Page 48 of Loki's Enemy Mate

I took a deep breath, forcing away the nervous twist in my stomach. “I want you to mate me.”

Heimdall looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. “B-But… my father… he’ll notice.”

“Good,” I replied. “That’ll force his hand when we confront him in front of the entire pack.”

“But he hates gay people. He thinks it’s a human affliction.”

“That’s not what the pack is going to see.”

“What do you mean?”

I placed my hands on either side of his face, looking him in the eye. “The pack will see the son of the Alpha, their next in line, returning from the dead. Not only that, you’ll be bringing me home, a useful source of insider information about the enemy pack. If he stands there in front of them all and denies you… they’ll lose their faith in him. If he disowns you, they’ll see just how petty and tyrannical he is. And him givingmeup? Well that just shows them that he wants to sacrifice lives. Because without me and my information, half that pack will die in the first ten minutes of fighting. We, together, are the only thing that can give them an edge in the battle that’s to come.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his green eyes pinging back and forth as if searching for any flaw in my plan.

“Do you really think so?”

“I know so,” I replied. “If there’s one thing I know about running a pack, it’s that leadership must beearned. If Tyr proves that he’s willing to abandon family, to betray them, well… then he’s going against all those principles and traditions he’s been pounding into his pack’s heads for decades. He has to talk the talk and walk the walk if he wants to stay in power. And there’s not enough of you left to be getting choosy. He needs every man he can get.”

“You sound more like an Alpha than I do.”

I couldn’t help blushing at that, my cheeks burning. But I kept Heimdall’s gaze and squeezed his cheek.

“You flatter me.”

“I really love you, Loki,” he replied. “I know it hasn’t been long, but… I just feel like you’re the person for me, you know? Even beyond the bond.”

“I love you too, Hamball.” I leaned in close, kissing him softly. “Now come on. If you’re going to mate me, you better go ahead and do it before I change my mind. I want one last night with you before all hell breaks loose.”

Heimdall gave me a nod and pulled me back toward the shack perched on the side of the mountain. During our talk the last remnants of the sunset had faded away, replaced by starlight and moonlight. A cold wind blew up the mountain and clouds moved in from the north. There was a definite chill in the air that signaled the oncoming of snow. I had no doubt in my mind that we would wake in the morning to a fresh coating of white blanketing the entire world. Secretly I hoped that we’d both live to see another spring because if Tyr found out what we were up to before we pulled it off, I had no doubt in my mind that we’d find ourselves in a shallow grave.

But I pushed that thought from my mind as Heimdall opened the door and pulled me inside, cutting off the outside world. All that existed in that tiny space was us and the possibly foolish love we shared for one another. But I didn’t care about that. If being a fool meant loving the man of my dreams, I’d choose to be the fool every single time. Heimdall was worth it.

He let go of my hand only long enough to spread the blanket over the floor. Thanks to my trips to the resort, we were able to snag a couple more that made that little shack much warmer in the night. Not to mention, softer when we spent half of those nights worshiping each other’s bodies. I’d grown used to this easy intimacy with Heimdall and I never wanted it to end.

“Oh, I got something when I was in town today,” I added, shuffling through the couple of grocery bags I’d brought back with snacks and food. I pulled out a small clear bottle full of clear viscous liquid and tossed it to Heimdall. “Stole that from the pharmacy.”

He glanced down at the bottle, smiling to himself. “You’re gonna need all the help you can get if you want to take my knot.”

“The lube isn’t gonna help me walk tomorrow.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I’ll remember that when I finally fuck you and you’re whining about being sore.”

Heimdall grinned, reached up, and yanked me down to his level, kissing me hard and rough. “When that day comes, I promise I’ll savor every last sensation. Even if it’s uncomfortable.”

“But you’ll still whine about it?” I chuckled.

“Absolutely.”

“Idiot,” I grumbled, running my fingers through his hair.

“Youridiot,” he corrected.

Affection bloomed in my chest, the heat spreading through my body. It was nice to have someone that belonged to me, someone I could count on. I loved it more than I could say. Family was good, but finding that perfect person just for me… well, that was a million times better.

With one hand in the center of Heimdall’s chest, I pushed him back against the headboard and climbed up to straddle his hips, my already hard cock pressed against his belly through my jeans. I reached down, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and pulled it up over his head. Tossing it to the floor I ducked down, running my tongue over his sensitive nipple. He hissed through his teeth in pleasure as I bit down, letting him know I meant business.

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