I sighed a little too loud.
“Hey,” he said, lifting me up and turning me around. I had a sudden bout of Déjà vu as I was drawn into his burning gaze. A few stray strands of raven hair feathered down in front of his flawless face. His strong arms held me tight. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“I know something is wrong. I can feel it.”
“There’s nothing wrong. I’ve just been feeling really tired and achy lately.” That was the truth.
“It’s what happens before your transformation. It sucks the energy out of you, but once you’re transformed, you will feel reborn. Rejuvenated. You won’t have to worry about feeling sick or tired, unless you are wounded. But you will have me to fix you.” His arm tightened around me. “God, you’re so beautiful. I can’t wait until we seal the bond and you are mine forever.”
He held my back and laid me down facing him. He laid over me, propped up on his arms, not touching me. Then, I slowly felt the weight of his body from my feet, to my thighs, to my stomach, and all the way until he was pressed tight against me.
His eyes never left mine, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t pull mine away from his. Our bodies fit perfectly and it sent an intoxicating high rushing from my head to toes. It was a feeling I couldn’t deny and was too hard to pull away from. I was frozen under his spell. His crimson eyes burned bright a few inches from me.
“Ethon,” I breathed.
“Don’t worry. We won’t cross the line, but I want to give you some of my energy.” He closed his eyes, and then I saw the familiar smoke tendril from the edges. When he opened them they were bright. He then placed his hands on either side of my forehead. As soon as the heat touched me, I gasped, and he pressed his mouth to mine.
At that moment, I was whisked away. I closed my eyes and let the overwhelming sensations take over. It was the most unbelievable feeling. Me and him. Face to face. Body to body. All I wanted was to feel his bare skin against mine.
The bond was pulling us together, trying to make us seal the deal.
Just as I felt our souls reaching out, trying to connect, he pulled away. His eyes were closed tight, but when he opened them, they had dimmed back to normal.
I was breathless, my mind and body in a state of complete calm.
“You look so much better now. Hopefully what I gave you will help you through the next few days. Of course, we might have to do it again. But I don’t mind,” he smirked.
I’d never felt this close to him and my body took over. Wrapping my legs around him, I rolled him to his back, so I was lying on top of him. I then pressed my lips to his, making him groan.
“Thank you,” I said. “I do feel much better.”
“His smile returned and he wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me snug into his chest. “My energy is yours. All you have to do is let me take care of you.”
I assessed myself and I did feel a lot better. The overwhelming exhaustion had lifted and I felt enlivened. His touch was magic, just as Kade’s potion was.
His finger lifted to my chin and held it, while his eyes held a question.
“What?” I asked.
“Do you love me, Emma?” Ethon questioned, searching for an answer.
I quickly responded. “Why would you ask me such a question? Love is such a broad word, and overrated. Love is something that shouldn’t be spoken of too often, unless you truly, deeply mean it. It should never be thrown around, but should be something felt. You know… action is better than words.”
“So… do you?” His brow furrowed.
I stared at him and giggled. He was so damn persistent. I didn’t want to answer him because right now I knew the bond was forcing me to love him. So instead, I leaned over and kissed him, hard and quick, leaving us breathless.
“I guess you put your words to action,” he chuckled, folding his arms behind his head. Why the hell did he have to look so freaking handsome?
“Like I said… action is much better than words.” I winked at him.
He quickly sat up and grabbed me. “Soon, you will be mine. All mine, and for all eternity. And I will spend the rest of my life proving my love.”
I nodded and watched his lips rise. His hands slowly slipped down my back and stopped on either side of my hips, then I felt him rock into me. I gasped. My insides burned and twisted with a rush of electricity. Then he pressed his mouth to mine again and I felt myself let out a moan.
His lips left mine and then he laughed.
“Our future will be amazing,” he said, then lifted me off of him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.
“I made you a promise I intend to keep. We weren’t going to seal any bonds tonight, remember? In order to keep that promise I have to disconnect from you now, before things get too heated. It’s hard to control myself when I’m around you. It’s taking every ounce of self-control, and it’s killing me.”