He was still holding Nic’s hand, so it was easy to pull him toward the couch.Nic didn’t resist.He seemed content to let Tamsin take the lead, and that was fine with Tamsin.In this situation, it felt like everything was spinning out of control, and he liked that he could control at least this.
He pushed Nic onto the couch.Nic dropped down, not letting go of Tamsin’s hand.Tamsin hesitated, then decided he might as well go all in.He wasn’t ready for more intimacy, but he could sit in his mate’s lap.
Nic smiled widely when Tamsin did just that.Both of his hands landed on Tamsin’s hips, and for a second, they stared at each other.
This man was Tamsin’s future.He would be Tamsin’s forever.Tamsin couldn’t wait to find out what that meant without the threat of Parrish hanging over their heads.It would probably be a while, though, and in the meantime, he’d enjoy everything else that came with this.
“How do we do this?”Nic asked.
“How everyone does it.You bite me, I use magic.”It was the essence of what they were.Nic was a shifter and a vampire.Tamsin was a Vila.
Nic reached up and gently brushed Tamsin’s long hair away from his neck.Tamsin shivered, but even though he wanted more, this was all they’d have today.They’d get where they want to go soon enough.For now, this was everything.
When Nic leaned closer, Tamsin slipped a hand under his shirt to press it against his heart.Nic gave him another of his wide smiles, and Tamsin couldn’t resist the urge to stroke his smooth skin.He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it, and damn if that didn’t make him want both of them to get naked.
But not now.Not yet.
When Nic leaned closer, Tamsin closed his eyes.He took a deep breath and waited, his hand pressed against Nic’s heart.The first graze of Nic’s fangs made him jump, but Tamsin didn’t wait to reach for the bond.It was between them, thrumming and eager to pull the two of them together.It wasn’t complete, but it would be in a few minutes.
For a second, Tamsin allowed himself to think about this.He was about to bond with his mate.Once he did, he and Nic would be linked for the rest of their lives.They’d face everything together, no matter what life threw at them.There would be no more feeling of not belonging or feeling like they had no one left in the world.
Nic’s fangs sank into Tamsin’s neck.Tamsin gasped, and when Nic tried to pull him closer, he remembered that he had his part to do, too.They couldn’t get any closer until he slid his arm out of the way, and he couldn’t do that until they were bonded.
He let his magic out.He guided it toward the bond, pulling at it and finding the places where the magic needed to go.At the same time, he could feel Nic drinking from him.He wouldn’t need much.
Tamsin’s magic started going nuts.It rose, wrapping him and Nic into its embrace.The bond pulsed, pulling them the closest two beings could be.It was a crescendo that only ended once the bond was complete.
For a moment, everything was suspended.Tamsin held his breath, but there was no reason for him to.They’d done it.He could feel Nic through the bond.He knew that his mate was as elated as he felt, even though he was also hesitant.
Tamsin slowly withdrew his hand, stroking his fingertips down Nic’s stomach as he did so.He smiled when he noticed Nic shuddering.He could feel the pleasure Nic had gotten from that simple gesture, and once again, it took everything he had not to push Nic down onto the couch and have his way with him.
Nic caught Tamsin’s hand before he could wrap his arms around Nic’s neck.He raised it to his mouth and gently kissed Tamsin’s fingertips, then his palm.When Tamsin cupped Nic’s cheek with that same hand, Nic leaned into it and smiled.
“We’re bonded,” he murmured, sounding like he couldn’t quite believe it.
“We are,” Tamsin confirmed as if he needed to.“It’s you and me forever now.”
“I can deal with that.”
Tamsin really hoped so, because there was no going back.
Chapter Four
––––––––
NIC WAS TECHNICALLYfree now.He could roam the village and explore, but there was no way he’d do that.He already knew what would happen if he tried.He was ready to bet it wouldn’t take more than five minutes for someone to confront him, and that was something he wanted to avoid.
He wondered if Clay and Rowan had made a mistake.He understood their reasoning, but he didn’t think that most of the clan did.They saw him as the enemy, and in a way, they weren’t wrong.He wasn’t like Melissa, the other Kudlak who lived here.He’d actively worked against the clan.He’d changed his mind, but that didn’t change what he’d done.It was a small miracle that no one had been hurt.
That would change once Parrish found a way to bypass the shield around the village.
Nic prayed he wouldn’t, but there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.He just knew that he was safe from Parrish here, and he hoped it would last for a while, but at the same time, he didn’t have much hope.Even if by some miracle Parrish never managed to get into the village, Nic didn’t think he had a future here.
The problem was that his mate was here.He didn’t want to ask Tamsin to leave this place, not when it was obvious that he’d found a home here after losing his birth clan.They hadn’t talked about Tamsin’s past much, and while Tamsin knew a bit about Nic’s, Nic knew barely anything about Tamsin’s.He was curious, but he was also afraid to bring up bad memories.He didn’t want Tamsin to associate them with him.
But whatever happened, whatever they decided, they were bonded.There was no going back, and while part of Nic felt guilty, another part of him was relieved.As long as he made sure that Tamsin never hated him, he’d always belong with him.He’d wanted that since he was a child and lost his parents.He’d never felt like he belonged with Parrish, and he was glad he hadn’t.Parrish was a monster, and no one should belong with him, not even his mate.That poor woman needed to be saved.
“You’re quiet,” Tamsin said.
