He sat back to look her in the eye. “You think that if we complete the mating bond, that it will trigger this chain of events?”
“Yes, and I would rather be unmated than see this prophecy fulfilled.”
“Solveig, love, you’re giving too much power to these words. Whether or not we are mated, I am already yours.”
“And you underestimate it. This is not some prophecy to be taken lightly, it’s ...” Solveig struggled to find the words.
“What?”
“I can’t.” She took a deep breath in. She sagged into him, her chest heaving.
Alarm rang through him when a tug yanked on her lifeforce. “What’s happening?”
“I can’t ... The prophecy is strong and there are things that I am not ...”
Westley understood then. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything else. You are forbidden to speak of it.”
Solveig let out a breath of relief and nodded. A dark weight settled onto his shoulders. A prophecy that held this much power did indeed have to be taken seriously.
“So what do we do? Because I’ll tell you something,myheart’s promise.” He looked her square in the eye. “You will not be able to resist me forever.”
He grinned as her eyes darkened, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Nothing could hold him back from closing the distance and capturing her mouth with his. It was all so new, but he’d never get enough of this. Of her. Angling her head so his tongue could claim hers, she moved with him, hungry and urgent.
Solveig ripped her mouth away, their breathing heavy.
“You’re right,” she said.
“That’s a first,” he said, and they shared a laugh. “What am I right about?”
“I won’t be able to hold off forever. It’s inevitable,” she said with a sigh.
“Way to make a male feel special.”
She smacked him. “You’re an ass.”
“Says the one withholding our mating bond.” He raised his eyebrows, grinding his cock, still trapped in his pants, into her core. The effect was the opposite of what he was looking for. Instead of teasing her, he was torturing himself.
A moan escaped her and he swore. “Fuck.”
“Well stop doing that,” she ordered.
“Never.” He kissed her again, swallowing whatever she was about to say, knowing he wouldn’t like it and wanting to delay it as much as possible.
She wasn’t letting him. When she attempted to move off him, he held her firmly, not letting her get away. Even if he couldn’t have her yet, he was going to remain as close as possible until he proved himself to her.
As much as he was teasing and taunting her, when it came down to it, he respected her desire to wait, to sort things out between them.
“West,” she said through kisses. “You cannot die.”
“As you wish, General,” he said with a bite at her demanding mouth.
“And I want to prevent that for as long as possible,” she said, biting him back, drawing a small drop of blood into her mouth. They froze. Her action had been instinctual—she’d been caught up in the moment and hadn’t thought.
A wave of overwhelming urgency overcame them.
His magic became frenzied, desperate to get to her, practically crawling out of his skin to do so. His blood was on her tongue and his essence was sinking into her. His canines extended, and he pushed her away before his instincts kicked in.
She tore herself away, leaping off the bed, eyes wild, hair messy from where his hands had been. She was a goddess, and he would bow and worship her.
