“I love you,” he says when his eyes finally meet mine again. “I love you so much, Maki. I’m so excited to be your mate.”
“I’m excited too,” I whisper, holding his face in my hands once more. This time, with great reluctance, I hold myself back from kissing him.
“How do we do this?”
“Right,” I say, moving my hands from his face, instead holding his hands between us. “It’s quite simple. When an undine comes of age, we must go diving for the perfect pearl. Once we find it,we keep it safe until the day we find the person we wish to share ourselves with. Today, I will gift you my pearl and you will gift me a piece of your soul.”
“Easy peasy,” Rin says with a grin.
I squeeze Rin’s hands before pulling away. I take the pearl out of my pocket, holding it in one hand, his bracelet in the other. “Oli was kind enough to find the perfect accessory for you. You can keep my pearl inside and wear it.”
“Oh, wow,” Rin breathes out. “That’s so perfect.”
Together, we place the pearl into the bracelet before locking it closed. In the future, we can solder it closed. I push the bracelet onto Rin’s wrist, letting it rest there. My heart is racing, my stomach a swirl of warmth. I was right, it looks perfect there.
“Thank you,” he says, staring up at me. “I promise to cherish this piece of yourself, Maki. I promise to cherish it the same way I cherish your heart. Thank you for trusting me.”
“You’re welcome.” I lean down and kiss his lips, a barely there press of skin against skin. “Now it’s your turn.”
“I don’t know how,” Rin whispers against my lips. His fingers tighten in the front of my shirt. “I want to, but I need you to guide me.”
“Close your eyes.” Rin does. I kiss him again, this time, allowing the kiss to linger, to keep going until we’re both swept away. I press a hand against Rin’s chest, right above his heart. “Right here,” I tell him softly, barely loud enough to hear. “I can feel it already. Let it happen, Rin. Breathe it out. Share yourself with me.”
Rin whimpers as he surges up into the next kiss. I can feel heat between us, building, simmering. It’s different than the usual heat of arousal. This is soft, more sensual. Rin opens himself to me, pushes his soul in my direction, sharing the most intimate thing a person can share. I’m so blown away he’s chosen me as his mate.
Rin is outgoing and smart and loud and funny. He’s charismatic and electric and everything I’m not. Somehow, it works. He brings me out of my shell and I’m not afraid to bring him back down to Earth. We complement each other. We belong together.
One of us gasps and I’m not sure which of us it is. I can feel it. I can feel the ceremony working. We’re both intentional about our feelings. We both want this. The magic around us takes care of the rest.
“Rin,” I say, my voice breaking. “Rin.”
“Yeah,” he says back, just as breathlessly. “I can feel it. It’s happening.”
As quickly as it started, it comes to an end. I feel a warmth within me I hadn’t felt before. It feels like joy. It feels like elation. It feels likeRin. Our bond has slotted into place, forging a connection between the two of us. Just like that, we are soulmates.
“I didn’t know it would feel like this,” Rin whispers against my lips. “I can feel how happy you are.”
“Me too,” I say, tears prickling at my eyes. “It feels so good, knowing you’re just as happy as I am.”
“Will it always be like this? Will I always be able to feel you?”
I nod my head. “Yeah. I’ll forever have a place in your chest.”
“Right next to my heart.”
I’m so overwhelmed that I do the only thing I can think to do. I pick Rin up into my arms, turn around, and pin him to the wall. My mouth is on him in a moment, shoving my tongue between his lips, needing to taste him.
“Oh gods,” he cries out, letting his head fall back against the wall. My mouth immediately finds his throat, needing to leave my mark against his skin. I bite him and suck until his skin is red and bruised.
“Rin,” I breathe out, overwhelmed.
“Yeah, I can feel it too,” he breathes out. “Bed. Now. Please. I need you, Maki.”
“I’ve got you,” tell him, turning around and dumping him onto the bed. We hastily strip out of our dress clothes. I get tangled up in my suspenders and somehow end up on the floor while Rin giggles from his place on the bed.
Even in our haste, even in the middle of lusty fog, we still find time to laugh together. I love that. I love that we get to share this with each other. I love how much I love him. I love the way I can feel his love for me right back.
I crawl onto the bed, straddling Rin’s lap. I lean down and kiss him, unable to keep myself from smiling as his hands find my ass. With one movement, I flip the two of us over so that he’s the one on top, kneeling between my open thighs.
