54
IVY
THE weight of his words, the promise they contained, almost undid me.
I sucked in a sharp breath. The impulse to ask if he was sure died on my tongue. I didn’t need to hear his answer to know. It was written across his face, a burning certainty in his eyes. Rowan might have joked around, but he never lied—especially about his feelings towards me. He never had to.
And I had no reason to not believe him now.
Rowan held me to him, keeping our foreheads connected for a long moment as his admission settled between us. My heart raced, pounding hard in my chest, tears burning the corners of my eyes.
“Don’t leave me hanging here,” he murmured, chuckling humourlessly. “Please, Ivy.”
I tilted my head just enough to meet his lips with a soft kiss. As I pulled back, I met his stare. Vulnerability played in his hazel eyes. “You were the first person I trusted on the team,” I whispered. “The first person who made me feel seen.”
Rowan’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“When you pulled away, it hurt. A lot. More than I expected and more than it should. You made me feel desired in a way I hadn’t before, and it terrified me.” I removed my hands from his and trailed them down his chest, resting them atop his heart. “You have no idea how glad I am that you are my mate. How lucky I am that we belong to one another. Because…because I love you, too.”
Rowan made a sound in the back of his throat before crushing me to his chest. I slid my arms around his back, clutching the fabric of his sweater.
The magic in my body swelled with the need to complete the claim, but for a moment, I ignored it. The feel of his arms around me filled me with a warmth I never wanted to be without again.
He smoothed a hand down my back as he said, “you have no fucking idea how much that means to me.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, tightening my hold on him. “I think I do,” I whispered.
He chuckled, releasing me slowly. His hands found my hips, fingers digging into my skin, while his eyes roamed the length of my body. “You really have no idea how lucky I am. I have you as my mate. It’s like I’ve won the fucking lottery. And after tonight—actually, after we deal with the narcissist who thinks he should be king—I’ll scream it from the rooftops.”
I choked on a laugh, shaking my head. “You’ll have to actually bond me first, Rowan.”
His eyes darkened, a hunger filling them as he sat on the edge of the sun bed. “I was a good boy before. Do I get my reward now?”
I shivered. “And what reward might that be?”
“You, on top. Claiming me.”
Something about his words called for the primal creature in my chest. Magic swirled, awoken by his question and the promise of his mark branded on my back. A burning sensation started in my belly, and from it, the tether of our bond rose.
Rowan’s eyes flashed gold, and his own magic reached for mine, brushing against my skin, toying with me.
I chewed my bottom lip and rested my hands on his shoulders, leaning down to brush a soft kiss to his lips. “You’ll need to be undressed first.”
Rowan visibly shuddered. But he rose, tugging his sweater off first, then his undershirt to reveal dark runes tattooed along his hips. There was the scar, too, silver and puckered, though not as noticeable as the last time I saw it.
Hesitantly, I skimmed my fingers over it. “What happened?” I asked, my voice tightening as I glanced from it to meet his eyes.
Rowan took my hand, though he didn’t pull it away. “The night you were taken, outside of the hotel.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “They poisoned a dagger and stabbed me.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Because there was enough going on. And it didn’t matter. Your magic protected me,” he whispered. “Burned through the poison and saved me. Even if neither of us knew about the bond, it was there. It protected me.”
I brought my free hand up to cup his cheek and force him to meet my eye. “Don’t ever keep something like that from me again.”
“Or I’ll be punished?” He wagged his brows, and I sighed. “I promise on our bond. I’ll never keep something hidden like that again.”
Pressing my lips into a firm line, I took in the scar again. It was barely the length of my finger, and yet it felt like a strike against me. Guilt swelled in my belly as I traced the length of it with the tip of my finger.
“I’m okay,” Rowan murmured, stepping into me so our chests touched. “I’m okay because of you.”
“I know,” I whispered, dropping my head. “Just—just don’t do that again.”
A half-smile twisted his lips. “I, Rowan Archer, swear to not purposefully get stabbed again.”
“Right.” Rolling my eyes, I stepped out of his grasp, letting my gaze drop to the bulge in his jeans. “Are you done making jokes about being stabbed, or…?”
My mate sighed dramatically as he toyed with the buckle of his belt, slowly pulling it free, as well as popping the button. “Since you so badly want my dick…”
If it weren’t for the fire in my chest, I might have walked out on his ass. I loved the mage, but he really knew how to push my buttons. “I’m this close to leaving.”
“Pantie-less?” He quirked a teasing brow as he let his jeans slide down his muscled thighs, making a show of kicking them off.
Wetness pooled between my thighs as I took him in. Rowan had the body of a swimmer, all lithe muscle and wiry frame, but it suited him so well. More runes dotted his legs, each one a different swirling pattern.
I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth. His cock jutted out in front of him with a slight bend towards the head, thick around the base and swollen with veins that showed through the skin.
“I feel like I’m an animal on display,” he said, palming his cock. “Tell me it’s nice, at least.”
I snorted. “If I knew you’d be this needy…”
“You should want to take care of me,” he replied, pressing his free hand to his chest. “You’re taking my virginity.”
Shaking my head, I let the straps of my dress slip down my shoulders. “At the rate we’re going, Rowan, the only thing happening to you is a conversation about all of this.” I waved a hand around his body, which earned me a dramatic gasp. “All this talk makes me think you’re scared.”
“Me? Scared?” His brows shot up, and before I could respond, he threw himself onto the daybed. One hand still gripped the base of his cock, while he brought the other to rest behind his head. “Oh baby, I’m just getting started. But don’t take the dress off…yet.”
Yet? This male was…something. But any thought of him being scared disappeared at the sincerity in his eyes. He was ready for the bond.
For life together.
Just as much as I was.
“I love you,” he murmured. “So, let’s start forever.”
By the Goddess, he knew how to take my emotions on a ride. He knew all the right words to have me melting for him. And I believed him, knew he meant everything, so I crawled onto the bed and straddled his hips.
Rowan released his dick, eyes flashing with hunger. As he took hold of my hips, I bit my lip. We met half-way with a searing kiss. Our tongues clashed, hurried and sloppy. But I was too excited to care. I wanted him more and more, and we were finally so close.
Reaching between us, I took him in my hand, pumping him to the tip and swiping my thumb over precum beading at the top.
His breath hitched, and I pulled back as I angled him at my entrance. “This goes at your pace,” I reminded him. “If you want to stop—”
“I’ll tell you,” he promised. “But trust me. I won’t need to.”
He held me steady as I slowly slid down his shaft. I held his gaze, cupping the back of his neck, and waited for him to nod before I went another inch.
“Fuck,” he said on a breath, chest heaving. “I’m good. You feel…fuck. You feel amazing.”
I bit my lip, seating myself fully on his cock. He twitched inside me, and as I tightened around him, the bend of his dick scraped inside me.
Rowan’s fingers bit harshly into my side as he bucked beneath me, allowing me to take him deeper. “Fuck. Shit. Going to be honest, I don’t know how long I’m going to last.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, kissing the corner of his lips. “Rub my clit. It’ll help us come together.”
He shuddered beneath me but nodded. “I feel it. The bond,” he whispered. “It wants you so bad.”
I rocked into him slowly, giving him time to adjust. But the soft thrill of my magic purring in my chest almost took control out of my hands. It wanted to claim him now. Complete the bond fast.
But I wanted to give him more than that.
“Meet me with your own thrusts,” I said, lifting myself enough to give him room to do so.
Hesitantly, Rowan lifted his hips and thrust into me.
It lit a spark within him, a fiery hunger that burned in his eyes. He slid an arm around my waist and without warning, thrust into me again.
“This feels better,” he said, guiding me into pace with him. “It feels too good.”
Our eyes remained locked, as I slid my hand between us. His breath hitched, but he didn’t take his eyes off mine. “You’re doing so well,” I murmured. “Hold on.”
Rowan’s jaw clenched, and he leaned back once more, hand returning to my hip. A soft sound, almost like a whine, left his lips. Somehow, I enjoyed that sound more than the words ‘I love you’.
“I’m all yours.”
A smile tilted his lips. “Yes, you fucking are.”
That was all he needed to take full control, and he relaxed into the sun bed, guiding my hips to meet his thrusts. I continued toying lightly with my clit as his cock swelled, but he didn’t come yet.
My magic shifted beneath my skin before rising within me. Electricity rippled across my flesh, lifting the hairs of my arms as it reached for Rowan. My chest heated with the intensity of our bond. The tether of magic reached for Rowan as his own reached for mine.
Rowan’s eyes widened and his lips parted. Golden light highlighted his irises as the magic rose within him, too.
“I feel it,” he whimpered, thrusts stuttering. I pinched my clit, taking us closer to the edge of our climax. “I love you.”
Pressure built in my lower abdomen as I bounced up and down. A moan fell from my lips at the sharp intensity of it all—my fingers toying with my clit, his cock thrusting into me, our magic swirling through the air. My magic turned into a rabid beast within me, the only words it could utter being mine, mate, claim.
It knew Rowan was ours. That after this, nothing would take him away from me.
The bond demanded to be completed, and I would give it that.
“Now,” I gasped, and then I felt it.
The moment Rowan came undone beneath me.
The rush of power shuddering through my body.
And the bond snapping into place.
The tether of our bond crashed into both of us, igniting a fire within me.
Rowan cried out. His entire body bucked off the bed, sweat glistening against his skin. The force of our bond made me moan, the power of it an all-consuming force, shattering and rebuilding within me. When Rowan finished inside me, I slowed, until our harsh breaths filled the air, and our magic settled between us.
“That was…” He trailed off, finally letting his hands fall from my hips to rub circles on my thighs. Red highlighted his cheek bones, almost the same shade as his hair.
I offered him a smile. “Do you feel okay?”
His chest rose and fell, but he nodded. “I feel…complete.”
I felt it, too. The weight of my bonds in my chest had seemed to disappear. No longer did the other tethers feel weak; they weren’t at full strength, but they were lighter, and it didn’t terrify me anymore to reach for them.
Even Ry’s had a lightness to it that gave me hope.
“Do you feel any different?” Rowan asked warily.
I nodded slowly. “My bonds definitely feel more complete now that you’re part of them.”
At that, he grinned. “And your magic?”
That would be a little harder to determine. But I pressed my lips into a line and closed my eyes. I reached within myself, moving past the glowing bonds and following the thread of magic to the well of power. It was dark, sleeping, and didn’t react to my prodding.
But now it awoke and reached for me, as well.
I pulled back with a soft intake of breath, eyes opening. Rowan’s eyes were wide, taking in the soft, violet glow emitting from my body. Swirling marks danced across my skin, flowery and beautiful, but they sunk back into me after a moment.
“I take it your magic is feeling a lot better,” Rowan murmured, skimming his fingers up my thighs. “We should make sure it’s at its strongest.”
I cocked a brow, feeling exactly what he meant as his cock twitched inside me. “You want to go again?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied simply, wrapping his arms around me. “But this time, I’m on top.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, he flipped us on the bed, putting me on my back. He kneeled between my thighs so only the tip of his cock remained inside me and slid the skirt up until it bunched at my hips.
“I want to see all of this,” he murmured, thrusting into me.
And again, we went.
~
We stayed in the Meris room until early morning, our bodies tangled together under a thin sheet someone left for us by the daybed. Because of the lake, the room was warmed by the water, just enough to make it comfortable.
Rowan smoothed back my hair as he dropped a kiss to my forehead. I suppose we should finally leave paradise.
He was enjoying the telepathic communication far too much. Are you sure? They might give us a few more hours, I replied.
My newly bonded mate snorted. “I’m genuinely surprised they gave us this much time at all,” he said aloud, rising onto his elbows. “As much as I want to stay here, we can’t escape reality for much longer.”
“Way to be a buzzkill.”
“I love you,” he murmured, kissing my bare shoulder. His fingers danced over my spine where my mate marks lived. “Five marks for five mates. How many more do you think you’ll have?”
I swallowed thickly and glanced at him over my shoulder. “Two, maybe.”
He shook his head. “Nah. I think you’ll have more. You’re going to be the most powerful Queen we’ve ever seen.”
“Is that assumption based on a vision?” I asked lightly, heart racing.
His eyes met mine. “No. Just a theory. One I hope is real.”
Silently, I hoped it would be. Not because I needed more mates—I had more than I could handle, more than a person could ever love—but because I’d need the power.
Power to stop him before he took everything I loved.