Page 132 of Inked in Bloom
“Please, let me finish,” he says, and I nod. “I understand that for you, the bond feels like a trap that took away your choice. But the truth is, if it didn’t exist, I would still wait eternities for you. You could never accept the bond, never touch me again, and it wouldn’t change that I’d claim you as mine.
“I can take you there now. You’d have the space, the freedom, to choose.” He winces and pushes up onto one knee. I get up and hold out a hand to help him stand, but he shakes his head at me. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small, circular band. “Bond or no bond, I’ll always choose you, Monroe.”
My mouth falls open.
“I’ve fallen for every iteration of you. I’d claim them all and every one to come.”
I allow his words to sink in and stare at the bandclutched between his quivering fingers. One side is wood and on the other, ivy threads through moss and tiny blossoms suspended in time. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I know it’s unusual for Blooms to marry, but the girls were adamant that it’s a symbol of eternal love and devotion for mortals. At least that’s what it seems like in their fairy tales.” He tilts his head, glancing through his spectacles at the token. “I made it for you because I don’t need a claiming bite or a mate mark to tell me how I feel. I love you, and no matter what, you have a place here—a home—with our family.”
Ourfamily.
My chin wobbles and I close his fingers around the ring, knowing what I say next will irrevocably change things between us.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about things while you were away.” His lavender stare drops to the floor, but I tilt his chin back up. “A ring made with such care should be worn by your mate—once she’s claimed you, of course.” A smirk draws across my lips. “As it so happens, there’s a ceremony happening right now.”
Briar’s brows lift. “Is that whatyouwant?”
“It is. So much has changed in my life since you came into it. But through it all, you’ve been here for me. I was alone and you refused to let me be. I rejected you and you’ve loved me unconditionally.”
Hell, he was willing to sever our bond so I could be sure of this. Of us.
“There’s so much I’m still learning about being a Bloom. What eternity looks like, how I can bring what I loved about my life to this world. But despite the unknowns, I’m certain I want you.” I cradle his cheek and thumb along the stubble of his beard. “In every iteration.”
I nod toward the ring hidden within his fist. One step back, then another, I take the end of the bow holding my dress together and tug. It drops into a puddle of silk on the floor, then disappears. “As event organizer, I may have prepared an extra bed…just in case.”
“Just in case?” Briar arches a brow, pocketing the ring.
I playfully bite my bottom lip, savoring the sweet vanilla filling the air. “However, there’s one thing you have to do before you claim your mate.”
“And that is?” He stands, matching my tempo stride for stride.
The breeze tousles my hair as I pivot on my heels.
“You’re going to have to catch me first.”
52
MONROE
Iblow through the breeze, shifting into my bunny form when I reach the edge of City Center. While nudity isn’t exactly unusual around here, something about running in my underwear with my mate chasing me doesn’t seem appropriate for children or the general Bloom public. Bounding down the back alleyway lined with narrow shops, I pass each painted door and open entryway until I’m at the hedge wall. The thud of boots disappears, replaced by the soft brush of footpads. I don’t dare look back, though.
I zip ahead and pounce onto the stone slab in front of The Warren. If I thought the door was huge before, in this form, it’s ginormous. It groans open, and I dash inside. Tossing a quick glance over my shoulder, I spot a chestnut rabbit tumbling into the wood as it snicks shut. Fur retracts, bones and organs adjust, and my body returns to normal size. Palms pressed to the door, I give myself a second to catch my breath, then take off down the lamplit tunnel. Behind me, the door hinges creak, followed by thethud-thud-thudof footsteps.
“You coming, Sir Thumps-A-Lot?” I huff. “It’s almost like you don’t want to?—”
Caught around my waist, I shriek, legs sweeping from theground.
I’m cradled within strong arms and the muscular panes of Briar’s chest, held against the tunnel’s prickly wall. I think he’s going to set me down, but instead, he repositions me so my legs wrap around his waist. Tiny branches scratch my back as Briar runs his nose up the side of my throat. “Almost like I don’t want towhat?”
“Did I say something? I can’t remember now.” The last few minutes are a blur in comparison to the very solid andveryhard part of Briar sandwiched between us. I reach down and swipe the string of precum leaking from its head, sucking it off the pad of my finger.
“Keep doing that and I’ll make us late for a very important date.”
I giggle, but it’s cut off at the pronounced curl of his hips grazing my clit. My walls clench around nothing, and I rasp into his ear. “Claim me, Sir Th?—”
He hushes me with the brush of his lips, and his hips coax the pressure nestled in my pelvis. Each kiss becomes more fervent, and I vaguely sense the earth blurring beneath us. His tongue drawing decadent designs along my throat, I drop my head back, the hedge tunnel and hanging lanterns whipping past. A canine drags across the base of my neck, sparks of pleasure left in its wake.
