She jumped away from him and turned, looking at him with wide, doe eyes. Chasen was her mate. Did he know? Now what? Her hands trembled as she felt the pull toward him. It was overwhelming. The sensation was flooding her system, making her feel things and desires at an intense level.
“Jin, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I crossed a line.” Chasen cursed at himself inwardly. He had moved too fast and frightened her. She looked scared and confused. He hoped he hadn’t damaged things between them. Should he just leave? But he wanted to make sure things were okay between them. He looked at her small body and her trembling hands. Damn, he was a fool. But right when he was about to leave, she reached her hand out and took a small step toward him. She gazed into his eyes and placed her hand on his chest. He felt her trembling again, but she didn’t pull away, pressing herself against him completely instead.
“Chasen,” her voice whispered out as she tried to control her body. This was what it had been telling her all along. The reason she was developing feelings for Chasen so quickly was because he was her mate. She leaned her forehead into his chest, not able to deny that she needed his touch. She wanted more than his touch, though. How did she tell him he was her mate? “Do you feel this?” She wondered if he could feel the sparks and tingling as well. He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. She watched him nod his head as he continued to study her with what looked like hope in his gaze. “Chasen, are we mates? Maybe I’m wrong. I don’t have any experience with this. And I’d never heard of mates from my parents, but I heard an inner voice say ‘mate.’”
Chasen sighed in relief as his lips curved upward. His large hand cupped her cheek. “Yes, you’re my mate, Jin. I don’t understand it either. Werebears don’t have fated mates. But you are my mate. Jin … can I?” His voice grew husky as he stared at her lips, begging for permission.
She nodded her head, feeling both nervous and excited. She felt his heat move closer to her face, his breath fanning against her skin. His soft lips met hers, and everything became incredibly clear. All the fog was lifted. Her soul connected with his, and she knew it was him. It was only him. As if she had amnesia and had forgotten. The kiss reminded her soul who it was connected to and who she belonged to. She responded to his sweet kiss, placing her hand on his cheek as a small tear raced down hers. Her happiness was flooding out of her. The feelings of loneliness had disappeared, and everything was filling up with him.
Chasen pulled away and wiped the tear from her face. “Jin?” He didn’t want to scare her off. He could continue to go at her pace. What shocked him next was her sparkly eyes and gentle smile as she looked up at him.
“Chasen.” She stroked his cheek with her thumb. “Can I really keep you?” Her voice came out in a whisper. Chasen smiled widely and nodded, kissing her forehead.
“Tell me what you need. Tell me what you want. I’ll go at whatever pace you need. As long as I have you by my side, it doesn’t matter how long it takes.”
What did he mean? Take his time? She pondered over what he was saying. She felt her body shudder in response to his hands touching her. In that moment, it dawned on her what he was talking about. The definition of the word mate. What being mates meant. She didn’t need to wait. She was already his in mind, so why not in body?
She smiled as she looked into his chocolate eyes. No wonder she was captivated by them. “No wonder I always thought your eyes were so perfect.” She brushed her hand against his cheek, reached up to him on her tiptoes, and kissed his jaw line. Her first forward movement. Then she used her hands to pull hishead down to hers and she clumsily took his lips. She didn’t know what she was doing but was being led by what felt right.
The demons abused her in many ways, but never sexually. She was nothing but filth to them. She was happy that she was considered so filthy that they wouldn’t even touch her like that, especially now that she’d found her mate. Someone she never knew she had.
She licked his bottom lip and felt her stomach flip when he moaned against her. As she went for his top lip, he dipped his tongue into her mouth. His warm invasion was surprising but good. She could feel his warm tongue as it danced against hers, teaching her and encouraging her to respond. She felt herself giving into him and allowed him to set the pace. She wanted him. She wanted to be his. She wanted him to claim her. She was disappointed when she felt him pull apart from her lips. He leaned his forehead into hers, panting, his eyes searching hers for the answer to his unspoken question.
She nodded her head against his. “I don’t know anything about relationships or what I’m doing, but … please, Chasen. I want this, too.”
“Jin, we can wait. I’m not going anywhere,” he cooed softly to her. No matter how badly he wanted her, he wanted her to be ready.
“I don’t want to wait.”
“You have no idea what you do to me.” A deep chuckle sounded from his chest as his dark eyes focused on her again. “Are you sure? There will be some pain with this. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Jin wasn’t going to answer him again. She pulled him back down, closing the tiny gap between them. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and tried to replicate what he had done to her earlier. She must have been doing something right because his low moan welcomed her. He pulled her body flush into his andlifted her. He continued kissing her as he laid her down onto the bed, allowing his mind to enter the next zone, one he couldn’t turn back from.
Deepening the kiss, he lowered the other strap on her swimsuit. Her body continued to respond to him as he slowly slid the suit off her, even arching up to help him remove it from underneath her. He growled as he lifted up, looking over the nude body beneath him. Tossing his own shirt and bottoms off to the side, he returned his attention back to her lips. His hands worked along her body, gently caressing her and fondling her as he licked at her tongue and lips, then trailed his kisses toward her jawline and down her neck. He licked a special spot on her neck that his beast was claiming, lightly sucking and pulling on it with his teeth, priming it to be marked.
“Jin?” His voice was ragged and strained. He wanted to make sure she was ready, one last time. She wrapped her arms around his back and lightly pulled him down toward her. This was the last bit of encouragement he needed. He drew his large teeth out and sank them into her neck. At the same time, he moved his hips forward, slowly pushing himself inside her. He held there for a moment, growling lightly as he claimed her as his possession. Her soft moans echoed into the air, a breathless confirmation that his touch was having the intended effect.
Waves of pain and pleasure surged through her, a tempest of sensations that left her feeling as though she were simultaneously ablaze and electrified, a curious blend of hot and cold that danced across her skin. It was ... mesmerizing. A vibrant energy and comforting warmth swelled within her, pushing the pain into oblivion as torrents of pleasure flowed through her veins like a cascading river. Her body, moving of its own accord, arched toward him, drawn by an insatiable desire for more. She was on a quest, seeking something elusive, a release that lingered just beyond her grasp.
As he felt her arching toward him, a silent understanding passed between them, signaling that she was ready to continue. He began to establish a deliberate rhythm, the two of them merging into a harmonious dance of desire, their voices weaving a symphony of passion and pleasure. Delicately, he retracted his fangs, eliciting another soft moan from her, a sound that sent shivers down his spine. With tenderness, he licked the fresh mark he'd left, his lips trailing a path of heated kisses back to her mouth, savoring her skin as he gently sucked and tugged on her bottom lip. Their movements grew more intense, and they reached their peaks together, their bodies trembling with their shared high. He sagged against her, their breaths mingling before using his elbow to prop himself up. Slowly, he retreated to lie beside her, drawing her close once more, their bodies entwined in a cocoon of warmth and contentment.
He smiled into the back of her hair, feeling an overwhelming warmth spread through his chest at the profound connection that now bound them. She was now completely his and he was hers, in a way he had never dared to hope for. A sense of fulfillment washed over him, a deep-seated joy at having found the one who completed him. They both had something they never thought they would: a mate, a partner who understood and cherished them deeply. The realization filled him with a tender happiness, a contentment that settled into his very being.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jin felt a strange, warm energy growing within her. The light fluctuated, giving birth to a new power. She could almost see the various energies swirling within. She sensed the gentle breeze that connected her to Chasen. This energy started to surge and spread throughout her body, merging with her own power to create something more potent deep inside her. As it fastened, she felt additional connections. She could now sense Chasen's mind, but there was more to it. She sat up, confused, and looked at her hand. Chasen quickly sat up beside her, comforting her by rubbing her back.
“Are you okay?” He continued to move his hand in slow circles as he studied her face, his warm fingertips brushing over her bare skin ever so gently.
Jin concentrated on what she was feeling. Power seemed to flood into her from his mark. It was more than being connected as mates. She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on the invasion. The sweet, warm energy swirled inside her, asking for her acceptance, blending into her body.
“Chasen. I think …” She tilted her head to the side to look at him. “I think I’m a guardian now. I can feel Hunter. I’m connected to him differently. And while I am here to protecthim, it’s a different feeling now. Like it’s my purpose to protect him.” She smiled up at him and touched her head.I can feel you in here too, now.She was excited to be able to mindlink with him. And feeling him as part of her was amazing. She knew she would never be lonely again.
Chasen wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his bare chest. The skin-on-skin sensation from his new mate made his body tingle. “This is amazing. I can’t believe you’re a guardian now, too. This had to have been my mother’s doing.” Chasen chuckled quietly, thinking about how his mother always thought ahead. Since his mate had become a guardian, his own guardian duties wouldn’t be a problem because they would now also be Jin’s duties.
Chasen leaned his head down, resting his face in the mark on her neck. His chest felt so full and happy. When he woke up that morning, he never imagined that by late evening he would be marking her. He pressed his lips into her sensitive skin and continued to warm her body against his. “I know this is fast, Jin, but this just feels so normal and right.”
“I guess it should feel fast, but it doesn’t. At least not to me. How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me?” Jin turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked into his chocolate eyes, which were now hers.
