"Four nights too long," he murmured against my lips, his fingers circling slowly. "I have missed the taste of you. The sounds you make when I touch you here."
His fingers worked me with the same careful patience he brought to everything, slow circles that built the pressure higher and higher until I was trembling against him. I could feel his cock hard and insistent against my backside, could feel his restraint through the bond, the way he was holding himself back.
"I want you," I managed. "Please. I need you inside me, Daska."
He made a rough sound and pulled his hand away, pushing up the light tunic I wore to sleep in. He, of course, sleeping in bear form, was already wearing nothing. I felt him press against me from behind, the rounded head of his cock easing into me slowly, filling me completely.
I gasped as he filled me, the stretch and fullness overwhelming even though we'd done this so many times before. He was so big, and from this angle he felt even deeper, reaching places that made my breath catch and my toes curl.
"Safe?" he asked, his voice strained, his body trembling with the effort of holding still.
"Safe," I managed. "So safe. Move, please…"
He pulled back slowly, then thrust forward, and I cried out at the sensation. His hand came back to work between my legs as he set a steady rhythm from behind, Long, deep strokes that had me biting my lip to keep from crying out. The angle was perfect, hitting something inside me that made my toes curl, and the pleasure built quickly, amplified by the bond until I couldn't think, couldn't breathe, could only feel. His chest pressed against my back, his breath hot against my neck, and through the bond I felt his pleasure layering with mine, building higher and higher. The angle was perfect, hitting something deep inside me that made my vision blur at the edges. His fingers worked faster, matching the rhythm of his hips, and I was so close, so desperately close...
"Daska..."
"Ellie," he groaned against my shoulder. “I need to feel you come on my cock. Please...”
His words, rough and desperate against my skin, sent me over the edge. The orgasm tore through me with devastating force, my body clenching around him as waves of pleasure crashed over me again and again. I cried out, my body clenching around him, and through the bond I felt his own control shatter.
The bond flared white-hot between us, pleasure feeding back and forth between us through the bond until I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. I felt his satisfaction, his relief, the bone-deep contentment of being joined with his mate after days of forced separation. His fingers gentled on me, easing me down, and his other arm tightened around my waist, holding me close against his chest.
For a long moment we just lay there, tangled together, both of us breathing hard. I could feel his heart hammering againstmy back, could feel the satisfaction and contentment radiating through the bond like warmth from a fire.
"Missed you," he murmured against my hair. "So much."
"I was right here," I said, but my voice came out soft, affectionate rather than teasing.
"Not the same." His hand spread across my stomach, possessive and tender at once. "This. Missed this."
I turned my head enough to catch his mouth with mine, the kiss slow and deep and unhurried. When we finally broke apart, his forehead rested against mine, his breath still coming in soft pants.
"I love you," he murmured.
My chest tightened, tears pricking at my eyes. He'd never said it before. Neither of us had. We'd danced around it, shown it in a thousand small ways, but the words themselves had remained unspoken.
"I love you too," I whispered back, and felt the truth of it settle into my bones. I did love him. Desperately, completely, in a way that terrified me.
Because I still had to leave.
When we finally emerged from the cave, the camp was alive with movement. Life had returned after Karik had retreated. Normal, everyday life. Children darted between the fire pits, their laughter bright and sharp in the cold air. Women tended to meals and mended furs, their voices low and easy. Men sharpened weapons and hauled supplies, their movements efficient and purposeful.
I stopped just outside the cave entrance, my chest tightening with something I couldn't name. Daska's hand rested lightly on my lower back, a grounding presence as I took it all in.
A group of warriors passed nearby, their heads dipping in respectful nods as they caught sight of Daska. One of thempaused long enough to clasp Daska's forearm, murmuring something low and reverent in their language.
Daska's response was quiet, humble, but the warrior's expression didn't change. He looked at Daska like he was something more now. Somethingother.
They see him differently.
I glanced up at Daska, but his expression was unreadable. He didn't seem uncomfortable, exactly—just… distant. Like he was already somewhere else in his mind.
"Ellie!"
I turned to see a small group of children racing toward me, their faces bright with excitement. The same ones I'd played with weeks ago, back when I'd still been trying to figure out how to survive in this world.
They skidded to a stop in front of me, breathless and grinning, and the smallest, a little girl with dark braids and gap-toothed smile, thrust something into my hands.
