The silence stretched, and he braced himself for rejection. For her to tell him she belonged on Earth, that this world was too dangerous, too complicated?—
“That’s what I came here to tell you.”
His head snapped up, hope flaring so bright it nearly blinded him.
She stepped closer, her green eyes blazing with determination. “I want to stay here. I want to be with you, accept this bond between us—whatever it entails. I want to protect your family, this place, if you’ll have me.”
The words hit him like lightning. In two powerful strides, he closed the distance between them, his large hands cupping her face with reverent care.
“Of course I’ll have you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re everything I never knew I needed.”
Then his mouth was on hers, pouring all his gratitude, love, and desperate hope into the kiss. She melted against him, her arms winding around his neck as she kissed him back with equal intensity. The mate bond sang between them, stronger than ever, promising a future built on truth and chosen love.
Tess pulled back from the kiss just enough to look directly into his eyes. Her hands came up to frame his face, her thumbs brushing along his jaw. The intensity in her green gaze held him completely captive.
“I choose you,” she said, each word deliberate and clear. “Now, and forever. I want to complete our mate bond.”
For a heartbeat, Korran couldn’t breathe. Joy, sharp and brilliant, speared through his chest, followed immediately by a possessive, consuming desire that made his bear roar in triumph.
Ours. Finally. Forever.
He didn’t speak. Words felt too small for the magnitude of what she was offering. Instead, he slid his hands down her body and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively, her arms locking around his neck, holding on asif she’d never let go. Then he carried her across his chambers, through the archway into his private bedroom.
The fire in the hearth cast dancing shadows across the massive four-poster bed as he laid her down in the center of the dark furs with a reverence that belied the raw hunger coursing through him. His bear pressed against his skin, desperate to claim, to mark, to complete the bondnow.
No.
Korran reined the instinct in with an iron will. This wasn’t just a claiming. This was the beginning of everything. He would savor every second this moment deserved.
He knelt on the bed beside her, his gaze devouring her. “I’ve waited my whole life for you,” he said, his voice a low rasp.
He started with her sweater, lifting the soft fabric up and over her head, letting it fall to the floor. Her bra followed, and he drank in the sight of her bare breasts, the peaks already tight and begging for his attention. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the rapid pulse at the base of her throat, then to the hollow between her collarbones.
“So perfect,” he murmured against her skin, his hands sliding down her sides to the waistband of her leggings.
He hooked his fingers in the material and drew them down her legs, along with the scrap of lace beneath. Then she was gloriously, completely bare for him, and the sight made his cock throb painfully against the confines of his jeans.
He let his hands map the territory he was about to claim forever—the elegant line of her hip, the soft curve of her stomach, the powerful muscles of her thighs. He kissed her again, a deep, languid exploration of her mouth, before trailing his lips down her neck. He took his time at her breasts, lavishing first one taut peak, then the other, with his tongue and teeth until her back arched off the bed and breathless little sounds escaped her.
“Korran…”
“I know,” he whispered, moving lower. He kissed a path down her quivering stomach, nuzzling the delicate skin of her navel.
Then he moved lower and settled between her thighs, the scent of her arousal flooding his senses like a drug. He looked up the length of her body, meeting her heavy-lidded gaze. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Then he lowered his head and tasted her.
Her whole body jolted at the first slow, deliberate stroke of his tongue and a ragged moan tore from her throat, her fingers fisting in his hair. He explored her with unhurried devotion, learning every fold, every sensitive spot that made her gasp. He licked and suckled, building her pleasure with a precision that had her trembling on the edge.
The mate bond pulsed so intensely between them, a live wire humming with shared sensation. Korran could feel her pleasure coiling tight, a gathering storm, and his own desire spiked in response. He was trying to drive her over that edge, to give her this first gift, when her hands suddenly stopped him.
“No,” she gasped, her voice strained with need. “I need you inside me. Now.”
The raw demand in her tone shattered the last of his control. He pulled back, his own breathing harsh, and stood beside the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as he made quick work of his clothes. His sweater and jeans joined hers on the floor. When he stood before her fully naked, his erection thick and straining, he saw the hunger in her eyes mirror his own.
He lay back on the bed. “Then take what you need,” he commanded, his voice rough.
She moved with a grace that stole his breath, straddling his hips and her hands settling on his chest, her touch branding him. She reached between them, her fingers wrapping aroundhis hard length, guiding him to her entrance. The head of his cock pressed against her slick heat, and they both groaned.
