Magick surged through me. Blood swished in my ears. My dick started swelling and didn’t stop until Jules’s teeth were tightly clenched and his eyes had rolled back in his head. When he finally looked at me, his pupils were blown out. His eyes looked black, except for flickering flames which I knew were nothing more than a reflection of mine. Once he found himself, he rocked his hips slowly. Tentatively. I was sensitive. Everything was sensitive. The mere act of him breathing sent delicate tremors right through me. He was so close to me. So close. We were face to face. Chest to chest. I arched my head back to try to escape his scent and consciously tried to breathe through my mouth. His scent gland was right in my face. When it pulsed, the air it disturbed sent pressure ricocheting through me. My fingers tingled and my gums burned. I reached up and frantically dug my fingers into the headboard to stop my claws from dropping. I thrashed when he leaned in to kiss me. He planted his lips on mine briefly. The second he drew back, my canines extended with a slick, hollow click.

I turned my head, pressing a balled fist to my mouth, so he wouldn’t see it.

“Sully,” he said very gently, “show me.”

I dropped my hand but kept my gaze down.

He traced my top lip with the pad of his thumb. “Look at me.”

I did as he asked. When my eyes met his, I took a sharp intake of breath. He was looking at me as if it were the first time he’d ever seen me. Maybe, in a way, it was. I’d never shown anyone this version of myself. Naked. Raw. Half man. Half wolf. He was looking at me as if there was nothing I could show him that he wouldn’t want. I pulled my lips back, baring my teeth. He was transfixed. He ran his fingers across my front teeth and then down each canine. He pressed his fingertips against them, feeling the sharpness of them.

“This,” he said softly, “this is what I want.”

My heart clenched and started to pound. I thought I might howl with longing. “Jules, please. Please, Jules, don’t say it . . .”

His face fell. He looked crestfallen. “I—I won’t. I won’t say it if you don’t want me t . . .”

“Don’t say it unless you mean it. Don’t say it because of the heat. It’s forever, Jules. Forever. It can’t be undone. Please, please don’t say it unless you mean it.”

He smiled at me then. It was the certain smile of a man who knew who he was and what he wanted.