a Primal Pursuit

twenty five

Coming to a stop at the top of the waterfall, I peered down at the drop with excitement. Asra's hand tugged me back, and I turned to him expectantly.

"You sure about this?"

"Please, I jump every time." I scoffed. "This time, I just happen to be naked."

"Ah yes, my nudist mate."

I grinned, rounding him and letting go of his hand to walk backward. He was cool and collected until I reached the edge, and then I noticed the way his body tensed. Teetering on the edge of the waterfall, I winked at him before raising my arms and falling backward. My body soared, falling through the air within seconds before I crashed into the lake's surface.

Its warmth embraced me, and I swam all the way to the bottom. My hands trailed through the sand like they did every time, and I rolled over onto my back to stare up at where I had fallen from. Just in time, I saw the enormous mass of Asra fall before he crashed through the water. Millions of bubbles surrounded him and I swam up to him, finding his blue eyes already locked on me.

I smirked, latching my hands onto his thighs as I pulled myself up into his body. God, these thighs...

He was surfacing, so I held on tight to his shoulders until we broke through the top. Gasping for breath, he surprised me when his hand pushed my hair out of my face for me.

"You have some good lungs." He commented.

"Thanks." I laughed. "It's called challenging my dad to underwater competitions."

He chuckled softly, wrapping his hands around my waist. "Do you feel the lake now?"

I cocked my head, staring into his eyes. They were bright with curiosity, the reflection of the moon behind me glimmering in the deep blue. I shifted my attention to the lake, my eyes closing with a smile as I felt its embrace.

"It feels warm and like it would hold me up for hours without effort."

"So, you do." He hummed, fingers trailing up my spine. "Do you feel complete, Tulip?"

I paused, unexpecting that question. It felt rather personal, and I was unsure what I was supposed to say.

"I guess so. I don't feel so... empty. Maybe it truly has purified my soul." I smiled.

Asra chuckled at my words, shaking his head. "I don't think it has gone that far. However, I believe what we have done has changed us."

"What we have done?" I repeated, cocking my head.

"Mating and marking in the water." He stated. "The goddess-blessed water, of all things. I have never felt so in tune to you as I do right now."

It's true. I could feel his every breath in tandem with mine. I could feel his heart beneath my palms, recognise the adoration within its depths. His skin was hot under my touch, but those strange electrifying jolts seemed to have lessened to a comfortable hum. They disappeared when I wasn't concentrating, and weirdly I missed it.

"I have always felt drawn to you." Admitting this to him, my eyes dropped. "I always felt like... I needed you. But I didn't want that back then. It confused me."

"I feel it too." He mumbled, kissing me softly. "You are my every breath now, Tulip. We are tied together."

"Hopefully not literally." I joked. "I will need some privacy to poop."

He shook his head, narrowing his eyes playfully at my joke. "You are my mate now. Mine."

"Yes, I know." I rolled my eyes. "I bit you, you know."