before she could finish.
She could feel his shrug, though his body had not moved. Chrechte magic does as it likes.
She had no answer for that. Her mum used to say the same when her touch healed one clan member and not another.
All thoughts fled as Earc’s hands on Verica’s body built her pleasure to a near-terrifying precipice. Her fear mixed with the overwhelming delight and he soothed her with mental images of her body being cradled against his in perfect safety. “It is all right, my precious one. Jump off the cliff; I will catch you.”
She did, releasing the rigid control on her muscles. Her body convulsed in a cataclysm of sensation so overpowering, she could not think, could not move, could not speak; she could only feel and what she felt was the most amazing and delightful experience of her life.
Her womb convulsed, her core throbbed and bursts of light exploded behind her eyelids. Her wolf howled; her raven trilled in a way a real raven would not and her human woman simply screamed her pleasure. She was still shaking with the joy of it when he lay her back and came over the top of her, his hard member pressed against the opening to her body.
“We are one,” he said in Chrechte.
“Always to be,” she replied in a panting voice.
He surged inside. Pain blossomed and she bucked against him, trying to throw him off. He would not be moved, but his eyes filled with regret. “I would have avoided the pain of breaching your maidenhead if I could.”
She believed him, despite the sense of utter satisfaction covering him.
He shifted and she whimpered. He went absolutely motionless, his every muscle rigid with the effort. “Tell me when I can move.”
“Next year mayhap.”
“I am not laughing.”
“Neither am I.”
“I do not want to hurt you.”
“I can see that you don’t.”
His face was contorted with a pain easily equal to hers, though of a very different nature. But his body did not move.
“You are overlarge maybe.”
“Chrechte men are not small.”
“Then you might think Chrechte females would be created to accommodate them,” she said in a strained voice as her body continued to fight the pain of his initial invasion.
“You are.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“My da and my brothers.”
“Hah. All males.” What did they know?
“Do you trust me?” Earc demanded in a tone she could not ignore.
She stared up into his gaze. “Yes.”
“Relax your body.”
“You’ll move.”
“I won’t.”
She wanted to ask him to promise, but knew he would find such lack of trust a direct negation of what she had just said.
I will not move, he said, using their true bond connection, his voice growling with the honesty of his wolf.
She willed her body to release its tension. Unbelievably, as she relaxed the burning pain between her legs began to subside.
True to his word, even though her body no longer fought his presence, Earc did not attempt to thrust deeper.
As her tension eased, the profound reality of having him inside her struck Verica. “You are a part of me,” she whispered.
“Yes.” His voice was harsh with his effort not to move.
“It is wonderful.”
“It hurts you.”
“It did, but it is still wonderful.”
“Did?”
She swallowed but nodded infinitesimally. “It is not so bad now.”
“Can I move?” His own voice was barely a whisper this time.
The burning had dulled so she could once again feel the pleasure. When he had promised her he would catch her when she jumped off that terrifying precipice of pleasure, he had done exactly that, holding her while she flew for the first time out of her raven form. She could trust him to turn this pain to renewed delight.
Besides, her wolf was so close to the surface, if they didn’t do something soon, she’d be howling. “Yes.”
He pulled out, just a little, and then pressed forward, his rigid length filling her so completely their connection was both fully physical and uncompromisingly spiritual as well. This was the true Chrechte mating and he had been right, not being in the sacred caves did not matter. She felt the presence of their Chrechte magic all around them.
This union was blessed.
She arched upward and gasped as pleasure sparked a fire of need inside her. It blazed out of control as they moved together, building the heat of their joining so even her raven and wolf felt singed.
And then that ultimate pinnacle came into view again, her body striving toward it with mindless need.
As they climaxed together, she saw his wolf and him both. She