Page 25 of Before the Bond Breaks
“We’ll need to move fast,” Jenson said, voice tight. “If the eitrborn were that coordinated, Balder’s closer than we thought.”
I agreed.
But for now, my only job was to hold Maze until she was safe. “We rest and come up with a plan to find the severing stone.”
15
MAZE
My limbs felt weigheddown and exhausted, like I’d run through battle for days with nothing but adrenaline and fury. My eyelids opened slowly, dragging focus back to me in pieces. The first thing I saw was the familiar steel beams against a pale gray ceiling. Then, I heard the measured tick of the antique clock perched on the dresser near the door. The click and whirl of time reminded me exactly where I was: home.
My bed felt massive, the sheets tangled around me. I shifted, wincing as all my muscles protested at once. Every inch of me screamed exhaustion, but I forced myself upright anyway. That was when I noticed a man in the chair beside my bed. Talon sat hunched over with his forearms braced on his thighs and his head in his hands.
As if sensing I was awake, he snapped his head up and locked his eyes on me. Fear and anger swirled in his amber gaze.
Embarrassment hit as the memories of the previous night flooded back in. I’d nearly burned myself out in that shop, spent every bit of authority and magic until only weakness remained.No armor. No mask. I’d collapsed in his arms without the strength to protest.
Shame filtered in. I should have known better than to spend so much power at once, but my only thoughts at the time were protecting my mate.
My pulse jumped, and I prepared for Talon to lay into me about being reckless. Because that was what it was. But Talon’s gaze didn’t sharpen with judgment. Instead, his worry rolled over me, threading through the new bond between us. Steady, primal, relentless. He wasn’t angry. He was terrified he’d lose me again.
Silence clung to the air. I swallowed, throat sore, forcing my voice to work. “How long?”
He didn’t hesitate. “You’ve been out almost eight hours. Your sisters took turns checking on you every hour.”
My chest loosened, just a fraction. My pride flickered stubbornly. “You didn’t have to stay.”
His hand twitched on his knee. The truth in his gaze slapped back any false bravado. “I wanted to.”
For the first time since waking, I scanned the room fully. Unlike the rest of the penthouse that I shared with my six sisters, my bedroom was stripped down. Blank walls. No frills, no art except the grid of weapons and the occasional framed tactical diagram. A single bookshelf ran along the opposite wall, filled with hardbacks on military history, magical theory, and a battered set of grimoires annotated with my mother’s notes. Above the fireplace, three shadowboxes displayed medals and a few relics—tokens from missions that nearly killed me but didn’t. The only softness came from a blue glass vase on the window ledge,holding fresh white lilies. My guess would be Sybil had brought them yesterday.
I shifted, ignoring the way the sheets tangled around my legs. I hated feeling this exposed, even to my mate. But Talon didn’t move, didn’t look away from my face. My hair must have been a disaster. Sweat slicked my temples. I probably looked like hell. Yet, the absence of pity in his eyes grounded me.
I barely managed a whisper. “Come here.”
He rose instantly. The presence he carried was impossible to ignore as he moved to my side, sinking onto the bed without breaking eye contact. The wolf in him hovered just beneath the surface, wild but restrained.
I reached for him before I could second-guess my actions. I caught the back of his neck and dragged him down until our foreheads touched. His skin felt warm, electricity crackling from the link threading through us.
For a second, neither of us breathed. Emotion tangled up inside me with the way his hand cupped my jaw, thumb brushing beneath my chin. He kissed me, slow at first. Testing. As soon as my mouth caught his, all the fear and exhaustion threadbare in my veins snapped tight. I clung to him, needing the press of him more than I’d ever admitted out loud.
Talon tasted like whiskey, heat, and something I’d spent centuries craving.
He slid his hand into my hair, tangling the strands as he deepened the kiss. The ache in my body faded under the fresh fire he lit along my nerves. He pressed a hand to my ribs, his fingers brushing under the hem of the tank top I wore to bed. I shuddered, breath catching, as he touched bare skin.
The bed dipped under his weight. Sheets rustled as he shifted, pinning me so the only things that mattered were his hands and mouth. Talon didn’t rush. He mapped every inch, exploring with measured passes down my arms, over my sides, down to the curve of my hip. I arched into him, old instincts from years before taking over. Every inch he touched rebuilt me.
“You should be resting.” He drew away just enough to see my reaction.
I stared back at him, reflected in the amber of his eyes. I didn’t bother to hide the hunger. I didn’t have the energy. My walls were gone. “I’ve rested for eight hours. Now, my only need isyou.”
Amber eyes flashed a bright gold at my words. I watched as concern melted into desire. Then he moved his hand lower, tracing the wound on my side from the shop. The long, raw line where I’d torn myself open to force the command. It has sealed up and healed to a scar while I slept. He pressed his lips to it as if to replace pain with something better. Desire snapped white-hot in my stomach.
“Talon,” I said, not sure if it was a warning or a plea.
He didn’t answer. He just kissed his way up my ribs to the skin above my heart. The connection between us pulsed, more than physical. All I could think about was him, us, and the heat.
I fisted his shirt, yanking him closer. My thighs parted, inviting him into the cradle of my hips. He groaned low, the sound vibrating through my bones. His hands skirted the waistband of my shorts, slipping beneath the elastic to cup me. Sparks shot across my body, pushing out every shred of exhaustion.
