His glowing claw moved between us, finding the sensitive bundle of nerves at my center. One touch was all it took—I shattered, crying out as waves of pleasure more intense than any human climax washed through me. My inner walls clenched around him, drawing a howl from deep in his chest.
He stiffened above me, his own release imminent. “Eyes on me,” he commanded, and I obeyed, looking directly into those burning amber orbs as he spent himself inside me.
The sensation was indescribable—liquid fire filling me, burning through my veins, connecting us on a level beyond physical. I could feel him—not just physically, but somehow in my mind, a presence that hadn’t been there before. The bond, forming in real-time, binding us together.
He collapsed beside me, careful not to crush me with his weight. His fur seemed to shimmer, the glow fading slowly as hisbreathing steadied. The sheets beneath us smoldered, tiny wisps of smoke rising from where his body had been most intensely heated.
“It is done,” he murmured, echoing the officiant’s words from earlier, but with entirely different meaning. His massive arm draped across my waist, possessive yet gentle. “You are mine. I am yours.”
The bond pulsed between us, a living thing. I’d been matched, claimed, and changed—all in a single night. Whatever I had been before walking into that Hall of Bonds was gone. In its place was something new: a woman bonded to a hellhound, a being who could survive beyond Sanctuary’s walls.
I turned to face him, studying the otherworldly beauty of his features as the last of his inner glow subsided. “What happens now?” I whispered.
His lips curved in what might have been a smile. “Now, we begin.”
Solantus pulled me closer, his arm a heated band around my waist. “Now, we learn,” he said, his voice a gravelly purr that sent a shiver through me. “Now, I discover what pleases you.”
His other hand began to explore, tracing patterns over my skin that left trails of warmth in their wake. He was surprisingly gentle, every touch a question waiting for my response. I gasped as his fingers brushed a sensitive spot on the inside of my thigh, and he immediately focused on it, repeating the motion until my back arched and a moan slipped past my lips.
The room filled with the scent of burned citrus and cinnamon, a scent that I realized was uniquely Solantus. He paused, liftinghis head to meet my gaze with his incandescent eyes. “You enjoy that.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “Yes,” I managed to breathe out, my voice barely a whisper.
“I shall continue, then?”
I nodded, biting my lip as he resumed his explorations.
He growled low in his chest, the sound vibrating through me, causing an unexpected thrill to shoot up my spine. His fingers continued their journey, sliding higher up the inside of my thigh until they reached the valley of my hips. He cups his large hand over my sex, the heel of his palm pressing against my clit while his long fingers curl over me, inserting them into my hot, aching core one by one.
I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped me as his fingers worked their magic, each movement sending waves of heat through my already sensitized body. The bond between us pulsed with each touch, amplifying every sensation until I felt like I might combust from the inside out.
“So responsive,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear. “The compatibility tests did not lie.”
I tried to form words, to tell him how incredible he felt, but all that emerged was a breathless moan as he added another finger, stretching me deliciously. His thumb found my clit, circling it with just the right pressure to make my hips buck against his hand.
“Solantus,” I gasped, my fingers digging into his shoulders. The fur there was damp with perspiration that seemed to steam in the cool air.
“Yes, say my name,” he growled, his pace increasing. “Let me hear how I affect you.”
The command in his voice sent another spike of arousal through me. I’d never been one to enjoy being told what to do, but something about the way he said it—not demanding, but requesting—made me want to give him everything he asked for.
“Please,” I whispered, not even sure what I was begging for.
He seemed to understand anyway. His fingers curved inside me, finding a spot that made me see stars, while his thumb continued its maddening circles. The heat building in my core was different from before—deeper, more intense, as if the bond itself took hold and rooted deeper between us.
Through the bond, I sensed his wonder, his careful restraint as he fought to keep his movements gentle despite the obvious strain it caused him. His amber eyes never left my face, studying every expression, cataloging each reaction as if committing them to memory.
I reached up to touch his face, running my fingers along the sharp line of his jaw. His skin was like touching heated stone, solid and warm and somehow comforting. He leaned into my touch, a rumbling purr emanating from deep in his chest.
“I want to please you too,” I whispered, my hand trailing down his neck, across the broad expanse of his chest.
His eyes flared brighter. “You do. More than you know.” His fingers curled inside me, finding a spot that made me cry out. “But tonight is for learning you. Tomorrow...” His voice trailed off as he added a third finger, stretching me carefully. “Tomorrow I will teach you how to touch me.”
The promise in his words sent heat coursing through my veins. I could feel myself building toward another climax,
my muscles tightening around his fingers as he worked me toward the edge. The bond between us thrummed with shared sensation, and I realized with shock that I could feel an echo of his own arousal, his desperate need to claim me again.
“Let go,” he whispered against my throat, his voice rough with restraint. “I want to feel you come apart in my hands.”
