79. Ell-Rom

79

ELL-ROM

I n a blink of an eye, Ell-rom discarded what was left of his clothing and then helped Jasmine remove hers until there was nothing between them but skin and shared breath.

She gazed up at him with desire in her eyes, her hands roaming over his back. "I love feeling your weight on me."

"I'm not too heavy?"

"No, you are perfect. I need you inside of me." She arched up, rubbing her mound against his shaft.

Ell-rom kissed her tenderly, pouring his soul into that kiss, communicating his love for her with his lips and his tongue. He'd planned on going slow, but when he pushed the tip in, he found her so wet and hot and ready for him there was no way he could hold back.

Surging all the way in, he wrested a gasp from her throat.

Their fit was perfect, as if their bodies were created to complete each other.

"Mother of All Life," he groaned. "I must have died and made it to the fields of the brave."

She chuckled and urged him to move by arching up and digging her fingers into the muscles of his butt, and when he did, she met each hard thrust with an upward motion.

As Jasmine closed her eyes, her head dropping back on the pillow, she exposed the column of her neck, and instinct took over. He latched on to her skin, sucking gently, careful not to nick her with his fangs, but not because of the aversion to blood.

It just wasn't time yet.

Ell-rom didn't have much experience, or any for that matter, but some things were instinctual, like knowing that swiveling his hips with every thrust would intensify Jasmine's pleasure.

He wasn't wrong.

As her sheath tightened around him in a spasming grip, and she shuddered and gasped, he held her tight, and as her orgasm exploded through her, it wrested the last of his control away from him, and his fangs started dripping with venom.

With a roar, he jetted into her, and this time, his fangs sank into her neck instead of the pillow.

She gasped again, but she didn't cry out.

As the taste of her blood registered on his tongue, it was completely unexpected.

It was exquisite.

If he were a Kra-ell male, he would have drunk more, but only from her neck, fresh and vital and warm.

Jasmine orgasmed again and again, and he kept pumping her full of his seed and his venom, prolonging her climax until he was spent and her tremors subsided.

Slowly, gently, Ell-rom withdrew his fangs and lapped at the small wounds, savoring every last drop and smear.

Jasmine had told him that his saliva contained a healing agent that would help heal her wounds in minutes and erase any evidence of his bite. She'd also warned him that she would black out and that it was a normal reaction to the venom, so he shouldn't panic.

Ell-rom was so glad that she had prepared him. If not, he would be rushing to the clinic right now and yelling for Julian to come save her.

Holding himself on his forearms, he watched her peaceful face, her beauty made even more spectacular by her euphoric expression.

The weight of what they had just shared pressed upon him, a mix of awe, love, and lingering concern swirling inside of him.

He had done it.

He had overcome his aversion, and if they were lucky, Jasmine might soon transition—which was what they both wanted, but it was terrifying nonetheless.

Had the medics been truthful with him when they had assured him that the chances of anything going wrong with her transition were slim to none?

Gently, he rolled to the side, gathering Jasmine against him. Her body was warm and pliant, fitting perfectly against his. Her skin was so soft, so smooth, and its slight golden sheen gave her an ethereal appearance.

As she breathed deeply in her venom-induced sleep, the gentle rise and fall of her chest was hypnotic, and the intensity of what they had shared began to fade.

Ell-rom was still shocked that he had done it. He had bitten Jasmine, tasted her blood, and shared the most profoundly intimate connection possible between mates. The fear and anxiety that had plagued him for so long seemed almost laughable now.

The taste of Jasmine's blood lingered on his tongue, the flavor exquisite, but it was probably not the taste itself that had overwhelmed him, but the sense of completion that had come with it. In that moment, he had felt as if their very essences had merged.

Ell-rom lifted his hand, gently tracing the curve of Jasmine's neck with his fingers, lingering over the spot where he had bitten her. The small wounds were already gone, the slightest of remaining traces fading before his eyes.

His saliva was working its magic to erase any physical evidence of their encounter, but the memory of it, the feeling of his fangs sinking into Jasmine's soft flesh, the sound of her gasp, and the trust she had shown in allowing him to do so would stay with him forever.

A wave of gratitude washed over him.

This remarkable woman had given him so much—a reason to embrace his new life, the strength to face his fears, a love so deep and all-encompassing that he felt cocooned by it.

Looking at her, he was hyperaware of every little detail about her.

The way her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she dreamed, the small sigh that escaped her lips, the warmth of her breath against his chest. Each little thing was a treasure, a reminder of the incredible bond they now shared.

He tightened his arms around her sleeping form as if he could somehow convey the depth of his love through the gesture.

As Jasmine stirred in her sleep, nestling closer to him, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. The euphoria of their lovemaking and the intensity of the venom bite had morphed into a sense of belonging, of rightness, that went beyond the physical.

Unbidden, Ell-rom's mind drifted to Annani's quest to find Khiann and Jasmine's role in that search. He thought about his own journey of recovery and discovery and the challenges he still faced. But mostly, he thought about the woman in his arms and their future together.

He would become the male Jasmine deserved, the partner she could rely on through whatever challenges she faced.

For now, though, he was content just to hold her, to feel the steady beat of her heart against his chest and bask in the warmth of her love. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but tonight, at this moment, Ell-rom felt at peace.

"I love you." He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Jasmine's head.

Love, he realized, was more powerful than any fear and any doubt.

It was the truest form of magic.