His body was wound so tight from the intensity of the whole night with her, this time the first hot pull of her life-giving fluids unleashed his orgasm. He clamped down tighter—his mouth on her neck and his arms around her body—as he bucked against her. His cock pulsed again and again, releasing his seed deep within her. He devoured her blood, unable to stop sucking but knowing he needed to. She would already be drained from her earlier blood loss and the sheer vigor of their lovemaking.
Finally, he eased his fangs from her neck and licked her wound, his body still shuddering Around him, the room seemed to spin. He anchored himself to Shayla, held her close and prayed.
As the last streams of his cum filled her, Kael felt it: a sharp tingling radiating out of their still-connected loins, up his chest, and down his arm to his right hand. He gritted his teeth against the biting burn and squeezed Shayla in reassurance when she cried out at the sensation.
Her head went slack against his shoulder and she unleashed a deep, sleepy sigh. He tilted his gaze to the ceiling and whispered strained, fervent words of gratitude in the ancient language.
He laid her down on the bed and stretched out alongside her. She immediately turned her body toward his. Their gazes met for a brief moment. The corner of her lip raised in a half smile. And then she fell asleep.
Lifting his hand, Kael admired the intricate mating mark, a series of symbolic knots that wrapped around the front and back of his hand. He was amazed by it, in awe. His heart ached with fullness and hope. Long-lost joy flooded his mind, enlivened his soul. Joy not just for the chance at a mate again, but because it was her. Shayla. Her beauty and grace and strength had already breached his heart.
He fingered the unique pattern, different from the one he’d shared with Meara. Its disappearance from his skin upon her death had been salt in the devastating wound of her loss. Never again. His life would be first and foremost about protecting Shayla’s. Assuming…
He shook his head and focused on the decadent sight of her luscious curves, curled up against him, so trusting and vulnerable in her repose. He wished she would awaken so they could join hands and see the way the marks flowed from his right to her left in a continuous, conjoining pattern. But as her heart settled into a normal pace again, he resolved to let her rest and recuperate.
Hopefully, there was no rush. They would have all the time in the world.
As long as she wanted him the way he wanted her. Completely. Totally. Forever.
Chapter Seven
Shayla was deliciously dazed, sated like she could never need anything again in her whole life. She stretched against the soft covers and her muscles ached in a way that reminded her how she and Kael had used one another so thoroughly. She rubbed her eyes, trying to remove the grogginess from her head. Unexpected color caught her attention and she stilled.
Beautiful, thin black knots covered her left hand.
She gasped and bolted upright.
Kael appeared out of nowhere, wearing the emerald silk robe again, and settled on the bed beside her. He placed a tray near her knees and held out a glass of water which she gladly accepted, nearly draining the entire thing as if she’d been lost in the desert. She lowered the glass against her leg and raised her hand, then looked at Kael.
He grasped her left hand with his right and kissed it. Her eyes drifted to his mirror markings and she gaped. The hair rose on her arms and neck. “What…?”
Kael shifted onto his knees on the bed. “Shayla McKinnon, this mark proves what I already suspected. You are my mate. You are destined to walk beside me, rule with me, share my blood and, through that, my immortality.”
“Mate?” Shayla’s mind raced as she traced the incredible marking with her fingers, then followed her tracings onto his hand. “What…I mean, I don’t…”
“I know, dear heart.” He kissed her forehead and sighed. “Just relax for a moment. We have time to talk.” He folded a length of tartan over her legs and waist and scooted the tray and then closer to her. “You must be hungry, yes? I brought you some food. I know it’s not much, but…” He shrugged.
She tugged the robe up to cover her breasts and glanced at his face, found him a little shy for the first time. “I’m starving, actually, and this looks and smells delicious.” She picked up some cashews and popped them in her mouth, all of a sudden ravenous for the feast before her. “Thank you.”
His smile was dazzling, proud, and grew as she polished off her piece of the savory frittata and, at his insistence, half of his, the spicy olives and artichokes, most of the nuts, and an orange.
With a satisfied groan, she pushed the tray away. Kael’s eyes flared at the sound, which unleashed a new hunger low in her belly.