The corners of his mouth lift higher, and the vibration of his rumbling chuckle rushes up my arm and straight through me, causing a liquid heaviness to fill me. I shiver in reaction, my breath escaping me in a sharp pant—but at least I’m breathing now, even if I nearly choke on the air flooding back into my lungs.
He slowly drags his mouth from my finger, creating an erotic tug that I can feel straight down to my nipples and clit like one big erogenous nerve. Giving my finger one last lick with his long tongue, he smiles at me like a cat who has the cream.
“Feel that?” he whispers, and his voice tickles some sensitive point within my ear, sending tiny fissures of pleasure skating through me. “To be pricked by the winter berry plant is quite potent. But it does not compare to eating the berries. Do you wish to try?”
I can’t seem to form an intelligible word at the moment, but I nod breathlessly, a delicious tingling spreading through me as Jak pulls one glowing berry from the bunch and brings it to my lips. I open my mouth so that he can set it on my tongue, but the moment my mouth closes, I eagerly press my tongue to theroof of my mouth, crushing the berry so that its sweet juice runs down my throat.
It is sweet and hot like a cinnamon candy, and this time I do moan as the juice sends heat crashing abruptly through me. I sway forward and Jak’s arms come up around me to steady me against his chest as I fall against him, overcome by the hot pleasure filling me. I tip my head back and try to focus on his face, but it is his glowing, icy blue eyes that hold me captive.
“Holy shit,” I moan. “What the fuck, Jak?”
“Powerful, is it not?” he teases. “The effects are a bit different on those who are still juveniles, but it is one of the rare treasures of this realm that is widely enjoyed. The heat is quite... stimulating.”
His breath teases the side of my skin, and I slap a hand over my mouth to smother the moan before it could emerge this time. My efforts are wasted, however, because Jak laughs and he tips his head back, his sharp teeth flashing as he eats several berries from the bunch. Casting the bare stem aside, he plucks another berry from the bush and brings it to my lips. I immediately open my mouth for it, eager for another burst of warmth that is already making me sensitive all over. I’ve heard of aphrodisiacs before, but holy fuck! The desperation for him is setting me on fire. I wanted to be filled with him bodily as much as my heart is already possessed by him. I want him completely in every way. I want his cock filling me and I want his heart.
“Jak, love me,” I whisper desperately, too inflamed by the winter berries to think straight.
Jak pauses, his eyes blazing down at me brighter than I have ever seen them as I look of wonder comes over him. His hand brushes my cheek and suddenly it feels incredibly warm against my skin. He cups my cheek and I feel him tremble as he gathers me tighter to him with his spare arm as his tail and wings encircle us.
“The winter berries are said to have the greatest magic,” he whispers. “Some say that they can reveal and deepen the bonds of the heart. Demon lovers often seek our realm during Yule to eat these berries together, but never have I imagined that I would be so similarly blessed.”
My brow furrows as I stare into his blazing eyes, my heart beating in an excited gallop though I scarcely dare to believe what I am hearing.
“Jak?” I murmur quizzically, and I lean into his touch as he strokes my cheek.
“You ask me to love you, but this is unnecessary,” he rasps, “because I already hold you deeply within the essence of my being. Our hearts have met and are one.”
My eyes feel damp and my vision goes blurry with the happiness that surges through me. Although Jak holds me far too close for me to throw myself into his arms in a romantic expression of joy, I throw my arms around his neck and cling tightly to him.
“Does this mean that you are affirming your love as well?” he teases as his lips brush my hair.
“Damn straight it does,” I reply fervently. “Damn, fucking straight. You are stuck with me because you are mine.”
Jak chuckles in response, and he draws back just enough so that his lips are just inches from mine. “Exactly what I always wanted from solstice. A queen of my very own.”
His lips descend, and my world washes away into a haze of heat, love, and desire. And Jak. Jak is at the center of it. Heat and love, frost and snow, all melding into a brilliance that I will never let go of for the rest of my life.
Chapter 20
Jakfros
My tail twitches lazily as I recline with my mate beside the fire. My mate. I trail a claw over her naked breast, admiring its plumpness. She is mine, and I hers. The words have been spoken and there is nothing more to it now. I am now a mated male. Pleasure stirs anew deep within me at the thought as I enjoy the flushed hue of her flesh. Ever since we returned from the woods, I have been coaxing her pleasure to rise higher, feeding our mutual joy as we feast together, enjoying every carnal sense of the body as we pet each other lovingly. Shawna shifts to her knees and circles her arms around my neck as she leans into me enticingly.
“Jak,” she whispers seconds before her mouth brushes mine, and the burst of flavor from the winter berry juice on her lips and tongue hit me in the stomach with a surge of pleasure. “It is Yule... what are you waiting for? I don’t think I can get ‘merrier’ than I am. I’m ready for you,” she murmurs against my lips.
