He was vaguely aware that the priestesses had vanished into the trees. Fionn and Oisín followed them with no further explanation as if they knew what was coming, as if they didn’t want to get caught in the line of fire between a couple whose mating bond desired—no—demanded completion.
Viper’s fingers trembled as his hand slid up Ward’s chest. “I can’t—Ward, I can’t fucking think.”
“Then don’t.” Ward surged up and kissed him, and the bond exploded.
Viper caught him with a groan torn straight from his soul, a sound that spoke of surrender and hunger all at once. Wardpressed closer, chest to chest, their mate marks pulsing in unison where their arms touched, moving faster with every shared breath.
The kiss wasn’t soft or hesitant. It was Viper losing his grip on control and Ward letting go of logic, of fear, of anything and everything but the man in front of him. The man he was tethered to. The man his soul craved and his heart desired.
The second their mouths met, the magic surged. It burned like lightning across his tongue, an ache behind his ribs, a rush of power that sparked every nerve ending into life. Viper hauled him closer, both hands fisting in his shirt, and kissed him like he needed it more than oxygen. As if the kiss was the only thing holding him together.
Ward felt the brush of teeth, the slide of tongues, and the way Viper trembled against him like a grenade with the pin halfway pulled. He clutched at his waist, nails digging in and hips arching forward. They weren’t even trying to be subtle anymore. There was no space left between them, no barrier that wouldn’t be burned away by the fire curling in their blood.
“Ward—” Viper choked against his lips. “Fuck, this… this is more than the bond. I wanted you before that mark ever showed up.”
“I know.” Ward tilted his head, dragging his lips down the scruff of Viper’s jaw. “I did too.”
Viper bit out a harsh breath. “If we start this, I don’t think I can stop.”
“Then don’t.” His fingers tugged at the hem of Viper’s shirt, slipping underneath to trace the lines of muscle across his chest. “I don’t want you to.” His world narrowed to the feel of Viper’s skin under his hands, the heat of his mouth on his neck, andthe low needy sound he made when Ward rocked their hips together.
“Let’s go.” Viper caught his hand and dragged him after him. Thankfully, the crannóg wasn’t far. But even if it had been miles, Ward was sure Viper would’ve dragged them there on his knees. They stumbled inside, mouths locked, hands grasping, and neither one noticed the door banging shut behind them.
Viper pushed him back against the wooden wall, bracing one hand beside his head with the other palming his hip. “You’re sure?”
He could get lost in his silver blazing eyes with no trouble at all. Ward answered by grabbing Viper’s belt and yanking him forward, their mouths crashing together again. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Viper growled—and this time, when he kissed him, it wasn’t a question. It was a claim.
Ward had never known want like this. It wasn’t lust—it was an all-consuming need. Viper kissed like he fought, with calculated intensity, every brush of his mouth dragging another layer of resistance out of his skin until there was nothing left but ‘yes, absolutely yes.’
Viper caught the back of his thigh and lifted, pressing him hard against the wall and forcing their bodies tight together. The pressure was exquisite. Ward moaned, tilting his head back and baring his throat instinctively. Viper didn’t hesitate. He traced his tongue along the line of Ward’s pulse before he sucked, nipped, and bit hard enough to mark his skin.
The sound Ward made startled himself with how low, needy, and full of heat it was.
Viper pulled back just enough to press their foreheads together. His chest rose and fell in shallow, panting breaths. “We stop if you say stop. It will kill me, but I’ll do it because you ask it of me.”
“Not stopping,” Ward whispered, his fingers brushing down Viper’s sides before he grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head. “Please, don’t stop.”
Viper’s eyes burned silver and darkened with desire. Ward barely got his own shirt off before Viper lifted him again, guiding him toward the thick bedding. They landed together in a tangle of limbs, the fur pelts soft beneath their bare skin.
Everything slowed down as Viper touched him as if he wanted to learn, memorize, and worship every inch of him. Ward trembled beneath those calloused hands, overwhelmed by the way Viper looked at him like he was the treasure he’d been searching for his entire life.
They kissed again, slower and deeper, and Ward arched into it. Viper swallowed the soft sound that broke from him when their hips finally aligned.
“God,” Viper muttered, burying his face in Ward’s neck. “You feel like—fuck, you feel like the world makes sense for once.”
Ward’s voice caught as he pushed up against him. “Then don’t let go.”
“Never.”
The rest of their clothes vanished between kisses and gasps. Viper’s hands were on his chest, his sides, his hips. He moved like he was unraveling him on purpose, like he knew every place to touch and every place to kiss that would leave him wrecked.The scent of earth and spice still clung to their skin from the rite, but now it was mingled with sweat and something new—something only and uniquely theirs.
Ward felt the weight of Viper settling against his chest, most of his weight braced on his elbows. He widened his legs, making room for Viper’s hips to settle between them, and whined a low sound as their cocks slid over each other.
Viper exhaled harshly when his hands worked their way up his back, digging into muscles, stroking, teasing, and hitting a ticklish spot that made him jump, and Ward snickered. “The big bad SEAL is ticklish?”
“If you ever tell anyone, I’ll murder you in your sleep.”
