each other, it kills them both. Not instantly, but within weeks or months, so they have time to regret their actions.”
“Oh my God!” she gasped.
“Yes, but if our love is true, you’ll feed off my immortality, you will remain young with me and age only fractionally, the same way I do.”
“But that can’t be. Science . . . ” she whispered, clearly fascinated.
“It’s within our powers, so we can choose our mates freely among both species. However, I still don’t understand how you could have known about the bonding ritual. It’s a secret.”
“I didn’t. I swear.” Then she shook her head. “But that night, I saw inside of you. I saw a bit of your soul.”
He didn’t think it was possible. “Only mated couples can sense each other’s souls.”
“But I saw it,” she insisted. “What does it mean?”
He pulled her head closer to his, looking into the depth of her ocean blue eyes, seeing his love reflected back at him. “I think it means that we were always meant for each other.”
“But what if we’re wrong? What if this isn’t love? We’ve only known each other for such a short time. People can’t fall in love that quickly.”
Aiden gazed deep into her eyes. “I’m willing to take that risk, because even a few weeks or months with you will be infinitely better than living eternity without you.”
“You’re willing to risk your immortality for me?”
There was only one possible answer to her question. “Yes. But I can’t make this decision alone. Your life it at stake too. So if you have any doubts about your feelings for me, you have to refuse me now.”
Her hand came up to stroke her fingers over the scar above his brow, then down his cheek and along his chin, her feather light touch leaving a trail of fire on his skin.
Then she smiled at him. “I already died once today. What are the odds of me dying again?”
He grinned. “If you put it that way . . . ”
Aiden slanted his mouth over hers, capturing her lips. Under light pressure she parted them, allowing him to delve inside her delicious cavern, while his hands busied themselves with divesting her of her clothes. It wasn’t difficult, because she was more than willing to help him in his endeavor.
“Eager?” he whispered between kisses.
Leila’s hands went to the waistband of his pants, snapping the top button open, then sliding down the zipper. When her hands found his hard-on and wrapped around him, he let out a groan. Her lips twisted into a smile.
“I doubt I could be more eager than you.”
He thrust into her hands. She had a point; he was positively bursting to take her, the knowledge that this time their lovemaking would culminate in a bonding ritual, making his body brim with anticipation. He’d never felt happier in his entire life.
The moment they shed their last pieces of clothing, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her on the crisp sheets. She looked perfect there, because it was where she belonged: in his bed, in his life, in his heart. He swept his gaze over her curves, savoring the moment his eyes traveled over her heaving breasts down to her long and shapely legs, those powerful thighs that had held him night after night as he’d thrust into her. The pure bliss he’d found in her arms every night made him dizzy even now.
“You know I don’t like to wait,” Leila purred and crooked her finger.
“I made a note of that when you told me back at the farmhouse.” He slid over her, bringing his raging erection to her core, her thighs spreading for him without any urging on his part. So natural, yet so exciting. So meant for him.
Aiden dove into her slick heat, seating himself with one single thrust. All thoughts vanished from his mind as the sensation of being connected to her filled him. She bucked against him, her body welcoming him.
Without holding back, he allowed his energy to flow. The air stirred in the room, the earth trembling beneath them, quaking in the same rhythm in which their bodies moved. Mist dimmed the lights in the room, making the bedside lamps glow in a soothing orange color.
Leila’s thighs tightened around him, urging him to plunge deeper and harder, her breaths irregular, her skin coated with a thin sheen of perspiration, her eyes sparkling with desire and love. He’d never seen a creature more beautiful, a woman