Page 54 of Marked For A Bite
Logan's hand found her face, his thumb brushing across her cheek with devastating tenderness. "We have enough time for one thing, and I think it will work." He paused to take a deeper breath, struggling to breathe at this point. "I need to give you my full mate mark right now."
Zoe's heart stuttered. "Logan, you don't have enough strength for that. Plus, I don't want to hurt you any further."
Her eyes traced the alarming amount of blood seeping through his gear and the way his breathing hitched with each word. The wolfsbane was winning its war against his enhanced healing, and she could practically see his life force dimming before her eyes.
"Trust me," he said with that alpha authority that had struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. Despite his weakened state, Logan remained fundamentally unshakeable. "Trust your instincts. Your wolf knows what needs to happen here."
He's right. Something about this place, this moment, the Blood Moon—it's all connected.
Zoe leaned down and pressed her lips to his, tasting the salt of her own tears mixed with the metallic tang of blood on his mouth. Logan kissed her back with gentle passion that belied his dire condition, pouring all his love and desperation into the contact. Their lips moved together with the familiarity of soulswho had found each other across lifetimes, tender and intimate and absolutely surreal under the crimson moonlight.
This is it. Whatever happens next will change everything.
Zoe soon broke their kiss and began removing Logan's shoulder holster with his Glocks. Her hands trembled as she worked quickly and efficiently to strip him of his gear. She unbuckled the holsters on his thighs, removed the knife from his hip, and slid the hunting knife from its sheath across his back. Each piece of gear felt heavier than it should, weighed down by the gravity of the moment. She tried not to look at the wound between his ribs, the blood oozing from it a stark reminder of how close he was to death.
"Logan," she murmured, her voice breaking as she peeled off his bloodied black henley.
"I'm here," he replied, his eyes locking onto hers with a piercing intensity that made her heart ache. "I'm not going anywhere. Not yet."
She stripped off his dark cargo pants, boxers, and combat boots with careful precision, trying not to cause him any more pain. The sight of him naked and vulnerable twisted something deep inside her. His body, usually so powerful and imposing, now looked fragile, ravaged by the wolfsbane poison coursing through his veins. But despite his weakened state, he was fully aroused.
Zoe climbed onto him gently, her knees framing his hips. She straddled him, careful not to put too much weight on his injured body. Logan's hands found her hips, his fingers digging into her skin with a reassuring grip.
"You're doing good, Zoe," he encouraged, his voice rough but gentle. "Keep trusting your instincts."
She guided him into her entrance, surprised by how wet she was despite the dire circumstances. Slowly, she took him fully inside her, biting her lip to stifle a moan. She began movinggingerly, her hips rocking in slow, sensual motions. Every movement was deliberate, and every touch carefully calculated to ensure he could climax without hurting him further.
Logan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she buried her face into his neck. Her tears mingled with the sweat on his skin, the scent of blood and sex thick in the air. She tried to focus on the feel of him inside her, the feel of his body pressed against hers, and the way their connection seemed to transcend the physical.
"I love you, Logan," she whispered against his skin, her voice choked with emotion. "And I can't lose you. Not now. Not ever."
"You won't," he promised, his voice strained but firm. "I love you, Zoe, and I'm not leaving you. Not like this."
She felt the pressure building in her core, her orgasm approaching despite her fear and grief. Logan's breathing grew heavier, his hips bucking weakly beneath her as he neared his own climax. Just as she felt herself shatter, Logan leaned into her neck and bit down hard, marking her with his teeth over the partial mate mark. She cried out, her body convulsing around him as he spilled his seed inside her.
For a moment, they clung to each other, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. Zoe looked down into his eyes, searching for any sign that the mate mark had done something, anything, to save him.
"Logan," she whispered, her voice trembling as panic threatened to overwhelm her. "What if this wasn't enough? What if?—"
"Wait," he interrupted, his voice barely audible. "Just wait a minute."
Zoe nodded, clinging to Logan's naked body beneath the crimson glow of the Blood Moon. Snow continued its gentle descent around them in the sacred clearing, each flake seeming to catch the ethereal light before melting against their heatedskin. The ancient stone markers surrounding them pulsed with a rhythm that matched her accelerated heartbeat.
Please work. Whatever this is supposed to do, please work.
The mate mark on her neck throbbed where Logan's teeth had claimed her, sending waves of connection through their mate bond that felt deeper than anything she'd experienced before. But Logan still looked pale, his breathing shallow and labored despite the intensity of what they'd just shared.
Suddenly, heat surged through Zoe's body like wildfire racing through her veins. Not the uncomfortable burn of fever, but something else entirely—a powerful magical resonance emanating from every cell in her being. Energy crackled beneath her skin, making her feel as though she might explode from the sheer force of it.
"Logan," she gasped, her voice trembling with wonder and fear. "I feel really hot and—and funny. Something's happening to me."
His green eyes, though dulled by pain, focused on her with that commanding alpha presence that never wavered, even when death knocked at his door. "Listen closely to your wolf," he instructed, his voice barely above a whisper but carrying absolute authority. "What is she saying?"
Zoe closed her eyes, reaching for the presence that had guided her through so much chaos over the past few days. The connection felt stronger now, clearer, as if the mate mark had opened channels in her consciousness she hadn't known existed.
Heal him.
The words rang through her mind with crystalline clarity, spoken in her wolf's voice but carrying wisdom that felt ancient beyond her twenty-five years.
