His Queen

23. Soulmates

Aliya's POV

"Because you're my mate."

His voice lingered in my mind as his lips moved against mine, tenderly sucking on the soft skin. Kissing Damien felt overly familiar at this point, even though we had done it only a few times before. Closing my eyes, I permitted myself to give into the kiss and accept his proximity, holding onto his shirt like I never wanted to let go.

"My soulmate," his whisper filled my ear in between the kisses.

Familiar, but still extravagant. His kiss was bold, and defiant.

As if fighting against his own heart's desires, and defying his mind's every warning.

"My beloved," and then another stolen kiss.

I should be surprised, I told myself.

I should have a million questions running through my mind right now, like I do every time I step foot into this vampire world. Because it was true, nothing here ever made sense. Nothing except what I was feeling at this time.

What he said should've hit me like a brick, it should be the breaking news playing over and over again in my mind. But it wasn't, because I realized somehow I had always known.

It wasn't the shock from his words that left me speechless, or the kiss. It was the relief that calmed my senses and made me enjoy his closeness a thousand times more. As if after this moment, not  a single hurdle stood in our way. As if nothing could ever separate us.

The imaginary piece of thread that tangled us together was not imaginary at all. I was right all along, there was something, an unknown force pulling us towards each other this whole time. I blamed myself for getting carried away with it, when it was never once in my control.

Hearing Damien say that I was his mate was simply putting a name to the bond that I already knew existed.

I wasn't just going crazy.

"That's the answer to all your questions. One look at you and I can see why you were made just for me," Damien's lips parted from mine, making me instantly miss the warmth they provided me with.

"To bring out the best in me. To challenge me in ways never thought possible."

"Damien," I was almost out of breath from the kiss that we shared.

"The way my name rolls off your tongue, like I am only alive to hear you say it. Only to hear the beating of your heart and the breath that you take, only to finally feel something every time your skin touches mine. It's the mate bond that makes us feel this way."

"You feel it too?" I asked, curiosity seeping through my veins as his hands rested on my arms. I shuddered and not from the cold, but from the sparks from his touch that went up and down my arms.

"Only a hundred times more," he confessed, holding my gaze so I could see the truth behind them.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

Guilt flashed in his eyes, and then disappeared as soon as it appeared. Replaced by irritation, or a mild anger. Not towards me, but towards himself.

"What could I say? How much I wanted, no, craved something that was far beyond my reach? I've lived a very long life, Aliya. I know when something isn't going to last. Nothing ever does for me; the only thing that's permanent is my throne so I just like to focus on that. Everything else is just..."

"So you're saying what we have, this mate bond, it doesn't matter?"

"Of course it matters. Now that I see how much it matters to you it makes me realize how stupid I was to even try and ignore it in the first place. I thought if I pushed it to the back of my mind and made it the least of my worries, I wouldn't have to face it. Yet, here I am having this conversation with you. Why do you always have to question everything, why can't you just let it be?"