Page 16 of The Guardian's True-Mate

“Yeah,” he nodded. “How much of my past do you want to know?”

“I’m not worried about your body count, if that’s what got under your skin a second ago.”

“That I could actually tell you,” he chuckled and rolled off me onto his back.

I turned to my side and pressed myself against him, still needing to touch him. I ached all over when he was out of my reach.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. I believe you about the test,” I said, tracing my finger down his stomach over his shirt. “The claiming vows will tell me what’s important. That side of it is your magic. It’ll know what’s important to you.”

“I had a chosen mate before,” Cardian said. “I don’t want to talk about the rest of it. He’s back with his true-mate in the Other World now. He talked to Liam tonight or today or whatever you call it here, and it was like he knew we were going to meet.”

“I’m sorry you lost him,” I said and meant it.

“Me too.”

Then he blinked.

“Not because I’d rather have him than you or ---”

I put my hand over his mouth to stop him. He blinked up at me, waiting for me to speak.

“Look, I’m not competing with a dead man. You wishing he were alive doesn’t make me feel bad or insecure. I wish he was alive too. From how you make it sound he didn’t go of old age and that would’ve been bad enough, but any other way cuts like a knife. I would know. So, miss him, if you do.”

I took my hand off his mouth when I finished speaking and ran my fingers through his thick hair as if I could soothe away his painful thoughts. Brains didn’t work like that, but that didn’t stop me from trying. His eyes drifted closed and he let out a long, slow breath.

“I just wanted to tell you, because I know it gives some guys hangups.”

“I have hangups, but not because you loved someone before we met. No one should want their true-mate to be lonely,” I sighed.

“I killed the mood, didn’t I?” he asked.

“No,” I said and kissed his cheek. “We’re true-mates. I don’t think anything can actually kill the mood judging from how hard we both still are, but we can cuddle or sleep instead, if you want.”

“It’s morning for me right now,” he laughed.

“Do you want me to put some coffee on then?”

“Not that early in the morning. I might’ve woken up early, so I didn’t arrive in the dark and scare all the shifters in charge, but it’s still not that early.”

“Then let me take your mind off it,” I said and flashed him a wicked grin in the dark.

Chapter Ten

Cardian

Dakota straddled me and ran his fingertips up and down the sides of my throat. I swallowed hard, imagining his fingers rubbing up and down my cock like that. I hated that I brought up Laurni at such an awkward time, but I meant it when I told him I didn’t want that relationship to randomly pop up over the claiming vows without any warning.

He pushed my shirt up and the cool air from the ceiling fan played on my naked torso. Dakota leaned down and licked each of my collarbones in turn. He kissed down my chest and abs, marking his territory and leaving behind a warm trail of desire. I ran my fingers through his hair, eager to touch him everywhere even as my cock throbbed for his attention.

He slid down my body as he kissed, and his feet hit the floor with a soft thud. We’d taken off our shoes before venturing deeper into the house, but my ears were alert for any noise that whispered of danger. Dakota made quick work of my fly and stripped me naked. His eyes drank me in until I met his gaze. He was as hungry for me as I was for him. He stripped off his pants before turning his attention back to me.

Holding my gaze, he wrapped his long, soft fingers around my hard dick, and I swallowed down a moan. Pleasure spiraled up and down my shaft following how his fist pumped over me. I rocked my hips, sinking into his tightly squeezed fist, imagining how it would feel to slide into his warm, slick omegahole or over his soft kissable lips. He bent his head down and I put a hand up to stop him.

“Come up here for a second,” I beckoned him to me.

He scurried up my body and our lips collided in a hard, deep kiss. When it broke, I lifted him gently, turning him around, and laying him along my body with his head pointed toward my feet. He eeped and grabbed my calves as soon as they were within his reach.

“You okay, mate?” I smirked.

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