Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ASHER
M y mate is back. Every part of her. Isla stands before me, naked and like the natural beauty I know her to be, and I’m speechless. Every curve is just as I remembered, every freckle and bend, every perfect inch. My other half, my reason for existing, is right here in front of me and the bond we share is alive with energy that can’t be contained.
Like two magnets, we’re drawn together and I wrap my arms around her, cradling her close. “Fuck, Isla. I don’t think I’ve ever loved you more.”
“And I love you,” she says between kisses. “More than all the stars and all the moons, in all the worlds.”
Her skin is smooth and warm, just like it used to be. I didn’t realize how much I missed her heat until now, feeling the erratic beat of her heart beneath my palm.
“I understand what you meant before,” she adds. “I remembered loving you, but there is nothing that can replace this charge between us. No words, no pictures, no nothing. It’s like a living thing that has to be experienced to be understood.”
She’s not wrong. As I move, so does she, likely without even realizing it. We balance each other with precision, pulling and pushing with an efficiency that lights my entire world on fire.
“Gods, I’ve missed you,” I whisper against her neck, my hands gliding over her shoulders and down her back.
She pushes against me and I can feel her smile against my cheek. “Show me.”
We might be outdoors, but I don’t give a damn. That’s never stopped us before. I pick her up with ease and carry her toward the nearest tree, laying her on the grass beneath it. “Gladly.”
My wolf rumbles from deep within me, the sound echoing from my chest, and I know he wants to come out and play, but his turn is going to have to wait.
Isla tugs at my pants as I yank my shirt over my head. Within seconds, I’m bare before her, ready to reclaim what I never should have lost.
I look down at her and trail a hand between her breasts, letting my fingers lead the way toward their destination. Leaning over her, I kiss her with the release of every pent-up second from having loved this woman century after century.
As soon as my hand reaches her center, her back arches, pushing my fingers between her folds as she moans a sound that is filled with unmatched sweetness.
Slowly, I glide my fingers in and out of her as my mouth devours hers, knowing that there will never be a day that passes that I get tired of tasting her .
Her body tenses and her nails dig into my arms. “Asher.”
My name comes out in a growl against my lips as she squeezes her eyes closed. Still, I don’t relent. It’s been so long and watching her fall apart beneath me isn’t something I will let be rushed.
She shivers with the intensity of her first orgasm, and she better be ready for more because I don’t intend on giving her much time to recover before the second.
Kissing my way down her stomach, I spread her legs farther apart, taking a deep breath as I position myself between her thighs. My tongue extends, lapping at her pussy. It doesn’t matter how years have passed—the explosion of her pleasure is the sweetest dessert I’ve ever tasted.
Her fingers latch on to my hair as her hips lift into the air. I use the opportunity to grab on to her ass, holding her right where I want her.
With her elevated position, I lick at her sensitive nub, the actions reminding me that I’m finally whole again.
Not only am I able to love my mate like I’ve been dying to, but the stronger our shared desire grows between us, the more intense our bond becomes. I don’t know how I’ve lived without this for so long, but I was right before.
There is no way I’ll ever be able to live without her again.
She calls my name again, her thighs locking my face against her wet pussy as she rocks into me, finding the pleasure she more than deserves.
Only when she starts to release her hold on me do I sit up. My hands start at her feet, bringing one leg up until I can nip at the arch of her foot, kissing my way past her ankle.
She shudders with increased intensity with every bite and graze. “Love me, Ash. Love me like you never lost me.”
I can’t deny her this moment, nor do I want to, especially when she reaches for me, wrapping her fingers around my hard cock, stroking and owning him just like she does the rest of me.
Isla guides me forward and I hold myself over her body, only leaving enough room between us for me to slide inside her waiting pussy.
Inch by inch, I find my way home and by the time I’m fully seated within my mate, my heart is pounding with a need I don’t know that I can control. As much as I want to draw out every second of this reunion, the moment my hips start to move, I can’t stop them.
She holds on to me, our stares locked on to one another, and the most powerful love in all the worlds extends from me to her and back again. Our shared energies mingle and dance like old lovers, as if not a single day has passed since we last connected in this way.
Her ankles lock behind my back and she holds my face between her hands, one of her thumbs making a pass over my lower lip. “I love you, Asher Josiah Cromwell. You are mine and I am yours. From the moment we were born and until we take our last breaths, I will never willingly leave your side.”
She says the words that are meant to be said for our bonding and the moment they pass between her lips, they pierce right into my heart. Flickers of light appear in my peripheral vision and as much as it shouldn’t be possible for us to bond right now, I know I have to give her my vow in return.
“And I love you, Isobella Isla Grace Blackwood. You are mine and I am yours. From the moment we were born and until we take our last breaths, I will never willingly leave your side.”
As that last word forms, the tether between us becomes taut and glows with the force of a thousand suns. Spots block my vision, but I don’t need to see Isla to know she’s mine.
Her essence grows within me, its roots beginning at my heart and extending through every part of my body until I can no longer tell which pieces belong to me and which are hers.
My movements become frantic with the need to consummate our bond. It doesn’t matter that this shouldn’t be possible without the blessing of a god during a ceremony in front of our pack. All I know is that this is happening and nobody can ever tear us apart again.
By the time my vision clears, tears of unfiltered ecstasy fill my eyes and I pound effortlessly into my mate. She leans up, the same joy pulsing off her in contagious waves.
As we kiss, my body starts to stiffen and my skin pulls taut against my muscles. I hold her impossibly close, but there’s no use fighting the release when her pussy tightens around my cock and her moans fill my mouth.
I slow my movements, holding her with the utmost care while also going as deep as she’ll take me until we both lose ourselves within one another.
My heart is close to bursting from my chest and I’ve never felt more alive than I do in this moment. The sun shines down on us, brighter than I’ve ever known it to be, and I swear even the birds sing louder from their perches within the trees.
I grin like a lovesick fool down at Isla. “Mate.”
“I don’t know how that happened, but it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Hearing her voice within my mind is like the sweetest song to ever play.
“No, it couldn’t have been.”
I could lie here for hours with her and that’s exactly what I intend to do until Isla’s eyes pinch at the side and she starts to shake her head.
“What’s wrong?” I demand, checking our bond.
Everything is as it should be and I try not to worry until a pain lances through my chest as if I were being stabbed.
I look down and a red mark not only appears right above my heart, but Isla’s as well. My eyes dart around us, but there isn’t a soul nearby.
“Isla, love,” I plead with her. “Tell me what’s happening.”
She’s no longer looking at me. Her eyes are open, but they’re glazed over and her mind is somewhere else.
“No,” she whimpers. “No, not you. I don’t understand.”
I want to shake her until she comes back to me, but I have to consider this might be another memory, one we can’t risk her not having.
She mutters some more. Most of her words I can’t understand, and as tears fall down her cheeks, it takes every ounce of strength within me not to interfere.
It feels like an hour, but it’s probably only minutes before she blinks and her awareness starts to come back to me .
Anguish that’s nearly as powerful as what I felt when I realized she was gone all those years ago fills me, but the torment isn’t mine. These are Isla’s emotions and I’m almost afraid to ask what she saw, but I won’t let her carry this pain alone.
“I’m right here,” I say softly, trying not to rush her. “You’re okay. Nobody is going to hurt you again.”
Her body trembles as she openly cries, clutching her chest. “Too late.”
“What did you see?” I ask, tension riddling my insides.
“I can’t…I can’t say the words.”
“Shh, baby.” I bring her closer, kissing the side of her face. “Whatever it is, we can handle it together.”
She shakes her head, her sobs growing louder. “Not this. Nothing can fix this.” She pulls back, her red eyes wide with fear. “I know who stabbed me.”