Page 81 of Stubborn as a Shadow

My shadows made his rainbows shine brighter. His rainbows gave my shadows an anchor, something to hide behind. Could we truly complement one another like this? Was this why the Eternal Magic thought we ought to be mates?

“I want you so much,” I whispered. “But I’ll stop if you want. You just need to tell me. Are you sure you want to do this with me?”

Morgan clutched at my arm, his fingernails digging into my skin, as if scared I’d retreat. “I want this. I want you.”

“So do I,” I assured him, knowing we couldn’t have any lies or half-truths, not now.

I worked him open, preparing him until we were both shaking from want. When I kneeled between his legs and guided my length to him, joy cascaded through me. And I knew.

Morgan was mine. And I was his.

Our gazes locked. I sucked in a shaky breath. Morgan reached for me.

“Please, Nelson,” he whispered as he stroked my cheek, “you are everything I’ve always dreamed of and more.”

And I pressed inside.

Our rainbows and shadows exploded around us like fireworks at midnight. It was like our souls came together when our bodies did, and it was the most beautiful experience of my life.

And then we were moving. Our bodies rocked slowly at first, then faster. Magic thrummed through us, around us.Everywhere. And entwined with this magic was a deep and powerful sense of belonging. I belonged in this man’s arms, and he belonged in mine. I didn’t understand how it was possible when we were so different, but I couldn’t deny the truth any longer.

“Mate.” A greater force than I’d ever known before dragged the word out of me, and I was helpless to stop it. It slipped over my tongue and into our kiss. I’d suspected Morgan was my mate even before I met him. I’d tried to warn him. And now the Eternal Magic herself was confirming it.

Morgan gasped, but he nodded. “Mate.”

That single word, having been spoken by each of us, took on a near-tangible essence between us. Then in a whoosh of magic, the word became reality. The change flooded me from my toes to my scalp. His rainbows and my shadows crashed into one another as foreign words erupted from deep inside me. Morgan’s eyes widened as the same foreign words fell from his lips.

I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to.

For the first time since I’d seen Morgan’s image in that painting, I wasn’t scared. I’d known the risk of taking him into my arms, and I’d chosen to do it anyway. Or maybe we’d never had a choice at all.

These words were ancient, as old as the world itself. This was the Eternal Magic blessing us, binding us. A gift from her to us. A magical acknowledgement that fate and magic were binding us together from this moment forward.

When the words faded, we were still moving together. Morgan reached his pinnacle first. His grip tightened on me and his body clenched as his shout vibrated through me. And whenI reached my peak right behind him, I gave myself over to both Morgan and the magic.

And I knew nothing would ever be the same again.

I’d vowed to find and protect Morgan before I’d ever met him, but in this secluded fire-lit room, I made yet another promise.

I would do everything in my power to ensure Morgan never regretted the Eternal Magic binding us together. I would be everything he could ever want or need.

Somehow.

31

WE MIGHT NEED AN EXORCISM

MORGAN

As our racing breaths quieted, and our sweaty skin cooled, I tried to make sense of what’d just happened. I may have been a virgin until a minute ago, but I knew that hadn’t been normal.

We’d been possessed.

Something had hijacked our bodies and our voices, making us do and say things I didn’t understand. I mean, sure, the energy felt familiar and surprisingly pleasant, like an ancient magic, but not any magic I’d ever known.

Possession was the only thing that made sense.

Nelson rolled off me and pulled me into his arms. Then he fumbled for some part of the blanket and tugged a corner over us before the cold air could bite my sweaty ass.