Chapter 27

In the end, I didn't have to make any demands.

Damen met us at the palace steps, ushering us in and leading us to one of the grand, empty apartments in the palace, leaving us at the door with the promise of delivering food and supplies later. I barely heard him. The moment Tallulah was inside, I did a sweep of the four small, elegant rooms before securing the front lock with my shadows.

She followed me quietly as I strode into the bathroom, using the pump to fill the small wash basin first and submerging my bloody arm to the elbow. Tallulah stepped up beside me, unwrapping a bar of gray soap streaked with silver from the thin paper it was packaged in, and holding it out of my reach when I went to grab it.

"Let me," she murmured.

"Tallulah…" I warned. "This is the blood of one of your kind. You don't need to do this."

"You're only covered in his blood because you were protecting me. Us." Her hand briefly touched her stomach before she lowered the bar into the muddy-looking water. She gently tugged my arm toward her and methodically scrubbed every inch of my skin. I didn't so much as blink as she cleaned around my claws, worried I'd twitch and slice her fragile skin.

Once I was clean, I emptied the basin and dried off while Tallulah brushed her teeth, rinsing her mouth several times, and I began the laborious process of pumping water into the bath.

Tallulah didn't have any blood on her, but the stench of her terror was clinging to her skin, making me fucking crazy. I never wanted to smell fear on her again. She should never feel it for as long as I lived.

How could I make sure that happened? The mating bite would help. I'd at least be able to feel if she left the realm.

Maybe she should start carrying around weapons, too. I would suggest to Astrid that she source some appropriate ones.

And no more dates with Aither, or anyone else, for that matter. I intended to be every date Tallulah ever had from now on.

She didn't say a word as I shredded her clothes to ribbons, gently pulling the strands of ruined fabric away from her body, pausing for a moment to smooth my hand over her belly.

Usually, I wouldn't be so cavalier with her clothing, knowing how much effort she put into making it, but I never wanted to see these things on her again. I wouldn't be able to look at them without seeing her in that cage, her fear coating the air around us. No. I couldn't bear it.

I guided Tallulah into the bath, nearly falling over the edge when she grabbed my arm, insisting I go with her.

"Stay," she pleaded. "I swear, I am strong and independent ninety-nine percent of the time, but right now, I need you."

"You have me," I assured her, sitting on the bench that ran around the edge of the bath and pulling her onto my lap, cradling her in my arms.

We were both restless, our hands traveling over each other's bodies, checking that we were still there. That we were safe, and whole, and together.

"I love you," Tallulah mumbled against my shoulder, brushing soft kisses over my skin. "I hope they let us stay here awhile. I'm not ready to sleep apart from you."

"I bought the cottage."

"You did?" She sat back, smiling up at me with shining eyes. "Really?"

I hummed in agreement, giving her hip a gentle squeeze. "I did. But we're going to spend a few days so you can properly rest. There are a thousand things that need doing at that place, and I suspect you'll try to do all of them immediately."

She hid her laugh against my throat, the gentle scrape of her blunt teeth making my cock stir beneath her thigh.

"You've got me all figured out." Tallulah's scent bloomed—her joy mingling in with the heady smell of desire.

"Not entirely," I admitted. "But I intend to."

"Can you take me to bed now, please?"

I had us out of the water instantly. Tallulah laughed as I attempted to roughly dry her off, swatting my hand away so she could do it herself before wrapping the towel around her body and sauntering into the adjoining bedroom.

"Tell me now if you don't want my bite," I told Tallulah, guiding her onto her back on the bed. The towel fell open instantly, and I guided her legs the same way.

"I want it more than anything. I want you. I want to build a life with you, a family with you," Tallulah breathed, looking up at me with shining eyes. Finally, finally, the look in her eyes from the night of the ball, from our very first night together, was back. It was trust, and hope, and adoration, and I felt like a fool that I'd ever squandered it.

I kissed my way down her body, occasionally taking a moment to taste her skin, and inhale her glorious scent.

"Legs up, Tallulah. It's been too long since I tasted this sweet cunt."

She made a somewhat desperate sound of agreement as she pulled her knees up to her chest, pinning them perfectly in place while I swiped my tongue through her sweet, glistening pussy.

A purr rumbled out of my chest, and I did nothing to hold it back as I licked up every drop of slick I could reach, greedily demanding more from her body.

I moved my hands to the back of her thighs as she came, squirming away instinctually, but I wasn't done with her yet.

"Again, on my tongue," I ordered. "I want you nice and wet for me, Tallulah. You're going to be spending most of tonight on my knot."

She made a dazed noise of agreement, briefly looking down at me between her thighs before head flopped back on the pillow.

I wrung two more orgasms out of her before I was satisfied that she was ready. The blankets were soaked with slick where Tallulah was lying, and there was definitely precum where I'd been grinding my cock into the bed, desperate to be inside my future mate.

Tallulah moved to touch my hair, hesitating at the last moment and grabbing my shoulders instead, encouraging me up the bed. I climbed over her, settling between her thighs, and wrapped my fingers around her wrist, guiding her up to the top of my head.

"You can touch me."

"Are you sure?" she asked softly, lightly running her fingers over my hair.

"Of course, Tallulah. It's you."

The smile she gave me was everything. She tangled her hands in my hair, thumbs resting at the base of my stumps, as I slowly sank into her warm, wet pussy.

Instantly, my knot was throbbing, desperate to be lodged inside her, but I had to take it slow. Gentle. Tallulah had been through a lot. She was pregnant. I couldn't get carried away. But I'd missed her so much, and the imminent promise of finally seeing my bite on her skin was setting off an instinct I didn't know I had that could only be described as feral.

"I won't break," Tallulah huffed, hooking a delicate ankle around the back of my thigh and attempting to tug me forward.

"You might," I replied gruffly, carefully keeping my weight off her as I lowered myself over her body. "You're very fucking breakable, my love. I could crush you with one hand. Rip you apart with a casual swipe of my claws. Tear your throat out with my teeth."

Tallulah grinned up at me, showing off blunt little fangs of her own. Her thumbs started massaging the stumps beneath my hair, and while I knew horns could be erogenous zones for others, I'd assumed that wouldn't apply to me. I'd never let anyone touch them before to find out.

No one had ever wanted to.

But fuck. If she kept that up, this was going to be over far quicker than I anticipated.

"You won't, though. You think I don't know how fragile I am compared to you? I'm perfectly aware. But I have complete faith that you'll do everything within your power to keep me—and our child—safe from harm, at your hand or any other. I don't just love you, Evrin. I trust you."

"Your sweet, beautiful words aren't calming me down," I gritted out, though it was an unnecessary observation since I was already starting to rut her like a beast.

"I'm not trying to calm you down. I've been very patient, Evrin, and I deserve a proper fuck after today—"

The last of my self-control snapped as I pinned her arms above her head and began fucking her like I was possessed.

"Finally," Tallulah gasped, sucking down some air, arching her back to meet my thrusts.

Her breasts bounced with each movement, the pink in her cheeks traveling all the way down her neck, and a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin. Tallulah's black hair had escaped its tie, spreading out all over the pillow in a tangled mess, and her blue eyes were hazy and unfocused as her cunt tightened around me, another orgasm dragging her under with a raspy moan.

She was a perfect, beautiful mess, and she was all mine.

I tried to gather some semblance of control for the bite, but Tallulah didn't give me the chance. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head down roughly, tilting hers back to expose her neck. My teeth broke her skin of their own accord, the coppery taste of her blood hitting my tongue before I'd realized what I'd done. But there was no going back now, and I didn't want to.

Not when I finally had Tallulah where I wanted her. Where she was meant to be the whole time. In my bed, carrying my baby, with my mark on her flesh, tying her to me forever.

My knot swelled while my teeth were still embedded in her skin, and her arms were wrapped tightly around my shoulders. I'd never felt more closely connected to anyone. The desperate longing inside me to feel seen, to be touched, to be heard… It vanished like it was never there, the mating bond settling into place, filling up the parts of me that had been lonely for my entire life.

It was fucking madness that it had taken us this long to get to that point—and the fault was all mine—but we were here now and I was never letting her go.