Page 29 of Feral Heart
Cesar grinned. “It means, if we have sex, I’m gonna bind our souls. You’ll be mine. Forever. No changing your mind once it’s—”
“Yes!” Jamie bounced on his knees, nearly toppling off the bed. Cesar caught him before he hit the floor and pulled him back up.
“Careful, hon. You almost hit your head on the nightstand.”
“My crush just told me I can be with him for however long I want!” Thirsty? Flat-out. Shame? Nope. “So how does this work? Oh wait, you said sex. Is it something kinky? Cause I’m okay with that, as long as it doesn’t get outrageously weird. Or involve blood. I can’t cut myself. I’ll get all squirmy and queasy. This one time at work—”
Cesar pressed a finger against Jamie’s lips.
“Jerry cut himself while opening boxes, and I nearly fainted,” he mumbled then licked Cesar’s finger.
His jellybean’s eyelids lowered slightly. “Don’t tempt me with your tongue, cariño.”
With a mischievous grin, Jamie swept his tongue teasingly over his bottom lip, delighting in the way Cesar’s gaze followed like a magnet. “So, how do we start this soul-binding thing? Is there a manual? A YouTube tutorial?”
Cesar stepped in close, and Jamie’s entire body went haywire. Heat rolled off the man like the guy was his own personal furnace, and Jamie wanted to burn.
“We have to do naked cartwheels while chanting, and our fingers have to stay laced the entire time.” Cesar settled between Jamie’s legs, and oh. Oh. This was happening. Wait.
“I’ve never done a cartwheel before.” He tried to think of where he could learn when he noticed his jellybean’s lips twitching. Jamie narrowed his eyes. “You got me again, didn’t you?”
A soft laugh, low and sinful, vibrated through the space between them. “Just matching your energy, mi alma.”
Jamie watched him., feeling the weight settle in the room.
“When we’re joined—when I’m buried deep inside you—I’ll bite you here.”
The brush of his knuckles along Jamie’s jaw stole every thought from his head, leaving only the sensation of his touch and the sound of his voice.
“Like a vampire?”
“No, colibrí. My canines will break the skin, but only enough to mark you as mine. It’s how wolves claim their mates.”
“And that binds our souls?” The weight of his eyes pinned Jamie in place, the glowing amber a force that refused to let him go.
“For life.” A quietness settled into Cesar’s expression in a way that made Jamie’s stomach tightened. “Once done, it can’t be undone. You’ll be mine, and I’ll be yours.”
Forever. With one person. With Cesar. His grocery store crush who turned into an actual wolf and was the first person who’d ever made Jamie feel safe and normal.
“You still with me?” The quiet desperation in Cesar’s eyes made Jamie’s chest tighten.
“Can I ask a question?”
When Cesar spoke, it wasn’t just sound. It was a vibration, deep and resonant, wrapping around Jamie like a physical thing, pulling him in. “Ask me anything, hummingbird. I’ll always be honest with you.”
Hopefully he didn’t take this the wrong way. “Your pack? Will they be my family too?”
A graze of knuckles brushed Jamie’s jaw, leaving a trail of heat that seeped into his skin. “The moment my wolf chose you, you became pack, Jamie.” He held up a finger, confusing Jamie.
“What does that mean?”
“One call, one message that you need help, and they will drop everything to get to you, to fight for you, to save you from whoever just made the biggest mistake of their life.” His mouth curved into a slow, wicked grin. “Have I answered all of your questions to your satisfaction?”
Jamie burst out laughing then slapped a hand over his mouth when he snorted. The sound only made Cesar laugh harder. In seconds, Jamie dropped his hand and threw his head back, feeling all his pain and worry vanish like a popped balloon.
His jellybean made him believe in the impossible, in miracles, in everything he’d once thought was out of reach. “Yes!” He chuckled. “Not because of your pack but because someone actually wants to keep me forever.”
The smile that spread across Cesar’s face could’ve powered the whole dang town. “You’re sure about this?”
