Somewhere between dreams and waking, Cassandra stirs.
The world is still, bathed in the early morning light streaming through the cracks in the cabin's window. Birds chirp lazily outside. The air is thick with the heady scent of sex, pine, and mate-bond magic still shimmering faintly in the corners of the room.
She stretches, limbs delightfully sore, a satisfied hum escaping her lips.
Then...memories flood in.
Heat. Hands. His voice in her ear.
And the moment she'd bitten him back...sealed their bond with her teeth, her body, her heart.
A slow, smug smile curls on her lips.
She's mated.
To Darius.
Her wolf practically purrs inside her, full of smug pride and leftover ecstasy. She shifts slightly, realizing that at some point during the night, he must've removed himself and rolled them into a less...locked position. Her body misses the fullness of him immediately, which is ridiculous. And also...absolutely accurate.
Her gaze slides to her left...where Darius lies sprawled on his back like a god who conquered the world and decided to nap on it.
One arm bent above his head.
The sheet dangerously low on his legs.
That sculpted chest rising and falling with even breaths.
Cursed man. He's lucky he's hers now.
Cassandra props herself up on one elbow, her eyes drifting down the line of his abdomen to the thick, heavy length resting against his thigh, already half-hard, twitching as if it knows she's staring.
She bites her lip.
Heat curls through her belly...again.
A spark of mischief flickers.
Well.
Two can play the pleasure game.
Carefully, she trails her fingers down his stomach, watching the way his abs twitch under her touch. When she reaches the base of his shaft, she wraps her hand around it and gives a slow, languid stroke.
He doesn't stir.
Yet.
She curls her fingers more firmly, her thumb brushing over the sensitive head, catching the moisture already there. Her mouth waters.
Still asleep?
Challenge accepted.
She leans forward, lips parting, tongue flicking out to lap at the salty-sweet taste beading at the tip. It's decadent. Dark. Entirely too addictive.
Darius hisses.
His body goes taut in a split second, like someone just flipped a switch.
"Are you trying to kill me?" he chokes out, voice thick and gravelly, eyes still shut but very much awake.
Cassandra grins, slow and wicked. "Mhmm...you taste better than breakfast."
She licks him again.
He groans.
"Sweet and salty," she muses aloud, as if she's taste-testing a damn dessert.
Then...without warning...she parts her lips and takes him deep into her mouth.
"Moon above...Cassandra!" he growls, arching off the bed, one hand immediately tangling in her hair, the other gripping the sheets like a lifeline. "You are actually trying to kill me..."
She hums around him...which is just cruel...and begins to bob her head in a steady rhythm, letting her tongue swirl beneath the head on every stroke. Her hand works the base in tandem, squeezing just right, her lips tight around him.
Darius gasps, hips jerking instinctively. His wolf howls just beneath the surface.
She's so warm. So wet.
Too much.
Too good.
"Cass, baby... wait," he pants, voice cracking as his grip tightens in her hair. "I want to come inside you...please!"
She gives one last teasing lick, making him groan in agony.
Then she pulls back with a smug little smirk. "You're lucky I like you."
Before he can form words, he's already flipping her onto her back with a snarl of desperation. She squeals...laughs...then gasps as he thrusts into her in one smooth, deep stroke.
"Stars," she moans, wrapping her legs around his waist, clenching around him as he fills her completely. "Still so big..."
He growls against her neck, nuzzling her mark like it's holy. "Still so tight."
He moves slowly at first, each thrust deliberate and deep, letting her feel every inch of him. She matches his rhythm, her hips rising to meet his, their bodies finding that same impossible harmony again.
Their bond sings with every movement, sparks of magic dancing across their skin where they touch. It's like they're tethered not just physically, but soul to soul.
She runs her fingers down his back, her nails leaving soft trails, her breath stuttering as the pressure builds inside her again.
"Darius..."
"I've got you," he murmurs, kissing her temple. "Come with me."
His thrusts deepen, harden, losing rhythm to raw need. Her breath catches...then breaks as another orgasm slams into her, ripping through her with a cry. Her walls clench hard around him, milking him, pulling him over the edge.
He locks eyes with her as he comes, teeth gritted, growling her name as his release spills into her in hot, pulsing waves.
They tremble together, lost in each other, until the final spasms subside.
He drops his head to her chest, panting.
"You," he mutters against her skin, "are going to be the death of me."
Cassandra laughs tiredly, stroking his hair. "Ditto. If I die, at least I'll go out with a smile."
He lifts his head just enough to kiss her again...slow and reverent.
Then, without a word, he rolls them gently again, settling with her sprawled across his chest. She fits perfectly there. Like she was made for it.
He brushes her hair off her sweaty forehead, still catching his breath. "So... breakfast?"
"I was having it," she says dryly, eyes twinkling.
He groans and grins at once. "I walked into that."
"You really did."
Silence follows...soft and peaceful.
Outside, a cool breeze slips through the open window, ruffling the curtains. The scent of pine and lake water mingles with the musky perfume of their joined bodies.
Something tingles in the air...faint, pulsing gently around the bond marks now glowing silver against their skin.
She feels it first.
A rush of heat down her spine.
A flutter of power in her chest.
"Uh... Darius?"
He hums. "Mm?"
"Is it normal for the room to be vibrating?"
He opens one eye.
Looks around.
Pauses.
"...Nope."
A soft pulse of moon magic ripples through the room, crackling in the air like heat lightning. The markings on their skin shimmer again...faintly glowing silver-blue like moonlight on water.
"Oh gods," Cassandra whispers. "Did we...mate-bond so hard we broke the cabin?"
He snorts. "If we did, that's definitely going on a mug."
She groans, face-planting into his chest. "I swear, if Sasha finds out about this, she'll never let me live it down."
"She and Aidan will probably hang a plaque."
They laugh together, tangled in sheets and love and a little leftover magic.
Cassandra sighs contentedly, eyes closing once more.
And as Darius strokes her back and listens to her breathing slow again, one thought remains crystal clear:
This is just the beginning.