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Her forehead pressed against my shoulder, her desperate sounds, her pleas for me to take her, music to my ears.

I dipped my head, my mouth going to her ear. “I know you feel empty, petal, and I promise I’m going to make it better. I’m going to fill you up so good. As soon as you come for me, nice and hard, you’ll get me.”

She lifted her head, a desperate look in her beautiful eyes. “Draven…”

“Give it to me,” I growled.

Then she finally let go, crying out, trembling against me. She tried to dip her head again, to hide from me, but I cupped her jaw and tilted her head back so I could see the pleasure I’d given her. I’d never witnessed anything more beautiful in my life.

Fuck knew how I’d held back, but I couldn’t anymore. And as soon as she took her first shuddering breath, I slammed inside her, and all the tension, the hunger, the need I had for this female was delivered behind that first brutal thrust. She cried out, again, tightening her legs around my waist, and clawed at my back, holding me to her.

Oh fuck. She was so tight.

I slid out, and when I thrust back in, I shoved my hand behind her head before she could smack it against the wall as she arched against me. “You feel that? That’s your mate finally taking you. I promise, petal, you’ll crave this, you’ll crave me, every day and every-fucking-night. Just me. Only me.”

Then I lost control, taking her like the beast I was, claiming my mate because I was done waiting. Iris was mine, and she would be mine for as long as I lived and beyond. I didn’t need trust or love, I just needed this.

I swiped my tongue over her shoulder, and she shuddered against me, her pussy clutching at me. “You going to come for me again already, little witch?”

Her fingernails dug deeper. “Don’t stop.”

I didn’t want to stop, but she was so hot and wet around my dick, her pussy pulsing around me so damn tight, there would be no holding back.

I lifted my head and looked into her beautiful eyes. “I’m going to bite you now, Iris. I’m going to make you mine.”

She started to shake her head, then she jolted in my arms and her cunt clamped down so hard on my cock I saw stars. I didn’t wait, I sank my canines into the sweet spot between her neck and shoulder, claiming her, making her mine in the way my people had been doing for centuries. I marked her.

Iris screamed and shook in my arms, coming around me, becoming mine in truth, and I roared and went with her. Filling her up and becoming hers as well.

CHAPTER 24

Iris

The keep was silent.

I looked at the sleeping wolf beside me, and somehow, I could feel the contentment rolling off him.

I wasn’t sure how I felt.

Confusion was probably what was loudest in my mind. Draven infuriated and perplexed me. Pushed and goaded me. He’d known exactly what he was doing when he brought me in here. He knew what he needed to do to pull me from the despair I was sinking into.

The female downstairs hadn’t hurt my feelings or upset me—a lot of beings didn’t like witches or had trouble understanding the things we did. No, she hadn’t upset me, but she had highlighted just how much I didn’t belong here.

I knew, without a doubt, it was only a matter of time before Draven worked that out for himself as well. His craving for me would wane, and, mate or not, this would end.

But for now…I shivered. I couldn’t stop thinking about what we did when he brought me into his room—I’d never experienced anything like it. When Brody was angry, the sex had been punishing, painful, often humiliating. I don’t know if Draven had been truly angry or not. We’d definitely been arguing, but he hadn’t once hurt me, and the only thing he’d wanted me to feel was pleasure.

My hand lifted to where he’d bitten me, marked me. There was no pain. It felt like it had almost healed. He’d licked and kissed it afterward, in a way that could only be described as reverent.

I glanced at my small potted plant that someone had brought up for me. The vervain flowers were a startling purple in the moonlight. Every witch’s home had a flourishing patch of the herb because of what it represented. Home, family, love.

Mine represented a lie. I had none of those things here.

Maybe if I looked at this as some bizarre holiday? Great sex—understatement of the century. Good food—going by last night’s offering. And an exotic location—if you liked living in woods crawling with demons.

Yep, that’s exactly what I’d do. Not take any of this too seriously. I just had to make sure I didn’t get attached to Draven, this place, or his people, and judging by the looks they gave me last night, that wasn’t going to be a problem. They wanted me gone as much as I wanted to leave.

It was still dark outside, but I was too wired to sleep.