Chapter 17

Today was the day.

Today I’d be tied to my mate.

Officially.

I was excited.

And nervous.

Why the hell was I nervous?

It made no sense. Cos and I were already bonded together by our souls for crying out loud. This would be more symbolic and a way for other shifters to sense that we had a mate… or something like that.

I guess being tied made you smell like each other or something? I wasn’t really sure. Especially because sleeping together already made us smell like one another.

Yeah, my nose was a hell of a lot better than it had been before, but I didn’t grow up with a sensitive nose like this, so I had no idea what most of the different scents I smelled were or what they meant. Cos tried explaining things to me sometimes, but I guess I wasn’t a great student.

So I couldn’t tell anything about the tied scents, but apparently, most shifters could. Who knew?

“Why are you so nervous?” Cos asked with amusement in his tone as we packed a cooler full of food. We’d actually prepared the food ourselves, using the kitchen in the second house, instead of having River do it, so we’d had a fun day together already.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like anything’s really going to change—I know that. It just… feels really final. Which is stupid because I know you’re my always, so then why am I freaking out about this? Honestly, I’m being ridiculous, and I know it.”

Cos nudged me with his elbow. “You’re not being ridiculous.”

“We’re already bonded together. Forever. So then why am I freaking out? I could understand if we weren’t bound or if we were talking about doing this with someone else, but this is you, and you…” I met his gaze. “You’re perfect.”

He snorted and shook his head. “I’m far from perfect.”

“Maybe, but you’re perfect for me,” I muttered in a small voice.

He didn’t say anything for a minute, and if I didn’t know just how good his hearing was, I would’ve thought he hadn’t heard me. But I did know, so then why the hell was he torturing me like this by not responding? As if I wasn’t nervous enough already.

Finally, Cos whispered, “You’re perfect for me, too, Mads. And it’s okay to be nervous. I know you keep saying that we’re already bonded, but that doesn’t mean that tonight isn’t a big deal. It is a big deal. It’s a big deal to me that you’re willing to do this shifter tradition with me. This is the same thing as a human marriage, only it’s unbreakable, and since we live longer than humans do, that’s a really long time to be bound to someone.

“I love you, Mads. I’m excited about tonight, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous myself, and that has nothing to do with how much or how deeply I love you. It’s natural to be nervous about big things, don’t you think?”

I took a deep breath and faced him, swallowing thickly. Staring into his alpha bright golden eyes, I could see his love for me, but now that he’d pointed it out, I could also see a little nervousness. It made no sense at all, but seeing that, feeling that in my chest, knowing that he was nervous, too, made me feel a little better.

Eventually, I nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” I walked over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips and ran my hand through his hair. “Thank you, kitty cat.”

He smiled and nuzzled my cheek for a few seconds before he stood straight and nodded toward the back door. “Ready, baby?”

“Ready.”

He grabbed the very heavy cooler, and I grabbed our bags and a couple pillows. Cos grabbed more pillows on his way to the back door, and I followed him outside.

The tent was already set up, and even though Scarlett and Ben were living in the house now, we talked to them already, and they were fine with us using the same spot tonight as we did when we initially made the tying ropes.

So we headed over to our little triangle area, set our supplies down, and before I could contemplate what to do next, Cos swept me into his arms, spun me around—making me shout in surprise and maybe a little horror—and set me on my feet, pulling me in for a tight hug.

“A little warning next time, you big lug.”

He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I just got excited. Come on, let’s get comfortable so we can get started.”

I let him lead me over to the giant pillows we’d placed near the center of the area, and we settled down, facing each other, much the same as we had when we’d made the ropes.

With a soft smile on his face, he extended his claws and used one to slice the tying rope on his arm. Then he held his claw out to me and whispered, “Ready?”

I pushed my arm out to him with a nod, and he sliced mine, too.

After unwinding them from our arms, Cos grabbed one end of each and said, “Alright, baby, now we tie them together.”

“Go on.” I waved him on, then rubbed at my now-naked forearm. It felt weird. Having the tying rope there had almost felt natural after a month, and I couldn’t help but frown down at my arm. I was going to miss that thing.

Cosmo’s gentle fingers tilted my chin up, and he leaned forward to kiss my lips. I didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, and he smiled against me. “I can buy you a bracelet to wear, if you want.”

Leaning back, I lifted a brow. “Say what?”

He snorted. “You heard me. I can buy you a bracelet.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need one, jerkhat. Come on, get your butt moving so we can get to the good part.”

“The good part being tied together?”

“Nope.” I made sure to pop the P. “The good part being feeding each other all the food we made today.”

“Oh right, silly me. Of course.” He laughed, leaned in to kiss my smiling lips, then sat back and finished tying our ropes together. With the ends tied, we wrapped, braided, and twisted the ropes together, then tied off the other end before bringing them together and tying those together, too, until it made a giant circle, the ropes entwined throughout.

Cos took a breath and met my eyes. “Ready?”

“I’m ready to be tied to you, kitty cat.”

His smile was that sweet, tender one filled with warmth that he seemed to reserve only for me.

I helped him place the braided rope around us so it was against our backs and we sat in the middle of it. The second it was in place, I felt a sudden rush of magic that made me gasp.

Closing my eyes, I let myself examine it for a moment, and a huge smile spread across my lips.

Our souls’ essences were rushing around us, and I could feel Cosmo’s wonderful energy filling the circle we were in.

When I opened my eyes, I found Cos already staring at me, and it wasn’t my imagination that his eyes were glassy.

He whispered, “I feel you. I feel us.”

“Me, too.” I leaned in to kiss his lips, then each of his cheeks as I grabbed and squeezed his hands.

Goddess, this man. He was the sweetest person I’d ever met, and I could feel that in this small space that was only ours.

His smile was somehow even bigger when he pulled back, and I couldn’t help but release his hand and give his chin a scratch. He laughed, then caught my fingers and kissed them before he reached over to the cooler, opened the lid, and grabbed a container out.

The magic was almost… quiet, but felt strong, thick. It felt like Cosmo’s warmth had surrounded me and was moving slightly in the wind. I hadn’t known exactly what to expect even though Jude had tried to explain, but now that I was inside the circle of magic, I knew exactly what he’d meant.

It was peaceful here. Comforting. And just so much Cosmo.

The feeling brought so much warmth to my chest I thought it might explode out of me.

Cos held up a turkey pinwheel, which was basically a turkey wrap cut up into small bites, and he lifted it to my lips. I took a bite without hesitation, keeping eye contact with my mate. He loved feeding me, and I could feel his satisfaction through our soul bond and in the magic swirling through the air.

After I finished off the small piece, I grabbed one out and held it to his lips. Cos ate it from me, but he purposefully licked my fingers when he took the bite. It made me shiver, and he smirked, noticing my reaction.

We ate a few more turkey pinwheels before I pulled out the caprese skewers we’d made that I was excited to try. They were bitesize pieces of mozzarella with tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic glaze, and they smelled delicious.

He fed me a bite, and I moaned because it tasted as good as it smelled.

Cos chuckled. “I’m not even surprised the food is the thing that’s making you moan.”

I flipped him off. “You try it and tell me you can’t moan.”

I fed him a bite, and Cos let out a loud, enthusiastic, and over the top moan. “Mmm. Sooooooo good.”

I couldn’t help but snicker and smack his shoulder. “Hilarious.”

He chuckled. “It really is good, but not that good. You sound like you want to have sex with it. Did you just have a foodgasm?”

I snorted, rolled my eyes, and waved for him to feed me another bite. This time, I was the one who made an over-the-top groan, and we both burst into laughter before I’d even finished.

I was still trying to chew my bite—while cracking up—when he leaned over to kiss me again. It made me laugh even more, and when I finally swallowed my food, I muttered against his lips, “You’re lucky I didn’t end up spitting that out on you.”

He shrugged and wrapped his arms around my lower back, then pecked my lips before burying his face in my neck and taking a deep breath. “You’re too far away.”

“I don’t think I can sit any closer to you unless I was in your lap, and that won’t work while we’re eating.”

He sighed and kissed my neck, then sat up with pursed lips. After a beat, he grabbed my legs and tugged. Since he was so determined, I decided to let him move me around. He pulled my legs out from sitting crisscross, put them over his own thighs, and tugged me closer. His legs ended up wrapped around me, closing me in.

“This okay?” He kissed each of my cheeks and nudged my nose with his.

“Uh-huh.” I draped my arms over his shoulders and buried my fingers in his hair, giving him a good scratch for a moment. He leaned into the touch, and his purr sounded, making me smile. “You’re such a cat.”

He grinned. “It feels good.”

I did it for another minute while he closed his eyes and his purr rumbled between us.

After a little while, he sighed, kissed me again, and reached for another container of food. This time, he came up with little chicken bites. They were really good, too.

“We make a good team in the kitchen,” I said as I fed him one.

He nodded. “Maybe we should ask Riv if we can cook a meal for the family every once in a while.”

“I like that idea. They need a break, and I had fun with you today.”

With a smile and a mouth full of food, he kissed my lips, making me laugh.

“Gross.”

He shrugged and swallowed his bite. “You like it.”

I shrugged back. “I like you. That doesn’t mean I like everything you do.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I snorted.

He proceeded to feed me another bite, and I hummed in contentment. As we continued to feed each other, I could feel the shifter magic swirling around us, our essences mixing and slowly becoming one instead of two. It was a strange sensation, but definitely a welcome one.

We went on like that for a long time. Feeding each other, kissing, hugging, nuzzling, scenting, talking, laughing. It was amazing and felt… powerful.

I had no idea how long we’d been out there because I’d been so content, so focused on my mate, that time passed by without my noticing.

But then the air around us, the magic within our circle, changed, and we both froze and stared at each other.

The magic burst around us, only instead of exploding out, it rushed in. I felt the magic whoosh through my entire body quickly, and I gasped. Not in alarm, but in awe.

My soul blended together so seamlessly with Cosmo’s that I didn’t know where one began and the other ended. I could feel his undying love in every inch of myself, and it was so overwhelming, so warm, so tender, that tears pricked my eyes.

Cosmo’s eyes watered in response, and the happiness I felt emanating off of him and through my entire being was so huge I couldn’t help but smile.

“Cos,” I breathed out, reaching for his face at the same time that he reached for mine.

“Mads,” he breathed against my lips. “God, I feel you… everywhere. You… you’re… god, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, kitty cat. Goddess, I love you, too.”

Our lips met in a tender kiss that quickly turned desperate. Our tongues dueled, our teeth bit lips, and my body came alive, thrumming with energy and tingling with pleasure. I clung to him, wrapping arms and legs around him, not wanting even an inch of space between us, and he did the same. We were wrapped around each other in body, heart, and soul, and I never wanted to untangle from him—our hearts and souls never would.

The thought left me warm and hot and so fucking happy I was ready to burst with it.

Cos suddenly stood in a fluid motion, holding me in his arms like I weighed nothing. Between one breath and the next, we were in the tent and Cos was placing me on the air mattress and mountain of pillows.

He tried to pull away, and I whimpered, holding onto him even tighter. He hummed against me, kissing me deeply again for a minute before he spoke against my lips.

“I need you naked.”

This time, when he pulled away, I let him, but I made sure at least part of me was touching a part of him at all times. I just… I couldn’t let him go. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Cos pulled my shirt over my head and flung it to the side, and I lifted my hips when he went for my pants. The second they were off, I grabbed for his shirt, yanking it over his head. He was so much taller than me, and up on his knees, that he had to help me because I couldn’t reach.

He chuckled as he slung that off to the side, too. I sat up to place my scarred hand over the scar he wore on his chest, and I felt a pulse of energy run between us. Cos met my eyes, his wide with shock, and then a slow grin spread over his lips. I answered that grin with one of my own and kissed his chest and belly as I hooked my fingers on the hem of his pants. We managed to get those off, and the second he threw them, I pulled him down back on top of me.

We came together with lips, tongue, and teeth, with hands and fingers running over skin, with love and affection fueling each moment, with skin slick with sweat rubbing against sleek skin. We were one big nerve ending, sensations and love filling every movement, intense and overwhelming and so fucking pleasurable I wanted it to last forever.

His body covered mine, and I clung to him, holding him as tightly to me as possible as our hips moved. Our cocks ground together, the sensation making me moan and pant into his mouth. His tongue loved on mine, and I just wanted him closer. He’d never be close enough.

I felt my orgasm building along with his, and when we deepened our kiss, when one of my hands went into his hair and he cradled my face in his palms, it exploded out of me, his out of him, and we both cried out. But we didn’t break our kiss. We breathed the same air as we moaned and panted through our pleasure. The world whited out around me, and all I knew was Cos and his love, his body, his soul.

It felt like my heart exploded with the euphoria, but it was okay because Cos was right there to catch all my pieces and help me put them back together again.

As we came down from our highs, we didn’t stop kissing. Our kisses slowed, became less frantic, but we didn’t pull away. I couldn’t let him pull away. I needed him to stay right here with me, holding me tight, protecting me and my heart in his arms.

We didn’t let go of one another for a long, long time. But eventually, his lips slipped from mine, and he buried his face in my neck. And we hugged, holding each other tightly, promises of always being there for one another written into our skin.

“I love you so much,” I whispered, feeling overwhelmed and wonderful and amazing all at the same time. Feeling his love and adoration for me in my bones, in every single facet of my soul.

“I love you, too, Madeo Ono-Nai. So fucking much.” He spoke into my skin, his words whispered directly to my heart.

I took a deep breath and held him tighter. “Looks like you’re stuck with me now.”

He leaned up and nudged my nose with his, his smiling face radiating happiness. “No one else I’d rather be stuck with.”

“Sap.”

He snorted, kissing my lips slowly, then snuggled back down into my neck. “You’ve been stuck with me for a long time. I even had a plan on how to get you back if you ever tried to run away.”

I snorted, but said seriously, “I never would’ve run away from you.”

“I know.” He kissed my skin. “But if you had, I would’ve just cooked your favorite foods and waved them in front of your face and promised you more if you came back home with me.”

I laughed and smacked his shoulder. “Absurd.”

“You like absurd.”

I squeezed him. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

He snorted and kissed my neck, then leaned back up to look me in the eyes. He thrust his hips forward, and my cock twitched against his already half-hard one. “We stayed like this so long I think we’re glued together.” He kissed a line along my neck, then pulled my earlobe between his teeth. “Guess we’ll have to take advantage of it.”

He rutted again, and I chuckled, then lifted his face up so I could kiss him. “I like the sound of that.”

He grinned and caught my mouth with his, our love surging forward between us until all I knew was Cosmo and our love for one another.