by A. Mashburn
Smiling seductively, she reached between them to his aching rod, “Your turn.” She tentatively ran her fingers up his shaft, making it twitch and he groaned against her mouth. She slid to her knees and Jayce stood with his back braced against the wall. He looked down at her as her lips parted, the pink tip of her tongue sliding up the center from his balls to his thick head. She flicked the end of her tongue across the center of him gently as she sucked him. She curled her tongue as her head moved rapidly up and down his shaft while grasping the skin that hung below, tugging gently, with an occasional near-hurtful squeeze.
He groaned, his thighs tightening as she took him from tip to base. Still tugging his balls, her other hand gripped his cock, moving in time with her lips as she drove him in and out of her mouth hungrily. Jayce felt her warmth leave the tip of him; he watched as she held his manhood against his stomach, massaging the base as her tongue trailed down his shaft to his balls, alternating sucking and licking him. He grabbed her hair as he arched against the shower wall. As Laria trailed back up his length, he felt her lips around him once more, her head moving slowly at first, worshiping him. She continued at a steady pace; he looked down and found her looking up through those thick lashes and felt her hum, the vibrations causing pleasure to knot and twist as he felt himself rapidly closing in on completion.
“Mo grá,” he growled, “I’m close.”
Laria continued her assault. His body tensed as he gripped her head, thrusting himself into her mouth as the orgasm began in the depths of his groin. The earth felt as though it shifted beneath his feet as his legs shook. She felt his already engorged manhood thicken in her throat and suddenly, he was lost to rapture.
As he came down from his release, Laria simply held his softening, sensitive member in her mouth, savoring his taste. Finally, she pulled off him with a pop and gazed up at him adoringly as she licked her lips and stood. He pulled her close, burying his face in her neck inhaling her intoxicating scent as he tried to regain his composure. “I’m not done with you yet, Mo grá.”
A low husky laugh emitted from her lips as he lifted her in his strong arms and grabbed a towel. He took his time as he tenderly dried her off and then quickly did the same for himself. He scooped Laria into his arms again and carried her, bridal style, out the door and into his bedroom. “Are you hungry?” he asked her.
“After that? You bet I am.” She grinned, eyeing the food she assumed he had brought up for them earlier. Her gaze drifted to the bed, where a box had been laid. “What is that?”
He pretended to look anywhere else but at the box. “What?”
She slapped his arm playfully and ran and plopped on the bed, her ass jiggling as she landed on her stomach. “This!” she held up the box victoriously.
“Oh, I don’t know where that came from; I think I should take that away, just in case it’s something dangerous.”
She glared playfully at him before untying the bow. Inside she found a beautiful silk robe the color of milk chocolate with golden letters embroidered on the chest. “Mo grá,” she said as she traced the embroidered lettering with her fingertips. She smiled and looked up into Jayce’s amber gaze. “What does it mean? I’ve heard you say that before.”
He walked over to the bed and knelt on the floor next to her. He reached up and tucked a renegade strand of hair behind her ear and Laria saw a hint of color appear on his cheeks as he confessed, “My Love—Mo grá means, My Love.” He kissed her and stood as he picked up the robe and held it open for her to put on. As he tied the front for her, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply.
“I know it can’t be but, I wish we could be like this always.” She cast her eyes to her feet.
Jayce lifted her chin with his hand, “You do not cast your eyes down to anyone, understood? You submit to no one, least of all me. It won’t be like this forever. If the Hunters could make me, there must be a way to unmake me.”
“Until then,” she trailed off as she stepped in closer to him, “we eat.” She smiled brightly at him and pointed to the fruit in the corner by the fire. “Then, we make love until it’s time for me to go.”
Chapter Twelve
Gretchen looked around her as Mora’s large black wings beat against the wind, taking them ever farther from home. She peered over the edge of the riding harness as they flew over the North Atlantic Ocean and asked, “How long before we’re there?” Nicoli peered around them as if to get his bearings before answering.
“About eight to nine hours, depending on if the ol’ gal needs a rest or not.”
Gretchen’s eyes were wide with excitement as the wind whipped her hair around her face. “Do you think we will be able to find the witch?”
Nicoli leaned forward and pulled her towards him. She willingly curled into the warmth of his chest. “You doubt me?” he replied, feigning hurt, and she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into the turquoise depths of his eyes.
“I’m here, aren’t I? Not that I had any other options…”
“Hey, it’ll be okay.” He squeezed her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “Just sleep awhile and we’ll be there before you know it.”
The hours passed without issue—Gretchen had fallen asleep after a while and slumbered peacefully, curled up with her head in Nicoli’s lap. “Hey, Gretch, wake up.” Nicoli shook her. “You should eat.”
She stretched and took the sandwich Nicoli held out to her, noticing the sky was now dark and the moon seemed so close she thought if she reached out, she might be able to touch it. Genesis howled in her mind. “How long was I out?”
“Oh, about five hours. You must’ve been exhausted.”
“It’s been a hell of a few days,” she agreed, peering out over the side again seeing the coastline ahead. “Are we about there?”
“Aye, what you’re looking at right now is the coast of Italy. We’ve already passed over Spain. We’ve still got Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia to go over, then we’ll be in Romania.”
“I can’t believe we’ve traveled so far, Mora, do you need a break?”
Mora chuffed and shook her large head from side to side. “She’s fine and making good time. At this rate, we’ll reach the Carpathian Mountains in about an hour.”
Gretchen smiled widely. “That’s amazing, Mora.” As she gazed out over the sea at the fast-approaching coastline she sighed and asked, “Nicci, do you think Slovenia will help us?”
“Of course, she can help.”
Gretchen’s brow furrowed and she cast a side glance in Nicoli’s direction. “I didn’t ask if she could help—I asked if she will. Alice said that—”
“Don’t worry about what Alice said, she will help us—she has to.” He rubbed her shoulders reassuringly. “This is where your mother told us to go when you were ready to return and that is now. It’s time for you to remember and we’re almost there.”
“I hope you’re right,” Gretchen paused a moment, thinking of her parents. “Can you tell me more about my parents?”
“Well, your mother, Queen Jillian, was a brilliant ruler; she was kind and just. Your father, King Tomas, was fierce and he trained my brothers and me. He taught us everything we know about strategy and protecting our kingdom. While he was a fearsome warrior, he was also wise and held the oracles in high regard. In building relationships throughout the kingdom your parents were privy to information others weren’t.
“See, there was a prophecy that one of us—my brothers or I—would be your mate and rule the kingdom with you. The other two brothers would mate with females to strengthen the bond between our territories. My brothers and I grew up knowing that with our mates at our side, we would bring peace to a nation that was always on the brink of war. Your parents were the strongest of the Lycan species. When they mated and had you, we knew that you would be just as powerful, if not more so.”
Gretchen nodded her head in acknowledgment. “So, the idea was that if I were to mate with one of you, we would’ve been raised
together and naturally form a bond?”
“That was the idea, yes. My brothers and I were born a decade before you, so there was an age difference to take into consideration.”
“How could I be a possible mate to the three of you? I thought that a mate was the other half to your soul?” she questioned.
“The prophecy didn’t tell us which one of us it would be. So, the two families decided it would be best to groom all three of us for the role.”
“Ah, okay so this way, no matter which one was my mate, you’d each be prepared to run your kingdom. Then, there’s the bonus of the other two brothers also gaining the knowledge to rule their territories successfully. Thus, making it easier to run them together.”
Nicoli nodded his head. “Essentially.”
Gretchen mulled that over in her mind for a moment before asking, “So, the three of you grew up knowing only one of you would be my mate?”
“Yeah, we had to wait until you were of age before we would know who the Moon Goddess chose for you.”
Gretchen tilted her head back and stared into the endless abyss of the starry sky. “So, why the war?”
The silence stretched while Nicoli pondered how to answer. He watched her as she gazed at the stars and marveled at how well she was taking the new knowledge. “You said you’ve dreamt about the day you saved me, right?”
She nodded her head. “I believe so; I remember a little girl jumping out of the window as she shifted into a white-winged wolf. I could clearly see and feel the fear she had for the boy and the anger towards the other two when they had the knife to his throat. The girl had red hair like mine with the same freckles and hazel eyes.”
“The part you don’t remember is Jayce becoming very jealous of our time together. As your personal guard, I was with you every day and we spent a lot of time training. You were incredibly young at the time, I’m almost a decade older. So, we grew to know one another and even though at the time there were no romantic feelings, I was dedicated to you. I was the only one, besides your parents and Alice, who knew of your early shift. To be honest, if it weren't for Alice having to siphon your magic, I don’t think the king and queen would have told her either.”
Gretchen tore her gaze away from the sky and looked at Nicoli with wide, horrified eyes. “Why would they do that?”
He smiled reassuringly. “It was for your protection. You were still so young and unable to control your powers. Your emotions would ignite your magical instincts and objects would fly across the room, or tables and chairs would levitate. We practiced meditation and during those times, Alice would pull some of your power and release it into the realm.
“After we began doing that, the outbursts were less frequent and allowed you to stay under the radar. Before you ask, yes, you had to remain hidden; a Lycan with your power, even as a Pterolycus, was unheard of. Your parents were powerful, but you exhibited powers of all the elements and you hadn’t even hit double digits.
“Your mother and father controlled different elements: your mother held the blessing of water, wind and spirit. Your father, on the other hand, was blessed with fire, earth and mind. He also had added strength and speed, while they both regenerated at an astonishing rate.” Nicoli looked at Gretchen who was leaning close; entirely absorbed in the information he was giving her.
“The Elders believed that any child of theirs would inherit some of their powers or maybe a combination, making that child immensely powerful. However, when you started exhibiting signs of each trait they shared, your parents worried. So, until you were old enough to learn proper control, they didn’t have any option but to siphon some of the energy.”
Gretchen chewed her bottom lip, mulling over what she had learned. “Genesis said that the more I learned about myself, the harder it might be to understand and warned me that I wouldn’t like everything I heard,” she sighed shaking her head slightly.
Nicoli nodded in understanding as Gretchen continued, “She wasn’t wrong—I don’t like it, but I do understand it. They ran an entire realm; they couldn’t be there to protect me all the time. And, while I did have you, there was no way for you to be there all the time, either. Something is still bothering me though; I don’t understand why your brothers would start a war with my family after living under their care for so long.”
“Yeah, it happened the day you jumped out of the window and placed yourself in harm’s way to save me. Jayce and Jade saw that you had shifted and by the look on my face, they deduced I already knew. They both felt betrayed; we were supposed to be raised together so that we could all be suitable mates for you. But, at that moment, they both realized that you and I shared a secret, and they were excluded.
“Jade came to me one day and asked if you were my mate. I spoke freely and explained that I didn’t know; you were too young to feel the mate pull, but we shared a connection. He proceeded to tell me that Jayce had been missing for days. He said that Jayce believed that I was manipulating you to turn against them.” Nicoli hung his head. “I tried to tell him that wasn’t the case, but you came running around the corner and used wind to throw him into the wall away from me.”
Gretchen’s mouth was agape as Nicoli continued, “You screamed at him, telling him that he intended to do me harm. I begged you to understand that we were just talking and that it was a misunderstanding. But Jade had already stood saying, you expect me to take your word now, brother? I would have never hurt her, never. You could have entrusted me with her protection. I love her too, you know. He turned to walk away, but you ran after him with tears in your eyes.”
Nicoli glanced in Gretchen’s direction to find her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Don’t cry, I know it’s tough, but you were young and didn’t know any better. You just wanted to protect me.” She nodded and motioned for him to continue with the story.
“Anyway, you raced after him and when he wouldn’t stop, you stood there crying and told him that you loved him, too. That got his attention; you were so young, but you did love all three of us in your own way.” Nicoli took a deep, cleansing breath before he continued.
“Jade was the youngest of us brothers and the playful one, always assisting you with your jokes and pranks. He would run with you for hours playing tag and hide and seek; he was your best friend. So, when he turned around, he lifted you into his arms and hugged you. You held on to him with all your might and apologized for hurting him. He glared at me as he took you outside to play. He couldn’t be mad at you because he believed I was manipulating you. I watched the two of you for hours playing in the yard. When I heard you beg him to shift, he did and did so without hurting you. You then climbed on his back and rode around in the market square with your hands wrapped around his neck. He loved you, Gretchen, and you him.”
Nicoli fell silent. Moments felt like hours to Gretchen, and the pain in her heart was unbearable; the man who once loved her wants to kidnap her? It didn’t make sense in her mind. Nicoli gave her time to digest the new information, and while on the back of a giant dragon who was also her best friend, she found it oddly comforting.
A gust of wind ruffled her hair and as she thought about the events that transpired, she felt the first raindrop hit her cheek. A crack of thunder rumbled and she looked to Nicoli who was already standing to unroll the top of the dìollaid to keep them safe from the elements. Lightening speared the sky so close that Gretchen felt the heat from the bolt. “Nicoli, maybe we should settle on the ground somewhere so that Mora doesn’t get struck,” she suggested.
As another bolt of electricity sizzled through the sky too close for comfort, she remembered what Alice said about Mora being able to hear her. Mora, should we land for a bit? Isn’t it dangerous for you in a storm like this? I don’t want you to be hurt.
A deep rumble met Gretchen’s ears and so much time passed, she thought that Mora would ignore her; then a deep female voice met her ears. Do not fret, my friend. I’m looking for a safe place; but thank you for considering my safety.
&n
bsp; Yet another bolt sizzled through the sky and this time Mora let out a fierce roar that shook her entire body. Gretchen and Nicoli fell backwards at the sudden movement of the dragon's large frame as they began to plummet towards the earth.
“Mora—” Gretchen screamed as she tried to right herself. She looked over the side of the dìollaid and noticed a hole in the soft leather of Mora’s wing.
Another low rumble emitted from Mora’s chest and Gretchen heard her voice again. I’m okay—I‘m going to try to land us in the clearing ahead; I cannot stay in flight like this—it will be a rough landing.
Nicoli held on to Gretchen as he extended his wings. “Mora, I’m going to alleviate some of the load to make it easier for you. I will take Gretchen to wherever you land. Please be careful.” The dragon inclined her head in acknowledgment.
“Gretchen, wrap your arms around me and don’t let go.” She did as she was told and Nicoli lifted them from Mora’s back. Gretchen watched as Mora leveled herself out and glided towards the clearing ahead.
“Will she be okay?” She asked Nicoli, concerned for her friend.
“We’ve got provisions to help her heal, Alice made sure of it. So yes, she will be alright; as long as she can land without breaking anything, we will be back in the air in a few hours.”
“I don’t want her pushing herself on account of me, Nicoli. We can rest for the night.”
Nicoli peered at Gretchen for a moment before saying, “We’ll talk to her once we’ve got her mended. I’m not going to lie, lightening is a force to be reckoned with—even for a dragon.”
Mora descended towards the earth as another lightning bolt grazed her thigh and caused her to roll to her side. Her wings folded around her as she tumbled and then righted herself as another fierce roar burst from her lungs. As she neared the ground, she put her feet out like the landing gears on a plane but stumbled again when her injured leg hit the ground. She tumbled and rolled as she came to a stop in the clearing.