Chapter Sixty-Eight
Graham held Catherine to his chest as he waited for her to recover. He glanced at the clock beside him and sighed. The sun would be rising any moment. He glided his hand down her arm for the hundredth time. Her skin had cooled considerably which was good. He knew from sex-ed class that a male lycan’s mark could cause the female to fall into a deep sleep while her body incorporated his venom into her system but five hours seemed to be longer than he remembered the teacher saying.
Maybe he should have waited. He certainly wasn’t in the best frame of mind when he came home. He’d killed thirteen men in order to make it out of that arena. His lycan was in full control by the time he’d finished and went looking for his mate.
The first spike of anger happened when he scented her with Lucas rather than Jensen. The second was when he’d found the three lycans covered in her scent. The third when he saw Lucas shove her out of his car. The fourth when he scented her fear at seeing
him in his lycan form.
Though he had the presence of mind to shift, he was far too lost in the carnality of the full moon to think of anything other than dominating his mate… a plan quickly foiled when she commanded him. Was that why she was still asleep? Had overriding her father’s command taken that much out of her? Maybe it was her power manifesting?
Her mind was filled with images and thoughts that filtered through their bond. So much so that he felt dizzy himself and wondered if he should try to sleep. Either way he didn’t want to prod too far into their connection until she woke and they could experience it together. The tethering of their souls was so pronounced and intimate, he hadn’t expected it. Everyone always talks about it. Theo even tried to explain it to him. Theo described it as finding a missing piece of yourself and having it restored. Naturally everyone is different. What happened between him and Catherine, felt more significant and intense and they’d only completed half of it.
He sighed and glanced at his phone. He was debating calling Nancy when he felt her fingers curl against his chest. A sleepy sigh left her lips as she rubbed her cheek against his pec. Catherine stretched and winced when she pushed her legs out. He smiled, knowing now through their connection that she was sore from all of the full-moon coupling they’d done. She burrowed herself deeper against his chest and the feeling of love and contentment seemed to cloud the air around them.
Her eyes shot open. Catherine sat up and touched her neck. She turned to look down at him: her eyes were wide, filled with joy and unshed tears. She grinned and he couldn’t help but return the expression.
“We did it,” she whispered.
A tear escaped down her cheek and he swiped it with his thumb before it could touch her lips. “You did it,” he agreed.
Catherine flung herself down and he grunted at the impact. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her tight.
“We did it, we’re really mates now. We’re bonded. I belong,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. His chest became wet with her tears. He ran his hands up and down her shaking back.
Catherine sat up again and helped him to wipe the tears from her face. She bit her lip, trying to stifle her cheek-splitting smile. She touched the tender spot of her neck. She squealed and jumped off the bed. Graham chuckled as she ran butt-naked into their bathroom. He slowly got to his feet and followed. He came to stand in the doorway. He leaned one shoulder against the doorframe and crossed his arms.
She stood in front of their mirror, studying the bite he’d left on her shoulder. It was still red and raw with some purple bruising around the edges that would soon fade. Within a few days the mark would heal completely, leaving behind his unique marking. Anyone who saw it would know by its size and depth that she belonged to a high-ranking lycan. If someone got close enough to inspect it, they would scent him on her too.
Other than the mark, he noticed a few other new things about her. Her chestnut hair seemed to hold a new goldish gleam. Her face was flushed with excitement. Her brown and blue eyes seemed brighter, and sparkled. What bruises and scars remained from her various encounters over the last few weeks were long gone. Graham walked up behind her and placed his hands on her waist. She
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Chapter Sixty-Eight
lowered her hands over his. He planted a delicate kiss on her shoulder and her head fell back against him. He trailed kisses up that same shoulder until he came to his mark. He placed his lips over the bite and sucked. Her hands tightened against his, her skin pebbled and she let out a throaty moan. Her arousal beat out the smell of cleaner in the bathroom.
“That feels… wonderful,” she sighed as he released his mark to trail open-mouthed kisses further up her neck.
“Hmm…”
Graham turned her in his arms, picked her up and placed her gently on the cold counter. He cupped her face and kissed her until she was clinging to his shoulders as if she meant to climb them. He pulled back and kissed her forehead.
“When is it enough time for me to…”
Graham opened his eyes to find her staring at the unmarked skin of his neck. “Females can complete the bond as soon as they wake up so… whenever you want to.”
Catherine nodded and bit her lip. “I feel so sticky and gross. Could we take a shower first? I just want it to be perfect and maybe stay conscious for it,” she added with a chuckle.
He kissed her. “That’s fine, Baby. Whatever you want.”
Graham picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her face turned an adorable shade of crimson when he kissed his mark. She placed her hand over where she wanted to sink her own teeth. He walked them to the shower and continued to hold her until the water was warm enough. He walked in and pressed her back against the wall. She hissed as her bare skin met the cool tiles. He adjusted the shower head to get them both. He reached around to grab a soap when he felt her try to slide down.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, grabbing the meat of her ass to hold her up.
“You can’t possibly want to hold me while we shower?”
“Why not?” he asked, beginning to rub the bar of soap over her chest. Her eyelids fluttered closed as his lathered hand coasted down her stomach. “Is this where you’re dirtiest?” he asked, using his soapy hand to glide through the wetness of her sex. He groaned as she rubbed herself against his fingers.
“You would know better than I, Caveman.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have an issue with me being so obsessed with you that it is ingrained in me to a primal level?”
She shrugged. “I know if you tell me I must submit to you again, I might have to throttle you.”
His eyebrow rose even higher. He took his hand away from her core. He pressed her harder against the wall with his hips so his hands could run the soap along her thighs. He knew her skin was far more sensitive than normal due to his marking. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head just by him touching her calves. While her eyes were closed he positioned himself and entered her. She gasped and one hand landed on his shoulder. The nails of that hand dug into his skin as he started at a slow pace.
Graham continued to rub soap gently into her skin with both hands while grinding his hips against hers. Catherine panted and urged her hips faster against him. He stopped moving causing her eyes to open and a growl to rip from her lips. He chuckled, ignoring her gaze as he refused to move against her.
“Graham…” she whined, trying to move.
He stilled her movements by clasping her throat. The soap kept him from getting a good grip but her eyes still fluttered and her pussy pulsed against his member letting him know that even if she didn’t want him commanding her, she did in fact like being dominated by her mate. He pulled back and entered her slowly again.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
“Who has the power here, Baby?” he asked with a smile.
She opened her eyes and glared. “Me.”
“Is that so?” he stilled his hips again and she tried to push him away in frustration. Even with both of his hands busy, she couldn’t budge him. He pressed into her again. Her eyelids fluttered closed. He gave her a few quick thrusts before stopping again. “Who has the power?” He thrust roughly into her once and she groaned. “Come on, Catherine,” he said, leaning closer to her and placing one hand against the tile by her head. “Say it.”
Catherine’s eyes flew open: one black, the other a blinding blue. “Me.”
Catherine suddenly shoved forward. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, growled and sank her teeth into his neck. Graham grunted against the assault. Both of his arms wrapped around her and he pushed them both against the wall to keep from falling to the ground.
“Deeper, Baby,” he encouraged.
Catherine growled again and her canines sunk farther into his muscle until he felt her touch against the connection. Graham grabbed the back of her head and pushed down, allowing her to get the last few centimeters to the tether of his soul. When she hit it, he nearly dropped her. His mind exploded and he gasped as he felt his soul reaching out for hers. He knew the male lycan only experienced a fraction of the female, but when the emotions, memories and the essence of his mate wrapped around him, the feeling made his mind go completely blank.
All at once, his mind came back to him and he was hurled into a cacophony of feelings. His skin hummed like an electric current was buzzing beneath it. His muscles became taut. His cock, still inside her, pulsed and throbbed, begging for a release he had no mind to appease. He groaned as the pleasure and sting of her bite became interwoven and impossible to distinguish. It all swirled within him, blackening his vision and causing him to collapse to the shower floor unconscious.
Surrendering to Destiny
