“I think I can die,” I wheezed, unable to catch my breath to speak clearly. “Dicked to death. It’s a thing, even for immortals. Look it up.”

Shadow shook his head, straightening as he licked across the teeth marks on my breasts, soothing them. The marks were gone in a moment, but I enjoyed the small pain he’d inflicted. He remained hard inside me as he started to walk us deeper into the lair. He didn’t head for his room this time, but instead took us into the area around the fire, with all the comfy sofas.

We were already naked; he was still buried deep inside me and as he walked, his cock rubbed right across my G-spot, sending delicious sparks of pleasure through me with each step. On instinct, I ground myself against him and he groaned, moving with me, and all too soon we were moving together as we had before. Slower this time, though.

Shadow took us close enough to the fire that the heat surrounded us, which added to the pleasure. I expected him to lay me on the ground or maybe against a nearby shelf—the beast did love to fuck against hard surfaces—but he surprised me when he sank back into a nearby chair, leaving me straddled on his lap.

Our eyes met, this position intimate in a way that I’d only felt a few times before. I was on top, and I was moving against him, riding him slowly as I allowed my body to do what felt good. Shadow groaned again, one hand landing on my hip, while the other went to my ass, and he played with me, tracing across my skin.

“Sunshine,” he rumbled, and I looked up, my body tightening at the sight of fire burning in his eyes. “I love you.”

My body jerked and I almost came, but I was determined to try to hold out until I could ride him to orgasm. “I love you too,” I whispered, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. That lasted all of three seconds before he took control and our kiss deepened as I continued to ride him, moving against him with just enough speed that we were breathing heavily, but not enough to push us over the edge yet.

The hand that had been on my hip lifted to my cheek and he cupped around the back of my head, his thumb brushing my face as he held us close. His energy was all around me, and the fire we felt was from more than the one burning in the nearby fireplace.

My pace picked up, my hips dipping and swaying against his body as I rode his cock faster and faster. It felt like parts of Shadow were deeper inside of me than they ever had been.

And it wasn’t just his dick, but his freaking soul, as wisps of his magic entered my brain. The mate bond was thrumming, strongly, and we were cementing it, piece by piece, brick by brick, as our souls intertwined.

My heart was pounding as I desperately tried to hold back my orgasm, wanting to bring him there first, but there was never going to be a chance of that. Not after he’d just come. I would have to be content with having multiple orgasms while I got to spend a few hours riding my mate.

Together. Always. Just like this.

62

Inky and Midnight were once again waiting for us when we finally emerged from our sex afternoon. It had been one of the best afternoons of my life because there had been no stress in the back of my mind. We got to screw our way around the lair, without worrying the world would end while we did.

“What do we do now?” I asked as we strolled through the Library of Knowledge.

He looked down at me. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “Like, day to day, year to year, century to century. How do immortal creatures prevent boredom?”

His lips twitched. “Lots of sex. It’s really the only cure.”

A snort of laughter escaped me. “We should run with that theory and never look back. But seriously, outside of the sex, what else will we do?”

Shadow took my hand, and we were back to being couple goals as we strolled through the shelves. “We’ll always be busy with the Solaris System and our friends,” he warned me. “It’ll take me many years to restore the balance in Shadow Realm, and you have the Nexus and your creatures to watch over.”

Yeah, that was true. “Our friends often have dramas?” I hadn’t missed that not-so-subtle warning.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” he said with a short laugh. “On a smaller scale than my mother, but there’s always something. Each of them is powerful and important in their world, and with that comes a ton of drama.”

I thought about it for a moment before shrugging. “Is it weird that I’m excited to see what will arise? It’s weird, isn’t it?”

I was no longer afraid of the future or the next big bad. I was certain that together, nothing would be a real threat to us.

“You’re brave and loyal, Mera,” Shadow told me. “You don’t fear for your safety and you will always help out a friend. Your excitement makes sense, but it terrifies me.”

I scoffed. “You’re not terrified of anything, Shadow Beast.”

He stopped me suddenly, wrapping his arms around me as he held on with a desperation he rarely showed in public. “I almost lost you. The way that felt, the choices I made… The world would not survive it again. I would not survive it.”

I held on with everything I had, holding his broken pieces together. “This helps,” he whispered into my hair. “It really helps.”

“Then I will hold you forever,” I declared.

I felt the brush of his lips against my neck and then he lifted himself up. “Are you okay?” I asked him seriously. “I mean, really okay? With Dannie and everything that happened. I’m sorry about your mom, Shadow.”

He took a moment to answer, like he wasn’t quite sure. “I will be okay, if that makes sense. It’s just going to take time and having you at my side is all I ever wanted. A true mate.”

“I didn’t even know I could ask for something as amazing as this,” I said, serious for once. “You are a gift that came from nowhere, with your grumbling, growling, snarling, asshole of a personality. Not to mention one huge dick. Like, that is such a bonus—”

It was at this point, laughter spluttered from between my lips as Shadow shook his head, his expression amused and exasperated. “Ah, Sunshine, life is certainly never boring with you.”

“I pride myself on that,” I said as we finally continued walking toward the dining hall.

When we entered the hall I got why the library had been all but empty before.