The Billionaire’s Burden(45)

“The spark?” I pressed quietly, “What does that even mean? Did you make it up to free me?”

Eli shook his head, blond locks hanging into his eyes.

“The spark…the spark is an ancient blood bond.” He murmured, running a hand through his hair. His lips parted then pressed shut, unsure of how to continue his speech.

It must be so strange to explain these wolven natures to a human woman who had zero clue. Did he feel like a traitor, betraying his race’s secrets?

“Werewolves bond for life.” He finally said, “You know you’ve found your bonded one when you feel the spark.”

“…and you felt it with me?” I whispered.

“And you felt it with me.” He retorted, “And it knocked you right out. Humans aren’t supposed to be capable of feeling it. It’s much too strong and intense for your bodies to handle.”

“Apparently not.” I scoffed, arching an eyebrow.

Eli hummed, chuckling, “I suppose you’re right.”

“So we’re, like, soulmates?” I asked hesitantly, trying not to bust out laughing.

Sure, I liked Eli a lot. More than a lot. The weeks I’d spent with him had made me happier than I thought I could ever be.

But, even still, it was only mere weeks.

The handsome beast man across from me stared into his lap, “Typically. Yes.” His voice was sad.

“Typically?” I asked, confused.

“Well, we’ve never seen a wolf share a spark with a human. We don’t know how it will be different.” His eyes creased with pain.

“What’s the matter?” I asked quietly, scooting forward.

I rest my hand against his warm flesh, feeling the warmth begin to swell inside of me. Even just touching him made my heart began to beat faster.

His golden eyes reluctantly shifted to face me, “The spark for myself will never fade. It doesn’t not release its grasp on the wolf’s heart once it flows. I will desire you forever, I will want you forever, I will be unable to hold anyone but you in my heart and in my arms.”

I swallowed the huge lump in my throat, body trembling from his words.

Never before had anyone spoken such words to me.

“But,” Eli continued solemnly, “It may manifest differently in a human. You may not feel it as strongly, you may not be as consumed, it may not direct your path as it directs a wolf’s.”

The grief behind his eyes was almost tangible. This was a painful sentence for Eli. He would be devoted to me forever, yet it was yet to be told how I would feel.

“That day, when you brought me the book…” He said slowly, “I was compelled to ask you out with me. I was compelled to bring you back to the place my pack resides. It was no mere coincidence that we chose apartments next to one another…”

Eli trailed off, biting his lip and looking away. This should have been the happiest day in a werewolf’s life, the day he found his mate, the day he had his bonded one in his arms. The bittersweet aching in his heart was more than he could handle.

Unlike him, I had no sage words to whisper in this moment, I had nothing to offer him.

Then again, that wasn’t quite true. While, I couldn’t say how I truly felt, I could still show him how I felt. I’d never been good with words. I rambled too much, lost track of what I tried to say, laughed at awkward times.

I would just have to do what came naturally, I would have to show my feelings for this beast of a man in a way that he could appreciate, in a way that showed how much I appreciated him.

Slowly, I moved forward, my hands pressing into the bed. He watched me, cautious and unsure, as I slid closer and closer to him. He was afraid to touch me, afraid to scare me away, afraid of the power that I held over him.

My hands inched up the bed, resting on the sides of his knees.

Finally, I closed the distances between our faces, pressing my mouth against his.

For a second, he did not react to the feeling of my lips against his.

Then, suddenly, his hands reached up, tangling into my hair as he hungrily kissed me, his tongue sweeping my lips, as though he had been waiting for this moment since the day he was born.

He pulled me roughly into his arms so I slid into his lap, my own arms wrapping around his neck. Our bodies could not be close enough, our embrace could not be tight enough.

A gasp breezed over my lips as his hands traced beneath my shirt, fingernails pressing against my tender flesh.

“I’ve wanted you since the day I saw you.” He whispered into my ear, “These moments that I spend in your arms, I am complete. These moments that I feel your touch, your kiss, your embrace, I never want them to end.”

His hot breath burned my earlobe, sharp teeth grazing my neck as his nails gently traced the tingling flesh of my back.