already wet and hot. His desire was so fierce, he almost caved, almost sank his fingers inside her sheath, but knew he would be lost if he did. So he held steady.
"And a warrior would never willingly bind himself in the presence of an enemy."
At the word enemy, she stiffened again.
He placed a soft kiss on the side of her throat. So pretty. So sweet. So his. Then he moved away from her - gods, the agony - and strode to the bed. Her hot gaze tracked his every movement. Facing her, he sat on the mattress and clasped the chains in his hands.
"Shivawn," she said brokenly. Nervously she rubbed her palms on her naked thighs.
"I'm trusting you not to leave me and lead me on another chase, love."
Careful not to look away, he shackled one of his wrists. With a tug of his arm, he proved it was anchored to the wall. Then he bound the other wrist, motions just as measured, just as precise.
Once again, her mouth floundered open and closed.
"There is no other I would bind myself for. Do you know why, Alyssa? You are my mate. I want no other but you. I would give my life for you. I...love you. Your wit, your smile, your determination, your stubbornness, the light in your eyes when you look at me. The way you move, the timbre of your voice, the curves of your body. Everything. I worship it all. Yes, I once hated vampires. Yes, I still hate demons. Yes, your family destroyed mine. But I'm here, offering myself to you, proof of my devotion."
Those tears free-fell down her cheeks now and she hugged her arms to her stomach.
He'd hoped, been so sure of success...until now. "Am I too late? Is the hurt too great? I know I made you feel less than a woman. That will haunt me for the rest of my days. But I have found pleasure with you, love. That night in the cave, I had never experienced so much. I want to satisfy you now. I want - "
She was in his arms a moment later, placing kisses all over his face. "I love you. I've always loved you."
Thank the gods. Their lips met in a fierce, drugging kiss. Her hands were all over him: his chest, his neck, his arms, his cock. He banded his arms around her, lay down and rolled, tucking her securely underneath him.
"Let me make you feel good." He licked at her neck, careful not to wrap the chains around her delicate skin.
She spread her legs, welcoming him into the curve of her body. "You are."
"I want to give you more. So much more." Because of the chains he could not trail down her body as he wanted. "Scoot up for me, love. I need to lick between your legs. Don't deny me the honor this time. Please."
She was pulling at his hair, trying to get his lips back to hers. "Kiss."
"Soon. If I don't taste you, I'll tumble straight into insanity."
Unsure, she inched upward. Her sweat-soaked skin slid, abraded deliciously against his own. And then her feminine core was right there, his to devour. He did. He licked the pink lips apart and sucked on the sweet little center.
Her hips writhed, her knees dropped further apart and she moaned. "Shivawn."
"This is mine. All mine."
"Yours."
"This is what's going to keep me alive from this day forward." He pumped his tongue into and out of her tight little sheath, taking more of her sweetness down his throat. "And then you're going to bite me and take what you need to live."
She gave a violent shake of her head. "You hate being bitten. I'll find nourishment elsewhere. Oh, gods." Her muscles were tensing, gearing for release. "Shivawn! Don't stop."
"This is heaven, sweet. This is heaven. And I will take great pleasure in giving you my blood. Great pleasure." He sucked her, hard. "There'll be no one else for you. It's my blood for you. I want to give it to you."
She fell right over the edge, screaming in ecstasy, chanting his name. While she hung in the balance between satisfaction and a new flood of desire, he scooted her back under him and entered her, filling her up.
"Mine," he gritted out through teeth clenched in absolute abandon. "All mine."
Her arms wrapped around him as he began pumping. "You're mine, too."
"Always. You feel so good," he praised. "I never want to leave you."
"Don't." She pressed a kiss into his neck,