Page 25 of Finding my Shifter Soulmate

When his fingertips brush over my neck, my muscles constrict and a shiver shoots down my spine. I yank down my sundress until it's bunched around my waist, exposing my torso. I want him to take me, to make me his in every way, and I bare myself to him. Then, his lips trace a path of fire along my neck, making the most sensitive part of me even more so. He nibbles there, with a light scraping of his teeth. With a whisper, he commands, "Say my name."

"Gede," I moan, enjoying the sound of it, feeling his breath dance across my skin.

"Tell me you are mine."

"I am yours, and you are mine," I breathe.

Then, the pressure at my neck increases, as his mouth clamps down on the sensitive part of my shoulder. White-hot pain blooms in the area, exploding when his canines pierce my flesh, breaking the skin. I gasp, biting my lip at the extreme feeling, waiting for it to subside. It almost feels like a brand, as if he's marked his territory and claimed me as his own, and it's the most delicious feeling.

As his fingers scrape down my naked skin and find the tips of my breasts, the pain wanes, and pleasure returns in a rush of sensation. His hands move lower, stroking my body through the remaining clothes, which are becoming a nuisance at this point. The pain in my neck has given way to the fire of my desire.Desperate for him, for his touch, I pull his shirt over his head, wanting to feel his skin beneath my fingertips.

With a growl, Gede takes a handful of fabric and jerks my dress the rest of the way, until it's pooled on the jungle floor. And in moments, his shorts join the heap. Now, our bare flesh touches, and when his lips close around the tip of my breast, I don't stifle the moans escaping my throat. All my nerves respond to his touch.

I want him to pour into me as quickly and deeply as possible, but I want this moment to last for eternity. Crouching lower, his fingers find the heart of me, and just the lightest flutter near the sensitive nub makes my breath catch. Then, his hand moves lower to dip into my wetness, the throb between my legs mounts, and I shift slightly to give him better access.

Crying out in pleasure, I move closer as he plays and strokes, and my hips follow his movements, aching for more contact. I twine my hands around his neck, hanging onto him as he plays me like a well-known song, each note bringing a sweet melody to my lips. His fingers explore me as I close my eyes, but then he sinks to the ground, pulling me with him, until we're on the softness of the earth.

Above the canopy of trees, a black sky sparkles with bright points of light. But I focus all my attention on the light in front of me, the passion and fire in his gaze. His eyelids flutter closed just as his mouth lands on mine. His tongue dips in time with his fingers, as he works them to heighten my craving.

Our bodies are flush, arms and legs intertwined. Reaching between us, I gently touch his firm length, smoothing my fingers up and down his warm skin. Even in the dusk, I can see his pupils dilate. A slight tightening of his jaw makes me feelpowerful, and I know I'm having a similar effect on him. He moves slightly, shifting as I continue to pump and squeeze.

Then, his fingers slide away and I nearly protest, not wanting the sweetness to end. But soon, his tongue continues the dance as he works his mouth over one of my nipples and then the other. My insides melt like warm wax, becoming soft and pliant, and so, so ready. I want to shout, I want to cry out, I want the whole island to hear my elation.

Just as I fear I'm going to jump out of my skin, he rolls on top of me, fitting perfectly between my thighs. When his eyes open again, I think I'm lost in him forever, and that's exactly what I want to be. Looking up, I'm surprised at the brilliant gleam in his gaze, the flash of golden flecks in the irises. They pulse in time with the ache at my center.

"Barong," I whisper, acknowledging that this side of him is within me, connecting us. I lift my hips to welcome his erection to probe gently, not entering, but getting closer with each bump and roll. Inch by inch, I explore him until I've covered every part of him, and then I place him at the slick center of my passion.

In the shadows, his smile flashes. His fingers reach between us once more, tilting my torso, and my hips buckle, demanding he enter me. I hold my breath in anticipation, and when he complies, I press my lips together, savoring the moment as our bodies become one.

He buries himself inside, pushing into me, fully and completely. I rise to meet him, shifting my legs around him, wanting to be as close to him as I can get. The pleasure rolls, building with each penetration until I'm panting in his arms, digging my fingernails into his back. That familiar height ofintensity threatens to snap. I hold out for a moment, drawing this out, holding myself on the edge.

Then, I clench the muscles around him and let myself dive into the abyss of gratification. Rolling waves of ecstasy flow over my body. He follows, thrusting into me one more time as he comes. His voice is a deep and satisfying growl. Together, we freeze, suspended in pleasure and time, as all thoughts fade from my mind.

After a few moments, his body relaxes, and I burrow into the crook of his arm. My mark has already started to heal, but the scar it will inevitably leave behind makes me tingle with excitement. It will be a reminder for me and the world, one that shows I belong to him, and he belongs to me. Neither of us speaks. There's nothing that needs to be said. There's a thread of destiny binding us, a bond that can never be broken, a bond that time nor space will ever dissolve. The mating ritual solidified it, and now, only death can part us. And even then, I wonder if he'll take my soul with him and bring me to another world.

Chapter Seventeen – Gede

She is my mate, by design and now by choice. I'll never have another. She fills my heart in ways I couldn't have anticipated. The love I have for her is sudden and swift and as pure as anything. Making love to her was a holy act. I'm an impure creature, tainted by what I've seen and done. But something divine happened while I was entwined with her. An act of god, you could call it. Her love washes me clean, in ways I know she'll never understand given my past. I want to deserve her. And I want to protect her.

And so, as the morning light slides over the mountains, we gather once again. It seems fitting that we are here, where shifters have come for centuries, to settle matters among them. There's no fight that can't be handled in the jungle. It was on these grounds that justice has been served and war waged in the past. This is a magical place for such events. If nothing else, the energy is on our side. The spirits want us to win.

Rama's collective isn't a large one, but tigers are ferocious and formidable, to put it mildly. When they all converge on the cave, their eyes glimmer with a lack of fear for their own death. I know we have a major battle ahead. These shifters have accepted the injustice and depravity visited upon them, but have rejected peace. Instead, they seek war, and because they're willing to die, there's nothing to be bargained over. They say: only a shifter who is willing to die is worthy of victory. They believe that whatever will put them closer to death also puts them closer to glory, and the truth about these men is plain as day: every one of them is willing to die.

When Sabrina grabs my hand and squeezes it, my heart is buoyed by my mate's faith in me. My fang marks at the base of her neck are visible for everyone to see, and I'm glad of it. Even if this is our last day, even if Rama and the others prevail and kill me today, these markings say my beautiful mate chose me, and no one can take that away. I spare her one quick kiss before I send her to hide in the tunnel and shift to my Barong form.

Rama strides across the clearing and stops when he's a few feet from me. He stalks to me in his tiger body, his long strides purposeful, his intent clear. A couple of his men shift behind him, stepping forward to flank him in a wall of orange and black.

"Get out of our way, Gede," he calls to me, taking no pains to disguise the loathing in his tone. "You have no power. You have no claim. I took that from you when I removed your father from the throne."

His cruel words are calculated, meant to take the fight out of me before it's begun. My entire life, I've held back my temper, lest someone accuse me of being an untamed Barong, but the fury begins at the base of my spine and climbs up my neck, fueled by an unstoppable amount of rage.

This creature has taken everything from me. Everything. And in its place, he has seeded destruction and death, tainting everything in his path. Stalking around him, I do what I can to ignore the taunts, instead tucking them away in my memory, placing a lock on them until I am able to use the hate against him.

My wife, my little daughter, my father, and my mother. His collective did that. His reign of terror did that. I've spent fifteen years in isolation, only stepping out of my home to protect and defend my jungle thanks to him and his brutality. All thesethings, and more, swim through my mind as I stalk and circle, reminding myself that this is it. Right here, I must channel all my anger and bring it to bear.

With a thunderous roar, I stare him down, pushing the memories I have of my family to the fore. He glares back at me, his animal eyes meeting mine, his posture communicating how unconcerned he is. He's underestimating me. But his death warrant has been signed.

"You've done enough damage to our jungle, Rama, and you have to be stopped," I tell him. The breeze carries the sound to his tigers, and they murmur among themselves. A dark thrill runs through me, and I know it won't be much longer now.

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