Two weeks later

Fang lay in bed, completely naked, with Aimee snuggled up beside him. Gods, she felt so good there. . . .

He loved the way she looked when her skin was glowing in the morning light, her hair mussed and her lips swollen from his kisses. There was nothing better.

"Are you ever going to claim me?" she whispered as she traced circles over the muscles of his abdomen.

"I think that's entirely up to you, my lady." In their world, mating was a decision solely up to the woman. A man couldn't force a woman to accept him no matter what.

And if she failed to accept him within three weeks, he was left impotent . . .

So long as she lived.

Aimee lifted herself up to stare down at him. "You haven't mentioned it, so I was beginning to worry."

She was worried? He was the one facing the next few centuries as a poster child for Viagra failure. "I didn't want to rush you. You've been through a lot." And she'd been so sad since her parents' deaths that he hadn't wanted to be a prick by reminding her.

She rose up, showing him the breasts he lived to taste. "Yes, but you only have two more days. . . ."

As if he wasn't counting down to the exact nanosecond. . . . He had his watch set to buzz him before it was too late. But again, Vane had taught him that women required a certain degree of finesse. Otherwise, a guy ended up in the doghouse. In his case literally.

"I was hoping you'd be feeling better and willing." He flashed her an evil grin.

Aimee let out a playful sigh at his eager look. Her wolf could be impossible at times. But she wouldn't have him any other way, and the thought of not having him at all hurt her on a level she didn't even want to think about.

Fang would be hers forever.

She would make sure of it.

Sliding her body over his, she straddled his hips. He was gorgeous, lying in her bed, his tawny skin offset by her white sheets. He had a day's worth of whiskers on his face that made him look as feral as he was. And his longer hair had an adorable wave to it.

She took his hand into hers so that she could nibble the pad of his fingers. He hardened instantly.

Fang looked up at her, his breathing turning ragged. "Are you sure?"

She nipped at his knuckle as she released his hand. "Don't be silly. I've been waiting for years for this moment."

His eyes turned dark, sincere. "I've been waiting a lifetime for you."

Those words touched her. She held her marked hand up. Fang placed his palm to hers, their marks joined as he laced his fingers with her so that they could complete their mating ritual. She was so nervous, and she wasn't even sure why. It wasn't like they'd never had sex before and yet . . .

This would bind them forever. She would belong to him and he would be hers exclusively. It was a major responsibility to be a part of someone else's world.

But she would have it no other way.

Their gazes locked, Aimee lifted herself up and set herself down on top of him.

Fang bit his lip as her body closed around his. He wanted to thrust against her, but it wasn't part of the ritual. This was her time. She would set the pace and she would dictate what they did.

And when she started moving against him, the wolf inside wanted to howl in pleasure. With their marked hands locked, he ran his free hand down her back as she moved in short, torturous strokes.

She brushed her hand against the mark Thorn had placed on his shoulder. He would still have to fight demons for him from time to time, but Varyk had explained to him how his life was basically his own.

Then again, as he looked into Aimee's eyes, he realized his life would never again belong to him alone. Aimee was his life now.

She tightened her grip on his marked hand. "I accept you as you are, and I will always hold you close in my heart. I will walk beside you forever."

Fang smiled as she whispered the words that bound them together in a ceremony that went back to a time before recorded history. He repeated them back to her and then added one more statement. "I would gladly give my life for you, Aimee."

"You are my life, wolf, so you better take damn good care of yours."

He started to answer that with a quip, but the thirio came upon him so suddenly that he couldn't do anything except hiss as he felt his cock harden even more. Pain exploded in his mouth as his teeth elongated to sharp fangs and a raw bloodlust came over him that made a mockery of the one he'd known when Phrixis had lived inside him.

The thirio was the urge to bond their life forces together and to make them one for all eternity.

In life and in death. It was what her parents had shared. What Anya had with her mate and what his brothers had done with their mates.

Once put in place, it was unbreakable by any other than Savitar.

Fang ground his teeth to keep from biting her.

Aimee cupped his face in her hand as she stared down at him. "Let's finish this, Fang."

Searing joy tore through him, but he didn't want to take this step lightly. "Are you sure?"

She gave him an unamused smirk. "I have been through hell for you . . . twice. Do you really think I want to be in this life without you?"

Those words touched him deep. Fang sat up underneath her, pulled her close, then sank his teeth into her skin.

Aimee let out a small cry of dismay as her own teeth elongated. She felt her powers soaring as their blood was mingled. Brushing his hair back from his shoulder, she bit him.

The room around her swam as every sense she had sharpened and burned. In that one instant, she could feel Fang's heartbeat as if it were her own. The two of them were truly united.

Forever.

They would never again have to live without each other. It was the greatest gift.

And the ultimate curse.

But she would have it no other way.

Locked together, they came in unison. Aimee pressed her cheek to Fang's as he held her close and she listened to his heartbeat slowing.

"I swore I would never bond to anyone," Fang whispered in her ear. "I thought only fools did this."

"And now?"

His dark gaze locked with hers. "I'm the happiest fool on the planet."

She kissed him then and couldn't agree more. She too was the happiest fool on the planet.