Chapter Seven

 

Leo was pretty sure he had lost his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He should be getting ready to head over to Vinny’s house right now. He should be making last minute plans with Isa on how to sneak the bomb into the palace. But instead, he was lying on his bed kissing her like they were a couple of teenagers.

This is crazy. Isa was from the most hated family in Gilt Hollow. Yes, she was different from the rest of her family, and she was helping the shifters resist. But she was still the daughter of the Emperor who had nearly starved all of the shifters to death last winter. Was he really falling for her?

She is not her father. It’s not fair to judge her based on his actions. It was true. Leo shouldn’t be making any judgments about her, good or bad, based on what her father had done. He should be looking at what she had done. And her actions had all been to help his people.

Why shouldn’t he fall for her?

Kissing her now was like letting a flood of emotions break through a dam. He had held back so much of what he felt, thinking that attraction to Isa couldn’t possibly lead to any sort of realistic relationship. But when she started talking about how much better she liked Bear Hollow, he had let himself start to wonder. Was it possible that she might one day want to live here? That she might actually be able to live here? The revolution was coming to a head. The shifters were either going to break free or be hopelessly crushed in the next few weeks, if not days. Things could not keep going as they had been. And if the shifters managed to break free, then Isa could live wherever she wanted, right? She could live in Bear Hollow, with him.

He was jumping way ahead of himself, he knew. It didn’t make sense to go from physical attraction, no matter how intense that attraction was, to dreaming about spending your life with a woman. But with Isa, Leo couldn’t help it. His whole being felt like it was drawn to her. Not just his body, but his soul and emotions, too. If he didn’t know better he’d say he was falling in love with her. But you couldn’t fall in love with someone you barely knew.

Could you?

If the way Leo’s heart was pounding right now was any indication, he was falling, and falling fast. He’d watched Isa from afar during his years in Gilt Hollow, and he’d always thought she seemed shy and reserved. Now he realized that she’d probably been holding back because she didn’t agree with the way her family was acting. In reality, she was bubbly, fun, clever, and passionate.

And right now, she was definitely not acting shy. She had wrapped her arms around his neck, and her tongue was as deep in his mouth as his was in hers. She was giving free reign to a lot of emotions that she had clearly been keeping pent up.

Should we be doing this? Leo found that he didn’t care what they should be doing. All he cared about right now was how amazing Isa felt. In these uncertain times, one never knew if there would be a tomorrow, or if you would make it through the next battle that popped up. It was important to grab onto moments of happiness when you could, and Leo was determined to grab onto this moment. So, it seemed, was Isa.

He gave himself over to the pure ecstasy of being in her arms, and of kissing her soft lips. She arched her back as she tried to press even closer against him, and Leo felt a fresh thrill going through his body. Between his legs, he was growing stiff and hard. Could Isa feel his erection? Was she happy to feel his desire for her, or would she think things were going too far, too fast?

Suddenly, Leo didn’t care. He wanted her, and he was going to show her. He had spent too much of his time over the last decades acting soft. He had deferred to the Seversons because he knew if he didn’t that they would come to Bear Hollow and hurt his parents. He had grown soft. It was time to change that. It was time to reawaken the bear within him, and set loose the mighty alpha grizzly that he knew was still in there somewhere.

That grizzly wouldn’t have been afraid to show a woman how much he wanted her, and Leo was going to show Isa just how much he desired her. He rolled her onto her back, rolling himself over so that he was on top of her, his erection pressing through his clothes and against her legs.

“Mine,” he growled into her ear. She only trembled in response and kissed him harder. The audacity of what he was doing should have shocked him. After all, he was telling the Princess of Gilt Hollow that she belonged to him. What right did he have to claim her?

The right of a man in love.

That was enough. It was enough for her, and it was enough for him. They gave in completely to the desire that was coursing through both of their veins, growing hotter with each passing moment as their tongues danced.

Leo hadn’t necessarily intended to do more than kiss Isa, but now that he was on top of her, he had to have her. He growled again, and rolled off of her just enough so that he could reach the hem of her shirt and start tugging it up and over her head. She did not resist.

He kept going, pulling off layer upon layer of clothing. Her pants and then her underwear came off, as did his own shirt, pants and underwear. Within minutes, both of them were naked, trembling in each other’s arms as bare skin brushed against bare skin.

Leo hadn’t lit a fire in his small house’s fireplace, and normally the room would have felt cold on a night like tonight, especially once all clothing had been removed. But Leo was anything but cold right now. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and only growing hotter.

He took in the sight of Isa’s body as best he could in the shadowy darkness. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t much light. Even in the dimness, he could see that she was perfect. He shouldn’t have been surprised, really. After all, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even when clothed. Why should her naked body be any different? But damn. He wouldn’t have thought it was possible for anyone to look quite that good, but Isa managed it.

Her skin was smooth as silk, and her perfect curves beckoned to Leo. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her full breasts, and for a moment he paused just to admire the way they rose and fell with her rapid breathing. Her nipples stood hard and alert, beckoning to him, and he could not resist. He moved his head so that it was even with her chest, and he took one of those perfect nipples in his mouth. The way she responded to him made his dick grow even harder, and he felt like he had solid rock between his legs. Isa arched her back and moaned, pushing her breast further into his mouth. He sucked and chewed and twisted at the nipple, earning several loud moans from Isa. He switched to the other nipple, and then back again, marveling all the while at how responsive she was to him. It was like the two of them together were dancing a dance they had been waiting all their lives to dance. They just hadn’t been able to until they found the right partner.

Leo knew for certain that he had found the right partner now. He abandoned all his worries over whether this was a smart move, and he let his primal instincts take over. He moved his face away from her nipples as he slid up so that his throbbing erection was positioned right above her entrance. Again, she did not resist. Instead, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She wanted this just as much as he did.

With one swift, strong movement, he slid into her. He let out a moaning growl of his own as her inner walls enveloped his dick. She was so warm and wet and tight. The heat within her was almost too much to bear, and he felt like he was burning, but in the best possible way. He thrust as deep into her as he could, his breathing growing rapider by the second as pure ecstasy began to overtake him.

How was it possible for any one person to feel this good?

He rocked his hips against hers, moving back and forth within her. With every thrust, he felt like he was pouring out his soul to her. Could she hear the words his heart was crying out? That he loved her, cared about her, and was going to make sure she made it through all of this revolution craziness alive and well?

She was arching her back even harder now, and crying out his name with every panting breath. Her breathing grew faster and faster until finally, with one long, loud scream, she came. He felt her inner muscles clenching around him, squeezing him with such hunger and urgency that he himself could no longer hold back. He gave in to the deep, tingling pressure that had been building in his core, and he let his own release come. With a roar, he stiffened and then pulsed into her. Every part of his body was on fire as the two of them clung to each other, riding the waves of their release together.

For a long time after those waves had subsided, Leo still lay there with his arms around Isa and his dick deep inside of her. He was afraid this was the only chance he would ever have with her, and he never wanted the moment to end.

Eventually, though, he pulled back and sat up. The real world was waiting just outside the walls of this house, and both of them were going to have to face that world sooner rather than later. Beside him, Isa slowly sat up as well. Her hair, which had been in a neat, tidy bun earlier, was now spilling around her shoulders in wild, unkempt waves.

She smiled shyly. “I guess we have to go check on how Vinny is doing, huh?”

Leo nodded. “I don’t want to, though. I wish I could stay here with you forever.”

“I wish the same,” she said. The sincerity in her voice made him want to push her back down and begin making love to her all over again. But time was marching on, and if the two of them were going to get back to Gilt Hollow before dawn, they needed to get going.

Leo forced himself to stand and start gathering their clothes off the floor. There was so much he wanted to say to Isa, but he didn’t know where to start. Perhaps he should just start with the words “I love you,” but he didn’t want to totally freak her out. He was still contemplating whether he had time for as deep of a conversation as he really wanted when she spoke up.

“Do you regret what we just did?”

He paused in the middle of putting his pants on and looked over at her like she was crazy. “Hell no. Why? Do you?”

She shook her head. “No. I…I feel happier and more contented right now than I ever have before. But I wasn’t sure if you…I mean…”

“Hey. Just spit it out. Just be honest with me. What’s bothering you?”

Isa took a deep shuddering breath. “I just wasn’t sure if maybe you might regret sleeping with someone from Gilt Hollow.”

Leo threw back his head and laughed. “Trust me, I was not thinking about where you were from at all when we were making love. I was only thinking about how good you felt and how damn sexy you are.”

She gave him a sheepish smile and then looked down at her hands in embarrassment.

“Besides,” Leo continued as he tossed Isa her shirt and then began pulling on his own shirt. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It matters what’s in your heart. And I’ve got to say, you have a good heart. Earlier tonight at the tunnel I was still worried that you might be tricking me into helping you lead a group from Gilt Hollow over here or something. I’m ashamed to even admit that now, because you’ve been so truly wonderful. You’ve shown that you’re committed to this crazy revolution, and to the shifters. I don’t think of you as some Gilt Hollow princess. I think of you as a friend and ally.”

“Just a friend?” her voice trembled as she asked the question. She hurriedly started pulling on her shirt, as though using the action as an excuse to not have to look Leo in the face when he answered. In response, he walked over to her and waited until she was done messing with the shirt. Then he reached for her chin and used his hand to gently tilt her head up so that she was looking at him.

“Much, much more than just a friend.” His voice was husky with emotion, but he didn’t care. Let her see just how emotional it made him to think of her. He was not ashamed of how deep his love for her went. And he didn’t care if they were running short on time. He was going to explain to her now just how much she meant to him.  “Have you ever heard the term ‘lifemate’ before?”

She shook her head no.

“I thought not. I doubt that the Gilt Hollow citizens marry for love very often.”

“You’re right about that,” she said with a bitter edge to her voice. “It’s all about uniting the wealth and power of two families to make one or both families even more powerful than before. Who has energy to care about things like love?”

“Well, shifters care very much about love and destiny. We believe in what we call ‘lifemates.’ What that means is that each shifter has someone who they are destined to be with from the moment they’re born. It’s kind of like the idea of a soulmate, but much deeper than that. The first time a shifter makes love to his or her lifemate, a lifemate bond is formed. That bond is unbreakable, and ties those two hearts together for life.”

Isa was sitting up straight, her eyes widening. “Did you…did you…”

Leo smiled. The poor girl couldn’t even bring herself to ask the question. “Did I feel that bond with you? Yes, I did. It feels like a deep, burning warmth in your core, and I definitely felt it.”

Isa’s mouth dropped. “I felt a warmth like that, too.”

Leo let out a sigh of happy relief. “Then you felt it, too. That bond means we’re destined for each other. It’s crazy to think that fate gave me a lifemate from Gilt Hollow, but it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. Oskar and Zora are lifemates. I guess sometimes in love, what binds you together is more important than your differences.”

“You and I are fated for each other? Really?” Isa was shaking her head slowly, clearly having a hard time processing all of this.

“You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you believe in the lifemate bond, and whether you think I am truly your destiny. But I can tell you that after making love to you, I’m certain that you’re my lifemate. I didn’t expect it. I thought you were just a beautiful, clever woman whom I was lucky enough to make love to on the eve of a big revolution. Of course, I wanted more than just one night, but I would never have dared hope for more with a woman as amazing as you.”

“Really?” Isa sounded surprised. “I think you’re the amazing one.”

Leo’s heart warmed as he smiled down at her. “I’m glad you think so, but you’re wrong. You’re way more amazing. And I love you. I know it’s crazy to say that, but it’s true. I love you. And whatever you feel or don’t feel about me, I can tell you this: I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving you and protecting you, whether or not you ever love me back. There is no one else for me but you, from this day forward.”

Isa blinked at him several times, her eyes wide with wonder. For a few moments, Leo thought that he had freaked her out, and that she was going to run off into the woods in terror. But then, she smiled.

“I love you, too,” she said.

And in that moment, life truly was perfect. It didn’t matter how much hardship still lay ahead of them. It didn’t matter that the shifter resistance was going to have to take some big, dangerous steps if the shifters were going to survive. All that mattered was that against all odds, Isa loved him.

Leo didn’t want to die anytime soon, but tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed to anyone. And at least now he knew that if he did die in the revolution, he would die a happy man. He had found the love of the most wonderful woman there would ever be.