Chance held me close, his body burning like a furnace. He was so much, so solid, but I couldn't get enough. The heat of him soaked right through the coathe'd loaned me, and when he brushed his calloused thumb across my cheek again, something under my ribs just gave up trying to act normal.
We didn't talk. Not at first. Just the hush, the weight of what we'd survived, the clean, lost-girl hunger in my gut.
But if I knew anything by now, it was that hiding stuff never fixed a damn thing.
So I did what came naturally. I reached up and mapped the lines of his face, memorizing them with my fingertips.
He caught my wrist and pressed his lips to my pulse. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head, because "okay" was for people who hadn't just lived through hell. "Not even close," I whispered and clenched his arm. "But I'm here. With you. And I'm not letting go."
He smiled then, just a flicker, but his eyes stayed worried. Stormy, pale, and so fucking alive.
"The girls are safe? For sure?" I asked.
He checked his phone. "My mother has them and Maeve at the safehouse. Xavier is headed there now. They're safe." He cocked his head and looked around. "So are we. There are no humans for a good mile around."
It was all right there, everything I'd been too scaredto say. For once in my life, I quit overthinking. Just let the words go. "I love you," I said. "Iloveyou. I want to be your mate. I choose you and everything you are."
Chance stopped breathing. Literally. His whole body froze, and for a second, I thought I'd snapped something essential.
Then the hunger hit.
His eyes went dark, pupils blown wide, silver shot through with gold until it barely looked human. For a flash, I saw Caden behind them, his dragon rolling up from the depths, greedy as a kid let loose in a hoard.
Air rushed out of him. "Tash?—"
I cut him off, didn't care. "Bite me. Claim me. Now. Here. Do it."
His hands shook where he gripped my waist, enough to make me shiver, too. I steadied myself on his chest and forced the rest out, no shame left at all. "I need the bond," I said. "I want it. I want the strength to protect our girls." The word felt right.Ourgirls. "I want it because they deserve a mom who can keep them safe. I want it because I'm tired of being the weak link. But mostly," I brushed his ear with my lips, "I want every part of you. I want forever."
He made a noise, part snarl, part plea. If there'd been a priest in the woods, they'd have started crossing themselves.
Chance cradled my face. "If you're sure, fuck, if you want this, I'll give you everything. I'll never stop."
I laughed, not cute, not soft, just wild and alive. "I want to wake up different. I want to burn."
He set his jaw with joy in his eyes. I could see Caden's fire behind them. The dragon was ecstatic. "Don't move," he ordered, and for once, I obeyed.
He scrambled to the edge of the clearing and started gathering kindling. Dry twigs, shredded bark, a half-rotted log he split one-handed like it was made of tissue. In no time, he had a pile built, a little pyre with a hollow perfect for warmth but safe from burning out the whole damn forest.
"Don't want you cold," Chance muttered. He shifted quickly and blew fire on the pile. It caught quickly, flaring up in gold and orange, licking at the mossy rocks and spilled leaves until heat shimmered across the air.
Caden turned and lumbered over to me.You're mine.
"Yes," I whispered. "And you're mine." He shifted back then helped me to my feet.
I stepped closer. The waxy, sweet scent of burning wood, the tang of sap, the trace of old rain in the dirt, it grounded me. It felt like home, or something close.
The world shrank to a circle of fire and nothingbut Chance, all of him. He made quick work of his clothes, then took his jacket and spread it on the ground. He stared at me, bare-chested, hair mussed, eyes full of a hunger that bordered on frantic.
He pulled me in, slowly at first, but his hands were everywhere. His palms skated down my arms, framing my hips, yanking me close until our chests mashed together.
Our clothes started evaporating. He peeled my sweater, covered in mud now, over my head, taking his time, like it was the first gift he'd ever unwrapped.
His mouth landed on the side of my throat, right where the pulse hammered.
"Are you sure?" he asked, the tremor in his voice betraying him.
