Severin roars, his hips snapping forward, and the pressure and stretch of his knot growing inside me makes my orgasm go on and on.

He settles on top of me, pressing kisses to my lips as I lie spent and satiated. Then his hand slips under me to splay across my butt, and his shadows hold me steady as he rolls us onto our sides. A huge swell of pressure tugs at my entrance, and I gasp, a shiver of aftershock going through me.

His hips shift, moving the knot inside me. “Feel that? That’s all for you. Only for you, my love.”

I clamp down, making him groan. “It’s so big, bigger than I ever imagined.”

He smirks.

“How long does it last?” I ask.

“At least ten to twelve hours this first time. Especially if…” The strangest look comes over his face, and Severin scoots his upper body back away from me. His hand brushes over my chest, finding a tender spot.

“Oww.” I look down. A set of two marks, looking like fangs, are tattooed over my heart. “What is that?”

“It’s a mate mark. I have one too.” His tone sounds awed, and he touches his own chest, marked with a larger version of the same tattoo. Then he looks at me. “Close your eyes.”

I do, and his magic surges outward, calling mine to it, a tingling in my chest.

“Do youfeel that?”

“I do.”

“The way our magic mingled during our previous encounters must have been the mate bond wanting to form. It’s solidified now,” he says. “This is amazing. My people haven’t had fated mates for three-hundred years. Everyone assumed we lost the ability when the Dark God changed us from elves into shadow fae.”

“What does it mean that we’re mated?”

“It means we were fated to be together. I was always meant to come to Earth to find you, my love.” He presses a kiss to my palm and flattens my hand over his heart. “You, Hannah, are the missing piece of my soul.”

“Oh, Severin.” I melt against him. “That’s so lovely.”

“It’s the truth. You are my future, my happiness, my hope.” His grip tightens on my hip. “And not just mine. You’ve also given me another gift. If the shadow fae can once again have fated mates, it means we’re no longer cursed. We can truly find happiness, and it’s all because of you and the bargain you made that allowed us to remain here on Earth.”

“The bargainyoumade, you mean.” I tap my finger against his chest. “I seem to remember you were rather persuasive.”

“The bargainwemade together.” He plucks up my hand and presses a kiss to that finger tip, then pulls me close. “The best damned bargain of my life.”

I wiggle a little to feel the knot, to feel the physical connection between us that goes along with the mate bond. A surprise yawn cracks my jaw as deep fatigue rolls over me. “Oh, sorry. I’ve been running on adrenaline all day, and I guess it’s finally caught up to me.”

“The mating is tiring in and of itself, let alone after the trial you just went through.” He pulls me close, presses a kiss to my temple, and has his shadows pull the covers over us. “Rest now.”

I snuggle into his side, murmuring, “I love you, Severin.”

“And I love you, my darling Hannah.”

At some point in the middle of the night, I try to roll over, but Severin’s knot stops me with a sharp pull against my entrance that sends a jolt of pleasure racing through me. I come fully awake. My muscles clamp down, and it’s his turn to groan as his hips snap forward.

“Can we…” I give a little wiggle. “Can wedostuff with the knot in there?”

Severin flicks his fingers, lighting a candelabra on the nightstand so that a golden glow fills the area around the bed. He rolls onto his back, his shadows bringing me along until I straddle him. “Let’s try it and see.”

His knot only lets me move a little, but I bounce on him, both making him hit deep and tugging at my entrance in a way that feels really good, especially when the shadow tendrils from his dick spread out to stroke my clit.

I shudder through another orgasm, hands plastered to his chest, head thrown back.

Severin groans in pleasure, his hips snapping up as my core milks him.

I collapse onto him, and he holds me close, stroking my back until I fall asleep all over again.