He blinked, and then a full-on howl ripped from his throat. The sound, so full of wrath and betrayal, made me flinch, and I scooted back—away from him—by instinct. Silky onyx fur rippled down his arms, a clear sign that he was struggling to rein in his wolf.
This was my fault.
I dropped my chin to my chest in defeat.
“Oh, I will have you, Nai Crescent.” Rage growled, his voice barely human. “All of you. But not because of their threat to our bond. They will not force this moment.”
I didn’t want to force anything either, and yet … wasn’t it our plan all along to seal our mate bond? I wanted Rage—no matter what else came our way, I wanted him. But if we didn’t hurry…
Raising my chin, I offered him a sad smile. “If I go back and we’re not mated, then they may get their wish and break our bond forever.”
Anger slipped over his features like a mask. “Let. Them. Try.” Fire danced over his skin as his magic flared out of control with his emotions. “I’m the alpha king, and you are my fated mate. If they come between us, I’ll dismantle them, limb by limb, and use them for firewood before I burn their entire realm to the ground.”
The fight might happen anyway, couldn’t he see? But this … our mate bond—would he really risk it? He might … but I couldn’t. More than anything, I just wanted to be his.
I inched forward on my knees and then stroked his cheek. “Please, Rage? I can’t handle a world in which we aren’t mated.”
His expression fell, and the fury left his eyes. His wolf’s fur retreated, and when he met my gaze again, I stared into the green eyes of the man I loved.
He nodded. “Me neither.”
His eyes raked over me, kneeling before him in my bra and undies, begging him to take my V card.
“Holy Mother Mage, Nai. You are irresistible…”
Yaas!
I grinned as he took a deep breath. Gently, he lay me back on the silky sheets, straddling me, letting his gaze dance over my skin. He slid down so he was now hovering over my knees. He leaned over my abdomen and licked me. My nervous giggle cut off as he traced his tongue down my abdomen a little way and then paused to nip at the sensitive flesh just above my underwear.
I gasped, and Rage glanced up, his eyes heavy-lidded, and licked his lips.
“You taste like heaven,” he breathed in a gravelly tone that made my insides melt.
His warm breath fanned out over my skin, making it break out in goosebumps where he’d just attended with his tongue and teeth.
“More,” I begged in a ragged whisper.
He stroked my skin, his hands gliding up over my hips, my waist, and then my ribs, before sliding underneath me. His fingers fumbled with the clasp of my bra, and then the tension of it disappeared.
My breaths quickened as he tugged one strap and then the other over my shoulder. As the fabric disappeared, his lips parted.
“So … beautiful…” he murmured. “I missed you so damn much, Nai.”
Then he leaned over to continue his ministrations, with his lips … and tongue. His teeth grazed my breast, and I arched my back as my eyes rolled.
Oh … oh my… “Rage…”
A fine magic mist swirled in the air, and my need for him built with every sensual stroke. A tortuous ache made me wrap my legs around him, and I dug my fingers into his arms, desperate to pull him closer.
‘Rage,’ I begged, panting. ‘Mate.’
More than anything, I needed him … ached for him … so when he pulled back, I whimpered.
“Mate,” he growled.
The word shot through me, filling me with love but also a deep yearning…
Rage gripped my hips and then untangled my legs from his waist. Then, he slid his hands up my thighs until he hooked a finger from each hand in the sides of my panties and tugged.
My underwear slid over my hips and, soon after, disappeared.
Rage sat on his heels, staring at me, his chest heaving with each breath. ‘Claim me,’ he said. ‘Make me yours, Nai. My fated mate.’
I sat up, filled with sudden purpose. Climbing to my knees, I then scooted over to Rage and pressed him to sit as I climbed over his legs. Tracing my nose up his neck, I scented him. As his scent filled me, something primal seized me, and I nipped his neck. ‘Mate.’
This wasn’t enough. I needed more. This ache … I needed to feel him inside me. I dragged my fingers down his sides to the band of his boxers. ‘Please.’ Tugging at the last scrap of barrier between us, I demanded, ‘Mate.’
Rage slid his arm around my waist and spun. One heartbeat, I was on him, and the next, he emerged over me.
I slipped my hand under the band of his boxers and pulled.
Rage growled, a deep and possessive sound that pooled low in my belly and made me ache for him. His scent swirled around me, sandalwood and desire, and he took a deep breath before chucking his underwear off.
He climbed over me, his gaze filled with heat and love … so much love.
He lowered his body until our legs tangled and I could feel him between mine. Bracing the weight of his upper body on his elbows, he traced his nose up my neck, pulling back to look me in the eye. “I love you, Nai Crescent.”
“I love you too,” I gasped, desperate to become one with him as his fingers trailed down my skin.
“Protection?” I huffed against his ear. I wanted to make love to Rage, but I wasn’t ready for a baby just yet. He nodded, reaching into a bedside drawer. There was a crinkle of a wrapper, and then Rage gripped my hips and coaxed me to move with him.
‘Mate,’ he growled.
I arched my back, panting as he continued to guide me. His hands stroked my skin … and then his mouth… ‘Rage.’
As we moved, magic danced over my skin, heightening my need all the way deep into my core.
Our tongues tangled, and his heat became mine. Our sweat-slicked skin slid against each other. There was only one answer for the deep ache within me, and I writhed in desperation for more. And then he pressed his body into mine…
and moved.
Oh…
My core tightened, and my mouth went lax.
He moved again, and I tilted my body as my pleasure heightened.
Oh … mage…
Another thrust, and a zing of pain made my body clench. I sucked in a sharp breath.
“You okay?” he asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
The pain melted away, and I nodded.
“Nai,” Rage growled possessively. “My mate.”
He pressed soft kisses up my neck and, at the same time, caressed the skin at my hips, trailing his fingers over my curves until my body melted, opening to him once again.
‘Nai…’ Rage murmured as he moved again.
My entire world pitched, and Rage released a deep moan of pleasure.
Oh … my … mage…
Our bodies twined, melding into one, and slowly, the dance of our mating began. The air sizzled with magic as heat and passion built between us. I clung to my mate as our bodies moved in tandem.
Each stroke of pleasure, each nip of desire added to rapturous bliss coursing through me. Digging my fingers into his back, I pulled him tighter to me as instinct drove us to a fervor. In my core, a coil of tension built with exquisite agony.
This … what Rage did … how he made me feel… “Rage…” I panted. “Rage…”