Like I was for her.
“How can I be your mate?” she whispered. “I’m human.”
“I’m not sure. But all the signs are there.” I held her hand and put it to my chest. “Do you feel how strong and fast it’s beating? That’s the ayim, telling me I’ve found you. That we should complete the mate bond.”
Her breathing grew shallow, and her eyes darted away from mine. Was she nervous? “I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “Can that be mistaken?”
I shook my head. “I have never experienced this before.” I combed my fingers through the wisps of hair the wind had pulled free. “Lilith,” I coaxed. “I love you.”
Longing flashed in her eyes, then disappeared so quickly I wondered if I’d truly seen it. “Are…are you sure? A month ago you didn’t know I existed.”
I nodded, tilting my face nearer so she could not mistake me. “You are my love and my mate. And I never wish to be away from you.”
“But what about when you return home?” she blurted.
“I won’t go back to Aerie. I’ll stay in this world with you.” Tenderness made my chest tight.
But the worry in her eyes grew. “I don’t know if I want that. You don’t need to make promises you can’t keep. You’ve been searching for your home for fifty years, Castiel. And suddenly you’re willing to give that up after two weeks of knowing me?”
I sighed, a tendril of frustration twining around my chest. “It’s not quite like that.” I fell silent, trying to think of an explanation. “If we were both human, and I understood human customs, I would court you, fall madly in love, and marry you.”
Her cheeks pinkened.
“As a seraph, I already know our bond will be unbreakable, our love will grow until it is the foundation of our lives. I don’t need a long time to make up my mind, Lilith. I know I’m falling in love with you, and I know the mate bond means this isn’t a passing fancy.”
“I…” She offered me a helpless look. “You gave me a lot to think about.”
I tamped down on the frustration that had spread another tendril. She’s human. She’s sheltered. This is new to her. “If you’re not ready, if you need time to know me better, I understand,” I said soothingly. “But do not doubt my heart on the matter. I know I am yours until the day I die.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s…nice,” she squeaked.
“I am a seraph. I can wait.” I cupped her chin, pressing a quick kiss. “I am not interested in possessing you for my own pleasure. I want you to lead a life that gives you joy.”
Her pursed mouth softened. “Castiel. You’re perfect. I just…I don’t want to trap you.”
I laughed. “Trap me? My love, I am laying my heart on a platter and handing it to you. Please, trap me. Bind me so that nothing can ever part us.”
She laughed, changing the subject. “I thought you took me here to seduce me.”
My thumb caressed her jaw. “Cirra, I will do anything to show you not only what a mate is, but what my love means for you.”
She turned bashful. “Will you seduce me, then?”
I’d thought the day Lilith asked me to put my cock in her would have me exploding with excitement, but this moment was tinged bittersweet. She hadn’t said I love you back. And she still didn’t seem to believe me, though I wasn’t sure why.
Still, I nuzzled her neck. “It would be my pleasure, Lily. Let me show you how mates make love.”
Lilith’s hand firmed against my chest. “This isn’t—we’re not—having sex won’t snap the bond in place, will it?”
Hurt twinged through me, but I pushed it aside. Lilith’s concerns mattered. She needed to feel safe, and that mattered more right now. “No,” I answered honestly. “It is a part of it, but it will not complete the bond. For that, ayim in blood must be shared.”
A riot of emotions flickered through her eyes, too fast for me to understand. She nodded. “Please make love to me, Castiel.”
I kissed her, letting her see all of my longing and desire for her, an unending wind that would blow north to south and south to north again.
Her body melted into mine even as she turned to better angle her mouth against me. She moaned against my lips.
This, I realized. She trusts this, at least. She had not been let down by a lover before. Family, yes. Friends, yes. Leaders, absolutely. But this was new and honest to her.
