She nods slowly, seeming to mull my words over.
“It’s strange,” she says after a moment.
“The bond?”
“All of this.” Wren presses herself against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. “I never expected the day to turn out this way when I woke up.”
I brush my lips over her forehead. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”
But I wouldn’t change a single moment.
“My heart feels so full right now, Gabe. As if it’s close to bursting.” She peers up at me through her lashes. “You make me so happy.”
“Oh, little bird. You make me happy, too.” And even though I’m still uneasy, even though I can’t help but think that the raven’s presence is an omen of what’s to come, I kiss Wren. I can’t help it.
Asking me to stay away from her would be like asking the stars to stop shining. Fucking impossible.
Wren’s tongue slides against mine, and she clutches my tunic, tugging me closer. I can feel her need as though it’s my own, and I shove my thoughts of danger aside, focusing on thismoment. Kissing Wren deeply, I lose myself in the familiar taste of her as we stumble towards the door, breaking apart long enough for me to unlock it.
Our mouths meet once more, and our newly sealed bond vibrates as we stagger inside. I lock the door behind us, and when I turn around, Wren has already undone the laces of her dress. Clothes disappear amid frantic kisses until there are no barriers between us.
We end up in bed, Wren on her back with her hair splayed out behind her. She is an angel bathed in the blue light of her Mark, and I am unable to stay away.
Taking her hand in mine, I trace the brilliant ink that has settled in her palm.
“You are mine.” I kiss her, my cock hard and heavy between us.
She reaches between us, guiding me to her entrance. “Yours.” She lifts her hips, and her wet heat welcomes me. “Always.”
We both groan as I push inside her tight walls. I capture her lips and slowly move. This isn’t a frantic coupling, but a declaration. A promise, like the bonding ceremony earlier.
“I love you.” I grip her hip and pull out before thrusting into her, letting her feel every inch. “So fucking much.” Thrust. “I will never stop.” My hand slips between us, and I find her clit, rubbing it slowly. “That is my vow to you.”
She moans, and I swallow the sound with my mouth.
When her walls start fluttering around me and I can feel how close she is, I raise myself up on my elbows and hold her gaze, my strokes never faltering.
“You have been my undoing, Wren.” She tenses beneath me, gasping and clawing at my arms. “You unraveled everything I ever thought I knew about this world.”
“Gabe,” she whimpers desperately.
“And I would never have it any other way.”
She has undone and remade me. Once, I lived for myself. Now, I live for her.
And when she comes with my name on her lips, I am helpless to do anything but follow her into bliss.
I will follow her anywhere.
A frantic caw yanks me from sleep.
My eyes fling open, and I jolt upright. The sudden shift from sleeping to waking is jarring, and I blink, trying to focus. Beside me, Wren jerks awake, looking as tired as I feel. The suns shine through the windows, and judging by their brightness, it must be midday. We’ve been asleep for a few hours, maybe less.
“What’s happening?” she asks.
I swing my legs out of bed, yanking on the pants I discarded last night.
“I don’t know.” My bond with Mist is tense, and my sense of discomfort from the night before has returned tenfold.
