I relented quickly, opening my eyes as I shouted, “I would have given up my dragon to avoid this! To avoid the chance of losing you!”
She shook her head and answered in a gentle voice that completely contradicted my own. “You might have thought it a viable option, but I didn’t—your dragon is a part of you. Perhaps it makes me greedy, but if I’m going to have you by my side, Theo, I want all of you.” A beautiful pink stain bloomed on the apples of her cheeks as her eyes dipped down to my chest. “I just wantyou, and this is how we find out if I can have that.”
Her words had my heart cracking open and my cock hardening in turn. Fuck, I needed her. I needed to consume her and feel her all at once. There would never be a moment where I had enough of her.
My dragon stirred at her words and I placated him, just barely, telling him that his time would be upon us soon enough. I just needed a bit longer, to ensure that I could make this as special as I could, under the circumstances, before she offered her soul to him.
“You already have me,” I admitted, voice hoarse as I struggled to hold myself back. “How could I possibly deny that you are not only everything I want, but exactly what I need as well?”
I reached out to the table full of freshly clipped roses near us, grabbing one and gently sending magic through my fingers into it, encasing it in a delicate layer of ice. Turning back, I ran my free hand up her hip as I pressed my chest to her back, bringing the rose around as my other arm wrapped around her body.
“I should have known that you could handle that dragon without me,” I breathed out, pressing a soft kiss to her neck as she took the flower from my hand. I loved the way she immediately stretched her head to the side, giving me better access to her soft, sweet skin. “You may look as delicate as this flower, like you could shatter with one wrong move, but you also have thorns that make you a weapon. Your knowledge of the blade. Your years of dedication to honing your body's endurance and stamina. The wicked mind of yours that never accepts defeat, against all odds.”
Her breath caught as her ass pressed back against my hardened cock, making my hands grip her hips hard.
“But the truth is, it didn’t matter how long you battled that dragon. Because the second he burnt even a single strand of hair on your head, I would have been down there. I told you long ago that you were under my protection as my wife, but now you are just simplymine—including every strand of your hair.”
Her hips ground back against me, wiggling despite my best efforts to hold her still as I fought to not unravel where I stood.My restraint was barely there, and my cock twitched heavily with my desire. I unraveled as the sounds of her breathing turned shallow and ragged, indicating her needs heightening alongside my own.
“I need you, Theo,” she admittedly breathlessly. “All of you.”
And all of me she would get.
Chapter Thirty-Two
SIYANA
“I havemy own deal for you, wench,” he growled out, spinning me in his arms and making my core clench as I felt his need for me pressing against my belly. “Since you seem to be a fan of those today.”
His light ribbing made me smirk.Asshole.
I watched his eyes flash over to the wisps of steam rising from the tub in the back corner, and silently he grabbed my icy flower, placing it down gently on the table before walking us over. I didn’t miss the way his lips peeled back ever-so-slightly as the steam wafted over us. Without a doubt, he wasn’t enjoying the warmth, but I was beginning to realize that he didn’t make a lot of decisions around whathewanted.
No, my king lived to give me what I wanted.
I turned to lay my hands on his chest, pushing up to tease his lips with my own, loving the growl that vibrated his chest against my own and had my nipples hardening.
“What’s your deal?” I asked before nipping at his bottom lip and looking up at him from beneath my lashes. “Better make it a good one if you want me to agree to it, dragon boy.”
We both knew I was bluffing. I’d agree to anything he wanted.
Never had my heart been so full that it felt like it would burst within my chest. Ever since watching him appear next to the dragon, I felt full to the brim. He’d been willing to give up such an integral part of himself, for me, claiming I was the other half of his heart.
I’d offer myself on a silver-fucking-platter for that.
His hands traveled over my body as I leaned in, capturing his lips fully. I teased him with my tongue as he began to peel my clothing off, each piece dropping to the floor with a soft swish. As I helped strip him in return, I was uncomfortably aware of the heat in my body–I felt as if I was on fire with the anticipation of what was to come. While nerves were still present within me at the thought of the bond, I was beginning to believe that there was no one else out there for either of us.
We had to be mates.
My eyes fluttered as he pulled back, forcing me to take a breath as our foreheads touched.
“The deal is that you let me show you what you mean to me right now, without a bond forcing us to choose each other. Let me take care of you, please,” he begged. “I’ve learned something since meeting you that has helped me make peace with what happened between my parents, even before the curse happened.”
My pulse sky-rocketed at the mention of them, knowing it was such a heavy topic for him—and the source of a lot of his burdens and trauma.
He brought my hands up, threading our fingers together and squeezing them tightly.
“I learned that a bond means nothing if you aren’t committed to the other half of your soul,” he whispered, bringing our joined hands to his lips before pressing a kiss to our knuckles. “I learned that the bond doesn’t do the work for you. You haveto continue to choose that person every day that you’re lucky enough to have them.”
