The next instant, I drive off the road. The vehicle's suspended in midair for just a second. Then the tires hit the beach and bounce once.
A few more feet, halfway to the waves, and I slam on the brakes.
Before he can say anything, I snarl, "You left me behind. You said you'd never hurt me. Yet you did. You seduced me, and then you just…left."
Silence.
I grip the wheel. When he doesn’t reply, I turn away. I’m about to fling the door open to get away from him, when he says, "I'll never forgive myself for what I put you through. I was wrong, so wrong. Forgive me, Tara, don't walk away from me. But if you do...I'll understand."
And it's that last sentence which makes me pause.
"You would?" I ask over my shoulder. "You'd let me walk away, just like that? You'd let me choose."
He reaches out his hand as if to touch me, before letting it fall to the side. “It's the reason I haven't accepted the bond completely yet. I can feel it pulsing every second of every day." His hand grips his chest over his heart. "I feel you, Tara. I feel you calling out to me. But I didn't want to accept the bond, not until I met you again. Not until I knew you still wanted this too. That you'd forgiven me enough to...take me for your mate."
His eyes meet mine, his gaze steady, clear. He's serious. He'd let me leave if that's what I wanted. He'd spend his life without me. Without a mate. Alone.
Like I would be too.
How much would it have cost this dominant Alpha male to say that? To give up control of the most primal instinct of his life to me?
My eyes fall to the scars on his hand. "For an immortal who doesn’t scar easily, you sure carry an entire array of marks."
His hand moves up to touch the scars I gave him. "You marked me. You claimed me. I am yours. I'll stay yours even if you decide you don't want me now."
47
Kris
My heart beats fast, adrenaline pumping when she doesn’t reply. I'd come to her, laid my soul bare just for her. I surrendered to her in a way I’ve never done before and will never do again. The true meaning of a soulmate is just beginning to make itself clear to me. It’s this depth of feeling, of wanting to protect her body and soul, of needing her. It’s wanting to be with her and yet giving her space. It’s seeing her grow, thrive, and mature over the years, to encourage her to come into her own strength. It's all of this, I realize.
It's why I’d leave if the witch turns me away for what I did. I’d let her go free to live her life. And this time I wouldn't pursue her, wouldn’t push her. I'll let her decide.
All these thoughts rush through my head in a matter of seconds.
When she doesn't acknowledge what I said, I nod. It's my turn to reach for the door, and she doesn't stop me, not even when I jump onto the soft sand of the beach and walk away. I will myself to not look back. The dominance inside me pushes to the fore, insisting I take her. Now! I simply watch the emotion, let it rise. I acknowledge it but don't act on it.
If this is what she wants, then I must let her go.
Must.
"Kris."
My heart jerks in response. I stop but don't dare turn.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
Her voice is right behind me. The heat of her body curls around me, the scent of green apples on cool dawn air. Then she moves to stand in front of me.
"I'll forgive you," she says, "on one condition."
I tilt my head, not trusting myself to speak. I thought I'd lost her, lost it all. I still can't believe she's standing in front of me, looking at me with those big green eyes that threaten to swallow me whole.
"Don't you want to know my condition?" she prompts.
"Anything for you," I say.
"Make love to me. Here. Now."
Barely are the words out of her mouth, when I close the distance between us. Close enough for her breasts to brush against my chest. I feel the shudder that runs through her.
The scent of her arousal spurts in the air. And that only turns me on more.
She may be stronger and faster now; but to me, she's still fragile, precious. The need to be gentle wars with the fierce want pulsing inside me. It has me lifting her to me, wrapping her legs around my waist. The breath rushes out of her, and I swallow it in. My lips lock on hers, tasting, sucking, nibbling. My tongue tangles with hers. The scent of green apples is in my head, in my skin. It only hardens me even more.
I know she can feel me pulsing against her. I can't feel anything but the slide of her skin under my fingers. The sound of her moan trembles up her chest. I absorb that too. I've denied myself for too long, and now I want it all. All of it. All of her.
Then her body goes rigid. It takes me a second to even realize that she's digging her fingers into my shoulders, pushing against me.
Eyes closed, she slides her palm down to my chest, fingers spread out, curving over the muscles of my chest, feeling me and pulling me to her.
"What do you need?" I ask, and my voice comes out husky.
"You," she says. Her voice comes out low, trembles a little.
"Open your eyes, Tara."
She shakes her head, screwing her eyelids tighter.
I reach out to her on the psychic plane and find her at once. A pool of emerald green, deep yet open. She feels so vulnerable. And that's my undoing. That fragility I'd always sensed about her, I feel it now. I can't resist it. I open myself completely. My heart, mind, and soul.
And just like that, she senses it.
My complete surrender.
Her eyes fly open as the mating bond slams into her, into me, entwines us so we are one. And nothing can come between us now. Just like that, I feel light and filled with an indescribable joy, and I want to share it with Tara. This rightness can be expressed in only one way.
"I love you." I touch my forehead to hers. "I can't live without you. I’ve been fooling myself so far by thinking that I was fine on my own. You fill parts of me I didn't know were empty. It's only when I’m with you that I realize how alone I've been all these years. Stay with me, Tara. Be my mate. Be mine."
I sense her swallow, and her lips tremble. She can't speak, but she nods, just a slight movement. Then her arms come around me and grip me tight, so tight I almost can't breathe. But that's okay. I have her now; she's my life. It's a strange feeling to find my heart is no longer mine, that it belongs to someone else.
A shudder runs through her, and I feel a thud against my chest. And another.
"Kris?"
Even as she breathes my name in shock, I pull back to look at her. My surprise is reflected in the storm that surges in those deep green eyes.
"I can feel my heart." The words tremble out. "How?"
I place a hand over her chest. Thud. And another. And another.
"It’s the mating bond. What's mine is yours now, even my heart."
"I can feel your emotions. Feel how much you…need me," she says, voice hushed. "I sense you on the psychic plane, so bright and alive. And all mine. You're mine."
Then she completely kills me. She melts into me, closing her lips over mine. I taste the tears running down her cheeks.
And when her tongue darts into my mouth, the heat that runs through me tells me I can't wait anymore.
She nods against me, sensing my readiness.
"What do you want?" I ask again.
48
Tara
My eyes fly open to meet his, and once more I sense the liquid need swirling in the blue depths of his eyes. Under my hands, his muscles vibrate and bunch.
He's strong. I’ve fought with him, seen his power as he overcame his enemies. Now as he uses his strength to give me pleasure, to make my body bend to his will, I know he's holding back.
Giving me the choice.
I take it. Sliding out of his arms, I push at his shoulders, kicking his legs out from under him so he's flat on his back in the sand.
Gripping his arms, I urge them up over his head. Though he's stronger, he doesn't resi
st; he lets me hold them back.
His eyes narrow, and yet a glint comes into them. My lips turn up in a smile. And then I reach between us and pushing down the zipper of his jeans. I slide my fingers over him, gripping him, feeling his throbbing hardness. I run my finger over the tip, feeling the desire beaded there.
When I rub it in over him, he groans. A dense cloud of heat spools out of him. In my hand, he grows larger, if that's even possible, until I’m sure my fingers can barely hold him.
In a flash, I undo my zipper and manage to pull my jeans and panties off.
Then sliding my knees on either side of him, I lower myself onto him.
His flesh leaps up to meet me, throbs inside, fills me completely. I can't help the moan torn out of me. Holding onto his upper arms, I feel the muscles move under my palms. He thrusts up and into me, hips undulating as if he can't stop himself.
Heat from his chest slams into me, and I’m surrounded by him. His hardness pulses inside me. My heart thumps against my chest, sending a jolt of heat shuddering all the way to my core, forcing me to close my muscles around him.
He groans, and the sound of his pleasure rolls over my skin, so visceral. So intimate. It's like listening to myself.
And then I can't wait any more.
At my nod, he hauls me up until he’s all the way out, until only the tip of his hardness brushes against my heat. I grit my teeth at the sensation.
Leaning up, he closes his teeth over my lower lip. The flash of pain only sensitizes my nerve endings further.
"Ready?" he asks.
I can't help the chuckle that ripples up. A gleam shines in those blue eyes, and then he thrusts into me and angles himself…and again.
This time I’m sure he touches my womb. Then he thrusts once more, angling himself such that he goes deeper inside, impossibly deeper. A shudder wells up from deep inside, growing in force till the power of it shatters through me.
Even as I am riding the waves, his hoarse cry mingles with my scream. Kris comes inside me, in hot streams of desire and want. His possession is a living thing inside me, reaching out to that deepest part of me I didn't even know existed. But I don't turn away. I meet him every step of the way. I let him take me, let him claim me. For I know now that while my dominant Alpha male demands to possess my soul, he's already let me possess his completely too.
So, this is what it means to subsume yourself in another, for together we'll find ourselves again. We'll never be alone.
When I come to, I’m still wrapped around him, my forehead against his shoulder. He holds my hair up from the nape of my neck, and I sigh as the sea air flows over the heated skin.
"You okay?" he asks.
A flood of concern and then a feeling of such love washes over me, cocooning me it a warmth so right, so joyful it brings tears to my eyes. This time when I look inside, it is to find the silver-green psychic thread entwined with a blazing turquoise light. No longer just a thread, it's a robust, unbreakable bond. And at its other end is a blazing presence so vibrant and powerful it can only be him. My Ascendant.
Will it always be like this? Like we are surfing the same slice of time?
Always. My devil smiles.
Next up: Aaron and Trinity's story.
Many of my readers love Cain, I know you do too. I'll explore Cain's character in more detail in the next book, and Cain gets his own story soon.
I took longer than usual writing this book because I wanted to explore Kris and Tara's relationship and get it to a stage where I was satisfied with it. Kris was a tough protagonist to write. He’s dark, brooding and doesn’t say much. It took me three drafts before he finally gave up his secrets, his fears, his love for Tara. He’s exactly the kind of hero I love to write about. Alpha, yet sensitive!
And Tara, oh! She was such a delight to paint for you…her feistiness and never say die spirt…and the way she transforms. It’s what I look for in all my heroines.
What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do review Claimed here.
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Sneak Preview of Aaron and Trinity's Story
Dragon Protectors 1
A Many Lives Story
Ariana walks on the beach, her bare feet sinking into the sand. It's been a week since she left Bombay for her new home in this island of Mauritania in the Arabian Sea.
Just a day's journey by boat, but it could as well have been on another planet. The waves ripple over her feet, the color a pristine turquoise.
Rohan's return had given her a new lease on life. She couldn't believe it when he’d walked into the infirmary and she’s seen him, pale and thin...but alive. Her baby was alive.
And then came the news that the sword was destroyed. Gone! A weight had lifted, setting her free of the city she’d felt beholden to protect. No more.
This was a second life, and she intended to live this one for herself.
Leana had taken over as mayor of the city with Mikhail by her side. Kris and Tara agreed to stay on as part of the Council. And of course there were Logan, Aaron, Cain, and, of course, Cyrus.
A Cy who confessed he loved her and was coming to join her in a few days.
For now, it is her and the sea and the trees that whisper to her in the breeze.
Her toe stubs against something smooth and shiny. Bending, she rubs the sand away from a pale, ivory shell.
As the particles fall away, she can make out the curved surface of an egg. It’s not an ordinary egg; its much bigger, large enough that she struggles to pick it up with both hands. It’s heavy, with purple and pink spots dotting it, and warm, pulsing. There's life inside.
As she watches it, a crack appears on the surface.
A shout from the shoreline draws her attention. A woman is riding toward her on a horse.
A tremor of anticipation runs through Aria as she sees the woman approach. She assumed the island to be deserted, but she realizes now that she should have had her guards check it out first before she came down here.
Now, she braces herself, as drawing up next to her, the woman slides down. Ariana has to bend her head back, way back, to meet her gaze.
The woman is spectacular.
She's a warrior; there's no doubt of it. She’s dressed in a tunic that comes to mid-thigh, showing off long legs with tanned skin the color of honey. Muscles on her forearm ripple as she points to the egg.
Ariana offers it to her. "Is this yours?"
"Ours," she says. "Come, I have a lot to tell you."
To be continued. Join my newsletter here to be informed when Aaron and Trinity's story is out.
These are the Original Seven Islands of Bombay. The dystopian version of this maximum city where I grew up is where the Many Lives Series is set. In the next books I also set stories in Mauritania and … another secret location that I am yet to finalize.
About the Author
Hey there, I am Laxmi. I love to dig deep and write about relationships. Hot sensitive alpha males? Yep! Kickass women who never make it easy for their men, you bet! Find them all with sweaty sexual tension and fast paced action scenes that rock.
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The Many Lives Universe
Pick up the Many Lives Series because you're ready to discover sexy shifters, immortal warriors and vampires who'll steal your heart.
Order of reading
Awakened (Ruby and Vik)
Feral (Maya and Luke)
Taken (Jai and Ariana)
Redemption (Mikhail and Leana)
Claimed (Kris and Tara)
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Claimed: Paranormal Romance (Immortals, Vampires and Shifters) (Many Lives Book 4) Page 17
