“Butyoulike them, right?” I stopped walking.
She turned to face me. “Yes, Bram. I like them. It’s why I keep them displayed on my shelf.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” she assured me.
“Skulls are remnants of life. I never really thought about the significance of that before I started gifting them to you, but that’s exactly what they are. I’ve gotten attached to giving them to you because while I’ve given you my life from here on out, I wanted to give you remnants of other lives too. I just feel like you deserve everything, and I know that I’m not enough for you. I want to give you more—but I don’t have much to give,” I admitted painfully. Admitting it was something that fucking broke me, but it was true. I knew that much.
“But you are enough,” she said softly, reaching out and threading her fingers with mine. “I love the skulls, but I also love spending time with you. I want to get to know you even more. I mean, we’re bonded, fated mates, and we don’t really know a whole lot about each other, do we?”
Guilt swelled in my throat as I shook my head. “No, we don’t.”
“And I want to change that because everything you’ve been givingisenough.” She tucked a piece of stray hair that had fallen down behind her ear before turning to continue our walk.
Her foot got caught on something, causing her to trip and stumble forward.
I tugged on her hand and pulled her against my chest to keep her steady. “I’ve got you, brat.”
“Brat, really?” She tilted her head back and glared at me with defiance.
Really cute defiance.
“Sorry,” I murmured, helping her catch her balance. “I mean it lovingly.”
“Do you, now?” she mused, planting a hand on my chest and looking up at me before stepping back slightly. “Don’t be sorry. It’s much better used this way rather than the way you used to use it.”
I flinched, glancing down and picking up what she’d tripped over. Dusting the sand off the weathered bone, I realized it was a weasel skull. “Skull of a weasel, much like myself. A skull that brings shame and regret, but it also brings rebirth and new possibilities.” I handed her the skull. “You deserveonlythe best, and I intend to give you the best version of myself. I’m still working on it, but I will give that to you.”
“Bram, I want you at your best, of course, but I’ll take you at your worst, too.” She took the skull, slipping it into her bag with Nebula.
“You…will?”
“Of course.” She moved forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and tugging my lips to meet hers.
The desert air tasted dry, but she tasted of salvation.
Her lips were soft against mine as we kissed, and I slipped my tongue past them. I couldn’t help but pull her body against mine and deepen the kiss, exploring her mouth as I did.
Desire shot down our bond from both of us, and I moaned into her mouth from her neediness.
Holy Fates, she wanted me.
We kissed, open-mouthed, open-bond, and I lost myself. My hands gripped her hips and pulled her closer. My mouth rained hungry kisses upon her with the desperation of a rainstorm in a year-long drought. This wasn’t a sweet, nervous kiss. This was a hot, demanding need. Our tongues slicked together, and she let out a soft moan that I swallowed like a starving man.
Breaking the kiss with a gasp, I lowered my mouth to her throat and licked down her neck.
“Bram.” My name was a plea as her arousal soaked the air between us.
A low, rumbling growl turned to aggressive howling, and I wrapped my arms around her protectively, breaking our trance.
“What is it?” she murmured, desire thickening her rasp.
Chaos and Demo backed up next to us, pointing their anger at something in the distance.
“They’re pissed, but I’m not entirely sure why.” I frowned, squinting my eyes and staring out at nothing but sand dunes. “I don’t see anything.”
“Perhaps they stopped you from doing what you were doing before Pandora ended up with sand in places sand doesn’t need to be,” Nebula hissed from her bag.
