Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Strangely, Silke felt every nerve ending in her body come to life at his words. Deep inside there was a stillness, as if she were waiting for something huge.
Benedek pressed her palms against his chest, right over his heart. “Éntölam kuulua, avio päläfertiilam. I claim you as my lifemate.”
That something so frozen, so still, suddenly came to life, reaching for him.
His fingers began to move in slow caresses over her bare skin. “Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed. I belong to you.”
In that moment, Silke felt that Benedek did belong to her—and she to him. She felt the rightness of it. There hadn’t been a mistake. She was definitely Benedek’s true lifemate.
“Élidamet andam. I offer my life for you.”
That rasp in his voice became more pronounced as a million tiny threads began to weave an unbreakable bond between them. She knew she wasn’t the only one feeling those ties. His expression hadn’t changed, but there was even more intensity in his eyes. The pads of his thumbs continued to whisper soothing caresses over the backs of her hands.
“Pesämet andam. I give you my protection. Uskolfertiilamet andam. I give you my allegiance.”
Around them, the plants swayed and rustled without the wind coming close. The dragon lilies moved closer to her, the rolled petals of several bending toward her to brush against her legs. She felt the camaraderie. The need to ensure she was safe. The lilies seemed to accept Benedek. After hearing how the forest creatures had raced to his aid when he had been so brutally attacked, she wasn’t surprised that the ones she called friends and allies approved of him.
“Sívamet andam. I give you my heart.” When he uttered that line of the vow, his hands covered hers and pressed her palms tighter against his chest. “Silke, I don’t know what’s left of my heart, if anything, but I swear to you if it is there, it belongs to you.”
Silke didn’t know what to say in the face of his complete sincerity. She nodded, hoping the tears burning behind her eyes would stay put. This was her marriage ceremony. When he finished, she would be this man’s wife. The thought was profound. Overpowering. Overwhelming.
Benedek leaned down and brushed the top of her head with his lips. “Sielamet andam. I give you my soul.”
The threads drew tight between them, weaving his soul together. A burst of triumph radiated from Silke to Benedek. She had kept his soul safe, and it was back where it belonged. Benedek would have a solid anchor to keep him from ever turning vampire.
“Ainamet andam. I give you my body. Sívamet kuuluak kaik että a ted. I take into my keeping the same that is yours.”
At the intensity in his eyes, she found she couldn’t control the color rushing under her skin.
“Ainaak olenszal sívambin. Your life will be cherished by me for all time. Te élidet ainaak pide minan. Your life will be placed above mine for all time.” He brought her fingertips to his mouth and lowered his voice even more. “Te avio päläfertiilam. You are my lifemate. Ainaak sívamet jutta oleny. You are bound to me for all eternity. Ainaak terád vigyázak. You are always in my care.”
He bent his head, his lips brushing hers very gently. His teeth found her lower lip and tugged until she opened for him. He swept in. Heat and fire. Gentle. Rough. Consuming. A definite firestorm shaking her beyond measure. She hadn’t known kisses could make the earth tremble. Could make her lightheaded. Could reduce her body to pure feeling. Heat rushed through her veins, not just heat, a fireball.
It was Benedek who broke the kiss, and she felt bereft. But then he kissed his way toward her throat, pausing to nip at her chin, before continuing. Tiny electrical sparks leapt over her skin, reacting to his warm breath and the touch of his lips. His tongue touched the pulse beating frantically in her neck. Her breath refused to come. It just burned and burned like her body.
His tongue slid over that pulse. His teeth scraped back and forth. It felt erotic, not in the least threatening. Breathe, o jelä sielamak, you forget to breathe.
It isn’t that I forget to breathe, I forget how. She gave him the truth because how could she not when he made her feel like an attractive, desirable woman for the first time in her life?
She felt his brief flash of shared amusement. His arms tightened around her, encircling her with his strength. His teeth bit down, drove through skin to find the essence of her life. The pain was exquisite and gave way almost immediately to sheer pleasure. That had never happened with Tora, but she’d taken blood from Tora’s wrist and Tora had distanced herself completely. She’d been aware of what she was doing but didn’t feel revulsion in the act.