AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before I knew what was happening, his tongue tangled with mine. His arms tightened around me, his body pressing closer. I could feel the heat radiating from him, and it only served to fan the flames of desire burning within me.
When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard, our foreheads resting against each other’s.
“Aria,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I don’t know what this is, maybe it’s the mate bond, but I can’t deny it any longer.”
“Mate bond?” I asked and for a moment, a bit of a sheepish expression crossed over his face.
He sighed, his hand still resting on the back of my neck. “It’s a connection that forms between two souls destined to betogether. It’s something ancient, something that goes beyond mere attraction or affection. For dragons, it’s a powerful bond, one that binds us to our mate for life.”
I felt my heart skip a beat. “You think we have that bond?”
Hades nodded slowly, his eyes searching mine. “I felt it the moment I first saw you.”
I tried to process his words, my mind whirling over the possibilities of what he was saying might mean. “But why me? How could I be your mate?”
He stroked my cheek gently, his touch sending fiery tendrils of pleasure straight to my core. “I don’t know why fate chose you, Aria, but it has.”
The weight of his words settled over me, a mix of awe and fear. “So, what does this mean for us?”
“It means that we are bound together for the rest of our lives,” Hades said softly.
“Why are you being so forthcoming with me?”
“Because you’re in my head, little thief, and despite everything I’ve done to try to prevent it, I can’t seem to stop it,” he said quietly.
I sat in silence for a moment, absorbing his words. The reality of the idea of the mate bond settled over me like a heavy blanket. I should have hated it, hated the fact that fate had bound me to the Dark King, to a man who ruled a realm of shadows.
But the truth was I didn’t.
As I sat there, my thoughts drifted back to the moments we had shared. Hades had been more than kind to me, in his ownway. His actions were not those of a tyrant, but of someone who longed for connection, for something else, perhaps even love.
Maybe, just maybe it was me he longed for.
My heart panged with emotion, and I tried to push it down. I was letting myself get swept up in all that was him and I turned back to face him. His eyes bore into mine with a blazing heat.
The intensity of his gaze made my breath catch. It was as if he could see right through me, past my defenses and into the depths of my soul. I felt exposed, vulnerable, but there was no malice in his eyes, only a raw, unfiltered desire.
“I should have punished you for breaking out of the bedroom without permission. Those passageways aren’t safe for you,” he said softly.
“Maybe you should have,” I retorted, not really certain where that spark of courage had come from, but my core pulsed with desire anyway. He cocked his head, studying me with that soulful gaze that now seemed to glimmer with a sense of aroused amusement.
Before I could react, his lips were on mine again, kissing me hungrily. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I pressed myself against him. The kiss was a blur of lips and tongues, his hands roaming over my body, his grip tight and possessive.
I moaned softly, desire pooling in my belly, the aching throb between my legs growing stronger with each passing second. He traced his fingers up the length of my arm as his other hand curled around the back of my neck.
Roughly, he turned me back around and unlaced the back of my dress, loosening the stays bit by bit until he wrenched it open. Ina rush, he wrapped his hands around my waist and bodily lifted me out of the dress. It fell to the ground beneath us.
He lifted his shirt up and over his head and tossed it aside beside my gown and I got a good look at him. His muscular chest and abs were a work of art. His skin was smooth, his muscles perfectly defined. I took him all in, the way his hips flared and the thick, impressive bulge underneath his pants.
He reached down and unbuckled his belt, slowly pulling the end of the strap through the buckle and slipped it free. Then he folded it in two before letting it hang by his side.
“Come here,” he demanded, reaching out toward me. I hesitated, staring at the belt, and then meeting his eyes. There was no anger there, however, simply raw, unwavering heat.
I wasn’t afraid. I wanted to go to him.
Gulping, I stepped forward and allowed him to take my hand, feeling a wave of arousal wash over me. His skin was warm and his grip firm, sending a thrill of excitement through me that had my core tied up in knots.
He lifted his foot and placed it on a large rock beside him. In a flurry of movement, he yanked me up and over his thigh. I shrieked, suddenly balanced precariously over his leg. He was so tall that neither my hands nor my feet could reach the ground.
