A Curse of Shadows - Page 66

She holds on to me, our stares locked on to one another, and the most powerful love in all the worlds extends from me to her and back again. Our shared energies mingle and dance like old lovers, as if not a single day has passed since we last connected in this way.

Her ankles lock behind my back and she holds my face between her hands, one of her thumbs making a pass over my lower lip. “I love you, Asher Josiah Cromwell. You are mine and I am yours. From the moment we were born and until we take our last breaths, I will never willingly leave your side.”

She says the words that are meant to be said for our bonding and the moment they pass between her lips, they pierce right into my heart. Flickers of light appear in my peripheral vision and as much as it shouldn’t be possible for us to bond right now, I know I have to give her my vow in return.

“And I love you, Isobella Isla Grace Blackwood. You are mine and I am yours. From the moment we were born and until we take our last breaths, I will never willingly leave your side.”

As that last word forms, the tether between us becomes taut and glows with the force of a thousand suns. Spots block my vision, but I don’t need to see Isla to know she’s mine.

Her essence grows within me, its roots beginning at my heart and extending through every part of my body until I can no longer tell which pieces belong to me and which are hers.

My movements become frantic with the need to consummate our bond. It doesn’t matter that this shouldn’t be possible without the blessing of a god during a ceremony in front of our pack. All I know is that this is happening and nobody can ever tear us apart again.

By the time my vision clears, tears of unfiltered ecstasy fill my eyes and I pound effortlessly into my mate. She leans up, the same joy pulsing off her in contagious waves.

As we kiss, my body starts to stiffen and my skin pulls taut against my muscles. I hold her impossibly close, but there’s no use fighting the release when her pussy tightens around my cock and her moans fill my mouth.

I slow my movements, holding her with the utmost care while also going as deep as she’ll take me until we both lose ourselves within one another.

My heart is close to bursting from my chest and I’ve never felt more alive than I do in this moment. The sun shines down on us, brighter than I’ve ever known it to be, and I swear even the birds sing louder from their perches within the trees.

I grin like a lovesick fool down at Isla. “Mate.”

“I don’t know how that happened, but it couldn’t have been more perfect.”

Hearing her voice within my mind is like the sweetest song to ever play.

“No, it couldn’t have been.”

I could lie here for hours with her and that’s exactly what I intend to do until Isla’s eyes pinch at the side and she starts to shake her head.

“What’s wrong?” I demand, checking our bond.

Everything is as it should be and I try not to worry until a pain lances through my chest as if I were being stabbed.

I look down and a red mark not only appears right above my heart, but Isla’s as well. My eyes dart around us, but there isn’t a soul nearby.

“Isla, love,” I plead with her. “Tell me what’s happening.”

She’s no longer looking at me. Her eyes are open, but they’re glazed over and her mind is somewhere else.

“No,” she whimpers. “No, not you. I don’t understand.”

I want to shake her until she comes back to me, but I have to consider this might be another memory, one we can’t risk her not having.

She mutters some more. Most of her words I can’t understand, and as tears fall down her cheeks, it takes every ounce of strength within me not to interfere.

It feels like an hour, but it’s probably only minutes before she blinks and her awareness starts to come back to me.

Anguish that’s nearly as powerful as what I felt when I realized she was gone all those years ago fills me, but the torment isn’t mine. These are Isla’s emotions and I’m almost afraid to ask what she saw, but I won’t let her carry this pain alone.

“I’m right here,” I say softly, trying not to rush her. “You’re okay. Nobody is going to hurt you again.”

Her body trembles as she openly cries, clutching her chest. “Too late.”

“What did you see?” I ask, tension riddling my insides.

“I can’t…I can’t say the words.”