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Dropping my head back to meet his gaze, I took his mouth, sweeping my tongue through and tangling with his. He kissed me right back, and with a big inhale, I finally, at long last, gave over to the euphoria threatening to destroy my soul, and let go.

Maybe it was because we were mate-bonded. Maybe it was because I’d never had sex with someone I was also in love with. Or maybe it was all of that and the fact that Zandren was just really freaking good in bed, but the orgasm that hit me like a runaway train made the journey through the portal where my entire being was shattered into a million pieces, feel like nothing but child’s play.

However, unlike that portal jump where it all hurt, this soul shatter felt incredible.

Wave after wave of perfect, pure bliss raced through my body, starting between my legs and surging outward, up to my hairline and down to my toes.

Zandren broke our kiss with a loud growl and latched onto my shoulder with his teeth. I could feel his canine’s puncturing the skin. The pain was nothing compared to the pleasure that followed. The intensity, the pressure, the feelingof being absolutely consumed.

Still holding onto my shoulder with his mouth, he stilled, grunted, then let out a long, low groan as his cock began to pulse inside of me, filling me up just like he promised.

Hot puffs of air from his nose hit my neck as he let his orgasm unravel while marking me.

My own climax was still going, my pussy throbbing as my clit seemed to have a heart rate of its own. My knuckles ached from how hard I gripped the bed frame, and the stars that flashed behind my closed eyelids made it seem like I was watching a fireworks display at midnight.

Every time another pulse of pleasure surged through me, the place on my shoulder where Zandren was biting throbbed in the most pleasant way. It was like a new erogenous zone was forming at this very moment. New synapses were connecting, new neurons firing.

The final shudder of Zandren’s release prompted the waning of mine to begin. It took forever—not that I was complaining—the tremors were less intense, but still very welcomed. Finally, at long last, I was able to unclench my knuckles and release the bed frame, leaning back to gauge my mate.

He was careful unlocking his jaw and removing his teeth from my left shoulder. I was eager to see his mark. Would it be there forever? Would the scars just fade but never disappear? I wanted to wear his bite like the badge of honor that it was. Another symbol of our connection, of our bond.

Sweeping his tongue across the puncture marks, he kissed it a few times until I could see. Even then, it was hard to look at given the angle. So I reached for the trusty hand mirror to get a look at his handy work.

The bite mark was massive.

It was as if his mouth had shifted into a bear’s mouth, given the size. Puncture marks covered my upper bicep, part of my shoulder blade, and the top of my chest. There was a slight ache there, but nothing compared to how good it felt to not only have Zandren inside of me, but to wear his mark.

“It will fade a bit,” he said, almost sheepishly. “I may have gotten a little carried away.”

I brushed my right hand across the puncture marks. Some of them were deep. There was no blood though. He’d either sealed them already, or somehow managed not to break the skin.

“I don’t want them to fade,” I said, meeting his gaze. “They’re from you. I want the whole world to see them.”

His cock twitched inside of me. “I expected to love my mate,” he said softly. “I never expected to be this obsessed with them.”

That made me smile. “Ditto.” Then I had to laugh. “Actually, not ditto. Since I never knew I had Fated Mates. So all of this is very new to me. But as far as mates go, I’m really glad you’re mine.” I snuggled in against his chest, his cock still safe inside of me, already growing hard again. “Can we just sleep like this?”

Trailing fingers up my back, he kissed the top of my head. “We can sleep however you want to, Little One. I’m happy and comfortable as long as I have you.”

I sighed and buried myself deeper into his embrace, already halfway to sleep. “Ditto, Pooh Bear. Ditto.”

CHAPTER NINE

Maxar

They were two doors down, and yet I still heard them.

Sure, she was mate-bonded with the bear, and Fated Mates with all three of us, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a little jealous that she chose to spend the night with him.

Now that I’d had a taste of my queen, I was addicted and craving more.

And it wasn’t just about the sex either. I simply wanted to be with her. To be near her. To hold her. To talk to her. I wanted to get to know her and for her to get to know me. I rarely opened up to people, and yet, Omaera made it so easy for me to spill my guts. She knew about my parents, and yet she didn’t judge me for it, unlike some people.

I was on the Mage Council’s watch list because of my parents. For centuries, they kept their eyes on me, just in case I decided to be the apple that stuck close to the tree and embraced dark magic like my parents.

It sucked that they didn’t trust me, but at the same time, I understood it. It just prompted me to keep my nose clean and make sure the Council knew I wasn’t a threat. Though, the shame I lived with over what my parents did was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow for eternity.

Maybe now that I was the Queen’s consort, the Council would trust me.Then again, maybe now that I was the Queen’s consort, that just gave the Mage Council even more reason to spy on me. The Council was an unpredictable lot of cranky old mages who thought they were better than everyone and knew better than everyone. I’d only ever met them once—when I was four, and they interrogated me for days after they took down my parents—and I had no desire to ever meet them again.