Willow rested her palms on Declan’s chest when he cupped her face and bent to kiss her. She’d ached for his touch, the warmth of his mouth, and the taste of him, but she hadn’t realized how much until his lips claimed hers again. While he was unconscious, a piece of her was missing, and now she had that piece back.
No matter where life led them, and no matter what she had to do, she would make sure he only knew love for the rest of his life. She would never again allow him to question whether he was a good man or not. He’d made mistakes, there wasn’t a living being on this earth who hadn’t made mistakes, but he’d paid for those mistakes.
Few could have held themselves back from becoming a monster the way he had for centuries. No matter his demons and the mistakes of his past, he deserved love, and she would give it to him.
Declan slid his fingers through her hair as he tasted her in long, slow thrusts. Holding her again was awakening his hunger. He may not have realized it, but his body was starving for her while he was unconscious.
He took her shirt off and tossed it aside. Energy coalesced between them as he ran his palms along her silken flesh. They could spend every day of eternity together, and he would never get over how amazing she felt.
Willow slipped her hands around his back and gasped when her breasts flattened against his chest. It was the first time she’d experienced all his bare flesh against hers, and it didn’t disappoint. Being with him was amazing, but she didn’t realize how much she missed their connection until now.
She marveled at the differences between their bodies as she ran her hands down the small of his back to his taut ass. Next, she explored the carved muscles of his abdomen while the thick evidence of his erection poked her belly.
When he grasped her ass and lifted her off the ground, Willow encircled her legs around his waist without breaking their kiss. He carried her over to the pile of straw and broke their kiss as he laid her down.
Kneeling between her legs, Declan untied her boots and removed her socks. His fingers trembled as he undid the button of her jeans and pulled them down. They’d done this before, but something was different now, and because of that, he was more nervous than when he was fourteen and experiencing a woman for the first time.
He’d only known Willow for a short time, but in that time, he revealed more of himself to her than anyone he’d ever known. In the time they’d been together, they’d saved each other, relied on each other, and grown to trust each other more than he ever would have believed possible.
He’d felt the connection between his friends and their mates, but he’d never realized how profound and life-altering it was until Willow. He’d revealed the worst parts of himself to her, and she hadn’t turned away; instead, she accepted him without hesitation.
Not only did she accept him, but she also welcomed him with open arms as he reclaimed her lips. She was more than his mate; she owned a part of his soul, and it was the best part of him.
When the head of his cock prodded against her entrance, Willow wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to give him better access. The last time they were together, he’d teased her until she couldn’t take it anymore, but now they needed each other too badly to wait.
The wonder of their joining caused her body to arch beneath him. Her fingers dug into his back as she savored the exquisite sensation of his naked body moving against hers.
She traced the edges of his scars as she clasped his head and pulled him down for a kiss. The scars didn’t bring her sorrow this time. Instead, love swelled within her until she could barely contain it. He was so different from anyone she’d ever met, and he was hers.
When Declan broke the kiss and leaned away from her, she clasped the sides of his face while he gazed at her in awe. The black and red color still covered his flesh, and he remained more demon than man in some ways, but his silver eyes were tender as they held hers.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened. “I was thinking the same thing.”
A sexy smile curved his mouth as he bent to nibble her ear while continuing to move within her. “You were thinking that I love you.”
She laughed as she played with the strands of hair falling against his nape. “No, I was thinking that I love you.”
He growled as he nipped her ear. He couldn’t recall the last time he heard those words or if he’d ever heard them. His mother probably said them to him as he remembered her hugging him and laughing while she kissed him, but if she’d said them, then it was centuries since he last heard them. And now, this beautiful woman with the soul of a warrior had given her heart to him.
“Say it again,” he said as his fangs grazed her throat.
Joy swelled within her as her fingers entwined in his hair. “I love you.”
He lifted his head to gaze down at her. “Again.”
She released his hair to clasp his cheeks. She’d say it a million times if it made him happy. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”
He groaned as he turned his head to nip her thumb. “Forever.”
“Forever,” she agreed.
His striking, silver eyes were the most beautiful she’d ever seen. As she rose to meet each of his thrusts, she lost herself to the flames of passion he stoked within her.
She was close to coming when he rested his palm against her face, and she turned to sink her fangs into his wrist. His blood and body filling her was her undoing. With a cry, she bowed beneath him as her body came apart.
Declan sank his fangs into her throat and pulled out of her as he followed her over the edge.
***
Willow lay on her side with her head resting on her arm as she ran her fingers over Declan’s chest. Now that she could finally see and touch all of him, she couldn’t stop doing it. Most of the color had faded from his flesh while they were making love, but faint tendrils of it remained around his eyes and fingers.
“You shut me out during the battle with the Savages,” she said. “I couldn’t communicate with you.”
“I did?”
“Yes. You didn’t realize it?”
“No.”
But he suspected he knew why he’d inadvertently shut her out. The swell of emotions energizing him was too much, and while they enhanced his abilities, they also blocked his mental pathways.
Then he realized there was still one more thing she didn’t know about him. She’d taken everything else better than he’d expected, but he had no idea how she would feel about him sensing her emotions. There were plenty of times she’d probably prefer to keep how she was feeling to herself.
“There’s something else I have to tell you,” he said.
Willow’s hand rested on his chest. “What else could there possibly be?”
She gave a small laugh at the end of her question, but the serious look in his eyes caused her amusement to abruptly end as a knot of apprehension formed in her stomach.
Declan rested his hand on her hip before sliding it up to her rib cage and tracing the underside of her breast while he contemplated how to tell her. However, this was one of those times when he didn’t think there was any easy way to break the news.
Goose bumps broke out on her flesh, her eyes dilated, and her mouth parted as he explored her body. He’d love nothing more than to continue his exploration, but he couldn’t put this off.
“I can sense emotions,” he said as he returned his hand to her hip.
Willow was so lost to his touch that it took her a minute to recall their conversation. When she did, she frowned at him as she flattened her palm on his chest.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I know when someone is sad, happy, plotting something, or aroused,” he murmured and ran his hand down her thigh. “Sometimes, those emotions can overwhelm me and take me over. I try to fight it when that happens, but there are times when I can’t stop it.
“I hate when someone’s emotions become too much for me to shut out, but when we were fighting the Savages, I let my walls down and allowed their bloodlust and hate to fuel me. Along with my need to protect you and your blood inside me, their emotions gave me more power than I ever believed possible. The swell of those emotions inside me, and the power they gave me, shut everything else out.”
“Including me.”
“Including you. I didn’t intend for it to happen, but it did.”
Willow leaned slightly back as his words sank in. If he sensed emotions, then every time she’d tried to hide her feelings from him, he already knew what she was experiencing. He would always know what she was feeling. There was something invasive and unnerving about that.
“You’re an empath,” she breathed.
“Yes,” he said hesitantly. “But my ability is more powerful than a normal empath’s, or at least that’s what I’ve gathered from my research on the subject. But then, most empaths are human, and I’m not.”
“Which makes your ability stronger.”
“Yes.”
Willow bit her lip as she studied his face. She didn’t have to tell him how unnerving this revelation was. He already sensed how she felt. But then, the second they completed the mate bond, he could see into her far more than anyone else ever could. This ability of his just allowed him a little more insight. It would take some getting used to, but she would.
“When we were fighting the Savages, I looked up, and your eyes weren’t red—”
“They were black.”
“Yes!”
“That’s what happens when I can’t shut out the feelings of others and their emotions start to take me over. It’s as if they’re invading me and turning me into something else.”
And they were turning him into something else. She’d seen him fighting those Savages with his flesh covered in red and black while fury emanated from every part of him. He’d battled through and survived injuries that would have downed another.
“You were more demon than man when we were fighting the Savages; is that what happens every time someone’s emotions take you over?” she asked.
“No. What happened during that fight was something entirely different than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
He hoped never to experience it again; he’d only ever been that out of control once before, and he’d nearly destroyed eight people. This time, the Savages provided him an outlet for his brutality, but he might not be so fortunate the next time. However, he thought as he stroked Willow’s leg, he’d also never had her to save him from the most malevolent parts of himself.
“Have you dealt with this your whole life?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Willow rested her hand on his chest. “So, if I ever tell you I’m fine…”
“I’ll know you’re lying.”
“That’s really annoying.” She’d meant it as teasing, but the troubled look in his eyes told her he hadn’t taken it that way. “I’m kidding. Well… mostly kidding. I’m sure there are times it will be really annoying, but there will be other times when it’s greatly appreciated. No wonder you’re so good in bed; you can sense what I like most, and that is one of those greatly appreciated times.”
He laughed as he kissed her forehead. “Maybe I’m just talented.”
“Oh, you’re very talented, but you also cheated.”
“I cheated?”
“Yep.”
She laughed when he rolled over to pin her beneath him. She ignored the bits of straw digging into her flesh as he pulled her hands over her head and held them there. When he kissed her, she lost herself to him again.