Heiko was still, his breath ragged. Then he slowly leaned back, staring at her with wide, stunned eyes. His fingers brushed the spot on his neck where her mark now burned—a perfect imprint of her fangs, glowing faintly with ancient power.
“You… you marked me,” he said hoarsely.
River sat up, panic rising.
“I didn’t mean to—Tempest—she just… took over, I couldn’t stop her—”
But Heiko stopped her words with a searing kiss, as he could feel how their mate bond changed and shifted again, as his inner beast howled … but this time with satisfaction, dominance,… almost … happiness.
Now they were truly one.
They lay together afterward in the grass, tangled and breathless, their bodies still humming with aftershock.
Heiko wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in her hair.
--
