Not ever.
“Are you sure, Serena?” he growled, voice low, dangerous, filled with something that wasn’t just desire.
“If you allow me to have you, I will never let you go.”
The promise in his eyes wasn’t a metaphor.
It wasn’t romance.
It was truth.
Raw and absolute.
Did I want this?
Did I want him?
Did I want to belong to this Monster—this ancient, cursed, powerful being who could ruin me completely?
The questions flickered.
Brief.
Insignificant.
Because underneath them—I already knew my answer.
Yes.
I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
I didn’t want to go back to being the scared, strange girl who saw things no one else could.
Asgarheim Runevald Institute was teaching me to own what I was.
And Raven—Raven felt like the future I never believed I could have.
“Yes,” I said aloud, the word solid, unshakable.
His eyes flared brighter.
The bond echoed the moment, snapping tighter between us.
“I want you, Raven. I want to be yours. Need you.”
“Our bond is sealed with blood,” he warned, voice rough now, barely controlled. “I will claim you with my bite. I need to drink from you, Unnasta. You have no idea how strongly I thirst.”
“I know, I feel it too,” I whispered.
And I did.
God help me, I did.
That hunger wasn’t just his anymore.
It lived inside me.
He kissed me again.