Chapter 21 #2
Sam kissed his way down her throat, his hands mapping her body with reverent thoroughness. “I love you,” he murmured against her collarbone. “I should have said it before, but I’m saying it now. I love you, Claudia. My mate. My heart.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “I love you too, Sam. So much it scares me a little.”
“Don’t be scared.” He rose above her, settling between her thighs, his weight a welcome pressure. “I’ve got you. Always.”
When they came together, it was with the recognition of mates finding each other, of magic acknowledging magic, of two souls that had been waiting lifetimes for this moment. Claudia’s power wrapped around them both, and Sam’s lion purred in response, the sound rumbling through both their chests.
They moved together, learning new rhythms, finding what made the other gasp and moan. Sam was gentle, despite his earlier urgency, his touches reverent, his kisses tender. But there was heat too, that familiar fire that threatened to consume them both.
“More,” Claudia gasped, her nails raking down his back. “Sam, please, I need—”
“I know what you need,” he growled, and shifted his angle, hitting something inside her that made stars burst behind her eyelids. “Is this it? This what you want?”
“Yes! Sweet heaven, yes, don’t stop—”
He didn’t stop. He kept that perfect rhythm, that perfect angle, driving her higher and higher until she was balanced on the edge of something vast and terrifying and perfect.
“Come for me,” Sam commanded, one hand sliding between their bodies to where they were joined. “Let me feel you. Show me, Claudia.”
The combination of his words, his touch, and the relentless pleasure was too much. Claudia shattered, crying out his name as her body clenched around him. Her magic exploded outward in a shower of golden sparks, filling the room with little dancing motes of magical light.
Sam followed her over the edge moments later, his roar of completion mixing with her cries. She felt his power surge at the moment their magic truly bonded, weaving together in a pattern that could never be fully untangled.
Mine, his lion said, shockingly, in her mind. Ours. Mate.
Mate, her magic agreed, and the truth of it settled into her bones. She suspected that every time they came together, the bond would only deepen. She shivered at the thought, knowing that the deeper the bond went, the deeper the pleasure would go. She could hardly wait.
They collapsed together, hearts racing, breathing hard, bodies still joined. Sam’s weight pinned her to the mattress, but Claudia had never felt safer or more cherished.
“That was…” Sam started, then seemed to run out of words.
“Yeah,” Claudia agreed, running her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. “It really was.”
He lifted his head to look at her, and she saw wonder, love, and possessiveness in his stunning gaze. “The bond is complete now. I can feel you in my head, in my heart. Like you’ve always been there, and I just couldn’t hear you before.”
“I feel it too.” Claudia touched his face, tracing the strong line of his jaw. “Is this normal? For shifter mates?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been mated before.” Sam’s smile was crooked. “But if it is, I understand now why mated males are so insufferable. This is amazing.”
“It is,” Claudia whispered, pulling him down for another kiss.
They made love twice more that night, each time slower and more exploratory than the last. Learning what made the other sigh with pleasure, what touches drew gasps, what words of love and praise sent them spiraling into bliss.
When they finally lay tangled in the sheets, exhausted and sated, the Monaco night soft outside the windows, Claudia was more at peace than she had ever been in her life.
“What happens now?” she asked drowsily. “With the Venifucus, with Kettering, with everything, in general?”
“We have one more day of festivities, and we may or may not get to confront Kettering. If he’s as slippery and conniving as I think he is, he’ll scamper away in the night and hole up in his castle now that his pet mages are gone,” Sam said, his arms tightening around her.
“If that’s the case, we finish up here, then go home.
We’ll have to find another way to get to him at a later date.
If he’s stupid enough to stay, we deal with him as best we can.
Personally, I’d like to rip him apart, but I doubt he’ll be stupid enough to give me the chance.
If I can’t get to him, we go home and present Marta’s intelligence to the Lords.
They’ve been tackling the task of coordinating all the intel from all over North America and disseminating it to our allies and the Lords in other regions of the world.
We let them do that, though we can, of course, deal with our own allies, like Granny Tucker, directly.
She’ll need to know what happened here. Then we rebuild and strengthen the Clan’s defenses.
We live our lives and love each other and face whatever comes next together. ”
“That sounds good.” Claudia pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. “Though I should probably call Granny Tucker in the morning and tell her about Schwarz. She’ll want to know before we leave here in case there are magical repercussions.”
“Be sure to tell her she saved your life tonight with her special training, and that I’m eternally grateful.
” Sam’s hand stroked down her back in soothing circles.
“Tell her that her apprentice is the most powerful, brave, beautiful woman I’ve ever known, and that I plan to spend the rest of my long life making sure she knows it. ”
Tears threatened again. “You don’t have to try so hard, you know. I’m already head over heels in love with you.”
“Good. Because I’m not letting you go. Ever.” He kissed the top of her head. “Sleep now, love. Tomorrow, we’ll deal with the aftermath. For what’s left of tonight, just be here with me.”
Claudia let her eyes close, safe in her mate’s arms, their magic still humming contentedly around them. The immediate threat had been eliminated. Their bond was solid. And tomorrow, they’d begin their real life together.
But tonight was just for them. Stolen moments of tenderness and passion and the fierce joy of having survived to love another day.
As she drifted off to sleep, Claudia couldn’t help but think that this—Sam’s arms around her, their hearts beating in sync, their futures intertwined—was worth every danger they’d faced to get here. He was worth everything.