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urgent need, wanting to claim her, to join with her and be one. He slid his tongue over the pinpricks and lifted his head.
"You are absolutely certain, Solange?"
Her eyes were glazed, her lips swollen from his kisses. She smiled up at him and touched his face with gentle fingers. "More certain than I've ever been about anything."
She had come so far, trusting him to do this. His heart swelled, nearly bursting with his love for her. It was such a precious gift--her trust. Her desire to please him. That she could take such a risk, that she would take such a risk for him, was humbling. Dominic drew a line across his chest and cradled her head. Come into my world, my own, he invited. Drink.
Solange didn't hesitate. She wanted this. All reservations were gone. She had never truly belonged anywhere, and now she had found a home in Dominic. Her lashes drifted down and she snuggled deeper into his arms, her tongue sliding over the seam of the wound in tentative exploration. She felt Dominic's entire body clench and shudder with pleasure, and rejoiced that she could give that to him. She was acutely aware of his shaft once more growing hard and stretching and filling her.
She felt along her teeth with her tongue, a little surprised to feel two had lengthened. Already the need was on her, a terrible craving she couldn't resist even had she wanted to. Dominic--her own. She sank her teeth deep. He cried out hoarsely, and her body clamped down hard on his. His essence flowed into her. Hot. Powerful. Rich. She felt the connection between them, the sharing of mind and body, the very blood flowing in their veins.
Her body moved against his, soft, made for him, fitting perfectly to him. His hips thrust deep and the now-familiar fire took her. He took command so easily, his hips surging into hers, penetrating deep, dragging over inflamed nerve endings over and over. Each stroke was more powerful than the last, pushing her higher until she hovered right on the edge of great precipice.
Dominic shared her mind, stole her heart and completed her soul. With the taste of him filling her, his breath moving in and out of her lungs, she lifted her hips to meet his, tightening every muscle around his hardened length, dragging another explosive release from him as her own took her high.
She swept her tongue over the laceration and watched it close, a little awed by what she had done. The taste of him was in her mouth and she leaned in to kiss him, to share with him the very life force he had shared with her.
"I love you, Solange," Dominic said.
She settled into his arms, knowing he was far more nervous about what was to come than she was. "It's going to be all right," she murmured, a little sleepily. "Making love is tiring business."
"Your body is changing , kessake ku toro s?vamak--beloved little wildcat. As soon as I know it is safe, I will put you to sleep in the ground so Mother Earth can do the rest."
"You will have to watch over our kitten and feed him," she said drowsily. "And make certain you play with him. He's just a cub and he needs lots of attention."
Dominic nuzzled the top of her head. Every muscle was bunched tight in anticipation of seeing her writhing in pain. "I will, Solange. Have no worries." "Check my cat now. Make certain she's all right."
He took a breath, allowed his spirit the freedom to leave his physical self behind to enter her body. Her organs were reshaping at a fast rate, both hers and the jaguar's. She should have already been in pain, but somehow her blood was still intact and seemed to heal the organs as fast as his blood changed them.
He returned to his body. "Your jaguar is not paying any attention to what is happening."
She turned up her face to his. "I knew she'd be fine. I'm tired, Dominic. I'm going to sleep now."
Her lashes drifted down and she was out, trusting him to look after her and the cub. Heart pounding, mouth dry, he held her for hours, just waiting for the pain to start. She simply slept. Her jaguar slept. He kept vigil through the night and finally, when he was certain he could do so, he put her in the earth with him and closed the soil over their heads.
Dominic allowed Solange to sleep for three risings. He checked her carefully, ensuring she was healing properly. He played with the kitten, making certain it had enough food, but each rising, he awakened earlier and earlier just to see if he would feel the warning that the sun was out. He didn't. Mostly he worried about Solange. He found, as silly as it was, that he missed her. He was used to sharing her mind, watching for her laughter, and enjoying just being with her. The world seemed far less bright without her beside him.
On the third rising he chose to wake her before the sun went down. He wanted to see the effect it had on her. He woke her gently and, cradling her against his chest, floated her out of the earth to her bath. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"I want to check my cat," she protested as he placed her in the hot water.
"Bath first," he said firmly. Her care had to come first.
She smirked and shifted right there in the water. Solange. His miracle. Her cat chuffed her disgust and shook her head, those green eyes gleaming with mischief. His warning radar went off, but he was too entranced with the laughter building in the jaguar's eyes. She gathered herself, her muscles rippling beneath the tawny fur, and sprang, hitting him in the chest and knocking him over. He tried to catch her, but she took him down to the ground, standing on him, her tongue rasping over his face. He caught her muzzle in his hands and looked into her laughing eyes. "I knew you were going to be trouble from the first moment I laid eyes on you."
She shifted in his arms, kissing him. "No, you didn't. You thought I was going to be docile and sweet." She jumped up. "Come on, I want to fly on my own."
Dominic caught her arm, restraining her. "The sun is up. We need to be a little cautious."
She ran her hand down her arm, frowning. "I don't feel any different, Dominic. Shouldn't I? I slept beneath the earth. I am fully Carpathian, aren't I?"
He swept his arm around her, cleaning the water from both of them as he did so. "We are both Carpathian, kessake, but we are also something more."
"I don't understand."
"Neither do I. Your blood is unique and remains intact. I think, somehow, although you are fully Carpathian, we both retain all the properties of your blood."
She bit her lip. "I don't know how I feel about that."
"Because of Brodrick?"
She nodded.
"Your blood also comes from your mother."
Her cat's eyes blinked once and a slow smile curved her mouth. "I should have known you'd say the right thing, Dominic. Thank you."
He took her hand, waving his other one to cover her body in her jeans and tee, her warrior armor. They made their way up toward the surface of the cave, maneuvering through the narrow tunnel. As they reached the entrance, light spilled in, dappled from the surrounding trees shading the area. He remembered emerging from a cave not so long ago, the sun burning his skin in spite of the cover, burning through the feathers of the harpy eagle. Now there was no reaction whatsoever. It had been centuries since he walked in the sun.
"Stay here, h?n s?vamak." It was an order, nothing less, and he looked down at her upturned face, letting her see he meant it.
Her protest died in her throat. She nodded.
Dominic slowly approached the entrance. The light grew stronger, reached for him. His heart pounded in anticipation. He took a few more cautious steps out of the cave. The sun fell across his body. Every muscle tensed. Nothing happened. There was no burning. No blisters. No terrible repercussions, just the feel of the sun on his skin.
He turned and looked at Solange. His miracle. She took his breath away. He held out his hand to her. Solange walked slowly toward him, reaching for his hand, smiling up at him with love shining in her eyes. He threaded his fingers through hers and called silently to awaken their kitten. They waited together until the little cat joined them, before walking together out in the sunshine.
THE END