10. Bite of Bliss
Leni
I’d fully expected to fistfight Dante for his son, and instead, the cantankerous incubus had apologized to me, thanked me for loving Archer, then had asked me politely to portal him back home.
All in all, everything was wonderful now. I was quick to forgive, especially knowing that he and Archer had talked, and that my mate was happier after their conversation. I had thoroughly plotted his murder while waiting for them to be done, though.
I could see the weight that had lifted off Archer’s shoulders. What happened in his past had been holding him back. I didn’t know how to properly explain that mistakes were very, well, human and monstrous.
Archer leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. I pressed my forehead to his, smiling as I inhaled his scent. My arm slid around him, our heads leaning together. He straddled my lap, the sun setting behind him like a golden halo.
This was my world. It’d been my world for so long. I was happy, of course. I’d worked to build my life and have it how I wanted it.
But it’d been missing something.
Archer.
It had been missing Archer.
“Do you feel better?” I whispered.
“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “I . . . Leni, I want this. I want this with you. I want to be yours and only yours. More than anything else in the world.”
“I want this too.” My throat burned as I held back tears, trying to grasp just how much I felt for this man. To no longer be so lonely, to have someone who looked at me the way he did . . .
Archer sucked in a breath, his gaze softening. “Would you have me? Would you . . . Would you mate me?”
Warmth bloomed in my chest, fuzzy and wonderful. Tears filled my eyes as I nodded. “Would you have me?”
“I would be so lucky,” he said. “Mate me, Leni. Please. Make me yours. Mark me. Take me.”
“Are you sure?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his face lighting up. “I’m so sure. I love you.”
I sniffled, my hold on him tightening. “I love you too.”
Our lips crashed together in a hungry kiss and I laughed as everything finally clicked into place in my life.
The two of us fell back in the sand, and I pinned him beneath me as we kissed. His legs wrapped around my waist, and my tail wound around his ankle. My wings spread behind me, casting shadows over us.
He held my face, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Are you sure sure?”
I was more than sure.
For so long, the two of us had been searching for each other without even realizing it.
I’d lived so many years and they’d been beautiful, but he’d crossed my dark skies, a bright star streaking through my night, giving me hope.
Everything with him was perfect. Not to say that we wouldn't eventually have growing pains or have problems, but I knew in the depths of my soul that I was meant to be with Archer.
I’d been dreaming of this exact moment for years. But the dream couldn't touch how magical the reality of holding my mate was.
“We’re doing this,” I said. “You’re mine, little demon. All mine. We have to figure out if we’re living together and all the logistics but—”
“None of that matters,” he said.
I grinned. “None of that matters. We can figure it out together. We have forever to figure it out. Please be my mate, Archer. I want you.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Last chance to back out.”
I slid my hand behind his neck. “Never.”
His smile lit up my entire world.
I didn't hesitate. I sank my fangs into his throat and his blood filled my mouth, the taste sweeter than nectar.
Finally.
I felt our bond awaken the moment he pressed his mouth against my shoulder and bit down. I gasped as pleasure rushed through me, a euphoric wave dragging me into the welcoming arms of fate, of knowing I was his and he was mine.
It was the perfect bite of bliss. Heavenly. Beautiful.
Archer drew back and licked his lips, the two of us grinning at each other.
“Hi, little mate,” I teased.
“Hello, gorgeous mate.”
We laughed as he pushed me back in the sand, my wings spreading out beneath us. He straddled me as he kissed up my throat, sucking the quickly healing mating mark he’d just left.
I groaned. “We’re not even going to make it back to the house this time, are we?”
“No, Mistress.” His voice was husky as he rolled his hips. “We’re staying right here and I’m going to make you come until the moon is high and you can’t remember your name.”
I smirked. “Such a bold promise.”
My mate chucked. “I always keep my promises.”