“Ulf, Kim.” He’s so furious, his arms are trembling. He releases me to push a hand through his hair, clutching his head as he mutters, “You cannot do this to me.”
“Do what?” I snarl.
“Play games with your life.”
I’m about to snap back that none of this was a game when he stops, and starts to pant like he’s having a heart attack.
“I cannot… cannot…” He bares his teeth, looking pained, as if this whole conversation is giving him a headache. Deep furrows line his golden brow.
“Can’t what?”
His head droops, and his eyes close for a moment. His lips are moving, and I lean closer to make out what he’s saying. The battle in the sky is still going on, off in the distance, but the smoke and sounds are suddenly far away.
There’s just me and Aurus in a cocoon of our own making, and our shared breaths.
“I cannot… lose you.”
“Why?” I can’t keep the bitter edge out of my voice. “Because I’m your perfect little Omega?”
“No,” he growls, and gives me another hard shake. There’s a pause. “Because you are my everything.”
His fingertips are digging into my arms so hard they might leave bruises—but I barely register the pain. My heart is hammering in my chest. “What?”
“Kim…” He strokes a trembling hand over my cheek, the panic in his expression starting to fade. “You must understand. Do you realize what would happen if I lost you?”
“You’d have to get another Omega?”
He shakes his head. He cups my face, his tender expression making my breath catch. “No. No.” His gaze pins me. Each word comes out like it weighs a millstone. “I would not survive your loss.”
I’m not sure I heard right. It feels like my heart is trying to leap from my chest.
“Kim. You must understand.” His thumbs stroke my cheeks, his fingers questing deeper into my hair. “You are my other half. You are my soul. You. Are. My. Everything.”
I forget to breathe as I stare at his handsome face, absorbing his statement, trying to see whether he’s telling the truth.
His gaze is fathomless, his very soul bared to me.
He meant it—every word.
The joy rising up in my chest is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. With a cry, I launch myself at him. He hoists me up, meeting my mouth with his. Our lips lock in a kiss both fierce and tender. My hands are frantic, pulling him against me. His chuckle is muffled by our kiss and I nip at his lips, wanting to punish him for thinking this is funny.
His growl reverberates through us both. I wrap my legs around his waist, locking my ankles behind him, my pussy aching with a sudden, clawing desire. I need him inside me. Now.
He tears at my already tattered dress. Bits of fabric flutter to the ground.
Slowly, he lies back, bringing me with him. I end up straddling him, rubbing my slick sex over the hard bar of his cock.
He bares his teeth. “You are never to follow me into battle again.”
“You were fighting—you almost died,” I counter, still rubbing myself against him. “You think I could just stand by and watch that happen?”
“You must. You are too precious to me. You cannot fight—I forbid it!”
He tries to grip my hair, but the strands are so short, I can duck my head away easily. “You can’t stop me from being who I am,” I mutter.
“Ulfdammit!” he roars, and rolls, pinning me under him, his huge hand clamping down over both my wrists. “I will lock you in my quarters. I will chain you to my bed.”
“And I’ll pick the lock,” I say smugly, if a bit breathlessly. “And then I’ll chainyouup. Let’s see how you like it, asshat.”
