“Why are you here?” Diana asked softly when she felt his presence behind her. “I thought you had a meeting with the elders and your father.”
Talon’s scent reached her before his hands did—warm, steady, grounding.
“I did,” he replied calmly. “And now I am here. With you.”
Before she could respond, he leaned down and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to her lips.
It wasn’t rushed.
It wasn’t hidden.
It was a claim.
“I missed you, my mate,” Talon murmured against her skin.
Diana felt her cheeks warm.
“Talon,” she whispered, glancing around, “everyone is looking.”
And they were.
Warriors walking past slowed. Mothers in the park smiled knowingly. Even a few elders lingering on the path pretended not to stare.
But Diana couldn’t help smiling.
Her first mate had been a nightmare—Asher’s
