Page 156 of Dominion

“You! Cody Steele. Only you.”

His teeth had definitely grown longer. She must’ve looked frightened, because he covered her eyes with his hand. “Don’t look,” he panted. “Don’t move. Oh, God, please don’t move.” He sounded like he was in pain. Her pelvis banged against the wall behind her with bruising force as he fucked her hard and fast. “I can’t stop,” he moaned. “I don’t want to hurt you, baby.”

With her vision obscured, her need became even more intense. She pounded her fist on his rock-hard shoulder. “Do it,” she yelled.

He shoved in deep. A sharp pain sliced into her shoulder, front and back.

She screamed.

His body shuddered and jerked, then gradually relaxed. The teeth came out and he licked the wound he’d inflicted, laving away the pain.

Her internal muscles still fluttered around his cock, but she, too, had relaxed, and a terrific sense of well-being filled her. She remembered Ashley saying the serum coating his teeth—the serum that had just marked her forever as his—produced a drug-like effect to ease her pain.

She sank into the wall, her muscles going limp.

“Baby…” Cody eased his hand from her eyes. “Oh, God, you’re crying.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

But Cody thumbed tears away from her face.

“I’m sorry. Are you hurt? I mean, of course you’re hurt. Fuck.” He pulled out of her and shifted to scoop under her knees. “It’s okay, baby. You’re going to be all right.” The anxiety on his face as he peered at her made her heart twist.

He cursed.

“Cody,” she mumbled, wanting to soothe him. “I’m okay.”

“Can you stand? Just for a second, so I can get your clothes back on?”

He dressed her, then swung her back up in his arms and carried her out to his truck. Although it was completely insane, and she tried to tell him so, Cody insisted on driving with her cradled on his lap, her back leaning against the door, feet spilling into the passenger side. Fortunately, it was less than a mile to his house.

He carried her into his house and onto his bed, where he sat with her nestled in his arms, dropping kisses on the top of her head as she drifted off to sleep, floating on a euphoria of love and peace.

Cody balancedthe hot coffee and bag of breakfast sandwiches and muffins in one hand to unlock the door. The sound of the shower running made him smile. His mate was up.

Yes,mate.

The concept still stunned him on a minute by minute basis. He’d spent the entire night holding Melissa, watching her wounds close and start to heal, painfully slowly compared to a shifter, but still far faster than they would on a human.

Ben and Ashley had shown up at his door not long after they’d returned, but he’d refused to let them in. He’d been covered in his own blood and hers, and Ashley had been terrified, but Stone guessed at what had happened.

“You marked her,” he’d said, nostrils flaring.

He half-expected Stone to challenge him, and his inner wolf growled, willing to fight to the death for her. But once he’d assured them she was all right, just sleeping off the serum and healing, they left.

The shower turned off. He set the coffee and goodies on the dresser and waited for her to emerge.

She came out with a towel wrapped under her armpits, her pale skin flushed from the water. The smile she flashed him dazzled.

He stepped over to her and moved her hair from her shoulder, examining her wounds for the millionth time, then kissing each one. “How are you, baby?”

“I feel wonderful, actually.” She beamed up at him. She did, in fact, radiate good health and well-being. Her skin glowed, her eyes were bright, smile so full of joy, he wanted to be sure he never wiped it from her face again. “How are you?”

He’d showered and changed but hadn’t slept—his worry over her had kept him up all night. “I’m fine—see.” He grinned and pulled up his shirt to show her the bullet wounds had completely healed.

She reached out to brush her fingertips over his abs, sending a shudder of the deepest recognition through his being.

Mate.