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Sitting on a velvet blanket in the shade of a willowface palm, Fara lifted the goblet and finished her wine. “There isn’t enough of this to wash away last night’s events.”

Teague walked behind her, on his way to fetch the platter of fresh island fruits, and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. Tingling spread from her scalp down her body. It was amazing what this male could do with such a small gesture. The maddening bond awakened when he’d painted her in runes shivered through her and everything else fell by the wayside—all her trepidation, the ridiculous nature of this relationship, the fact that he was Unseelie. She was his. He was hers. It was that simple, and the bond was stronger than anything she’d felt toward another person in her entire life.

“Not sure you’ve thought this far since you’re a male, but how exactly do you plan to get us home? You haven’t changed your mind? It is very cold there most months. I’ve seen bears. Wolves. And of course, the dragons can be deadly if you don’t watch your manners. But you are coming to live with me at Dragon Tail Peak, yes? ”

He sat beside her, eyes glittering with amusement though she was being quite serious. “If they’ll have me,” he said.

“You heard Commander Marius. He’ll talk the others into it. You’ve single-handedly wiped out the entire pirate population.”

“They will respawn.”

“Yes, yes, but it will take a while, and I bet your sea monster friends won’t mind taking a few more down now and then.”

“That magic has faded now,” Teague said, “but I will try to hope as you do.”

“My friend Tahlia taught me to be optimistic.”

“A rider can’t be that naive, can she?”

“Only with great willpower.” Fara smiled and bit into a pink and pale yellow fruit the locals called hfnaptra . Juice burst in her mouth and a subtly sweet taste rose from the soft texture. She moaned and took another bite before she realized he was staring at her, his lips parted and his eyes on fire.

“I’ll have to bring one of those to bed with us,” he said.

She laughed. “Please do.”

He bit his thumb and blood beaded like a tiny jewel on his gray skin. “Do you trust me?”

“Unfortunately, I do.”

“It’s the Seer’s Heart bond. Hold out your hand.”

“More runes? Who are we casting an illusion over now? A roaming wolf? A bear? I confess I was hoping for a pleasantly boring day, Teague.”

He settled himself on top of her and she leaned back, savoring the feel of her true mate all around her. His thigh pushed its way between her legs and he pressed himself against her. She ran her fingers over his hair—he’d braided only part of his thick tresses.

“You left some for me to enjoy,” she whispered into his neck.

His throat bobbed and his cock twitched against her center, making her lips part as heat washed through her. His big, masculine body appeared quite primed and ready.

“You did seem to like twisting my hair between your lovely fingers,” he said quietly as he dusted sand from her temple.

She indulged herself and looped a blue-black tendril over her knuckles. “Like silk.”

“I’ll brag about that to my friends when we visit. I’m sure they’ll be very impressed.”

Fara pinched his arm. Drawing her dress’s neckline down, he kissed his way over one breast and then the other. Delight echoed over her skin. Under the attention of his forked tongue, her nipples hardened. He slid his hand low, under the dress she’d bought at the market they’d found two small islands over. His hot hand gave her a wonderful chill as he kissed her mouth again. His tasting of her grew rougher until he was sucking on her lips and tongue like he was pulling honey from a comb. His low purrs sent thrills along her body and she wriggled against him. The friction sent a deep throb of sensation through her and she gasped.

His hand went higher up her bare leg until the tips of his claws found the convenient slit between the legs of her undershorts. Quivering, she looked up at him.

“But your claws…”

He grinned and kissed her nose. “Don’t worry, my heart. I know what I’m doing and your pleasure is my top priority. I would never hurt you. It would be worse than injuring myself because of our bond and because I simply adore you.”

Sighing, she let her head fall back and tried to relax. His finger curled and his knuckles kneaded her warmth until she was desperate for more.

“Can we?”

He licked the lobe of her ear as he worked his way farther inside her body. “Can we what?”

“Oh, you know what. Stop teasing me.”

His knuckles and the tongue at her ear had her trembling on the very edge of release.

“But teasing is my favorite part.”

She glared at him even as she shook. “I bet claiming me in full will feel even better.”

Eyes shining like the sun on a sword, he pulled off his clothing in harried movements. He climbed on top of her in full, only a fraction of his weight on his elbows. His cock pressed against her center and she ground her hips against him. Her tension unwound and pleasure ricocheted around every inch of her body.

“Gods, yes…”

He moved slowly, letting her enjoy every last bit of her climax. Then he put her arms around the back of his neck, rucked her dress up fully, ripped her drawers away, and set himself against her entrance.

“There is more teasing I plan to do to you, but since you have awoken the more feral side of this Unseelie, I must claim you now in body.”

Easing his way with gentle pushes, he kept his eyes on hers. “Tell me how you’re feeling.”

Her face felt flushed and her body was molten. She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into the lines and curves of him. For an answer, she rolled her hips encouragingly.

“How do you think?”

His eyes fluttered and he groaned, entering her fully. “You’re exactly right for me.”

The fullness of him sent tremors down her legs and through her core. She was already close to climaxing again.

“How…” She could barely speak as he went in to the hilt. “Teague…” The desire humming through her was insistent and pounding like her pulse. Longing to experience every bit of this that she could, she reached through the bunches of fabric and her leg to feel the spot where his body met hers. His stones were hot and she heard herself growl.

“I guess I’m a bit feral for you, too,” she said. She bit his shoulder. From the stories she’d read, she knew Unseelie were rougher in their mating.

His hand went to her throat and he placed his forefinger claw against her pulse point. He was shaking now too and only shifting slightly inside her. Gods, he was so large. It felt amazing. And they both held one another in a dangerous way, a way in which each was in some way so vulnerable. A rush of knowledge ran across her mind. Trust. That was this feeling.

“Still all right?” he asked, his voice husky.

The bond beat like a third heart between them—hot, tingling, powerful.

“Yes. Claim me, Teague. You are my heart as well.”

He pulled back and she gasped. Then he drove forward again and again, starting slowly and building to a chaotic pace. His jaw was loose and his eyes were like that of a wild animal. She clung to him and matched his fervor. A knot of pleasure grew heavier deep inside her and then she was soaring, splintering, shimmering in a haze of absolute completion. Not only was there pleasure in her body—her soul was renewed and anchored. She felt safer than ever. More right than ever.

Teague halted and shook, his warmth releasing inside her and his lips on her forehead, his claw still at her throat as his hips shuddered between her thighs.

“I love you so much, Fara of the Shrouded Mountains, Healer of Dragon Tail Peak.”

He held her close and she cuddled into his big arms. The sun poured its golden rays over them and she smiled into his strange Unseelie skin. His hands found hers and cupped them gently at her stomach.

“I love you, too, Teague of the Night Realm and Captain of Nothing.”

He laughed into her hair and kissed her ear, her neck, and the crown of her head. “I will never deserve you, but I would like to try.”

“You better or my dragon-rider friends will annihilate you.”

He pretended to shudder in fear, chuckling.

“Now, you still haven’t answered my question,” she said. “How are we getting back? Not sure you remember, but we said farewell to all of my dragon-riding friends this morning.”

The corner of his lips lifted and a dimple showed in his left cheek. “I have one last Unseelie trick to show you.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come. I can’t perform this magic under this tree cover.”

She looked up at the palm’s branches. They were easily eight feet high. “I?—”

He tugged her farther onto the beach’s powdery, golden sand. Releasing her, he stepped backward from her ten paces until the surf lapped at his bare feet.

He smiled, showing his Unseelie fangs in full glory, and then he burst into a plume of glittering black and plum-colored magic.

Teague was gone, and in his place, was an eagle roughly the size of Ragewing.

Her hands fisted. She fought the urge to run. His feathers were a deep and lustrous brown and his curved beak held a golden hue that changed as he tilted his head to look at her with one massive, black eye.

“You’re a shapeshifter. Of course, you are.” She felt like she was dreaming. Or having a nightmare, maybe. This wasn’t real. “All Unseelie have an animal form. At least, that’s what I was taught. But hearing it from one’s tutor doesn’t do this justice. You’re magnificent.”

She ran to him and he lowered his wing. Taking the cue, she clambered onto his back.

“I’m no dragon rider. I don’t know if I can handle this.”

He shook his feathered head as if to say yes, you can, silly. And then he took off.

This was magic. Love, belonging, someone to watch over her forever, and mysteries that would unfold during their life together.