45. UNEXPECTED DESIRES

45

UNEXPECTED DESIRES

A iden stepped ahead of Charlotte and looked around their dorm room, entering the bathroom next to check for intruders—his new routine of the past few days. When Blackthorn Security gave them the "all clear" to return to their dorms after their meeting in the administration building days ago, he wondered how she would respond to entering the dorm again after James had violated the space. He'd charged in ahead of her to ensure they were alone and felt a flare of gratitude through their bond, showing she appreciated the protective move.

Her father was still missing, but Headmistress Velastra had assigned increased security on the grounds and the dorms, so no one got in or out without security seeing them. A guard stood posted at the entrance of each dormitory building. Still, he always double-checked. How something so small as her release of a held breath filtered through their unsealed bond, he didn't know, but he'd take it.

Charlotte crossed the space to go to the bathroom, but he couldn't wait today. After the meeting with the Oracle, he needed to hear a direct answer to the question burning through his nerves like an inferno.

He grabbed her arm before she could get too far into the room and spun her around.

She looked up at him.

He narrowed his eyes, and his jaw clenched as he worked the muscles. It took every ounce of his willpower not to throw her over his shoulder and take her to his bed.

The hope and longing he felt when he sat in the room with the Oracle mirrored his own so strongly that he didn't know where Charlotte's emotions ended and his began. She wanted it, but he needed to hear her words again. He needed to hear her say it to him, not to someone else.

He tried to sound calm, but his voice came out coarse and low. "You want to be a Vasirian?"

"I do."

The way she answered with such firm resolve made him groan.

The bag of goodies they picked up at the canteen crashed to the floor as his arms came around her. His hand threaded the back of her hair and gripped the back of her head as he slammed his mouth onto hers.

When she gasped, he shoved his tongue into her mouth, kissing her roughly, walking her backward until she bumped the wall beside the ensuite.

She moaned, squirming against him but not able to move with the way his hard body pressed her to the wall. He held her hair in a tight grip.

"I can't believe you want that," he said against her lips, voice like gravel .

She looked up into his glowing eyes that reflected in her own. "Of course I do," she whispered. "I love you. Why wouldn't I want to spend as long as I can with you?"

His knees almost buckled at the words she had never used before. He questioned it once. There was a time when they were in her bed that he felt something he was sure was her love, but she said nothing. Hearing her say she loved him out loud made his heart soar.

"You have no idea how much I love you," he whispered reverently against her lips before stealing a deep kiss, pouring all of his heart into it.

His hands came down to grab hold of her thighs and lift her. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss.

He walked her over to his bed and crawled onto it, holding her against him the entire way until he lowered her to her back. His body cloaked hers as he dragged open-mouthed kisses across her cheek to her neck, where he sucked the sweet tasting skin there into his mouth.

She arched her neck, giving him better access. He increased the suction, coaxing out a gasping breath.

"Aiden?"

He nipped her bruised skin. "Yeah, Kitten?"

"Can we do the thing?"

"What thing?"

He trailed his tongue over to the other side of her neck, where he gave the skin there the same treatment. If she'd let him, he'd leave a necklace of his marks on her so everyone would see she belonged to him.

"The seal," she said on a moan as he worried her skin with his teeth, angling her hips to grind against his hardness.

He paused, lifting his head to look down into her eyes. "You're ready?"

"I might not be able to become a Vasirian yet, but I want to be as connected to you as we possibly can."

"Fucking hell." Aiden dropped his head forward. "You're perfect. Absolutely perfect." His lips captured hers again as he rolled his hips against her center.

He sat back on his heels and worked her shirt up her body. She sat up so that he could pull it over her head, but it caught at her nose, reminding him of when he used her shirt before to both blindfold her and restrain her arms.

As much as he enjoyed the adventurous things they tried, this wasn't the time for that. He wanted to cherish her tonight. He wanted to give her the world.

The mistakes of the past might put kinks in the path leading where they were meant to be, but Charlotte belonged in his world. The Oracle may have acknowledged her fate, but he was claiming it. No matter what it took, he would keep her in his world.

Charlotte helped him free her head and arms from the shirt, tossing it to the floor. Her hands slid over his abs while he removed his shirt.

She leaned forward to run her tongue from above his navel to the center of his chest. He shuddered. When her lips hovered over his pec above his nipple, her hot breath fanned over the skin. He looked down at her.

As soon as their eyes met, she swirled her tongue over his skin and then pulled the flesh into her mouth. He groaned and dropped his head back. She was marking him. Not with her nails in response to his roughness, but she marked him with intent.

It was the hottest thing he'd ever experienced.

"That's so good, Kitten. "

She hummed at his praise, swiping her tongue over the bruise she left. It wouldn't last long, but until it disappeared, he would cherish it.

Maneuvering herself onto her knees in front of him, she slid her hands over his chest, admiring her work.

His hands settled on her lower back and pulled her flush to him, kissing and nibbling at her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent. He slid his hands up to her bra and flicked open the back clasp. She pulled back, letting the lacy lavender fabric fall between them.

Her fair skin flushed pink from her cheeks to the tops of her breasts when he ran his tongue over his lips.

"I love these perfect tits of yours," he said, lifting his hands to caress them, weighing them in his hands.

Last night, he had the pleasure of seeing her try on the uniform she would wear in a little over a week to ensure it fit.

Never before had he thought anything other than the uniforms were an inconvenience when they were adults with their own clothes, but seeing her full hips in the little skirt and the button-down hugging her ample breasts made him want to bow down and thank whoever came up with the idea of wearing uniforms.

He hadn't been able to resist taking her against the wall beside the closet while still in uniform.

Her plaid skirt made it easy for him to pull her panties aside and bury his cock deep into the heat of her body. He shuddered as fantasies of taking her all over campus crossed his mind.

But now her breasts were proudly on display for his viewing and tasting pleasure.

He bent, taking a hardened nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue.

Her head dropped back, her beautiful curls cascading down her back. He loved her hair but couldn't wait to see it pinned up again with his mark proudly displayed at the base of her neck. He would need to buy her an entire collection of pins and clips, and wide-neck or backless shirts to show off his claim to her. Maybe he would go around shirtless.

When his mouth released her breast with a pop, she lifted her head. "I want to taste you," she said, dropping her eyes down to where his jeans felt too snug at the zipper.

Who was he to deny her what she wanted?

He stood from the bed and made quick work of discarding his jeans and boxer briefs, while she did the same with her shorts and panties.

Crawling to the edge of the bed, she placed a hand on his hip, using the other to wrap around the base of his shaft. She squeezed, making it twitch in her hand, and his eyes dropped to half-mast, already drunk on the sight of her bent over about to take his cock into her warm mouth. Looking up into his eyes, she lapped over his cockhead, gathering the beaded moisture there like a kitten tasting cream.

He smirked. She really was like a kitten when she wanted to be.

Tightening her grip on his hip, she opened her mouth and sank down his length, making his mind go blank. His hand moved into the curls at the back of her head, holding her but not controlling her movements, basking in the feel of her soft lips and wet mouth. Taking him deeper into her mouth, she bobbed her head at a steady pace, going deeper with each slide down his shaft.

"That's so good, Kitten."

She whimpered around him.

"You're doing so good."

He never realized someone could blossom so much with a little bit of praise, but she came alive every time he spoke words of approval. It wasn't only her that loved it though. He adored how she responded to him. How she wanted him to be happy with her and praise her. That she wanted to please him and be rewarded for it gave him a high like no other.

He felt that familiar tingle and stepped back, his cock slipping free from her mouth. She looked up at him in question, hands braced on the edge of the bed.

"I don't want to come yet."

His eyes fell to her breasts, heavy and full and oh-so-tempting.

She looked down at herself and then smiled, rising up to her knees and changing position to lay on her back. When she ran her hands over the bottom of her breasts and across her nipples, watching him, he groaned. But when she rested her hands on the tops of her breasts, pushing them together with her arms bent on the outside of each one, he nearly came hands-free. He squeezed the base of his shaft to calm himself.

He wasn't about to decline an invitation like this.

Climbing onto the bed to straddle her torso, he spit into his palm, slicking up his shaft before sliding between the heat of her breasts.

Heaven.

He finally knew where it existed.

His hands came up to move her arms away, taking their place as he slowly slid his leaking shaft through the valley of her breasts. She moaned when he tightened his grip, his fingers sinking into the soft flesh that wrapped his cock in a greedy embrace.

His thrusts grew harder, his balls dragging across her skin, increasing the pleasure of the moment.

Her hands closed over his, pressing down, encouraging him not to be gentle. He growled. He loved that she liked it as untamed as he did. His grip tightened and she arched her neck, moaning and dropping her hands to squeeze the covers.

Before he reached a point he couldn't stop, he slowed his thrusts and pulled away, climbing off her.

Her fingers trailed over her breasts and through the trail of stickiness he left behind. He cursed when she slid three fingers into her mouth, eyes locked on his as she tasted his natural lubricant.

It made him almost regret not fucking her breasts to completion—almost.

He wanted his cum inside her.

He wanted to fill her and mark her with his seed in a way no man ever had.

He understood the risks associated with having sex without a condom, even if she took birth control. It wasn't one hundred percent, and he didn't care. The idea of creating a life that was part of both of them made him feel things he never thought he could.

Fuck, I want that.

But not now.

As much as he would love it, he wanted her to achieve her dreams first. But as soon as she was ready, their home would be filled with children's laughter.

"Aiden?"

He blinked away his thoughts and looked at her. She bit at her lip and looked at him in confusion.

"Sorry. I was thinking about the future." He crawled over her, kissing over her belly until he reached her lips, laying a soft kiss there.

"What about it?"

"About what it would be like to have an army of kids with you."

He laughed when her eyes went comically wide.

"Not now," he said, kissing her nose. "One day." Rising up on his knees, he settled between her legs. "Are you ready for this? There's no turning back. No reversing it once it's done."

As confident as he sounded and acted when he took her to bed, he couldn't deny the sliver of insecurity and doubt that crept in. If she rejected him now, he didn't know what he would do.

"I told you; I love you. I'm ready for this. Ready for more than I can even have right now. Trust me."

Without another word, not allowing further doubt to slip in, he braced one hand on the pillow beside her head, lined up his cock with her entrance, and slid home on the first push.

"You're so wet," he said, voice rough with need. "So wet and so tight. I don't know if I'm going to last long this time."

The teasing never made it this difficult before, but she'd never said she loved him before either. It tested his resolve. Hearing her say she loved him while experiencing her feelings through their bond, knowing what sensations were connected to that word that he would always recognize now when he felt it from her, heightened every bit of pleasure this entire act brought him.

Knowing they were about to seal their bond had his balls drawing up until he wanted to combust.

He bent, pressing his forehead against hers as he slowly pulled out of her before sliding back into the warm heat of her body.

"I love you, Aiden," she whispered against his lips.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he panted over her lips until he couldn't take it anymore. He rose and took hold of her hips, gripping her in a punishing hold as he started to slam into her, rocking her body with each slap of his pelvis against her. She whined and mewled, broken moans between every gasping sound he forced out of her.

"I love you," he grunted. "You're mine, do you hear me?" He thrust hard, jolting her body up the bed, her bouncing breasts hypnotic. "Do you? "

"Yes!"

"What are you?" he demanded.

She sobbed and moaned, thrashing her head as he pounded into her. "I'm yours!"

He fell forward, caging her body as he slowed his movements.

Her eyes fluttered open, staring up at him. The half-lidded gaze didn't hide the tears forming. It wasn't from pain or sadness—her love and need for him flowed through their bond.

His sweaty forehead met hers.

"I'm going to bite myself so my blood is available to you, and then I'm going to bite you. When I do, I want you to take a little. You don't have to take a lot. Just a little when I take yours, and then you can stop." He didn't know if she would respond badly, but he wanted her to know what it would take to seal the bond. "Understand, Charlotte?"

Her breath hitched at the use of her name, not the pet name he called her when they normally were in bed together.

Time and a place.

This was something beyond play. A joining that was written in the literal stars. Destined by their creators from their birth.

He lifted up and bit into the side of his wrist. Her mouth parted in surprise as blood ran freely down his arm and dripped onto her pale skin. He needed to bite deep to ensure the wound stayed open long enough to complete the ritual without healing.

Cloaking her with his body, he rocked into her again, slowly and sensually, rotating his hips every time he slid all the way inside her. His lips trailed across her neck and down her sternum to her breasts. He kissed the spot he always marked on the inner top of her right breast. This was where he'd do it. He always knew it would be there.

When her walls tightened around his shaft, he looked up at her while sinking his fangs into the softest part of her breast. He began to drink, lifting his arm up to her face, and she took his hand in one hand and held his forearm with the other as she licked his wrist before latching on.

Groaning, his eyes rolled back in his head. He expected her to take only what was needed, but she started drinking from him like she was starving for it. He detached from her and shuddered as he felt the pull of his blood from the wound.

Moaning, he lowered his head and bit into another spot on her breast, probably deeper than he should have. Blood poured from the wound, and he lapped it up. He fed from her in deep, gluttonous gulps that bordered on too much. He wanted to be careful. Tender. Cherish the moment. But he couldn't stop. He popped off her breast, lifting enough to brace himself with his other hand on the pillow as he drove into her like a man possessed.

Charlotte's eyes were closed, and her hands tightened on his arm as she pulled his blood into her mouth.

He'd taken more than he normally would.

Her breasts were smeared with blood but didn't continue to bleed because of his saliva. The path where he dragged his tongue through the blood that spilled down her breasts and over her ribs painted her pale skin in strokes of deep crimson. His own blood from where he bit himself mingled with hers as it dripped from her smooth skin onto the bed at her sides. Leftover blood ran from his mouth, down his chin, and over his chest and abs.

He bathed in her blood, a baptism that exorcised his former life without her.

They'd done enough to seal the bond, but it didn't seem like Charlotte wanted to stop. It wouldn't hurt him, and he knew she wasn't taking a lot like he did. He understood the desire to continue to drink. His Korrena's blood made him feel alive. Made him ravenous .

He trailed his fingers of his free hand through the blood across her belly and sucked the digits into his mouth, claiming another taste of her.

When she finally broke free, he leaned back, his hands gripping her hips as he railed into her. She cried out, and the sight of his blood on her lips, staining her teeth and tongue, became his undoing.

His thrusts stuttered and he slammed home, pressing as flush to her as possible as he coated her insides, marking her in all the ways he possibly could.

The way her walls fluttered and clutched at him made him jerk and shudder, his breath stalling at the overwhelming sensation on his sensitive shaft. When the last of the aftershocks faded, he slipped out of her, watching as his cum leaked from her body.

Scooping up what slid out, he pushed it back inside, working his fingers gently in and out of her now tender hole until he was satisfied his essence would stay deep inside of her.

He collapsed onto his side next to her and pulled her back flush to his chest, spooning her.

"That was incredible," she said, breathless and spent. "I can't believe how good that tasted."

"What?"

"Your blood," she said, twisting her neck to look over her shoulder. "I thought it would be gross, but it tasted like sweet candy."

He smiled. Her blood had a similar taste. Intoxicating like a drug, sweet like candy. Perfection.

"So we're bonded now, right? Like, officially sealed?"

Lifting her hair from her neck revealed the mark he'd seen before in a deep black like a fresh tattoo. He growled in satisfaction. "Sealed and done. You're mine and I'm yours."

"You have the same thing, right? "

Turning as she sat up, he waited for her judgment.

"It's beautiful," she said in awe, tracing her fingertips over the mark that mirrored hers at the base of his neck. "And mine looks the same?"

"That's how it works."

She squealed, and he laughed, pulling her into his arms and planting a soft, lingering kiss against her lips. They were covered in each other's blood, and hers was all over his face; but she didn't seem to mind, so he kissed her again.

"You really like being mine?"

"I love you, Aiden. Of course I do."

His chest hurt with the overwhelming happiness he felt. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would have this—have her.

And to know as soon as her magic awakened, allowing her to survive the transition, she'd join him and they could spend hundreds of years together without his worrying about losing her to the ailments of humankind, it made everything he'd endured over the last year worth every second.

"I will always love you, Charlotte."