68. Farron
68
Farron
T here is nothing but the taste of her lips, her sweet breath whispering over my face, the tangle of her wet hair in my hands. Everything that I once was has floated away like cinders in the wind, and now there are only the parts of me held together by her.
She and I.
Woven together for eternity.
We kneel in front of each other, mindless of the mud and rain. I brush the damp strands of hair off her forehead. I have gazed upon the most precious art in the history of the Enchanted Vale, read poetry that would make the ancient gods weep, and studied maps of every wonder in the fae and human worlds.
But nothing compares to Rosalina’s beauty. It’s as if I can see her heart—her kindness, her joy, her humor, her generosity—wavering around like spirals of color. She’s glowing.
Mate.
My mate.
Born from the same star.
I know it, deep within every piece of me, that she is why I’m still here. Why the Enchantress did not allow me to cower away forever.
The Enchantress gave me a second chance. So I could love Rosalina.
So I could be loved by her.
Tears mix with rain, and I blink rapidly so I don’t lose one second of staring at her. A million thoughts compete in my mind: How did I get so lucky to find my fated mate, and that it is Rosalina? My best friend? And how had we found each other when I was caged within the darkness of the beast? I’d heard her calling for me, and for the first time, there was something beyond the shadows.
Something worth fighting for.
Other thoughts threaten to crowd my consciousness: flashes of tooth and blood and ice.
But Rosalina cups my face and smiles, and it’s as if daybreak spreads over my mind.
Only one thought is left.
Mate.
My mate.
I must claim her.
There is too much space between us; my lip curls back in an act too familiar to the wolf inside me. A visceral need that goes far beyond hunger or thirst. Rosalina undoubtedly senses the change in me as her pupils dilate, and her chest heaves with breath. As the rich scent of her arousal floods my senses, my control slips away.
Not in the usual way where I lose to the wolf.
This time, I’m losing to her. And she can have me.
My hands rake down her neck, her arms. She hurries to unbutton her blouse, and I pull it off and toss it to the side. Frantically, she reaches behind her back and unhooks her brassière.
My breath catches in my throat. Rain drips down the tip of her nose, over her collarbone, over the peaks of her breasts. Joy radiates from her beaming face.
I rise up on my knees and stare down at her. I wind her braid round and round my hand, then pull it gently so she’s looking up at me.
“You are my mate,” I say. “Submit to me. Let me claim you as mine. And in return, I will show you our love has always been inevitable.”
Her lip tremors, eyelashes kissed with rain, but her gaze is fully on me. “Farron, darling,” she whispers, “I will always be yours. Take me now. Take me forever.”
With her permission, I give myself to the bond. I push her to the ground and pull off her skirt and undergarments in one swift motion. Stars, she looks gorgeous, her pale, soft body squirming in the mud. Rain pounds my back as I crawl over her, but I don’t care. There’s a wildness in us; the press of the earth, crisp scent of the trees, and the rain only heightens this feeling of aliveness. Alive in a way I’ve never been before.
Our bodies tangle together. Closer, closer, I crave her skin on mine, my mouth aching for her lips, her throat, her collarbone, her breasts. Everything all at once. She giggles as I move her so she’s on top of me, then laughs harder, noticing she’s painted in muddy handprints. Gods, I love her laugh, but I need her mouth, and I take it.
“Farron,” she murmurs against my lips. “Mine. Mine .”
We roll again, and I pin her beneath me, an unconscious growl erupting as my length presses against her. Deep within my heart, I know I will spend every moment of her life discovering her body, finding new ways to worship her.
But I’ve waited too long already. I must claim her.
She peers up at me through her lashes, a look both sensual and intimate. A dare and a need all at once. I position myself at her entrance and inhale.
There is a deep and ancient knowing in my chest. When we do this, nothing will ever be the same. All the walls I’ve built to shelter myself will tear down. I will never just be Farron anymore.
I will be hers. Forever.
I will be yours. Forever. Her soft voice drifts into my mind. In her eyes, I see the weavings of the cosmos, the flickered breaking of a star that knew we would one day be reunited.
I sheathe myself within her.