Invincible: The Curse of Avalon #4

by Skye, Sariah

  “Thanks,” I replied softly, feeling my voice catch in my throat. In the dim light of the flashlight, my heart warmed seeing Mathias look over me with concern on his exceedingly handsome face. Sometimes, even now, it was a surprise to witness just how much gentleness and caring the superhuman fighter was capable of. He could easily snap a neck with just a squeeze of his hand, yet his touch was barely a caressing whisper on the side of my face. He was capable of so much love and so much beauty, yet he was still plagued by the past deeds of his life when he was forced to fight for survival. That was not Mathias. This was Mathias… the protective caretaker, the gentle lover. And he was all mine.

  “Ava?” he asked, eyeing me cautiously as a slow, sultry smile spread over my lips.

  “Sorry, handsome. Just admiring the view,” I said, trailing my fingers down the side of his arm. Even in the artificial light, I could see his cheeks flush scarlet. I felt a bit silly flirting in this cave, with the guys, Rhys, and Mordred out there—hopefully together—and my father suffering out there in the storm. But if anyone could take away my woes and my troubles, it was Mathias Romanello.

  He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips, grazing them across my knuckles while his deep brown eyes stared at me with intensity. “I don’t think I’ll ever be tired of seeing you admire me.”

  “Good. Because I never intend to stop.” I grinned at him, with a sultry smirk.

  He kissed the top of my hand once again softly, and dropped it back into my lap. I frowned briefly.

  “I am going to go check the storm,” he explained, and I sucked in a panicked breath. The roaring noise no longer echoed through the cave, but there was still a dull sound of persistent wind coming from the dark, stone corridor that assumedly led towards the cave entrance.

  “Don’t go—let me come.” I requested, shivering not only from panic, but cold as well now that he had stepped back. I had been chilled before, but with the absence of his body against mine I was positively iced-over.

  “No, beautiful girl,” he said softly. “You’re still dizzy and need rest. The entrance isn’t far. Keep Excalibur with you, even though there is nothing else here. But it’ll make you feel better. I’ll just be a minute.” He bent over to press a kiss to my cheek and he squeezed my shoulder. “With any luck, the storm is letting up and we can get back out there soon if you’re feeling better.”

  I nodded in understanding. Swallowing down my anxiety I allowed him to disappear from my sight, knowing that he wouldn’t leave me behind if he didn’t think it was totally safe. It didn’t stop me from grabbing one of the blankets, pulling it up to my chest. I shuddered violently from his absence and the thought of wondering where everyone was and if they were safe.

  What if they didn’t get to my dad in time? Is he… dead? After all of this, escaping the threat of execution? What about the guys? I knew they were immortal but there are demons out there—other than them. Demons that could potentially kill them.

  Oh plus Nimue. There was her too. Perhaps if she conjured this storm, she had a way to hurt them. Goddammit…

  Everything is fine Ava, trust me… the sword spoke in my head.

  You keep saying that word… fine… I don’t think it means what you think it means. I chuckled to myself at my own joke.

  I do not get it.

  You will… now please quiet down, I need sleep here or…something.

  I can take the hint. I don’t want to hear that.

  Good… you’re getting smarter by the moment, I thought triumphantly

  I wrung my hands nervously in my lap, nervously waiting for Mathias to return. I hated that I felt so exposed and vulnerable without him. Without all of them really, not because I was afraid for myself, but them. I supposed that was love, though, and love meant feeling vulnerable, worrying about others other than yourself. It was…overwhelming to say the least. These were definitely not feelings I was used to having.

  I felt something on my shoulders and I gasped, crying out in terror. “What the—” I began and then immediately felt sheepish upon seeing Mathias fold his long body next to me on the piles of blankets.

  “Sorry,” he insisted, ashamed. “Sometimes I forget how fast I can be. Superspeed and all.” Mathias gave a reproachful roll of his eyes.

  “At least you’re not fast when it really counts, so, there’s that, right?” I said, a definite flirty undertone to my words.

  His pouty mouth spread into a seductive grin, and he slid closer to me. My lids fluttered shut when I felt the warmth of his body against mine. I felt one of his hands on my stomach, urging me closer to him. “So, it’s going to be a while still. It’s still really coming down out there.”

  “Oh?” I said, with a playful grin.

  “Yeah,” Mathias replied. “We should probably get some sleep.”

  “Oh.” Feeling disappointed at the unrequited lust I had begun to feel, I rolled over onto my side, facing away from the gladiator and sighed deeply. He was right, though. Having sex while the guys were out there, freezing their butts of and in potential peril was probably a rotten thing to do.

  “Avie?”

  “Hmm?” I asked, clenching my eyes shut and trying to will the tingles between my legs to go away.

  I felt the length of his body slide against me, and my eye lids flew open when his cock jabbed me in the asscheek, hard and ready for attention. I smiled to myself, feeling his hand brush aside the hair on my neck. His warm mouth licked and nipped playfully at the spot just under my ear, and trailed a path down my neck. Mathias’ large hand slipped around my hip, and slid under my sweatshirt and long-sleeved shirt, and goosebumps erupted over my cold flesh, instantly heated from both his warmth and his desire.

  “You didn’t really think I meant actually going to sleep, huh?” He whispered, low and husky in my ear.

  “Well, I had hoped, but…” My words were interrupted by the groan that left me when Mathias’ hand trailed upward, seeking one of my breasts under my bra, and rubbing the pad of his thumb over the nipple. “Oh fuck…”

  “Exactly what I had in mind, my love…” His hand left my shirt much to my protest, and I rolled over gently to gaze up into his handsome face. His hair was still bound, revealing his big, deep brown eyes and high-set cheekbones on his artfully chiseled face. I lifted my hand and slid it around his rough jawline, brushing my thumb over his chin softly as I gazed up at him.

  “You don’t think it’s like, shitty, if we’re doing this and they’re out there in that storm?” I inquired, both serious and both joking.

  “No. You’re cold, right?” Mathias asked, with a gentle smirk at the corner of his mouth.

  “I’m so freezing I make snowmen look tan right now.” He snickered with amusement.

  “Well then, you remember what the best thing is to do when you’re really cold?” Mathias asked, his words a low growl from the back of his throat; the timbre shook against me, resulting in deep, warm tingles that spread through my limbs and made me feel like floating.

  “Um… hot tea?” I suggested playfully.

  “No.”

  “Um… chicken soup?”

  “Try again.”

  “Uh… well shit, Mathias, I’m stumped. Why don’t you tell me, handsome?” I asked, feigning ignorance, allowing my hand to slide down his neck and rest just over one of his pecs. Through the thin t-shirt—seriously, it was probably ten degrees out with a windchill, and he was wearing a t-shirt?—I could feel his nipple peak. Feeling mischievous, I pinched at it with my fingers, gently at first but when he didn’t protest, I squeezed a bit harder until his head rolled backwards and he let out a long, loud moan.

  “Oh shit…” he mumbled, as I rolled the peak between my thumb and pointer finger while his breath increased; I felt his chest heave against my back rapidly.

  “What were you saying?” I asked, releasing him. He gazed at me pleadingly.

  “Oh. Um… the best thing to do when you’re cold… right?”

  “Right.”

/>   “Get naked and share body heat,” he replied, his tone a groan as I caught his eyes flash deep crimson around the irises. By the gods, did I ever love flirty Mathias…

  With his words, I about lost it. I completely rolled around until I faced him, feeling my heart stutter in my chest as his eyes drank me in. I set a hand on his cheek and regarded him with adoration, so much it made me breathless.

  “So you’re just trying to make me feel better, then, is that right?”

  Mathias grinned, reaching out to tug at the bottom hem of my shirts, and proceeded to drag it up and over my head. I sat up into a cross-legged position to give him better access. “That’s right,” he said slowly, pulling the shirts carefully over my head, revealing my breasts and chilled flesh to the cold cave air. “I’m just doing my duty as Avalon’s protector. Any of them would be willing to do the same.”

  “Ah, I see. It’s just obligation then,” I quirked with a smile. Mathias immediately sat up ram-rod straight, cupped my face in his hands and gazed at me sternly.

  “Avalon Dawson, do not ever say that again. You are not an obligation. You’re an absolute privilege, my love, you understand this, right? Being your protector, your lover, and your damned fiancé is an absolute honor. They are by far the best labels I’ve ever had in my entire life. You realize that, right?” Mathias spoke solemnly, with each word he drew my face closer to his, until we breathed the same chilly air, and his lips just barely ghosted over mine.

  “I didn’t but I’m beginning to,” I answered in a small voice, nervous under the weight of his words and heavy stare.

  “Good.” Mathias regarded me for a moment more. “I love you so much, you know this for sure, right?”

  “I do,” I replied, smiling warmly. “I love you too.”

  “Good.” He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip and replaced it with his mouth, kissing cautiously at first, but when I nibbled gently on his, smirking as I did he let out a low groan and crashed his mouth full on into mine. I shivered as the heat from desire mixed and overtook the cold tremble from the snow and air I felt and soon, I was melting into him completely; his kiss, his body, and his soul.

  I gripped his shirt and fisted it at the chest, urging him closer to me. Our mouths already parted, he dove in with reckless abandon, his groans mixing with my moans, tongues intermingling as I scratched my other hand up his stomach, moving his shirt and exposing his ridged stomach.

  He broke the kiss, letting out a raspy, desperate hiss through his teeth. “Oh shit Ava…” he said breathlessly through a long moan. I loved how he was learning to let go, and trusting me with his deepest desire: just a touch of pain. I wouldn’t go full on dominatrix with him but I did enjoy obliging him somewhat because it meant not only did he trust me with his secret, but he trusted me to act on it.

  “Take this off, Spartacus.” I leaned in, trailing a path of licks and kisses over the defined ridges of his abdomen while he pulled the shirt over his head and tossing it aside. I threaded my fingers in his hair, gripping tightly and urged him into me, meeting his hungry kiss with one of my own. His bare skin was smoldering as his chest pressed against mine, and I got a certain thrill out of feeling his heart race and his breath quicken. Our hands roamed over each other, loving how the other’s warm flesh and smooth skin felt under our respective fingers.

  “Crap, Mathias… you are fucking beautiful,” I said quietly between kisses, loving the defined musculature of his chest, stomach, shoulders and arms felt in my hands. So hard, so strong… such a contrast to the person Mathias really was. And that person was beautiful indeed. I considered myself incredibly lucky that I got to see it where others mistook him for just another harsh intimidating alpha male. Mathias was so much more than that.

  “No, Ava… you’re the beautiful one,” he responded, slipping his fingers in the expanse of my hair and tangling them at my neck. Instinctively, I let my head fall to my shoulder, exposing my throat to him. I whimpered, a victim to the lust vibrating through me as he gently sucked and brushed his lips over my ear, tugging carefully on the lobe before taking me in his arms, laying me carefully on the expanse of blankets on the ground, and covering my body with his own. “I love all these curves, you know that?”

  “I’m glad,” I said, relishing in the feel of his hands brushing over me and landing on one of the taut, heavy mounds at my chest. He let out a small growl of dismay.

  “This needs to go. I’m sorry, Ava.”

  Before I could ask, he grabbed the bra at it the center between the cups and with no effort at all, and a desperate smirk on his face he split it in two. I gasped, both at the surprise and the fact that it was that easy. “I’ll buy you a new one,” he said quietly, lowering himself until his mouth grazed over my nipple and the tip of his tongue swirled over the peak as he gently sucked it in. Now it was my turn to hiss out a breath that turned into a low moan as I arched my back into him. The lust for him ebbed inside was growing out of control, and I trembled with heat and anticipation, my clit throbbing between my legs, wet, and ready to be touched.

  “Dammit, Mathias. Just—hurry.” I pleaded, while he tortured my breasts with his hands and mouth, licking and rubbing his thumbs over the nipples and palming the tense mounds until I was a trembling mess of desire. I hadn’t even noticed I’d parted my legs for him, and I carefully bucked my hips, searching for friction. “Please.”

  “Aww, but I still wanted to play around a bit…” He crawled down my body, licking and nipping gentle kisses down the expanse of my stomach, his hands tracing the dips and curves of my waist before coming to my pants. Rising to his knees, he reached for the waistband and gently tugged them down my thighs, bringing my black cotton panties with them.

  I began to protest when he slid one of his long fingers through the folds, slick with desire and I cried out. “Oh god… keep doing that… just… please.”

  He laughed gently, sliding a finger inside and rubbing it against my tense channel. I panted, feeling the pressure increase, but nearly screamed when his mouth and tongue dove into my clit. My hands shot into his hair and I gripped it, harder with each lick, each kiss, each plunge as I rocked against his mouth, eager for relief.

  “Come on, my love… come for me,” he spoke, still mastering my clit with his mouth. The words vibrated against the sensitive skin and I found myself eagerly chasing the orgasm his taunting had promised. It wasn’t quite there yet, but I was damn close. Every nerve was on fire and I could feel the perspiration between him and I increase.

  “I want to, just not yet…” I clutched his hair tightly, knowing fully well what sort of reaction it would illicit when he couldn’t control his throaty moan.

  “Come on, Mathias. I need you.”

  “Whatever you say, beautiful girl,” he said, through heavy breaths. He released me long enough to rise to his knees and I sat up before him to help him thumb the button of his jeans aside and unzip them. I set my hands over his and we pushed them down together, his eyes never leaving mine, not once. They gazed into mine with lust and adoration. They were shaded crimson and I’d never seen such a beautiful sight—except for when he pushed his pants all the way down and off, kicking them aside, freeing his long length. I immediately took it in my hand, loving how smooth and hard it felt in my grasp.

  Mathias’ hands set on my shoulders, indulging me. I felt it twitch and I knew Mathias was closer to losing control; either triggering his feral strength or prompting his release, I couldn’t tell.

  “Lay back, Ava.” Mathias requested, gently biting his bottom lip in a plea. I nodded and did as he asked. He positioned himself over me and I clawed at his back, anticipating how it would feel to be stretched and filled with him.

  The head of his cock slowly breached my entrance and I gasped a breath. “Oh god…” I shook and trembled, eagerly waiting for him to sheath himself completely in me, but he usually took his time.

  I bucked my hips against him and wrapped a leg around his middle crying out when he slid inside me to
the hilt. I moaned, finally feeling the relief but he looked worried. Briefly.

  “Ava?” He asked, brushing a hand over my face, looking at me inquisitively with disbelief.

  “I’m fine. God it feels good… please…”

  Satisfied I wasn’t in pain, he thrusted gently once and we both cried out.

  “Damn, it does feel good….”

  “Unh-huh…”

  He bent his face over mine, catching my lips in a scalding hot, passionate kiss. He didn’t move his hips, just kept himself inside me, needing to feel that connection. I got it and relished in it myself for a few moments before I just couldn’t take it anymore. I bucked under him, threading my arms around his neck. He groaned, and began to move, not able to keep still himself.

  “Shit… Mathias… harder!” My cries and moans echoed throughout the walls of the cave and I soon forgot where we were, that we were lost or that there was a snowstorm and an impending war outside. All I could concentrate on was the pressure increasing between my legs, ebbing and pulsing with heat and need as I enjoyed our bond. He quickened his pace, burying his face in the crook of my neck as we chased our releases.

  Explosions erupted in my eyes and before long I watched as the mist of Avalon swirled around us, mixed with the golden threads that magically and lovingly linked us together and I knew I was damn close.

  My orgasm was hard and long as I shattered beneath him, and Mathias came only a split second after. We moaned through our orgasms together, tensing as they hit their fever pitches before finally subsiding. I shook from the gentle aftershocks and the continued stimulation of being filled with him, his pelvis still rubbing against my swollen clit.

  “Shit…” Mathias muttered, sinking to his elbows and kissing my collarbone.