“Yes,” she hisses as her head flies back and her eyes roll in the back of her sockets.
“Am I hurting you?” I stop moving. My fear heightens to near panic attack mode, awaiting her to answer me.
“No, but I’m going to hurt you if you stop again,” she says, digging her heels harder into my flesh. Hearing her threat, a smirk forms on my face, but I keep it to where she doesn't see this by keeping my head buried securely in the crook of her neck. Taking her seriously, I quicken my pace, pulling all but the tip out before slamming back home. She angles her neck further, insinuating she’s ready to be marked and fully claimed by me and both of my beasts.
“Are you sure?” I don’t want to be too presumptuous before acting. My wolf and vamp are portraying their dominance right now, but I want her to lead this, not them.
“Yes, do it now, Maverick!” I strike, my teeth sinking into the cord of her neck and I drag her life force into my mouth. My wolf pulls back and my vamp takes over. She shouts out my name as she clamps down around me. Then, I feel her maneuver herself to where her face is now in the right placement to claim me. I’m excited that she’s really here, my mate, claiming me. I never thought in a million years that I’d ever belong wholeheartedly to another. But I do, I belong to Connelly as she belongs to me. My two sides have never been so content, shall I say they’re finally happy with life? I’m pulled from my internal thoughts as her teeth sink into me. It’s earth-shattering, intensely and predominantly drawing all of my seed from my balls. This time, it’s my turn to holler out her name as my release hits me full force.
Finally, I understand the phrase full of love.
Some sort of frenzy overtook us as we completed our mating. I don’t quite understand it, but our wolves seemed to. We spent three days in bed, satisfying each other, only stopping long enough for nourishment and liquid replenishment. Something I’ve learned is that keeping yourself hydrated throughout the mating process is very important.
My mate is snuggly wrapped in the embrace of my arms. She’s lightly snoring, it’s the cutest sound I’ve ever heard from someone, and I can’t wait to hear it every morning. I pull her body tighter into mine and she snuggles deeply into me. Her hips wiggle, which brings someone else to life. Down, boy, I tell him. We’ve kept our mate quite busy; she needs some time to recover. Does he listen to me? Fuck no, instead he bobs, begging for the heat of her core to embrace him. Slowly, I pull myself away from her, inserting a pillow where my body once was.
Walking away from her, even to go to the bathroom, is harder than it should be. I feel inferior to what the definition of a man is to the normal world, but even with that being said; I can’t wipe the smile from my face. A month ago, I wouldn’t have foreseen this as my life, but I’m eternally grateful that it is.
Connelly
Waking up, I move my hand to the side and am immensely disappointed when I feel his side of the bed empty. I know it’s only been a few days since we’ve been together, but each morning my eyes have been opened,
I’ve been comforted by being embraced in the comfort of his arms. Not having that this morning leaves a chill wrapping itself around me. Not being able to get warm all alone, I get up and take care of my morning duties. As I dress for the day, the smell of bacon and eggs causes my stomach to grumble in hunger. As my hand touches the knob of the door, embarrassment takes hold. Everyone is going to know what we’ve been locked in his room doing. “Jesus, Connelly. You’re a shifter, a predator, get your shit together, girl,” I verbally scold myself.
“Connelly!” I hear my mate call out my name. “I can hear you moving around in there, come and eat with us.” Shaking my head as laughter bubbles out from me, I leave the room. As I enter the kitchen, Maverick pats his lap, indicating he wants me to take a seat on his lap. This display of affection has my heart rate skyrocketing. Daddy used to do that with Mama. I used to roll my eyes, but now I understand the desperation and desire to be close to one’s mate. The independent woman in me is shaking her head, but the woman in love, she’s wanting me to rush into his open arms.
“Hey everyone,” I say as I make my way to the table. Looking at Maverick, I’m consumed with an overwhelming joy. When I reach him, he tugs me down into his lap. “Hi.”
“Hey, love. You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to wake you. Are you hungry?” he asks me.
“Starved,” I reply. Tears prickle in my eyes as he picks up his fork filled with eggs and feeds me. Then it’s steak, followed by potatoes. He begins all over again, he does this five times until the plate is empty. “I ate all of your food.”
“What’s mine is yours,” he says as Charisma places another plate in front of us then proceeds to grab the emptied one. “See, there’s plenty of food to go around, love. No need to fret, we’ll both be well fed.” This time, he gives me a bite then takes one for himself. I stare into his eyes, everyone around me ceases to exist as my attention is solely on him. When all of the food has been consumed, Maverick leans over and places a gentle, loving kiss on my lips. “Are you full, my mate?”
“I couldn’t eat another bite,” I truthfully answer.
Esmerelda and Charisma sit down and join us at the table. They’ve taken their matriarch positions to heart, making sure we’ve all had our meals before they have. “I set up some wards around the perimeter, Maverick,” Esmerelda informs him. Before he can say a word she continues, “I know you have state of the art security, but I couldn’t rest easy until I knew we had every advantage we could.”
Maverick’s body tenses beneath mine, so I lay my hand on his knee to help calm him. “That was very thoughtful, Esmerelda.”
“I hope I didn’t overstep,” she quickly adds.
“We all have to work together,” Charisma pacifies Esmerelda, sending Maverick a scolding look, before he can say anything rude to Esmerelda. We all recognize that he’s very protective of his home, the animals surrounding it and me. But at the end of the day, we all need to add that extra layer of protection for our own peace of mind. “We can’t let our guard down; I know the men who survived. They will be looking for retribution for the loss of the others.”
“You mean the cowards who scurried off into the night?” Paxton lifts an eyebrow at her with his question. “Are they really a threat to us? You saw what we’re capable of, Charisma.”
“You are all very skilled, I’ll agree. But they are very angry with us and I wouldn’t put anything past them,” she tells Paxton.
“Do we know how many survivors there are?” Landry asks.
“At least ten. The one who worries me the most is Desmond. He has the capability to manipulate earthly elements. He can make the ground open up and swallow you whole. He’s not one to be trifled with I’m afraid. I’ve seen him angry and have witnessed him take out an entire village single handedly.”
Let him come, we’ll rip his head off, my wolf inserts.
Oh boy.
Maverick
I want to be angry that Esmerelda has taken it upon herself to lay wards around my home. But I can understand everyone’s worry, so I keep my mouth firmly clamped. My wolf is howling in my head to go out and re-mark our territory, he wants to lift his leg and pee on her wards; marking them as his own, but the rational human side of me is proud that I have the help that we do. Any and all extra security measures taken to ensure my mate’s welfare, is appreciated. My wolf is just going to have to come to heel on this one.
We should still go out and check her work, my wolf grumbles out, his displeasure well received and understood in his tone.
F-ing hell, wolfy boy, you need to relax, my vamp irritatedly says.
F-ing hell? Since when do we abbreviate words, Vamp?
We shouldn’t throw around the F-bomb so much with our mate in such close proximity, Vamp explains.
It’s not like she can hear our internal thoughts! Wolf slaps a paw over his eyes and shakes his head.
But someday she shall, Vamp states.
Explai
n? I’m confused by his statement.
Vampires telepathically speak with their mate. Has no one shared this knowledge with you?
You know they haven’t! Fu… F-ing hell, I rumble in frustration. Now, I’ll have to watch what I think? This is outrageous.
Not you too! Wolf whines. We are men, we’re expected to say fuck now and again. You two are pathetic. We’re predators, we’re feared by many. My wolf throws out a picture of a feminine hygiene product hitting me in the face. It’s called a tampon, Maverick. Women use them, but I suppose our mate needs to show you and vampy boy how they work.
I resent that remark, my vampire hisses.
I’m only speaking the truth. You’ve both grown pussies since mating.
Don’t use the p.u.s.s.y word, wolfy boy. My vampire lets his fangs drop and menacingly hisses at my wolf.
Oh, are we having a spelling bee I wasn’t aware of? Let me join you, vampy. F.u.c.k. Y.o.u.!
Keep it up, wolfy boy, and I’ll put a laxative in your puppy chow!
Enough! I bellow. If I was capable of getting a headache, I’d have had one by now. These two are enough to drive someone to the insane asylum.
“Are the boys giving you hell?” Connelly leans in and whispers the question in my ear.
“Always,” I moan out my frustration. “They’ve never gotten along, I was hoping that they’d calm once we found you, mate.”
“You were hoping I’d be their common ground?” She has a contemplative look on her face.
“I suppose I was.”
“Can you block them? Deny them access to your mind?” she continues asking.
“I’ve tried, but can only accomplish it for a short amount of time. They are very aggressive, opinionated, and headstrong.”
Connelly then quirks an eyebrow at me. Then, she turns around and explains my predicament to the others. I feel like an outsider as they begin to form a plan to help me shut them up. Don’t they think I’ve tried everything to keep those two out of my mind? Being the topic of conversation is not a pleasant task to sit by and listen to. Leaning my head on the back of Connelly’s neck, I deeply breathe in her scent, which immediately has a calming effect on me. “I know a spell that could quiet them down for a period of time,” Esmerelda states.
Don’t you let that witch use her mumbo-jumbo magic on me, Mavy boy, wolf growls ferociously in my head.
I agree with wolfy. If you allow her to silence us, you won’t be able to call on us if the need arises, my vampire adamantly declares.
“Thank you for the offer, Esmerelda. But I think I’d rather deal with it, with them on my own terms. No magical intervention or I won’t be able to call upon them if I need them. We have to communicate with one another, unfortunately.” The last part is mumbled.
“The offer is there if you need it, Maverick.” Esmerelda sweetly smiles at me as she says this.
“I appreciate it. Now, I think we should walk around and check on the ‘wards’ and security system. It doesn’t hurt to check them out.”
“I have to agree with, Maverick,” Paxton inserts. “Having eyes on them periodically will keep us at an advantage, security wise.” Eyes on them sounds much better than checking them out. I need to memorize this idiom to use at a later date and time. I should be making a mental list of everything that the others say. I want to blend in and speak the same language as my friends. I go to stand up, lifting Connelly from my lap, but am thrown back in my seat when a vision overcomes me.
My body begins to convulse as I’m swamped with image after image of an upcoming battle. One so fierce and bloody, that I fear for us all. The Rogue Enforcers are in danger. But this isn’t something we’ll be facing soon; this is a future battle, one that isn’t us versus the vampires… it’s something entirely different.
Connelly
“What the hell is happening to him?” I yell as my body is bounced around then tossed to the floor. I look up and Maverick’s eyes are as white as the driven snow and he’s in a world lost to us all. “Maverick!”
“Child, let him be, he’s having a prediction of the future.” Esmerelda attempts to calm me. Newsflash! It’s not working.
“He’s what?” squeaks out as I begin to hyperventilate. I’ve never seen anything like this in all of my life. It’s a little freaky and has my entire being shaking with the need to protect my mate while he’s vulnerable. “Get back!” I roar as Charisma attempts to touch my mate. “Nobody touch him.” I stand up and take a protective stance, ready to fight anyone who approaches our proximity.
“Put your fangs down, Connelly. No one here is going to hurt, Maverick,” Charisma talks to me, attempting to break through the fog I find myself deeply buried in.
Protect mate! Don’t let anyone come near him. I’ll shred them to pieces if they try.
Don’t worry, wolf. No one is coming anywhere near close to him.
Good, I’d hate to have to hurt his friends. She growls inside of my head, and for once, I wanna join in on her tirade.
“Don’t touch him,” I reiterate.
“We won’t, we promise.” Esmerelda uses a soothing tone while speaking to me.
“He’s having a vision,” Paxton says, and I can feel that he wants to come and comfort his friend. He’s probably used to being the one to protect him during one, but it’s my job now.
Maverick slowly comes out of his trance, but I find my wolf and I are still not wanting anyone close to him. He seems lethargic as he comes to. “Are you alright?” I ask as I turn around and face him.
“I will be, come here.” He motions me towards his lap with his hand. “I need you in my arms to help settle me, my mate.”
Once I’m seated, he breathes me in and I can feel his heartbeat settle. “How bad is it?” Paxton asks him, bringing us out of our bubble.
“It’s bad, but it won’t happen for a while yet. This one is further out in the future. Faces are hazy, the situation isn’t known, but the Rogues will face a hard, bloody battle,” Maverick answers.
“Spectacular,” Paxton mutters. “But this battle, it isn’t anytime soon?”
“Not for a while yet,” Maverick answers him. “But, Pax, we all need to be training. It won’t be easy, we will be facing origins unknown, but I can feel how strong and powerful they are.”
“I’ll call Colton and tell him what you’ve seen. It isn’t much to go on, but every little detail will help.”
“You may want to advise him about our own situation,” Landry tells her mate. “We’ll be here until we ensure the vampires are not a threat to Maverick and Connelly.”
Turning to my mate, I ask him, “Do you need anything, Maverick?”
“No, I’m good, thank you,” he answers, but something is nagging at the back of my head, saying he’s not being one hundred percent truthful with me.
“You need to tell her the truth, Maverick,” Charisma says in a chastising way.
“Tell me what?” I hesitantly ask when his shoulders tense.
Maverick
We haven’t been mated long, will it disgust her when she finds out how much my visions weaken me, and what I need to garner my strength back? Will she blanche then run for the hills when she discovers I need to feed? Her blood on my tongue is the only thing that will give me the strength I need for my body to recover.
“Could you all give me and my mate a few minutes alone?” I ask them all.
“Are you sure, Maverick? You’re awfully weak right now,” Paxton worriedly asks me.
“Yeah, man. I’m sure, Connelly and I need a minute alone,” I insist. My mate burrows deeply into my lap as the others begin to head out with a questioning look on their faces. I can tell they are hesitant to leave us, but I need a few minutes alone with Connelly so I can explain the way things work for me.
“Are you okay?” she asks as she runs her hand through the back of my hair. The gesture has goosebumps forming on my skin. I am one hundred percent enamored with her. I calm at her touch alone; it usually takes hours for my
body to be at ease after being consumed by a vision. “Tell me what you need.”
Not sure where to begin, I start at the beginning. “What I just had was a premonition of the future. A battle, one that is off in the future, but it’s a warning of sorts. I can’t always control them, but sometimes I can use them to our advantage. I have the ability of sight, one that’s saved my life and that of my friends on more than one occasion. The one I just had; it consumes me. My whole being shuts down until the vision has run its course. It weakens me, love. It drains all of my energy and I’m unable to do simple things until I…,” I stop, this is the part that scares me to share with her.
“Until you what, Maverick?”
“Until I, well, until I feed, Connelly.”
“You, uh, you mean you need to fuel yourself with my blood? Is that what you’re saying, Maverick?”
“It’s what I need, Connelly. But, after everything you’ve been through, I can find an anonymous donor.”
“But, how in the world would you find…” Then I see a flash of her wolf surface as she takes in what I just said. “Have you lost your mind!” she screeches out and I’m not sure if she’s wearing a look of horror or anger on her face. “Are you trying to make my wolf go mad, Maverick? She’ll tear someone limb from limb if you put your mouth on anyone else. How could you even suggest such a thing?” Each word that leaves her is a poke on my chest with her long claw that’s surfaced throughout her tirade. “I am your mate, Maverick, you will only feed from me from this day forward. Do you understand me, mate?” she asks on a growl. Her wolf is ready to make herself known. Her eyes shine as fur sprouts on her hands. She’s halfway shifted and is remarkable. She’s so damn beautiful and sexy while like this. If I had any energy left in me at all, I’d take her right here and now.
“I didn’t just want to presume after what you’ve been subjected to from my people,” I assert. I know mates are very territorial, but I didn’t want her to have to do something from me that plagues her nights as she sleeps. She has whimpered in slumber, called out ‘no’ on several different occasions. I don’t want to be another reminder of the loss of her clan and what I rescued her from. It’s something that’s run rampant in my head since the first time I heard her cry out in her sleep. Instead of answering me, she moves her hair away from her neck and tilts it to the side in invitation. “Are you sure?” I quietly question, I want her to have no doubts whatsoever. I don’t want to lose her or push her away.
Maverick: Rogue Enforcers Novel Page 7