Now I really couldn’t breathe, but for reasons that had nothing to do with the water.
Daegal bent, lowering his head until his lips were hovering over mine. His breath, edging on too-hot, danced across my lips like a feather, and my entire body tingled in eager anticipation. Warmth coiled in my core, and I pressed my thighs together, waiting for him to move.
“Ryllae, can I kiss you?” he asked, his husky voice betraying his desire.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I closed the distance, letting my lips tell Daegal exactly how I felt. He groaned, his hand dipping to my lower back as he pulled me against him. Every single part of our bodies lined up perfectly. His muscles were hard where I was soft, and though he was bigger than me, I fit in his arms like I was made to be there.
His tongue swept over the seam of my lips, asking for permission, and I parted them. The moment our tongues tangled together; sparks exploded within me.
This kiss differed from the others we’d shared. It was powerful. Strong. Determined. It was a promise of what was to come and a reminder of the connection that lay between us. My Fortune Elf’s lips were warm and in control as they swept over mine. Every part of me, from the magic in my blood to the heat rushing through me, felt more alive than it had in decades. Reaching up, I tangled my fingers in his short black hair, drawing him even closer.
I breathed his name, and it came out far deeper than I had expected.
He groaned, murmuring nothing in particular as his lips moved from my mouth. He kissed my cheeks, my forehead, my horns. When his lips landed on those dark appendages, I nearly collapsed right there as desperate want ran through me.
Daegal’s touch left flames in his wake, and soon I was burning from the inside out. Red sparks danced on my fingertips, and time had no meaning as we lost ourselves in each other.
“I don’t want this to end,” I whispered as he kissed my neck. “I want… everything.”
Daegal groaned, the sound half-pain, half-pleasure, as he removed his lips from my skin. I whimpered. I didn’t want space. I wanted him close.
He stepped back, which was the exact opposite of what I wanted him to do.
My brows furrowed as I watched him carefully. Did he not want me?
“Ryllae,” he said my name like he was dreaming, his voice thick with emotion.
He wanted me. I could see it in his eyes; in the way he held himself back; in the fists curled at his sides.
My mouth tilted up into the smallest of smiles. I stepped forward, closing that distance and placing my hand on his chest, right above his heart. I asked, “There’s… do you feel it, too?”
My heartbeat roared in my ears as I waited for him to respond. Everything was loud. The water on the rocks. My heart. The rustling of his tunic beneath my fingers. I could barely think, let alone breathe, as I stared into his eyes, waiting for an answer.
The longer the silence stretched on, the deeper the pit in my stomach grew. Had I imagined this connection between us? Did I somehow dream it into existence?
I pulled back my hand. “Never mind,” I said quickly. My cheeks flushed, and I gasped for air. “I’m sorry, I just…”
He grabbed my hand, pulling me towards him. “Don’t apologize,” he breathed. His gaze searched mine, and a smile I had never seen before stretched across Daegal’s face. “You’re talking about the bond.”
Nodding, I licked my lips. A wave of nerves and shyness washed over me, and I drew in a shallow breath. This was new for both of us. Fated mates were rare in the Four Kingdoms, and I had never expected it to happen to me. The physical part of coming together, I understood. I was almost three hundred years old, for the gods’ sake. But this was different.
My eyes darted between Daegal’s face and the place where my hand rested on his chest, right above his heart, and I froze. I didn’t know what to do or where to go from here.
You’re making a fool of yourself, daughter,my father’s voice taunted.He won’t ever choose you. You should step away now and put an end to this foolishness. We both know you’re unlovable.
Panic rose within me. My skin grew clammy, and breathing was impossible. I edged closer to that ledge of madness that had haunted me for so many years. What was I doing? Why was I bringing this up?
Daegal would never want to be with me.
A mating bond was a serious thing, and just because the connection was there didn’t mean we had to act on it. He was a good male, and he didn’t deserve to be saddled with someone like me—someone whose mental health was fragile on the best of days, and dangerous on the worst ones.
What was I thinking?
I went to move back when Daegal’s hand landed on my wrist. His eyes were wide, and his thumb rubbed my skin gently as he pulled me towards him.
“Don’t,” he whispered hoarsely. “Don’t walk away, Ryllae. If you feel this too, don’t walk away.Please.”
It was that last word that broke my resolve. My breath left me in awhooshand my gaze searched his. “Okay,” I breathed. “I won’t. If you want me…”