Page 78 of Blood Bonds
“However, it’s not me who should be concerned about losing interest; it’s you. I’ve sowed my oats thousands of times before, but you haven’t. And that, my darling Caro, provides me with the biggest challenge of them all. I have to maintain your interest—for eternity.”
“Something tells me your ego can handle that,” she deadpanned.
He chuckled. “Oh, it’s a task I’m very much looking forward to mastering. Every. Single. Day.”
She tried to smile, but something still nagged at her, even as he lay atop her discussing their future intimacy. He might be right about her lack of experience being a concern for straying away from the bond, but he was the one who had admitted several times that long-term commitment wasn’t his strength.
Should Sethios ever take another, Caro would require herself to do the same—if anything, to hide from the pain of his betrayal. Because that’s what it would be, especially with her being able to sense his emotion through the bond.
His brow furrowed as he studied her. “I did not mean for my history to cause pain, love. I only meant to explain that my background solidifies my decision to bond with you because I’ve lived long enough to know being with you is a true gift of life. But you’re only just experiencing pleasure and sensation for the first time; therefore, it will be on me to entertain you for eternity—physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
“Are you implying that we will be monogamous?” she asked carefully.
“Yes.”
She frowned. “But you just admitted a few minutes ago that a woman should not desire you for a faithful mate. Where does that leave us?”
“Forever fighting for each other,” he replied. “And as I said, I’m willing to fight if you are.” His mouth touched hers briefly. “I’m committed to you, our child, and us. Just say the word.”
An invisible weight lifted from her chest as light danced around them. Sethios gazed at her in reverence, his irises a luminescent green. He balanced on a single elbow and traced her feathers with his opposite hand. She hadn’t meant to mist.
“My angel side accepts,” she whispered, her face heating. It’d been her soul that rejoiced at his words, and the burst of happiness caused her wings to flutter to life at her back. It should have hurt with the way they forced themselves between her shoulder blades and the mattress, but she was too exuberant to care.
Caro attacked his mouth with her own, putting everything she felt into their kiss and then some. He accepted and returned the favor in kind, twining his tongue with hers in a way that left her weak and shaking beneath him, and aching for more.
“One more thing to discuss, love.” The words were spoken against her lips and tasted of lust and yearning. “The rune.”
“If Gabriel says it will protect Astasiya, I believe him. He’s spent the last several weeks investigating her future. For us.”
Sethios nuzzled her nose and hummed, “Not for us, but for her. He might hide behind a mask of stoicism, but I saw the way he looked at her.”
Caro grinned because she noticed that as well. “He’ll never harm her. And if I heard him right before, he’s working with Ezekiel.”
“Yes, he mentioned Ezekiel’s plan and playing their moves right. I imagine this rune is one of them.” Sethios trailed his mouth across her jawline to her neck where he nibbled the tender skin below her ear. “If you feel this is the right move, I will trust your instincts. You know more about runes than I do.”
If possible, her heart grew even bigger at his words.
Trust, she realized. A partnership.
They would discuss these decisions among themselves and agree as a team. Always. That was the only way for this to work, and it would lay the foundation for their bond.
Perhaps she was insane to even consider tying herself to him for eternity, but it felt right. The Fates set her up to create a baby. Perhaps this was their goal all along as well, but she no longer worried about their predictions and plans. This was her life, and her decisions would be her own. Including this one.
“Then we’ll give permission for the rune and allow Gabriel to pledge his fealty. It’s the best way to protect her.”
Sethios nodded in agreement against her neck.
“And we will perform the blood bond now,” she added, feeling bold. “Bite me.”
“Happily,” he murmured, running his teeth against her too-hot skin. The prick of his incisors elicited a sigh from deep within, her angelic soul fluttering excitedly inside. He pulled her essence into him as her wings ruffled beneath her. She’d yet to return to her corporeal state, and perhaps she wouldn’t for a bit.
Caro laced her fingers in his thick hair while he drank from her, and closed her eyes in contentment. He would need more than usual tonight, something she showed, rather than said, by holding him against her.
His body tensed above her, his muscles bunched in a way that suggested he wanted to withdraw, but she applied pressure to keep him in place and arched her neck for even greater access.
It wasn’t until she felt the tingling in her toes and fingertips that she whispered, “Stop.”
He pulled back, his green eyes bright with power. “That’s a rush.”
