Chapter Eight
It felt like Viktor was being burned alive.
It started out simple, with their lips pressed firmly against each other.
Then, something shifted. Desire surged between them, and that tentative touch became deeper, hungrier.
Their mouths opened, fusing together. The moment their tongues twined together, something dark and primal rose up within him.
Mine.
That single word kept echoing through his mind, over and over again like the beat from a war drum.
The kiss forged a connection between them, so powerful it stole every coherent thought from his mind.
It was all-consuming, better than any dream he’d ever had, and every second only made him want more.
The world around them completely disappeared until there was nothing left but her.
The warmth of her body.
The softness of her lips.
The sweet, intoxicating taste of her.
His hands moved instinctively, one settling on her ass to help hold her up, while the other gripped the back of her neck to pull her closer.
He could feel the rapid beat of her pulse against his thumb, and felt an acute level of satisfaction that it matched the frantic rhythm of the heart pounding in his own chest. He had never experienced anything as wild or thrilling, and he never wanted it to end.
In his long life, he had never kissed another female.
There had simply never been any desire to.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, curiosity wasn’t enough to make him break his unspoken vow to his future mate.
And the wait had been worth it. Kissing Naomi felt like his entire existence had narrowed down to that single moment.
He had been waiting for her, and only her.
Her fingers curled into his short hair, holding on as if she was afraid he might disappear.
That small gesture sent another wave of heat surging through him.
She melted into him, pressing herself more firmly against his chest. That trusting response nearly undid him.
A shudder ran through his body as he deepened the kiss, losing himself in the pleasure of finally having her in his arms.
When he finally broke the kiss, Viktor kept her close enough to feel her breath against his lips.
One kiss wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger inside of him.
If anything, it only teased his appetite.
Now, it was a beast demanding to be appeased.
But he forced himself to keep it leashed for the moment.
He had some questions that really couldn’t wait.
Viktor rested his forehead against hers, and for several seconds, neither of them spoke. When he finally opened his eyes, he was stunned to see that her eyes were glowing brightly, flickering like green flames.
“Your eyes…”
She sighed. “Are they glowing again? They do that occasionally.”
That confused the hell out of him. “But I still can’t sense your magic.”
“I told you, I’m a freak of nature.”
Naomi sighed again and glanced at the floor in a silent request to be put down.
Since he had no intention of letting go of her, he carried her over to the closest sofa and sat down.
He thought she would protest, but she just settled on his lap like she was happy exactly where she was.
He shivered as she absently played with the ends of his hair, rubbing the short strands between her fingers.
“So, we have met before.”
“Sure have, Aurelius.”
That startled a laugh out of him. “Okay, I am thoroughly convinced. You must know a lot about me, then.”
“Not really. We just met during my last cycle, and it was kind of brief.”
“You said we had been captured by the demi-goddess you killed? By the way, thanks for saving us back in the woods.”
“My pleasure. The first time we met, you and your buddy were hanging over a pit of devil fire, while the rest of the captives were locked away in cages. Psycho Sybil sealed us into her dungeon, leaving us with no way for us to get out. As you can imagine, it wasn’t really an ideal time for us to get to know one another. ”
“And you died to reset everything?”
Even thinking about that made his heart ache.
“Well, I was already dying since I broke through their portal while it was closing. And then there were dozens of guards waiting when we arrived. We had to fight through them to find Sybil’s super-secret torture chamber, but the others didn’t make it.
Once I found you, we were trapped. Basically, it was a complete clusterfuck.
So, I figured it would be best to just start over. ”
His head throbbed as he tried to imagine what she was describing. Traveling through a collapsing portal could completely tear someone to pieces. And even if she knew she could reset everything by dying, the courage it took to make such a sacrifice was awe-inspiring.
He pulled one of her hands down, resting it on his chest. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
She shrugged it off. “That’s okay. I’m used to it.”
He really didn’t like hearing that, but understood that he couldn’t even begin to comprehend what she had been through. That’s why he needed more information about the death loop. He wanted to figure out how to protect her. He also needed to help her break whatever curse she was under.
He was startled when he felt a slight burning sensation on his chest. He tugged at the collar of his armor, thinking something might have fallen inside back when they were in the woods, then realized how improbable that was. The burning intensified until he couldn’t ignore it anymore.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. It feels like something is burning me.”
Naomi wasted no time. Waving a hand, she got rid of his armor.
She was momentarily distracted by the sight of his bare body before her.
He really was fucking amazing. All thick, hard muscle, and smooth golden skin.
She wanted to spend the next few hours simply admiring him, but she got distracted when she caught sight of the mark on his chest.
Her eyes widened as she studied the faint silvery outline of an ancient symbol on his chest. It wasn’t just any symbol. It was a mating mark, and it was in the exact spot where she had blasted her magic at him during the last cycle.
“What is that?” Viktor asked, frowning down at it.
“I think it’s the mating mark I left on you before I died.”
“But…that’s impossible!”
“It should be, but there it is.” She poked him with a finger to emphasize the point. “Actually, I don’t think it’s the real mark. It’s more like an impression or a faded version of the mark. But it shouldn’t be visible at all since I never marked you in this life.”
“This is quite the puzzle. Has anything ever carried over to another lifetime like this before?”
“No.” She paused as she considered it again. “Well, I guess we could count my magic. I keep getting more powerful during every cycle.”
“Perhaps the mark survived because of your magic, then.”
“That sounds possible. Let’s try something.”
She placed her hand directly over the faded mark on his chest, forcing herself to concentrate despite the distracting warmth of his skin beneath her palm.
His chest was broad and powerfully built, and his golden skin was impossibly smooth.
She tried hard not to imagine how it would feel to touch the rest of him, though that really was impossible.
Concentrating hard, she began pushing her magic out of her palm and into him.
The moment she touched him, power immediately began flowing out of her in a steady stream and directly into him.
There was no resistance. No struggle to direct it where she wanted it to go.
It simply poured into him as though her magic had been waiting for this exact moment.
His body went still beneath her, and she could feel his own magic stirring beneath his skin as if it were trying to reach out to her. The sensation felt strange, yet also exhilarating. It was like they were two magnets trying to connect after being held apart for far too long.
When he reached up and placed his own hand against her chest, she immediately removed her jacket, T-shirt, and sports bra, wanting to feel him against her bare skin.
Her nipples hardened in the cool air, and her breasts felt heavy as she waited for him to touch her.
Regrettably, he placed his hand higher on her chest, directly above her left breast. A shiver raced through her, and she couldn’t help wishing he moved his hand a little lower.
She understood he was being respectful, but a part of her wished he wasn’t.
His palm was warm and gentle despite his obvious strength.
The simple contact shouldn’t have felt so sensual, yet somehow, it was.
When his magic began to flow into her, she realized just how intimate the exchange was.
It was more than sharing their magic. They were sharing the very essence of who they were with one another.
It started as a sharp sting, almost like a jolt of electricity, but the pain only lasted a few heartbeats. The heat began to spread out from the mark, sinking deeper until the burn transformed into pleasurable warmth.
As the connection intensified, it formed a bond between them that would never be broken. His dark angel magic was strong. It felt slightly different than hers, yet it nourished her soul like a flower in sunlight. It filled an empty space within her that she hadn’t even known existed.
Her head began to spin as an overwhelming jumble of emotions crashed into her all at once.
It took her a moment to realize what she was feeling wasn’t just coming from her.
She was also feeling Viktor’s emotions. She instinctively tried to separate them, then realized that she couldn’t because they both belonged to her now.
They were true mates.
Two lives bound into one.