The sting of her nails scoring his back, drawing blood and tearing skin, made his breath catch and then rush out of him in a sigh, satisfaction and heat bleeding into him as crimson bled from the scratches--her marks, her wounds, brands he felt soul-deep and craved like a drug. She was clawing, dragging, pulling him deeper and knotting her fingers in his hair again, making him shiver and arch into the touch reflexively, a cat begging for attention with a sharp twist of his neck into the pull of her hand.

He wasn't sure she understood how possessive she sounded, at least to him. How deep she wanted him, how long she planned to have him, how badly she wanted to share herself with him...and he fucking knew for damn sure she had no idea how hearing that made him ache, so deep it hurt. It brought to mind everything he'd ever heard about the mating bond dragons shared, how souls bled into one another, how skin sang at the mere hint of a mate's presence. It brought to mind dahgo and geynaz, the light and dark of love itself--a mating bond more sacred for the choice humans had in seizing it--and Neil had no fucking idea if what he felt was the removal of his heart or the open vein, he just knew that he wanted to give Regina this, forever if it was in his power.

He wanted to give her this, and take it for himself in turn.

So when she pulled at his hair, tugged his head sharply to one side, she met no resistance--he leaned into it, offered her his throat, breathless with want and that warning of her teeth on skin, of more bruises and bites and blood to show that she had no plans to be finished with him for a long time.

"I know." he rasped, eyes rolling shut again. "You've got me, Regina."