I need to accept him the way I did his brother and hear his thoughts for myself. I need Dev like I need the air in my lungs. When he walked away from me…I thought my heart was splintering in my chest.
Even though we haven’t known each other long and can’t speak, there is a pull to these aliens, an emotion that doesn’t require words. Just actions. I was made to be theirs, and they are mine.
Can I be strong enough to take that? To show him that I want him?
I didn’t survive what I did with Klan Gryme just to live a life of safety. Life is about taking risks, about taking chances, about putting yourself out there, and leaving your comfort zone to try something new and different. I’ve been hurt, but so has he. He wears his scars proudly, and if this big warrior can trust in me not to hurt him, I can do the same.
He looks away to add another log to the fire, and I suck in a breath without being locked in his gaze. It’s now or never, I can feel it. If I don’t accept him tonight, Dev will disappear into the dark, and I will lose him forever. I can’t let that happen.
He’s mine.
I want him.
Sev, will you give us some alone time? I ask sweetly, projecting my request.
I feel a burst of happiness and relief flow through me before his voice follows. Anything, be gentle on him, mate, he’s not as strong as you think.
When I feel him withdraw from my mind, I look to Kitty and jerk my head. He butts me with his forehead before wandering away too, leaving me alone with Dev, who is still staring at the fire. His expression shows his confusion, and his fists are clenched in his lap. The space between us is too great.
Swallowing, I slip from my seat and kneel before him, pressing my body against his knees. Dev needs more reassurance than Sev. He needs actions as well as words, he needs proof. I wait for him to turn, his eyes wide as he stares down at me.
Only then do I pull down the furs and bare my shoulder, the one opposite Sev’s bite, and stroke my finger over the skin there. He follows the movement, a guttural groan leaving his throat as his body hardens, almost shaking. His eyes melt, turning feral. His fangs extend as his lips part, and yet he still just stares. Making no move, even though we both know he wants to.
He waits.
So I reach up, grab the back of his head, and tug him down. He resists at first before bending. I stretch my neck to the side, presenting myself, urging him to bite me. My head falls back, and I stare at the moons as I feel the rasp of his lips trace across my skin, followed by the drag of his fangs.
I can’t help the moan that escapes my throat, and he groans in response, reaching his hands out and gripping my hips hard to keep me still. I remember the way Sev’s bite felt—the initial pain, followed quickly by euphoria.
I can’t wait.
But still, he doesn’t bite, his tongue tracing the path his lips took as I tug him closer, begging the only way I know how.
Dev, please!
Twenty-Nine
Devnyk
Her sweet voice penetrates my mind, making me freeze with my lips still gently pressed to her neck. The battle I’m having with myself is over the moment she begs me to bite her.
She does want me, and she’s offering herself to me so freely.
My body trembles as I resist. I am so scared I’ll hurt this precious little thing. She’s so soft, so delicate. I worry I’ll mark her too hard and she won’t recover.
But her body language says otherwise. Her chest is pressed against me, her limbs pliant, and the floral scent of her hair is mixing with the heady aroma of her musk, assuring me that, yes, this is what she wants too.
With one hand, she sweeps her hair to the side, while wrapping the other around my neck, pulling me harder against her. I can hear her breathing pick up, her heart beating in tandem with mine.
I get a flash from her, a glimpse of her thoughts, and I see us, this exact moment. My fangs are embedded in her skin, her head thrown back in ecstasy.
Vekk it.
I will not keep my mate from what she desires a moment longer.