Page 35 of Ancient Promises
Just. Like. That.
She shouted his name as she came, riding him through her pleasure until he roared his completion. She felt only a brief moment of pain in the midst of all the pleasure as he scored her arm with his claws, but it faded fast.
Her fangs punched from her gums, and she didn’t even process what her thoughts were as she sank them into his neck. He growled and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him as she let out a soft mewl of completion and carefully pulled her fangs from him.
She extracted her claws from the tree and then rested her head on his shoulder and tried to catch her breath. She reveled in the feeling of complete happiness in being fully mated. She could feel a connection to him in her heart now, a blissful awareness of just how much this male meant to her.
She didn’t love him. Not yet.
But she was falling hard for him.
How could she not? He’d tried to keep his distance to keep her safe, fighting his dragon every step of the way. She liked that he cared about her safety, even if she’d misunderstood his motives from day one.
“Was that your wolf or your lion?” he asked, his wings opening and letting in the cool night air.
“Both,” she said, snuggling in his embrace. “I hope that was okay.”
“Definitely.” He kissed her temple and sighed. “I feel so connected to you.”
“Me too.” She didn’t want to move, but there was a stick digging into her calf and she’d lost the one sandal she hadn’t taken off.
She sat up, his cock slipping from her and making her groan at the loss. She moved off him, using the tree for leverage as she rose to her feet. She saw the trunk that she’d shredded with her claws.
He grinned as he stood and tugged his pants up. “That’s fucking awesome.”
“I’ve never had my beasts so reactive before. It’s cool as hell.” She looked at the already scarring mark of his claws on her arm, thrilled to be his marked mate.
They dressed quickly, then he took her hand and they walked back to the bookstore.
“What now?” she asked.
He opened the door to the apartment. “I want to tell you everything. And then I want to know everything about you.”
She glanced at the decorative clock on the family room wall. “How about you first and then we can talk about me over breakfast since it's pretty late. There’s a great diner in town.”
He hesitated. “We can just go to sleep.”
“Hell no, I don’t want to wait another second to hear your history. We’ve wasted enough time not talking to each other.”
He nodded. “So, my brother was always a loose cannon…”
Chapter Fourteen
“Maybe we could go out to dinner tonight,” Eivross said to Diem as he tucked into a large platter of waffles topped with fresh blueberries the next morning.
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“Do you have a favorite place? I just don’t like seafood, but if you do, I’m sure I could find something to eat.”
“It’s no bother; I like fried catfish, but that’s only when I can have fresh cornbread and a baked potato. I rarely ever get seafood when I’m out to eat.”
He watched as she cut up a ham and cheese omelet and took a bite. She looked worn out but so beautiful he couldn’t really believe he wasn’t dreaming.
How had he not managed to forever fuck things up between them?
Because she was gracious and forgiving, for one. But also because he’d finally seen the light. Yes, Zihndyr was dangerous, but so was Eivross. And so were the people who called Cider Falls home. He wasn’t about to let his brother hurt her or anyone else.
If Zihndyr came back to cause trouble, Eivross would put him down for good.