Chapter Six

Vinnie

Itilt my head to the side, staring at my shoulder. There's a perfect indent of Tatum's teeth in my skin, already a pretty silver color from being healed over. One of the many perks of being a phoenix is enhanced healing. Though one of the drawbacks is enhanced healing when I want to keep some of the love bites Tatum left across my skin during his heat.

My stomach is a mixture of chaos inside of me. On the one hand, the last few days have been absolutely amazing. I don't think I've ever come so many times that quickly over and over again. My body is a blissful sated mess with more sore muscles than I thought possible.

On the other hand, this was all so much to share with someone I've barely met. Will Tatum come out of this heat feeling okay? Will he feel regret?

I've done everything in my power to make sure he was comfortable and taken care of. I've fed him and bathed him and fucked him to sleep. I just wanted him to feel safe and cared for.

But was that too much too soon? Being vulnerable like that is scary, and I hope I did everything right.

For me, I've never felt this close to someone so quickly. I feel a real connection forming between myself and Tatum. That's what true mates are, right? Two souls coming together and forging a special and unique bond?

I quickly wash my face before heading out of the bathroom and back into my room. I take a deep breath. The air smells heavily like the two of us and my stomach flips pleasantly. I like the way we smell together. Warm campfires and tasted marshmallows.

It also smells like Tatum's heat and overwhelming lust. My nose wrinkles. It's pretty ripe in here. I should probably crack a window and get this place aired out.

I do just that before heading back to my nest. Well, I should really say our nest. Tatum is laying in the middle of it, curled around a pillow. Gods, he looks adorable like this. Somehow, my big, strong, beefy mate is an absolutely softie. He's perfect.

I carefully crawl into the nest beside him, tucking myself against his back. He makes a noise as he wakes up, despite how careful I was. Apparently he's also a light sleeper when he's not passed out on my knot.

Tatum hums, shoving himself more firmly against my chest. "Morning," he murmurs, his voice even deeper from just waking up. I run my nose over the back of his head, breathing him in, savoring his marshmellowy scent.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I say back, running my hand over his side. "How're you feeling?"

I hear the smile in his voice. "So fucking good. I'm pretty sure my heat is over because I can finally think for the first time in days," he says with a chuckle.

I steel myself, waiting for his reaction to all of this now that his hormones aren't calling the shots. Will he pull away? Will he regret everything we did?

Instead, Tatum flips around so we're face to face, his eyes soft when he looks at me. "How are you? That must have been a lot all at once."

"You're asking me? You're the one who just went through a heat."

"We both went through it. My hormones were the ones taking over but you were there to help me through it. You were there during the entire thing. We just met, I wouldn't have held it against you if you'd kept your distance until it was over."

"Oh, Tatum," I breathe out, resting my palm against his cheek. "I could not have done that. You're mine," I say gently. We haven't discussed this yet obviously, but I need him to know how I'm feeling, need him to know that I'm open to this bond and seeing where it takes us. When I bit him, I did it with a sound mind. I want him. I want all that comes with it. I want it all as long as that's what he wants too.

His eyes dart over to my shoulder, staring at the mark he left. His eyes widen in wonder. "You're mine," he whispers, like he can barely believe.

"You're my mate. I couldn't watch you suffer alone because your suffering is mine, the same way your joy is my joy."

Tatum's mouth opens and closes a few times, like he's too awestruck to find the right words. Finally, instead of talking, he leans over and kisses me, letting his lips tell me exactly how he's feeling when his words can't. I understand. I understand exactly how he's feeling because I feel it too.

Tatum swallows thickly, his eyes searching mine. His voice is achingly soft as he confesses, "I feel the same about you."

"Good. That's really fucking good to hear," I say, breathing a sigh of relief. It's one thing to assume someone feels the same and it's another entirely to actually hear it. I smile so wide that my cheeks begin to hurt.

This is similar to how it feels to fly, soaring above the tree with the wind blowing against my feathers. There's a moment when flying when I stop flapping my wings and freefall. Maybe that's what falling in love feels like, the thrill, that descent, that exhilaration and freedom.

"I should probably get into the shower," Tatum says, his cheeks pink from embarrassment. "I stink."

"You smell like you've just been in heat for three days."

"Exactly," he says with a chuckle. "Plus the sheets need to get washed. I feel like I've completely taken over your space. I'm sorry."

"This is your space too. The moment we scented each other this place became your place too. I want you to feel welcomed."

"I already do. But that doesn't mean I like my place to be stinky," he says, wrinkling his nose. I can't really argue with that.

I lay back, watching Tatum walk towards the bathroom, his legs slightly more bowlegged than usual. The sight brings a smile to my face and a heat to the pit of my stomach. I might have just fucked that man every which way possible but it has done nothing to curve my appetite for him. I'm not sure I'll ever get enough.

Once he's hidden behind closed doors, I go through the motions of cleaning everything up. I strip the bed and throw new sheets on, I throw our dirty laundry into the washer, and take all our dirty dishes into the kitchen. I keep glancing towards the bathroom, waiting for Tatum to come back out. I feel like a love sick teenager who's got their first crush. Or maybe it's even deeper than that, a longing in the center of my chest, dragging me towards my mate.

I quickly tie my long hair into a bun at the top of my head before starting the dishes, hoping that if I keep my hands busy, I won't constantly be timing how long before Tatum is by my side once more. I've heard of people's newly mated bond hitting hard but I didn't expect that it would feel like this.

I'm starting to realize why my parents seem to always have their hands all over each other!

Thankfully, as I'm finishing up the dishes, the shower turns off. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing my mate will be where I can see him very soon. As I drain the sink, I think about everything that's happened. Tatum mentioned that he was on a road trip to find his brothers. Does that mean I'll be leaving soon? Should I tell my boss I might be quitting? Should I warn my regulars?

A jolt of sadness hits me square in the chest. I've made this place my home. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave these people. But the idea of leaving Tatum to venture this trip on his own is unthinkable. The idea makes my inner phoenix rally against me, whispering that we cannot go far from him.

His family is my family. But at the same time, these people are now his people as well.

Gods, what the hell are we going to do?

Strong arms snake around my waist and I breath out a long sigh, my body relaxing now that my mate is here. All of the anxieties tied to the what ifs of our future slowly fade away, replaced by a steady warmth. All that matters right this moment is that Tatum is here, that we're together. The rest will be figured out one way or another. No use in borrowing tomorrow's trouble.

"Hi," Tatum breathes out, laying a barely there kiss against the back of my neck. A shiver runs through me. Fuck, if I'm not careful we'll be right back in my bed. The only thing stopping me from turning around kissing him is knowing he must be sore from everything we did the last few days. As much as we might feel the drive to consume each other, we really need to rest as well.

"Hey, you," I say back, putting my hands over his where they lay across my stomach. "Did you have a nice shower? I missed you."

Tatum chuckles, tucking his face against my shoulder. "I was only gone a few minutes," he murmurs, kissing my neck one more time before letting me go and taking a step back so I can turn around and face him. I instantly miss his body against mine.

I raise my brow at him as I lean against the sink. "I said what I said."

"I missed you too," he says with a grin. "And my shower was fantastic. I feel like a brand new man!"

"It's startling what a good shower will do. Especially after being so sweaty and covered in each other's fluids for so long."

Tatum shakes his head, looking away. "Don't talk about being covered in fluids unless you want to end up covered in them again so soon."

"As much as I'd love that," I tell him, patting his chest before taking a step over to the fridge, "you need time to recover. You must be sore, sweetheart."

I pick up a carton of eggs and some leftover ham I need to eat up before it goes bad. When I turn back around, Tatum is staring at me, a little smile playing at his lips.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing," he says right away, looking away. "I just really like it when you call me that. I never imagined being someone's sweetheart before."

There's so many layers to my mate and I look forward to slowly peeling them all away, learning more and more about him. I want to know what brings him joy and what his weird pet peeves are. I want him to be my sweetheart. I want him to feel soft when he's around me despite the fact that from the outside, most people would only see hard muscles and square jaws.

Gods, I want everything with him.

"Well, you are," I tell him with a nod, moving over to the stove. "You're my sweetheart. My sweet pea. My shnookums. My--"

"Okay, okay. I get it," Tatum says, coming to lean against the counter next to me so he can watch me cook. "I like it." He swallows, looking into my eyes. "I like you."

"You're a giant sap, aren't you? The kind of man to crave romance and softness. I like that about you. I've always had a hard time accepting soft affection like that but I think it was because it wasn't coming from you."

"That makes sense." Tatum reaches out, running his fingers over my side before pulling his hand back. "Sorry. I feel like I can't seem to keep myself from touching you. These newly mated feelings are a bit overwhelming."

"They are, and it's okay. I don't mind. If I did, I'm not afraid to tell you."

The smile I get in response makes my chest flutter with delight. Tatum might be built strong and hard, but he's also so incredibly pretty. His eyes are alight with happiness, his smile shining brighter than the sun. I feel like I should break out a notebook and start putting my thoughts down to create poetry about this man, that's how bad I'm already falling.

"How old are you?" I startle, almost flipping the eggs I'm making onto the floor instead of back into the pan. I look over at him and he gives me a sheepish look at blurting the question out. "Sorry. Our conversation the other day kinda got cut off and I'm incredibly curious."

"Older than you," I tell him, waiting to gauge his reaction.

"I figured," he says slowly. "You have a lot of wisdom for someone who looks my age. You mentioned phoenixes extending people's lifespans and I assume that means your own is longer than a human as well. You seem like you have a lot of experience. Plus, you fucked me so thoroughly it's hard not to imagine you've never done that before."

"Is it true that dragons have extended lifespans?"

Tatum shrugs. "I think so? My moms did their best to collect everything they could about dragons but some of them are just myths. I've never met another dragon in order to ask them." There's a long pause before he adds, "I'm not sure there are any other dragons to ask."

My heart hammers against my ribs, nerves nipping at my stomach and making me nauseous. "I'm 96 years old."

I wait for some sort of reaction, a sign of disgust. Instead, I'm greeted with a grin. "Gods, you're old. Does this make me your sugar baby? Because I could absolutely be down with that."

It's the complete opposite of what I was expecting, the absurdity of the comment making me break out into a fit of giggles. "Are you seriously fine with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? The only thing that makes me kinda sad is realizing how long you had to wait for me. That must have sucked."

Now it's my turn to shrug. "It wasn't that bad. So far you've been worth the wait."

"You just keep saying things that melt me like a popsicle in the heat." Tatum kisses me on the cheek, making my stomach warm with affection.

"Come on," I murmur, scooping the eggs onto two plates. We spend the day recovering from Tatum's heat, lounging on the couch, eating whatever we want and just basking in each other's presence. If this is what having a mate is like, I can absolutely get used to it.