertiilam.You are my lifemate.”
Sarika had been paying attention to the declarations as he uttered each one. The effect on her body was more frightening than anything she had ever experienced. She had a mad desire to jerk away from himand leap over the railing, taking her chances in the forest. There were too many men between her and the railing, and she knew it would be humiliating if she made a break for it and didn’t make it.
His thumb, stroking back and forth on her skin, left a trail of heat that seemed to just get hotter as the blood first rushed through her veins and then pooled low.
“Ainaak sívamet jutta oleny.You are bound to me for all eternity.”
Eternity?The word horrified her. The way she felt so connected to him, as if her soul and his were one and the same, was even worse.
“Ainaak terád vigyázak.You are always in my care.”
The moment the last words were spoken, she felt tight bands snap into place inside her. Ties so tight there would be no getting away from him. Somehow, he had really bound them together.
“You have to undo this,” she whispered.
“I fear that is an impossibility.” He said it calmly.
Screw calm. She leapt to her feet, slamming both palms to his chest to knock him backward, away from her. “You undo it right now. Right this minute. You don’t get to take away my freedom of choice. Or any of my freedoms. I don’t care what kind of scary badass you are—undo itnow.”
The fact that she hit him as hard as she could and he didn’t so much as rock backward added fuel to the fire. Her temper erupted, and she swung her fist at his face. He caught it in midair. As he did, she caught a brief flash of amusement, not just his but shared with his brothers. That only infuriated her more.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t close my eyes when you put yourself in the ground,” she hissed. “You never know what’s going to find its way to your bed.” She stuck her chin in the air and tried to pull her fist out of his hand. “It isn’t going to be me.”
“I think your woman just threatened you,” Lojos said.
“She’s got fire, that one,” Dominic said. “That’s a good thing. She’ll need it to stand up to you, Tomas.”
“She doesn’t need to stand up to me.” His voice was velvet-smoothagain, and he looked straight into her eyes as he raised her curled fist to his mouth. “She can trust me to guide her through our customs.”
That strange fireball he seemed to be able to produce rushed through her veins and settled low again. That was so disturbing, when she wanted to kick him in the shins and maybe do even worse to him. She really didn’t like that he shared his amusement with his brothers.
“You aren’t going to guide me through anything. Do you really think your taking away my choices in any way endears you to me?” She leaned into him. “It doesnot. Just because you did this doesn’t mean I’m giving up my plans to leave this place. Every single one of you is insane. The whole lot of you.”
“Sivamet,” he said, using that same velvet voice so it not only stroked over her skin but ignited every nerve ending in her body. “You know you’re speaking from a place of fear. I’m well aware you have every reason to be afraid, but there is no need. You trusted your cousin to protect you; you have three of us now.”
She lifted her head to glare at Luiz. “I trusted him and look where it got me.”
Luiz lifted an eyebrow at her. “Our laws do not allow interference when it comes to lifemates.”
“So if he decides to abuse me, there is nothing any of you would do? All of you act so righteous, as if you’re better than those horrid male shifters, but you’re basically telling me I havenorights because I’m a woman. What’s the difference between them and you?”
