Page 60 of Mate Night Snack
“That's the bond,” he groaned, close now. So close. His wolf scratched at the surface. “I need to mark you.”
Her eyes opened, wide and wanting.
“I want it.”
“If I bite, there’s no undoing it.”
“Do it,” she said. “Claim me.”
That was all he needed.
He drove into her, fast and punishing, until her back bowed and she screamed his name, orgasm tearing through her like lightning. And as her body convulsed around him, he bit down at the base of her neck, teeth sinking in just deep enough to leave the mark glowing with magic.
The mate bond flared to life.
Golden light pulsed across their skin like it had been waiting—waiting for them to choose each other fully. For them to accept what they were.
His climax hit at the same time, deep, full-body, his cock pulsing inside her as he growled her name into her skin.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs still locked tight at his waist, keeping him anchored in place even as they both trembled from the force of it.
Through the bond, he felt her love.
Her wonder.
Her strength.
And he gave her everything in return.
They lay tangled together afterward, hearts gradually slowing, the glow of the mate bond settling into a warm hum that connected them at the deepest level. Emmett traced lazy patterns on Katniss's bare shoulder, marveling at the small mark he'd left there. Not visible to casual observation, but unmistakably present to anyone with supernatural senses.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
"Different." She turned in his arms, studying his face with new awareness. "I can feel you. Not just emotionally, but... deeper than that. Like you're part of me now."
"That's the bond." He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his thumb lingering on her cheek. "It connects us in ways that go beyond the physical. You'll be able to sense my emotions, my general location, whether I'm safe or in danger."
"And you'll feel the same from me."
"Yeah." He laid a kiss to her forehead. "Which means no more hiding when the nightmares get bad."
She smiled ruefully. "I suppose privacy is a thing of the past."
"Not privacy. Just... shared burdens." His arms tightened around her. "Whatever Ashwin throws at us, we face it together. Completely together."
"I'm not afraid," she said, and he could feel through the bond that she meant it. "Whatever he's planning, whatever games he wants to play, he's already lost. Because he doesn't understand what this is."
"What do you mean?"
"He thinks love is weakness. Something to exploit." Her hand found his chest, palm pressed over his heart. "But what we have... it's not weak. It's the strongest thing I've ever felt."
Emmett closed his eyes, letting himself sink into the truth of her words. The bond between them wasn't a vulnerability, despite what his fears whispered. It was armor. It was strength. It was the foundation everything else would be built on.
25
KATNISS
Katniss woke to silver light painting the cabin walls in strange, shifting patterns.
