Secrets of the Mazza: A Paranormal Romance (Mazza Series Book 3)

by Blake Blessing

  I stayed seated, crossing my legs beneath me. For some reason, I wanted to be sitting up for any big revelations, “What, you think he’s a kinky bastard?”

  Rand tipped his head back to me. “None of us have ever seen him even remotely sexual; that’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was into some weird stuff. Can’t you see it?”

  I laughed a full belly laugh, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Yeah, somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised. I bet he hid that side of himself from all of you on purpose.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If he knew you all were one day going to share the same woman, do you think he’d flaunt women in front of you?”

  He looked back up to the ceiling, seeming to maul over my words. I wished I had some kind of talent with photography or drawing. He was so handsome laying here, relaxed and happy was a good look for him, and a part of me wanted to capture it forever. I guessed I’d have to be happy with burning this memory into my brain.

  “I could see him protecting our future relationship like that. It would have been nice if the rest of us would have had the same thought.” He was probably thinking about the Cherries and Lucia.

  I waved a hand. “We all have lives and pasts. I can’t say it feels good for your pasts to be shoved in my face, but I can’t begrudge you for the things that shaped you.” At least it sounded good when I said it. It wasn’t that I didn’t really feel that way, but when their past flings were right in front of me, I wanted to rip their hair out and pluck their eyelashes with burning tweezers.

  I grinned to lighten the mood. “At least I’ll benefit from your experiences. Imagine if I had to train you in the art of sex. It wouldn’t have been near as much fun from the beginning. And, I doubt you’d have the same stamina.”

  Goal achieved, he chuckled. “True, but you have so many cocks, I doubt you’d have ever been left unsatisfied.”

  “Touché.” I let the silence settle for a second before I spoke again. “What did you want to talk about alone?”

  He caught my hand and played with my fingers. “First, I wanted to spend some time with you alone. We’ve had time by ourselves before, but I can’t help but feel like those stolen moments were tainted. You didn’t know the real me then, now you know me, the real me, and I wanted some time to replace those.”

  “Rand, those moments aren’t tainted. They were stressful because of the situation, but honestly, you made being in Rainer’s house bearable. And, I wanted you, even then. So, I can’t regret those times.” Knowing he could be added to my bonds with the others, that no choice was necessary between anyone, it calmed me. I was furious at first, but now that I’d had time to process everything, and we’d survived the threats on our lives, my perspective had realigned. What was important was that I didn’t lose anyone. And, one of the men I’d bonded with early on, was able to join my LL.

  He tugged, and I fell onto his chest. His other hand weaved through my hair to cup my head, “I’m glad you feel that way, but I also wanted to explain. I feel like you need answers, and I wanted you to have them from me.”

  I propped my head on his chest and waited for him to continue. He didn’t.

  “Okay. What did you want to tell me?”

  “A kiss first,” he tipped his head and caught my lips on a sweet sigh. If he said he’d been waiting for this moment his entire life, I would have believed him. Excitement and pleasure radiated through his body, nearly contagious as I soaked up his energy.

  It was innocent and all too short. He laid back but pulled me higher up his chest with an arm around my waist.

  “I always knew I was a Manno. I’m sure it happened just as Yunez said, and he came as soon as there were whispers of a child born with all the marks. I’ve never asked him the specifics, but I imagine he has a league of Mannos working as doctors to attend births. That way he’s notified almost immediately.

  “My childhood was a bit different than the others, I’m sure. Yunez trained them, I know, and kept a close eye on them to protect them as well as he could. But with me, it was more. He trained me as a Manno. So much of it was how to hide what I really was. I was this half person pretending to be the first son of Rainer in the house of Janer. Then in private, or with Yunez, I was Rand the Manno.”

  I traced circles on his chest with my free hand. “Did you ever meet any of the other Mannos?”

  “Not when I was younger. Yunez was my main teacher and companion. When I was a teenager though, he started to bring me here, so I could train and learn with his own personal army.”

  “Do you have any good friends among them?” It was kind of surreal to talk about this other part of his life that was a secret from everyone until now.

  He shrugged. “Sure, I have some good acquaintances, but with my duties to Rainer, I never got to be here for long periods. It kind of puts a damper on friendships. I did try to befriend your LL whenever the chance presented itself to me.” He adjusted me so I laid more fully over him and started to run his hands up and down my sides. “But they were always suspicious of my allegiance and never trusted me. Sometimes I would get a kick out of randomly popping up and forcing them to interact with me,” a small grin lit his face.

  “Like when you were in the woods the first time we met?” I’d wondered about that. Why he was there and then disappeared without really accomplishing anything.

  The grin died and his eyes widened slightly. “No, Yunez told me they found you. I wasn’t supposed to be there, and Yunez told me not to go, but I think he knew by telling me, I would seek you out. I wanted to meet you, to see if I could love you.”

  I bit my lip. This was getting deep, so fast, and I relished it. This sweet pause in time where it was just him and me.

  “And, could you?” I whispered.

  “You mean, do I?” He pushed one hand under the band of my pants and massaged my hip. His cock began to harden under my stomach, and I could only nod my head.

  “I knew I could fall for you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. You were sad and frustrated, but you still had a spark of fire in your eyes. I wanted to know everything about you, but it wasn’t my time yet. I had to wait. Then at Rainer’s, when you refused to sleep with me because you made Sage a promise, I knew you were something special. I never thought rejection would hurt so much,” he smiled and lifted his hips in a delicious roll.

  “Is that why you like me? Because I turned you down then?” My eyes fluttered shut as he gripped my ass and ground me against him.

  “No, that was what ensnarled me so prettily. I love you because you’re you. There’s no one else like you, and there never will be.”

  “Good answer,” I breathed and rose up to kiss him this time. The need that drove me so much around the guys started low in my belly, and I shoved a hand through his hair.

  He pulled back and pressed a finger to my lips. “Iss, we need to talk about why we didn’t tell you about Mannos.”

  Did we? Two days ago, I would have said hell yes, but seeing firsthand what happened when we didn’t listen to Yunez’s sight or instincts really drove the reason for their temporary secrecy home. If they would have told me, and one of guys were hurt as a result, or worse, I don’t think I could live with that. Yes, it made me a little butthurt to be kept out of the loop for so long, but I couldn’t fault them for trying to protect us.

  “No, I don’t want to talk about that. What you said to Sage out there, to the guys, that was enough for me. I know you weren’t purposely hiding your secret to hurt us, and I do want you, Rand. I have from the very beginning; I want you as one of my Lusty Legion.”

  He groaned and engulfed me in his arms. “I have waited so long to hear those words, Iss. I can’t believe this is really happening.”

  Rolling us, he settled his weight on top of me and framed my face with his hands. He kissed the corner of my mouth, peppering soft kisses all over my face. I widened my legs and he settled between them, pushing his erection right against my sweet center. Before my next b
reath, he pulled me up, whipped my shirt over my head, and I followed by shoving my hands under his.

  Sitting back on his haunches, he pulled his own off, baring his chiseled chest and defined stomach. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t have stopped my hand from trailing over his muscles. He was much more slender than the rest of the guys, more beautiful and maybe even more sensitive. Only, he hid it better.

  How did I get to be so blessed? Maybe this was my reward for fate saddling me with such a difficult and dangerous destiny. To be tied to such magnificent men who worshipped the ground I walked on.

  “I love you, Iss.” His penetrating stare pinned me to the bed. “I don’t care if it’s too soon, or if you don’t love me yet. I love you; you’re what I’ve waited for my entire life. You make everything I’ve endured with Rainer worth it.”

  Damn, he had a honeyed mouth and it was turning me on. My core throbbed, and perspiration was dotting my brow. I needed him, now.

  I grabbed his shoulders and yanked him down to me, devouring his mouth as soon as his lips neared mine. His pants came off, then mine. We were gloriously naked, skin rubbing together in a succulent rhythm as old as time.

  “I love you, too. I don’t need time to know I love you, you’re one of the most loveable people I’ve ever met, and I want you to know I’m incredibly grateful to have you in my life.” I never got so mushy with the other guys; I didn’t think I had it in me. But with Rand, it was easy. It almost felt like he needed to hear the words from me to believe in us. And, now that the words passed my lips, I believed I needed them, too.

  “Iss, baby, I need to worship you.” He scooted down the bed, kissing a glorious path down my body, pausing to appreciate the most sensitive spots. He sucked a nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it, drawing a quiet moan from my throat.

  He lavished the same attention on the other breast before continuing down my stomach. By the time he got to my belly button, he had me panting, and I speared one hand through his hair while the other massaged my breast.

  If he didn’t speed up soon, I’d flip him and take what I wanted.

  “Rand,” I almost cringed at the desperation in my voice, but I was too far gone.

  A smirk curled his lips.

  “Patience. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this. When I sent you into Sage’s arms, knowing he was going to bond you, my whole body hurt with jealousy. I’ve never known that particular emotion so strongly, and I definitely wasn’t prepared for the pain. Did you know I could hear everything? Every whimper, breath, and moan; I heard it all.”

  I sucked in a breath. How had he been able to stay my sweet Rand through all that? The poor guy had been confined to the bed. He couldn’t even leave to avoid hearing it. I had hoped he was sleeping, but I guessed that hope was in vain.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  With a short shake of his head, he leaned up and kissed me, a lingering press of lips meant to comfort before he settled back between my legs. “Nothing to be sorry about it. That is how your destiny was supposed to play out. You needed your Janer bond before you could take me, but now it’s my turn, and I plan to enjoy it.”

  Torture, he meant. He planned to torture me with sexual pleasure.

  He spread my legs wide, draping a calf over each of his shoulders, and without any hesitation at all, he dove straight for the good spot, sucking it into his mouth. My head hit the pillow and my eyes rolled back in my head from the pressure. When I was ready to fall over the edge into sweet bliss, he stopped and started lapping around my entrance, tracing lazy circles with his tongue. After a few minutes of this, he went right back to my clit. Only this time, he didn’t linger before going back to my entrance.

  “Damn it, Rand, I need you to stay in one spot.” I was pretty sure I could come from anything he was doing if he would just stay there long enough.

  His chuckle vibrated against my lips, and I clenched his hair tight in my hand. Points for him that he didn’t even wince.

  “No,” he pushed my legs up so they no longer draped over him, instead, pressing them against my sides. I was completely exposed to him. “Such a pretty pussy.”

  He blew cool air over my poor sensitive lips, and a shiver ran down my body, which was an odd feeling considering he had me twisted up like a pretzel. When I made a noise of complaint, he began again. Only this time, he added tongue fucking to his rotation.

  I couldn’t take anymore; I was frustrated and flustered and ready to come. I snaked my hand between my legs to take care of it myself, but he slapped my hand.

  “Mine,” he growled, and for a second, I could see his Caen side showing. Egan would have been proud.

  “Not yours, damn it. Mine, and I say it’s time for a happy ending. If you won’t give it to me, I’ll give it to myself.” How could he not be quivering in fear at the anger radiating from me? Somehow, he managed and even had the audacity to grin that lopsided grin.

  “It is mine. For now; until its Egan’s,” he sucked my tortured little nub into his mouth, “or Nato’s, Jari’s, or Sage’s.” He punctuated each name with a brief tug on my clit. Then with a long drawl, a twinkle entered his eyes. “Or Yunez’s. This does not belong to you; it’s ours. But don’t worry, I’ll put you out of your misery.”

  He crawled up my body and slammed into me. I came instantly.

  Instantly.

  There was no time to catch my breath because he pounded into me like it was up to him to save the world through fucking me.

  Our sweat slickened bodies slid together in such an erotic dance. The sound of our skin slapping echoed through the room, only just louder than our combined groans.

  “Fuck, I didn’t grab a knife or anything to cut us,” his panicked voice would have made me laugh if he wasn’t still going to town. He didn’t let up. At. All.

  “Bite your lip,” I gasped and held onto his shoulders. I demonstrated biting my lip, and immediately the taste of blood filled my mouth. He did the same, and our mouths clashed together, tongues dueling to mingle our blood and seal the bond.

  His movements quickened, and I tightened my legs around him to pull him as close as he could possibly get, and I dug my nails into his back. It was going to be so big. I wasn’t ready for it.

  With a strangled scream, I came, pulsing around him. Three more brutal thrusts, and he followed after me. He buried his head in my neck, and our hearts were banging so hard around our chests they were practically touching with every beat.

  He collapsed over me, pressing me deep into the bed. I didn’t mind. The connection with him was so intense, I needed to recuperate without losing him. Goosebumps raised over my body as our sweat cooled in the aftermath of our crazy vigorous sex.

  Who would have thought Rand had it in him? If I’d asked myself what Rand would be like as a lover, I wouldn’t have ever described him as hard and potent.

  As soon as rational thought took over again, I tensed, and Rand didn’t miss it.

  “What’s wrong?” He sounded vaguely worried, but his slurred words told me how sated he was.

  “I’m waiting for the pain. There was pain when I completed my bonds with the others. You’re a Manno; wouldn’t that mean more pain? More transformation?”

  He lightly bit my breast, then soothed it with a gentle swipe of his tongue. “I talked to Yunez about it. Although the Mazza’s he’s known and learned about were very private with this aspect of their lives, he didn’t believe you’d go through the same pain.” He nuzzled me and moved to the side, collecting me in his arms.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “No pain?”

  “No pain; not that we believe anyway, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” The hair of his legs tickled mine, but I snuggled as deep into him as I could.

  “Yes, we’ll have to see,” I said and closed my eyes.

  Bonding really took it out of a girl. And, I couldn’t wait to do it again.

  Wait. Bonding or sex? I didn’t want to answer that, not even to my
self.

  I didn’t need to; My inner ho said all of the above.

  Gah, I loved sleep. I loved that warm and cozy feeling, where everything was sunshine and rainbows. Currently, I was the rainbow sitting on a nice comfy cloud.

  Then something ran down my ass crack, and I jerked. Why was someone sticking their finger in a rainbow’s ass crack?

  It happened again!

  And, just like that, my happy dream state evaporated, and I was brought back to reality with a finger trailing my ass crack before dipping down to rub around the sensitive entrance.

  Oh, that wasn’t so bad. I peeled my eyes open and stared at Rand’s neck. When I looked up, he kissed me. His tongue pushed into my mouth, mimicking a sensual wave, creating the most decadent heat in my core.

  One finger pushed inside me, and I raised my leg over his hip to give him better access. Actually, fuck this, I was ready; no foreplay needed.

  “Fuck me, Rand. I need you to fuck me.” I said into his neck as I rolled onto my back and pulled him on top of me.

  He lined up, ready to fill me…

  And a hard banging on the door stopped him.

  It was what I wanted, but not the same context, damn it.

  “Please make them go away,” I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to pull in closer with my legs on his ass. The head entered me, and I pulled harder, getting another two inches, but he stopped.

  He. Fucking. Stopped.

  The banging continued.

  “What if it’s important?” He shot me an apologetic look as he yelled, “Who is it?”

  “Jari. Sorry to interrupt,” the laughter in his voice said he wasn’t sorry at all. “But we gave you as long as we could. Yunez said it’s time for the history lesson and training.”

  “Fuck.” Rand drawled as he dropped his forehead to my shoulder.