That was partly true. I’d seen her as a potential mate for him, but I’d claimed her for myself. Claimed her to protect her. Claimed her because Iwantedher.
She might argue that I barely knew her. But my soul had immediately recognized her soul. And I’d lived too long to ignore that sort of connection.
So I’d coaxed her into a mate-bond, knowing it could never be broken. Knowing that she would forever be tied to my spirit.
It would hurt if she rejected me. Fuck, it already had when she’d blocked me out.
However, I could live with that pain if it meant she would always be protected through my immortality.
Cami’s eyes held mine, her gaze searching. “I finally see you, Melek. The real you beneath the riddles. The man who follows his heart, no matter the risk. You do everything for Lucifer. He’s the center of your universe. His wants and needs come first.”
My lips parted, my eyebrows coming down. Because that wasn’t quite right. “Cami?—”
“Shh,” she hushed me, her fingertip pressing to my mouth once more. “I also see where I fit now, too. How that same care and consideration applies to me. You risked his wrath when you claimed me. He’s still the center of your universe, but at some point, you added me to that circle as well.”
I swallowed. “I think I put you there the moment we met.” It had been instinctual. I’d recognized her as my soul’s mate. My missing half. Perhaps as a result of something Vivaxia had done. Or maybe it was just fate.
Regardless of the reason or the purpose, we were here now.
She existed in my orbit.
And her needs now came first, too.
Balancing her and Ty hadn’t been easy, but we were finally on the same page. Finally at a point of collaboration. Finally ready to embrace whatever came next.
If Cami would have me, anyway.
“That, right there,” she said, her fingers gliding back into my hair. “Thatis what I can fix.”
I stared down at her, my hands hanging at my sides as I tried to discern what she meant. “What do you want to fix, Camillia?”
“You,” she replied as she went up onto her toes. “I want my bold Melek back. The one who keeps teasing me with wicked thoughts.” She pulled my face down, her lips a hairsbreadth from mine. “The one who promised to tie me up in his ropes.”
Her mouth brushed mine, causing me to go rigid against her.
I was afraid that if I moved, that if I even breathed, I’d devour her.
Because Cami had never kissed me first. It’d always been me sneaking in an embrace or tricking her into letting me taste her.
But this was all her.
Her fingers in my hair.
Her breasts pressing against my chest.
Her mouth ghosting across mine.
“The one who sets my soul on fire every time he touches me,” she went on, her voice a mere whisper. “The one who is impossible to resist.”
Another meeting of mouths, brief… Too brief.
“The one I’ve wanted for far too long but kept denying. The one who makes me feel things I shouldn’t.” Her eyes held mine, our lips touching with each word. “The Melek who marks me with his golden essence because he knows deep down that I secretly like it.”
I shuddered, her words seeming to mend something inside me. Not completely, but partially. Enough to coax me into moving my hands to her hips. “It’s ethereal magic,” I corrected her. “It’s yours, too.”
“Brought out by you,” she replied, her arms encircling my neck. “Az and Ajax are addicted to the flavor of it.”
I swallowed, my tongue craving a taste. “I imagine it’s quite decadent.”