TWO MONTHS LATER.

This night was special. Special because although they’d done a mating ceremony. The one being performed now was to introduce Onessa not only to the leap but also into Cyr’s life on a permanent basis. If she chose him. She couldn’t shift, but Delia promised they’d worked out the details to the ceremony. All she had to do was show up.

It was dark out, and the moon was full. The air smelled of cherry blossoms and lilies. Everyone in the leap was there, and Cyr waited patiently by a tree close to the pond.

“Tonight, we gather together to honor the newest member of the leap, Onessa Sol. She comes to us not only as herself but also as a mother in the making. She carries the blood of our ancestors inside her womb.” Delia looked to Cyr and nodded. He responded in kind, and when he turned, he came face-to-face with a vision.

Onessa wore a black linen dress that fell to her feet. Two slits rose to the top of her hips, showcasing her curves, as she stood a few feet away from him.

“Onessa Sol, do you choose Cyriaque Ravenueax as your mate?”

The custom was for her to shift and approach him and submit herself to him. No words were to be spoken. Only action. Cyr watched with his heart in his eyes, and his breath frozen in place. It was all up to her. He watched for signs of hesitation, but saw none. She put one foot in front of the other and approached. Their gazes clashed for a second before Onessa dropped to her knees and placed her head against his left thigh. With a strong, sure tone, she asked, “Would you share your life with me?”

Overcome with love, Cyr threaded his fingers through her hair. She’d given him her submission. She was his in all ways that counted. The sounds of everyone cheering and yelling were drowned out by the sight of her on her knees. Untangling his fingers from her hair, Cyr dropped down beside her, and they both stared at each other.

“It’s done,” he whispered against her lips, cupping her face in both hands. The kiss started off sweet and slow. They explored one another’s mouths with love bites and soft sweeps of their tongues. “Let’s head inside, there’s a lot more I want to do with you.”

Onessa didn’t respond, she just stood, taking him with her, and they both made it back to the room they now shared.

THE SOUND OF ONESSA’S whimper as he moved his mouth from between her legs to her stomach was music to his ears. Slowly, he slid his lips along her round belly. Her breasts were fuller, her hips wider, and her taste... Fuck, her taste alone could push him over into paradise. Her fingers were in his hair, and she was tugging him up to kiss him.

“Do you want me, Ness,” he murmured.

“Always,” she breathed, moving her legs to wrap around his waist.

“Then tell me, tell me you want me.”

“I want you.” The moment she said the words, he slid inside. The feel of her walls tightening around him had him gripping her hips tighter as he tried to control his movements. He didn’t want their time to be fast, he wanted slow.

“We’re gonna take this slow, Ness, you gotta stop gripping my cock like that. You’re gonna take it from me.”

Her beautiful eyes opened, and he sucked in a deep breath as she watched him watch her. Onessa’s beguiling, mysterious eyes unglued him every single time she looked his way. He prayed his girls were lucky enough to inherit their mother’s eyes. Eyes that saw right to the heart of him. Her hips jerked beneath his as he pushed deeper into her heat.

“Oh God, Cyr, I need you to go faster,” she whimpered.

“No, Ness, slow.” He growled rising on his forearms. He watched as his dick glided in and out of her opening. He was covered in her juices, and he knew later when he was done, she’d have no problem wrapping her mouth around his length and sucking him clean. Fuck, he was one lucky bastard. But he’d been right: living with his Ness wasn’t easy. She battled him every step of the way, and he loved her more and more for it every day. Knowing he had a fight on his hands when it came to her made him feel like a man deserving of a second chance.

“Faster, baby, I’m almost there,” she moaned, turning her head to the side and biting his forearm. He loved when she marked his skin.

“Slow, baby, I want to savor you.”

She cried out in pleasure and began meeting him thrust for thrust while clamping down on him. He wasn’t going to last if she kept that up, and she knew it. Pumping inside her, Onessa’s heat gripped his cock harder. Fuck.

He felt her hands go to his shoulders as she pulled him down for a kiss. That was all it took to drive him wild. She knew it, she baited him, and this was one of the areas they battled about. Sex. She wasn’t submissive in all things sexual, she was combative. But she also knew how to get what she wanted, and he’d gladly lose the fight to get his reward.

Cyr pumped harder and felt her body come apart beneath him, which triggered his own release. He buried his head in her neck and bit down on her shoulder, marking her with his bite.

“Love you, baby,” she said into his hair.

Cyr lifted his head to look at her, and when he did, she gifted him with a beaming smile.

“Love you, too.”

Things would be okay. They would be okay. He lay half on and half off her and purred his contentment.

“Cyr?”

“Hmmm.”

“I’m looking forward to our life.”

Smiling against her skin, he kissed her neck. He was looking forward to their life together and all the love he planned to fill it with, as well.