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Our hands and tongues tangled, while our words collided in midair. The dancing candlelight became a blur, and my body burned.
And yet, despite our heady rush, everything fell perfectly into place. Our bodies lined up all by themselves, and before I knew it, I slid home. In a stranger’s bed, in a stranger’s castle, in a place far, far from my childhood manor and the abbey — and yet I’d never felt more sure of home.
She was home.
Marian moaned, clutching my back. “Yes…”
We were a perfect fit, like a sword and its sheath. I knew, because I slid back and forth, testing the tailored fit. Then Marian squeezed her inner muscles around me, and I groaned in raw need.
“Two can play at that game, you know,” I croaked, picking up the pace.
Her grin twisted in ecstasy, and she chuckled. “Oh, I know.”
The faster I moved, the harder she squeezed — the very best kind of competition we were both bound to win. Our cries grew louder, making me grateful for the thick stone walls.
“Yes…” Marian panted, raising her arms over her head.
I pinned them there and withdrew to the very tip of my shaft. Then, at a nod from Marian, I hammered back in.
Marian bucked under me, urging me on. Straining in a way that told me neither Arthur nor George had come close to bringing her to this point. Just as no woman had ever pushed me to the edge I was teetering on now, about to explode.
Then I did, and she did, and all I could do was roar. Inside. Outside. My lion side, too. Light blasted all around me, and fire raced through my veins.
My lion growled, and my fangs pushed perilously close to the surface.
“Yes,” Marian urged. “Now. Bite. Deep.”
She arched her neck, giving me space. Nothing had ever tempted me more, but something held me back. Not rules in a book or warnings from a priest, but a sense of preserving that special moment for a better time and place.
“What could be better than now?” Marian grumbled, pressing me close.
I couldn’t explain in words, so I pushed images into her mind instead. Images of peaceful places and happy people… Surroundings we could sneak away from to bond with a clear conscience, when the whole world was in harmony, not just us two.
She sighed, then slowly slumped. “You’re right.”
We held each other, still panting, still high on the magic of love. Then I closed my eyes and lay back. Marian nestled over me, her head on my shoulder, her hand on my chest. With a sigh, she circled a finger over my heart.
“A lion and a unicorn…”
I chuckled. “Maybe we’ll be memorialized on a tapestry someday.”
She laughed. “I would fill a hall with them. Every wall covered in a different scene.” Her smile lasted a moment, then slowly faded, and she whispered, “Not hunting, I mean. Only happy scenes.”
I nodded slowly, fighting to keep reality at bay. “Flowers…birds…banners flying in a breeze…”
Her chin bobbed. “Like the Garden of Eden.”
I flashed a tight smile. “Without any serpents.”
A minute passed as we clung to imaginary scenes I feared we would never see. All that time, Marian traced circles onto my chest.
“I’ve always wondered about mating bites,” she whispered a little sadly.
I held her even closer. “I would teach you everything about them in a heartbeat. But as much as I hate waiting, we’re in too much of a mess to truly enjoy it now.” Then I tried a little joke. “Besides, imagine the uproar. Get it? Up-roar?”
She rolled her eyes, but I caught the smile she hid. “Well, let them roar. A lion and a unicorn can do whatever they damn well please.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What about a priest and a noblewoman?”
