She was his, and only his, until the God of Death took them. And he’d chase her even then.

“Jaren,” she said, his name a mere whisper on her lips. Her eyes were wide and glassy as their bond tightened and thrummed between them.

“I know,” he said, pressing his lips to hers and sinking deeper, all while tugging on that thread between them. She groaned into his mouth, squeezing her thighs around his waist and placing both hands on his ass, urging him on.

He felt wild and unhinged as he thrust harder, pouring everything he was into her. The good, the bad, the blinding pleasure, and the soul-crushing pain. He wanted her to feel it all, to understand exactly who he was and how he felt about her. How he would always feel.

Knowing she accepted all of that and still ground into him, seeking more, had his orgasm crashing into him. He yanked her up, her legs still wrapped around his waist, and pressed her chest flush against him as he slammed balls deep inside her, finally—fucking finally—claiming her completely.

He held her there until the last shudder worked through his body, draining him of the last of his energy. He lowered her back to the ground, careful to stay seated inside her, that animalistic hunger that seemed to grow within him the longer they were together, liking the idea of his release being unable to drip out.

He said nothing as he pressed his lips to hers again. There was nothing to say. Nothing to do but soak in the feel and taste of her and the sensation of her tongue gliding against his.

A flash of anxiety suddenly lashed through him, but it wasn’t his, and then she was breaking their kiss, pushing him back and glancing down between them. “You didn’t—Oh gods, you said…there’s an elixir I can take, right? Do I need to take it right now? Is it too late?”

Chuckling at her panic, he forced himself to pull out and roll off her, laying his back flat on the floor. “Truik elixir. It’s very effective, and no, it’s not too late,” he said, pulling her into his arms until she was perfectly nestled into his side. “This time, you’ll have to take it, but starting tomorrow, I’ll take a daily dose myself, so you won’t have to worry about it.”

The tension in her body eased, and she placed a single kiss on his chest that he felt soar through his entire body. “So,” she said, pausing to glance down at the mark on her breast, “now that you’ve had your tantrum, does this mean you’ll back off a little?”

“I’ll give you one guess.”

She rolled her eyes, but there was no heat in the expression, only amusement flickering between them. “We’re fully bonded, Jaren. That literally means I can’t be taken.”

Gripping her jaw, he tilted her face up to his. “The fifteen years I went without you say otherwise.”