Moaning louder, she frantically impaled herself until finally her body clamped down on my cock. I rolled her onto her back and pounded into her as she came hard, biting into my shoulder…and then I fucking exploded.

As she lay beneath me, shaking with aftershocks, I said, “Promise me now while my cock and my come is inside you that if we do ever Bind, you won’t sever our bond.” It worried me that she had that ‘out.’ I could be a total asshole at times. I was pushy and dominant and messed the fuck up. Being with me couldn’t be easy. “Promise me that whatever happens, we ride it out. When I fuck up, you tell me how to fix it and I will. No walking out on me.”

Her head tilted. “I’m such a freaking idiot.”

That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting.

“I should have guessed this would play on your mind. Everyone else walked out on you, including your birth mother. Life has taught you that whenever things get rough, people disappear…and it’s made you believe that you weren’t enough for them to stay. Which is, of course, a load of bullshit. They left because they were fickle, had no staying power, and were such assholes that they would allow you to believe you weren’t good enough.”

I swallowed. “Imani—”

She lightly pressed her hands to my face. “Unless what we have withers away and dies, which I don’t see happening, I’m here for good. I promise.”

Releasing a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding, I gave a crisp nod.

“You believe me?”

“I know you wouldn’t say something you don’t mean. And I know that if you did, it would be easy to tell, since you can’t lie for—”

“I can so lie.”

“No, baby, you can’t,” I chuckled. “And I love that about you.” I always knew where I stood with her. There was never any need for guessing games.

“You love me?” The question was quiet, almost shy.

“I thought you’d have figured that out by now.”

She play-punched my shoulder. “No girl ever assumes a guy loves her. She has to hear those words to believe it.”

I held her gaze, never wanting her to doubt what I said next. “I love you, Imani. Didn’t think I’d ever say those words to anyone. Didn’t think I had it in me. Not sure I’ll be good at expressing it, but there it is. I want us to Bind someday, when you’re ready. Why do you look so surprised by that? I told you in the beginning that I want everything that you are.”

“I know. I suppose I just didn’t expect that you’d offer the same in return.” She smiled. “I’ll take this moment to note that you’re a lot better at sharing and being open with me now.” She lifted her head and kissed me. “And I’m glad you love me, because I love you. You’ll struggle to believe that, I know. And even when you do believe it, you’ll have dumb moments where you panic that because I’m mad at you, I don’t feel that way anymore.” She shook her head. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until you believe it: I’m here for good.”

“I know you are, because you don’t have the option of leaving me.”

She burst out laughing. “See, you make me happy.”

At first, I’d found that hard to believe. But now I saw it clearly. Saw that I’d somehow lived up to my promise. I was now the one who made her smile and laugh. I swore to myself that I’d keep on doing it.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

(Butch)

The island where the battle would take place wasn’t much different from The Hollow; there was the white sandy beach, the thick, vine-covered trees, the waterfalls, the light sea breeze, and the sounds of tropical birds and other exotic wildlife.

We spent hours learning every inch of the island, searching for the best places to lay in wait. Meanwhile, other members of the legion were picking off the vampires that belonged to The Order. A squad had also captured the blogger, Marvin, and placed him in a containment cell. Sam and Jared intended to deal with him at a later date.

One thing that was aggravating everyone was that Mona and Cedric couldn’t find an address for the founder of The Order. In fact, there was no record of Beau Irons ever existing, even as a human. I was more pissed—and, quite frankly, panicking like fuck—about the fact that Imani would be part of the battle.

In Sam’s professional opinion, Imani was fit for battle. In my personal opinion, my girl was barely fit for it. So when I came close to objecting, Sam reminded me that she couldn’t make that decision based on her personal feelings on the matter and, as such, neither could I. Maybe, but I’d still objected, even knowing that Imani would be pissed at me. I’d rather she was pissed than dead.

Instead of yelling at me as I’d expected, Imani had leaned into me and said, “Thanks for caring so much, but the last thing I intend to do is die and leave you. Trust me to keep my word.” With that, she’d walked away, determination in every step. And I’d had no choice but to accept that there would be no talking her out of it.

As we came to a halt on the beach, having completed our tour of the island, Chico turned to Sam and Jared. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow night?”

Standing solidly, Jared replied, “One squad will remain at The Hollow to be ready if any dragons manage to get past us. The rest of the legion will be lying in wait on the island. That’s a lot of vamps, I know, but forty dragon shifters can cause a lot of damage and mayhem.”

“They’ll all be huge, strong, powerful, and covered in thick scales that act as seriously good armour—they can also bloody fly,” said Sam. “Hopefully my shield will stay in place because we can’t afford to let them pass this island and reach The Hollow.”

“When they realise the Grand High Pair are here,” began Max, “I don’t think they’ll bother trying to pass. You two are their main targets—as long as they end you both, they’ve completed their mission.”

“You could be right,” said Jared. “If they do pass, every squad will be teleported back to The Hollow and we’ll continue the fight there.”

Making strong eye contact with each of us, Sam slowly paced. “Whatever our location, the plan of attack will be the same: as you already know, our aim is to get them on the ground. That’s the priority. While they’re flying, they have an advantage.”