Her heartbeat synching with mine. Her soul brushing at the edges of my own—begging to fuse.
The way she’s still clenching around my fingers, tremors rolling through her.
The taste of her blood on my tongue.
I keep my fangs buried in her neck as we both shake through the last of it, then slowly withdraw them. I lap at the bite mark, sealing it with one last drop of venom.
Two perfect crescent marks that prove she’s my saelûn.
“Lûvenkae,” I murmur against her skin. She lies boneless in my arms. I withdraw my fingers gently.
Outside, the forest settles. The trees straighten, animals fall quiet, snow drifts back down.
Inside, the only sound is our breathing,
Her hand lifts shakily and hovers where she carved her name.
“I marked you,” she whispers in awe, voice full of wonder.
“You did,” I rasp. “Ael’tharvin kai vel’morin. (You carved yourself into me.) “I’ll wear your name for the rest of my life—though it feels like I already have.”
She traces the letters.
L-U-M-I. Each one sends a spark of sensation through me.
“Did I hurt you?” she asks softly.
A broken laugh escapes me. “Yes.”
Her eyes widen.
“And it was perfect,” I murmur, pulling her closer. “Pain from you is sacred, snowdrop.”
She quiets, fingers brushing the mark on her neck with a slight wince.
“You bit me... again.”
Guilt slams through me.
“I’m sorry—I should have asked. I lost control.”
She cups my face, pulling my gaze back to hers.
“Andrik.” Her voice is firm, “I loved it.”
She collapses forward, forehead resting against my chest as the dagger slips from her hand and clatters to the floor.
Her breath slows as her body melts into mine. And yet, a knot forms deep in my gut.
I should feel like I’ve been blessed by the gods.
But all I can think is?—
Did I take too much?
My claws retract, shame coiling in their place. Her lashes flutter as she lifts her head, still caught in the throes of my venom—but the moment her eyes meet mine.
I flinch.
