Werewolf and Vampire Mate [Book 1 Complete]

chapter twenty-five.

April

Reed and I stumble into the hotel room, our lips still locked together. He kicks the door shut behind us, his fingers tangled in my hair.

Heat rockets through me, settling between my thighs. I want desperately—no, I need him.

He tugs on my hair, pulling my head back, and kisses down my throat as I walk backwards toward the bed.

The back of my legs hit the mattress and I fall onto it, pulling him down on top of me. His mouth slams back onto mine, kissing me like he'll die if he doesn't.

It is desperate and messy and I enjoy every second of it.

I yank at his shirt and he grips the back of it and pulls it off in one, swift motion. My hands explore bare skin, hard muscles and the lines of his black tattoos. I want to ask him what they mean, I think. But all thoughts flee when he pushes his knee between my thighs.

I gasp into him and grind down, desperate for friction. My skirt has ridden up my thighs, my plain underwear peeking out.

"Do you have a condom?" I pant and he goes still.

"Fuck," he groans and buries his face in my neck.

"What's wrong?" I run my fingers up and down his back.

"April, we can't have sex," he says begrudgingly, his voice muffled against my skin.

"Oh." Was that not where this was leading? Have I misread this situation? "...Ok."

Planting his hands on the mattress either side of my head, he raises himself up to hover above me. I am momentarily distracted by the shifting muscles in his shoulders.

"I want to, it's just..." He trails off and I quickly shake my head.

"No, it's ok. If you want to wait, we'll wait." My cheeks are already hot from arousal, but now they roast with embarrassment.

He groans again, looking pained. "Sweetheart, it isn't that. The last thing I want to do is wait. But we have to."

"Why?" My expression falls. "Wait, is this a wolf thing?"

"I'm afraid so."

I push against his chest until he gets off of me and I lean myself back against the headboard. "Alright, explain."

He sits on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. It flops back down against his forehead. "You asked me before about the mating ceremony and I shut you down. I shouldn't have, I'm sorry. I should've just explained it then."

"It's fine, Reed. What's done is done. Explain it to me now."

He takes my feet and puts them in his lap, rubbing my ankle with his thumb. "The mating ceremony binds us together. It has to happen on a full moon. We have a small celebration, there are some customs and rituals. Usually, both participants are werewolves, so when the moon hits its peak, they shift together and run through the woods, generally to a secluded spot. Obviously, you're human, so things are a little different. I'll change, but you won't. Only after the mating ceremony and after I change back, when the full moon is no longer at its peak, can we have sex."

My face is pinched in concentration. "I still don't really get what it is."

"The closest comparison I can make is that it's like a wedding."

My eyes go wide. "Marriage? You're talking about marriage? Jesus."

"April, I know it seems like a lot and that traditionally humans spend years together before making that kind of commitment. But they do that because they aren't entirely sure they want to be with that person forever, right? With mates, you already know. It's a foregone conclusion."