Chapter 24 Meant to be yours
Dean
Once her wounds close, Hazel slips into the shower while I rush to my room to change, then go back to stand guard outside the bathroom.
She calls me creepy a dozen more times, but now that I know she’s capable of herself, I’m not leaving her alone for long.
I don’t know how far she would’ve gone if I didn’t interrupt whatever sacrificial ritual she was doing. I could’ve lost her. So now, I’m not taking any chances.
When she steps out in soft cotton pajamas, I can’t stop myself from asking if I can kiss her. The second she nods, I’m already there, my lips crashing against hers like I’ve been holding my breath without her.
Sliding my hands under her thighs, I lift her and carry her to her bed, ignoring her protests that she can walk on her own.
I just want to hold her close. Even if it only lasts a few seconds.
I pull back the comforter and settle her in carefully, my eyes scanning her legs and stomach again to make sure every last wound has properly closed.
Hazel tugs me down beside her. I give her a second to get comfortable before my lips find hers again. Her fingers slide into my hair, pulling me closer until I’m hovering over her.
I know I said I was going to get into bed with her—strictly for cuddles—but I wasn’t going to actually go through with it without talking to her first.
She just admitted she’s new to this, and I’m not letting my eagerness ruin it.
So every time I move, every new touch, every kiss on her smooth skin, I pause and make sure she still wants it. I want her to choose me every step of the way.
A Kiss on her cheek earns a quiet yes. I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. When I trail kisses down her neck, I make her tell me she wants it. Likes it. When my hands settle at her waist, pulling her closer, I wait until she asks for more before I let myself enjoy her warmth.
By the time my hands reach the curve of her hips to grab a handful of her perfect ass, I know Hazel wants to choke me… and not in a fun way.
But I’m not taking this lightly. She’s letting me in, letting me touch her, and I won’t ever treat that like it’s mine to take.
My hand drifts up her waist, slow and deliberate as I caress under her breasts until she’s squirming beneath me, breath catching as she asks for more.
Hazel lets out a soft sound when my hands finally cup her breasts, kneading the soft flesh. My thumbs gently twist her nipples, brushing circles over them before I pull just enough to watch her reaction.
Her back arches, a broken gasp slipping past her lips that travels straight to my cock.
Fuck… she’s beautiful. And mine. All mine.
I kiss her deeper, losing myself in her, when my hand slides up to her neck. My fingers rest there lightly, but I feel her body go rigid beneath me. The shift is instant.
I pull back, searching her face. uncertainty flickers in her eyes, so I wait, giving her space to decide. But when thumb brushes her pulse, she gasps and locks up completely.
“No?” I ask softly.
Hazel meets my gaze. This isn’t hesitation. It’s… fear?
“No.” barely a whisper, but enough to stop everything.
I nod, pulling my hand away immediately. My fingers move to her cheek instead as I kiss her again, slower this time. To remind her she’s safe with me.
“Good?”
She bites my bottom lip lightly. “Great.”
And just like that, she’s back.
We fall back into each other, messy and desperate, chasing one more kiss, one more touch. I swallow her soft gasps, the hitch in breath. I want to stay in this moment forever, kissing her until my last breath.
I press my lips to her collarbone, out of breath. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” She drags me back into a kiss, fist twisting my shirt. “Wait.”
The word snaps me out, and I pull back instantly.
“No, I just want this off.” She tugs at my shirt. “I need to touch you.”
I lift the hem of my shirt slightly, teasing her with a flash of my abs.
“I don’t hear a please.”
“You said I would never have to beg.” She whines, and I lose a bit more control of myself.
I pull my shirt off the rest of the way, unable to hide my grin, deliriously pleased that she remembers. She’s my queen.
“All yours, baby.”
Hazel falls back, pulling me down with her, fingers curling at the back of my neck. I follow her lead, and she moans when my tongue slides into her mouth, her grip tightening on my hair.
I love that she’s not holding back anymore.
I pull back, nuzzling into her neck, pressing slow kisses along her skin… when Hazel suddenly stiffens again, breathing harshly.
Something’s wrong.
I quickly pull back to look at her, and she’s gone pale. Her hands rest on my chest, but they’re shaking. She blinks rapidly like she’s trying to push away the thought that made her clamp up.
I take her hand, bringing it to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to her fingers.
“Hazel?” The haze in her eyes slowly clears as she focuses on me. “Want me to go back to my mattress on the floor?”
She shakes her head but doesn’t say anything until I hold her gaze. “No, I’m fine. I can do this.”
“Baby, this isn’t something you need to push through. If you’re not dying to get in my pants, I don’t want it.”
She lets out a small laugh with her eyes closed. I kiss her forehead and start to pull away, but she catches my arm. “Dean, I want this. I promise.”
I drop beside her, turning to face her with a sigh. “Alright, no need to beg, I’ll make your dreams come true.” Her smile falters when I add, “But only after you tell me what scared you.”
She clears her throat, staring at the ceiling to avoid my eyes. “I just… remembered the last time a man was over me like that.” A hollow laugh escapes her. “It’s different in the field when the adrenaline takes over. But here…” she shakes her head. “I didn’t like what it reminded me of.”
She turns back to me, closing the space between us. “I don’t ever want to feel like that with you.”
I brush my knuckles over her cheek, then press a quick kiss to her lips before pulling her on top of me. My hand settles on her stomach as I guide her to sit upright.
If she needs control, I’ll give her all of it.
My Divine spills free, curling around her, brushing along her arms, circling her like it’s drawn to her.
I lift my arms above my head, gripping one wrist with the other. “Tell them to hold me down.”
“What?” She whispers.
“Tell my Divine to hold my arms there. They will never disobey you.”
“Dean…”
“You have all the power here, Hazel. Just like my Divine, I’m at your mercy.”
She watches my Divine circle her, and before she even says the words, it’s already doing her bidding.
She doesn’t realize it yet, but just like my horse and my Divine, everything I have is more hers than mine. Including me.
My essence twists into ropes, wrapping around my wrists and holding them in place.
“Does it hurt?”
“You being that far from my mouth? Yes. It’s tearing me apart.”
She smiles, leaning down to kiss me.
I knew she’d like this. It doesn’t take long for her body to relax over mine. She moves slowly, testing, finding her rhythm as she starts grinding over my hard on, my joggers doing a poor job of hiding how bad I want her.
She pulls back, starting to move lower, but I quickly stop her.
This isn’t about me. and it’s not going to be until I’ve earned every bit of her trust, love, and soul. For now, I’m more than content to worship my mate.
“Hazel.” Her head snaps up at my voice. “You’re going in the wrong direction, baby.” She tilts her head, confused. “Get up here, I want your pretty pussy right here… above my face.”
Her face flushes a deep shade of red I’ve never seen before, and I can’t help but wonder how far that heat spreads. Her thighs tighten around my hips, and as much as I enjoy it, I want them to squeeze around my face more instead.
“Don’t make me beg, Haze. Get rid of those pretty little shorts and get up here.”
She’s nervous as she removes her shorts and shuffles up, but I can almost taste the excitement in the air.
She wants this just as much as I do. Hazel grabs the headboard, knuckles turning white as she hovers my face, too far for me to kiss her clit and finally give the orgasm she’s been dreaming about.
“Fates, you’re perfect.” I turn my head, kissing her thigh because it’s all I can reach. “Lower.” My voice comes out rough, strained like I’m dying of thirst. But it’s her I’m starving for.
Hazel shifts, bracing her knees on either side of my face, finally close enough that I can lift my head off the pillow and swipe my tongue from her clit to her cunt in one go.
Her gasp is music to my tears, and she finally lets herself go, sinking lower. I lose myself in my personal Azure.
She’s mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.
I should take it slow. Pace myself, take my time to work her over to the edge of madness, but I’m already gone. One taste of her sweetness has my head fogged up.
I take her clit in my mouth and suck on it until I hear her breath hitch before driving my tongue inside her in one thrust.
My name falls from her sweet lips in broken whispers, and I can’t stop. I need her more than I need to breathe.
Her hand tangles in my hair, pulling me back with a shaky breath. I turn my cheek to bite her thigh, making her moan and pull harder, only making me more desperate for her.
“You’re interrupting my meal,” I grumble, trying to get back to sucking her soul through her clit, but she holds me down by my hair.
“I need to breathe,” she gasps.
“I’m the one happily suffocating myself, and you need to breathe. Aren’t you a spoiled little—” I tease, but she cuts me off, shoving my face right where I want.
So far, this is my favorite way of her shutting me up. She can sit on my face and suffocate me anytime she wants.
At this rate, I encourage her to shut me up at least twice every day.
I use my shoulders to part her thighs wider before my tongue drains all the chaos from her mind. Her thighs begin to tremble, her pussy clamping around my tongue in a way that tells me she’s close.
Just when she’s about to fall off the edge, Hazel pulls back.
This is when I could’ve used my hands to grab her ass and smother myself in her taste.
Luckily for me, my Divine comes to the rescue. A tendril of smoke wraps around her waist and pushes her down, closer to my mouth, and within seconds, Hazel falls apart with a scream.
Hazel’s head falls back, rosy lips parted in pleasure. The sight is so seductive that I forget to slow down and keep teasing her clit. A sharp cry escapes her, but instead of moving away like I thought, she lets herself smother me, chasing another release.
I thrust my tongue inside her, my nose touching just above her clit. She needs firm pressure on her clit to climb that bridge, and I give her just that.
I pull back to take her clit in my mouth and nibble.
Hazel lights up like a firecracker, unraveling harder than before. And this time, she takes me off the cliff with her.
For the first time since I was a teenager, I come in my underwear like an amateur.
Her voice fades into soft, broken breaths as she comes down, but this time, I don’t continue the sweet torture. Instead, I soothe her swollen pussy with my tongue until she’s shaking so hard she can’t hold herself up and collapses beside me.
I drag the back of my hand across my mouth and turn to her.
My heart swells at the sight of her soft, satisfied smile. Her breathing is uneven, thighs still trembling. She’s never looked better.
The pride that settles in my chest is overwhelming. I feel like I conquered the world because I made my mate come so hard she nearly blacked out.
Her eyes open, something soft and bright in them, and it pulls me right back in. I grab her waist, dragging her over me, kissing her until I can’t breathe.
The kiss is dirty, hungry, teeth clashing, tongues chasing, and someday it might lead to more, but for now, this is enough. More than enough.
I tell her I’ll be right back and start to climb out of bed, planning to grab a washcloth to clean her up before I come back and hold her all night.
A sharp gasp behind me freezes me mid-step. I glance over my shoulder, and Hazel is staring at me, eyes wide.
Before I can react, she’s on her knees, pushing me to turn my back toward her. She murmurs under her breath, and then her fingers are tracing something along my back.
“My tongue did all the work, but you’re obsessed with my back?”
Her hand smacks my bare back the second the words leave my mouth.
I try to look back at her, but she’s not looking at me. Her eyes are locked on my back.
“What is it, haze?”
“Your marking…” Her voice shakes, and I start to worry.
I follow the path of her fingers, trying to figure out what has her so shaken.
“Do you know what this means?”
Then it clicks. The marking on my shoulder.
“That weird blue thing? That’s what’s bothering you? I’m not particularly fond of it—mostly because I can’t see it—but if you hate it, I’ll burn it off.”
“No!”
Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all.
I turn around and pull her into my lap, gripping her chin firmly.
“Hazel. Baby. You’re acting weird. Please explain.”
Her hand wraps around my wrist. “Dean… it’s in Meris. Siren language.”
No way.
“Can you read it?”
Hazel hesitates, then recites softly. “Waves lose when they return to the ocean. Death will find you where the waves touch the shore.”
My brows shoot up. “Are you telling me this has been carved into me for more than a decade, and it’s in your language?”
Hazel nods, still looking shaken.
I groan, dropping my forehead against her chest. “Fucking hell. I should’ve asked Elijah. I should’ve tried to figure it out instead of ignoring it.”
I lift my head, a thousand unspoken apologies between us. “I thought it was just Fates screwing with me. marking me with something I couldn’t even read. Fuck, Hazel. I swear if I’d known… even a hint that my mate was a siren, I would’ve torn the ocean apart to find you.”
The shine in her eyes twists something deep in my chest, but then she smiles and crashes into me. I grip the back of her neck, kissing her like I can make up for everything I didn’t do. For every second, she had to survive without me.
She was always meant to find her way to me.
I’ve been her home all along.