She titled her hips, locking her ankles around his waist. “Now, Cuan.”
He slid into her, and they were one.
Forever.
* * *
Tamsin woke up first. Even without opening her eyes, she knew that Cuan was still asleep. The knowledge was just there, deep in her soul.
Hewas there. A quiet, warm presence in the middle of her chest, as simple and natural as her own heartbeat. She could feel him, as clearly as she could feel his solid, hot weight against her back.
She started to reach for that sense of him, just because she could—and then checked herself.
I should let him sleep. He must be exhausted.
She grinned to herself, feeling the ache in her own muscles. She shifted away from Cuan, carefully wriggling out from under his heavy arm. He didn’t so much as twitch. He really was exhausted.
Yawning, she glanced at the time—and there was another simple thing she hadn’t been able to do in the fae realm, who’d have thought she’d have missed alarm clocks, of all things. Angus always demanded his breakfast promptly on the stroke of seven, and woe betide her if she was late. But she still had a little time to enjoy snuggling with her man.
Smiling, she stretched out her arms—and let out a squawk as she caught sight of her own right wrist.
Cuan’s presence abruptly blazed in her chest. He started up beside her, one hand already reaching for a sword before he’d even opened his eyes.
“Tamsin?” He scrambled to crouch protectively over her, every muscle in his torso tense. “Tamsin! What is it?”
“Nothing. Well, something, I guess, but not a thing that calls for a sword. I hope.” She showed him her arm. “Uh…is this supposed to happen?”
Intricate blue lines circled her wrist, standing out bright and bold against her dark skin. The braided knotwork pattern spiraled up her forearm, finishing just before the crook of her elbow.
Cuan’s mouth crooked in amazed wonder. Without a word, he laid his own arm next to hers, left against right. Before, his faemarks had ended on his biceps…but now he had a new one, just like hers, running down to his wrist.
“Bondmarks,” he said softly. “We are truly joined.”
Side-by-side, the two patterns became one. They looked like looping, knotted cords tying their arms together.
Tamsin turned her wrist a bit. Light gleamed from the mark, flashing with blue-green iridescence. It was very obviously not a tattoo.
“I love it,” she said, a little ruefully. “But, um, I’m either going to have to wear long sleeves all the time, or pretend that I’m really into body-painting.”
Cuan laughed. “Do not fear. It will be invisible to regular humans, unless you will it to appear. Just as my own faemarks are hidden from mundane eyes.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” Tamsin snuggled against him, admiring her new markings. “I really do love it. Did you have any idea that this might happen?”
He shook his head. “I thought that bondmarks could only appear when fae mated. Then again, I suppose you are fae now, thanks to our link. I wonder whether you have also acquired any of our magics…”
Cuan traced her bondmark. It shimmered under his fingertips, glowing brighter. Tamsin caught her breath as a jolt of heat struck through her, straight to her core.
“Well now.” Cuan’s eyes gleamed. “How interesting.”
“Okay,” Tamsin gasped, catching his wrist. “Now I understand why you broke the bed when I stroked your marks. This is something we’re going to have to explore later.”
“Later?” He ducked his head, breathing lightly across her glowing mark, and her toes curled. “Not now?”
Nowwas starting to seem like an excellent idea.
The door creaked, shouldered open by Angus. He gave them both a withering glance that clearly stated he knew exactly what they were doing, and did not approve. He barked.
Tamsin sighed, reluctantly pulling her wrist out of Cuan’s grasp. “I know, baby, I know. Breakfast is coming.”