Reaching up from where I kneeled at her feet, I took her hand in mine. She was so much smaller than me, and yet it felt like we fit perfectly—like we were always meant to be together. Ryllae exhaled softly as I ran my thumb over the back of her hand.
“I know so.” I infused every word with confidence, so she would know just how much I meant them. “You are the most beautiful being I have ever laid eyes on, both inside and out.”
A little darkness didn’t bother me—we were all dark. Some of us were just better at hiding it than others. I liked that Ryllae didn’t hide who she was. Her darkness and her scars were a part of her, and she accepted them.
No male or female would ever come close to the amazing elf in front of me.
Pulling her down, I moved my lips over hers. The kiss was little more than a brush of our mouths, but it reverberated through my entire body. Ryllae sighed, and her body melted against mine.
“I love you,” I whispered, holding her tight. Gods willing, I’d be able to hold her like this for many more nights to come.
“How much do you love me?” she asked, a teasing tone entering her voice that I hadn’t often heard.
“I love you more than words themselves,” I said. Punctuating each word with a kiss, I continued. “I love every part of you. The good. The bad. The darkness. All of it. I want it all.”
“Truly?” She ran her hand down my naked chest, her fingers blazing a trail that made it hard to think. Especially as they moved down, down, down.
If she kept up this path, thinking would become practically impossible.
“Yes.” The word was little more than a growl as it left my lips. “That is, if you’ll have me.”
Ryllae’s nod was so enthusiastic, she almost hit me with her horns. “Of course I will. I want you. It. I wanteverything, Daegal.” Her words started coming faster and faster, and her eyes widened. “The mating bond. The connection. All of it.”
Everything. That word had never sounded as good as it did at that moment. Still, Ryllae had to know that I was willing to do whatever she needed. “If you wish to stop, all you have to do is say the word.”
“No!” she exclaimed. Her cheeks reddened, and she coughed, lowering her voice. “I mean, no. I don’t think that’s necessary. I would like to be connected as thoroughly as we could be.”
How could I say no to her?
Her words sparked a part of me that I had never even known existed. Heat flooded through me, and the mating bond sang beneath my skin.
“Alright,” I murmured. “Let’s do this.”
Ryllae grinned. Her entire countenance was so exuberant that I couldn’t help but smile alongside her. Holding out her hand, a thread of red magic slipped from her palm. It swirled around us, lacing between our arms. “I know usually people use knives, but I… we don’t need one. If you trust me—”
“With my life,” I interrupted. “Do it, Ryllae.”
Exhaling, she nodded slowly. Another thread of magic slipped from her palm, and the two of them hovered over our arms. Ryllae clenched her fist, and together, the ribbons moved as one, piercing our flesh. There was a momentary sting as a cut the size of my thumb appeared on my forearm. The pain was quickly squashed as Ryllae moved her arm toward mine.
“I love you,” I said, holding her gaze.
She returned the words, pressing our forearms together. A flash of brilliant white filled the cavern. It pushed away the darkness, and that connection within me broke free.
My Death Elf gasped, and my heart thundered as the light receded.
When it was gone, the cut was healed. All that was left was a thin pink line, and over top, new markings crawled up our arms. Twin tattoos of red and silver swirled together, intertwining in a dance that marked us as belonging to the other.
And Ryllae’s aura…
It was different from before. Silver twisted in and out of her deep crimson, and it was brighter than before. My magic thrummed in my veins as I stared at the visual confirmation of our mating bond.
“Daegal of the House of Videntis, you are mine,” she murmured the mating words.
Lacing our fingers together, I kissed her. “Ryllae of the House of Irriel, you are mine.”
We sealed the words with another kiss, but this one was different. Lighter. Better. It was filled with the promises of what we meant to each other and the vows we’d spoken. This kiss was a powerful proclamation to the world; I was hers, and she was mine.
The brush of the wind against my skin was warmer. The smell of the earth was deeper. The song of my magic was stronger.