Page 396 of Primal Bonds

His stomach fisted. “Nothing’s going to happen to you,” he bit out. “You’ll be out of here in a day, maybe two. I’ll make it happen.”

He speared his fingers into her hair, drawing back her head to press love-bites to her throat. She moaned and angled her head to give him better access. One hand came up to his nape, urging him closer. Her back arched, pressing her pelvis into his.

Electricity danced over his skin. He felt feverish, needy.

“Come into me,” she murmured. “Now.”

His throat worked. “Can’t. No protection.”

“Adric. I love you. And I would love any pup—or cub—we made.”

She reached down and guided his cock into her, and the gods help him, he didn’t stop her.

Because he felt the same way.

She was slick, hot. She gasped and clenched her inner muscles around him. Pleasure rocketed to his balls.

He clamped his teeth together, resisting the urge to pound into her. Instead, he dragged her bent leg higher on his hip so that he was rubbing right against her clit and rocked slowly in and out.

Drawing out the pleasure. Teasing them both.

Her arms tightened around him. “I love you,” she repeated in a fierce whisper.

He faltered, swallowed.

Never had he heard those words from a lover.

While Leron was still alive, he’d stuck to casual, no-strings-attached hook-ups. He couldn’t risk anything more—Leron would’ve used any woman he cared for against him.

After he’d become alpha, he’d been too busy, his hold on the clan too shaky. Especially that first year, when he’d not only been working day and night to heal his fractured people, he’d had to fight off multiple challenges.

And then he’d seen Rosana at the sun fae ball, a vision in a sexy little dress the brilliant blues and greens of a peacock’s feathers, her shiny black curls tumbling down her back…

Her eyelids drifted down. Her soft lips parted as she sank deeper into pleasure.

His cat bristled restively, hungry to lay its wild heart at her feet.

My woman.

My mate.

Mine.

He swallowed the words, although it hurt not to let them out. He was a killer, a man who’d cornered his own uncle in a dark alley and slit his throat. So what if he’d done it to save Marjani? It still shadowed his soul.

Someone like Rosana deserved so much better than him.

But too fucking bad.

Deep inside him, something moved, opened. In that moment, he understood what the cat had known for years. Some things were meant to happen. A man could only fight fate for so long.

If they got out of this alive, he was mate-claiming Rosana do Rio.

Whether her brother liked it or not. Whether his clan agreed or not.

Sinking his fingers into her hair, he tugged her head back and set his mouth to the silken skin of her throat.

“Mine,” he rasped. “I’m not claiming you—yet—but when I do, you’ll say yes.”

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