Page 41 of Ruin

“Hello, my old friend. We'll be together as one again, soon. I’ll find a way.” Prime blinked and receded, Mea’s desire drawing him back.

“They are mates.” Connor leaned further forward. “I can feel their connection. I can feelhim, in here.” And he lifted a hand to touch his chest right over his heart.

“You can?” My voice was hoarse and quiet.

He nodded. “I can. Now I just need you to be complete again.”

His lips descended onto mine in such a sweet, gentle kiss it stole my breath. His whole body was tense as he held himself just above me, his nakedness not touching me. He pulled his head away just enough so that he could kiss each corner of my mouth, then leaned up. Automatically I closed my eyelids and he kissed each one. “Gods, I missed you so much.”

I swallowed the ache in my throat. His voice sounded so broken. But he didn’t need sympathy, he needed to realise how strong he was for surviving that fucking prison, for survivingHell, and he needed to know that I loved him. I wrapped my fingers in his hair and pulled his head back so that I could look at him. “And I missed you.” I thrust my hips up and pushed against his erection, grinding against him. “I need you, Connor. I need to feel you inside me.” I dropped my hands to his hips and thrust again against his hard length. “There are no collars between us now, and Mea and Prime are mates...”

His throat bobbed, that shadow he carried seeping into his eyes, mixing with the blue like Prime’s often did. A groan erupted from him as I yanked his head down and devoured his warm lips with my own. I couldn’t wait, I was like a woman possessed. The need to have him, to take him as mine burned through my blood and bones. Prime roared and grabbed Mea with his teeth. I blocked them out, sinking my own teeth into Connor’s bottom lip enough to draw blood.

“Ember?” His lust filled groan only fuelled my desire.

I didn’t let up, kissing him, needy and passionate. A growl left me, an animalistic need driving me to be with my mate; to claim him.

Connor’s hands left the wall and his weight sank onto me, pushing me into the mattress as he yanked my hands from him and pushed my wrists flat against the pillows. His chest rose and fell, his defined muscles expanding and contracting under his skin. “I can’t claim you, not without Prime.”

“I know, but I can claim you. You’re mine, Connor, and I don’t want to lose you ever again.”

His nostrils flared. “But I’m not a shifter. Not until Prime can be returned to me. I’m half-fae, half-human…”

I leaned up and nipped his lip. “It doesn’t matter to me what you are. You are mine, my mate.”

His eyes darkened to midnight blue. “Then claim me. But I get to unwrap this beautiful body first.”

He released my wrists and grabbed my hips pulling me flat underneath him. “Keep those hands up there. And don’t test me, Ember. I’m not feeling in the mood to be defied. This shadow in my body has no mercy and it will take what it wants, how it wants; claiming or not.”

I stared up into his dark face and instinctively knew he was right. Without Prime, his fae side was riding him high. Yes, it had protected his mind from Berith, but its darkness was not one even I would antagonise. Straddling me, he slowly unbuttoned my shirt, kissing each inch of skin he revealed. Unable to help myself, I arched my spine pushing myself against his featherlite lips, needing more contact. My nipples contracted. He bent his head, teasing one with his tongue, before sucking it in. I groaned, clutching at the bedding as he gently bit down, and sucked, increasing the pressure to exquisite pain before he laved the sting away with his tongue. It was pure sin when his tongue circled my navel before licking a trail down to the waistband of my jeans.

“Connor, please.” I lifted my hips, begging for him to take this further.

He shuffled back, sat me forwards and slipped my shirt off, before unclipping my bra and pulling it from my arms. He blinked slowly, the shadow consuming his features. A frisson of fear shivered through me, but that edge of danger from Connor had always excited me, even now it sent a rush of warmth between my legs, not fear to my heart.

His big body shimmied down until he kneeled between my parted legs. Deftly, he unbuckled my belt and popped open the button on my jeans. Gods, I could barely breathe, I wanted him so much.

There were no words exchanged between us, but his intense gaze flickered between my eyes and the juncture of my legs. In answer to his silent question, I lifted my pelvis again. Swiftly, he pulled down my clothes, then leaned back to slide them from my body. He stood at the bottom of the bed and I couldn’t help but stretch seductively under his lust filled gaze.

His pained look made me want to break something. It was horribly obvious Berith had used me to torture my mate.

“Firecracker,” he whispered. “Am I really here with you?”

“Oh, Connor. It’s ok. Trust me. I’m real.” I sat up and grabbed his hands.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get to touch or taste you again, that all I would ever get were beautiful images of you that turned into my worst nightmares when you were ripped away.”

My heart stuttered. “Hey, I swear it, I’m here. Really here.” I could feel tears threatening, he was breaking my heart so bad.

With his big hands on my thighs he pushed my legs apart and dropped to his knees. Nostrils flared, he inhaled deeply. “Yes, you are. That’s one thing he could never do, replicate your scent.” His face lowered near my core and he inhaled again. “Especiallythisscent. I’d always figure out it wasn’t really you. That’s when he would end me or take hold of my body and make me hurt or kill you.”

I blinked slowly. No fucking way. What Berith had done was beyond words. I lifted my head. “Connor, you know this is me. You can feel it’s me. Breathe in my scent if that helps. Believe I am yours. Use that. Erase those nightmares and makemeyour reality.”

He nodded and lowered his mouth to my skin, placing tantalising kisses and nips along my inner thighs, holding my hips still when I tried to push myself against his teasing lips. Painfully slowly, he kissed and licked his way up to my folds, then slowly dragged his tongue through my wetness, tasting me, over and over. The soft touch of his tongue drove me wild.

“More,” I begged.

He growled and his stokes became firmer and more punishing. I gasped as two fingers pushed inside me.

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