Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ROSE
“How do you feel the event went?” Carter asks, pushing open the front door and guiding me inside, his palm warm at the small of my back.
“Better than I ever expected,” I murmur, a lazy smile curling my lips. Magic still thrums through my veins, a low, electric hum from being wrapped in so much energy all night. For the first time in weeks I feel lifted instead of drained; I feel alive.
Before I can say more, Carter pulls me into him, his mouth claiming mine in a kiss that steals the breath from my lungs.
Heat floods through me, igniting every nerve as his hands trail down my spine, slow and deliberate, before settling over the curve of my ass, squeezing just enough to make my pulse trip.
“My favorite part,” he murmurs against my lips, “was watching you shine while this dress hugged every single curve. You looked like a goddess.”
I arch a brow, teasing, “Looked like a goddess?”
He smirks, brushing his mouth over mine again. “A goddess has nothing on my mate.” His voice dips lower, rougher, as his teeth graze the edge of my ear. “Soon you’ll be wearing nothing but the moon’s glow—and my mark on your skin.”
The words wrap around me like a promise, and when his lips trail down my neck, heat pools low in my belly, sharp and insistent.
“Does it”—I gasp as my hips press against him, chasing the contact—“leave a mark?”
I’m not afraid, just curious. After I suspected, I scoured the internet in my free time, collecting whatever I could find. Results conflicted depending on the source.
“Not one the human eye can see,” he murmurs, breath hot on my skin. “But every shifter, every supernatural worth their power, will know you’re mine. Some couples mark it with a tattoo.”
“Of the bite mark?” I pull back, raising an eyebrow, fingers reaching up to touch the phantom mark I imagine will soon ghost my skin.
“Sometimes. Or a symbol.” His finger traces an outline of the moon on my chest, his touch nearly scalding. “But we don’t have to do this tonight.”
“I want to.” The words rush out of me before I can think—instinct rising like a tide I can’t fight.
Ginger winds his orange body around our legs with an impatient meow.
Carter chuckles low in his throat, but his eyes never leave mine.
“Hey, boy,” he says, voice velvety. “Don’t worry—we’ve got a treat for you.
But first…” His hand slides to the back of my neck, pulling me in for another kiss that makes my knees go weak.
“Carter,” I gasp when he finally pulls back, lips swollen, pulse pounding in my ears.
“Be a good girl,” he murmurs, low and commanding. “Go do what you promised me.” His palm lingers on my ass before giving it a firm squeeze and a slow, claiming pat. Then he tips his head toward the kitchen, a wicked glint in his eyes. “I’ll feed the cat.”
I’m still catching my breath when he disappears, but my body hums with the order—thrumming with the knowledge he expects me to obey.
Not five minutes later he fills the doorway. He doesn’t just walk in—he owns the space: slacks clinging to his thighs, button-down open at the collar, tie hanging loose, cuffs rolled to reveal the strong lines of his forearms. His gaze pins me like a predator scenting prey.
“That,” he says slowly, eyes darkening as they rake down my body, “doesn’t look like ‘nothing but the moonlight’ to me.” His tone is a mix of amusement and possession, as if he’s already decided exactly what he plans to do.
“It’s moonlight-colored,” I reply, heat rushing to my cheeks as my fingers smooth the silky cream fabric.
It clings to me, whisper-thin, revealing every curve.
Even though he’s seen me bare, the way he looks at me now makes my pulse stutter and breath catch—like he could strip me without touching a single button.
He steps forward, slow and deliberate, until I feel the heat radiating off him. “Kitten,” he murmurs, voice dipping into a growl, “that’s not moonlight. That’s temptation.”
“Oh?” My tongue darts out, wetting my lips.
His fingers skim from my jaw to my collarbone, sending lightning across my skin. “And you,” he breathes, leaning down, mouth brushing my ear, “you’ve been mine from the moment I saw you. Tonight I’m going to make sure you never forget it.”
Carter’s hands move to his throat, unhurried as he loosens the dark silk tie with a predator’s patience.
I rub my thighs together, aching for the friction of his touch—impatient for him to move faster.
“You ready to play, Rose?” His eyes, deep and endless blue, pin me in place, devouring me as if I’m already caught.
The words are low and dangerous, curling through me like smoke. I can barely find my voice.
“Yes,” I whisper, pulse thundering in my ears. I want this. I want him. I’ve wanted—and denied—this man for too long.
“Good girl.” His approval drips like honey—rich, commanding, the flash of wolf in his gaze.
How had I ever doubted my feelings for him when a single glance sets my skin on fire?
“Wrists.”
My body obeys before my mind can think, hands steady as they slide into his palm. His fingers close over mine with a heat that burns straight to my bones. The silk slips over my skin, sinuous and cool, before he draws it tight enough to make my breath stutter.
I’d never been this vulnerable with anyone—not like this. Especially not with someone whose intent I couldn’t read. But I trust Carter.
He grins—wolfish, hungry—and I wonder whether he’s more man or beast as he takes the end of the tie between his teeth, yanking so the knot bites just enough to remind me who’s in control. My skin hums under the restraint, every nerve alive.
Without a word, he raises my bound wrists above my head, the slow, deliberate lift forcing my body to stretch, my chest to arch for him. The tie whispers against the wood of the bedpost as he fastens it, and I know I’m not going anywhere unless I ask.
“Carter,” I gasp, a mix of plea and challenge.
He moves in close, the heat of him pressing along every inch of me. His scent—cedar, leather, and the faintest trace of danger—wraps around my senses. His mouth grazes my cheek, stubble scraping lightly, before his lips hover at my ear.
“You have no idea,” he murmurs against my skin, “how beautiful you look like this… mine to feast on. Mine to worship. Mine to mate.”
He presses his lips to my skin, tracing a path from collarbone to the soft curve of my abdomen, each kiss claiming me like a brand. My body trembles at his touch, arching instinctively as I tug at my restraints, aching for more.
My pulse hammers in my ears, breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts as his lips linger just a second too long—teasing, tasting, reminding me I’m his. If this is what it feels like now, I don’t even want to think about what’s coming. I don’t want to resist it.
“Carter, please,” I whine, body writhing beneath him.
“How attached are you to this?” His smirk is sharp, predatory, as his fingers hook the neckline of my silk nightgown.
“Well—” I start, but he doesn’t give me a chance.
The fabric rips with a delicious, harsh sound; air floods my skin and I shiver.
His mouth claims me instantly—warm, demanding—swirling over one nipple before moving to the other, leaving me breathless.
His calloused palms trace down my waist, gripping my hips possessively, digging into flesh as if marking it.
Heat curls through me, threatening to overtake everything. I’m burning. I’m his.
His eyes flash dangerously golden as he dips his head between my legs, nuzzling my core.
“Who needs dessert,” he murmurs against me, “when I’m craving your sweet center?”
He lifts my ass, and the audacity of the motion makes a whimper escape me. Magic thrums through me, my pulse skyrocketing, heat twisting impossibly tight. My thighs clamp around him without conscious thought, staking claim.
“I want you,” I moan as his finger slips inside me, curling with slow, precise mastery. My lips part, a gasp spilling out as waves of pleasure spiral through me.
I’ve never felt this… not with anyone—except him.
“Patience, kitten,” he growls, lips claiming mine while his finger never stops, driving me higher, coiling me tighter. My body shudders, arching against him as the heat explodes, soaking my thighs.
“Why should I be patient when you’re taking me over the edge and I can’t even return the favor?” I tug at the tie holding my wrists to the bedpost. He smirks—wicked, confident—unbuttons his shirt and peels off his slacks. My eyes track him, hunger coiling low in my belly.
“My little giver,” he whispers as he climbs on top of me, the weight of him pressing into every inch of my skin. “You’ll have your time. Tonight you deserve to be showered in attention.”
When was the last time someone wanted to put me before their own needs?
His free hand drifts toward his pants on the floor, but I tug at my wrists, shaking my head.
“I want to feel you,” I whisper, breathless, arching against him in a silent plea. “I’m clean. On birth control. You?”
His eyes darken, molten and raw, as his thumb brushes over my lower lip. “I’m clean. Haven’t touched anyone since…” His voice roughens, breaking just slightly. “Since that weekend we met.”
“No one?” I press, needing to hear it again, needing the reassurance written in his gaze.
“No one but you”
He holds my stare, steady and unflinching, and the truth there makes my breath catch.
“I’m going to take you now, kitten.” His breath fans my ear, hot and hungry.
“And when I finish filling you up, I’m going to mark you as mine.
” He enters me in one swift, possessive thrust. My cry rips from my throat as he pauses, letting me adjust to the breadth of him, then begins a slow, deliberate rhythm that drives me wild.
I’m his. All of me belongs to him. I’ve never wanted anything more than this—more than him.
“Not a day has passed when you weren’t on my mind,” Carter growls, teeth grazing the sensitive skin of my throat as each word rumbles from deep in his chest. “You. Are. Mine.” His voice is raw and feral, each syllable punctuated by a thrust that drives him deeper into me. “I love you, Rosemary Sinclaire.”
The words hit me like wildfire, igniting every nerve in my body.
My hands are still tied, but his growl deepens as he reaches up and releases the silk.
My wrists fall free, trembling, and I wrap them around his neck, nails raking the hard muscles of his back.
I arch instinctively, feeling the coil of heat in my belly tighten, every inch of me burning for him.
I’m his. I’ve always been his. I can feel it in my bones.
“I love you, Carter Abernathy,” I gasp, breathless. “I was a fool for running away. I never want to be apart from you again.”
A low, feral growl rumbles through him, vibrating straight into me. “Fuck… my name sounds like ambrosia on your lips,” he hisses, the possessive, predatory edge in his tone making my core clench around him.
He plunges again, harder, faster, and the floodgates inside me open.
Pleasure surges like molten lava through every vein.
I cry out, hips rolling into him, pressing against every inch of his body.
He moans, deep and guttural, the sound vibrating through me as each stroke fills me, swelling until I’m stretched and trembling.
His sharp teeth sink into my neck—pain mingling with lust that sets my senses screaming. I grind against him instinctively, thrusting my hips, nails raking his back, heart hammering, pulse wild. My body quivers, twisting in his arms, riding each wave like a live wire.
He collapses, rolling us onto his back. I straddle him, clinging to the pulse of his heat, his cock buried deep and swollen inside me as my raging need slowly subsides.
Strong and possessive hands trace the length of my spine, dragging fire across my skin, pinning me to him, claiming me.
I nestle against his chest, listening to the ragged rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Mine,” he growls into my hair, voice low and possessive, every syllable vibrating through me.
“Always mine. Forever.” I shiver, clinging to him, hips still moving instinctively with each growl and thrust.
I’m his. Only his. Nothing else matters. Nothing ever will.
The world narrows to him—the scent of his skin, the heat of his body, the feral, intoxicating sound of his voice—and I lose myself completely in the primal pull, the raw bond of fated mates.
“How can you ever top a night like tonight?” I ask, lifting a hand to my lips as a yawn escapes.
Carter rolls over and draws me into his side, pressing a kiss to the top of my hair. Our bodies fit together perfectly.
“I plan on spending the rest of our lives trying,” he whispers.
I fall asleep curled in his protective embrace, the tingle of magic from his mating mark on my shoulder.