He slammed his lips on hers again, this time more intense, like he had been waiting all his life for her confession.
Valeria melted into it, her hands moving to his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. He pulled her gently to the soft mossy ground, their bodies close together as the candlelight danced around them. The flames flickered, casting long shadows that stretched and twisted like mystical shapes around the walls.
Everything else faded away, until she could sense nothing further than his touch upon her skin, hands moving from her waist to her spine, her breath mingling with his. She kissed him back, softly at first, and then with an urgency she could no longer contain, feeling the relentless rhythm of his heart against hers.
Her fingers tangled in his hair as the leaves rustled a symphony above them, the night air embedding every brush and every whisper into eternity. She sighed and he pulled her closer, as if he might lose her to the darkness of the forest itself.
"Valeria," he whispered against her lips, his voice husky with emotion.
"Yes?" she breathed, barely able to form the word.
"I've wanted this since I first saw you," he confessed, his eyes intense in the flickering light.
She smiled, tracing his jawline with her fingertips. "Even when I was being impossible?"
"Especially then," he laughed softly, pressing a kiss to her temple.
The forest seemed to grow quiet around them, as if protecting this moment from the rest of the world. She could feel her heart racing, matching the wild tempo of his.
His hand cradled her face, thumb brushing across her cheek with a tenderness that made her catch her breath. "We shouldn't stay out here much longer," he murmured, though he made no move to let her go.
"Just a little while," she insisted, pulling him back to her. "The Academia can wait."
He smiled against her lips. "As you wish."
A twig snapped somewhere in the darkness beyond their circle of candles. Tristan tensed immediately, his body shifting slightly to shield her as his eyes scanned the shadows.
"It's nothing," Valeria whispered, placing a hand on his chest. "Just the forest."
But he remained alert, his senses heightened. "We're not alone out here, Valeria. The forest has eyes."
She followed his gaze to where the darkness seemed to writhe and shift unnaturally. "Forest sprites?"
"Maybe." His voice was low, cautious. "Or something else. The Academia's grounds are filled with ancient magic."
As if in response to his words, the candles around them flickered in unison, their flames stretching tall before settling again. Valeria shivered.
"Cold?" he asked, his attention returning to her.
"No." She shook her head. "It's just... everything is changing so fast. Yesterday, I was just trying to survive first term, and now..." She gestured between them.
Tristan's expression softened. "Having second thoughts?"
"Never," she said firmly. "But I'm not naive. This—us—it complicates everything. My family will never accept—"
He silenced her with another kiss, gentler this time. "We'll face them together."
When they broke apart, she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing. "Promise me something," she said quietly.
"Anything."
"Don't protect me to the point where you sacrifice yourself." She lifted her head to meet his eyes. "I've seen how you are, Tristan. Throwing yourself between danger and others without a thought for your own safety."
A shadow passed over his features. "I can't promise that."
"You have to," she insisted. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me."
He took her hand, pressing it over his heart. "This beats for you now. Do you understand what that means?"
The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch. "Tell me."
"It means that protecting you isn't a choice for me. It's instinct. It's necessity." His voice dropped lower. "When Lucien touched you, I felt it like a physical blow. Everything in me screamed to tear him apart."
"Is that the mate bond?" she asked, finally voicing the word that had hung unspoken between them since the garden.
His eyes flashed gold in the darkness. "Yes."
"How long have you known?"
"Since the first day," he admitted. "When you stormed into Magical Theory and knocked into my desk. The moment our eyes met, I knew."
Valeria's eyes widened. "But you acted like you couldn't stand me!"
A rueful smile played across his lips. "Self-preservation. I thought if I kept my distance, the bond might fade." He laughed softly. "I was very wrong."
"So when you said 'get away from my mate'..."
"I wasn't just trying to scare Lucien away." His hand traced the curve of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. "I was claiming what I've known was mine from the beginning."
The possessiveness in his tone should have bothered her—it would have, from anyone else. But from him, it felt right. Fated.
"Say it again," she whispered, leaning closer.
His eyebrow quirked. "Say what?"
"Call me your mate." Her voice was barely audible, even in the quiet forest.
His eyes darkened as he cupped her face between his hands. "You are my mate, Valeria Nightborne. Mine to protect. Mine to cherish." His thumbs traced her cheekbones. "Mine to love, if you'll let me."