Page 171 of Beast of Avalon

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I tilt her chin up with my fingers, meeting her gaze. "I love you," I say, the words finally breaking free. "I would do anything for you. Everything. You're not alone, Astrid. You'll never be alone again."

She pulls back just enough to look up at me, her eyes shining. A smile touches her lips. "Good timing, viking. Because I love you too."

The courtyard feels suddenly warmer, brighter, though nothing has actually changed. My wolf howls in triumph within me, and I have to resist the urge to do the same aloud.

I pull her to me, one hand threading through her hair, the other at the small of her back, drawing her body flush against mine. Her heat, her scent. Wild and sweet. It envelops me as our lips meet.

My wolf surges forward, demanding more, and I deepen the kiss, tasting her, claiming her. Astrid responds instantly, her fingers digging into my shoulders, her body arching into mine. Her heartbeat thunders against my chest, matching the desperate rhythm of my own.

The mating bond between us pulses, hot and electric, carrying fragments of her emotions—desire, love, fierce need—across the connection. My growl vibrates between us as I lift her from the bench and walk her back against the tree, pinning her with my body.

I break the kiss only to trail my lips down the column of her throat, inhaling deeply where her pulse races beneath my mouth. Mine. The word echoes through every shattered and rebuilt piece of my soul.

"Fen," she gasps, tugging me back to her lips.

I capture her mouth again, gentler this time but no less hungry. The taste of her floods my senses. Her tongue slides against mine, and the small sound she makes in the back of her throat nearly undoes me completely.

When we finally part, both breathless and trembling, I rest my forehead against hers. Her eyes, now ringed with gold, meet mine.

My wolf rumbles with satisfaction. This is what we searched for across five centuries of darkness. Not just the return of our soul shard, but this partnership. This bond that makes both of us stronger than we could ever be alone.

"You've ruined me for all eternity, Astrid Mathieson," I murmur. "Five hundred years and only now do I understand what it means to be alive."

Her fingers trace my jawline, feather-light yet branding me with her touch. "Then we're even," she whispers, "because I can't imagine a world without you in it anymore."

"Whatever comes next… Ares, the queen, GUIDE, all of it… we face it together."

Astrid nods, her expression resolute. "Together."

Let Ares bring his troubles from Russia. Let the queen test her prison walls.

We are ready. We stand together.

To be continued… in Gods of Avalon.