“So, the stories about my birth were all true. I was born under this moon.” He nodded. “Is the Curse of Artemis real?” He shook his head. At least I’d been right about that. “Am I also Vinur then?”
“No. I’m not sure what you are.”
I snorted. “Well, that’s reassuring.”
“You do not come from the Vinur line. You have some of our traits—like the mark and your superior strength—but others are unique to you.”
He smiled as he watched me nibble my lip.
“What is unique to me?”
“Your red hair and your silver wolf.”
“Ah… So, just everything then.”
He slid his arms around my waist, pinning mine between us. Leaning down so his face was in line with mine, he kissed the tip of my nose. “Not everything. And these unique traits make you who you are. I like who you are.”
“Hmmph. Yeah, okay. But how did this happen to me? No one in my family ever had the mark.”
“I don’t know. Astrid should though. She came to see me after my father’s funeral. She assured me I’d meet my mate, that I’d know her when I saw her, and when I did, I had to let her prove herself. I was not to interfere in her life. I didn’t know what she meant until the day I saw you. Hundreds of years later.”
“Huh. And that’s why you never got involved with the attacks on me?”
“Correct. Astrid was very adamant about that part.”
“So, let’s get this straight… I’m mated with the Vinur who lives with a tribreed and I’m going to meet a fairy. This is all so surreal!”
“One more thing,” he said. I just stared at him, waiting for the next bomb to drop. “The role of Vinur is not exclusive to shifters. Vampires also answer to me. Except Cybil. She has been the only one I cannot control. Yet.”
“Wow. This just gets weirder and weirder. Okay, so you’re like the king of all the supernaturals?”
“I guess you could say that. Except the Fae, we could never rule over them.”
“Of course not, how could a wolf tell a fairy what to do? That’s just crazy talk,” I said, feeling a bit crazy myself.
“It might seem ridiculous, but it’s true. The Fae are fickle and ruthless. It’s best to leave them alone,” he replied before leaning in to kiss me.
I freed my arms from between our bodies and held him tightly as the kiss grew more heated. He straightened to his full height, lifting me as he went, and walked us to the bed. When the backs of my legs hit the mattress, he broke the kiss.
His eyes—so much like mine—smoldered as he looked down at me. For the first time in my adult life, I felt shy. Something in the way he was looking at me made me want to honor his position as Alpha… worship him as Vinur. I wanted to give him everything. I wanted him to take control of me.
I wanted him to dominate me.
“Take off your shirt,” he said.
I looked up at him as I unbuttoned it then let it slide to the floor.
“Lie back.”
I slid onto the bed, propping my head up with a pillow so I could still see him. He lowered his pants, freeing his erection. I moaned and squeezed my legs together at the sight of it.
He grabbed my ankles and set my feet on the bed. His fingers tickled me as he ran them up my calves to my knees to push them down, spreading my legs as wide as they’d go.
He took a moment to look at me. As his eyes moved between my legs, he took his shaft in his hand and moaned. “Beautiful,” he said, licking his lips.
Then he knelt on the floor, his eyes meeting mine as he inhaled and licked his lips again.
“You. Are. Mine.” His voice was deep, and his breath was warm, making me moan and wriggle closer to him.