Page 14 of Make Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #1)

KASHA

T he moment the door clicks shut behind us, and Talon begins carrying me toward my room, it feels as though something inside me finally stops unraveling.

Like I’ve spent years clawing at the edges of my own skin, trying to remember how it feels to be alive.

Now, I don’t have to remember. I just have to feel.

And I do. I feel everything .

His touch, his need, my need, the tether between us humming with heat and promise and something sacred.

I know this isn’t just about lust. It’s not just about the mate bond or some supernatural urgency pulsing within our veins.

It’s about choosing.

When Talon first told me I was his mate, I was terrified. Not because of him, specifically, but because if that were true, why wasn’t I feeling the connection? I’d thought I was broken, nothing more than damaged goods with no hope of true happiness in my future .

Now, my wolf fills me with a confidence I thought I’d never experience so intently. Sure, I’ve faked it for long enough that people assumed I was a badass, but physical strength and magical talents are nothing compared to being whole.

And with her forgiveness and power pulsing through me, I can finally focus on the bond I share with Talon. I’m not only desperate to claim him, I know with absolute certainty that he’s exactly who I needed to find.

Only I couldn’t do so without finding myself first.

Now that I have, and not only know, but also believe, that being a half-fae, half-wolf shifter is nothing short of fascinating, I can bring my focus fully back to my mate.

I wiggle out of his arms and grip the front of his black slacks, tugging him closer as his hands roam my bare thighs, touching me with a need that practically melts me from the inside out. He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile. He holds me like I’m unbreakable yet priceless.

He peels the borrowed shirt from my body slowly, eyes raking over every inch of exposed skin like he’s worshipping me. And it’s so intense, so honest , that I can barely breathe.

Once we’ve shed our clothes, he helps me onto the tall four-poster bed. By the time my back hits the mattress, I’m trembling.

“Talon,” I whisper, fingers tangled in his hair as he leans over me, his mouth trailing down my jaw then over the column of my throat. “Gods, I need this. I need you. ”

His lips pause just over my racing pulse. “You have me,” he says, his voice low, wrecked. “Every part of me was yours the moment you grabbed me at the bar. ”

The intensity in his eyes burns me nearly as much as his touch does, and his fingers are blazing a trail between my breasts and over my stomach. He stops just short of where I want him most, making me buck with need, trying to get him closer.

“Don’t tease me tonight,” I practically plead, and I’m not at all ashamed.

“I was just making sure you’re really ready for this.” His hand slips lower, his thumb pressing over my clit as he grins. “And I think I have my answer.”

Hell, I could have told him that, but before I can, he positions himself between my legs and thrusts forward. Slow at first, but then I raise my hips, meeting him with a desire I can no longer control nor do I want to.

His eyes pinch closed, and the veins on his neck bulge. “Fuck, Kasha.”

I know exactly what he means.

My entire body ignites, my flesh pebbling and core tightening to new levels. He seems frozen in place, though, and I need movement.

I grab his shoulders and push him onto his back, managing to straddle him without ever breaking contact. My hips roll forward, and I see stars. I dig my nails into his chest and groan as I let my head drop back, letting go of any remnants of the tension I’ve been living with.

Talon reaches up and grabs a fistful of my hair as I ride him at my own pace, taking the pleasure I’ve been seeking. The bite of pain only serves to enhance the tingles coursing through me and has my body moving quicker.

“Gods, Talon.” My moans fill the room like a litany, but the sound fades into nothing the second I look down and meet his eyes.

They’re glowing so vividly blue that they’re almost celestial, as if they’re being lit from within by something godly and unyielding.

“Mine,” he growls, his voice ragged with need, but more than that, with certainty.

The bond doesn’t just spark—it erupts . A wildfire racing through my chest, searing away every scar, every wall, every inch of doubt I’ve clung to. It wraps around my heart, coils through my ribs, and anchors itself in a place I thought had long gone numb.

My breath hitches as the truth of it crashes through me. This isn’t just passion. It’s what it feels like to be seen, claimed, and chosen by something bigger than either of us.

It’s fate .

And for the first time in years, I’m not reaching for something I can’t quite touch. I’m being held together, bound in magic and emotion and devotion that says I’ll never be alone again.

As the bond claims both of us, Talon flips us again, holding me close before his hands begin mapping my skin as though marking the way home.

His gaze finds mine, piercing through every defense I might have left. “I’m never going to let you go.”

That promise doesn’t just land in my chest. It sinks in deep, etched into the darkest part of me like a sacred brand. And when he moves again, slowly at first, deliberate and sure, it feels like every stroke speaks to something eternal. A rhythm not just of desire, but a future worth fighting for.

We cling to each other, and with every second that passes, the connection we share tightens around my heart until pieces of me begin to feel as though they’re starting to splinter.

I tense, worried something isn’t right, but Talon pulls back, brushing the hair from my face. “Let me in, Kasha.”

And this time, I don’t hesitate.

I let myself break, but not in the way I feared before.

Every shard of my soul is cast out and recreated into something whole. I allow the bond to consume me, let the light of it thread through the hollow places I once thought too broken to heal.

Within seconds, where every fissure used to be, there’s only Talon. His essence, his loyalty, and our bond.

My mate.

The rumble that comes from his chest vibrates his whole body, sending me teetering over the edge of my orgasm, but before I can completely fall, his canines extend, and he lowers his head toward my neck.

The bite.

Anytime I’ve heard about shifters biting one another to mark or complete their bond, I’d been repulsed. The idea always sounded barbaric. But here and now, with Talon’s mouth moving over my throat, his breath hot and reverent, the thought isn’t horrifying at all.

It’s intoxicating.

His teeth graze the tender place where my pulse thrums just beneath the surface, and instead of recoiling, I arch into him, my body begging for the contact. I tilt my head, baring my neck with instinctual surrender.

The bite comes swiftly, a sharp, claiming pressure that breaks through skin and logic alike. A gasp escapes me, caught somewhere between pain and euphoria, and then…

Everything changes.

Power surges through me like lightning seeking the ground. The bond floods every inch of my body, every shadow of my soul. My heart stutters then races, not from exertion but from the overwhelming weight of belonging .

Talon’s tongue sweeps over the mark he’s left—soothing and sealing—making me shudder from the sheer, staggering intimacy of it all.

My body goes still, breathless under the power of the magic threading between us, and I think it’s over until my wolf stirs.

She’s not cautious or timid. She crashes through me, all wonder and molten hunger. Her presence rises in my mind like a roar, and I know what needs to be done.

Not just for the bond, but for her.

I allow my teeth to elongate and don’t bother quieting the growl that builds within me. I lift my head, and Talon willingly gives me his neck as I grab hold of him.

With an ease I don’t expect, I place my lips to his skin and bite. His blood drips into my mouth, and I swallow his essence before pulling back, wiping my thumb over the marks that will now brand him as mine for the rest of our lives .

“Kasha.” His voice is tight with tension that also lines his face as he starts to rock above me again.

My fingers dig into his shoulders. “Give me everything you’ve got.”

And he does.

I’m back at the edge within minutes, taking all he has to give, and this time, when I fall, I shatter into a thousand pieces. But more than that, when I come back together, I’m no longer alone.

Talon is there, staring down at me with devotion in his heady gaze.

I know right then that nothing will ever be able to break me again.