Chapter 28
twenty-eight
KAT
I was barely conscious while Callum took care of me for the next two days. Conscious enough to put together that he blamed himself for the pain I'd dealt with during heat, and that he was only sleeping when his body forced himself to, always while I was also sleeping.
Any time I cracked my eyes open, he was either looking at me or he opened his eyes, as if he could feel that I was awake.
I didn't think he could. I was pretty sure that wasn't part of the bond.
He must've just been sleeping lightly.
We spent the third day on the couch, bingeing that baking show I was still so behind on.
He touched me constantly, but it wasn't like before, where he just set his hand on me to ease his pain.
Callum held me tightly to his chest. Stroked my skin lightly, his fingers or hands moving constantly, as if to remind him that I was real.
I hadn't realized exactly how horrible spending heat alone would be, and he hadn't either. I might've made a different choice if I had understood, but there was no going back now.
When I felt mostly recovered, I rolled over in his arms, so our eyes could meet.
Our mouths were only inches apart. Our noses nearly brushed.
"Hi," I said.
"Hey."
"We need to talk."
He bobbed his head once, the motion a little awkward with the couch beneath the side of his face.
"I love you too," he said quietly, as if resuming a conversation we had never started.
"I must. I don't know what else these feelings I have for you could be.
I know I let you down, and it won't happen again.
I will do anything to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Please don't ask me to leave, Kat. I'm incapable of handling life without you anymore.
Even if I was capable of it, I wouldn't want to. "
I blinked.
What?
"He thinks the pain was his fault, remember?" Sable yawned, stretching out within me. "You should shift. He needs to snuggle me. It's my turn."
"I need to talk to him. I can shift afterward."
He loved me.
He was admitting it.
He wasn't telling me I had to stay, he was asking me not to make him leave.
"You didn't let me down, Callum. I was trying to do the right thing by protecting you from me during heat. I was the one who asked your family to abduct you, remember?"
"It's my fault that you felt the need to do that."
"I made that choice. Now that it's over, I realize that I should've just asked you to get over your fear and fuck me, but it's a little late."
"If I had known you would hurt that much..." He clenched his jaw. "If I had been here, I would've done it as soon as you asked me to. As soon as your pain was too much."
"I know. That's why I asked them to take you."
"In trying not to hurt you, I caused you more pain than I can fathom."
"That was heat's fault. Not yours." I lifted a hand to his hair, burying my fingers in the wild strands. His eyes closed, his emotions swelling between us. I didn't have words for the mix of them, but they were intense, More intense than I would ever have expected. "Thanks for helping me recover."
"Don't thank me. I don't deserve it."
"You do. Thank you," I repeated, tugging his hair lightly. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
"Stop, Kitten." His words were quiet. Desperate, almost. His eyes were, too, when they met mine again. "I felt your pain. I heard every plea. That was a worse hell than anything my magic has ever put me through."
I pressed my lips to his, and kissed him slowly.
He didn't respond at first, but when I draped a leg over his hip, he pulled me closer and kissed me back.
The deep, desperate need that leaked through the bond was so intense, it almost took my breath away.
I pulled back, meeting his eyes as I did. "I need you, Callum. All of you."
The mix of emotions that played through the bond was messy and wild. "Are you sure?" he finally asked. "I don't want you to hurt again. Not after that. Not ever."
"I'm sure. I need you, and you need me too."
"You are going to be my fucking end, Kitten."
"At least you'll enjoy it."
"Every minute."
"Don't hold back. Not even a little. I don't care if you hurt me. I'll tell you if it's too much, and we'll figure it out. Together."
He kissed me again, and it felt like for the first time, he let himself feel it.
The bond between us thinned as our mouths moved together, his hands dipping beneath the hem of the t-shirt he'd put me in. Mine spread over the thick ridges on his abdomen.
His thumbs brushed my nipples, his touch light and gentle. Mine found the waistband of his pants.
I pushed them down as he kissed me, kneading my breast lightly with one hand while the other slipped between my thighs and teased my clit.
"You are so beautiful," he said into my mind, our mouths still moving together while our tongues danced. "Down to your fucking soul."
"So are you. And don't disagree with me."
He chuckled, the sound soft and intimate in my mind. "Wouldn't dream of it, Kitten."
I freed his erection, dragging my hand down the length slowly.
He rolled me on top of him, his hands on my hips and his eyes on my face. He was giving me the control. Showing me that he was letting go, that he was letting me take charge.
"No going back after this," I murmured against his lips, the tip of his erection positioned at my entrance. I wanted to lower my hips and take him in deep, but I needed to double-check first. "Are you sure?"
"You are the one thing in this world I'm sure of right now, Kat Frost."
"I don't remember agreeing to take your name."
"I make the decisions, remember?" The sarcasm in his voice was so thick it made me smile.
What had Liv said?
He's sarcastic when he's happy.
"How could I forget?"
"I wondered the same thing." His hands slid down to grip my ass. "Make your choice before I make it for you, Kitten."
I sat up, and my head tipped back, my lips parting as I sank over him. He slowly filled the emptiness that had caused me physical pain for three days straight.
The pain had faded two days earlier, but this replaced it entirely with pleasure.
We groaned together as he bottomed out inside me, his cock throbbing deeply while I took a moment to adjust to his size.
"You feel fucking unreal," he gritted out, his eyes burning over me while his delicious, icy magic rolled around us. It felt like silk on my skin, like a cold drink on a hot day, like a damp towel on a fevered forehead.
"So do you." My words were breathless, my body arching as I started to fuck him slowly. His fingers dug into my skin.
"Fuck, Kitten, I—" Callum swore viciously, his control on his power slipping.
I gasped out a curse the moment his pain magic rolled over my skin.
It didn’t hurt.
It didn’t tickle.
It felt like a hand on my clit, like fireworks, his ice magic, and pleasure. Deep, delicious, luxurious pleasure.
I came with a violent cry. Callum went over the edge with me, snarling a curse as he fucked me from beneath, hitting every nerve ending I possessed with both his magic and his cock.
He knew I wasn’t in pain—he felt my overwhelming pleasure through the bond.
We were both panting when our orgasms ended, our gazes locked together. His shock leaked through that flimsy barrier between our minds, fierce and desperate and relieved.
"I didn’t hurt you."
"Hurt is definitely not the right word for what you did to me."
"We should’ve done that ages ago."
"I said that at least a dozen times. You should really start listening to me."
"I will. I swear." Callum rolled me over, pinning my hands above my head. His wild waves fell messily, and I would've buried my fingers in them again if he hadn't had them trapped. "I’m not letting you off this couch until you’ve had enough pleasure to make up for your heat, Kitten."
"You’d better get going, then." I flashed him a grin.
The one he returned caught me so off guard, I gaped.
His grin widened, and remained as he fucked me.
It was worth the hell I'd gone through.