She held his hand and kissed him back, hungrily, wanting him just as much as he wanted her. She knew what he meant, because they both shared the same wound from seven years ago, when they had severed the bond they shared.
“Lyra,” he said. “I’ve never stopped loving you. I love you and I always will.”
She held her breath, her heart beating loudly. She loved him too, more than she cared to admit. But she didn’t want to believe that things could be so easy. That they could exchange a couple words and everything would be fine.
But even though she didn’t say the words, they were written all over her. She couldn’t deny her feelings for him any more than she could deny her identity. She kissed him again and there was nothing gentle about the way he grabbed her, tossed her on the couch and ripped the clothes off her body.
Levi parted her legs and trailed kisses all the way from her ankle to her inner thigh. She grabbed his waist and begged him to enter her, but he took his time relishing every part of her body.
“I love you,” he muttered as he kissed her, unaware that he couldn’t stop saying the words.
“I always have,” she said back as she returned the passion. Nothing was more important than here and now, and this time she wasn’t letting go of him so easily.
Levi was finally inside her—and it was the most complete she had ever felt. He thrust slow and then fast, hard and sensual, her moans were loud and carefree. There was no reason for her to be silent—they were the only ones in the apartment, but it felt like they were the only ones left in the world. Like it was their world, and nothing, not even the demons mattered.
Chapter 11 - Levi
Levi watched as Lyra’s eyes parted. She stared at him for a moment, almost as though he was a dream, before she smiled and sat up. Levi rubbed her thigh quietly, watching as the sun wafted in from the window beside her, dimmed by the curtains. She looked away, wiping her eyes before she looked at him.
“I didn’t think you’d still be here,” said Lyra, sniffling.
“Yeah, well that’s a bad habit of mine, I’m trying to quit,” Levi quipped, hoping she would relax, but the joke didn’t land well. He sat up and took her hand, putting it in his own. “Look, Lyra, I don’t know how we’re going to make this work.”
“Make it work?” Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re a dragon, I’m a werewolf. There’s no making it work. We are constantly at odds with each other. There’s no making it work. Your pack won’t accept you, and neither will mine.”
Levi nodded, knowing she was right. But he had to hope. He had to believe that there was some way they would pull it off. He turned to her. “I left you before, and I know how much that hurt me. I can’t do that again, I won’t.”
Lyra got to her feet, her naked body illuminated by the sun. Levi stared at her for a moment, almost stunned. Lyra chuckled as she quickly put on some shorts and a loose crop top. “Levi, let’s be honest, this…whatever this is, is all we’re going to have. As much as I love you, the packs won’t allow it.”
“You love me,” Levi called out, realizing it was the first time he had heard her say it, even in the three weeks they had been together before. She had never said it to him.
Lyra froze, and turned to him slowly. “I’m not going to deny it. There’s a reason for everything, a reason I wasn’t able to move on with my life, find a relationship. This is how it’s meant to be, it’s fate.”
“You never believed in that fated mates bullshit,” Levi said, moving to the edge of the bed, chuckling. “What changed?”
“I met you,” Lyra replied, as fierce as ever.
Levi reached up for her cheek and pulled her close to him, kissing her passionately. She tried to pull away, but he held on to her, keeping her lips against his own. Lyra chuckled as she kissed him, smiling between each kiss.
“Don’t go,” said Levi.
“I’ll bite off your lips if you don’t let go,” Lyra threatened.
“If you do, I’ll let go,” Levi replied.
Just before she could, he let go of her, laughing. He got to his feet and put on his clothes as well, looking out the window as he picked up the scent of one of his pack members. It was Val, and she was in the area, or at least she had been.
“Everything okay?” Lyra asked as she got to the door.
“Yeah, it’s my pack. They’re stalking me, they know I’m here.”
“Is that going to be a problem?”
“No,” Levi replied. It was just Val. If it was Garret, then the hothead wouldn’t spend time sulking outside, and anyone else would have reached out to him already. Val was just being jealous, he had noticed it from the moment she had seen Lyra, and she seemed to be taking it quite far. Levi chuckled at the idea of Val wanting to hurt him because of Lyra. “We have to do something, Lyra.”
She turned to him, raising her eyebrow. “Levi, the only option we have is to either make peace between dragons and werewolves, which no one has done for centuries, or leave both our packs. If you leave yours, my father won’t accept you, and if I leave mine, your people are going to kill me. Don’t you see? There’s no way this is going to work, Levi, so just let it go.”
Levi shook his head, letting out a breath. Maybe they didn’t have to resolve the fight between dragons and werewolves everywhere, but right there in Ridgeshire, maybe they could make a difference. But Lyra was out the door before he could say what he thought.