“Adriel told me to practice guarding my thoughts better since I’ll be spending more time with…” She had the good grace to blush. “Elders.”
He rolled to his back, pressing a hand to his heart as if she’d mortally wounded him. “Ouch.”
She laughed and crawled over him, pulling his hand away from his heart and pressing a kiss in its place. “But she’s right. I’m used to blocking my sister. Gracie’s abilities are nothing compared to The Elders’ and Adriel’s.”
He was aware of Grace Hartzler’s abilities. “Your sister has a remarkable gift.”
“Yes, but Gracie’s skills are more of a reflex, like superior hearing. The Elders are nosey.”
He laughed. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Looking down at him with a teasing smile, her face framed in a halo of silken, dark hair, she was perhaps the most beautiful creature he ever set eyes on.
He tucked a thick strand behind her ears. “Perhaps you’re right. I want to know your every thought, Larissa. I want your desires so I can meet them for you and share moments when we’re both lost in rapture. You don’t have to hide your mind when we’re alone. You’re safe here.”
To prove his point, he opened his mind to her. She inhaled sharply, glimpsing a memory of their bodies entwined the night before. He unveiled his hunger and her body softened, her lips returning to his.
The heady scent of her lust intoxicated his mind and his pulse raced as he slid inside of her. Like waves crashing into the banks of the shore, they molded to each other with every motion, changing and shaping to fit perfectly like nothing else in this world could.
As he held her to him, he sought her throat. She tipped her head invitingly, offering him the sustenance he needed while she took her pleasure.
“How is it that I feel like we’ve done this a thousand times?”
Her arms wreathed around his shoulders as her body rocked slowly. “I feel it, too. You’re so familiar to me, and I’m not sure how that’s possible.”
He pulled her closer, nibbling along her jaw. When he sank his fangs into her flesh, she tensed in a wash of pleasure that ricocheted into him, multiplying in a repetitive echo of ecstasy that pushed them both over the edge. Their bond was so succinct, the rightness of their union nearly put tears in his eyes.
Falling to the bed in a tumble of limbs and satisfaction, they caught their breath. He never believed such peace could exist.
“I’d like to visit my mother today.”
And then the peaceful aura was gone.
“Larissa, you cannot interfere with another immortal’s calling. Your father is obligated by law to do this thing. It’s God’s will.”
She pulled her arm out of his grasp and sat up. “I know it is. And, if what we’re experiencing is normal, I know he won’t be able to resist it.”
He didn’t like the idea that their bond might be ordinary. “Your situation’s different.”
“How so?”
“You were called to a superior. A well-endowed male with insatiable appetites.”
Realizing he was making a joke, she rolled her eyes. “Eleazar, I need to go to her.”
He sighed, not liking the idea but unable to find a decent excuse to deny her now that The Council had been alerted to their situation. “I will take you.”
“Thank you.”
Her evident joy was a reward in itself. “I’ll have the evening free—”
“Oh.” She frowned and flushed. “I had hoped I might visit alone. This is a difficult time for my family, and I don’t want to add more stress.”
She had, once again, blocked her thoughts and he questioned her sincerity. “Larissa, your family will need to adjust to my presence in your life.”
“They will. But, with my father and Cain away, they only know what Adam reports, and he’s a very private male. Let me have this day to be with them while you’re preoccupied with council business. I want to tell them, in my own words, what has happened so they have time to adjust.”
Disgruntled that his presence would be such a shock and adjustment, he hardened his jaw and rose from the bed. “If that’s what is needed.”
“Eleazar, you must understand, to me, you are my mate and I’m beyond happy with God’s choice, but to them, you are their bishop.” Her words stung more than they should have. “My mother is a prideful woman. She will have a difficult time even speaking to me about private matters in your presence. Please understand, I’m asking this for her, not for me.”
Eased by her genuine explanation, he compromised. “All right, Larissa. But I do not want you walking alone. I’ll take you.”
“Thank you!” She hugged him and delivered a kiss mixed with gratitude and invitation. When he grasped the sheet veiling her body, she shifted out of reach.
“I’ll dress and we can go.”