“See how good it can feel?” Thracemurmured, his eyes never leaving her face. “Gods, look at your little pussy allstretched open around that shaft. Imagine if that was me, filling you up,getting ready to fuck you so deep…to come deep inside you.”

“Stop!” Trin gasped. “Oh,Goddess, you know…you know that’s so wrong.”

But if it was really so wrong,why did her body react so strongly to his hot, dirty words? Why did her hipsroll up to meet him…why did her pleasure suddenly reach a peak and explode,making her cry out and ball her hands into fists as her toes curled and herback arched? Why did she come so hard, her pussy gripping the carved heart’sblood phallus and why did she wish so much that it had been Thrace’s shaft that made her come?

“That’s right, baby,” she heardhim said in a low, hungry growl. “That’s right, come for me. Just let yourselfgo and come for me.”

Trin had no choice. She couldn’tstop herself—didn’t want to stopherself. She just wanted to ride the crest of pleasure as it washed her awayand let her throbbing body explode in a rush of light as Thrace stroked her and talked toher. She just wanted to let go and come for him.

Chapter Twenty-four

At last the pleasure seemed toease and Trin began to float slowly down from the intense orgasm she’d had.Still between her legs, Thracewatched her face for signs that she was coming back to herself.

Gods, she was beautiful when shecame! He couldn’t help replaying the moment of her orgasm in his mind. The wayher hands had fisted and her toes had curled—her back arching and her breathingcoming in long, breathless moans. Her eyes squeezed shut and her full breastsheaving, her nipples tight points of desire as dark as ripe, luscious berries.And the sight of the heart’s blood phallus buried deep in her pussy—invadingher, opening her in the way he wanted to do himself—was incredibly hot.

So hot that he had come himselfat the same time, just from opening her and the slight friction of rubbingagainst the side of the sleeping platform as he watched her lose control. Andas he came, he felt something inside himself changing—shifting irrevocably ontoa new path.

He had reached what some Havoccalled the Crux—the point of noreturn.

Coming together like that withher sweet honey still on his lips had been what tipped him over the edge, and Thraceknew it. The Crux was what all Havocmales feared and tried to avoid. The irrevocable commitment of mind, body, andsoul to a female. It didn’t always happen when a Havoc broke his vow not toseek bonding with a female and gave his heart but when it did, it wasundeniable and completely irreversible.

He’d thought he was lost beforebut now…now he really was. With the Crux reached,he was completely hers in every way. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to besorry for it. He was more concerned about Trin.

He wondered if he had gone toofar, speaking his fantasies aloud to her while she was on the brink of coming.And yet, his forbidden words hadn’t seemed to dampen her desire. If anything,it seemed she had come harder and faster once he started talking, startedtelling her what he wished he could do to her.

“Thrace?” Her soft voice drew hisattention from the blood red phallus still inside her up to her face.

“Yes?” He looked up at her andsaw an expression of uncertainty on her lovely features. “What’s wrong, baby?”he murmured.

“It’s still in me.” She noddeddown at the phallus. “Can you…take it out?”

“Of course.” He slid the phallusout smoothly and laid it back on the velvet bag. Then, seeing that she neededreassurance, he got on the bed beside her and took her in his arms. “Everythingokay?”

“Now it is.” She nuzzled againsthim, pressing her soft cheek to his chest and inhaling deeply, taking in hisscent. “How do you always know just how to calm me down? How to make me feelgood?” she murmured.

He wondered if he should tellher. Let her know what had happened just now—that he had reached the Crux when they came together.

“I’m attuned to you now,” hesaid, trying to keep it simple. “My body is in sync with yours. It knows whatyou need and strives to give it to you.”

“What does that mean…attuned?”Trin whispered, rubbing her cheek against his chest again. He loved the feel ofher in his arms—the way she curled against him so trustingly.

“It means, Mistress, that you’vebroken through my barriers,” he rumbled, looking down at her. “Though it is notthe Havoc way, my body is preparing to bond with yours—to tie us togetherforever.”

“What? But in order to bond withme you’d have to—” Trin tried to push away from him but he wouldn’t let her.

“Take it easy, Trin. Yes, inorder to bond with you I’d have to penetrate you and fill you with my seed. Butyou know I’m not going to do that. I’m just telling you what my body ispreparing for. That doesn’t mean it’s going to get what it wants.”

He tried to keep his voicelight—to not let her immediate anxiety about the idea of being bound to himhurt him. She doesn’t want to bond withany male, he reminded himself sternly. It’snot just you.

“But…you wouldn’t really want to do that to me, would you? Imean, physically, sure but not cognitively?”she asked, still looking panicked. “I mean, if what the slaver at the FleshBazaar said, that would half your lifetime and you don’t want that.”

“That’s not exactly how itworks,” he said, frowning. “But no—I don’t want that. Not if you don’t.”

“You know how I feel about it,”Trin said quickly. “I agreed to let you use your…your tongue and fingers. Andthe phallus. Nothing else.”

“Nothing else,” Thraceechoed. “And that was what I did—I kept strictly to the rules you laid down,Mistress. I would never penetrate you if you were unwilling to be penetrated. Ihave sworn as much to you before.”

“All right. Well then…”

“I was simply telling you why Iknow how to comfort you…why I know what your body needs almost before you needit. It’s because my body is attuned to yours—ready to do anything necessary tomake you mine.”

“And this just happened? I mean,the way your body…wants mine?” She sounded uncertain but not quite asfrightened which was good.

Thrace sighed. “We call it the Crux—the point of no return. It’s beencoming on for a while—I knew it but I couldn’t seem to stop it. Sucking yournipples last night and making you come, then holding you in my arms as weslept…all of that contributed. And now, licking you and touching you…tastingyour honey right from the source…penetrating you with the shaft… All of that andwatching you come made me so fucking hot that I came too. That last wasprobably the trigger.” He shook his head. “And now I know I’m lost.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, I’m yours, Mistress. Iwould do anything for you…and hold nothing back.”

He meant it too—he hoped shecould see it in his eyes. There was nothing he wouldn’t do, nothing he wouldn’tgive. She had been his mistress in name only before this, but something hadchanged when she trusted herself to him, when she allowed him to penetrate herwith his tongue and taste her honey right from the source. And when he camewith her, his fate was sealed and the Cruxwas reached.

Now there was no longer anypretense about it—she truly was his mistress and would be always, even if theyconcluded this deal and he never saw her again. He was hers—her slave in spiritand body as well as in name. Truly, it was the worst thing that could happen toa Havoc and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to feel upset about it.

Wedo not bond, he thought,stroking her hair as he looked into her lovely dark eyes. But oh, Mistress…oh, Trin…if only you would let me I would do it—Iwould bond you to me, bind us together forever as one…