Before my eyes, the beast form grows weaker, less pronounced. I’m not sure how much time passes, my father doesn’t stop speaking, and Kaden transforms from the beast back to his Fae form. The hair sheds, his eyes glow amber, and his body shrinks. The claws on his hands retract and his hunched body thins out, long and powerful once more.
He lurches forward heaving, screaming into the dirt as the last remains of the curse disappear, back into the confines he created years ago.
I kneel beside him, face smiling, tears falling from my chin. Holding his cheeks, I sob, and laugh all at once.
It’s him, the heir—mymate. He’s back.
Panting, he grabs my throat, pulling us into a messy, dirty kiss, teeth clashing, tongues sweeping. It’s wild and carefree and his other arm wraps around my waist, pulling me flush.
Hefeelslike Kaden again: warm, solid, and comforting.
When he finally pulls away, the crowd cheers, relief high as the tension falls.
“I thought I lost you,” I whisper, tear tracks covering my face. I don’t bother to wipe them away.
“You almost did,” he admits, voice hoarse. “Thank you. For choosing me.”
Brushing the hair from his face, I rub my nose against his, enjoying him here and inside my mind. The bond sits between us, no longer a threat butreal. Before, it was painful, a yearning so great, I wanted to rip it out of my chest.
Now, it’s a solid weight like a warm blanket on a cold night. It feelsright.
Inside my soul, the black smoke that is Kaden curls as if it can hold me tighter. I find comfort in it. I’ll never be alone now.
Clearing my throat, I bite my lip. “I will always choose you, because you’ve always chosen me.”
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
MAX
There’s little to celebrate with the threat of what Zelos will do to us, or where Oslo is, but we stumble into the room I awoke in, my mate and I. My body hums with awareness, feeling him beside me, in my soul. I’m completely surrounded by him.
My husband.
I was drawn to Kaden in King Griffin’s court because of the Heartbond—the one we were fated to find, who we could refuse if we wanted—but the claiming is the meshing of two souls, two lives into one being.
In every way, Kaden and I belong to the other.
He looks at me, eyes flaring in hunger and want. Both of us worry for what the next day will bring, but right now, as our allies celebrate outside, it’s just us. It’s still our wedding night.
“What are you thinking, kitten?” he asks, stripping from his tunic. His body is a maze of battle scars, cuts and bruises. “How do you feel?”
Stepping close, my hand follows one mark on his stomach, his ribs clenching under my touch. “I feel… alive.” I search for the right words. “I can feel you. Inside my body. My mind. It’s not oppressive but it’s there, a guiding hand. Quiet. Deep.”
He grabs my hand, holding it flat to his chest where his heart lies.
“I feel the same. You’re life. Chaotic. A fire raging.” Amber eyes shine in the darkened space. There’s love and desire and open amazement hidden beneath those thick lashes. “You chose me.”
“I choseus.”
He smirks, a wicked smile, before he pulls me by the neck, yanking the dress from my shoulders. It puddles around our feet as we tumble into the cot, the springs squealing something horrible. We laugh, mood broken, but not our want.
“They’ll hear us,” he whispers, nipping at my lip, my jaw, down further. “Fae have exceptional hearing.”
“Then you better be quiet,” I quip, feeling his teeth raking over my collarbone, over one breast. My hands tug his hair, moving him to where I want him, and he happily obliges.
His tongue swirls around my nipple, pulling it into his mouth, tasting my skin. My body arches, searching for more, needing to feel all of him. This need is much more potent than I’ve ever felt. From a soul-bond finally realized.
