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Stopping, she stared at him with wide eyes. “What if we don’t fit?”
Little late to think about that, he wanted to say, but he sucked in a breath, trying to speak any coherent response. “We will. We’re mates. Created for each other.” Though maybe not in his full fighting form. He worried, started to pull out.
“No.” She yanked tighter against him, sank fully onto him with a hiss.
Magic flared, hard enough he could feel the pulse beat within him.Hers. Not his. What had happened? A rush hit him as hard as any illegal hallucinogenic charms, making him brace a hand on the wall behind her to steady them.
“Alexei.” She didn’t sound in pain. Her voice held a rich heaviness of the powers flowing between them. “Move. Please. I need…”
His mate needed. That was all he had to hear. He rocked into her, unraveling more each time he thrust deeper. Wanting to keep her like this forever, to hear those sexy moans and feel her sweat-slicked skin slide against his, he worshipped his mate until she came apart around him and he followed over into the sweetest oblivion of space, stars, and ecstasy.
Mates. Forever.Nothing but perhaps death could ever part them. He would never let her go.
ChapterTwenty-Five
“You had to let me go out some time,” Joelle said.
Her grumpy mate scowled but didn’t argue.
The warded warehouse hadn’t changed since she’d been here a week ago, yet stepping out of the car with Alexei holding her hand, Joelle felt a friendly rush of magic—as if the defensive enchantments had been keyed to welcome her. Spells layered the scents of mint and sage over the more mundane car exhaust, damp concrete, and rusted metal. Wind off the ocean snapped around her, making her wish she’d grabbed a sweater before they’d left the house.
Sunlight streamed into the open space, its brilliant cheerfulness a stark contrast to the grey severity of the cement inside. The massive door cranked closed behind them, stealing the bright beams. Taking a deep breath of the salty air, she didn’t slow as Alexei tugged her across the main floor, his clipped footfalls pounding in time with her pulse.
“Your Highness,” a man called. She took in his stiff spine and bowed head, his dark hair and the scars that cut through his brow, and recognized the guard she’d last spoken to before rushing off to trade herself for their prince.
Dozens of men and women in uniform stood behind him and along the railings of the upper floors, all saluting. Had the entire security force gathered here? And if so, why? Sure, convincing her mate to leave the mansion after their days alone together had taken some time and persuasion, but it didn’t warrant this level of paranoia. Did they expect Noxx to have found the warehouse despite the top-notch tech system and fortress-level spells?
Instead of answering the man, Alexei stared at her.
She had missed something big. But what? She tugged her mate down so she could whisper in his ear. “Did you not hear him call you?”
“His name’s Roman, and he’s speaking to you, not me,” Alexei said. “They saluteyou.”
“I’m not a royal.” She fought the need to step closer to him and away from the pomp and circumstance. Her magic buzzed, prickling to her fingertips where her skin brushed his, and his powers pulsed a flash of heat in response. Comforting warmth spread through her, banishing her earlier chill.
He squeezed her hand. “You’re my mate. Meet your extended family. Part of it anyway.”
Her heart felt lighter, a balloon floating away but for Alexei’s hold on her. She looked at each guard—really looked at each, noting the proud stances and steadfast gazes. Theywelcomedher. If she believed what Noxx had said about her creation, she hadn’t been able to find her parents because she hadn’t had any. All her life, she’d only had her brother to count on. Emotion swelled, stinging her eyes and burning her throat. “Roman?” She tried the name Alexei had used.
“Yes, Your Highness?” The same guard raised his head, a kindness in his expression that softened the effect of his scars.
“I’ve always wanted a big family.”
“You belong to us as we belong to you.”
“It doesn’t matter that I’m not a demon hybrid?” After hearing Yulia’s argument about keeping royal bloodlines and rejecting outsiders, she needed to know.
His brow furrowed, and he seemed confused by her question. “We didn’t imagine to ever be so fortunate as to find a healer. To find one in a destined mate? You could only be a gift of the gods.” He tipped his face toward the others. “Our new princess.” His booming voice held celebration.
“Hurrah.” The deafening cheer in response had her grinning.
“Happy?” Alexei asked.
“Yes.” She couldn’t find the words to tell him how much this meant to her, how she’d been missing something that he’d given her along with his heart.
Alys skidded around the corner, acting as if loud yells were completely normal. “You two finally made it.” Her neon green lab jacket flapped around her. In a cloud of perfume, disinfectant, and chemicals, she grabbed Joelle in a hug. “Congratulations. I’m so glad you convinced my idiot brother to accept the mating bond. He’s usually much smarter.”
Alexei nudged his sister away. “I heard that.”
