Somehow, he'd paused and was asking her. Giving her control. For the moment.
Her body had wanted him, was open to him. Her mind had accepted him as a mate. At his question, at his strength, her heart opened just as wide. "I'm sure, Bear," she whispered. "I'm sure."
His grip tightened, and he shoved inside her, instantly yanking her back into him. Shock ripped through her at the sudden pain. Just as quickly, pleasure exploded around the pain, combining them until she couldn't tell the difference. Until she didn't care.
He hammered into her, hard and fierce. Relentless. Her first orgasm shredded her, frying each nerve, and she screamed his name.
Her body ignited as he continued to pound, forcing her to climb again and fall over the edge. She whimpered with the second orgasm, her face in the pillows. Wave after wave of harsh pleasure took her under.
She'd barely had time to catch her breath when he changed his angle, driving her up again.
Leaning over her, his lava-hot body bracketing her, his mouth enclosed her shoulder.
She stiffened, but coils of electricity were sparking inside her, hitting every corner. Her heart kept galloping.
His canines slid in slowly, deliberately. Pain slashed through her. He kept going, holding her, embedding those dangerous blades in her bone. She cried out, struggling against him, not able to move.
The hand at her hip released. Then the one at her back.
She lay there, gasping, a tear winding down her face. Only his mouth and his cock held her in place.
She still couldn't move.
Her heart beat several times, and silence echoed around the cabin. One gentle hand caressed down her spine. She relaxed into the bed, accepting him.
The second she did, he grabbed her hip again and started to pound. His teeth remained in place. White hot lights flashed across her vision, and she exploded, the world going black for a moment. He increased his thrusts and ground against her with a powerful orgasm.
The canines retracted, and he gave a lazy swipe of his tongue, healing the wound. He withdrew, flipped her over, and shoved back inside her. "We're just getting started."
Chapter 17
Bear rolled his hips, trying to get even deeper inside this stunning woman. The witch. His mate.
The taste of her blood was still in his mouth, still driving him to take and tame. She looked up at him, her blue gaze shocked. Never in his life would he have believed what she'd unleashed in him.
But they weren't done. Not yet.
He smoothed damp hair away from her lovely features. Moving inside her, going deep, he felt his entire world settle. For a century, he'd been alone. Sure, he had friends, brothers he'd claimed as his own. And he'd had two siblings across the world.
But this bond was different. There was only one mate-and his had her hands on his biceps. Her nails cut in, and the slight pain drove his hunger higher. Would he ever get enough of her? "I'll never let anything hurt you," he vowed, caught up.
Denial chased surprise across her face.
Oh yeah. Independence and all that. She didn't get it, and that was okay. But he'd never let anything harm her again. The need to protect lived in him, somewhere too deep to define, and he'd never fought it. He had no intention of doing so now. So when she opened her mouth to argue, to remind him this was an arranged mating, he covered her lips with his.
Her taste was even better than her smell. Her lush lips curved under his, accepting him. She moaned low, her hips arching up into his.
She'd searched him out for an arrangement, but he no longer cared about agreements. He wanted more from her. All of her passion-her dreams and fears. Everything.
He let her pull back to breathe, and her lips were red and wet from his. The woman was addictive.
"More," she whispered, her ankles locking at his back.
"Give me all of you," he murmured back, his voice soft but his gaze direct.
Her pupils dilated and she gave a short nod. Yeah. She got him. There was no question what she had to do next. "Where?" she asked, her neck stretching as he hammered harder inside her, those soft hands caressing him everywhere.
His balls sparked and electricity burned down his spine. "Your choice." If he was gonna carry a witch's mark, she could choose where to put it.
She licked her lips, inevitability in her gaze. It was way too late for either of them to turn back.
At the thought, he increased the speed of his thrusts. Her eyes widened, and she stiffened, biting her lip as the orgasm took her. Her delicate inner muscles squeezed him, rippling along his cock, sending him into paradise.
A piercing pain burned along his back and he jerked, coming harder as raw pleasure pierced him. The orgasm rung him out and took everything he had. He settled against her, careful not to crush her, his heart pounding harder than if he'd been in battle. "Are you all right?" he managed to gasp out, running a knuckle down her cheek.