Chapter 25 Vaelor
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
vaelor
Istep back as Connor releases his hold on Felicity, slowly dropping her down his body, dragging her against every solid inch of him. He throws his head back on a groan, the tendons in his neck popping out in stark relief.
“Fuck,” he whispers, eyes on the sky above us. “Was it only this morning that I last had my dick inside you? It feels like it’s been longer.”
I lean forward, my lips brushing Felicity’s ear.
“You know, a shifter gets caught up in the bloodlust after a kill. It’s like their adrenaline can’t regulate to a normal level without doing something to release the tension.
” I nip her, and her breath hitches. “He’s stuck in fight or fuck mode right now.
You got anyone else you want to sic your wolf on?
Or have you got a better idea of how you can help your mate? ”
“Vaelor,” Connor cautions, just as Felicity’s throat bobs on a rough swallow.
“I haven’t agreed to anything,” she whispers.
“Haven’t you?” Connor’s head drops, green eyes piercing, tracking the movement when her tongue flicks out to wet her lips.
I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pressing a palm into the rune branded on her chest. She hisses at the pain of it, arching away from my punishing hold, but then the bond flares to life, throbbing with urgency. “Your body makes a liar of you, Princess.”
“We can feel you,” Connor adds. “You opened yourself up to us and the mating bond. Tell me you don’t sense it.”
She pulls away from us, backing up a step. We don’t move, Connor watching her with a feral gleam, his wolf prowling close.
Felicity’s lashes flutter, her mouth working, and we can feel her apprehension leaking into our chests—a feeling grounded in a fear of rejection after years of her family constantly letting her down and neglecting her.
Our mate is touch-starved and desperate to believe us, but she’s been burned too many times to trust our word.
Felicity wants to hide from this, to run, but we won’t let her, no matter how scared she might be.
“You didn’t give me a choice,” Felicity whispers, the breeze picking up and whipping through her hair. “And I don’t know if I can trust you…” She touches her chest, everything about her screaming that she wants to.
“Look at the bond,” Connor urges. “You don’t need to trust us when you can see it.”
She stares at him in bemusement. “What the hell are you talking about?” She looks around wildly, as if something’s about to jump out at her. “See what?”
I look over at Connor as his eyes soften with affection. “The bond, Starling,” he murmurs. “Look inward.” She stares back at him before inhaling deeply and closing her eyes.
I already know what she’ll be looking at—a blanket of dark velvet, lit up by wispy ropes of starlight, transparent but full of vibrant color, stretching out between us, connecting us.
She’ll see two souls—gold and green, flecked with darkness—entwined together and wrapped around hers—a soft blue that glows brightly—in a protective shield. It’s a breathtaking sight that even a cynic like me can appreciate, and one I wasn’t able to see until we lay our marks on her.
“You’ve already accepted us,” I tell her. “You just need to lay your claim.”
She inhales sharply, her eyes flaring wide. “That’s…That’s the bond?”
“It didn’t look like that earlier.” It hadn’t been quite as brilliant, the tendrils that drifted to her end muted and closed off. But now…
Her blue eyes flick to me, filled with caution and a little hope.
“What changed?”
“You did, Princess.”
“So that’s it?” she demands, rebellion darkening her eyes into something stormy. “It’s done?”
Connor and I share a look, silently communicating without words. He dips his chin, his mouth curving wickedly, before turning back to her. “Not yet,” he admits.
I tap my sternum. “You’ve gotta lay your claim on us, Princess.” In complete unison, Connor and I take a step toward her, and her eyes flare, eyes bouncing between us.
“So, you’re saying to complete the mating,” she says slowly, “I have to choose to lay a claim on you.”
“That bond is already there, Princess. You can’t keep fighting us forever.”
“Or what?” she taunts. “You’ll drug my drink again? That seems to be the easiest way for you two, hm? There’s no fight with someone so out of it she barely remembers what you even feel like.”
Connor growls, baring his teeth. Felicity shoots him a wary glance, her confidence faltering for a beat, but she straightens her shoulders.
“You keep saying I’m yours, but I’m not your property. If I claim you, we’re going to be equals.”
I push my bottom lip out in a pout. “You gonna take all my fun away, baby?”
“No,” she corrects a little quickly. “I’m telling you there needs to be more discussion around it beforehand. And you can’t make unilateral decisions for me.”
I tip my chin at her, and she looks at Connor, waiting for his silent agreement, too.
“I don’t know if I’m convinced,” she murmurs, and something about her tone has me narrowing my eyes. The suspicion only deepens when she glances over her shoulder at the castle looming in the background, as if gauging the distance to safety.
“My wolf’s riding the high of bloodlust.” Connor’s voice is guttural. “You push me right now—”
The words haven’t even left his lips, and she’s gone, dark hair whipping out behind her as she turns and runs…but not in the direction I expected.
Instead, she heads straight for the shadow of the trees on the other side of the cemetery, and a devilish grin carves my mouth.
Our mate wants to play.
“We’ll give her a head start,” I murmur to Connor, aware that he’s trembling with the effort of controlling his wolf.
“How long?” he barks out, and I laugh, loving the fact that our mate is playing with us.
“Three…Two…” His wolf lunges forward, stealing his skin and throwing his head back, a haunting howl cutting through the air.
“...One.”