“Well, you don’t ever need to be ashamed of who or what you are, Nyx. I will never judge you for it.”
“Thank you, Ella.”
She gives me a curious look. “Is that why you did not want to look at me while I was bathing? While I was dressing?”
With a slight clench of my jaw, I nod. “You are very beautiful, Ella. I know humans are averse to being observed while they are nude. And also... it stirs something in me to see you. Desires that I... do not believe you will want.”
She touches my jaw. “Why would you think I would not want you?”
“Although I have never experienced it, I have heard of the mating frenzy that my people experience. The desire to mate repeatedly is so great… it can be overwhelming for those outside of other rabbit shifters.”
Her blue eyes search mine. “Why does this worry you so much?”
I clench my jaw. “I want to be tender and gentle with you. I worry my desires and my needs would be too much. That you would—”
She presses her finger to my lips to silence me. “I am not made of glass. If this is part of who you are, I accept it.”
Hope flares inside me. “You do?”
She smiles. “I... I’m not ready to mate, if that’s what you are asking. But I... I do feel drawn to you, Nyx. You and the others.”
I lower my gaze. “It’s the bond, Ella. It makes you feel—”
She presses a finger to my lips to silence me as she softly shakes her head. “It’s more than that. I feel it here.” She places her hand over her heart.
I frown. “How do you know?”
“Because when I was kissing who I thought was the prince, it felt wrong. It felt wrong the moment his hand touched mine.”
With a heavy sigh, I nod. “That is probably because he was not the prince.”
“No,” she states firmly. “It’s because he wasn’t you. He wasn’t any of my guards. You are the ones I want. The ones I feel drawn to. It felt wrong to give myself to someone else.” Her gaze holds mine. “And even if we find the prince alive somewhere, I’ve already decided.”
My brow furrows. “Decided what?”
“That I am not going to be his wife. I will find another way to make him an ally with your people.”
My mouth drifts open in shock. We’ve messed all of this up. Horribly. The Elders and everyone else placed their faith in us. Fate chose us to guide her, and now... we are causing her to divert her path from what the prophecy foretold.
As if sensing my concern, she cups my cheek, guiding my face to hers. “I don’t care what the prophecy says. This is my life, and I’m not going to allow anyone to make my decisions for me. Not the Elders, not some ancient scroll and certainly not the prince—if he’s still alive somewhere.”
She is brave and much stronger than I first realized. Her fragile form belies a strength of will as mighty as any warrior. And I find myself falling for her even more as her determined gaze meets mine, full of conviction. “You are my guard, Nyx, and I want to seal you to me. Do you agree?”
“Yes,” I reply without hesitation. I want to be her guard, her lover, her mate, the father of her children. I want all of this and more. But right now, she is simply asking me to bind myself to her as her guard, and this, I will do eagerly. “I can think of no other female I would ever want to dedicate my life to, Ella,” I murmur as she moves closer to me.
Her warm breath whispers across my skin as she leans in. “I want to be yours,” I breathe as she seals me to her with a vow and her kiss.
Her lips are warm and softer than I imagined, and as her tongue curls around mine, my entire body fills with desire and longing so great it takes everything within me to hold back.
I want to wrap my hands around her waist and flip her onto her stomach, driving into her over and over, filling her with my seed. I curl my hands into fists in my lap, struggling against my urgent need. I want her so much it is painful.
My cock is fully erect and throbbing with the desire to sheathe myself deep inside her warm, wet heat. As she continues to stroke her tongue against mine, I am lost.
She pulls herself into my lap, straddling my hips with her thighs. I gasp as the heat of her center presses against my cock. A sharp hiss escapes me as I struggle to keep from coming right then and there.
“Ella, please,” my voice sounds strangled, even to my own ears. “We must stop, or else I fear I may be unable to keep myself from—”
She pulls back, and I already miss the feel of her body pressed against mine. She stares deep into my eyes and nestles against me.
I run my hands through her long silken hair, trying to force my body to calm. I want her so badly; it is torture. But I also do not want to pressure her into mating.
“I’m sorry we did not come to you sooner, Ella,” I whisper. My hands trace over her silken gown. The rough lines of the scars on her back are easily felt through the fabric. I clench my jaw. I wish I’d killed the woman who did this to her. “If we’d known what you were going through, we would have come for you sooner.”
She shakes her head softly. “It’s all right. You’re here now,” she whispers. “That’s all that matters.”
My beautiful and brave Ella. I pray she chooses me as hers someday, for I will never want another female but her as my mate.
Chapter 24
Nyx
It has been two days.
