Then a low growl cuts through the haze.
“If you keep touching yourself like that…”
A pause–heavy, filled with warning.
“…I won’t be able to stop myself. I’ll take you–right here. Right now.”
My eyes snap open.
Everything rushes back in vivid color.
Jack stands over me, eyes dark with hunger, jaw clenched. He looks like a man barely hanging on to his control. His chest rises and falls with deep, heavy breaths. Desire blazes in every sharp line of his face, his lips parted as if he’s holding himself back with the last thread of restraint.
I gasp, eyes wide, and feel my face flush deep crimson when I realise my hand has slipped beneath the blanket–gripping my thigh, dangerously close to-
Oh. Shit.
I jerk my hand away like I’ve been burnt.
He smirks–damn him. That wicked, beautiful smirk that always gets me into trouble.
I touch my neck, heart thudding. My fingers brush over the new mark–his mark. It throbs faintly, but not in pain. No… in connection. A warmth pulses from it, like it’s breathing with me.
Real.
It happened.
He marked me.
I don’t even have time to process it before his lips crash against mine.
The kiss is deep, desperate, everything. I feel him pouring every ounce of fear, anger, love—all of it–into the way his mouth moves against mine. My fingers find the front of his shirt, clutching it as he kisses me until my head spins.
He pulls back just enough to press his forehead to mine, his eyes scanning my face like he can’t believe I’m really here./
“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers. “You don’t know how scared I was… how close I came to losing my fucking mind.”
A small smile tugs at my lips as I realise something–I don’t feel dizzy or weak like I used to whenever he kissed or touched me before, when it would knock me out completely. His mark… it was exactly what I needed to complete me.
“Well…” I rasp, my cheeks still burning, “I’m awake now.”
His eyes brighten, and a soft chuckle escapes him–like a break in the storm he’s been weathering alone.
I gently brush my fingers over the mark again, whispering, “Your mark… it brought me back. Thank you.”
“No,” Jack murmurs, eyes burning into mine. “You’re the one who kept fighting, Kali. My mark just reminded you who you belong to.”
And I do.
With every breath I take, I belong to him.
“How do you feel?” Jack asks gently, though I hear the tension under his words. “No pain anywhere?”
I blink slowly, taking in the room, the golden sunlight slanting through the curtains… and him. His brow furrows with concern,
1/3
exhaustion etched deep into his features. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. His beard is fuller, his eyes rimmed with red. There’s a raw desperation in the way he stares at me–like if he blinks, I might disappear.
His thumb brushes gently across my cheek, as though he’s trying to convince himself I’m truly here.
My chest tightens.
How long has he been holding this fear alone?
“I feel… strong,” I say softly. “Stronger than ever.”
And I mean it. My body feels different now–like every part of me has been reforged in fire and cooled in the arms of someone who refused to let me go. I feel… whole.
He exhales like he’s been holding that breath for years.
“How long was I out?” I wonder silently.
“Six days,” he answers without hesitation, like he’s been counting every single second–beating me to the question, as if he plucked it straight from my thoughts.
My eyes widen. “You can read my thoughts now?”
His smirk is immediate–cocky and amused. “You’re mine now, fully marked, sweetheart. You really need to work on those mental walls.” His voice dips to a teasing whisper as he leans in. “No more secret fantasies about me.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I’m blushing so hard I feel like I’ve caught fire. “Jack!”
He chuckles softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “God, I’ve missed that look on your face,” he murmurs, his gaze turns serious, voice low. “Do you remember anything? Everything?”
bu
