Page 18 of Into the Dawn (The Arcadians #4)

Ronan’s resolve to wait weakened the moment he felt the intensity of her need blast through their bond. What she was experiencing was completely unfamiliar, but he wouldn’t let her wander into the unknown alone.

The connection between true mates was undeniably strong. He knew that from what he’d learned from his friends, so he was better prepared to experience the mating pull that would inextricably draw them together. But experiencing it firsthand was something entirely different.

Since meeting her, he’d felt the magnetic pull of their bond.

While she had been healing, he had tried to get used to the intensity of the emotions coursing through him.

But that was difficult since every fiber of his being was attuned to her presence.

He’d been prepared to wait for her to be ready, but the all-consuming need he felt from her was not something even he could deny.

Kylie was human, so she had no frame of reference for how overwhelming the mating pull would feel.

She was completely unprepared for the whirlwind of sensations that were bombarding her now.

The sheer force of their connection was taking over her senses, leaving her feeling desperate and terrified.

Through their bond, he could feel her jumbled emotions as if they were his own, and the depth of her need resonated within him, amplifying his own desires.

“Ronan, I need—”

“I know, mate. I will give you what you need,” he promised.

With her long red hair fanned out on the pillow and her face flushed with passion, she looked like a goddess, hauntingly beautiful, and almost too perfect to be real. Her pale skin was luminous, and her green eyes seemed brighter than they had been the night before.

Seeing that confused him.

Their blood bond shouldn’t have changed her so much, not without them completing the bonding ritual and going through the conversion. Unless something in the magical tonic had sped up that process somehow. Deciding he would have to figure that out later, he finally gave up on holding back.

She needed him, and he needed her.

That was all that mattered for now.

Leaning down, he kissed her again, slow at first, then fusing their mouths together in a scorching kiss.

He felt a jolt of electricity spark through his veins, igniting a firestorm within him.

When her nails dug into his shoulders, he reveled at the slight sting it caused.

He kissed her with a desperation that bordered on insanity, trying to be careful not to prick her with his fangs.

When he felt another spike of heat surge through her, he immediately wanted to claim her and give her what she needed. But he couldn’t rush things. He was too big to take her unprepared, and he refused to hurt her.

But he could ease her suffering a little.

“Relax, Kylie. Let me get you ready,” he said through their bond, not wanting to break their kiss.

“I can’t. I can’t control it. Help me,” she pleaded. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel like I’m in heat or something.”

Using his knees, he shoved her legs wider and settled his big body between them. Reaching down, he slowly lifted her nightgown until he could slip his hand between her parted thighs. He growled in satisfaction when he found her delicate folds slick with her desire for him, but it wasn’t enough.

He wanted her completely undone.

Ronan drank down her gasp as he gently slid one finger into her pussy.

Her tight muscles fought him at first, but she gradually welcomed him in.

When she writhed beneath him, he pressed his body more firmly against hers to hold her in place.

He wanted to own her, to claim every inch of her until she would never be free of him.

But first, he had to prepare her.

Sliding his finger in and out of her tight, hot hole, he stoked the fire burning within her.

Adding another finger to the first, he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

When her body began to shake from a quick, hard release, he continued stroking her until she relaxed again.

He reluctantly slid his fingers out of her and pulled his mouth away from hers.

He shifted lower, pressing kisses down the long column of her throat and had to fight the urge to bite her again.

He wanted the taste of her blood on his tongue again, but that could wait.

When he moved toward her breasts, she grabbed hold of his wrist, trying to stop him.

He knew she wanted to kiss him again, but he had other plans.

Keeping his eyes on hers, he sucked her nipple into his mouth through the thin fabric of her nightgown.

He wanted to see her reaction and wasn’t disappointed.

Her face was flush from pleasure, and her lush lips were parted as she panted for breath.

Her back arched as he continued to tease the sensitive tip, then he moved over to the other breast to give it the same treatment.

Offended by the barrier between them, he extended a claw and tore through the thin material.

“Holy shit!”

He glanced up and saw her eyes widen with surprise. Thankfully, there was no fear in her gaze. Lifting his hand between hers, she studied his claw in fascinated wonder. When he retracted the claw, he smiled at her gasp of delight.

“I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Does it frighten you?”

“Strangely, no.” She let out a baffled laugh. “I know you won’t hurt me, so there’s no need to be afraid. I was just surprised.”

Keeping his eyes on hers, he used both hands to tear the rest of the nightgown in half, baring her glorious body to his adoring gaze.

Even in the dark, he could see her cheeks flush with heat.

He didn’t give her much time to be embarrassed.

Shifting lower, he settled himself between her parted thighs, pushed back his long hair, then blew his cool breath along her heated center.

Her legs automatically tried to close, but he held her in place with ease. Soothing her, he stroked his fingers over the soft hair guarding her mound. Arcadians didn’t have body hair, so he was fascinated by hers.

Lowering his head, he swiped his tongue over the seam of her pussy.

Instantly addicted to the taste of her, he wanted more.

He flicked his tongue playfully over her distended clit, and the low moan that escaped her parted lips thrilled him.

He immediately repeated his actions over and over again until her legs began to quiver.

Swirling his tongue over her clit, he worked two long fingers into her tight pussy.

His fingers moved in and out of her, slowly at first, then a little faster.

He worked her open for him as he continued to flick his tongue against her clit.

When her juices coated his fingers, he pulled them out of her to lick them clean.

Growling at the taste of her, he decided to go straight to the source.

Burying his face against her pussy, he shoved his tongue deep, lapping at the sweet cream spilling from her tight, hot hole.

Her hips began rocking against him, silently begging for more.

Sliding his hands under her ass, he lifted her hips toward him, giving her exactly what she wanted.

“Do you feel that, my sweet little mate? Do you feel how much I enjoy the taste of you? Your tight little pussy is almost ready to take my cock. Come for me. Come for me again and feed me your sweet cream.”

Not giving her a chance to deny him, he sucked hard on her clit and increased the speed of his thrusting fingers. When her climax struck, a sob tore from her throat. Before she could recover, he moved over her, covering her body with his.

He wished he had some trela oil available to help ease her open for him, but her body seemed to be responding to him well enough without it.

He would just have to take things slow and make sure he didn’t hurt her.

He used his claws to tear the sweatpants from his body, then he positioned the large head of his cock against the entrance of her pussy and began to push.

Kylie let out a loud moan as he began to penetrate her.

She felt a slight burn as her muscles stretched to accommodate his invading shaft.

He was so big that she worried she might not be able to take him.

Still, the intense hunger burning inside of her needed to be fed.

She desperately wanted him inside her. She needed him to quench the fire burning within her that was now raging out of control.

“Ronan…” she panted out.

“You can take me,” he swore. “You were made for me, as I was made for you. Let me in, mate. Let me give you the pleasure we both desire. We will take it slow.”

Trusting him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to claim his lips in another kiss to distract herself from the discomfort.

That actually seemed to work as she took more of him inside her.

His long hair fell around them like a curtain, making the moment feel even more intimate.

She anchored her foot around the back of his knee as he began working his thick shaft into her inch by inch, pausing to give her time to adjust.

Reaching down, she wrapped her hand around the part of his thick shaft that hadn’t entered her yet.

She wasn’t sure if she should be really impressed or alarmed by how damn big he was.

He was so thick that her fingers couldn’t even wrap fully around the circumference of his shaft.

She already felt full of him, so it almost seemed impossible that the rest of him would fit inside of her.

Sweat broke out on his skin as he struggled to keep still, and she felt his struggle to be patient through their bond. Felt the desperate need rippling through him that he chose to ignore because her care and comfort came first to him.

Moving her hand, she stroked her fingers over her clit to help ease his entry. She tried to force her body to relax as he sank deeper into her tight channel. Thankfully, her tight muscles seemed willing to comply. Her body melted around him, welcoming him in as if he belonged inside of her.

Well, she guessed he did.

He was her fated mate, destined to be hers forever.

“Aye, I am,” he confirmed through their bond. “I am yours, as you are mine.”

When he sank all the way inside of her, he paused to let her body adjust to being filled by him.

After a few heartbeats, she wiggled against him in a silent signal that she was ready for him to take her, but he still didn’t move.

Deciding to be proactive, she lifted her hips, working herself up and down his cock in short movements.

That seemed to snap him out of his stillness.

He took over, kissing her hard as he started thrusting his cock in and out of her using a slow, measured rhythm. She tried to pull his large body down onto top of her but he stubbornly kept most of his weight off of her.

“I do not want to crush you.”

“You won’t. I want to feel you on me. In me. All over me.”

Giving her what she wanted, he lowered himself until his body was pressed against her smaller frame.

Instead of feeling smothered like he feared, she felt protected by his much larger body.

When he began moving faster, she lost herself in the pleasure he was giving her.

Her entire body tingled, and the fire within her burned white-hot.

He began thrusting harder and faster, working her closer to another orgasm.

When his mouth moved down to her neck, she moaned when his tongue stroked over the area where he had bitten her earlier. The feel of his lips and tongue against her neck made her shiver, and when he sank his fangs into her flesh again, she screamed as a brutal climax tore through her.

Her entire body shook and shuddered as waves of pure pleasure reverberated throughout her system.

There was something sinfully erotic about having him feed from her while his cock continued to move within her.

Before she could recover, another intense climax shot through her, this time making her body stiffen.

He let out a low growl as her release triggered his own. Surprise shot through her when he ground his hips against her and his cock began to swell. She felt the base of his cock expanding and moaned when she felt the hard, hot jets of his semen filling her.

“You are mine, Kylie,” he snarled. “My mate. My love. Mine forever.”

“And you are mine, Ronan.”

As soon as he released her neck, she turned her head and bit him hard enough to draw a few drops of blood.

She felt him shudder as she licked at the wound, then she collapsed beneath him when all her energy suddenly disappeared, leaving her feeling completely drained.

With her arms and legs splayed out on the bed, she felt like an awkward starfish, but she didn’t have the energy to move.

“Kylie? Mate?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. Even on the brink of passing out, she smiled. “Better than fine.” She paused, then asked, “Does your…umm, does your dick always swell when you come?”

“Aye. I am guessing that is not something human males do?”

“No, it’s not.” She wheezed out a laugh, then hissed in a sharp breath when her pussy clench around his swollen cock. “I’m not complaining. It was just a surprise. Though, I might pass out before we get free of each other.”

“You still need to drink the last of the tonic before you go back to sleep.”

Her smile turned to a frown. “Don’t want to.”

“You must,” he countered, sounding amused.

She squeaked in surprise when he rolled them over so she was draped over him like a living blanket. Then, he sat up, holding her firmly on his lap. Changing positions with his cock still locked inside of her made her pussy clench around him, sending aftershocks of pleasure zinging through her.

She groaned when he stretched his arm out for the flask on the bedside table, but she allowed him to feed her the rest of the magical tonic without protest. While she wasn’t looking forward to this last round of healing pain, she was glad it was almost over.

“Rest now, my love. I will be with you while you complete the healing process. I will not allow you to suffer alone.”

They were fully merged now, bonded as the true mates they were meant to be. Now that their lives were forever intertwined, that meant she would never be alone again.

“Nay, mate. You are no longer alone,” he said softly before kissing her forehead. “I will always be with you from now on. So will Dominic.”

With the soft murmur of his promise echoing in her mind, she closed her eyes as she rested her head against him and allowed herself to drift into sleep.