Page 57 of Mated to the Monster Under my Bed
31
DANNI
I lay there in Shadow’s arms, still trembling, my thighs slick and my breath slowly returning to normal. He held me carefully, like I was precious—like I was breakable—and something in that gentleness almost undid me more than the pleasure had.
His tail coiled lazily around my calf, content now, and I could feel the warmth of him all along my spine as I leaned against his chest.
I tilted my head to look up at him.
“So… is that it? Are we bonded now? I mean, I know you didn’t, uh, knot me, but that was pretty intense.”
Shadow’s glowing eyes softened, his big hand stroking a lazy circle on my hip.
“Not yet, little witch,” he rumbled. “What we did brought us closer but now the cream needs time to work on your body. It’s preparing you… helping you soften and open. But the actual Heartmate bond—when I knot you… that has to come later.”
I blinked, surprised.
“Why not now?”
He drew a deep breath, his voice low and serious.
“Because a Heartmate bond is forever. Once I knot you and seal the bond, it can’t be undone—not by time, not even by death. Your soul will be tied to mine for eternity. You deserve time to decide if that’s what you really want.”
His words hit me low in the belly—not just because they were serious, but because they were kind. Considerate. No man I’d ever been with had stopped to ask if I truly wanted forever. But Shadow was offering me that chance. Not pushing. Just… offering.
I looked down at the spot where his hand curved around my waist. “You really think I might not want that?”
“I hope you do,” he said quietly. “I ache to make the bond. To be with you in the light. To walk beside you in this town you’re beginning to love. But I won’t take your forever unless you’re certain.”
I swallowed hard, emotion catching in my throat.
“You’re a lot more respectful than a monster under the bed should be.”
That earned me a low rumble of laughter.
“And you’re far braver than any human I’ve ever known.”
We lay there like that for a while—quiet, close, tangled up in sheets and soft words. The fire in the hearth had died to embers, casting flickering gold shadows across the walls of the cozy little bedroom. Outside, wind rattled the late autumn leaves and somewhere far off an owl called.
Shadow pressed a kiss to my temple and tucked me tighter against him.
“For tonight,” he murmured, “Just let me hold you.”
I let out a breath and rested my head against his chest, listening to the slow, steady beat of his heart.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Just hold me.”
And so he did.
32
DANNI
I woke the next morning, and for a long moment I wasn’t sure if everything that had happened the night before had been real. I blinked in the soft, golden light streaming through the windows of my bedroom, the warm quilt tucked around me. There was no sign of Shadow beside me in bed. No massive, solid body curled around mine. No lazy tail looping my leg.
And yet…
When I shifted under the covers, a shivery little tingle rippled through me. My thighs were slick and creamy, and I felt a delicious ache throbbing low and deep inside me.
