by Alison Aimes
“Yes.” She tugged harder at her nipples.
She responded so well to his words.
Through the bond, he could feel how hot the images made her. He wanted to give her everything she’d never had.
“Each time I pull my cock from your greedy mouth, you’ll thank your Alpha. You’ll tell him you trust him. That you have faith in him. That you know he’ll keep you safe.”
“I-I will. I want that too.”
He growled low. “I know you do, beautiful girl. For now, it will be thank you, Alpha.”
She whimpered. “Thank you, Alpha.”
Her thighs were soaking wet. The scent of her honeyed, syrupy slick perfumed the air and made him crazed.
The walls of the dungeon cell blurred, but he fought hard. He’d promised her. He could not lose control.
“Time to get on your back.”
She moaned once more.
“On the mattress. Now. Spread those lovely thighs wide and show me that snug little hole I’m going to cram my cock inside. Going to make my home.”
She scrambled to obey.
He worked her panties faster and rougher along his cock. He could feel his balls tightening. His spine tingling. The rut pulling him under.
Especially as her heels slid to her pert bottom, and she spread her thighs and showed him paradise. Her pretty little slit was soaked and primed for him.
“Run a finger through those wet folds. Gentle at first, then harder. Just as I would—but no touching that greedy little clit. Not yet. That reward has to be earned.”
Neck thrown back, she did as he commanded, her trembling fingers working her flesh. Her mind and body so deep inside the heat she was all instinct and lustful animal. His for the taking.
So damn hot.
Precum leaked from his dick.
He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. Good thing she was near the edge too. Her chest rose fast, her skin was flushed, her little swollen nub aching to be worked over hard.
“Put your finger inside that unused little channel. Get yourself ready for me, Amora, because when I can come inside—and I will—it’s not going to be slow or gentle like a sweet, little omega like you deserves. It’s too late for that. I’m going to ram home until you can’t remember what it was ever like not to feel me deep inside you.”
She screamed, her legs jerking as his words catapulted her into her first orgasm. It triggered his own. Ropey cum shot from his dick. Most of it hit the bars and the dirt. Some of it landed on her.
In the next heartbeat, she was writhing and rubbing it into her skin, rising to her knees.
He barely kept to together. “That’s right, my heart. Paint that belly and those tits and between your thighs. Rub it in good. Put my scent and claim on you. Because every inch of you is mine.”
That set off another wave of climaxes in her. She fell to her hands and knees, presenting.
And he suddenly realized just how much fucking trouble he was in. Because the sight of his cum on her as she begged to be pinned and rode hard triggered a need deep inside him.
The call of the rut hit like a solar storm, dragging him under while he clung to the last of logical thought by the tips of his claws.
Mine.
Touch her now.
He slammed his cock against the bars—welcoming the pain. Welcoming the return from the edge.
He’d promised her.
He’d promised her he was strong enough to keep them both safe—and he refused to be one more broken promise in her life.
Except he also knew they were both just getting started—and that his battle had only begun.
Her fingers were already busy between her thighs once more and he could feel his dick hardening again, his balls heavy and throbbing, the knot swelling against his skin in demand.
It wanted inside his female. It roared to claim his fated mate.
He wasn’t sure how much longer words alone were going to be able to satisfy either of them. Even the threat of death was beginning to seem a small price to pay for the briefest chance to touch her skin and burn in the flames of desire together.
6
“Fuck me, Alpha. Please.”
Why did he not come and hold her? Rut her? Frustration and pain ripped through Amora. He’d given her pleasure, but not nearly enough. She was still empty. Still aching.
The mattress cradled her weight, but it felt wrong. She wanted his skin against hers.
She could hear him so close. His scent filled her lungs, making her burn even as it comforted her. His growl, followed by the low soothing sound of his purr, was like fingertips across her cunt, priming her. It left her desperate and needy to be claimed by him in full.
She was being a good girl. Presenting as she should. She arched her back deeper, lifting her ass higher.
His desire pulsed through their bond, a thousand beautiful gleaming lights guiding her home, showing her she was no longer alone.
She could feel him deep in her cells, her heart, her soul—so why did he not come and claim her body as well?
Her flesh craved the sensation of his solid chest against her, the sweat of his skin against hers, the crinkle of his hair pressing into her spine as his big hand pinned the back of her neck to the mattress and his hips slammed against her ass. Every thrust would rock her forward. Every surge would bring the crash of his balls against her core, the press of his palm against her clit. Every withdrawal would leave her scrambling to hold her position and desperate for more.
Slick slid along her thighs and coated his way—and still he didn’t come.
She whimpered.
“I know, baby. I know. Soon it will be me between those perfect thighs. My hand. My cock. My tongue.”
She shivered at the thought. “It-it hurts.”
“I know, sweet girl. I want to make it better.”
“Fuck me. Please.”
“Give me the key.” A curse. “No, forget I said that. Hells.”
A loud crash sounded. As if he’d thrown himself against the bars.
Was he finally on his way to her?
“Alpha, please.”
“Put your finger back inside you, Amora. Two this time.” His voice was deeper than she’d ever heard,and laced with pain.
Panting, she hurried to obey. Her channel gripping her finger as it slid inside, her slick coating the way. She shuddered. Her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Add another.” His voice was coming in rough short breaths. “Got to get you ready for me.”
This was harder. She strained to obey. The friction exciting—and oh so good.
“That’s right, little omega. Short, shallow strokes. Just like I’ll fuck you at first. I’ll need to ease you onto my big cock. Before I take you hard and fast and deep.”
“Yes. Please.”
“Such a good girl. So polite, and sweet. There’s nothing about you that isn’t perfect, Amora. You remember that, beautiful. There’s nothing about you that isn’t exactly right and all mine.”
His growled, fierce words, delivered with such conviction, soothed something inside her.
“Magnus.” He was hers too. He had to be. No one had ever made her feel like this before.
“I love when you say my name,” he all but snarled. “I can’t wait until you’re whispering it in my ear as I bury myself deep in you.”
She was so close. Everything inside her pulled tight. The pulse point at her throat, a violent rhythm that throbbed for his fangs. Her nipples were hard points that ached for his mouth. Her womb contracted with the desperate need to be filled.
She wanted him inside her now. Why didn’t he come? Why didn’t he reward her for her obedience? He’d said she was his. He’d said she was good.
“Please, Alpha.”
“I will, beautiful. Very soon. But for now, tap that clit. Hard. Once. Twice. Imagine it’s the flat of my palm. Taking what I want. Claiming what is mine.”
White-hot light exploded through her. She threw back her head
and screamed as wave after wave of pleasure slammed through her. Her body bowed as her legs shuddered and her hips lifted.
The bliss was unlike anything she’d ever known. Yet a part of her still ached. A part of her remained empty.
Her skin still untouched. Her womb still empty.
She sobbed and fell back on the mattress. She’d tried to be a good omega, and her Alpha still had not come.
Because she could never be what he needed.
“Shhh, don’t cry, beautiful. I am going to figure this out. I am going to make it right.” His voice was low, maddened. “You need to give me the key. Now!” Another curse. “No, no. That’s not right. I . . . hells. Just give me a second. It’s all going to be okay.”
But it wouldn’t.
The agony thickening his voice reached her through her heat, and Amora realized her cheeks were wet. What’s more, she was lying on the dirty mattress, legs spread wide, her dress cast to the side.
She scrambled for it and clutched it to her chest. She’d made a mess of everything.
“Don’t hide yourself from me,” he demanded.
But how could she not? She’d lost herself to the heat and, in the process, she’d endangered him.
That had never happened before.
His power over her was all-encompassing—and dangerous.
“You will not feel sorrow over what we’ve done.” His shout echoed through the cell. “We gave each other immeasurable pleasure. I have never come so hard in my life. You will not regret a moment of what we did.”
“B-But I do.” She drew her dress over her head. It shamed her to realize what she’d done. It terrified her too. She’d been so lost to the thrall, she’d begged him to come and fuck her.
He could have been killed.
Thankfully, he’d managed to control himself during the height of her heat. A feat only the most powerful of Alphas could do.
A crash shook her from her thoughts.
He’d thrown himself against the bars. “The key, omega. Now!”
Propelled by the strength of his will, her body scrambled to follow his command. Her fingers searched for the keys, the instinct to obey in her blood.
But even as she did, another part of her fought to resist. He’d controlled himself. For her.
Until her sorrow had proved too much. Her confession of regret had pushed him over the edge.
He’d lost it, slipping fully into the rut, not because he needed to fuck her, but because he needed to comfort her.
Slam. He threw himself against the bars once more. One bent, but it didn’t break.
“Stop, please.”
But the pain in her voice only maddened him further.
With a roar, he attacked the lock.
“Magnus, please. I am not ashamed of what we did. Only how badly I want you still. How much I need to feel your skin against mine and your shaft deep inside me.”
He stilled.
His face, more beast than male, pressed to the bars. “Mine?”
“Yes, yours. Always.”
Never had she responded to an Alpha as she had to him. Never had her body soared so high or ached so badly to be filled.
He might not have been able to touch her, but he’d claimed her nonetheless, his words weaving their way around her soul.
With him, she didn’t feel like a freak, but like a beautiful female. With him, she felt almost whole.
“I—” He stilled. “Someone’s coming.”
She looked down the corridor. “I don’t see anyone.”
His nostrils flared. “Not that way.” His gaze, still blood red, was locked on the small window well above her head. He sniffed the air. “I scent blood and the bitter drive for revenge.” His scowl deepened. “More smugglers.” His expression hardened. “Amora, move toward the bars. Now!”
There was no ignoring such a command. Her feet carried her forward, but it was too late.
Something shiny and dark flew through the bars of the window above and crashed into the floor of the cell.
There was a loud bang. Intense heat. She flew, her body crashing into the bars.
“Amora!” The roar sounded from far off.
She could hear someone shouting at her to give him the key, but she could barely stand, let alone move.
Cheek pressed to the dirt, she watched the flames spread across the mattress before consuming the bag that had once imprisoned her. Then, the blaze rushed toward her, hungry as ever.
It seemed fitting she should die by the same heat that had always consumed her.
Pure, unfiltered rage thundered through Magnus.
He threw himself against the bars again.
The flames crackled as they spread along the walls and devoured the mattress where only moments before Amora had gifted him with a glimpse of paradise.
He would not be separated from her.
He’d found her only a short time before, but his soul already knew. She was everything.
With a roar, he crashed against the bars once more.
This time, they bowed outward. He wasn’t surprised. The strength and power surging through him was like nothing he’d ever felt. Because of her.
Another hard slam and they broke altogether.
The flames had almost reached her.
With a roar, he leaped forward.
Her eyes, dazed and pained, fluttered opened. She raised a palm outward to ward him off. “D-Don’t. Save yourself.”
Even now, she thought of him.
He grabbed a fur from the pile she hadn’t used for the nest and wrapped it around her.
“No.” She tried to scramble away. “It’s too thin. You’ll be burned.”
He scooped her into his arms.
Without her, there was no life for him anymore.
He braced for the agony of the searing flames.
It never came.
The fur, while not as thick as the sack, was enough of a buffer, after all.
Crushing her to his chest, he spun around and sprinted for the opening in the bars.
7
Amora’s eyes flickered open.
Magnus thanked every god he’d never much believed in.
Stare widening, she clutched her throat and jerked upward.
He sought to calm her. “You’re okay.” He wanted to remove his half mask and give her a soothing smile, but he knew that was a bad idea. Both because it was hard enough not to touch her even without experiencing the full impact of her sweet scent—and because soothing smiles weren’t exactly his forte.
She skittered back, her spine slamming against the solid headboard of the bed. She drew his blanket over her like a shield. “Me?” Her voice came out more croak-like than sultry. He still loved it. “You shouldn’t have done that. You could have been killed.”
He held up his palms in a gesture of calm. “Take it easy, Amora. You’re fine. I’m fine.”
He didn’t like the sudden sense of withdrawal pulsing through the bond, dampening the wonder of their earlier joining.
He rubbed at his chest. “I can feel your ache.”
Her eyes widened. “I can feel yours too.”
“Then you know how pleased I am with you, omega. How much I enjoyed what we did.”
“Yes.” Her grip on the blanket loosened, and she gave him a shy smile. Lust and tenderness pulsed along the bond between them once more. “It was extraordinary. A gift I never thought I would be given. Thank you.” But all too fast, her expression lost that dreamy look. “However, you took too big a risk in the aftermath.”
“I disagree.”
Clutching the blanket once more, she surveyed her new location. “Where are we?”
“My room.” Honestly, it wasn’t much of an improvement over the cell. The bed was larger and off the floor, but there were no other furnishings. Just a pile of neatly folded clothing in one corner and a collection of weapons in the other. Once he was back in the capital, she’d have plenty of luxuries to decorate their home.
Thankf
ully, she was too busy asking questions to be bothered by her surroundings. “What happened?”
“The smuggler who abducted you had a few more partners. When their associates didn’t make contact, they came looking. They heard tales of an omega in the Forbidden Sector and followed the rumor-trail back to the castle.”
“How do you know?”
He held up his comms. “I’ve been in contact with my seconds, Pavel and Axel. They caught the bastards and interrogated them before putting them down.” He was sorry to have missed it, but being with Amora came first. “They won’t be endangering you again.”
She looked a little ill. Despite being a deadly weapon, she was far from bloody-thirsty. He’d have to keep that in mind.
“Does that mean the smugglers revealed your plans?” As always, she sounded more worried for him than herself. “Does your uncle know you have me?”
“No. They’d hoped to retrieve you and still claim the substantial delivery fee. As a result, they raised no alarms. It was only after they got here and saw there was no getting you out that they decided to retaliate. A miscalculation on their part.” His hands fisted by his side. “Now, they’re galactic worm food.”
She swallowed hard. “How about the castle? It is okay?”
He could feel she held herself responsible for the damage there as well.
“The dungeon is damaged, but that’s not a great loss. It was already pretty close to being declared uninhabitable. Plus, the fire was contained before it could impact most of the rest of the castle.”
Something in his voice must have caught her attention because she peered at him more closely. “How did that happen?”
“The beta servants and Alphas rallied. They formed a chain and dumped bucket after bucket of water on this place.” He paused. “They risked their lives. To make sure we got out—and that the castle survived.”
“You sound surprised.”
He shrugged.
But his little omega was too astute, or too attuned to their bond, to be fooled by his attempt at deflection. “Maybe you’ve grown on them as they have you,” she suggested.
They’d grown on him? “Doubtful.”
One delicate eyebrow rose in challenge. “You didn’t expect them to rally around you. Or work so feverishly to protect the castle.”