Even though he knew that Damien had purged the potion from her system, he was still worried that she hadn’t woken up yet. A small part of him hated that he wasn’t able to hunt down the bastard who had drugged her himself, but he trusted that his friends would handle the situation without him.
Above everything else, his priority was his mate.
Remy barely spared a glance at the gym bags his friends had dropped on the ground, choosing to ignore them completely as he focused on his mate. Without hesitation, he teleported straight into his apartment, not bothering with any of the itemsleft behind. While his teleporting skills were good, he had to be touching an object in order to take it with him.
The two-bedroom unit he shared with Anton was tucked away in the far-right corner of the courtyard, just beyond the pool. Its location offered a bit more privacy and quiet, which Remy appreciated, especially now that he had someone so precious to care for. The familiar space instantly made him feel more at ease, but a faint grimace tugged at his lips as he cast a quick glance around his bedroom.
Although he and Anton had a cleaning service that regularly tidied up the shared living spaces, Remy was particular about his privacy and never let anyone set foot in his personal sanctuary. Normally, he prided himself on keeping his room neat and well-organized, but lately, the string of late-night training sessions and practices had left him with little energy or time for his usual routine.
As a result, his private space now showed subtle signs of neglect. There were clothes haphazardly draped over a chair, a pile of books gathering dust on his desk, and the covers on his bed were still thrown back from when he’d gotten up that morning. Thankfully, he had changed the sheets a few days ago, so they were still relatively clean.
He leaned down to lay her on the bed, then froze when Starla let out a soft moan and turned her head to rub her cheek against his chest. He sat down on the side of the bed, holding her on his lap. Partly because he didn’t want to let her go, but another reason was that the simple touch had made his knees go weak.
Using his magic, he turned on the bedside lamp, keeping it on its lowest setting. He figured she would be frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings when she woke, and he hoped the dim light would make her feel a little more comfortable.
She moved as if struggling to take off the leather jacket she was wearing. Remy hesitated briefly, then decided her comfortoutweighed the worry of her thinking he was trying to take advantage of the situation. Concentrating, he used his magic to remove everything she was wearing, replacing it with a nightgown the color of night fog. He made sure the nightgown was as soft as a cloud so it wouldn’t damage her delicate skin and long enough that she was completely covered and wouldn’t feel exposed.
While he managed to replace her outfit with relative ease, he failed at the simple task of folding her clothing and placing it in a neat pile on the chair as he intended. Instead, her clothes, shoes, necklace, and hair clip ended up scattered across his floor. Sometimes, the simplest tasks were the most difficult for him to accomplish using his new magic. He was about to correct that mistake but was distracted when she stirred against him again.
“Starla? Are you feeling okay? You’re safe now,” he assured. “A friend of mine healed you, but you still might feel a little tired after—”
He swallowed the rest of his words when one of her delicate hands reached up to stroke the side of his neck, then it slid beneath the collar of his shirt as if seeking more warm skin. Although he desperately wanted to give in to his need for her, he fought to maintain his composure. Even though she had been healed, he still didn’t want to take advantage of her. He needed to make sure she was awake and aware of what was going on before making a move on her. Otherwise, she might think he was just like the bastard who had drugged her.
Putting his hand over hers, he stopped her from moving any lower. “Are you awake?”
Instead of answering, she sighed again and tried to tug her hand free, but he refused to release her. He sucked in a harsh breath when she began to squirm on his lap, rubbing her delectable ass against his growing erection. He tried to stayfocused, but it was damn difficult with her moving against him like that.
Fucking hell, she was killing him.
“Starla?”
The moment her eyelashes fluttered open, he found himself utterly captivated by her silvery blue gaze. There was an ethereal aura about her that went beyond her fairy status. While some supernaturals had a natural glow to their eyes, the radiance that emanated from hers was a visible display of power.
She was, in a word, luminous.
Simply being in her enchanting presence stirred something deep within him. He had never considered himself a romantic or someone prone to poetic flourishes, though staring at her made him wish he were. He was overcome by the urge immortalize her beauty in verses and lyrical prose, but he didn’t have the words to accurately describe her.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “Do you remember who I am?”
She blinked a few times as if trying to process the question, then her hand curled around the back of his neck, drawing him closer. Her perfect lips curved into a small smile before she whispered one single word that made his heart stop.
“Mine.”
The moment she pressed her lips against his, everything in his world shifted. Fuck, his entire life changed. The kiss was gentle, yet the impact was profound. His pulse began to pound in a frantic rhythm, and his heart hammered wildly in his chest like a primal beat urging him on. It felt as though her touch sparked a fire beneath his skin, igniting every nerve and setting his entire being alight with desire.
The connection between them went far beyond mere physical attraction. It was soul deep. He was filled with a desperate hunger, an aching need to bond with her that was so powerful iteclipsed everything else. Every coherent thought in his mind was swept away except for one insistent demand.
To claim her and mark her as his.
When she pressed her lips more firmly against his, a dazzling display of fireworks exploded behind his eyelids in a kaleidoscope of colors. It left him incapable of concentrating on anything but the exquisite sensation of her mouth against his. A firestorm of need surged through him, the conflagration of flames burning him from the inside out in a mixture of pleasure and pain.
At first, he thought the intensity surging through him was nothing more than raw desire, but he quickly realized there was something far deeper at play. Power flowed out of the palm she had pressed firmly against his chest, and he could feel a steady current of her magic surging directly into him.
The sensation was electrifying. It sent shockwaves reverberating through his entire body, leaving him momentarily breathless. She was far more powerful than he’d initially realized. Her magic was different than his, yet it felt strangely familiar. Rather than intimidating him, the unexpected discovery only served to make her even more fascinating to him.
Feeling her mark him as her mate made him want to laugh. The sheer joy and intense gratitude he felt nearly took his breath away. He’d been so worried about rushing her into something she wasn’t ready for that he hadn’t even considered that she would take that step first. However, she seemed to be acting on instinct more than following a designated plan of attack.
Either way, he was one lucky bastard.
