Page 50 of A Prime's Passion (The Pretern Wars 1)

Chapter Fourteen

Memory

Her entire body throbbed as Niko pressed his mouth to her neck, then slid his lips along her shoulder until he was nibbling on the pad of muscle there. “I’m going to enjoy seeing my mark on you, Zee, knowing that you’re mine for all time.”

“I’m already yours.” She adored this man with his wicked blue eyes and quick smile.

“Yes... ” He stroked the sleeve of the off-the-shoulder blouse he’d bought for her earlier in the day, with his specific purpose in mind. “And once the people in the pack see this, they’ll know too.”

She shivered at the proprietary tone of his voice. She’d never thought hearing such possessiveness in a man’s voice would do this to her. But then she’d never known a Therian male like Niko. He was everything she’d never known, never even thought to hope for.

“Zee... ” He groaned as she dug her nails into his biceps.

Then he bit her and she arched against him, surprised at the mingled blasts of pleasure and pain that tore through her as his teeth pierced her flesh. He sucked deep and hard, but only for a few seconds. Even as he drew back though, she could still feel the imprint of his mouth, knew she’d feel the echo of it for days, maybe even months or weeks.

Then he had his shirt open and was guiding her head to his chest.

“Bite me, Zee. Put your mark on me now.”

Still shaking from the impact of what he’d done, she did as ordered, biting him, harder than she ever had before, allowing a sliver of the power she’d always kept restrained to escape so her teeth lengthened and sharpened, allowing her to break his flesh as he’d done with her.

He jerked in response, a savage curse escaping him as he cradled the back of her head closer with one hand, the other going to her hip to tug her closer. She might have blushed if she’d had any real sense of self, because he was hard, so hard. But her sense of self was long, long gone, along with any sense of propriety because she reached between them and began to stroke him even as she continued to suck and lick and bite.

“Stop,” he groaned. “Stop or I’m going to forget my good intentions and fuck you up against this tree. Either that, or I’m going to come in my jeans like I’m still thirteen.”

“Zee.” His voice a quiet whisper, Niko nuzzled her neck.

The hand on the scar trembled. “It didn’t fade.”

“No.” Content, for now, to pet and cuddle, he braced his weight on one elbow, using his other hand to rub her shoulder. That hot, wicked power of hers had faded until it was little more than white noise in the back of his mind, a pleasurable lick against his senses, but nothing else.

Save for what it did to her, if this was all her Fae nature did... ?

“Why didn’t it fade?” she demanded, her voice rising.

He felt her hand fist on his chest, scented the panic swelling in her. Dipping his head to kiss her, he said, “Because somewhere inside, I didn’t want it to fade. Somewhere inside, I knew I was still yours. The claiming mark would have faded otherwise.”

Her eyes glittered, a faint golden glow at the back that had nothing to do with her Therian self and everything to do with Fae magic. That softly ethereal glow highlighted the diamond-bright sheen of tears. Although she said nothing, he knew.

Her mark was gone.

It was one of the first things he’d noticed.

Her innate rejection of his claiming on her was nothing more than he deserved.

Bitterness welled inside him, but it was directed at himself. Even knowing that though, he smothered it, cast it aside. He could do nothing to change what he’d done, but he could give her what she needed, even if for now, it was nothing more than his body.

Catching her leg, he brought it up, high over his hip, then stroked down along the delicate flesh along the back until he could reach the swollen, plump folds of her core. Dipping his fingers inside, he watched as her eyes widened, then fluttered.

“Let me,” he whispered against her lips as he aligned their bodies. Let me love you... He bit those words back, wondering if she’d ever allow him to say them, if she’d ever believe him. “Let me pleasure you, Zee. Let me show you how good it will be between us.”

Her claws pricked his shoulders as she watched him with stark, wary eyes.

But when he kissed her, she didn’t turn away.

And this time, when he pushed inside her, it was a low, hungry moan that fell from her mouth, not a pained cry. Still, even as deliciously wet as she was, Niko had to stop and pull back as her body tightened, resisting him. Her hands fisted against his chest, fingers curling into the light dusting of chest hair as she arched up, trying to follow him.

“Ni-ko... ” Her voice broke as he surged back inside, her body softening, yielding a fraction more and letting him sink deeper.

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