Page 136 of Daisy

Bond her. Now. Claim her.

My mouth hovers over the spot where Dante's mark sits, where mine should go. Where it needs to go. But I can't move. Can't breathe.

This is it. This is everything. And what if I fuck it up?

"Cassian?" Her voice is soft, questioning, and I realize I've gone completely still.

My knot throbs inside her, my body screaming to finish what we started, but terror locks my jaw. This perfect thing we have. What if I ruin it?

"Can't mess this up," I whisper against her throat, voice barely there. "Too perfect. You're too..."

"What?" Her hands come up to frame my face, forcing me to look at her. "Too what?"

"Good." The word breaks out of me. "This is too good. Don't know how to..." I trail off, shaking.

Through our connection with August, I feel his emotions flood in. Love. Pride. Certainty. He's been waiting for this moment, believing in it when I couldn't.

"You won't mess it up," Daisy whispers, her eyes fierce. "You couldn't. August sees who you really are. I see it too. You're not someone who ruins good things."

"But what if?—"

"No." Her voice gets stronger, more sure. "What if you trust me? What if you trust this?" Her hands stroke my face, gentle but certain. "I'm choosing you. Right now. I choose you always."

Her hips shift slightly, and we both groan at the sensation. My knot pulses, still hard, still desperate.

Through my bond with August, I feel his love washing over me. His absolute certainty that this is right. That I'm right for her.

Something finally breaks loose in my chest. The fear doesn't disappear, but it gets smaller. Manageable.

"She's choosing you, Cass," August says softly. "Let her."

Daisy's hands slide into my hair, gentle but insistent. "I choose you," she whispers. "Scared, messy, perfect you. I want... please bond me. Make me yours."

"Mine," I growl, finally giving in to what we both need. "You're mine."

I bite down on the junction of her neck and shoulder, right beside Dante's mark. The taste of her skin on my tongue makes my whole world explode. Sweet and honeysuckle…fuck, it's addictive.

The bond slams into me. Her emotions flood through the connection. Love and pleasure and overwhelming trust. But underneath it all, I feel something else. Something that makes my throat go tight.

Safety. She feels safe with me.

This woman who was terrified of me a month ago now feels completely safe in my arms. Protected. Cherished. It fucking wrecks me.

Through the new bond, I can feel everything she's feeling. Her pleasure as I stay locked inside her. Her awe at the connection forming between us. Her love. Not just heat-driven need, but real love.

And through my bond with August, I feel his reaction to our new connection. Pack. Family. Same thing now.

"I can feel him," Daisy whispers against my ear, wonder in her voice. "I can feel August through you. His love for us both. This is what he wanted, isn't it? All three of us connected."

"He's been hoping for this," I tell her, licking at the mark I've left on her throat. My hand rubs gentle circles on her back. "Dreaming of it. He loves you as much as I do."

I shift slightly to get more comfortable, and she winces. Panic floods through me again.

"Fuck, sorry. Is it too much?" I ask, searching her face.

"No," she breathes, her eyes soft. "I feel so full, but it's a blissful hurt. I love it."

Her fingers trace over the scars on my chest, gentle and loving. When she finds the jagged one over my heart, she presses a soft kiss to it.