Page 9

I stalked the perimeter of our makeshift camp, my heightened Rodinian senses cataloging every scent, sound, and shift in the environment.

The forest was quiet but for the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures and the soft whisper of wind through the canopy.

My paws barely made a sound on the undergrowth, decades of Legion Reaper training allowing me to move like a shadow even in my natural form.

Nothing escaped my notice—not the faint tracks of some small animal heading east, nor the subtle change in air pressure that suggested rain before dawn.

But most importantly, I could sense Khaaz’s position as clearly as if we shared a neural link, his scent and energy signature as familiar to me as my own.

The moon cast dappled silver light through the trees, illuminating patches of the forest floor. I extended my claws briefly, testing the air. No predators. No threats. Just the three of us in this small corner of wilderness.

Khaaz was moving in a wider arc around us, keeping to the shadows as he did.

Despite his scars and the experimental hybridization that had been forced upon him, he moved with the same lethal grace as any pure Rodinian.

Perhaps even more so. I knew he wasn’t just standing guard—he was giving me space with Everly. Giving us time.

I finished my circuit and retreated back toward our shelter. My ears swiveled, picking up Khaaz’s soft growl of acknowledgment from somewhere in the darkness. All clear. We were safe for now.

Inside the small cave we’d claimed for the night, Everly lay curled on her side, her breathing deep and even in sleep.

My chest tightened at the sight of her. Even with dirt smudging her face and her clothes torn from our escape, she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen.

My fate mate. The one the universe had chosen for me when I’d thought such a gift impossible.

I moved to her silently, lowering my massive frame beside her sleeping form. Her long black hair had fallen across her face, and I gently brushed it back with one claw-retracted finger, careful not to wake her. She’d been through too much today. Needed rest more than anything.

The scent of her, that unique blend of human female and something else—something that called to the deepest, most primal part of me—filled my nostrils.

I inhaled deeply, letting it center me. Ground me.

The fierce protectiveness that had taken hold of me since the moment we’d shared our first unity dream swelled anew.

I would tear apart anything that threatened her.

I gathered her carefully against me, her small human form fitting perfectly against my larger Rodinian one. She stirred slightly, murmuring something unintelligible in her sleep before nestling closer, seeking my warmth. The trust in that unconscious movement nearly undid me.

As I held her, I understood why Khaaz had volunteered to take the outer perimeter tonight.

He knew what this time meant—what it could mean—for Everly and me.

Another unity dream could strengthen our bond, help her understand what we were to each other before she had to make her choice.

Before she had to decide whether to accept or reject me.

The thought of rejection sent a cold spike through my chest, but I pushed it aside.

Whatever she chose, I would honor it. Even if it meant succumbing to the deliria amoranta , the madness that claimed unmated Rodinians whose fate mates denied them.

Even if it meant being relegated to the front lines as nothing more than a berserker weapon until death finally claimed me.

She was worth it. Worth anything.

I closed my eyes, my body curving protectively around hers, and allowed myself to drift. To seek that strange between-space where fate mates could connect on a level beyond the physical. The unity dream.

It came more easily this time, like slipping into warm water. One moment I was in the cave, and the next I was somewhere else entirely—a space that existed nowhere and everywhere, created from our shared consciousness.

She was there, waiting. As if she’d been expecting me. Her eyes, those deep dark pools that had captured me from the first moment, watched me with a mixture of desire and wonder. In this space, there was no fear, no hesitation—only the raw truth of what we were to each other.

“Zehn,” she whispered, and the sound of my name on her lips sent heat racing through me.

I moved toward her slowly, savoring the anticipation.

Here, I could be whatever form would please her most. I chose something between my natural state and my Beast Battle form—tall and powerful but not so massive as to frighten her.

My spotted fur gleamed in the dreamlight, my muscles rippling with each step.

“My mate,” I rumbled, the words vibrating from my chest. “My Everly.”

When I reached her, I didn’t immediately take her in my arms as every instinct demanded. Instead, I dropped to my knees before her, looking up at her face—at the woman who held my fate in her hands.

“Let me please you,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “Let me show you what we can be together.”

Her answer was to thread her fingers through the fur at the back of my head, her small hand a brand against my scalp. Permission. Invitation.

I gripped her hips gently, claws carefully retracted, and buried my face against her stomach, inhaling her scent through the thin fabric of her shirt. She smelled of desire already, her body recognizing mine even if her conscious mind still wrestled with our connection.

With deliberate slowness, I slid my hands beneath her shirt, pushing it up to reveal inch by inch of soft skin.

Her breathing quickened as I explored her with my palms, memorizing every curve, every dip, every texture.

I lowered my head to press my lips against her navel, tasting her with my tongue, growling my approval at the salt-sweet flavor of her.

She gasped, her fingers tightening in my fur, and I felt her knees weaken. Good. I wanted her undone by pleasure. Wanted to show her how perfectly we fit together.

I eased her down until she was lying before me, her hair spread out like a dark halo.

Her eyes never left mine as I divested her of her clothing, piece by piece, revealing her to my hungry gaze.

In the unity dream, there were no scars from our escape, no bruises from our flight through the forest. Just her, perfect and whole.

When she was naked, I took a moment simply to look at her. The swell of her breasts, the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips—every part of her called to me. Mine, some primal part of me insisted. Ours, another part corrected, thinking of Khaaz.

I lowered myself between her legs, spreading her thighs with gentle but insistent pressure. She was already wet for me, her sex glistening in the dreamlight. The sight of her arousal made my cock throb painfully, but I ignored it. This wasn’t about my pleasure. Not yet.

“Zehn,” she breathed, half plea, half demand.

I answered by pressing my face between her thighs, my broad tongue taking a long, slow lap from her entrance to the sensitive bundle of nerves at her apex.

The taste of her exploded across my palate—sweet and tangy and distinctly Everly.

I groaned against her flesh, the vibrations making her arch up toward me.

I lapped at her again and again, alternating between broad strokes and pointed precision, learning what made her moan, what made her gasp, what made her fingers clench in my fur hard enough to hurt in the most delicious way.

I sealed my lips around her clit and sucked gently, feeling her thighs begin to tremble against my shoulders.

While my mouth worked her most sensitive flesh, I brought my hand up, teasing her entrance with one thick finger.

She was so wet now that it slid in easily, and I growled in approval at the way her inner walls clenched around the intrusion.

I curled my finger inside her, seeking that spot that would bring her the most pleasure.

When I found it, she cried out, her back arching off the ground.

I added a second finger, stretching her, preparing her for what was to come while continuing the relentless attention of my tongue.

Her hips began to move in small, desperate circles, seeking more pressure, more friction, more of everything I was giving her.

“Please,” she gasped, her voice breaking. “Zehn, please, I need?—”

“I know what you need,” I rumbled against her flesh. “I’ll give you everything. Everything.”

I increased the pace of my fingers, thrusting them deeper, faster, while my tongue flicked rapidly against her clit. Her breathing grew ragged, her thighs tensing on either side of my head. She was close—so close.

When her climax hit, it was with a force that made her entire body go rigid. She cried out my name, a sound that sent fire racing through my veins. I continued to lap at her, more gently now, easing her through the aftershocks, until she collapsed back, chest heaving with exertion.

But I wasn’t done with her yet. Not nearly.

I rose above her, my cock hanging heavy and ready between my legs. “Look at me,” I commanded softly, and her eyes fluttered open to meet mine. “I want you to see who’s claiming you.”

She nodded, her gaze never wavering as I positioned myself at her entrance. I rubbed the head of my cock through her slick folds, coating myself in her arousal. Then, with a slow, controlled push, I began to enter her.

The tight heat of her around me was almost enough to undo me then and there. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to go slowly, to give her time to adjust to my size. Despite her wetness, despite her earlier climax, she was still tight—deliciously, agonizingly tight.

“Fuck,” I hissed, the crude human word slipping out unintentionally. “You feel so good, Everly. So perfect around me.”