Page 20 of Wraith’s Betrayal

"Don't." She pulled back just enough to speak. "Don't treat me like I'm fragile. Not now. Not after that."

"Raven—"

"You protected me." Her hands found the hem of my shirt, tugging upward. "You bled for me. Fought for me. Now I need you to claim me."

The shirt came off, her hands immediately finding the bruises Derek had managed to land in his pathetic attempts at defense. Her touch was reverent, tracing each mark like they were medals of honor.

"He hurt you."

"Worth it." I caught her hands, holding them against my chest so she could feel my heartbeat. "I'd take a thousand times worse to keep you safe."

"I know." She rose on her toes, mouth finding mine again. "That's why I love you."

The words hung between us, massive and irreversible.

"Say it again."

"I love you, Wraith Cooper. Loved you from that first moment in the clubhouse. Loved you through two weeks of torture. Love you covered in blood from defending me."

"I love you too." The admission ripped from somewhere deep, some place I'd locked away after Emma died. "Loved you before I knew I was allowed to. Will love you even if Blade kills me for it."

"He won't kill you." She smiled, slow and certain. "He might hurt you. But he won't kill what makes me happy."

I lifted her, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her to my bedroom. This was it—the line we couldn't uncross. Once we did this, everything changed.

"No more running," she whispered against my mouth. "No more fighting this."

"No more," I agreed, laying her on my bed.

What followed was raw and hungry. Every wall we’d built between us cracked beneath the crush of mouths and the scrape of desperate hands. I dragged her closer, tasting the soft whimper against my lips, swallowing it down as if I could make her part of me.

I mapped every curve I’d dreamed about, my palms greedy as they cupped her breasts, thumbing her nipples until they pebbled against my skin. Her gasp broke into a moan when I trailed kisses down her throat, over the swell of her chest, and lower still. She was already slick, heat and want spilling over my fingers before I even touched her with my mouth. The moment my tongue found her, her back bowed, a strangled cry tearing from her throat. I held her hips steady, licking and sucking until her thighs trembled around my shoulders.

“Please,” she begged, voice hoarse, nails digging into my scalp. “I need you inside me.”

I tore myself away reluctantly, crawling back up her body, covering her in kisses until our mouths met again. Her nails raked down my back, leaving trails of fire that only made me harder.

When I finally pushed into her, the sound she made undid me. A broken cry, her body tightening around me like she’d been waiting forever. I buried myself to the hilt, shuddering at the wet heat that clamped around me, her hips rising to take me deeper.

Her hand darted to the nightstand. She grabbed my dog tags, yanking the chain over her head so it swung between her breasts, glinting in the dim light.

“Mine,” she whispered, voice raw, eyes locked on mine.

“Yours,” I growled, snapping my hips into hers, pounding the promise into her with every thrust.

I set a hard rhythm, driving her into the mattress, the headboard rattling with the force of it. Sweat slicked our skin, her breasts sliding against my chest, the tags jingling in time with each snap of my hips. She wrapped her legs around me, heels biting into the backs of my thighs, urging me deeper.

“God, yes—don’t stop,” she gasped, nails clawing across my shoulders.

I slowed, grinding into her, teasing, drawing out a desperate whimper. Then I pulled almost all the way out before slamming back in, hard enough to make her cry out. Her body convulsed around me, her inner walls clutching tight. I knew she was close, could feel the way her breaths hitched, her whole body straining toward release.

“Say it,” I demanded against her mouth. “Whose are you?”

“Yours,” she sobbed, shattering beneath me. She clenched hard, her cries breaking on my name, and I lost it right after her. I drove into her one last time, spilling inside her with a curse, surrendering every ounce of control I’d been holding onto.

We collapsed together, panting, sweat cooling on our skin. My tags rested between her breasts, damp and shining, while her fingers traced patterns over the hair on my chest. I tangled my fingers in her hair, pulling her close, unwilling to let the world intrude on the only peace I’d known in years.

"What happens now?" she asked eventually.