Dark Destiny ✔

Chapter 9: Claimed

After they had cleaned the kitchen, all of them moved over to gaming room for a round of billiards. Lazarus and Ronin were paired against Zeiden and Adrik.

They had played for an hour straight without rest, except the occasional drink for whiskey. Isaiah refereed on the side to make sure none of them got physical, which was close to happen when Zeiden cheated and Lazarus got a whiff of it. Ashley would have loved to play but she didn't know how and even if she tried, her injury wouldn't let her. Nonetheless, it was just as entertaining watching the boys turn a simple game into a competition.

They started their third or fourth game when Ashley found herself dozing off on the comfy leather chair. She pulled up her legs to her chest and rested her head on the pillow. In the distance, she heard their bickering which allowed her to warm up on the couch. Her heavy eyes lulled her into a light and cozy slumber.

It was only when she felt a familiar warmth mixed with that dark scent she was drawn out of her sleep. She opened her drowsy eyes to find herself hoisted in Isaiah's arms. She circled her arm around his neck and snuggled closer. He took her up the stairs into his bedroom.

"What time is it?" she whispered.

"Almost one thirty," said Isaiah.

They entered the bedroom and Isaiah positioned her on the soft mattress. The room was dark, but the beams of the moon danced on the cold floor and over the bed where her legs rested.

"Will you sleep here with me?" she asked wondering if her sleep was making her so courageous.

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere else." he said.

"You need to tell me," she spoke up. "What am I to you, Isaiah?" She hoped for the answer she sought all morning.

"You already know," said Isaiah from the foot of the bed.

Ashley let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding onto so desperately. "I still need you to say it," she whispered.

Isaiah's grey eyes turned silver under the heavy moonlight. "I'm your mate, Ashley," he declared firmly, "and you're mine."

All defences dropped inside her and she smiled. "Then come over here and kiss me like I am," she asked.

Ashley didn't know how she summoned the bravery to confesses this to him but she wanted to tie this man to her more than anything else in the world. In two long strides, he came over to her and locked his lips against hers. Ashley couldn't wrap her arms around him like she wanted to. So, she put her other hand on his nape and wordlessly told him to never stop kissing her. Isaiah's hands moved up her body. The dress was the only thing preventing him from touching her skin. But the silk didn't prove to be an adequate barrier because the heat of her body seeped through the flimsy fabric and he sensed it.

Isaiah grumbled a curse against her lips when she daringly slipped her hand under his shirt. The hard contours of his back flexed under her touch, she needed to feel more of his skin, his body and that rapid pulse of his heart under her fingers. Ashley released herself from their kiss when she had to catch her breath. Isaiah moved over her jaw and down the length of her neck. She knew that he could feel her frantic pulse on his lips when he trailed over the thin layer of skin on her neck. Like his lips, his hands didn't stop from exploring.

Isaiah kissed the top of her bandage. "You're injured," he whispered.

Ashley's mind was too deeply lost in the sensation of him to think of her injuries. "Doesn't matter," she said huskily. "I don't want you to stop."

Isaiah's silvery gaze looked slightly amused. "I promise not to strain you," he said before his lips trailed down her chest. He pulled the straps of her dress below her shoulders as he locked his lips over the hard peak of her breast, that fit right in his hand. Ashley arched her back pushing herself deeper in his hands, but also giving an opportunity to pull her dress lower. Isaiah discarded the silk on the floor.