Three weeks had passed, and the crops were planted. Drake lay in the bed with Tessa resting on his chest. It was the first time he'd slept past four in the morning since the winter, and with his mate next to him, he had no reason to move.

Today was the day the panther's healer would change Tessa. She'd tossed and turned the night before, and he knew she was worried. Hell, he was worried, too. By the afternoon, Tessa would be in pain, and Drake would be going out of his mind.

"When will he be here?" Tessa asked as her eyes fluttered open. Drake rolled to his side and cupped her face. This would be the last time he looked into her beautiful sapphire eyes. In three days, they'd be brown.

"At noon," Drake answered. "I want to feed you and bathe you before he gets here. If there are any other questions, I need you to ask them now."

Tessa nuzzled into his chest and took a deep breath. "I want to be able to protect myself, and I want to be with you, Drake."

"You are already mine, Tessa," he reminded her, lifting her chin to kiss her softly.

"I love you, Drake," she said as she smiled at him. "I just want you to know that before I go through the change. I want you to remember that I was a human when I fell in love with you, and it's not because I'll be like you in a few days."

Drake's lips crashed down on hers as the words sank into his stubborn mind. She did love him. "I love you, Tessa Ward, and as soon as you are on your feet, I want you to be my bride. You will never be called by that motherfucker's last name ever again."

"Well, bear man, are you asking me to marry you?" she flirted.

"Will you?" he pressed, waiting for her reply.

"Of course, I will," she winked. "Will you make love to me now, Sir?"

"I'm going to worship your body," he snarled and rolled over to grab a satin sash in his nightstand. "Hands above your head, Tessa."

Tessa didn't hesitate and lifted her arms. She tangled her fingers in the metal headboard and giggled when he wrapped the sash around her wrists, tying it off to one of the horizontal bars of his headboard. Her little sighs of delight hardened his cock to the point of pain, and he ached to be inside her, but she liked the delayed release he so often teased her with. Drake was a man of patience when it came to his mate. He'd give her what they both wanted and prepare her for the next few days.

The clock on the wall read it was nearing ten in the morning. He couldn't spend hours in bed with her, but he had a good idea of how he was going to satisfy his mate. "Close your eyes, Tessa. If you open them, I will stop. Keep them closed, and I will make it worth it."

"Yes, Sir," she breathed.

Drake grasped her tiny shorts at the sides and pulled them free of her body. Her tank top was still on, and he wasn't going to remove it. The sensation of darkness and being half dressed would play with her desire. He wanted her to focus on where their bodies connected.

"Knees up and drop them out to the side," he ordered, waiting while she got into position. Her pussy gleamed with her desire. The scent of honeysuckle was stronger when she was aroused, and he wasn't going to complain.

Without any warning, Drake leaned forward and used his tongue to lap at her intimate flesh. Tessa sucked in a breath, but never opened her eyes. The inside of her thighs quivered with each pass of his tongue. This female was perfect for him. She called to his dominant side, and she loved him for who he was, no matter how much he had tried to push her away that first night on his land.

Tessa's head thrashed from side to side as he took her swollen clit between his teeth, sucking and biting until she almost opened her eyes. When her hips started to rock, he sat back and watched as a pronounced pout formed on her lips.

"Do you want my cock, mate?" he teased, using the back of his finger to trace over her pussy. He blew on her clit and waited for her reply. He smiled as her teeth gritted from the need to come.

"Please, Sir?" she begged.

"Can you hold out a little longer for me, little one?" he asked, dipping his head for another taste.

"I'm trying, Sir," she groaned.

"Good girl," he praised, using his middle finger to slide into her pussy. The moment he was inside, her body tightened, holding him in place. He waited a moment for her to relax before he started the motions.

She didn't gasp out in shock when he kissed her. Tessa opened her mouth and kissed him back, their tongues dueling faster and faster as her need began to rise. He loved watching her shatter beneath him, and he craved her sweet release.

They played this game for another fifteen minutes; the closer she came to orgasm, the more he would stop and blow across her clit. By the time his bear and cock were demanding he mount his mate, Drake was lightheaded from the desire he had for her.

"I'm going to fuck you now, Tessa," he warned as he pushed his shorts down to his knees and climbed between her silky legs. He fisted his cock and brought it to her opening. "I'm going to fuck you hard, and I want you to come now."

"Please, Sir?"

He worked himself deep, stopping only when he was fully seated inside her. He pulled back slowly, testing her body. He leaned over her and wrapped a hand around her throat, sliding it up to hold her face still. "You can look at me now. I want you to remain still while I bring you pleasure."

Tessa's blue eyes locked with his, and she didn't mumble a word as he began to move. The only sound in the room was their bodies slapping together as he pumped into her. Tessa kept her legs out to the side, forever submissive to his wishes.

"Come for me," he said, using his free hand to reach between their bodies. He rolled his thumb over her clit as his cock slammed into her body.

"Yes!" she screamed out in pleasure.

Drake's world was complete. This woman was his, and after he fed her his blood, she'd truly be his forever mate.

Drake eased his cock from Tessa's body as he curled his large frame around her. Today was the day she'd be changed into what he was, and she was ready, no matter hour nervous she was from the thought of being in pain.

The panther's doctor would assist and make sure she was sedated, but there was always a chance she would feel the excruciating pain everyone had warned her about. Three days...she could do that, right? If the medicine worked enough to ease her pain, she could do it. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.