Page 186 of Cruelly Bitten

And she would dictate if I ever stepped down, too.

“Every decision will be ours, not mine,” I went on. “I won’t sacrifice your safety again.” I cupped her cheek. “And if you want me to turn you, I will. Just say the words, Ismerelda, and I’ll stop whatever I’m doing to fulfill your wishes. Because while I may become their king, I will always serve you first, not them.”

Her light-colored eyelashes fluttered, her cheeks pink from the heat of the shower. Or perhaps she was blushing from my words.

Regardless, they appeared to be the right ones to voice because she kissed me again, this time with a little more pressure.

I waited a beat before deepening our embrace, my desire to feel her tongue against mine a stark need I couldn’t ignore. Not with her breasts pressing into my chest and the hints of need floating through her thoughts.

Her lips instantly parted for me, her nails finding my shoulders as she pulled me closer.

I palmed her lower back, closing the final gaps between us, and fisted her hair with my opposite hand.

Our embrace felt desperate. Overwhelmed.Intentional. Like we were meeting for the first time, yet saying goodbye to one another as well.

It was twisted and dark and utterly intoxicating.

I wanted more.So much more.

But my connection to Ismerelda’s thoughts grounded my instincts. She needed this kiss, this subtle promise of a new beginning.

And I fully intended to deliver.

I pressed her up against the tiled wall, my throbbing cock nestled against her belly as I devoured her with my mouth. It served as a promise of what we could be, how my dominance would always exist between us, but she was the one truly in charge of our fate.

One word from her and I’d stop. One thought and I’d back off.

She was mine to fuck, but also mine to cherish. And I could do both.Woulddo both.

I’d bow to her every need, including the one where she’d asked me to lead. I’d do whatever it took to earn her love, to rekindle this fire between our souls, to be a man she could spend eternity with.

She’d experienced a thousand years with someone who’d treated her as fragile, making every decision for her, and inevitably leaving her to fend for herself during the darkest time of her life.

That man hadn’t prepared her to survive. He’d prepared her to rely on others.

But the swan he’d left behind had been reborn into a lioness. A queen.My intended mate.

And I’d evolved into the man she needed to stand beside her, not in front of her.

I would never mistake her for a breakable toy. I’d always see her as my equal. Intelligent. Strong-willed. Tenacious.

This woman was my ideal everything.

Just as I would prove to her I was her perfect match as well.

Starting with this kiss.

I engraved every promise, every intention, into her mouth with my tongue. Mastering her with my prowess while softening to her will.

She moaned, her supple form pressing into mine as her nails dug into my skin.

I let her cling to me as I devoured her.

Then I sliced my own tongue and fed her my blood, the offering meant to be a sealing of my vows to her. An example of who I would be by her side.

I would bleed for her, not the other way around.

She accepted my essence with a tentative swallow, her thoughts instantly on guard as she suspected I was emboldening her so I could ravage her.