“This means nothing,” Kye panicked. “You are mine and I am yours, forever, Evie. This is something I promise you.”
“I know,” she cried, a soft hiccup signaling her strength as she tried to hold the tears back.
“I love you,” Kye promised, cupping her face. He said a silent prayer that the spark would come at any moment, but the longer they touched, nothing happened.
“I’ve loved you for what seems like forever, Kye,” she vowed. “Please, tell me what we do now?”
“We continue,” he whispered, taking her lips for a heated kiss.
His body relaxed when her arms came up to wrap around his neck. The panther inside him cried when he opened his eyes to see the wetness on her cheekbones. With the hands that still held her face tenderly, Kye used his thumbs to wipe away the evidence of her sadness. Evie’s eyes opened and her panther was present by the amber hue to her eyes.
“You are my mate,” he vowed through his thickening canines. It didn’t matter that fate had dealt them the wrong hand. Kye was going to mark her as his own. “I will mark you as such tonight, baby.”
“But it will heal,” she reminded him. The bite of unmated couples wouldn’t scar over, and he knew that.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kye stated, holding her close as he scooped her up into his arms. “You are my mate regardless of what our nature says.”
Kye carried her to the bedroom, kicking the door closed. He didn’t speak as he laid her out on the bed. The nervousness from earlier was gone. His brother was right, in a sense. Although the need to frantically mate Evie wasn’t there, his beast knew exactly what to do.
He removed his shirt and climbed in the bed to lay next to her. Evie rolled on her side to meet him, taking his lips in a desperate attempt to seal their fate. As soon as the scent of her desire reached him, his cock had hardened almost to the point of pain and his need for her was unexplainable.
His claw unleashed and hooked in the top of her shirt, tearing the material right down the center. Her bra was sliced, and within seconds, her breasts were bared to him. Evie cursed as his tongue laid a path over her hardened nipple.
“Kye,” she breathed, melding her body closer to his.
“Evie,” he replied, reaching for the fly of his jeans. The moment his cock sprang free, Evie’s hands wrapped around the hardness. “Fuck.”
“Mmhmm,” she hummed as he reached out to remove the remainder of her clothes.
“Beautiful,” he growled as his hands grabbed at her waist. He just wanted to feel her skin beneath his fingertips, memorizing everything about her.
“Touch me, please,” she panted.
Kye covered her body with his own, letting his fingers trail down to her sex. Evie raised her hips automatically when he touched her core. She was wet for him, and it took all of his restraint to keep from thrusting his cock into her tightness.
Their kisses were frantic as he slid a finger inside her, working it in and out. She was still a virgin, and he wanted to make the night perfect. The last thing he intended to do was hurt her.
Evie’s hand slid between them as she began to circle her clit, moaning louder as her body opened up to accept his touches. He watched for signs of discomfort, and when he found none, he added another finger to work her closer to orgasm.
“Kye…I need you inside me, please,” she begged, tightening her hold around his shoulders. “Mate me like we are destined.”
“Roll over, baby,” he ordered, moving so she could scramble into position. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
Kye leaned over her body, taking his aching cock and guiding it to her entrance. As soon as her resistance broke, Kye seated himself inside, barely moving so she wouldn’t cry out. What he didn’t expect was for his panther to push to the point of his face shifting, his canines elongating to sharp points. The animalistic growl that came from his throat caused Evie to look over her shoulder.
The moment their eyes locked on one another, he saw that her beast was there, sitting just under her skin. She bucked against him and snarled, “Bite me, damn it.”
Kye made a fist in the back of her hair, pulling her upright. He licked a path over the spot where her neck met her shoulder, then struck hard. Evie cried out, her body convulsing with her climax. She was paralyzed against his punishing thrusts. Blood seeped into his mouth as she shivered. He reluctantly released her, swiping his tongue over her mark.
When she was free, Evie pushed back, dislodging him from her sex. Kye smiled when she pushed him over to his back, taking his cock back inside her body. His mate took no time in striking the spot on his shoulder, claiming him for her own. Her bite sent a shockwave down to his cock, and he cursed in pleasure as he emptied inside her. A sadness squeezed at his heart, knowing his seed would never settle in her womb.
Evie panted as she snuggled her body into his embrace. The rise and fall of their chests kept them from talking for a few minutes. Kye stroked her long blonde hair, pulling it away from the mark he’d made. The pain in his chest caused his panther to whine when he watched the area heal over as if it was nothing more than a scratch.
“It’s gone, isn’t it?” she mumbled, nuzzling her nose against his chest.
“Yes, baby,” he breathed. “We are not going to let this change things.”
“I know,” she replied, raising her head. She eyed the spot on his neck and closed her eyes when she saw that his mark had faded as well. A tear slid down her check, but she wiped it away before he had the chance to do it for her.
“No little bastard children for you.”
“I hate these fucking cats.”
“Go ahead and shift with that collar on, you’ll be doing your pride a favor. They won’t care for you anymore if you can’t breed.”
“No male will want a female who can’t give him babes.”
“Sedate her.”
A scream bubbled out of her throat as she came awake, panting when she scrambled from the bed. There was a body beside her, touching her, and she didn’t know who it was. When the male moved, she screamed.
“Evie!” Kye called out as she dropped to her knees, lowering her head to the ground. She didn’t cry, nor did she speak as Kye wrapped his large body around hers, holding her as tight as he could. “It’s going to be okay. It’s over.”
“It’s not going to be okay,” she growled, slamming her fists against the ground. “None of this is going to be okay until it’s finally over, Kye!”
Evie didn’t know how long he just sat there, holding her on the floor, but at some point, Kye scooped her up and brought her back to the bed, pulling the sheet up over their bodies. He rolled her over so he could spoon up against her back. She didn’t miss the gentle placement of his hand over her womb.
“I need to shower.” Evie couldn’t stay in that bed. She had to get away from him. At that moment, she couldn’t be around him.
“Let me…” he began, but she cut him off when she frantically pushed at his hands and slid from the bed.
“I need a moment to myself, please,” Evie said, backing away from the bed.