Page 20 of Ink Sworn (Greatdrakes #3 | The Fae Universe #24)

T he light, stinging buzz of the tattoo gun sent shivers all over Yelena's skin. Valentine had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, showing off his own tattoos on his strong forearms.

Yelena had nowhere else to look but at him, and she unashamedly admired the elegantly shaped hands and ink-stained fingers. There was a slight crease in his brow, and faint lines around his eyes. The tips of her fingers itched to stroke his nose, his cheeks, his lips.

She really wanted to taste those lips. The bite on her neck throbbed, and she tightened her thighs at the arousal building between them.

She needed to control her increasingly filthy thoughts.

The intensity of them was surprising and would have been unnerving if she hadn't also been so aroused that she could barely think straight.

Valentine shifted her arm and kept working. If he noticed her close study of him, he didn't show it. There was a slight haze of scarlet around him like an aura .

"I can feel the magic tying together. It's working, Valentine," she said, wetting her dry lips.

"I learned some new techniques when I stayed with the elves over midsummer," he replied, not looking away from his work. "Their ink shamans are amazing. They create beautiful designs for their mates."

"I know. I've seen Layla's. They are lovely." Yelena ignored the dragon in her chanting 'mate' every time she so much as looked at Valentine. She was distracted enough. She needed to steer the subject away from mates altogether. "Tell me about your adventures in France? How is Apollo?"

"Ridiculous, now that he and Lachie have finally admitted their feelings for each other. At least Bas and Bridget keep all their gross stuff telepathic. Apollo is like a cat that got into the cream," Valentine replied, but Yelena could tell he was happy for them.

She sat as still as she could as he worked and talked about everything that had happened with the alchemist blood mages who had been kidnapping and experimenting on creatures. It was despicable.

Yelena found the human world a combination of great wonder and cruelty. Faerie could be as bad, but there was something about the cold science that repelled her.

"I'm glad you rescued all of those prisoners. I wonder where the griffon came from? I have never seen one of those," Yelena said once he had finished.

"It's living with Killian and Bron at his castle here in Faerie.

They didn't want to keep something as rare as that in the human world.

A lot of the prisoners are in bad shape, but they can at least talk about it.

The griffon can't, so it's best it's in an environment where it can fly and be free as it needs to be," Valentine replied.

"If you like, once this business with Midir is over, I can take you to see it. "

Yelena's stomach flipped. "I would really like that."

"Then I'll make it happen." Valentine's neck was a little pink, and it surprised Yelena that he would be shy about asking her.

She knew he didn't let anyone close to him, and she would have to tread carefully to make sure she didn't accidentally say the wrong thing and push him away.

She was done pretending she didn't want to be with him, but the aggressive side of her possessiveness needed to be tempered.

"You look worried all of a sudden. Do you need a break?" Valentine asked, glancing up at her.

Yelena shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm not worried. Just thinking."

"About?"

"Magic," she lied.

Valentine raised a brow but went back to tattooing. "Sure you were."

Yelena drank some of her water, and it did nothing to cool her insides. "I was thinking about the feeling of your magic on my skin. I like it."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "I like my magic on your skin, too. I'm about to add in your bits to this sigil. I'll try not to mess it up."

"I trust you," she replied.

Valentine's neck went red again, and he said softly, "Thank you."

Yelena felt the magic in the air charge and shift.

A silvery thread of power rose out of Valentine's hand, and it wove its way over the gun and down to touch the needles.

They both sucked in a surprised breath as their magics danced and sang, making the sigil on her arm glow with scarlet and silver light.

"It's working. Don't stop," Yelena whispered.

The power was coursing through her arm, up her shoulder to the bite on her neck. It circled around it, making it throb like another heartbeat. Yelena whimpered, her eyes fluttering shut. The threads of power climbed higher, making the back of her neck tingle before fanning out over her head.

"You still with me, Yelena?" Valentine asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes. Don't stop. I feel it inside of me, Val. It's...connecting. It's in my skull, dancing about. Is it almost done?"

"Five more lines," he said, and dipped his needles into the ink. "Don't pass out on me."

"I won't," she replied dreamily. "You feel so good inside of me, deep under my skin."

"Fucking hell," Valentine cursed softly.

"Don't get distracted. It's almost there."

"Then you really need to stop talking because I need all the blood I can get in my brain right now," he said.

Yelena pressed her lips together to keep herself from giggling. Valentine muttered something under his breath, and the needles touched her skin again.

Yelena kept her outer eyes closed, her inner eyes open to try and focus on the magic building connections like artificial nerves.

Her heart was beating too fast, her body flooding with endorphins, and the intimacy of having a part of Valentine moving about inside of her.

Her body wasn't rejecting it. It was welcoming it, and her eyes pricked with tears because she knew what it meant.

My mate. The dragon had been right all along.

It was the only explanation for why his magic could live in harmony with hers. It was because he belonged there with her. Her other half in magic and heart. She sniffed back her tears, breath shuddering out of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned .

"I'm fine. It's just... The magic is beautiful," she replied. It was the truth, but not the whole truth.

Valentine wiped her arm down with a damp cloth. "Open your eyes, Yelena. We are done."

Yelena wiped away a few unshed tears with the back of her other hand. She looked down at the tattoo covering the stump of her wrist. It was in red and black lines, and it was perfect.

"How does it feel?" Valentine asked, still looking worried.

"Good. Amazing. I can feel the magic running out of it and through me. Everything is flowing the way we thought it would," she reassured him. She smiled, anticipation building in her. "Go get the hand, Valentine."

Valentine did as she asked, stretching out his long back and shoulders. The back of his shirt rose to show off a patch of skin, and her mouth watered.

Magic first, magic first , she told her raging desire.

"It might be wise to let the tattoo settle..." he began, but then wisely shut his mouth. "Sorry."

"Apology accepted," Yelena said and smiled brightly at him. "If the hand works, then I can use magic to heal whatever hasn't already."

"Good point." Valentine crouched back down and held the hand out to her like a glove. "Ready when you are."

Yelena could already feel the hum of it before he slid the cool metal onto her arm. "It fits perfectly."

"I may have taken your measurements when you were still asleep," Valentine said, without an ounce of shame. "Now comes the binding part. It's probably going to hurt."

"I'm ready," she replied, lifting her chin.

Valentine began to move his hands. Yelena recognized the movements as a variation of the ones she had taught him.

The silver around her wrist went warm, and the edges turned to liquid.

They slid higher up her forearm like fine roots.

Yelena's teeth clenched as the roots pierced her skin like a thousand needles.

"Keep going," she ground out, sweat picking her forehead. The roots of the hand connected to the threads of power already inside of her. Magic, her magic, rushed through all the connections, and the engravings on the hand glowed with light.

Yelena laughed, high off the power, and wriggled her fingers. The hand responded, and pale silvery light danced at her fingertips.

"Holy shit, it's working," Valentine said and began to laugh with her. It wasn't bitter or flirtatious like his other laughs had been. This was pure delight infused with the love of magic. "Do something else?"

Blood and desire pounded through Yelena's body, and with the barest of thoughts, she raised her hands.

Silvery chains burst free from her palms and wrapped about Valentine before he could react.

Yelena got to her feet and raised her silver hand, the chains lifting Valentine to hover in front of her.

His smile was a dark and wicked thing. "What now, baby girl?"

Yelena's silver hand grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him closer, and pressed her mouth to his.

Valentine's lips were soft and tasted sweet from the wine.

Yelena moaned as his tongue flicked against hers and the taste of his magic filled her mouth.

Her whole body was shaking as her lips brushed against his over and over.

She could have spent the rest of the night just doing that, but there were other parts of her body demanding attention.

She needed to touch him like she needed to breathe.

Yelena's hand slid up his neck and into his hair. She tugged, forcing his head back .

"Magic is over," she whispered against his lips, violent lust surging through her so hard it made her dizzy.

Valentine's eyes burned with scarlet fire. "I guess that makes it time for sex."