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I feel her. Not just the physical, the clench of her core, the arch of her spine, the tremble in her thighs. I feel her through the bond, the golden thread pulled taut between us, her pleasure bleeding into mine until I can't tell where she ends and I begin. Every nerve she fires, I fire. Every spike of heat that rolls through her rolls through me.

Her pussy clenches harder. Tighter. She's close, I can feel it building in both of us, the coil winding at the base of my spine, her walls starting to flutter in that rhythm I know from three lifetimes of this.

"Darian..." My name on her lips, broken, wrecked.

I thrust deep and stay there, grinding against her, thumb pressing her clit in slow circles while I kiss the sapphire mark one more time.

She shatters. Her whole body locks, back bowing, a sound ripping from her throat that isn't human. I feel the orgasm tear through her through the bond, white hot, blinding, and it drags me over the edge with her. I spill into her, cock pulsing, hips jerking, my forehead pressed against the back of her neck where the moon mark sits warm and glowing beneath my skin.

The water runs. Steam fills the room. We stay there, tangled, shaking, her palms still flat against the tile and my arms wrapped around her waist like I can hold her together through sheer force.

The sapphire pulses once, soft, blue, against my lips.

I don't know what it means yet. He's quiet now, satisfied, curled deep in my chest with the single word rolling through him like a heartbeat.

Ours.

I shut off the water and lift Arlene into my arms before she can step out.

She laughs and loops her arms around my neck. “I can walk.”

“I know.”

I carry her anyway.

Steam follows us into the bathroom. I sit her on the counter long enough to grab a towel, then dry her myself. My hands move slowly over her arms, her back, her stomach, down her legs. Familiar sparks follow every touch. Apple and cinnamon surround me, mixed with the scent of her arousal.

My wolf rumbles deep inside me. Mine.

"Ours."

Arlene watches me as I finish drying her. I wrap the towel around her, slide one arm beneath her knees, and lift her again.

“You really aren't letting me walk.”

“No.”

“Darian.”

I tighten my hold. She laughs softly and kisses my jaw.

“Okay.”

I carry her into our bedroom and lower her onto the mattress. The second I start to straighten, her arms tighten around my neck. I climb into bed with her and pull her against my chest. The blanket comes over us as Arlene settles into me, one leg tangled with mine and her head beneath my chin.

I run my hand along her back. Sparks dance beneath my fingertips. My fingers slide into her damp hair and find the new mark behind her neck.

Arlene moans against my chest.

I stop. Then I grin.

Whatever this mark is, it's like an aphrodisiac for my mate.

My wolf perks up immediately. Touch again.

"I was already planning to."

I run my thumb over the sapphire blue gem. Arlene's fingers tighten against my chest as another moan slips from her.