Watcher United

by J. L. Madore

  She was perfect.

  Reclaiming his place at her side, he brushed a hand down her belly and over the mound of her pelvic bone. Thea was practically a virgin and he remembered how tightly her core squeezed him that first time around.

  He reached down to test—damn, she was wet and ready.

  “Right there, yeah?”

  She moaned, thighs trembling and rewarded his prompting by dropping her knees wider for him. Her current state of sexual readiness for him made his beast beat on its chest like a fucking Neanderthal. He teased his fingers down the center of her core, mapping out where, when, and how she liked to be touched.

  “Seth . . . oh, Seth.”

  The way his name slipped off her tongue resonated in his body at a powerful frequency . . . mine.

  She was his. He clenched his teeth as something snapped inside him. The headaches. The aching libido. His incessant restlessness. He’d been taking a beating the past few months, but that was over now. Thea was his. He’d never go back.

  Sharp nails raked his ass at the same time her tongue swept into his mouth, flicking and taunting until his head spun. He worked her with lazy strokes, inside and out, careful to give her enough pressure as she rode his fingers.

  Fuuuuck.

  Thea lost all inhibition during sex. Whatever polite reserve she held as an Angel of the Choir got checked and forgotten behind closed doors. The female was a live wire.

  And damn, if he wasn’t getting the shock of his life.

  Her body began to quake when she was close, and he opened himself up with his magical side. Unlocking the intimate pathway he’d only ever shared with Phoenix, he exposed his soft underbelly. He let her in.

  Thea deserved that. She deserved to feel exactly what he felt—to know for certain she’d earned his trust, that she was special—the only female he’d ever opened himself up to.

  Her orgasm hit with a force he couldn’t have imagined.

  The pleasure was transformative. It lashed at his senses, raged through his system, and exploded out of control.

  So responsive to touch, she ground on his hand as her juices coated his fingers. Her hunger hit him hard. She’d been aching too. He’d woken her sexuality and then left her wanton.

  She sought relief. She considered other men.

  His Mark burst out in its brightest neon and he knew he was done for. His bonding may have been different from the others, but maybe he was too hardheaded for the straightforward approach. Thea was his. Zane was his.

  He never wanted anything more than his centuries-old routine, but on the other side of things, he’d kill anyone who tried to take this from him.

  “Please, Seth, I need you.”

  His beast roared—yeah, she did. Needed him to pleasure her. Needed him to be the father to their child. Needed him to be her hero. Well, he might be making up that last one, but he’d fill that role anyway.

  Seth didn’t consider himself one for embellishment. He was a shoot-from-the-hip kinda guy, but without a word of a lie, his cock was soooo fucking hard, it hurt.

  He’d never hit a horny breaking point before, but he had a feeling, with Thea, there were many new experiences in store.

  God, he was so aroused his hold on things was fraying fast. He’d promised her slow. He wanted to get it right this time.

  He dropped his hips, lining up exactly where he wanted to be. The sweet, heated nectar that ran from her body invited him in. With every shift of his hips, he reveled in the welcome.

  Thea grasped his shoulders with a needy sob, thrusting her hips off the sheets. “Please . . . oh, please.”

  “I’m trying to go slow here,” he bit out, groaning as she wrapped her legs around him. “I want this to be everything you need, angel.”

  She whimpered and pressed back against his palm. “Forget slow. What do you want? Wild? Pounding? Sweating?”

  Yes please. “Slow is better. I’m fighting for control here and don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Hurt me?” She dug her fingernails into his ass and thrust her hips. He impaled her in one rough thrust and the look of triumph she wore was nothing short of breathtaking. “I’m not breakable. In fact, I like you rough, Warrior. Take from me all the pleasures you desire. That is what I desire.”

  Seth’s beast let off a growl and he gripped her hips, relishing the fact he was the only man who’d ever taken her. His heart swelled with pleasure as he rocked in and out, burying himself in her heat.

  His cock throbbed. It rubbed and slid inside her, and he fought not to explode.

  “More,” she moaned, pushing against his hips. Clawing at him. “Drive me wild. I want more.”

  “Roll over.”

  Her pupils flared as he withdrew, and he flipped onto her knees. His mind blanked out and sexual instinct took the reins. Shit got real. Fast. Abandoning slow and steady, he reclaimed his place and thrust forward, slapping skin on skin when he hit home. Harder. Faster.

  Bracing her palms on the bedding, she locked her arms, moaning, urging him on. He never would have guessed it—new to sex-play as she was—but she loved rough.

  All righty then. When his palm came down on the round of her ass, she arched and gasped his name. The contact of hand on flesh also brought a fresh wave of moisture to her already saturated sex.

  He fought for breath and struck a punishing rhythm. Over and over, he pounded inside her, a fevered heat breaking out all over his skin. Powerless to stop himself, his muscles churned, and his hips thrashed against her.

  The huge bed creaked and banged to the beat of his thrusts. He let loose as the pressure in his cock built and throbbed and shot adrenaline through his cells in an insane rush.

  “Oh, yes!” she cried, her arousal kicking through the roof. The scent of their sex, sweat, and passion filled his head. She cried out again, torturous rapture ripping through both of them. Her inner muscles flexed and released, gripping him tight and greedy as her orgasm took her.

  Drenched in sweat—nothing but wildness connected them.

  He couldn’t hold off. With a shout, he stiffened, the fierce, heated pulse of his release spilling into her. Throwing his head back, he shuddered, his muscles straining not to snap.

  Rush after rush of release pulsed from him.

  The relief that eluded him the past months hit hard and fast. It was the harshest ecstasy. It was the sweetest pain. When he had nothing left to give, he collapsed over her back.

  Still joined, he rolled them onto their sides and listened to the feminine sounds she made as she caught her breath. His thighs shook, his lungs burned, and his heart pumped furiously in his veins.

  Fighting to remain conscious, he chuckled.

  “What’s funny?”

  “We might need Storme or Phoenix to cast a soundproofing spell on our room.”

  Thea raised a hand to her mouth. “Do you think they heard?”

  Seth laughed. “Angel, the entire household heard.”

  They lay there in silence while their breathing quieted and their hearts began to slow. When Thea shivered, he reached over and covered them with the duvet. Spooning up behind her, he nuzzled in her hair. “You okay?”

  Thea nodded, peeking over her shoulder to meet his gaze. “I loved almost every minute of that.”

  Amusement danced in her expression, so he played along. “Almost every minute? Well, tell me, my angel, where I fell short and prepare for a do-over.”

  Thea rolled to face him and ran her fingers down the ridges of his chest. “We stopped.”

  He chuckled, liking where this was going. “Still hungry?”

  “Starving. I don’t know that I’ll ever have my fill. I want you again . . . and again . . . and again.”

  Inhaling deep, he got nothing but lust, the mingled scents of sex and sweat, and hardcore anticipation. He fucking loved it. “If the lady wants a sexathon, who am I to argue? And I noticed, you still haven’t broken in your sex toys.”

  Thea’s cheeks flushed an adorable pink. “I wasn’
t sure what to do with them, and then”—she gestured between herself, him, and the bassinet—“all this happened.”

  He nipped the bare skin of her shoulder, then kissed the sting. “It’s been a whirlwind. How about we get back to basics. Let’s see what you bought, and play for a bit, shall we?”

  At that exact moment, their son decided to fuss.

  Nice timing, kid. Seth chuckled and rolled out from under the blankets. “Come here, you little cockblocker. Did your parents make too much noise and wake you?”

  He handed the baby to Thea and headed into the en suite to take care of cleanup. “You know, we’ll have to figure out a better arrangement for Zane. We can’t just wake him up every time we get carried away. He needs his own space.”

  He trotted back into the bedroom, a warm cloth in his hand. When he caught the look on Thea’s face, he froze.

  Shit. What did he say?

  He knew he’d screwed up because he’d done it enough times over the centuries to recognize the look of fallout. “I’m sorry. Whatever I did wrong, I take it back.”

  Her gaze narrowed, and he hit the rewind button in his mind.

  “Shit. What? I honestly don’t know.”

  Thea got Zane latched on for a midnight snack and smiled. “You said, ‘our room’ and ‘every time’ we get carried away. It was nice to hear, you know, you referring to us as a couple . . . making plans for what comes next.”

  Thank you, sweet Lady. “Yeah, well, as weird as it is to hear myself talk like that . . . to plan for a future, it feels good too. Not just good, but great. Liberating.”

  Thea heard the truth in Seth’s words and knew they were on the right path. Each day, they opened up a little more with each other. Trusted a little more. Grew a little closer. Their bonding might not have gone the same way as the others, but there was no wrong way to fall in love.

  “At the risk of ruining the moment, since we’re committing to this, there are a couple things I need you to know.”

  Thea dropped her gaze to Zane at her breast and Seth growled long and low. “If you have something to say, I want to hear it. Don’t hold back from me, angel. Ever.”

  She swallowed, hugging the baby tighter to her chest. “It seemed to me that . . . during the sex, that you . . . I could be wrong because goddess knows I’ve misinterpreted males before, but . . .”

  Seth lifted her chin and dropped his head to meet her scattered gaze. “But what? Spit it out. Just you and me here. Nothing to worry about.”

  “You see, the other ladies knew the bonding had taken hold because of the transition and the wings, but your transition occurred when you claimed Zane and you already have your wings, and—”

  “We’re bonded,” he said, his deep baritone solid and sure. “You are mine, angel. For better or worse, you’re stuck with me now. There’s no going back.”

  Something fluttered in Thea’s stomach and she exhaled the breath she was holding. “I thought so . . . but didn’t want to assume. So, that brings me to my worry.”

  “What worry? You’re starting to freak me out here, angel.”

  She shook her head and adjusted Zane to her other breast. “Since we are now a bound couple, I want you to understand that I wish to be a partner like Austin is with Zander. I want an equal say. I want to make my own decisions. And if your brothers start taking my right to choose, even if they think it’s for my own good, I need to know you’ll speak up and set them straight. My future. My choices.”

  Seth brow creased, and he got off the bed to step into his sleep pants. “Where is this coming from? Did I do something?”

  “No. Not you, but Phoenix has a tendency to decide things for me. Zander too. I just want to be sure that I am allowed to make decisions about my own comings and goings.”

  “What about if it’s your safety we’re talking about?”

  “With safety concerns, obviously Zander and your brothers are your partners and you will insist on certain things, but when discussing our private lives—my plans, my outings, my interests—you and I will be the decision-makers, yes?”

  She took Zane to the change pad and made quick work of changing his wet diaper. “If I don’t have any control over my life, and men continue to decide things for me, then living here is no different than life in the Choir.”

  “Except for the off-the-rails sex.”

  She chuckled, zipping up Zane’s sleeper. “Yes, except for that . . . and, of course, our son is equally amazing.”

  Seth came over and took his boy, cuddling him against his bare chest. “Agreed. Okay, so you’re the captain of your own ship and I’m lucky to be aboard. I get that. But what is it you’re worried they might stop you from doing?”

  She loved that he not only listened but let her lay out her terms. “As much as I want to be home with Zane while he is young, I also want to find my own purpose. I miss having tasks which contribute to the greater good of the community, and want that again.”

  Seth frowned but nodded. “Okaaaay, no matter what you decide, I’ll support you . . . as long as you’re safe.”

  She slid back into the warmth of the sheets and leaned against the headboard. “And what does that look like to you?”

  Zane burped, and Seth chuckled and wiped his mouth. “If you want to go to school, I’ll carry your books. If you want a job, I’ll have Danel run background on the other employees and make sure you’re good. No matter what you do, I’ll escort you to and from each night.”

  She half-expected that after living with Danel, Kyrian, and Zander. In truth, their protective nature was endearing.

  “What if it’s not a course at the local college? What if I want a place on the Otherworld Council?”

  The sudden tension in his frame spoke to how much he objected to that idea. “What? Why?”

  “I have extensive skills in tracking offenders of the accords. I know a great deal about how the tiers of the Choir work. I am an angel bound to a Nephilim, raising a son with Darkworld gifts. I think that gives me a unique perspective to help with creating a vision for a different future.”

  Seth turned away, raising Zane to his shoulder and patting his back as he paced.

  “Do you not think I’m qualified?”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what is it? Storme runs an international hotel chain and travels the world. Ronnie works in a hedonist club filled with Darkworlders. Why would me serving on a council be a problem?”

  He frowned. “I never said it was, but you’ve thought about this. Give me the same opportunity before deciding I’ll nix it. You’re deeming me unreasonable before I even get a chance to think it through.”

  She heard the frustration in his voice and realized how right he was. “I’m sorry. Please, take your time.”

  Seth was a warrior who braved the worst things each night. Of course he’d have concerns. She didn’t want him afraid of losing his family—especially when that would never happen.

  “I assume you and your brothers would be present during any physical meetings.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the way we see it playing out.”

  “And Danel could provide me access to computer meeting software if it wasn’t a scheduled gathering of the council?”

  “Sure, he’s good like that.”

  She flipped back the blankets and patted the bed beside her. “I could work on complaints and possible solutions while Zane sleeps, and still focus on him during his waking hours.”

  He slid into the bed, adjusting Zane to rest on his chest. “I never thought you’d neglect him. You’re a wonderful mother.”

  She snuggled against his side and laid her head on his shoulder. With a lazy finger, she traced Zane’s sleeper along the rolling landscape of Seth’s abdominal ridges. “This is important to me, Seth. Will you at least take it to Zander and explore the advantages to having someone in the family sitting on the council?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

  She loo
ked up at him and he smiled.

  “I’ll do you one better. I think you should chair the council.”

  “Truly? You do?”

  “Hells yeah, they’d be lucky to have you. And like you said, we’ll be at the meetings.”

  She hugged him tight, reaching up to accept his kiss. “Thank you. I know you have reservations—and rightly so. If it doesn’t work out, I shall accept that. And no matter what happens, our family is my first priority.”

  Seth nodded. “And when I screw up—because you know I will—you gotta give me a chance to make things right.”

  She nodded, sealing the deal with a kiss. “I can do that.”

  And she could.

  They’d proven they weathered storms well together and were committed to Zane. They enjoyed each other and now that they were bonded as lovers and parents, she honestly believed the turmoil of their past was behind them.

  “I love you, angel,” he said, in Enochian, the language of the angels. “It’s overwhelming and I’m not sure what to do with that yet, but I feel it. I know it. And I’m looking forward to figuring out what that means for us.”

  Snuggling into the warmth of their family, Thea looked at her warrior and showed him the depth of her love she felt. Somewhere along their path, love had replaced betrayal and anger. She had no doubt it would continue to grow, and they would achieve the prosperous good fortune and success the tea leaves foretold.

  They’d figure it out.

  They had time. After all, they were immortals.

  THE END, THANK YOU FOR READING

  I sincerely hope you enjoyed Seth and Thea’s story in, Watcher United. They weren’t a traditional couple but will continue to grow as the series moves forward. I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop, both individually and as a couple.

  If you’d like to share your thoughts on the novel, please leave a rating or review. Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all reviews and look forward to reading your thoughts.

  In gratitude,

  JL

  Author Notes

  Written on 012/19/2018