Free The 13th Prophecy by H.M. Ward Page A

depth of his eyes made me wish I’d found him sooner. Collin caressed me with his eyes, and then slowly traced his finger along the curves of my body making me moan and beg for more. When he traced every inch, and caressed every soft curve, he flipped us over.
    Collin pressed a kiss to my mouth. A smile lined his lips as I felt his hard body on top of mine. “Show me you love me, Ivy. Show me the way you’ve wanted to, the things you dreamed about, I want to give you those things. Tell me what you want.” His voice was intoxicating. His words shot straight to my core and lit me on fire.
    My heart raced as I thrust my hands into his hair, pulling him closer. His skin slid on top of me, as his lips drew closer, I said, “I want you.” My eyes were hot, rimmed violet. I was unable to hide anything. Every thought, every desire I ever had for him came pouring to the front of my mind as our bodies became one, moving together.
    In those few moments, time stopped. My life wasn’t the destroyed Hell it had become. There were no demons, no angels, and no prophecies. There was nothing that could tear us apart. He was everything I wanted. Feeling his hands on my body, the way I’d let some other random guys touch me before—it was so much more. The feelings shot through me, taking me higher and higher. I loved him. I could admit it. And he loved me, and was free to do so. There were no bonds separating us. No bargains claiming him.   It was perfect.
    When Collin finally sated my lust, I laid in his arms. His hands were just below my breast, stroking my smooth skin. Collin spoke softly, sending a current of emotion through my body. “I saw your dreams. The things you thought of... of me. And you. All this time, I had no idea you wanted me so much, Ivy. Even that day on the beach...” his voice trailed off surprised.
    I turned and looked up at him, “I’ve always loved you. I just couldn’t admit it. I was afraid of...” My voice trailed off. Fear had dictated my relationship with him. It blinded me. And I felt it now, tying my tongue, preventing me from speaking.
    “Afraid of what?” His hand stroked my hair. The rise and fall of his chest was intoxicating. I could lay in his arms forever. But I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to shatter the moment with fear. When I didn’t answer, he added, “I find it interesting that your bloodlust seems selective.”
    I snorted a laugh, “What? What are you talking about?” I turned to look up at him.
    “I can compel you to take your clothes off, but I can’t get you to answer a question. A question that I already saw the answer to in your mind...” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, smiling as he spoke.
    I averted my eyes, feeling shy, “Then why are you asking?”
    “Because, I need to hear it from you. It’s different. Willingly giving something to someone is different than taking it. Those memories were stolen. Things that rushed forth that I wasn’t supposed to see. Things I wasn’t supposed to know...” his voice trailed off. The blood bond allowed him to see into my mind for only a second. And he’d seen some of my most intimate thoughts—secrets—about how I felt about him. And us.
    Silence followed. He didn’t demand I tell him. And it wasn’t Collin that I didn’t want to admit it to—it was me. I couldn’t say the words, because then I’d have to accept them. But there was no turning back. There was no tomorrow for all I knew, so I wasn’t going to waste today.
    Shoving my fear aside, I took a deep breath and said, “I was afraid of acting on it. I told you once before—there’s no such thing as true love. I believed it. I believed it so deeply that it masked what was in front of my eyes. That day on the beach. That night when you found me, and I had no idea how or why—I was just so grateful that it was you.” I gazed down at his arms around me, his long tapered fingers holding me firmly to him. “I recognized the attraction, as