Page 30

Chapter

Thirty

Erin

S yros drifts in and out of consciousness over the next day, despite his best attempts to stay awake. He’s worried something will show up to kidnap or eat me, but we’ve been lucky so far. Aside from the Ech he fought, there’s been no sign of any other life in the forest.

That won’t last forever, but for now, I feel safe. Safe enough to wander around the cabin, picking herbs and wading through the small pool of water that wraps around the structure and connects to a small stream. The water is shallow near the cabin, and only a couple of feet at its deepest point. Surprisingly, the water is clear—almost perfectly see-through.

The scene reminds me of an ethereal painting back home, something you’d see in a fantasy book about fairies and dragons. Only, it’s real, and I get to look at it every day for the rest of forever.

A smile works its way across my face at the thought of spending the rest of my life here, and I don’t hate the idea.

Pausing at the edge of the pool, I untie the dress I made myself and let it fall to grass around my feet. Then, I step in.

Like the air kissing my skin, the water is warm, and I quickly sink down and submerge my body. It isn’t enough to swim in, but it’s perfect for me to relax into and let my mind wander.

Even after several days, my body hasn’t adjusted to my new normal. It’ll take some getting used to.

Not having to constantly worry about paying bills or getting things done is new. So is not having to update my blog or stress about my next big story. It feels like I should be doing something, a nagging feeling in my gut, but for the first time in my life I’m just existing. Existing in a world not made for me, and certainly not welcoming of me, but none of that matters.

Not when my monster is sleeping just inside.

Syros .

It isn’t the first time I’ve been in awe of everything that led us here, and I get butterflies every time I think about it. I gave up my mundane life on Earth for the chance to be with a creature from another realm.

This really is the stuff those monster romance readers pine over, and I gotta say… they’re not wrong to want that.

Once he’s healed enough to move around freely, nothing will come between us. We’ll spend all day naked in his nest, fucking and cuddling until we drift off to sleep every night. We’ll find something else to cover the doorway of the cabin—maybe I can even help him build a bonafide door. There are enough trees around to make it happen. Maybe we could venture out, as long as we’re on high alert, and he can show me more of his world. Maybe—

Movement sounds behind me and I jump, splashing water as I whip around. Syros is leaning against the doorway, watching me soak.

I slap a hand to my chest, right over my racing heart. “You scared me. You shouldn’t be up. Do you need something? I’ll get it for you.”

He shakes his head and shoves off the frame, wobbling a little as he approaches.

“No, you’ve done more than enough for me,” he says, stopping next to the pool of water.

“But you should rest—”

A growl of annoyance cuts me off. “I have rested enough. Besides, I can’t rest when I know you’re wandering outside the cabin. I…”

“Worry?” I offer, and he nods.

With a smile, I gesture next to me in the pool. “Why don’t you join me then, so you can keep an eye on me?”

He hesitates for a beat before reaching for the fabric around his middle. He undoes it, letting it fall to the ground, and my eyes snap to the bullet wound. It still looks gnarly, the skin barely knitted together and crusted over with blood, but as far as I can tell there is no sign of infection. It has to hurt like hell though.

Syros steps into the water and sinks down next to me. The water barely covers the tops of his thighs, soaking the thick fur covering them. His closeness immediately has heat sinking through me, settling between my thighs, but I shove the thought aside.

He’s recuperating; I shouldn’t be thinking about fucking his brains out right now.

“It’s actually quite pretty here,” I say, dragging my eyes away from him. “Like something out of a dark fairytale.”

He makes a noise, somewhere between a chuckle and a growl. “If only you could have seen it before the Echs destroyed everything. It was much more like your world than it is now.”

At the mention of the Echs, my stomach coils into a knot. I’ve done a lot of thinking while Syros has slept—probably way too much—and considered lots of possibilities, some more dangerous than others. But a singular thought plagues my mind, and I can’t seem to shake it.

“What if you were able to destroy the Echs?” I ask, unable to keep the question inside any longer. “Do you think your world could be saved? Would it go back to the way it was before?”

Syros’ red glowing eyes flicker like he’s blinked. “You’ve seen one of them, but there are hundreds out there. Possibly thousands. What you are suggesting, eliminating all of them… it cannot be done.”

“How do you know that?” I prod.

“Because we have tried.” His tone is flat, edging toward irritation. “We are no match for them, Erin.”

“But don’t you think you’d stand a better chance if someone on your side could see them?” I dare. “Maybe this is how you win. I can help, Syros.”

Without a word, the Grim scoops me up out of the water, spinning me around to face him as he plops me onto his lap. A shiver works its way through me at the feel of him beneath me, and I stare up into his glowing eyes with growing curiosity.

“I will not allow you to be put in harm’s way. Not for me, not for this world.” He shakes his head with finality. “A war between monsters is no place for a human.”

I sulk, but his knuckle comes up to lift my chin, and he leans forward to press his snout to my forehead. It’s his own version of a kiss, and it melts my insides.

“Fine,” I huff. “I’ll drop it.”

For now.

I don’t plan to let it go forever.

His knuckle dips lower, tracing over my shoulder, my collarbone, the swell of my breast. He teases around my nipple, and a little whine escapes my lips. His touch lights up my nerve endings and kick starts the heartbeat between my thighs.

“You are too precious to me, Erin,” he says, gently pinching my nipple between two fingers. “So beautiful, so delicious, so completely mine. ”

My thoughts cloud with lust, and I find myself nodding before I can stop it.

“I’m yours,” I mutter as he shifts beneath me, his cock pressing up against my ass.

He dips his snout lower and his tongue snakes out between his teeth, painting a lick up the column of my neck. His canines graze my skin, sending jolts of electricity through me, and my pussy throbs needily.

The few days I’ve had to go without feeling him inside me have been damn near torture, and the thought of his knot draws another whimper from my lips. He rocks his hips, the head of his cock pressing against my entrance, and his hands come around to palm my ass.

“Forever?” he asks softly, the word accompanied by a low, delicious growl.

I nod, and my eyes flutter closed. His cock presses harder against me, slowly working its way inside, and I sigh. “Forever.”

A growl rumbles in his chest as he drags my hips down and buries himself to the hilt, and I moan as his cock fills me to my limit. I expect it to feel like all the other times we’ve done this—incredibly hot and stretching me to the point of pain—but a surge of energy bursts through me this time that I’m not expecting.

It warms my chest, blurs my mind, and fills me with a foreign power I’ve never felt before.

“Syros!” I gasp as the energy swells, and I cling to him as he picks up his pace.

Sensation overwhelms my system, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trembling from the pleasure. I haven’t even come yet, but my body is tingling with aftershocks. Something inside me snaps into place, a connection that I don’t recognize but immediately understand.

Syros.

He’s there in my mind, completely consuming me as he picks up his pace, burying himself inside me again and again. Whatever has happened, it’s bonded us together. He’s in me, beneath me, around me. He consumes me, and as I gasp a breath, his dark, musky scent fills my lungs. He’s everywhere, all at once.

When I pry my eyes open again, his skull is tipped back in ecstasy, and my gaze falls to a glowing symbol emblazoned on his chest, just to the left of dead center. It’s blood red and pulses with magic, written in some ancient language I don’t recognize.

I glance down at my own chest, and find an identical mark glowing against my pale skin. My jaw drops, but I can barely focus on anything but his pounding thrusts and his knot that’s quickly swelling and pressing against me. My pussy throbs, and I grab onto one of his shoulders for balance, grinding down on him to meet every thrust. With my other hand, I reach for my clit, rubbing frantic circles around it until I catch up to the climax I’ve been chasing.

My cry echoes through the forest, and I tremble with the release. Syros comes right after, his cock twitching before he shoves me down on his knot and locks us together. Warm cum fills me as his cock twitches with the release, the sensation enough to cause another tiny orgasm.

Then, Syros is laying back in the water, clutching me to his chest. He’s so massive that the water doesn’t rise up over his sides to reach me.

“What was that?” I gasp, tentatively touching the mark on his chest. Even as I watch, the glow begins to fade and it becomes a bright white tattoo on his skin. It stands out starkly against his fur, impossible to miss. “What is this?”

“A bond mark,” he answers, his clawed hand stroking gently up my back. “An ancient magic that connects two souls, binding them together.”

My heart flutters, and I reach for him in my mind. I can feel him there, our connection nearly tangible. “What does that mean? If you knew that would happen, you could have warned me.” I poke him in the chest.

He laughs beneath me, the movement of his chest jostling me as I cling to him.

“I did not know bonds were still possible, or that they could happen between Grims and humans,” he admits, running his fingers over my damp hair. “It has been so long, centuries, since I have seen a mate bond. If it has appeared, that means the magic still lives.”

He tilts my head up to meet my gaze, and the walls of my channel flutter around him at the contact. Clearly, he’s ready for round two even though I’ve barely caught my breath.

“It means you belong to me,” he says. “And I to you, Erin.”

So like some magical marriage ceremony. Not that I’m complaining. I’ll take a bonding ceremony over a big white dress and nosey spectators any day.

“I will protect you at all costs. I will give you anything you need,” he assures me, lifting to press his snout to my cheek. His tongue dips out to caress my skin, dance over my lips. “All you have to do is ask, and it shall be yours.”

I smile, the edges of my eyes burning with tears. I blink several times to chase away the sensation.

“All I need is you, Syros. We’ll figure out the rest together.”

I can handle anything this realm throws at me, as long as I have him—my monster, my mate—by my side.

THE END