My breath shudders and deepens as the panic drains from my limbs.
It was just a nightmare. It was just a nightmare.
Razul brushes my tangled hair back from my face. “Stay here, sweet girl. Stay soft.”
I press tighter into his neck, dragging my lips across his skin, as if I need every nerve to feel him at once, to prove that this is real.
“Good girl. Just like that. You were talking in your sleep, I…” His voice cracks.
The memory rushes through me in a violent sob, and I cling tighter.
Razul keeps one arm tight around my waist and rubs my back with the other.
I hate that I can’t control myself, as twenty-plus years of pain and fear pour out of me. I’m in no state to stop the deluge, but it surprises me with how quickly it runs its course.
Maybe all I ever needed was to feel safe.
When my breath steadies, Razul leans back and dries my cheeks with his palms.
“Celeste, can you do something for me?”
I nod into his touch, and it doesn’t even occur to me to use my voice.
“Forget about any notion of trial periods. Forget what those words even mean. You’re mine now, do you understand?”
My breath hitches, and another wave of emotion pours down my cheeks.
Razul catches every drop. “Do you understand, Celeste?”
I don’t. It doesn’t make sense. I’m nothing but?—
Razul pulls me against his chest, and his massive hand folds around my head, pressing me into his warmth and the rapid beat of his heart. I couldn’t resist even if I wanted to.
“You’remine.”
A shaking breath escapes me as I wrap my arms as far around his broad chest as I can, squeezing tight.
He makes a sound somewhere between a growl and a purr, and the vibrations sink into my bones as his grip tightens around me.
My forebrain quiets. Words fall away; they don’t hold the answer I seek.
It’s coded in the rapid pulsing of his heart, written in the rise and fall of his chest that catches, just for a moment, before resuming its steady strength.
And it’s echoed in the warmth that blooms at my core, unfurling petal by petal, for the first time in a long time—or maybe for the first time ever.
I nod against his chest. Then I nod again, and again, as the truth sinks in, heartbeat by heartbeat. Then the nod becomes a nuzzle as I try to bring as much of my body into contact with him as I possibly can.
His quiet, firm whisper falls over me. “Mineforever.”
The illusory contract ringing my wrist pulses warmly, as if assuring me these words are true.
I cling tighter to Razul, whimpering with a fragile, unfamiliar emotion that might be joy.
Razul leans my head back and brushes his lips against mine.
My breath catches, and I part for him.
He kisses me deep and slow, as if his tongue aims to learn every part of me.
