Holding tight, he pulled out and pushed back in, setting up a rhythm that kept him in control. Anticipation built up inside him, combining with a rush of heat that burned him from within. Every stroke made him more sensitive and ready, and he was nearing the point of no return.

There was no going back.

For either of them.

Tremors started from inside his knees and shot up to his thighs and groin, landing hard in his cock. He pounded harder, leaning over her, taking everything he could.

She dropped down, her head on the pillow and turned to the side. Open and vulnerable to him, trusting him like she’d promised. That trust, that surrender, quieted the world around him until there was only this moment, only this female, only the two of them. Forever.

He hammered, his body taking over, his entire being filled with Grace. Her scent, her skin, her essence. A surge of electricity shot throughout his cells, going deeper, into a part of him he hadn’t known existed.

His fangs dropped low and sharp, and he clamped onto her shoulder, slicing until he marked bone. She cried out and tried to pull away, but he held her in place, letting her blood flow into his mouth. The sweet spiciness exploded on his tongue, and he drank more, the beast at his core taking over in the thrill of mating.

He edged to the side of her, lifted his burning palm, and placed the marking flat across the spot where his hand had been before. This time, energy ran through his palm, scalding in its intensity and sparking through his veins to clamp around his heart. He felt—actually felt—strings tie around his heart, all bearing her name. Who she was and who she’d always be.

They entrapped him, taking him, settling into his being with the certainty of belonging he’d never felt before.

His world was filled with her, with their future together and the knowledge that he was hers. Forever hers to protect and defend, to keep safe during an immortal lifetime.

To do that, he made her his.

The marking sizzled, and he removed his hand, driving harder inside her, his fangs still in place. His balls drew up tight, and live wires uncoiled up his spine. He came in a rush of power and strength, stilling and jerking several times inside her, his mind soaring and his body filling with an invincibility that stole his breath.

He panted, his sweaty body attached to hers. Slowly, he retracted his fangs and closed her wound, his vision fuzzy. Taking a deep breath, he withdrew from her body and turned her on her side, curling around her and yanking the comforter over them both.

Nobody had prepared him for this.

He held her tighter, against his chest, feeling her heartbeat race wildly. “Are you all right?” he managed to gasp.