The orgasm crashed through me like a tidal wave, my inner walls clamping down on his knot, milking him as he buried his face in my neck and let out a sound that was more howl than moan. I felt him come—hot and thick and endless, pumping into me in pulsing waves as the knot kept us locked together.
And then he bit me.
His teeth sank into the curve of my shoulder—the same spot, the same claiming—and this time, he broke skin. I screamed, the pain blending with the pleasure into something transcendent, something that felt like being unmade and remade in the same breath. His tongue lapped at the wound,and I felt the wolf's magic in it—something ancient and primal, marking me as his in a way that went deeper than flesh.
"Mine," he breathed against my skin. "Always mine."
We stayed like that, locked together, trembling. The knot pulsed inside me with every beat of his heart, and I could feel his release still leaking out around the seal, hot and thick. My body was still shaking with aftershocks, little tremors of pleasure that sparked every time he shifted.
I looked up, my vision blurry with tears, and found the others watching. Darius's expression was unreadable, but his silver eyes burned with something that looked like hunger. Azrael's golden gaze was soft, reverent, and the demon's mark on my thigh pulsed in sympathy with Lucien's claiming. Selene smiled, slow and satisfied, and pressed a finger to her lips in a silent promise.
Later, that gesture said.We'll have our turn later.
For now, I was Lucien's. And he needed this—needed to claim me, to feel me alive and whole beneath him, to reassure the wolf that his mate was safe.
"I thought I lost you," he said again, his voice rough but quieter now, the feral edge fading. "When I smelled those strangers on the perimeter—when I realized they'd taken you—" His arms tightened around me, and I felt the tremor that ran through his body. "I can't lose you, Lizzie. I can't."
"You won't." I cupped his face, forcing him to meet my eyes. His amber irises were slowly returning to normal, the wolf receding, but the fear still lingered. "I'm here. I'm safe. And I'm not going anywhere."
He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. "Promise me."
"I promise."
We stayed like that until the knot finally began to deflate, until our breathing steadied and our heartbeats slowed. Thefoyer was quiet now, the only sound the soft crackle of the candles in their sconces and the distant ticking of a grandfather clock.
Eventually, Lucien lifted me off his lap with gentle hands—so at odds with the feral creature who'd just claimed me—and helped me stand. My legs were unsteady, and I gripped his arm for support. His release was leaking down my thighs, warm and sticky, and I could feel the evidence of our coupling painted on my skin.
Selene appeared at my side, a soft cloth in her hand. "Let's get you cleaned up, darling." Her voice was gentle, but her emerald eyes sparkled with approval. "That was quite the show."
My cheeks flushed. "I didn't exactly plan it."
"The best things are never planned." She wiped the blood from my shoulder—the wound was already closing, Lucien's saliva carrying some kind of healing property—and pressed a soft kiss to the spot. "You did well. He needed that."
"I know." I looked at Lucien, who was standing a few feet away, his chest still heaving, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my heart ache. "We all did."
Darius approached, his expression softening as he took in my disheveled state. "You should rest. It's been a long night."
"I'm fine." I straightened, ignoring the ache between my legs. "But I could use a bath. And maybe some food."
"I'll draw the bath," Azrael offered, his golden eyes warm. "And I believe there's leftover soup in the kitchen. I'll warm it for you."
The gesture was so simple, so domestic, that it made my throat tight. These four supernatural predators—a vampire crime lord, a werewolf enforcer, a demon of desire, and a witch of living things—were fussing over me like I was the most precious thing in their world.
Maybe, to them, I was.
Lucien stepped forward and took my hand. "I'll carry you."
"I can walk—"
"I know." His amber eyes met mine, and I saw the vulnerability still lurking there. "Let me carry you anyway."
I nodded, and he lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let my head rest against his shoulder, breathing in his scent—leather and steel and wild forest, now layered with the musk of our coupling and the copper tang of blood.
He carried me up the grand staircase, the others following behind. The manor was quiet, peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos of the warehouse and the desperate claiming in the foyer. I let myself relax into Lucien's warmth, feeling safe and cherished and utterly, completelytheirs.
The bathroom was warm and steamy when we arrived, the massive claw-foot tub already filled with water that smelled of lavender and something else—Selene's magic, I realized, infused with healing properties. Azrael had laid out soft towels and a robe, and there was a tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of wine waiting on a small table beside the tub.
"Eat," Selene instructed, helping me out of my ruined clothes. "Then soak. We'll be right outside if you need anything."
