Before Daybreak (Love Bitten)

She needn’t have worried, though. As long as she didn’t tell me she was rejecting our mating, I would take whatever it was in stride.

I joined her, carefully lowering my body onto the chair across from her since every movement made my incredibly stiff cock ache even more.

This definitely wasn’t the ache I’d expected to be suffering from tonight.

2

Callidora

I couldn't believe I was sitting across from the man who would end up being the center of my world. Whether we fell in love or not, Braeden was going to be the most important person in my life. I’d always understood that on a logical level, but now that I was experiencing the tug of the consort bond myself, it seemed so much...stronger than I expected.

Female daywalkers tended to find their match sooner than most males—a quirk of fate that no one understood—but I never thought this would happen only a few weeks after I turned eighteen. I assumed that I’d have more time, even if it was only a few years. But then Braeden’s fingers had brushed mine, and my entire world tilted on its axis. There was no denying who he would be to me, no matter how scared I was about what was going to happen next. I had no choice but to face the situation head-on and hope that Braeden would turn out to be the mate I needed. Just like his brother had told me he’d be a couple of years ago, even though Ren had no idea he was talking about Braeden at the time.

I’d been told enough about the magnetic pull between daywalkers who were fated to be together to know that it was going to be difficult to resist. But I’d severely underestimated how strong the feeling would be. I clapped my hand over my neck, the skin tingling with the need to be pierced by Braeden’s fangs. I wasn’t sure it was possible to have this conversation while my body urged me to jump his bones and beg him to claim me right here and now.

Braeden seemed to sense how much I was struggling, and he reached out to take my other hand in his. “You can tell me anything, Callie.”

When his palm slid against mine, most of my tension drained away. I was amazed by how the lightest touch from him settled me. We’d barely exchanged any words, but I already had this soul-deep knowing inside me—as though we’d sat together like this a million times before. I softly admitted, “I’m not sure how to explain where I’m coming from to you. I’m afraid that I’m going to say the wrong thing and mess this all up.”

His lips curved into a reassuring smile. “Nothing you could say or do would ruin our relationship. I have your back, no matter what.”

I shook my head and whispered, “You can’t possibly know that.”

The trust shining from Braeden’s bright blue eyes made me feel even worse. I hated the idea of hurting him, but I didn’t want to put myself in the position of giving up everything I wanted to keep him happy. I was afraid I’d grow to resent him, and that would be a huge problem when you were meant to spend eternity together.

Heaving a deep sigh, I asked, “Even if I confessed that I’m nowhere near ready to be claimed by you?”

“Callie, baby. Is that what’s got you so worried?” He squeezed my hand and shifted to the edge of his chair. His knee bumped against mine, and I found myself leaning into his touch instead of moving away. “I’ve had five hundred and twenty-five years more than you to prepare for this moment, and I’m still having a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that you’re sitting in front of me. Finally.”

I flashed him an uncertain smile. “Yeah, it’s kind of unbelievable.”

“I’m more than willing to take it slow so we can get to know each other first. There’s no rush. We have our whole lives ahead of us,” he assured me. “I don’t expect you to be ready for the claiming ceremony tomorrow.”

Crap. Braeden was talking about tomorrow while I was thinking more along the lines of years. He was being so darn sweet and understanding, and I had no choice but to burst his bubble so he didn’t think I was going to be ready anytime soon. “It’s a good thing you’re not going to be pushing for tomorrow because I’m going to need a lot more than a day to come to terms with what I’m going to be giving up to become your destined consort.”

He jerked back, his eyes going wide before they narrowed. I felt the loss when his hand released mine, but then he quickly moved to wrap his fingers around my wrist and tug me to the edge of my seat. His expression was fierce as he growled, “Let’s get something straight, with or without the claiming ceremony, you’re already my destined consort. Nothing is ever going to change that.”