Page 10 of Sealed With A Kiss
A deep chuckle was his only verbal response, but Nik followed my orders and began to move.
With every moment that passed, our connection grew stronger, and my climax grew nearer,
“I’m going to come…come with me.” Nik’s deep growl into my ear was the permission I needed. My cock erupted between our bodies as I felt his release in my ass. When his teeth sank into my skin, I came again.
The mating bond urged me to return the claim. As I did, I was flooded with all the thoughts, emotions, and memories Nik held, and our connection solidified. We were mated and claimed. We were one. And I’d never felt more complete.
“I love you,” Nik whispered and kissed the mark. “Goddess, I do.”
“I love you too.” I flipped him over and snuggled him into my arms. “Let’s take a nap and go for round two.”
Chuckling, Nik pulled me in closer to his body and we drifted off. This was how it felt to belong. I knew at that moment no matter what happens, we’d be able to work it out.
And when we woke up still alone on the beach an hour later, Nik repeated the words he said before sleep took over. And for the rest of the night, he showed me just how well he could work my body.
10
Nikolai Survolar
The sticky, gray, tangled web of guilt clung to me. Henri at the training center called me out on it, and I wondered how many other magic weavers could feel or see the toxic slime coating my conscience. The stench of betrayal weighed heavy on me since mating Milo two weeks ago. So far, my mate couldn’t tell how badly it weighed on me. But now that my brother was interrogating me, it was only a matter of time before Milo was as well.
“You have nothing to feel guilty about.” Zander sat across from me in the Pink Coffee Café, letting his ginger chai latte grow cold. “She wouldn’t have wanted you to feel like you were betraying her. Have you asked Hendrix for some of his special tea to speak with the dead? Perhaps hearing from her directly will ease that shadow plaguing your soul.”
“I couldn’t face her.” My head rested on my hands, elbows leaning on the table. “And how would that make Milo feel?”
“Probably better than seeing his mate acting like a pained shell of a man. Think about it man. You have only been mated a few days and instead of walking on cloud nine like any other man would be right now, you are moping and wearing that guilt on your sleeve clear enough that even Ellen in the botany department could tell something was wrong with you. Do you really believe your fated mate can’t feel that through your bond already?”
“Fuck, you’re right. He probably knows how twisted I feel inside.” I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force back the migraine creeping in. “But why wouldn’t he have asked me about it, then?”
“He’s probably just allowing you time to figure it out on your own.” Zander reached out and soothed a hand over my bicep, easing some of the tension as his healing magic flowed between us. “He’s not stupid. He may have already worked out what the issue is and knows that it’s something only you can fix for yourself.”
“I just hate feeling like this. But every time I’m happy in Milo’s embrace, I think about the promises I had made to Stacey.” The icky goo of guilt crawled up my throat and made speaking hard. “I told her forever, man.”
“That was when you both were earthside, Nikolai. She would understand you moving forward with your fated mate. Remember how you told me she sent you a sign that she was happy for you?”
I remembered the bluebird that landed on my shoulder the day I decided that Milo and I go to the beach, just before I claimed him as my own. Blue as the color of Stacey’s dragon, the bird just sat on my shoulder and sang a few notes of a familiar song. The one I had sung for my wife on the day we got engaged.
“That was before I mated him, Zander. Maybe I misconstrued the message? What if it was just a coincidence and not from herat all?” I leaned back and stared at the ceiling, about to admit the biggest part of the situation. The part that sent a pang straight to my heart each time I looked in the mirror. “Her mark isn’t on me any longer. Milo’s claim made her mark irrelevant. It disappeared. I no longer have that reminder that she once was here.”
“What the fuck do you call my niece if not proof that Stacey lived and loved?” The harshness of Zander’s voice, along with a smack over my head, forced me to straighten up in my seat and look directly at him. “Willow is a mini version of her mother. There’s no other sign you need that Stacey will always be a part of you. It’s just not the way you two had planned.”
“It’s like my head knows all this—”
“But your heart is hurting still.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, for what’s it worth, I think you should tell Milo how conflicted you feel.” Zander took a sip of his tea. “Then ask him if he would be okay with you drinking Hendrix’s special blend and seeing Stacey yourself once again. Talk to her and let her convince you of what we all know—you have nothing to feel guilty about. Your fated is here and alive. Let yourself be fully his.”
***
Walking into my house and finding my mate and daughter napping on the couch together was not what I expected, but something about it healed me just a bit. Warmth and the feeling of rightness blanketed my scarred heart for a moment.
“You’re home.” Milo cracked an eye open and gave me a lopsided lazy smile. “We missed you.”
“I missed you too.” And I did miss them. I also felt torn open inside, like everything I was doing was the opposite of what should be done. Like I was going crazy.
“Are you ready to tell me what is bothering you?” Milo bit his bottom lip. I noticed this action as a habit he did when stressed about a situation.
