Page 111 of Bite

Say it.

I bite my lip, swallowing the moan that threatens to break free. “I’m yours,” I choke.

He ruts into me harder, the rhythm losing all pretense of control. I’m so close–so fucking close– that it takes everything not to collapse. He’s right there with me, his own need a fever pitch that pours through the bond, flooding my senses with white-hot hunger.

Come for me, he orders, the command a spike of pleasure in my brain.

And I do.

I come so hard I nearly black out, stars bursting behind my eyes as every muscle in my body tenses, then lets go. James buries himself deep, following me right over the edge. The world constricts to a single point of contact– our bodies, locked together and on display.

We stay like that for a long moment, the party below fading to white noise. Eventually, he pulls out and tucks himself back into his slacks, tugging the back of my dress down to cover me.Then he draws me back against his chest, wrapping his arms snugly around my waist.

“Did you enjoy that,mea dulcis?” he murmurs, brushing a kiss to my temple.

I laugh, breathless and dazed. “Clearly. Did you?”

He nips my earlobe. “Immensely.”

We linger on the balcony, watching the crowd thin and just soaking up the moment. I feel untouchable– high on adrenaline, sex, and the simple, astonishing fact of my survival. This is my world now. These are my people. This is my monster, and I am his.

James rests his chin on my shoulder, eyes fixed on the threads of dawn creeping at the horizon through the windows. “You’re not afraid anymore,” he says.

“No,” I agree. “I’m not.”

He kisses the side of my neck, soft and reverent. “Good. I want you fearless. You’ve stepped into your power,regina mea.”

My queen. That’s what he told me it means in Latin, and I basically melted into a puddle when he did.

We stand together in the dying light, and for the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I’m trespassing in someone else’s story. I belong here; to him. I’m not just surviving in danger, I’m thriving. And the night is over, but our story isn’t.

It’s only just beginning, and we’ve got forever to go.