Page 194 of Elemental Becoming

Together.

Right now, all I want is to remain here in his warmth, lulled by the faint crackle of the dying fire, while the rest of the worldfades beyond the shelter of his arms.

When I open my eyes, soft golden sunlight filters through the heavy curtains, slipping through the narrow gaps to cast long streaks of warmth across the room. The fire in the hearth has burned low, embers still glowing faintly beneath the ash, the scent of smoke lingering in the air.

The second thing I notice is the ache.

Not only the deep soreness from the battle. The bruises still scattered across my body or the exhaustion clinging to my muscles.

Him.

The memory of Thane’s hands on me last night. The raw hunger in the way he touched me, like there had been no room left for restraint between us. Only need.

I shift slightly and immediately feel the protest in my limbs. And then I feel him. Warm and solid at my back, the weight of his arm draped over my waist, the rhythm of his breath brushing my shoulder.

Thane.

His scent—cedar, smoke, leather, and something darker that belongs only to him—still lingers in the air, on my skin, tangled in the sheets. I turn to look at him because part of me still needs proof that last night was real.

He’s asleep, his body loose with the kind of exhaustion that comes after sex. I shift closer, curling my fingers around his bicep. His hand glides along my hip as he pulls me closer against him, even half asleep.

“Stay.”

His breath brushes my ear, voice rough with sleep, low and rich and still threaded with the exhaustion of last night.

I don’t move. Don’t even answer. Because I never want to leave.

A low hum of amusement rumbles through his chest.

“You’re thinking too loudly again.”

I freeze.

Then the realization crashes into me all over again.

The bond.

“Oh my gods,” I groan, burying my face in the pillow. “I forgot you can hear—”

“Every. Single. Thought,” Thane finishes smoothly, his voice turning dangerously amused. “Yes.”

His hand drifts lower, every intention in that movement clear. I don’t need the bond to know exactly what he wants. It’s in the way his fingers trace along my bare skin. In the possessive tightening of his grip against my hip, like he already knows I’m not leaving this bed anytime soon.

And then my thoughts slip loose before I can stop them.

Flashes of what I want—what I crave—how badly I need him. The way he looks right now, warm and naked beside me. The way I want to pull him closer. Taste him. Feel him moving inside me again.

How I ache for him.

Thane inhales sharply beside me, his entire body going still. He heard all of it.

“So last night wasn’t enough?” Thane asks, his voice low, edged with dark amusement. A slow, wicked smile curves across his lips. “I didn’t satisfy you?”

My face flames. “That’s not what I meant.”

I try to sit up, but his hand slides to my waist, holding me in place with infuriating ease.

“I can’t help what I think when you’re lying there looking all . . . ” I gesture vaguely toward his bare chest, the sharp lines of his body, the sheet doing very little to preserve his dignity.