There’s a gentle nudge at my side, and I gaze downward, my eyes widening in shock as I take in the sight of Rhune’s pink capybara. His flat snout is pressing firmly against the back of my hand, soft lips twitching and tickling my skin and he scents me.
I let out a sigh of relief.So much better than a blood-thirsty creature sneaking in to eat me while I slept…
“What are you doing here, cutie pie?” I keep my voice soft so as not to wake the demons. “You want some snuggles too?”
I reach out to give it some scratches, but as soon as my fingertips brush his coarse fur, Sasu snaps his head up, glowing pink eyes burning into my soul.
What the…?
Before I have time to react, Sasu whips his head, sinking his blunted teeth deep into the flesh of my palm. His bite is powerful enough to break the skin, and I let out a small yelp as a sharp stab of pain travels up my arm.
Just as soon as it happened, Sasu releases me, sitting back on his haunches like the action never occurred. And maybe I am going crazy, because it almost looks like he’s…proud.
Rhune’s arms curl protectively around my stomach, his fingers splaying over the spot where my heart is beating erratically. Rising up on one arm, he pulls me onto my back, searching my expression with a look of deep concern.
“I heard you yell. What’s wrong, pup?” he whispers, reaching up to caress my face. “Did you have a bad dream, like Cin?”
I shake my head, then cast a glance toward the capybara. “Sasu… hebitme.”
“Hewhat?”
“Bit me. Just opened those chompers wide and sunk them into me.” I clutch my palm to my chest. “Don’t be mad at him. It was probably my fault for spooking him…” I suck in a sharp breath through my teeth as a fresh wave of agony travels up my arm. It’s like the spot he bit is onfire,and it’s growing worse by the second. “It fuckinghurts, though…”
“I’ll help you, my willow.” Rhune reaches out for my hand, pulling it up to his face to inspect the wound. As soon as hiseyes lock on the spot I was bitten, his entire body tenses, and a pleasurable shudder runs through him..
“Willow… you chose me…” His mouth tips into a manic smile, baring his bright, pointed canines. At the same time, his eyes flare, coloring the walls a beautiful shade of magenta as the last thread of his control snaps.
“What are you talking about?” I whisper.
Silently, he flips my hand so the back is toward me. Instead of the typical pale skin I’m used to seeing, there is now a large, glowing pink rune—just like the one painted on the front of his bedroom door. The same one glowing on the back ofhispalm.
“Mine,” he repeats. “My mate.”
15
Willow
Rhune liftsmy hand up high, and my eyes follow, my breath freezing in my chest as I take in the glowing pink symbol on the back of my palm.
“I told you,” Rhune says. “You’remine.”
I try to focus on the words he’s saying, but it’s hard. It feels like I’m dying and experiencing true bliss for the first time all at once. My skin is hot, my nerve endings are on fire, my mind is dull, and I’m left with nothing but a ravenous, inescapable desire.
With a growl, Rhune rolls on top of me, propping his hands on either side of my head as his hips jerk, rubbing his hard length against my stomach. “Mine…”
I shift beneath him, and my face heats at the feel of the slick arousal coating my inner thighs. I want him so desperately, I can’t breathe, and every moment he’s not inside me, I feel myself dying a little bit more.
“Rhune,” I whimper. “What’s… what’s happening?”
“Shh.” He nuzzles the side of my neck, sending a fresh wave of pleasure flooding through my veins. “Everything is happening as it should.”
“But…” I swallow hard, trying to think past the layer of fog clouding my mind. “I don’t… something is wrong with me. I feel… I think I’m sick.”
“You’re not sick,” he chuckles. “Your body is going into heat.”
“H-heat?”
He growls low, grabbing my hip in his large clawed hand. “It means we have to mate, pup. I need to knot in your pretty little pussy.”
