Page 54 of The Purrfect Rival

Mortified, she tried to dismiss the magic. “Sorry—I can’t seem to control?—”

Rust captured her hands, bringing them to his chest where she could feel his heart thundering beneath her palms. His own gold magic responded, revealing matching scenes from his perspective: his lion recognizing her at first sight, his fists clenching beneath the council table to prevent himself from reaching for her, the near-physical pain of restraining himself when she smiled.

“Don’t hide from me,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. His breath mingled with hers, their proximity sending fresh waves of heat through her system. “Not your magic, not your feelings, not your fox nature.”

Kalyna couldn’t stop herself from closing the remaining distance between them. Her lips found his with a desperation that surprised even her. The kiss deepened instantly, his hand sliding into her hair to hold her firmly against him while her fingers dug into his shoulders.

“You feel it too,” she gasped when they broke apart, her chest heaving.

“Mating heat.” His voice dropped to a register that sent shivers racing down her. His hands settled at her waist, thumbs tracing maddening circles that made her want to climb into his lap. “It shouldn’t happen this quickly.”

“Unless the bond was already forming from the first moment.” She watched his pupils dilate at her words, the gold in his eyes expanding until barely any brown remained.

“The magical merging at the festival,” he agreed, pulling her closer until she straddled his thighs. “It accelerated everything.”

Rust’s mouth claimed hers again, this kiss deeper than before. Their magics responded instantly, golden and crimsonenergies weaving together in increasingly complex patterns that surrounded them like a cocoon of light.

Books floated gently around them as their power built, creating a private sanctuary within the damaged library. Their consciousness began to merge—thoughts and feelings flowing between them with increasing clarity.

Both glimpsed ancient memories not their own—other lion-fox pairs across centuries, rare but powerful unions that changed magical history.

Their shared magic coalesced into visible threads of gold and crimson light that wound around their joined hands. Ancient words rose to Kalyna’s lips without conscious thought: “The fox in me recognizes the lion in you—two halves of a greater whole.”

Rust’s eyes widened in recognition before he completed the ritual phrase: “The lion in me claims the fox in you—separate but stronger together.”

The light around their hands pulsed once, then sank beneath their skin, leaving a faint matching mark on each of their wrists—a subtle symbol combining lion and fox elements that only they could see.

“The First Binding,” Rust whispered, awe in his voice. “I’ve only read about it in the oldest texts.”

The completed First Binding intensified their mating heat to nearly unbearable levels. Each touch created visible sparks of magic. Rust’s careful control shattered as he stood, lifting her against him. Kalyna wrapped her legs around his waist, her mouth finding his in a kiss that scorched through her veins.

“My apartment,” she managed between kisses, her fingers already working at the buttons of his shirt.

“Now,” he agreed, his stride purposeful as he grabbed her hand and hurried out the library door.

FIFTY

At her place, Kalyna curled her arms around Rust’s neck and rose to her tip toes to press their lips together. The first swipe of his tongue over hers felt decadent. Her lungs felt tight and her breaths came in short spurts. The kiss was deep and hungry, and she groaned, pressing herself into him.

A soft growl sounded from him and he picked her up and set her in front of the dining room table. He tugged her clothes off. She stood bare in front of him.

This should have been the time to be filled with embarrassment or something, but all she wanted was more of his touch. The way he looked at her made feel beautiful. He cupped her breasts and she sucked in a breath, pressing her chest into his hands.

“So beautiful,” he growled. “So soft.”

She moaned and pulled him down for another kiss. He lifted her onto the table, spreading her thighs and caressing her pussy with a hand. “You’re so hot, my foxy lady,” he groaned between kisses. “Slick.”

She kissed his neck and groaned at how good he smelled. In the past, she hadn’t been so aware of a male’s scent as shewas now. She nibbled on his neck and he growled softly. Before she got a chance to keep kissing him, he pulled a chair and sat, his face level with her sex. She leaned back on her elbows and watched him place her thighs on his shoulders. A gasp was all that escaped her when he slid his tongue into her pussy.

“Rust!” she called out and caught herself. Biting her lip, she gripped the edges of the table and held on. He pressed his whole face into her, rubbing himself into her folds as if he wanted her wetness all over himself. He ate her pussy like she was his lunch. As if all the food he’d just had meant nothing because this was what he truly wanted. Her. She wiggled her hips and let out a soft whimper.

Another lick and she was shaking, trying not to fall back and hit her head on the table. He pinched one of her nipples with a hand, tugging and tweaking, making her rock harder into his face.

“Rust, Goddess. Please,” she gasped.

His face was all in her sex, his tongue deep in her channel. She moaned and rocked, feeling his beard rub along her sensitive folds. She ached hard, her pussy clamped around his tongue, but it wasn’t enough. She needed him deep inside her, taking her, loving her, and branding her. She had never wanted a man the way she did him.

“Don’t stop,” she mumbled.

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