Her hips were still undulating around him, her walls still squeezing him tightly, when she reared back and sank her teeth into his shoulder. Pain exploded from the contact, but it was eclipsed by pleasure as he felt the bond between them begin firming.
And that was when he finally let go, bucking his hips up into hers, feeling his dick pulse as he came. Her teeth let go of his skin as she gasped, and the second she eased away, her head falling back, his pressed his teeth to her shoulder and bit down.
His lion roared inside him, and the pleasure Luke felt increased a hundredfold. The bond between him and Tarun locked into place, amplifying the ecstasy further, and for a moment, he was sure he was going to pass out.
He eased his teeth away, kissing her torn skin tenderly, his body still jerking from the aftershocks. That was the only time he’d ever be okay with causing her pain—the reward was so amazing that it made the pain just a tiny blip on the radar for him, and he was pretty sure it was the same for her.
“I never knew pain could feel so good,” she whispered shakily, echoing his thoughts.
Nodding, he rubbed her back as she slumped down into him. “I know exactly what you mean.”
They were both quiet, and once they stopped trembling, he reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a tissue. Gently dabbing at her bite mark, he cleaned up the blood that hadn’t dried and then did the same to himself before easing them down to the mattress.
Tarun snuggled up to him, laying her head on the shoulder that was unmarked, sighing as she traced invisible swirls on his chest. “I didn’t think it could get any better than the first time we had sex, but that was on a whole other level. Too bad we can’t claim each other every time.”
He chuckled, pulling her in closer. “That was pretty mind blowing, wasn’t it?”
“It definitely was. Today was a good day. You conquered your gift and we claimed each other. Both are celebration worthy.”
He’d been rubbing his hand along her back, but it slowly trailed to a stop. “I don’t know if conquered is the right word.”
Lifting up, she looked into his eyes as she frowned. “What do you mean? Of course it is. You did amazing today.”
“I did decent, but it was with three shifters. I think I know the right amount of power to use without hurting someone, but I still don’t know how I’ll react in the moment, when I’m not practicing with people I know.”
“That’s crazy, Luke. You made them shift to animal form and then back to human, and it worked perfectly. There was enough power to ensure they shifted, but not enough to hurt them. And I’ve never met anyone with as much control as you have. Now that you know the right formula, you’ll use it every time. I know you will.”
“I appreciate your faith in me, Tarun. I can’t tell you how much. I wish I’d thought of practicing before, but it never occurred to me. I didn’t want to let on that I was having problems. I’m pretty sure the other Enforcers knew, though.” He paused for a moment, brow furrowing as he thought. “I guess it’s just hard for me to believe gaining control was that easy.”
“Well, it was. So stop questioning it and stop doubting. Have some faith in yourself.”
Smiling, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’d be a fool if I didn’t take your advice. You’re right about one thing, though. Claiming you, and being claimed by you, was the most amazing experience of my life. I love you, Tarun.”
Her eyes softened and she leaned in to return his kiss. “I love you too, Luke.”
She eased back down and cuddled into him as he resumed trailing his fingers over her back. He wasn’t as sure as she was that he had his gift under control, but he had to admit, he felt a lot more confident about using it after the practice session earlier. Maybe he could keep being an Enforcer.
If his mate was okay with it, that was. Being an Enforcer had been his identity for so long—it was who he was, which was why trying to make the decision to quit had been so hard, and a bitter pill to swallow.
But it wasn’t the most important thing to him any longer. That was Tarun, and she meant far more to him than any career ever could. If she wanted him to leave the Enforcers, he’d do it in a heartbeat, and never look back.
Either way, he had everything he ever wanted, and more than he’d known he could have, lying in his arms. And nothing else mattered more than she did.
Tarun fr
owned as she pushed her dinner around on her plate. Something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. And it was driving her nuts.
Since she and Luke claimed each other, her protective instincts for him had gone haywire. It made her wonder whether the stuff she felt tonight was just the threat she knew he, and the other Enforcers, was under was hitting her hard, all over again—or if it was something new.
She was glad Luke was busy with Blake, though. She wasn’t hiding her worry very well, and she knew it would freak him out—not for himself, but he only wanted her to feel nothing except happiness. She understood that. She wanted the same for him. But Luke was more apt to take it personally if he couldn’t turn her mood around.
“Your spidey senses are tingling, aren’t they?”
Lips quirking, she looked over at Noah on the stool next to her. “Spidey senses?”
“Seemed as good a name as any for your gift.”
“I guess so. I don’t think it’s telling me anything that I didn’t already know, though.”