Thank You #4
Then she pushed me backward hard enough that I stumbled against the edge of the enormous black bed behind us. Eva stepped between my knees afterward while her fingers loosened the ceremonial chains across my chest piece by piece.
“You know,” she murmured thoughtfully while sliding another silver clasp free, “for someone terrifying, you react very dramatically when I say your full name.”
I caught her wrist instantly before she could pull away. Then dragged her directly into my lap hard enough to steal the breath from both of us. Eva made a soft startled sound against my mouth before kissing me back even harder afterward.
The bond pulsed violently again. Need crashed through me hard enough to blur thought completely while her fingers tightened against the back of my neck.
No distance left now. No separation between us anymore. Just her everywhere. Her breath. Her mouth. Her heartbeat echoing directly through the bond.
Eva shifted slightly against me and my grip flexed hard at her waist instinctively. The reaction pulled a quiet breath from her lips. And coherent thought became significantly less available.
“You keep doing that,” she whispered softly against my mouth.
“Doing what.”
“Looking at me like you’re about to lose your mind.”
That was because she kept touching me. Because she kept saying my name like it belonged to her now. Because she sat in my lap wearing mating marks and silver ceremonial fabric while the bond screamed possessively through every part of me.
Because she was finally mine now.
Then Eva leaned closer until her lips brushed lightly against my ear. And softly, deliberately, she whispered:
"I want you Kaelith.”
That one line nearly finished me. Eva smiled after feeling the bond react again.
“Oh wow,” she whispered against my mouth. “You really cannot hide anything from me now.”
“That feels unfair.”
“You gave me your soul. What exactly were you expecting.”
Before I could answer again , she kissed me again hard enough to shut down my panicked thoughts completely. The silver ceremonial chains across my chest hit the floor one by one while her hands slid over my shoulders like she was still learning every part of me now that the bond connected us fully.
And feeling her emotions through the bond while she touched me was ruining me. All hers,
warmth, her want , her need were aimed directly at me.
Eva shifted slightly in my lap again and I pulled her closer instinctively. But it was still not enough.
She laughed softly against my mouth. “You’re clingy now.”
“You’re sitting on me.”
“That sounds like your problem.”
Then she pushed me backward onto the bed entirely before climbing over me with silver fabric falling around her legs and glowing mating marks shining softly against her skin. My thoughts stopped functioning again.
Eva noticed too.
“You keep making that face.”
“What face?”
“The one where you look like you forgot language.”
That was because she kept looking at me like that. Like I belonged to her now. Which apparently I did. The realization hit hard enough to make the bond flare hot through my chest again.
Eva felt it instantly. Then her expression softened slightly. Just slightly and that almost destroyed me more than the teasing did.
Her fingers brushed along my jaw before she whispered quietly:
“You know you don’t have to keep watching me like I’ll disappear.”
The words landed directly in the center of my chest.
Because she felt it through the bond. Every fear. Every instinct. Every part of me was still trying to convince itself that this wasn’t temporary.
I caught her hand before pressing a kiss against the inside of her wrist.
“You’re wearing my name on your soul.”
Eva’s breath caught softly after that. She leaned down until her forehead rested against mine again.
“No,” she whispered. “We’re wearing each other.”
With that Eva kissed me again. Slower this time. Her hands slid into my hair while I rolled us over instinctively until she was beneath me against the dark sheets, silver fabric tangled around both of us while her laugh caught softly against my mouth.
“There he is.”
“That sounded suspicious.”
“You finally stopped overthinking.”
My breath hitched. But then her fingers dragged lightly down my back and every coherent thought disappeared afterward. The bond reacted hard enough to pull a low sound straight from my throat while Eva was entirely too pleased with herself.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “That works every time.”
“You’re enjoying this too much.”
“Yes.”
This infuriating woman.
Then she reached for me again pulling, touching, wanting and after that the rest of the night disappeared into warmth and tangled sheets and silver fire glowing across the room while the bond connected every breath and kiss and whispered word between us until there was no separation left anywhere at all.
Just her.
Always her.
Mine.
Chapter 38
Lucien POV
The second the mating ceremony ended, Nina grabbed the front of my ceremonial collar and dragged me out of the palace hall like she was kidnapping royalty personally.
Council members scattered instantly out of our way while silver fire still exploded across the palace balconies behind us.
“You are walking too slowly.”
“You’re beyond aggressive.”
“You love it.”
Honestly? Yes. Because the bond pulsed violently every time she touched me now. And unfortunately Nina realized that.
She shoved open the doors to our chambers hard enough to slam them against the walls before turning toward me with silver fire still glowing beneath her skin from the completed bond.
God…. She is mine.
Then she pointed directly at me.
“You.”
Interesting start actually.
“What about me?”
“You spent 2 months flirting like a disaster and now I finally get to do something about it.”
That sounded promising. Before I could answer, Nina grabbed my shirt and kissed me hard enough to push me backward into the nearest wall.
The impact rattled silver lanterns overhead. Frankly? This was a perfect evening. Her hands slid into my hair while my grip locked hard against her waist pulling her flush against me. The bond reacted violently. Too much heat. And too much of her.
Nina laughed softly against my mouth after feeling it.
“Oh wow,” she whispered. “You’re completely gone.”
“That feels judgmental.”
“It feels correct.”
Then she kissed me again before I could recover. Not with softness. And not with hesitation. Just chaos and heat and Nina climbing directly into my space like she intended to ruin me personally.
I caught both her wrists and pinned them above her head against the wall. The reaction pulled a sharp breath straight from her mouth.
Nina gazed up at me through a silver firelight with zero fear and entirely too much amusement.
“You look dangerous.”
“You started this.”
“I absolutely did.”
My honest minx.
Then she tugged hard enough to break one wrist free before dragging me down by the ceremonial collar again.
“You know what your problem is.”
“I suspect you’ll tell me anyway.”
“You keep talking.”
I was speechless.
Then she bit lightly against my lower lip before shoving me backward toward the bed hard enough that I actually laughed.
Nobody shoved princes around in Hell. But apparently Nina did whatever she wanted. She climbed directly into my lap again the second I sat down while silver ceremonial fabric slipped off her shoulders.
My thoughts stopped functioning. Nina noticed.Then smirked , clearly enjoying this.
“You make that face every time you look at me.”
“That is because you keep doing things.”
“That sounds like a skill issue.”
Oh, she will definitely know my skills well then.
The bond pulsed harder when her fingers slid beneath my ceremonial jacket. Warmth crashed straight through my chest instantly while shadows flickered violently around the room reacting to both of us together.
Nina seemed delighted about it.
“Oh my God. I can literally feel you reacting.”
“This bond is invasive.”
“This bond is hilarious.”
Then she leaned toward my ear before whispering:
“Lucien.”
The entire room nearly exploded. Silver fire spiraled violently across the ceiling while I buried my face briefly in her chest with a low curse.
Nina laughed softly.
“There it is.”
“You are abusing sacred magic.”
“You gave me your soul. I’m using the benefits.”
My wife never played fair. So I grabbed her waist hard enough to flip us over onto the bed beneath tangled ceremonial fabric and silver firelight while her laugh dissolved into a sharp breath against my mouth.
Much better now . Nina’s hands dragged down my back afterward and my bond was eager to show her all my skills.
“You’re staring again,” she whispered.
“That is your fault.”
“Good.”
That one word nearly destroyed the rest of my remaining sanity. And Nina was entirely too pleased about it too.
She was still underneath me against tangled black sheets and silver ceremonial fabric while the bond burned violently between us every time she touched me. Which was constantly.
Her fingers slid through my hair again before she kissed me hard enough to pull another low sound straight from my throat.
Nina smiled against my mouth.
“There it is again.”
“You are enjoying this too much.”
“Yes.”
Minx.
Then she dragged me down against her completely, legs wrapping around my waist. In between the tangled sheets Nina pulled me closer every single time I tried to slow down long enough to breathe.
“You know,” she whispered softly against my mouth, “you talk significantly less when distracted.”
“That sounds manipulative.”
“It’s effective though.”
Then her hands slid beneath my shirt again and every jumbled thought disappeared completely afterward. The bond pulsed hard enough to make the shadows around the room shake violently while Nina laughed softly at my reaction.
“Oh my God. You’re so easy now.”
“You know my true name.”
“That is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Then she whispered it again. Soft. Deliberate. Directly against my ear.
“Lucien.”