My throat tightened. I pressed my face harder into his fur, breathing him in. He'd fought for me. Bled for me. Nearly died for me. And he'dwon.
The bond hummed faintly beneath my ribs, a steady pulse of warmth that matched the rhythm of his heartbeat. It had been there since the mating, quiet but insistent, like a second pulse Icouldn't ignore. Now it felt… stronger. Deeper. As if the fight had somehow forged it into something unbreakable, or maybe it had been the time we’d spent together at the moon hearth, the way we’d made love so many times...
I lifted my head slightly, just enough to study him in the dim light filtering through the cave entrance. His fur was growing back in patches where it had been torn away, new growth soft and pale against the darker surrounding coat. He slept in his bear form to speed the healing. In human form he looked even worse, scabs pulled tight across his shoulders and flanks, but the bruising that had turned his skin mottled purple and black was fading to yellow-green.
I reached out carefully, my fingers hovering over a particularly nasty scar on his ribs. Karik's claws had carved through fur and muscle like he'd wanted to rip Daska apart.
He nearly did.
My hand trembled. I let it fall.
Daska's breathing shifted. His massive head turned toward me, one dark eye opening to focus on my face. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then his nose pushed gently against my shoulder, a low, rumbling sound vibrating through his chest.
Safe. Alive. Here.
The shift came slowly, deliberately. Fur rippled and shrank, bones cracking and reforming until the enormous bear beside me became the man I knew, broad-shouldered and scarred, his dark hair falling loose around his face. His hand found mine, fingers threading through mine with careful tenderness.
"Ellie" he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. His thumb traced circles against my palm. "You are worried?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice. His gaze swept over me, searching for injury or distress, and I felt the bond flare warm and bright between us. He still looked tired, shadows under his eyes, but he washere. Whole. Mine.
"I was just remembering the fight. I’m fine. Go back to sleep, youshould rest more."
His mouth curved into the faintest smile. "You worry."
"Yes."
He leaned forward, tilting my head up and back so he could brush his lips over mine.
"There is no need," he said softly. "I am nearly healed. Though perhaps now you do not find me as desirable as you did at the moon hearth?"
I turned quickly to face him, full of indignation, and he laughed at my expression.
“How can you think that?” I demanded.
“It’s been four nights and we haven’t…”
“You nearly died!” I snapped. “You were badly hurt, and I…”
“No longer have need to worry,” he said, grinning at me. “Come here, mate.”
I fought against the smile growing on my face and lost as he bent to kiss me again. I had missed him too, and hadn’t wanted to put pressure on any of his wounds, but if he really was better…
He pulled my body back against him, curling around me, and I felt the hard length of his cock press between my legs. Oh, he was definitely feeling better.
I gasped as he rocked his hips against me, the friction sending heat pooling low in my belly. His hand slid down my stomach, fingers tracing lazy patterns across my skin before dipping lower. When he found me already wet for him, he groaned against my neck.
"You have missed me too," he murmured, his fingers circling slowly, teasingly. "I can feel it."
"Yes," I breathed, arching into his touch. Through the bond, I felt his satisfaction, his desire, the way my response was affecting him. It was intoxicating, feeling both my own pleasure and the echo of his.
His fingers worked me with practiced ease, finding that perfect rhythm that had me gasping within moments. He knew my body now, knew exactly how to touch me, where to press, when to speed up or slow down. The bond amplified everything, feeding my pleasure back into his until I couldn't tell where I ended and he began.
"Daska, please—"
"Not yet." His voice was rough in my ear, his fingers never faltering.
I whimpered, my hips rocking against his hand, chasing the release building inside me. His other arm wrapped around my waist, holding me steady against him, and I felt the hard length of him pressed against my backside, hot and insistent.
