Page 42 of Ink Sworn (Greatdrakes #3 | The Fae Universe #24)

T he following day, Yelena was laid out on a work counter in Valentine's study. They had decided on a mating tattoo design quickly, and Valentine had completed his sitting in front of a mirror with Yelena chatting beside him and in utter awe of his skill.

"I've had a lot of practice tattooing myself over the years," he had reassured her, and neither of them wanted someone else doing it. This was for them alone.

Together, they had also purged the ink from Valentine's old binding sigils, leaving only the scars.

"Look at all this space I now have to work with," he said, smiling at his skin and the light dusting of dark hair over it.

It was a good day when Yelena could look at him without a shirt on. The black, red, and silver ink of his mating tattoo shone under his left pec, right over his heart.

"I'm going to need you to keep that shirt off while you tattoo me," Yelena said, wriggling on the counter. "I want something nice to distract me. "

Valentine's eyes shone with magic and lust. "Trust me, you're going to be distracted. I've never felt anything like this before."

"The magic is already working, even though mine isn't done?" she asked, staring at the design.

"Oh, it's working. Now, I'm going to need you to stay still so I can concentrate. Having you all laid out for me like this is distracting enough," he replied, running one hand over her thigh.

He had given her one of his warm, burgundy-red robes to wear, and if it weren't for the need for them to be mated driving them, Yelena was sure he would have pounced on her as soon as she put it on.

He liked her not only in his clothes but also in the color of his magic. It was good information to file away.

"I will be perfectly still and well-behaved," she promised and opened the sides of the robe over her pale stomach.

Valentine bent his head to kiss it before getting his pen to sketch the design. It was a shock to find that he had been drawing her dragon for weeks, but when he opened his journal for her, there she was.

Seeing the drawings, being in his tower, and the Greatdrakes house had finally settled the voice of doubt inside of Yelena that said she didn't belong to him.

It was the first time she had been somewhere in both worlds where a sense of home had washed over her.

She was a Greatdrakes, and now they were going to make it official.

Valentine drew her dragon first, the marker tickling her stomach with every stroke.

Their design was a circle, so she wanted it tattooed around her belly button.

One side was her dragon, the other side his, with knotwork designs linking them together like an ouroboros.

Separate dragons, but whole together, which matched them perfectly.

Valentine hadn't started tattooing yet, and Yelena could already feel the soft hum of their magic in their design. He set out his inks in neat rows and picked up his tattooing gun.

"You ready, baby girl?" he asked.

"To be yours forever? Fuck, yes. But kiss me first," she said.

He leaned down, a lock of his dark hair falling in front of his face, and pressed his lips to hers.

It was slow and sweet, like they had all been since they had come home.

They had been so tired from the battle and magic, being slow and sweet was called for, and it had felt just right.

Valentine's tongue teased against hers, and she nipped his bottom lip in warning.

"Stop teasing me. Magic first, sex later," she growled.

Valentine's grin was infectious. "Right you are."

The first prick of the needles made Yelena jump, and then the endorphins hit, and she relaxed with a happy sigh, lost in the pleasure and pain of it.

She could understand why he had so many now if they always felt so good.

Valentine kept working, his eyes never leaving her skin.

The magic began to flow from him into the gun, and Yelena's toes curled.

"Ohhhh," she breathed out. Now she knew what he had meant about his already working. "That feels…"

"I know , Yelena. I can barely focus right now," Valentine grumbled.

His tattoo was pulsing with the scarlet aura of his power, and Yelena bit the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes.

She couldn't look at him while all these feelings pulsed through her.

Her inner eye opened, and she could see the magic working.

The mating instinct that her dragon side had always insisted on was a living thing between them.

Her tattoo was mirroring, amplifying, and combining with his all at the same time.

Yelena tried to slow her breathing as her pussy clenched, arousal burning hot through her.

Valentine's spare hand stroked her thigh. "Keep breathing, Yelena. Don't tense or it will make the tattoo hurt more. "

"This… How did you act so calm when you were doing yours?" she demanded, opening her eyes to glare at him.

"Clearly, you weren't paying attention," Valentine said, gesturing to the hard outline of his dick in his pants.

Yelena's mouth watered. "You need to get this tattoo done."

Valentine groaned and shook himself. "I'm halfway. At least we know the bond is working, right?"

"Right," Yelena said, her voice breaking. She breathed in and out and stared at the ceiling because watching Valentine was making her even worse.

Valentine got back to work, and she did her best not to clench any parts of her body. Her nipples were hard, and her breasts ached. She tried to think about cold mountain winds and plunging into the ice-covered lakes. Her pussy throbbed, wetness dampening the insides of her thighs.

"Fuck, baby girl, my dragon is losing it over the smell of you," Valentine said through gritted teeth.

"I can't help it," she almost sobbed.

Valentine's spare hand slid under the edge of her robe, caressing her skin.

Her legs opened without a thought, needing him to touch her to relieve the pulsing heat of magic and desire.

His tattooing hand stayed steady, his eyes on the work.

Somehow, that concentration made her hotter and wetter.

The hand on her thigh touched her soaked slit, making her whimper.

"Stay still," he growled, and the alpha in his voice made her obey.

Yelena settled again and lost time as his fingers stroked and teased their way through her soft folds and over her clit. It took all her willpower not to move an inch. Her hands balled into fists as Valentine made her bite back every tremor, moan, and plea.

"You're doing so well for me, baby girl," he said, and she almost came at the approval in his voice. "We are almost done. "

Yelena couldn't reply. Her soul, her body, her heart—everything was on fire.

Magic was pulsing all around them as the mating bond wove them together, a little bit by little bit.

She tried counting backward from a thousand and kept losing track of the numbers.

She had never been good at numbers anyway.

"A few more strokes," Valentine said, his voice dark silk. The hand between her thighs moved to press two fingers inside of her. Yelena couldn't bite back her moans as he did indeed give her a few deep strokes.

"Oh, fuck, you're killing me," she sobbed, her legs trembling with the effort not to lift her hips.

"No. I'm claiming my baby girl," Valentine growled. His gun touched her skin two times, and the completion of the bond hit Yelena like a lightning bolt. Her pussy gripped his fingers, and her orgasm tore her apart. She was barely aware of the cloth dabbing the blood and ink from her skin.

"Look at me, Yelena," Valentine commanded, and she opened her tear-filled eyes. He moved around her, grabbed her ankle with his free hand, and dragged her to the edge of the counter. He shoved his loose black pants down, freeing his dick with a hiss like even the fabric’s light brush hurt him.

"Open that robe. Let me see you," he said, eyes glowing scarlet. Her fingers trembled as they fumbled with the tie, and the side of the robes opened. "There she is. There's my mate. Now you can move and scream as much as you need."

Valentine leaned down and licked her pussy, his fingers inside of her beginning to move. Yelena's hands dug into his hair, needing to touch him.

"Val…please. Stop teasing. I need…" she stammered.

"I know what my mate needs." Valentine kissed her mound before sliding his fingers free and licking over the tender tattoo.

Yelena's nails scraped over his sides as she pulled him to her mouth. She could taste her desire for him, ink and blood and magic and all the things that screamed, Valentine . He pulled her hips down, his dick sliding home inside her in a hard thrust that had her crying out.

"Gods, Yelena, I can't believe you're finally mine," Valentine said, pounding into her.

Yelena lifted her hips to meet him, needing to work off the urgency and the agony of needing him so badly. She would never get enough of him.

"I love you so much," she said, staring up into his scarlet eyes. Valentine kissed her, stealing the words right off her lips. The look in his eyes said more than words ever could.

"My mate," he panted.

"My mate," she replied, her fingers in his hair and her heart in his hands. "Come with me, Val. I'm so close."

"Me too," he whispered. "Want more…"

Yelenaturned her head to the side, submitting to the dragon in him.

Valentine's teeth sank into her, magic and love exploded through them, and they came together as the final piece of the mating bond fell into place.

Yelena, who had always felt like she was rejected from the day she was born, finally found where she belonged. The inner cold she had always held on to protect herself melted away under the heat of her mate's love washing over her.

"I'm a Greatdrakes," she whispered.

"Now and forever." Valentine brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her. "We are going to need to build you a tower."