She sagged in his hold. He lifted her, one hand on her lower back, the other between her shoulder blades. She clung to him, arms and legs linked around him. He carried her to the walk-in shower, twisted the knob, and kissed her while the water warmed.
The spray caressed them, washing away the dirt and blood of the night’s failures. He backed her against the tile wall. Held there with his hips pinning hers to the surface, he ran his hands over her body. Every sensory detail became necessary. He trailed his fingertips from the tender column of her neck to the edge of her breasts. Before the night ended, he planned to memorize all of her.
Steam rose around them. More of her oranges-and-spice scent invaded his lungs. He buried his nose against her neck and drugged himself on her. Lust rose, replacing the tenderness but not erasing it. It was still there, guiding him, but the need to join their bodies couldn’t be ignored. A tilt of his hips lined up his cock to her opening. He clamped his mouth around the delicate length of her neck and drove forward.
He groaned around the flesh in his mouth. For a heartbeat, he couldn’t move. A sensation of rightness overwhelmed him. He’d lived for over a thousand years and had seen the best and worst life had to offer, but nothing compared to the utter ecstasy he felt in his mate’s embrace.
“Harley, my precious flower, I love you. Now and always.”
A soft sigh escaped her mouth, stirring his hair. She squeezed her inner muscles over his length. “Then show me so I’ll never forget.”
Her choice of words bothered him, but he pushed away the morbid thought. There was no way she could know their sad fate. He released the gentle grip of his teeth on her throat and moved. A slow retreat followed by a hard push tore a gasp from her. Liking the sound, he repeated the motion. Her body gripped his dick. He shuddered, tried to hold on to the sensation, but it slipped away. Faster he moved, the need to feel more growing with each thrust.
Harley dug her nails into his back, locked her ankles over his ass, and welcomed his savage claiming. She kissed his neck, nipped his jaw, and finally yanked his mouth to hers. Her groan fed his hunger. He swallowed the sound and fucked her harder. Each push tore a breathy gasp from her. He shortened his strokes and resisted the urge to slam home. He kept up the teasing, barely sinking half his length inside her needy body.
“Calan, please.” She squirmed over the head of his cock. “I need you.”
Her plea became one he couldn’t resist. He drove forward on a rough thrust. Her muscles tightened around him. Ripples danced along his erection. He withdrew and plunged deep, not allowing her orgasm to take hold.
He brushed his lips over her ear. “I like how you need me.”
“Yes, always.” Harley turned her head to capture his gaze. “Show me more.”
The look in her eyes was one he wanted to remember always—love, passion, devotion. He kept his focus on her face and added a rolling press. He repeated the full stroke, hitting her every trigger point, and watched the orgasm rush over her face. Her eyelids fluttered, but she held them open, letting him see her pleasure.
“Please.”
Her whispered word skipped through his mind, and he let go. On a grunt, he spilled his seed into her, filling her up, giving her everything.
Their joint release lasted forever, but not long enough. The waves eased. The jerking of his cock slowed. When the moment ended, they wrapped their arms around each other and held on tight.
She made good on her promise. He felt her love. It wrapped around them, linking them together.
Too damn bad it wouldn’t save them in the end. Nothing would.
Chapter Thirty
Calan listened to the ordinary sounds of Harley moving around the bathroom. He savored them. The door opened, filling the room with steam and her sweet fragrance. He dragged in one last deep breath of oranges and spice, then turned and faced her. The time had come to tell her the truth. He’d considered leaving while she showered, but he couldn’t. His honor wouldn’t allow him to slink away like a coward.
Dressed in a fluffy white robe three sizes too big, with a towel wrapped around her head and rosy cheeks, she was beautiful. He could’ve envisioned the same scene playing out over the centuries. Today would be the last she held his mark. Sadness gripped him. He pushed the emotion deep.
She slipped trembling balled fists into the pockets of her robe. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s time for me to go.”
Harley took a single step into the room. “Are you going to tell me the real reason I couldn’t voice my feelings last night?”
He stared at her and couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“Calan, please. You asked for my trust. I gave it to you. Now you must trust me.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I made a mistake binding myself to you.”
Her brows pinched. “Excuse me?”
He motioned to her hand shoved into her robe. So many times last night, he’d been tempted to trace the design, imagine what it would look like completed. He’d resisted. He didn’t need the image of their incomplete bond to haunt him more than it did. “I shouldn’t have started the mate bond with you.”
Blinking rapidly, she stepped back. He saw the sheen of moisture in her eyes and locked his jaw. The temptation to open his mind to hers and yank away her anxiety grew with each passing second.
“You lied to me? You don’t love me?”
Calan was by her
