Roman tried to push aside the thought of her with another man and focused on her sentiment. “Same.”
She burst out laughing and rolled on top of him. The still-long strands of her hair covered her perfect breasts, taunting him to push them away, but Violet interrupted his thoughts with a kiss. “I love you, Roman Covington.”
Roman smiled and whispered against her lips, “And I love you. Obsessively so.”
37
Roman watched Violet sleep, unable to fall under himself. He would turn twenty-five at midnight, a moment he’d been dreading since Vivian broke their bond. His parents speculated the gods could grant him another mate on his twenty-fifth birthday, since it was the next and final birthday blessed by the gods.
On an heir’s twenty-fifth birthday, the magic trapping them in their kingdom released, and they took over their kingdom. Most heirs couldn’t wait for the day, but not Roman. It could seal the fate of another woman. He couldn’t lie to Violet, and if she’d not marry him anyway and break the bond, his new mate must die or marry someone else immediately.
Glancing at the clock, he blew out a shaky breath. A few seconds until midnight. Roman closed his eyes.
He stilled at the unease of ethereal voices whispering in his ear.
Violet.
His eyes flew open. The organ in his chest beat double-time, and his hands trembled. Could it be? Had they righted their wrong?
He tried to jump out of bed, but the sheets tangled in his feet, and he tumbled face first to the ground with a loud thud.
Roman heard Violet stir, the sheets rustle, and her melodic voice call out, “Roman?”
“Down here,” he rasped, unable to move. If he’d imagined the voices, it would crush him. He’d marry Violet no matter what because regardless of what the gods said, she was his true mate, but Roman wanted, more than anything, to feel the bond with her.
Her hair swung over her shoulders as she peeked over the side of the bed, furrowing her brow. What happened next would have brought him to his knees had he been standing.
Violet rubbed her sternum. “I feel weird.”
Roman cleared the knot from his throat and tried to control his breathing. He couldfeelher confusion, and a rush of relief cast out the nervous energy. “Did you feel like you were going to pass out from nerves?”
Seeing the realization take over her face,feelingher nervous excitement, followed by the prettiest smile he’d ever seen, brought the knot back to his throat. “Yes,” she whispered. They stared at each other in awe until she laughed, the purest sound of joy he’d ever heard, and launched herself at him.
He caught her with anoofand rocked back on the floor. “We’re mates?” she clarified.
He grinned and brought her in for a kiss. “We’ve always been mates, princess. The gods just took a while to catch up.”
Their kiss slowed into something more than lust or love. Words couldn’t describe how it felt to feel your partner’s emotions, to know how much they loved you. The gods had deprived him of this, of what belonged to him, and he’d never forgive them.
Roman rolled them over until he hovered above Violet, his eyes boring into hers. “You’re mine in every way,” he told her softly. “Forever. In every lifetime. No god or man can take you from me without joining me in death, and if they send me to hell for my sins, I will claw my way back to you, princess. Always.”
“What makes you think I won’t follow you to hell?” she asked, and hefelther truth and conviction. “I gave you up once. I won’t do it again.”
Reaching between them, Roman guided his cock to her cunt and rubbed it along her seam, thankful they’d never gotten dressed. The head of his dick wept with precum, and he knew things would go fast. “I don’t know how long I’ll last,” he warned.
In answer, Violet hooked one of her legs around his waist and lifted her hips. He sank into her until he bottomed out, both of them gasping at the sensation of not only the physical, but the bond. Their pleasure mixed together, feeding off the other.
“I don’t think I’ll last long either,” Violet whispered. “I can feel you.” Roman rotated his hips to grind against her clit, and he shuddered with the sensation from them both. “Oh my gods.”
Roman pulled out and thrust inside over and over again, each pass stronger than the last. He couldn’t stop the strangled sounds tumbling from his mouth any more than Violet could stop her screams. Everything throbbed and tingled and tightened.
“Fuck,” he ground out.
Violet clawed at his back and wrapped both legs around his waist. “I’m close. I’m so fucking close.”
Roman looked between them, where his cock disappeared into her swollen pussy. “Look how well you take my cock, baby.” He pulled out slowly and paused until she lifted her head to see. The blue in her eyes thinned in favor of her dark pupils. “Your greedy little cunt needs me.”
He thrust into her, hard, and she threw her head back with a scream. She thrashed and called out his name, begging for release. His thumb found her swollen clit and pressed tight circles until her legs drew up and her back bowed.
