Mal woke up feeling drained yet completely content. A dull ache throbbed through her veins, her body coated with a layer of sweat, and yet she had never felt so comfortable. Green eyes opened, her body languidly stretching out as she began to take in her surroundings. Relief at the lack of horridly pink walls quickly became a bubble of panic as she realised the soft blue sheets were definitely not hers, nor was the arm draped over her naked torso.

Scooting out of his reach Mal sat up, back pressed against the headboard as she began to piece together what had happened. Memories of needy kisses and screams of passion filled her head but one stood out clearer than the others. Trembling, her hand reached for her neck, her heart plummeting when she felt the wound left by an alpha's bite.

She needed to get out of there, she needed to find some magic to undo this bond, and yet she knew there was no where she could go where he wouldn't find her. He had claimed her, she belonged to him, and that thought broke her heart. Sitting there, sheets clutched to her bare chest, she finally let her tears begin to fall.

Ben awoke with a contented growl, his hand reaching blinding for Mal until he found her bare thigh. Grinning to himself he slid over, not bothering to open his eyes as he placed a kiss to her side. The young prince had never been so happy about the use of dark magic until he his mate softly sobbed two words that broke his heart. "Please don't."

"Mal, what's wrong?" Now completely wide awake he sat up, carefully keeping his distance from the distraught girl. He had wanted her to be his, to be bound to the vivacious fairy for the rest of time, but now he'd give anything to take that all back and have her smile at him once more.

"It's all my fault." She sobbed, her knees tucked under her chin, face buried in the sheets. "This is all my fault. All I wanted…" Her voice broke, another wave of tears breaking the man's heart but as much as he wanted to gather her up in his arms and kiss it better he knew it would only make things worse. Right now she needed space. "It wasn't meant to go this far and now you're stuck with me. I'll find a way to make it right, I'll find a way to break this."

Ben's heart shattered into a million pieces, she didn't want to be with him. He had bound her to him and now they were both suffering. "Why Mal? Why do you need to break it?" The truth would kill him but he needed to know why she found him so detestable.

"Because this isn't real." Mal's voice trembled, her whole body beginning to shake with sorrow. "You don't love me." Those words were the final nail on her coffin, her chest heaving as she finally admitted why this was so painful, because she wanted him to love her. "All because of one stupid spell."

Strong arms wrapped around the girl, pulling him to her chest. "Mal, I know you spelled me. It washed away in the lake." He felt the girl freeze in his arms, her whole body seeming to hang on the next words to leave his mouth. "But you never needed a spell to make me love you. I just need to know if you love me too." Warm fingers gripped her chin, tilting it up so he could see her face. Even blotchy with tears she was still the most beautiful and defiant woman he'd ever met.

Mal let out a shuddered breath, so it wasn't her spell, he truly loved her. Biting her lower lip she tried to think about whether she loved him too. "I told you, I don't know what love feels like." As much as she wanted to say the words she didn't want them to be an empty promise. She had to know for certain before she let that oath leave her lips. "But I know that the thought of losing you was like something was tearing me apart from the inside."

Ben chuckled, the sound reverberating through his chest as he pulled her closer. "That's called love." He whispered in her ear, kissing her temple. Keeping his lips beside her ear he continued to whisper. "I'll tell you a secret, I never wanted an obedient omega as my mate. I'd rather have a feisty vixen to keep me on my toes." Warm fingers caressed her other cheek before dropping to trace circles on his mate-mark. "So do I still have a sinfully sarcastic mate?"

Mal's eyes fluttered closed se he stroked the bite mark on her shoulder. Alpha's bite their mates and his beast must have taken over because the canine indents were much deeper than the rest of the marks. Alpha's bite their mates.

Ben just managed to catch a glimpse of her eyes shining a luminescent green and the elongated canines of a dragon before she clamped down on his shoulder. A pleasured moan left his lips, arms tightening around her as she drew blood. He shouldn't be so turned on by this and yet he was, being claimed by his mate just made him want her even more. A small measure of disappointment filled him as she pulled back, the prince almost wishing she'd bite him again.

"Just in case you thought you could boss me around." Mal responded primly, her jaw jutting defiantly up at him in a challenge. While she was agree to be his mate she most certainly would not agree to letting him make all the decisions, it just wasn't in her.

The smile on Ben's face couldn't have grown any wider if he tried. "Oh I have no intention of telling you what to do." Leaning back against the pillows he tugged Mal to sit so she was straddling his waist. Hands shifted to rest behind his head, his green eyes staring up at the naked beauty with her face haloed by amethyst curls. "In fact, I was kind of looking forward to you giving the orders." His hips rolled against hers, loving the soft moan that left her lips as she took his suggestion and did just that.

May your thoughts and creativity flow

Lady Ami DragonHeart