Home is Where the Heart Is (Cloverleah Pack Series Book 15)

by Lisa Oliver

  “That’s him. Myka’s my brother, one of many. V and Myka played around together once and because V can go between all realms, he got friendly with most of the family. I didn’t fuck him.” Cass put up his hands. “V’s a cute guy, but I don’t mess with my brother’s cast offs. But yes, V and that dreary bastard Adair asked Myka for help in selecting a demon to search for you. Myka reminded me of a bet I’d lost, him thinking this whole thing would be a pain in my ass, but I found you, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”

  “And you rubbed the fact you’d found your mate in Myka’s face when you were home talking to your mama, I suppose?”

  “I did. It was delicious, and Myka’s anger stunk up the house so badly, mama sent him to the woodshed. It was brilliant, a demon thing.” Cass gave a happy wiggle. “Now, back to the providing for part.” He jumped up and ran over to the pile of gifts he’d left on the counter. Scooping them all up, he hurried back, pushing aside the food platter and setting them down in front of his mate on the coffee table. “These are all for you, but they have to be opened in a special order.” Finding the one he was looking for, he handed Wes a small brightly wrapped box.

  “Was I supposed to get you anything?” Wes asked, stroking the paper.

  “No, no. That would defeat the purpose. I am courting you.” Cass laid his hand over his heart. “When this ritual is over, you will bless me with your body and your claiming bite, which is a huge deal to a demon. These gifts are to show I am worthy of receiving that. Go on, open it.”

  Cass could tell Wes was a little unsure, but he dutifully peeled back the paper. Inside was a small box and Cass could feel his excitement rising. “Here, let me,” he said, reaching over and opening the box, taking out a key. “With this key, I pledge to you my home and hearth.”

  “It’s a house key,” Wesley said, turning it over. “I thought you lived in the Underworld. Is this the key to your house here?”

  “You will not want to live down here, and besides no one locks their door in the Underworld, there’s no point. But no, isn’t it wonderful? Demons can live on earth fulltime if we’re true mated. So, this key isn’t the key to a specific house as such. It’s a symbolic key of the house I’ll buy for you when we decide where we’re going to live.”

  “I had thought…” Wes said, and his voice took on a sad tinge, but then he shook himself and his smile returned. “This is wonderful, thank you. We’ll have a lot of fun deciding where to find a house. I imagine as a demon you can go pretty much anywhere.”

  “I’m quite happy staying here for the next week or so.” Cass waggled his eyebrows, happy that Wes laughed. Taking the key from Wes’s hand, he passed his mate the second box which was larger and more squared. When Wes went to remove the paper, Cass stopped him with his hand.

  “A bit of demon lore, so you understand the significance of this one. As I said, in the Underworld, we don’t have any need for money, but all young demons, before they reach adulthood, have to travel to the far reaches of this realm, searching for a special something that speaks to their soul. A talisman, if you like, that can be used to anchor our powers. Now, you can open it.”

  Looking curious, but still happy, Wes carefully tore the paper away and opened the box. Cass’s heart gave a flutter as Wes stroked the stone inside. “With this black diamond, I pledge to you the gift of my powers. For as long as you hold onto this, you shall always be able to reach me, and draw on all powers I have. So, you need to keep it safe.”

  “Cass, it’s huge. It has to be worth a fortune.” Wes’s eyes were filled with tears. “This is your special stone, isn’t it? The one you found when you were young.”

  Cass nodded, suddenly a little overcome himself. Darn ritual, he thought but he was glad his mama suggested it. Wes was a lot more open to their mating now than he had been the day before.

  “I was just walking along, out in a wilderness much like where I found this house to be honest, when I came across the sea – we do have them here, only the waves are red, not blue. Anyhow, I was wandering along, thinking about having a mate actually, and suddenly I tripped up and fell flat on my face in the black sand. When I looked to see what tripped me up, I saw this rock. As soon as I put my hand on it, I knew.”

  “What happened?” Wes was clasping the diamond between his hands.

  “Oh, my gods, I wish you’d been there.” Cass could still remember how he felt that day. “Power rushed through me like a massive orgasm. Steam came out of my nose, my skin rippled as I went through the change you see in my demon form now, and I remember holding the stone in my left hand and raising my hands high, roaring at the sky. It, er, it was quite something. But yeah, that’s how I knew I’d found my talisman.”

  “I can see why it’s very special to you.” Wesley laid it carefully in the box again. “I’m not going to insult you, by telling you, you shouldn’t give it to me, but you know, I really want to kiss you right now. I think my dinner has settled quite nicely.”

  Ooh, Cass could feel the heat of Wes’s stare right down to his toes. “One more,” he coughed and tried again. “You need to open one more gift for the ritual to be complete.”

  “What’s in all the other boxes?” Wes waved his hands over the pile.

  “Oh, you know. Custom made boots, a new leather jacket, things like that. They’re not part of the ritual, I just thought you’d like them,” Cass said casually.

  “You got me boots?”

  “Of course. Frankie told me you were upset about your other pair being ruined. But here.” Cass rummaged through the boxes. “Open this one.”

  “Cass.” Wes stroked his hand over the larger box. “You have given me so much already…”

  “This is the last ritual gift, I promise. Then you can kiss me and show me how much you appreciate my courtship. Go on, open it.”

  “I think you’re getting as excited about this as I am,” Wes teased as he carefully tore apart the paper.

  The box inside was long and narrow. Cass was trembling with nerves as Wesley went to open it. This was it – the do or die moment as his mama had said.

  “My gods, it’s beautiful.” Watching Wes’s hand stroke over the gold, rubies and black onyx was akin to stroking Cass’s dick. “What does this collar signify?”

  Sliding off the couch, Cass slid to his knees. “With these jewels I pledge my heart, my soul, and my life to you. If you put it on, it will never come off, and before you go fretting about your wolf form, the collar is magically enhanced to shift as you do. But, it’s a big step babe, because in the eyes of the demon world, once you put that on, your soul is mine.”

  “I see. No bartering my soul to Hades for a favor after this then.” Wes’s fingers seemed hypnotized by the jewels. Then turning the collar so it was resting in his palms, he held it out to Cass. “Can you put it on me?”

  Cass shook his head, wishing he could. It would make life so much easier. But demons were known for tricking humans since the beginning of time, which is why following the ritual to the letter was so important.

  “The ritual is very clear about this. I meant it when I said when this collar goes around your neck, your soul will belong to me. Death cannot claim you, and Hades has no sway over you. What that means is if anything happens to you, and you should physically die, then only I can pull you back into life again, and conversely, only you can do that for me. A demon mating is an exchange of souls – I will be owned as surely as you are. A piece of my soul is already woven into the gold. You just have to choose to put it on.”

  “You know, it’s funny,” Wes said quietly, his fingers still mapping out the patterns in the gold. “Only yesterday I felt as though my life was over. I didn’t feel I had anything to offer you – that I was nothing more than a broken half-breed no pack ever wanted.”

  He looked up and Cass could see the tears in his eyes. “My heart shattered into a million pieces when I sent you away, but I truly believed it was the only thing I could do for you. You, who deserve so much more than I
can ever give you. And then you went and did all this. No words of anger, no yelling at me for sending you away. You saved the children, and then gave me a courting any person would be proud to receive. I don’t need to wear this, but I’m going to put it on anyway. However, you need to know this first. You, my precious demon, owned my heart and soul from the moment you threw up changing baby Em’s diaper.”

  Cass watched, heart in mouth as Wes laid the collar on his knees before stripping off his t-shirt. Then, with trembling hands Wes raised the collar, fumbling as he wrapped it around his neck. “How does it…?”

  “The moment the two ends of the collar meet, they’ll join, and nothing will tear them apart. Wes, are you sure? I mean, I want this more than anything, but you must be sure. This is your soul we’re talking about.”

  “On my death, my soul would have reincarnated to find yours again anyway.” Wesley’s smile was breathtaking. “This way, we cut out the middleman.” He pushed the two ends of the collar together and Cass heard a decisive snap. I’m free, Cass thought as he reached up and pulled his mate into his arms.

  Chapter Eleven

  Wes would be the first to admit, wolf shifters didn’t like collars. There had been times when he was working for the FBI he used to begrudge wearing a tie. But the moment he brought the two ends of Cass’s collar together around his neck, and heard the snap, it was as if something settled deep inside of him. Someone wanted him enough to keep him, and as Cass’s scorching lips met his, Wes prayed his demon always would.

  And now it was his turn to give. His wolf was already anticipating the feel of Cass’s flesh in his teeth as they gave the demon a mating mark no one could ignore. But Wes wanted a lot more than that. He wasn’t a twink. He was a fully-grown shifter who hadn’t had sex in so long, he couldn’t remember when the last time was. Captivity had dulled his libido, looking after kids was a definite cock-block experience, but here and now, in a house silent except for that damn ticking clock, and the pounding of his own heart, Wes met Cass as an equal.

  Or at least he tried to. Cass would always be inherently stronger, but Wes pushed back. Fisting his hands in Cass’s hair, he leaned forward, his bare chest eager to soak up Cass’s warmth. Cass was still kneeling, and their bodies crashed into the coffee table, sending colored gifts and paper onto the floor.

  “Hold on,” Cass growled, which was totally unnecessary in Wes’s point of view. He wasn’t letting go, and he was glad of his strong hold on Cass’s shoulders as the floor and table disappeared and he was lying on his back in the bed he’d left an hour or so earlier, with his demon looming over him.

  “Gods, you don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of this.” Cass’s thick tongue licked a path down Wes’s cheeks, and across his throat. “Your skin. Your taste. Fuck, I can’t get enough.”

  Wes knew the feeling. Cass’s skin was rougher than his, even in human form, but it was warm, and deliciously male. It’d been too long since Wes had been with another this way, and even longer since he’d shared his body with a paranormal. Most of his hookups had been human and prepared to bottom. Wes figured this was one time he’d be doing all the receiving.

  Sliding his hand down between them, Wes ached with need. Whether it was the collar and all it signified, or simply because the man he was fondling was strong and could take any amount of rough handling, Wes didn’t know, but as he found the bulge in Cass’s pants and ran his hand down its length he realized he might have had a secret kink of the size queen variety.

  “Hmm, don’t do that.” Cass bucked up against his hand. “There’s so much of you I want to explore with my tongue…”

  “We have a million lifetimes.” Wes tried to find the zipper, a way of getting Cass’s pants open. When that failed, he flicked out a claw, ripping a slow and deliberate line with it down the side of the bulge.

  “You’re a minx.” Cass chuckled against his sternum and seconds later he flopped over, spread eagled on the bed. “Go on then, mate, have at it. See what I’m going to be stuffing in your ass before this night is done.”

  Wes didn’t need a second invitation. Peeling back the soft leather, he gazed at the slab of meat awaiting his inspection. His mouth watered. Long, that was a given. Thick – kinda expected too, seeing as Cass was a demon. Cass’s cock was the color of his shifted form – red with black swirls - and a quick thought about taking his mate in his other form, flittered through Wes’s head and out again, something to be examined on another day.

  For now, he leaned over, pressing his nose at that spot where cock met balls, his chin cradled by Cass’s scrotum. Cass’s cock was uncut, something Wes expected, but hadn’t had a lot of experience with. But as he licked his way up the twitching shaft, he was damn well going to learn. The head of the cock was already showing through, the foreskin sliding back a bit, dripping with juices which Wes just had to taste.

  “Are you sensitive?” Wes risked a look up. Cass’s eyes were in demon mode.

  “Not as much as many uncut dudes. I like my foreskin played with, but no teeth on the head itself.”

  Teeth. Wes mentally snorted but then he supposed, given how big Cass was, he might have a toothy problem with humans. Wolf shifters didn’t have the same limitations. Using his tongue at first, Wes nudged it against Cass’s looser skin, loving how it rode up and down in small movements. With every down stroke, more of the head became exposed, and then bam, the foreskin slid too far down and sat snugly under the ridge of Cass’s cockhead – leaving all that red and black swirly skin for him to explore.

  And it was delicious. Keeping his eyes closed, Wes lost himself in the pleasure of giving another pleasure. The foreskin, Wes found out, would pop back up with a bit of pressure from his hand, and at other times, Wes swirled his tongue around and around the pulsing head, lapping up any hint of juices that oozed from Cass’s slit. In a fit of devilment, Wes let his teeth lightly stroke across the angry red head and Cass damn near jackknifed off the bed.

  “You got me. You got me. Damn. You found my weak spot.” Cass wrapped two fingers around the base of his cock. “I’m too close to coming. Get your ass up here.”

  “Can’t you just magic me all lubed and open for you?” Wesley teased as he swung his ass around, so it was facing his mate.

  “I might have to,” Cass groaned, and Wes felt two solid hands smack against his butt cheeks through his sweatpants. “Let’s get rid of these first.” Wes felt the sweatpants waistband stretch and the brush of air across his bare skin as his pants were pulled right off. “So enticing, so nibble-worthy. Oh, I’m never going to get bored feasting on you.”

  A finger brushed against Wes’s hole and he made a point of not flinching. Lust aside, the logistics were slightly mind-numbing – Cass was hung like a horse, and Wes rarely bottomed. But he reasoned with himself, they were mates and mates were meant to be perfect for each other in every way, so Cass would fit. He bent his head, licking around Cass’s balls to distract himself.

  And got another smack for his efforts. This time it was on bare skin and Wes gasped, realizing how much his body liked the sting. That’s new.

  “I told you I was too close to coming,” Cass grumbled. “Keep that sexy tongue away from my cock, and your lips and fingers too. Damn it, if I don’t make a good showing of this, I’ll be laughed out of the Underworld.”

  Wes was sure the last statement wasn’t meant to be said out loud. Not being allowed to touch Cass’s cock with his tongue, lips or fingers, Wes tilted his head, resting his cheek on it instead, while his fingers trailed up and down Cass’s inner thigh.

  “I swear you must be part demon.” Laying his hand on Wes’s crack, Wes felt it when the magic took hold – his tight hole was squishy and well lubed, and Wes only hoped the same could be said for inside. His body was taut, the anticipation thrumming through him, but when Cass went to mount him, Wes rolled over onto his back.

  “I have to be able to reach your neck with my teeth,” he explained. “I wear your collar, but the mating’s not a
done deal until you wear my mark.”

  “See how flustered you make me?” Clicking up a couple of pillows, Wes felt his whole torso pushed into the bed as his ass was propped up on display. “Hades, give me the strength to hold on until I’m fully inside,” he muttered, and Wes felt the crown of Cass’s cock push against his hole.

  It was a tight fit. Wes guessed although he didn’t know for sure, that magic prep only worked in so far as the bottom wouldn’t get hurt. But as Cass wiggled and pushed, his eyes fixed on his cock, Wes could feel every inch of his insides stretch. Muscles moved instinctively, reflectively, and Wes’s were trying to seize up. Wes inhaled through his nose, and exhaled long and slow through his mouth, trying to trick his body into relaxing.

  “Mother of all Hades.” Cass wasn’t looking at Wes’s face at all. “Why did I have to be blessed with the long schlong, aye?... Why did I have to be hung like a damned horse?... Pushing and pushing, my poor mate’s body stretched to breaking… Only a few more inches…”

  INCHES? Wesley didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The intense look of concentration on Cass’s face; his adorable mutterings, which he’d probably be mortified to know Wes could hear clearly. Closing his eyes, Wes just focused on his breathing. At least his wolf wasn’t having a fit about being breached, which had happened a few times before.

  I could play with my cock. Wes expected his cock to droop. His body still felt that low hum of arousal he’d felt from the moment he’d first seen his mate, especially now Cass’s scent had strengthened with his own lust, but anal wasn’t easy for Wes on the best of days and Cass was taking his time. However, when he did reach down to fondle his semi-soft length, his hand got slapped away which made him open his eyes.

  “I’ll get to that.” Cass looked up and gave Wes a feral grin. “I’m in.”

  “All the way in? You know the last time you spoke, you said something about a couple more inches…”