I hang onto his mane as he turns and races away, a trail of sun at our backs as he jumps the road with ease and hurtles into the edges of the Day Wood. His purr quiets my mind, soothes my soul, and even though I’m gripping his mane tight, I know he would never let me fall.
“This doesn’t make any sense. I’m not immortal,” I call over the wind.
He answers with a low roar, the entire sound rumbling through me as I cling to him.
Bounding over fallen trees and bright streams, he keeps running until we reach a sunny meadow, the green grass whispering in a light breeze as golden light filters down through the tree branches.
He stops and lowers himself to the ground. I slide off his back, my legs wobbly, and walk around to his front again. Placing a kiss on his great nose, I whisper, “You came for me.”
He licks my cheek, his rough tongue drawing a laugh from me.
“A lion?” I scratch his ears, and his purr intensifies. “I’m surprisingly into it.”
He swipes the back of my legs with his great paw and lays me on the grass. With another blast of bright light, he changes back into the king who stole my heart the moment he took me from the night realm.
“Somehow, I knew.” He strokes my cheek. “I knew it was you.”
“Varan said you were cursed.” I can feel him, his thoughts, his emotions. “And I’m not immortal, so I can’t possibly be the one.”
“I was. And you are.” He looks at me as if he’s found some sparkling gem. “Grimelda and Sophina broke the curse. I didn’t even know it was there, but now I can tell it’s gone. I’m free. My feral is free. You’re my mate. You’ve always been my mate.”
I shake my head. “That can’t be right.”
“It is.” He drops gentle kisses on my cheeks. “I love you, Emma. I can feel it now, the link between us. You, your life, your pain—it’s all here inside me. I’ll keep it safe, just as I’ll keep you safe. And once I’ve claimed you, no one can question it. You are the queen of my heart and soon my realm. My honored mate.”
“Mated?” I can’t believe it. “But I’m not even in the bloom of my youth.”
He cocks his head, a curious expression on his face.
I laugh through my tears. “Nothing. Never mind. Just kiss me, sun lion.”
He does, his mouth on mine as I wrap my hands around his neck.Wait, did he say I’m going to be queen of the realm?The errant thought is seared away as his hands make quick work of my ruined dress. Tossing it aside, he leans back onto his knees and stares down at me. I should want to cover myself, to hide from the bright sun and his even brighter gaze. But I don’t, not when I can feel how much he enjoys looking at me.
“I’m the luckiest fae on Arin.” He strips his tunic off, then the rest until we’re naked and wrapped in each other, our kisses growing more frantic.
I run my hands down his muscled back, feeling all of him, then kiss his throat and shoulders.
With a growl, he pushes me down and runs his fangs along my breasts, his tongue darting out to tease my nipples as I arch for more. I can’t catch a breath or a thought as he kisses lower, then licks up my wetness, his mouth covering me as he grips my hips and makes me moan. I run my hands through his hair, his fiery crown warm along my skin, but not harming me. I want to feel that same heat inside, to be full of him.
He hears my thought, because he crawls up my body and takes my mouth, his cock pressing against my entrance.
I spread wider, my body and soul more than willing. “I want you.”
Magic swirls around us, the vow reasserting itself.
He looks into my eyes. “I’ve met my promise, Emma Druzy. I can’t breathe without thinking your name. You’ve consumed me body and soul.” With a thrust, he claims me, and I moan as the pinch of pain melds with the unbelievable pleasure.
The magic sparkles around us, then drops in glittering streaks as he kisses me again, his mouth a conduit to his soul, his heart. I taste him and move my hips, urging him onward as he pulls back and thrusts again, coating himself with my wetness as my body tingles. I dig my nails into his shoulders as he rests on his elbows and looks down to where we’re joined. Pulling out, he feeds himself into me inch by inch until I’m arching, my body hungry for him.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment, my nightling.” His voice is guttural, half feral, half fae. “Of claiming you.”
“I want you. All of you.” I pull him down to me, sharing our souls once again as he rocks into me, his body coiling and striking over and over as I’m awash in pleasure. Cupping my breast, he kneads me and pinches my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. It sends a wave of tension to my core, wrapping me tightly as I move beneath him, meeting his strokes and biting his chest.
He growls then moves down my body and tongues me between my legs. I grip his hair, begging him for more as I lie open for him. He gives me what I need, swiping the broad side of his tongue against me again and again until I’m on the edge, my body spun like golden thread around a spool.
When he returns to my mouth and surges inside me, I curl my toes and rake my nails down his back.
“You need release, my sweet nightling.” He runs his fangs along my shoulder.
