‘Nai,’ he growled. ‘You have no idea.’

His weight settled on me, his skin on my skin, and our lips met with a crash of teeth. He nipped at my lower lip, and I opened to him. His tongue stroked against mine; he threaded his hand into my hair. Coaxing my head back, kissing and caressing, this time with more fervor, the pressure of his lips and tongue and teeth increased as he claimed me. Rage worked his way down my neck, then my chest and abdomen before pausing right at the line of my undies.

‘Yes?’ he asked, his breath feathering over my skin with sensuous agony.

‘Yes,’ I said, giving him permission to take anything he wanted—because I was his, just as he was mine.

Rage licked my skin, just above the hem of my panties, and then sucked.

His teeth grazed me, and my entire body melted as a fine magic crackled in the air.

Oh. Oh … wow.

Another wet stroke made me tremble.

‘Rage,’ I panted, reaching for him. Another sensual stroke made me mewl.

‘I love you, Nai Crescent,’ he said, tugging my undies over the curve of my hips. He kissed me again, and I arched, desperate for more.

‘Rage.’

‘Mate,’ he growled.

The word shot through me, and, as I arched, Rage settled on top of me.

‘Mate,’ he growled again, tugging my panties all the way down. ‘Say it, Nai.’

His words melted into me, coursing through my body, but instead of possession, all I felt was love. So much love … and magic. Whatever force in the universe brought mates together was here now, I felt it in the air, charged and thick.

I panted, and he scented me.

‘Claim me,’ he said. ‘Make me yours. Mate.’

Yes.

Rage moved, his body slick with sweat, and I inhaled as the scent of his desire hit me. Overwhelmed me.

‘Ma—’

Someone pounded on the door, and we froze. The magical feeling around us popped like a bubble when the male on the other side of the door cleared his throat.

‘Uh…’ I said, my gaze darting to the door. ‘Do you think if we ignore them, they’ll go away?’

I slid my hand over Rage’s back, blushing when I realized he’d discarded his underwear at some point. I’d been two seconds away from losing my V-card to the love of my life, and whoever was at the door ruined it.

I cringed. Please don’t be my father.

Rage, naked and clearly pissed at whoever was at the door, rolled off me, keeping all his bits private as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Yes?” he called out, his voice rough. “What do you need?”

I waited, not wanting to get dressed unless absolutely necessary. My body still hummed with the feeling of unfinished business.

“Master Geoff is here,” Noble said with a cough.

Somehow, I knew they’d drawn straws to see who had to come up here. Poor Noble must’ve lost.

“We’ll be right out,” Rage muttered.

My gaze bounced from the door to my mate, only to be hit in the face by my shirt. No. ‘Uh … can’t they wait like two minutes?’

The tension in Rage’s body waned, and he pulled his jeans up with a chuckle.

Wait—how did he get dressed so fast?

I tugged my shirt on and frowned at him. “Seriously … why can’t they wait?”

Rage faced me with a crooked grin. “Nai, two minutes isn’t enough time to do what I want to you.”

Hot damn.

“It’s not?” I joked as my undies landed in my lap. “But there are all those jokes—”

In two steps, he crossed the gap and leaned over to brush his lips over mine. “There’s a reason those are jokes. Trust me, that’s not the way I roll.”

I swallowed. Hard. “I do trust you; it’s just…”

‘I’m disappointed too,’ Rage said, kissing me again. ‘But Honor is almost out of time. Besides, our bond isn’t going anywhere.’

He was right. My body ached with need, but I pushed it down and got dressed. Honor needed us more.

Chapter 11

“Where is my son?” a familiar woman’s voice screamed down the hall.

Rage closed the bedroom door behind us, and dread slithered through me.

“Where is he?” her voice cracked. “Where is my Nolan?”

Oh crap. Just what we didn’t need right now: Aunt Lilith.

Dad’s younger sister was a bitch. Literally. Entitled, argumentative, she was to blame for raising Nolan to be a lazy pig who tried to kill me.

‘Any chance we can sneak out the back?’ I joked to Rage.

Rage took my hand. ‘We only have an hour left before Honor’s time is up.’

Right. Honor. Focus.

So we strode into the living room like we’d just come in from a mid-day stroll—not almost sex in the bedroom.

“Nai!” Fiona leapt up from the couch with a fake smile plastered to her face, and the occupants all turned to us.

All. Of. Them.

Kaja, Fiona, and the two Midnight princes sat on one of the large sectionals, their heads inclined toward one another as if trying to ignore Lilith. Lona held my aunt’s arm, and Mack was doing his best to keep distance between my insane aunt and the rest of the room. Dad and Grandpa Geoff stood together in the doorway to the dining room. Geoff looked worse for wear, leaning against his redheaded shield, Reyna, who I recognized from the first day of school at my element ceremony. Kaja’s second eldest sister—she was built like an Amazon woman. Nearly six feet tall with lean muscle, she was beautiful.

As my grandpa pivoted, I saw Reyna on his other side, fully supporting him.

Wait a minute. What happened? Why couldn’t he walk?

I knew Grandpa was old, but he’d never appeared frail like this before. Did this have anything to do with Surlama’s curse … the one he’d asked me to send him?

As my dad looked our way, he blushed …which made me blush, and I glanced down to make sure my clothes were on. Yep, all dressed—

“Where’s Nolan?” Lilith screeched again. She wrenched free of Lona and darted around Mack before stalking toward us. Her eyes and nose were swollen and red, and her skin splotchy. Gruesome scratches marred her face and neck, and the dried blood under her nails hinted her wounds were self-inflicted. “The school said the mid-year games were a mess.” She waved a sheet of parchment with a golden seal. “They said he died and that you killed him!”

Awkward didn’t even begin to describe this situation.

Unsure of what to say, I glanced to Rage for help.

His eyes glinted with murder, so better not count on help from him—at least, not if I wanted to smooth things over. “H-he attacked me, tried to kill me, and I—”

Elaine scooted past Rage and cut Lilith off midstride. “I was there the night your son died. What Nai says is true, he attacked her, and—”

“Who are you?” Lilith snarled.

“Elaine Midnight, the alpha queen.” Rage’s mother tipped her chin up with pride, and Lilith’s expression widened with surprise as she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Your son,” Elaine continued, “tried to kill Nai, and—”

“It says Nai killed him,” Lilith snarled, her lips pinching as her expression contorted with hatred. She flicked her gaze to me, and her eyes hardened. “Well? Did you?”