Page 21 of Craving Darkness

“Off the hook?”

I nodded as well as I could in his firm grasp.

“You’re moving on with your life?”

“Y-yes?” I hadn’t intended the word to come out as a question.

“Do I have any say in what I want, or do I just have to take your assumptions for fact?”

I swallowed hard and blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. An emotion was tightening my chest so hard I was finding it difficult to take in a full breath. It took me a long moment to realize the emotion I was feeling was hope. “You have a say,” I whispered brokenly through my clogged throat.

He stood there for a long moment, just taking me in before he finally straightened back up. His posture was rigid, and I got the impression that he was readying himself for rejection.

“I never wanted to be close to anyone because of my past and my fear that I could hurt them unintentionally. I didn’t even know that fated mates were a thing because of it. Maybe if I had known more about my own kind, I would have realized what the burning sensation I’d had a little over twenty years ago meant.” He paused and studied me for a long beat. “I would have looked for you, Kallista. Because I am learning that even though I wasn’t expecting it, and it was a shock to find out, the Fates weren’t wrong. You’re perfect. For me.”

I let out a strangled sob at his words.

“What I want, Mate, is a chance to prove that I am perfect for you, too.”

His words sent the small bit of hope I’d felt a moment ago surge through me like a flood. “What changed your mind?” I couldn’t help but ask because it was such a change from that morning.

He backed away and ran his fingers through his hair. “There is the pull. I tried to ignore it.” I nodded because I felt the pull, too. “But every second I’m around you and get to know you a little bit more, I realize the Fates know what the fuck they are doing. If I were to build the perfect woman for me, she would have your face, your mind, your body, and your heart. But seeing you ready to walk out of my life forever? That felt like a sledgehammer to my soul.”

I blinked and wiped a tear that had escaped down my cheek. His expression softened as he took me in.

“Will you give me a chance?”

What else could I do? I nodded.

Chapter 14

Valen

Ireached for her face, cupping her cheeks. I gently swiped away the tears with my thumbs as I stared down at her with a sense of wonder filling my chest. This was my mate. I could continue to fight it, or I could accept the gift that had been given to me.

“Valen?” She blinked up at me, her bottom lip trembling, making me want to wipe away the insecurities I could read in her eyes. “Will you kiss me?”

I froze and then groaned. Of course I would kiss her. A part of me felt as if I had been waiting my entire existence for this moment. Slowly, I bent my head down until our mouths were a breath apart. I could feel the heat radiating off her lips, and suddenly, I needed to taste her more than I needed my next heartbeat.

I brushed my lips gently across hers, just a soft pressing of flesh against flesh. I felt the plushness of her, the warmth, and needed more. Shifting to get closer, I tilted the angle of my head, allowing our mouths to slide together like two pieces of a puzzle slotting into place. Her hands went to my chest and gripped the cotton of my shirt tightly in her fists.

“More,” she breathed.

With a slowness I didn’t know I could possess, I pressed closer, sliding first one way and then another, still just a press of lips, but Kallista slid her hands up over my shoulders and onto the back of my neck, tangling her fingers in my hair.

“Kiss me like you mean it, Valen.” Her softly spoken demand was enough to finally break me. With a groan, I slid a hand under her ass and the other across the center of her back and lifted her off the floor. Her thighs went around my waist, and her feet hooked together behind my back.

With our height difference erased, I slid my tongue across her bottom lip, tasting her skin for the first time. Every part of me tightened as all I could do was give her the more she had demanded. With a gasp, she parted her lips for me, and like the beast I was, I took full advantage.

I swept my tongue inside, meeting hers and stroking over it with mine. Her whimpers fueled my desire, turning the burning want into a flaming need. If she wanted more, I would provide her with everything I was capable of giving.

We broke apart, gasping for breath, and stared at each other. Her whole body was trembling as we held onto each other tightly. I suddenly realized how hard I was holding her to me and loosened my grip.

“No! Don’t stop. I’m not ready to stop yet.” Her whimper of denial had me swooping down for another soul shattering kiss. When I pulled away a second time, it was to press kisses to her cheek and neck.

“I will never stop, Mate. I want to kiss every inch of you. I want to taste you everywhere.” Now that I had accepted the inevitable, I was ready to fulfill every desire we both had. “I want you. My body is screaming at me to take you and claim you.” I nudged the strap of her dress to the side so I could taste her skin there with my tongue. “But my instincts tell me if I do, we will complete the bond. We will be mates forever. Are you ready for that?”

Her entire body tightened up, and her breath caught in her throat. I pressed another kiss to her collarbone, wishing that there was no clothing between us until I realized she had yet to answer. At her silence, I loosened my grip on her again, taking her lack of response as her not being ready for that kind of commitment. I couldn’t blame her. As she had pointed out earlier, we barely knew each other. There would be plenty of time for bonding later. I could wait. I’d wait forever.