Ember’s Claim

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lorcan

E mber falls against my chest, grinding her hips through another intense orgasm. My entire being fills with pride. She’s precious and finally comes enough times that I think she might be satiated.

Well, for the moment. Her approaching heat will only intensify her need for her mates. It’s actually a good thing there are three of us. I’m elderly by their standards, after all.

I snort at the thought.

“Yes, fine. You proved the perks of age, whatever.” She groans, rolling her face around my pec. “My knees are wobbly. How in the world am I supposed to walk back like this?”

“Don’t fret.” I smile softly, running my hand down her spine. “I’ll be happy to carry you. We just need to handle one thing first.” I lean up and don’t stop until I’m vertical. My cock is still firm inside her, but I have other priorities at the moment.

“The claiming rune?” Ember asks, pulling back from my chest.

I nod. “I’d like to complete it.”

“Okay,” she agrees.

Pulling my wrist up, I cup that hand.

“We’ll need a little of your blood. Would you like to—” I cut off when she pulls her hand to her mouth, biting into the side of her palm near her thumb. She quickly moves to drip the blood into my makeshift cup. Opening and closing her hand produces enough that I’m sure she’ll be able to tackle the sigil.

I bring my free hand to one of my canines and bite before moving the wound to drip into my palm. “Show me your mark.”

She flips her wrist, and I slide my hand over it to remove the invisibility spell. “What now?”

“Draw it on my wrist as close to matching yours as you can get. You’ll need to be quick,” I say in a soothing tone. I don’t want to rush her, but shifter blood dries quickly and mine even faster.

Ember dips her finger into the combination of our blood and places her wrist next to mine. She moves swiftly but carefully as she draws out the pattern. Her eyes snap to mine, and I mentally repeat the bonding spell.

The feeling of the link settling into place takes my breath away.

Based on the gasp Ember releases, I’m sure she feels it too.

Stretching down, I rinse my hand in the warm spring. I’m barely back in place when Ember begins to rise and fall on my cock again. Her skin burns mine as her hands come to rest on my shoulders.

That didn’t last long.

Time to make my mate come again, and then it’s time for us to regroup with our packmates.

Ember and I track back through the forest toward Anders’s house. Perhaps it’s time to view it as our home, since Ember made it clear she has no designs on the house the alpha normally resides in.

I keep her cradled to my chest as I walk, and it’s no hardship. My magic feels extremely low, so I use my physical strength. I may have overdone it a bit on the way to the waterfall, in an attempt to show off a bit, but I’ll be able to replenish myself tomorrow night.

Ember snuggles closer to my shirt, letting out a contented little sigh.

I continue trudging along. Perhaps I should have planned this excursion for the night after the full moon. No, I couldn’t have forced myself to wait on completing our bond, and the memories of the cave and waterfall will last an eternity.

The night air bites at my skin as a heavy breeze gusts through the clearing. We only have another twenty feet before we’ll be back within the coverage of the trees. At least it will help some with the cutting wind that picked up from nowhere.

Ember doesn’t seem bothered, but she does pull her head free of my side. Her eyes light amber with her wolf while her adorable little nose twitches.

I’m distracted by her to the point I barely notice the silver glinting through the air until it’s too late.

“Lorcan,” Ember hisses.

There’s a split second when I contemplate throwing her to the ground, but I barely have the ability to twist my body to take the brunt of the strike. I extend her farther out in my arms as the spear rips through my back and protrudes out of my chest.

Ember tumbles out of my hold, landing in a crouch.

“Don’t touch it,” I choke out around the blood spilling from my mouth. Good God. That’s inconvenient. “It’s pure silver. Phone…bag…Calyx.”

My head shakes. I’ve changed my mind. The silver is laced with something truly vile.

“Run!”