My eyes widen as I stare up at him, and my heart thuds hard against my ribs like a trapped bird. “Oh, shit...”
“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” He pulls me in close without hesitation, his arms strong and protective around me. I feel like absolute shit, shame burning through my veins like acid.
“Everything, nothing... I don’t know... I’m sorry...” My brain is short-circuiting, thinking about everything I did while I had my mate by my side from as far back as I can remember. How could I have been so blind? All those years of feeling drawn to him, of seeking his approval, of feeling complete when he was near—it was the mate bond calling to me even when I was too young to understand it.
The excitement I felt moments ago crashes into overwhelming emotion. I’ve wasted so much time, hurt him probably, made him watch me stumble through relationships with males who could never compare to him. The thought makes me want to scream and cry and beg his forgiveness all at once.
Corvis smiles and kisses me softly, his lips gentle against mine, and suddenly everything clicks into place. This is why no other male ever felt right, why I always compared everyone to him and found them lacking. He’s the one who takes away my pain and the only one who can make my chaotic mind go silent. He moves in slowly and closes the distance.
The kiss sends electricity racing through my entire body, and I’m trembling with the intensity of it, finally being able to touch him the way I’ve secretly wanted to for years. I bring my wings forward and hold him close to me, creating an intimate cocoon of black membrane. The gesture feels natural, protective, like I’m claiming what’s mine after waiting my entire life for permission to do so. He nuzzles my cheek after he breaks the kiss, his beard scratching softly against my skin.
“What freaked you out?” He nuzzles my cheek again, and I roll my head to the side, feeling his warm lips against the sensitive skin of my throat.
“I...” I bite my bottom lip, hesitating as vulnerability wars with honesty. “You know I dated.” My voice wavers like autumn leaves in the wind.
“I’m not innocent either, Raven. I spent time with several females over the years. You were far too young to handle what I needed.” He kisses my throat again, and I feel a huge weight lift off my chest like a stone rolling away.
Part of me wants to hunt every single female down and gut them for touching what’s mine. The possessive thought should shock me, but it doesn’t.
I thread my fingers up into his hair and press him to my throat, feeling the silk strands slip between my fingers exactly the way I’d imagined they would during countless stolen moments of daydreaming. “Are you gonna bite me or just kiss me?” A deep purr escapes my lips as I run the fingers of my right hand up his neck and into his hair, holding his head in place. My left arm bands around his broad shoulders, and I draw lazy circles on his back, trying to soothe the tension I can feel coiled in his muscles.
The anticipation is killing me. Every cell in my body is screaming for him to complete the bond, to make me truly his after all these years of unconscious wanting. I’m practically vibrating with excitement and need, my dragon side fully awakened and demanding her mate.
Ever so slowly, I feel his mouth open and his teeth press to my flesh. Human teeth first—it throws me off for a moment until his dragon’s teeth emerge and impale my flesh. The bond burns fully to life, every nerve ending lighting up like I’ve been struck by lightning. I feel like I can’t breathe as I hold him to me, my world narrowing to this single point of connection.
A deep rumbling builds in his chest, vibrating against me, before he releases my neck and runs his tongue over the wound. The healing saliva tingles and burns, sealing the bite that marks me as his.
As I open my wings, I take his hand and lead him into the cavern. His palm is warm and slightly calloused against mine. No one other than my close family has entered my private space before this moment. I can feel the shift in him as we walk deeper into the darkness, his steps becoming more reverent as he realizes the significance of being brought here.
Eventually, we enter the main cavern with the large hot spring bubbling in the center. The bioluminescence of the stones and fungi on the walls makes the space glow faintly with blue-green light, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Steam rises from the mineral-rich water, carrying the scent of iron and earth.
“It’s beautiful in here,” he says softly, his voice echoing slightly off the cavern walls.
“I dug it almost two months ago. Well, the main tunnel. I sensed the water down here, so I dug.” I stare at my inner sanctum, knowing this is where my dragoness wants to have her eggs someday. As much as the safety of the flight is important, this location is highly defensible as well.
Corvis comes up behind me and pulls me back against his chest, his warmth seeping through my dress. His lips find my neck, and his tongue laves over the mate mark he gave me. My core tightens and pulses softly in response, heat pooling low in my belly. Every inch of my body craves the bond and yearns to complete it.
All I can hear in my head is that song by Ronnie, something about women being a weapon. The haunting melody echoes in my thoughts as I turn carefully, mindful of my wings. My fingers find the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head, revealing the body I’ve admired from afar for years.
My canines elongate as my mouth falls open, and I run my hands over his exposed skin. His chest is littered with scars from battles and training—evidence that my family didn’t go easy on him. I understand why now. He’s letting me lead, understanding that it’s dangerous for a black dragoness to remain unmated once she senses the bond.
My hands drop to the button at the top of his pants, and I pause, staring at my trembling fingers.
“I have loved you for so many years. Wished you had seen me. Wished that this day would come.” I look up at him slowly, searching his face. All I see is love in his silver eyes and a soft smile that makes my heart ache. “When you stiffened in my arms earlier, I wanted to melt everything in existence.” A slightly unhinged laugh escapes my lips. “I followed you for three days after I scent-marked you, waiting to find the female who had taken you from me.”
“Did you look in the mirror? She would be staring back at you.” Corvis leans down and kisses my lips softly, and I feel his hands slip around my back to the silk ribbons that hold my dress together.
“I know that now. That, and Titan tattled on you and Hemlocke.” My fingers unfasten the top button of his pants, the small action feeling monumentally significant.
“Everything changes today,” he whispers close to my left ear, his breath warm against my skin.
“Nothing changes,” I answer back and nip his chin playfully, then roll my eyes. “Other than I will never be alone again.”
The promise hangs in the air between us, heavy with meaning and possibility, as the bioluminescent glow bathes us in ethereal light and the sound of bubbling springs creates a symphony of our new beginning. He pulls the ribbons holding my dress together, and it falls to the ground at my feet. His eyes widen as he takes me in.
“When did you get pierced?” He gawks, staring at the bars through my nipples.
“My eighteenth birthday. I went to Balor’s piercer and then threatened his life. He gave me a female piercer, and I got the girls done.” I smile looking at the tent in his slacks. I drop the zipper and his pants fall.
