“Mate,” he says. The word vibrates through the bones of his hand into my ribs.
I blink, tears gathering in my eyes. “Yeah… we’re mates.”
He sits up, wincing in pain that he ignores as he reaches for me. He pulls me into him, burying his face in my neck, inhaling deeply.
Then he pulls back, just an inch.
His gaze drops to my mouth, and I remember that almost-kiss on the ledge.
I lean in, and Sarven goes still.
When I brush my lips against his, he flinches with a sharp intake of breath.
I do it again. I lick his bottom lip.
He makes a low, rumbling sound in his chest. He mimics the movement, his tongue tentatively touching mine. It’s rough, textured, and sends a jolt of heat straight to my toes.
Then, he understands.
A low purr vibrates in his chest, and the hesitation vanishes.
He doesn’t just kiss me; he devours me.
He doesn’t care that I taste like poison water and bile. He devours me anyway.
It’s messy and overwhelming and consuming. He tastes like heat and sugar as he sweeps into my mouth with a possessiveness that steals the air from my lungs, using his tongue to learn the shape of me just as he learned the shape of my body with his fingers.
I grip his shoulders, pulling him closer, kissing him back with everything I have.
He doesn’t want to stop.
Even when the energy begins to ebb, he chases my lips, humming with a vibration that rattles my ribs. Then he slows the pace, deepening the contact, drinking me in.
It takes actual effort to pull back, to force myself to break the seal of our mouths just so I can breathe.
And even then, we don’t go far. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into the cradle of his hips, tucking me against his chest so tightly I can barely breathe.
I don’t mind. I don’t want space.
“Good?” he rumbles.
I let out a breathless, shaky laugh. “Yeah. Good.”
“Sleep,” he commands, his voice thick with possession. “I watch. No water…takes you. No stone…takes you.”
“I keep,” he vows.
I feel the rumble of his purr start up against my chest, vibrating through both of us as he settles his weight back against the stone wall and pulls me with him.
The cave is quiet except for our ragged breathing and the distant sound of water.
I close my eyes, leaning into his heat, and let the rest of the world fade out.
Chapter 18
AFRAID OF A LOT OF THINGS (NOT YOU)
MIKAELA
