Page 47 of Ember's Claim

I move my feet to dangle in the air and wiggle until he places me on them. His face contorts in confusion that also echoes in the partially formed bond, but he barely gave me any warning, so I don’t think I owe him any in return.

My hands land on his chest, giving him a solid push, followed quickly by another.

“What’s wrong?” he growls as his head tilts, and his eyes glow yellowy-green with the dominance of his dragon.

I don’t answer, shoving again. His knees hit the edge of the bed, and I give him another push with all my might. He bounces on the mattress, making the bed frame creak.

My eyes light amber with my wolf. She’s still high on her victory and quite full of herself.

I pounce, landing on Veryn’s lap with my knees on either side of his. His massive hands immediately land on my hips and ass as his eyes darken.

I stretch out over him, using a palm to keep myself up. It might be my wolf guiding my actions as I fist a handful of the hair on top of his head. It could also be me who rips his head to the side.

“Ahh, I see,” Veryn murmurs. “Should I have offered you the first bite, baby?”

There’s no time to respond as my teeth transform into my wolf’s. She pushes for more, and I feel her ears pop out as her tailslithers over the top of the basketball shorts I’m wearing. It flicks around wildly as I strike his throat.

It’s a necessary part of the circuit, due to me also being a shifter. His blood coats my mouth, and I swallow it without gagging. My wolf must be to thank for that because I’m not a vampire. Her scratchy tongue is almost too big for my mouth, and she laps at Veryn’s skin.

He tugs me down with significant force, and my core grinds over his thickening shaft.

Focusing, I retract my teeth and lick over the bite. Before I even know what’s happening, a plethora of memories flash through my mind. There’s me as a kid, playing in the park. Then Veryn as he hands me my ball back, grinning and bumping his shoulder against mine. He’s always smiled at me like I was the only thing in the world he could see.

I blink and another memory replays. This time, it’s Veryn staring down at me as he flies us around his mom’s courtyard. I couldn’t have been more than seven or eight. I remember how enchanting it was to stare up at him, but seeing myself from his perspective is an entirely different experience.

The image changes again. It’s me darting down the street in Haven late at night as Veryn follows, keeping to the shadows to make sure I don’t spot him.

They go on and on, flickering through various ages and time periods. They’re all of me but through Veryn’s eyes. My chest gets tight as his emotions flood the bond.

“Whoa,” I whisper, leaning into him for support. “I just got a crazy memory dump. What’s that about?”

“Shifters share the deepest bond of all. Unless you purposely shield your thoughts and memories, I’ll be able to view them, and vice versa.” He runs his hand over my tail, sending a shiver through my entire body.

Damn.

That’s so weird.

He stares at me with his big blue eyes, and my heart beats erratically.

“Remember when I told you I waited for you, and you said something along the lines ofoh, go fuck yourself?” He quirks a bushy, black eyebrow. “Because I do. Only, I wasn’t fucking around.” He moves to cradle the back of my head. “No one has ever interested me except you. Feel free to poke around my memories if you’d like to verify.” He uses his hands on my lower back and head to gently roll us until I’m the one staring up at him. “You’re all fucking mine.”

I lean up to meet him, and our tongues clash.

Holy fucking shit.

I’m mated.

Veryn doesn’t let things go past kissing, which is good, because this isn’t either of our houses. He helps me up, and we sit side by side on Anders’s bed. My wolf is stubborn, but I eventually manage to force her to put the ears and tail away.

The line of questioning starts, and I can’t blame him for wanting to know what happened, but my head is still foggy from the wolfsbane or possibly the healing tonic. My side still isn’t fully healed. It’s just to the level where I no longer want to scream out in pain when I move.

“So, you went to the club to meet Rogue and Gemma, only they were called away on another case?” Veryn asks, running his tattooed fingers over my cheek. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have backed you up.”

“You have your own job?—”

“Ember,” he says in an indulgent tone. “I work at The Den because it’s the best chance I have to run into you.”

My eyes widen, and I shove my hair behind my ear when it falls over my face. My wolf smugly reminds me that she said that three years ago.