Page 79 of Secrets of Avalon
I squeeze her clit between my thumb and forefinger and I bite down, breaking the skin. The coppery tang of her blood hits my tongue, sealing us together with magick older than the world itself. Her following scream is one of pleasure and desire and satisfaction. I come with her, filling her with everything I have to give.
In a burst of blinding light, our souls collide, and the world around me falls away. In that moment, everything changes. The emptiness that has haunted me for centuries, the void that I thought could never be filled, is suddenly overflowing with love, with joy, with a sense of completeness that I never knew was possible.
Her essence intertwines with mine, her light chases away the shadows that have clung to my soul for so long. The magnitude of the moment washes over me and tears sting my eyes. The darkness, the beast that has fought to rule my every action and decision, is finally within my control again. For the first time in centuries, I am truly myself.
Next through the bond is a deluge of emotion. A tidal wave of my mate’s experiences crash over me. The anguish of her losses, the scars left by unimaginable pain, threaten to take me down. Her fear is a living thing, clawing at my heart with icy talons, desperate for any hint of hope.
And then all her power slams into my consciousness. The magick inside her is overwhelming and magnificent and I can immediately see why it took a Drakonii to help temper and keep it under control. Within that storm of mental chaos, I also feel her attraction to me. Her love, even though we haven’t said the words out loud. The emotion is there, and it settles deep in my chest and makes me so fully and completely content.
I take us both slowly to the bed, dropping to my side and holding her tight enough to stay buried in her soft heat. I’m not ready to let her go. Not yet. I pull her tight to my chest, cupping one of her breasts while the other hand is splayed over her mound. She relaxes into the hold, snuggling deeper and sighs contentedly.
“Mine,” I rumble against her neck, licking across the fresh bite mark.
Her body shivers against mine. “Mine,” she echoes, and I feel her mirrored claim on me at a soul deep level.
Episode 10
CHAPTER 31
“You're only wearing pants.”
Melinda Mayweather
Happiness surges through my veins, threatening to burst from my chest. Hawke’s love for me, the way he cherishes every inch of me, loves me, is overwhelming. It happened so fast. Except I feel the same way about him with an intensity that takes my breath away.
Our bond… is indescribable. This connection transcends anything I’ve ever experienced. Even deeper than the one I share with Kellan and Siva.
Hawke is a part of me and I’m a part of him. Permanently.
I love the way he’s holding me. I love that we’re laying here and he’s still inside me. And he’s still mostly hard and I love the feeling of him there, like nothing bad could ever happen with him so close.
“Is it like this for all bonded mates? The way you’re present in my body?” I rub my chest between my breasts. “I can feel you and your mood. Can you feel me that way?”
"My parents don't speak about it a lot, but yes. I do think this is typical for bonded pairs. And yes, I can feel..." His voice trails off as he searches for the right words. "Everything about you. I–"
The bed jolts violently. I shriek and clamber toward Hawke, burying my face into the crook of his neck. He wraps his arms around me, and we ride out what I can only describe as an earthquake. I’ve been through a few when my mom and I lived on the west coast, but this was bigger than anything I’ve ever felt.
The quake lasts an eternity, though I know only a few seconds pass in reality.
"That was an earthquake." I swallow hard. “You said this wasn’t a planet.”
Hawke rolls us closer to the edge of the bed, his movements gentle and reassuring as he sits me on the edge and wraps a loose blanket around my shoulders. "Stay there." He meets my gaze and his brow furrows with concern. "Nothing like this has ever happened before, not in all the centuries I've been alive." He’s not scared, but he’s also not not nervous. I can feel it right in the center of my chest through our bond.
He gets up from the bed, completely naked, and admire the view as he walks across the room to the window. For a second, I'm just lost in the moment, drinking in the sight of him and feeling pretty freaking lucky to call him mine, all things considered.
The castle starts shaking again, and it's like a bucket of cold water dumped on my head. The walls rattle like someone having a seizure. Everything in the room is shuddering.
"Hawke!” I wrap the blankets around my shoulders like they’re some kind of safety net and I stumble towards him, trying to keep my balance as the floor moves underneath me.
Every time the castle shakes, I nearly face-plant. I'm starting to think that this whole magical realm thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Hawke's worry and concern pulses through our bond, exacerbating my own fear.
He holds up a hand, his eyes widening. "Melinda, no. Stay there."
I pause, but the pull to be near him is too strong. I need his touch, his reassurance. "Please," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the rattling of the walls.
In an instant, he's by my side, tucking me close to his chest. His heart’s racing, his emotions a swirling mix of protectiveness and anxiety. "It's fine. It's?—"
"An earthquake?" I ask, my voice shaking. Something tells me it’s not an earthquake, a girl can hope, right?