Demons (Darkness #4)(17)

Pain heaved, trying to rip free from the casing he’d stored it in all these years. “I can’t protect you, Sasha,” he admitted. “I let them die. I should’ve been there. I was old enough to help. I was already orange by then—orange magic would’ve helped.”

Something inside him broke. His inadequacy of that day raged to the surface, merging with the inadequacy from three days ago.

He didn’t know how he’d continue if he lost her. She’d become the most important thing in his life. He would give up everything for her—his clan, his life—everything. And even though every fiber of his person recoiled at the thought of sharing her, if it kept her alive through his failings, then it was worth the torture of knowing another male had a claim on her. He would make sure she lived at all costs; he had no one else but her.

He dug his face into the sweet-smelling skin of her neck and let it all go. Clutching onto her like a lifeline, he purged the fears of losing her, the loneliness of all those years, the desolation after hearing the news spilling out in childlike sobs.

For a wonder, she held on to him. Instead of sneering in disgust at his vulnerability—something the majority of the females in his clan would’ve done—she held onto him fiercely, as if she was protecting him from his past. As if she was trying to ward away the memories with the warmth of her body.

The lid ripped off their link, her unconditional love and support bleeding through and filling him up. Her worry for him, her devotion no matter what, soaked into his soul. He was ripping at her clothes before he knew what he was doing, stripping off her pants as she yanked at his. Her lips smashed down on his, hot and needy. He ripped off her panties and clutched her hips, pulling her onto his erection, sinking all the way in. Her moan of delight matched his. So tight, so hot, squeezing him in ecstasy.

“I love you,” she whispered, swiveling her h*ps on top of him. His girth slid within her wetness. “You and me, Stefan. I don’t need anyone else. I know you’ll protect me. When it comes to surviving, I put my faith in you.”

Magic whipped around them. He squeezed her tight and held on, thrusting into her savagely, needing her reassurance. Needing her body to back up her words.

They pushed harder and faster, her body crashing down on his manhood. She bent to his neck and bit, hard, her teeth ripping his flesh. He exalted in it, liking the brutality. Loving her fierceness.

The draw pulled through the core of him, directly from his balls. He thrust harder into her, his body slapping against hers.

“Take mine,” she murmured, her lips once again on his. “Reinforce the mark, Stefan. Make me yours again. Only yours.”

He took her to the ground, his body held tightly within hers. He opened a small cut on her pulse and fastened his lips around it. Her nails dug into his back as he tasted her life’s blood, spicy sweet, like her smell. Like her personality. The decadence of her aroma tickled his nose. Her hot sex gripped him.

His world fell over. Out of control and loving it, he pumped harder, his lips against her throat, releasing the special secretion that marked his female as permanently his. He felt her magic pooling around him, her special way of doing the same thing. Mate was a title, marriage was a certificate—what they were doing was a merging of their souls—irreversible.

The deep tingling started at the base of his balls and worked through the base of his shaft. Sasha was moaning, her eyes fluttering, on the edge. He pushed harder, the friction of her body consuming him. As they neared the edge, right on the cliff, he took one more deep draw from her neck.

“Oh my holy Lord!” she screamed, her body shuddering, her sex clenching his dick.

He exploded. Emptying into her in a hard gush. He collapsed on top of her, utterly and completely spent.

“Crap,” she said, panting. “That was the best yet.”

“Uncle.”

“What?”

“That’s what you always say when we spar and you want out of the various hold I’ve got you in. Uncle.”

“Oh. There is no way I am carrying you.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Wimp.”

He climbed off and hauled her up. “I take it you didn’t take his blood.”

Her gaze burned hot with anger. “Don’t you ever give your permission for something like that again. You talk to me about that stuff. If there’s something wrong, we’ll figure it out. If I need to link with someone else, then we’ll come to that conclusion together, and we’ll hold hands and bear it together. You don’t leave me out to dry because you’re feeling insecure and vulnerable. Not unless you want a foot up your ass!”

He laughed as he brushed off her back. He loved when she got riled up. “Understood.”

“He tried to guilt-trip me. Tried to use you to get me to do it.”

“If I thought it was a political maneuver, I wouldn’t have let them. But they were worried. No one could help you when I didn’t. Sasha, my head isn’t on straight. I lost myself to fear.” He gritted his teeth, hating to admit this weakness to the one female that he didn’t want any weakness with.

Her rage melted into quiet support. She slipped her arm around his back. “I know. And it’s okay.”

“I’m worried I’ll do it again. I hate the word ‘worried,’ and yet I’m worried you’ll need me and I won’t be able to clear away the fog. Especially if that…”