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He laughed. “If you insist on drowning me, maybe not in a bathtub?”

“Oh, shut up.” I watched the water slide down the hard lines of his face. “How does a bonded bite work? And where?” I asked him.

Surprise flitted across his features. “Well … It’s … I can’t explain it. I’ve never experienced it.”

“Some use that is.”

He smirked. “Well, the way I understand, something just falls into place.”

“You do realize you’re speaking of fated bonds.”

“No,” he said. “A fated bond means there’s the pull only. A chosen bond means there’s more.”

I read between the lines: in the slight twitch of his cheek, the tiny creases that formed at the edge of his eyes, and the brightening of his gaze. I read it in the rise of a scent that made my heart flutter.

He swallowed. “Most leave the mark where others can see it. The neck, usually, but it can be anywhere.”

“Vampires don’t quite have such bonds, but sometimes a bite can be similar. Or so I’ve heard.” I shrugged.

“Do you get the urge to bite me?” he asked.

“I’m not the best judge. I’ve been otherwise occupied with a maddening condition, in case you missed that.”

He laughed, and a smile twitched on my lips. “Fair enough,” he said.

“I do have one last question.” I was just mere inches from his face, our bodies melded together. “I’m not full lycan. Are you sure you feel⁠—”

“I’m sure.”

“But if the mating bond is something between full lycans, maybe a bite won’t work.”

“Want to try it?” He winked, and I rolled my eyes. His face grew serious immediately after. “Also, if you’re uncomfortable discussing bites with me, I understand.”

I glanced at the mark on my arm, just below where my gem was no longer embedded. When had it even fallen off? And how? My fingers slid along the small ridge in my skin. The gem had been a part of me for so long, yet it felt like I’d shed something that was holding me back. Strange.

“This kind of bite we’re discussing doesn’t feel the same,” I said.

“Oh, good.”

We were quiet for a while, but my limbs began to stiffen. As I moved to change my position, something else stiffened … and it wasn’t my body. My gaze met Sylvan’s as the hard length of his cock pressed into my hip. For a second, I forgot to breathe. The corner of his lips quirked up, his eyes seeming to darken a fragment. “You are very close,” he murmured.

“Yes, and whose fault is that?”

He laughed. “Well, I think I’ve made my point. You can move now.”

“Do you want me to?”

He looked at me, suspicion in his eyes. “Is this a test?”

I grinned at him. “You tell me.” My hand slid down his chest and over his ribs. My fingertips brushed against his scars, then down through the trail of hair that led to his crotch. He drew in a breath as my hand wrapped around his shaft.

“Aura, I just told you how hard you are to resist.”

“Something’s hard, alright.”

“Aura.”

“Sylvan.” I grinned, and his head fell back as I stroked him beneath the water. “Eyes on me, Alpha,” I said.