Chapter Nineteen: Tamsin

She'd dreamed of this moment.

As she looked into Mason's eyes, it was as if they were truly alone on her little island, in the bolt hole she'd made in the wreck of a ship.

If only he had been there by her side, it would have been bearable. No, more than bearable…

"I wish you'd been pulled through the portal with me," she murmured.

"So do I." His mouth tugged up at the corners. "More than anything, I wished I'd told you we were mates the first time I saw you." He sucked in a shuddering breath. "So much wasted time."

"Then let's not waste anymore." She stood on tiptoes and kissed his lips, and he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close so that she nestled against his hard, toned chest.

As their kiss deepened, she could feel the drum of his heart and the heat of his skin. Shivers traveled up her spine and her skin tingled, as if she were attuned to him on every level.

The kiss seemed to stretch into eternity, a moment where the weight of their shared history dissolved into nothing but a pure, unadulterated connection. Mason's other hand came up to cradle her cheek, his thumb tracing gentle circles that sent electric currents through her.

Tamsin slipped her hands up his chest and unbuttoned his shirt, but he broke their kiss and curled his hands around hers.

"Tamsin," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You know us being together might complete the prophecy."

Reluctantly, she pulled back and searched his eyes, finding a storm of conflicting emotions there. "Complete a prophecy that has already affected our lives on every level. A prophecy that was written by who?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"And how do we know we haven't already completed the prophecy and set things in motion? Just by admitting that we are mates." She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly as another thought hit her. "Or maybe we set it in motion that day at the summer fayre, the first time you looked at me and knew we were mates."

He tugged his brows together, her hand still held in his. "You're right."

"Possibly," she replied. "We don't know." She traced small circles on his chest with her fingertips. "But I know one thing. If there's a chance that we might get torn apart again, I want a memory of this. Of us, to hold on to."

"If we get torn apart again," he murmured harshly, "I will find my way back to you."

"Maybe I should cast a spell on us. A spell to bind us together so that we will never be apart again." She tilted her head up and smiled at him. "I can't believe that only days ago I hated you and what you'd done. But now I know your heart was pure."

Mason's expression softened, and he leaned in closer, his forehead resting against hers. "And I can't believe that despite everything, you were willing to give us a chance," he whispered, his breath warm against her lips.

She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his presence seep into her very soul in the silence that followed.

"You know," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I never believed in destiny—not truly. Not until you." Her words hung in the air.

"Tamsin," he murmured into her hair, "destiny might have brought us together, but it's our choices that will keep us together."

"Then let's choose wisely," she whispered. "Let's make our own fate from this moment on."

Mason's arms tightened around her. "Isn't it strange that fate brought us together and yet a prophecy would keep us apart?"

Tamsin withdrew slightly and looked up at him. "Not anymore."

"Not anymore," he said in agreement and bent his head, kissing her as he released her hands.

As their lips pressed together, she returned to her task of ridding her mate of his clothes. Deftly working on his buttons, she stroked his skin with reverence, feeling the heat of his body respond to her touch. Mason's breath hitched in anticipation, a sound that was incredibly arousing, fueling her desire.

Finally, with the last button undone, she pushed his shirt off his shoulders, and it slid to the ground. He groaned against her mouth as her fingers sought his nipples that hardened under her touch. She teased them, tweaking them with her finger and thumb.

Mason broke their kiss, leaving her breathless, as he set about stripping her clothes from her body. She had cast a spell to make them unbreakable, but she sensed Mason would find a way to tear them from her body in his haste to see her naked. He groaned in frustration as he struggled to undo the ties that held her dress in place, and she covered his hand and muttered a spell that sent the knot unraveling.

"Interesting." His eyes met hers, a hint of mischief in them. "Perhaps you could simply cast a spell to leave us naked."

"And where would be the fun in that?" she replied teasingly as she reached for the belt holding up his jeans and unbuckled it.

"Maybe not so much fun," he replied. "But then perhaps we might have more fun after we're naked."

He arched an eyebrow at her, which forced a smile on her lips. There was one thing to be said about this wolf shifter. He knew how to make her laugh. She'd never thought the DuskWood Pack members had a sense of humor. They always seemed so serious. But then Mason didn't seem to be the typical DuskWood Pack member, even if he was their heir.

"See." She unbuttoned his jeans and then slid them down over his hips so that he stood naked before her. "No magic required."

"Are you goading me?" he asked as he finally won his battle with her dress and slipped it down over her shoulders.

"And what if I am?" she asked as she stepped out of her dress, standing naked before him.

"I might just have to show you how wolves respond to a little teasing," Mason growled, his voice a delicious mix of playful menace and raw desire.

An electric thrill ran down her spine as he caressed her bare skin, his touch kindling a fire deep within her. She leaned into him, feeling the heat of his body against hers, and for a moment, she let herself be lost in the sensation.

Mason's hands roamed with a possessive tenderness, tracing the curves of her body which reacted to his every touch as if he was the one who had cast a spell over her.

Her breath caught in her throat when his lips found the sensitive spot just below her ear, sending shivers of pleasure to her core.

Then he kissed her neck, leaving heat in his wake as he nuzzled his way down to her collarbone. Tamsin's fingers threaded through his hair, tugging gently, urging him on. Not that he needed urging. As his lips pressed against the swell of her breast, he let out a long, contented sigh before he flicked his tongue over her nipple.

She closed her eyes and arched her back, giving herself fully to the sensation of his mouth on her skin. Each flick of his tongue sent waves of heat coursing through her that pooled between her thighs. Mason's hands continued their exploration, tracing lines of fire down her sides and over the curve of her hips, before finally settling on her waist. He pulled her closer, and she could feel his hardness pressed against her thigh.

Tamsin slipped her hand down between their bodies and wrapped her hand around his shaft, stroking him with a deliberate slowness that had Mason growling with barely restrained desire.

"Careful, witch," he warned, his voice thick with need. "You might find yourself at the mercy of a wolf's hunger."

"Maybe that's exactly what I want," she whispered, her voice a sultry promise.

Mason's response was immediate, his body tensing with a feral energy that seemed barely contained. He leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, before striding toward the fire and laying her down on the cloak. Then he rocked back on his heels and stared down at her, his eyes dark with a hunger that made her tremble with anticipation.

This wolf shifter had waited far too long to claim his mate.

Mason pressed his hands against her knees and for a moment she tensed, not used to a man looking at her intimately. But then she relaxed under the pressure as he slowly spread her legs, exposing her to his penetrating gaze.

Color flooded her cheeks as his eyes roamed over her body with an intensity that sent a fresh wave of heat coursing through her. Tamsin's breath quickened as she watched him, anticipation coiling like a spring inside her.

Mason lowered himself between her thighs, his stubble scraping against the soft skin as he pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. Each touch felt like a spark igniting an inferno within her, and she let out a breathy moan in response.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he dipped his head lower, the sound vibrating through her core. Tamsin's fingers tangled in Mason's hair, pulling him closer as he buried his face deeper, tasting her for the first time. His tongue moved deftly, caressing her with a rhythm, drawing mewling whimpers from her.

Tamsin's back arched, and she bit her lip to stifle a cry of pleasure, the tension building in her core threatening to snap. Mason shifted his weight and slipped two fingers inside her with a slow, deliberate movement that had her gasping for breath. He knew exactly how to drive her wild, and he seemed determined to take her to the edge and keep her there, teasing and tormenting her until she couldn't bear it any longer.

Just as they had been tormented because of the prophecy. But perhaps their joining was more intense because of that torment.

His fingers moved in a lazy rhythm, each thrust sending shivers of pleasure coursing through her body while his tongue continued its relentless assault. Tamsin's grip on his hair tightened, her nails grazing his scalp as she was pulled deeper into the whirlwind of sensations that Mason was orchestrating. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, punctuated by breathy moans that filled the cave.

In and out he moved, the pace increasing in tantalizing increments. Tamsin felt every nerve ending in her body come alive, the tension coiling tighter and tighter within her. She was lost in him, her senses overwhelmed by his touch, his scent, the heat of his body against hers.

His teeth grazed her sensitive flesh as he hooked his fingers inside her, hitting that perfect spot that made her cry out. Tamsin's vision blurred, the world distilling down to the primal connection between them. Mason's growl deepened, feral and possessive, as he brought her to the brink of ecstasy.

And then she came. Her body tensed as her orgasm ripped through her. Mason did not relent, his fingers and tongue continuing their relentless rhythm until every last wave of her climax crashed over her, leaving her in no doubt he was laying claim to her.

As her orgasm faded, he eased his fingers in and out of her, coaxing her arousal back to life. He moved, kissing a trail up her body, and Tamsin shivered under his touch, her skin still humming with the afterglow of her release. His lips brushed over the peaks of her breasts, lingering just long enough to send another spark of desire through her before he continued his ascent, his breath warm against her neck and his voice a low, whispering caress.

"Mine," he murmured against her skin, his voice imbued with an ancient, primal certainty that sent another shiver down Tamsin's spine. Her body responded to his possessiveness, the embers of her desire rekindling.

Tamsin arched her back, surrendering to the magnetic pull between them. Her hands drifted down his back, feeling the muscle beneath the skin, reveling in the solidity of him. Mason's mouth found hers, capturing it in a kiss that was both tender and fiercely possessive.

Then he wrapped his arm around her and, in one swift movement, sat down on the cloak, with her straddling him. She rose on her knees, feeling the solid length of him against her, and then sank down slowly, savoring every exquisite inch as he entered her. Mason's hands gripped her hips, guiding her movements with a firmness that made her breath catch in her throat. She met his gaze, finding his eyes dark with primal desire.

It was as if their union had awoken something ancient and powerful within him.

She shivered as he cupped her breast in his hand and then lowered his head, sucking and licking her nipple in delicious torture. Her inner muscles tensed, and she gripped his hardness as she circled her hips, moving up and down on his shaft.

She moved in a steady rhythm that was intoxicating, primal, and utterly consuming.

His hands roamed her back, urging her on, while his mouth worked its magic on her other breast.

Tamsin's mind, usually so sharp and focused, became a haze of sensation. Each movement, each touch, each thrust took her closer to the edge. As if some innate magic had taken over her body. Her hips rolled and twisted, finding a rhythm that was all their own.

Mason kissed her breasts each in turn before he fisted her hair and claimed her mouth. His body tensed and he wrapped one arm around her, guiding her as he impaled her on his hardness.

Tamsin's breath came in ragged gasps, her fingernails digging into Mason's shoulders as he held her close. Then he tensed and lifted his hips off the floor as he ground into her, his seed filling her.

It was as if something wild and ancient took over them, their bodies moving as one, reaching for and finding the pleasure and satisfaction that only the other could bring.

Mason cried out, the sound raw and primal echoing through the cave. Tamsin's skin tingled as if her magic were swirling around her.

But then it faded, and the little world she had created faded along with it.

As they lay in each other's arms, they were where they belonged, where they had always belonged. In Wishing Moon Bay.