by Kat Bastion
Understandin’ took flight within her. And a tendril of excitement heated low in her belly. “Tuppin’?”
On a slow exhale, his eyes sparked brighter. “And then some.” His bewitchin’ lips descended upon hers once more.
A shimmer of energy flowed forth from him, around them. The cool brush of air danced over her skin. High notes of sound along their time-storm’s wind tinkled out a faint melody.
As Skorpius began to kiss her senseless, all else faded away. But soon, too soon, he tore his lips away then spun her round within his arms.
And she opened her eyes to wonders anew.
A massive bed spanned in front of the old tree’s trunk. Creamy white linens mounded atop it. Hangin’ from the branches were dozens of glass vessels, each held a wee candle topped by a golden flickerin’ flame. Tendrils of ivy climbed up carved posts at the bed’s corners. And sheer white swaths of fabric draped over the top framework of the bed.
“’Tis glorious.”
“For you,” Skorpius murmured, his lips tracin’ the shell of her ear.
A shiver tremored through her from the warmth of his exhalation.
“You keep watching outside,” he murmured. “I’ll fortify us from inside.”
“You will?”
“Yes.” He tugged her hair away from her shoulder, and his dangerous mouth trailed lower. Hot kisses dotted down the side of her neck. “The more excited I get you, the faster we’ll fly.”
“Me?” Surely, you are affected too. Because the tone of his voice had lowered, roughened.
“Both of us.” Have no doubt of your power over me.
Paced by the racin’ beats of her heart, each next scene flashed by faster and faster. Until all the points in time began to blur. Then pure energy streamed by, as if they rode the currents of time itself.
A part of her wanted to let go, not worry about the hunter chasin’ them.
Let go, Brigid. Surrender to this. To us.
Hot tingles spread through her. From Skorpius’s magick? She dinna know.
But how am I to watch and surrender? ’Twould be impossible to do both.
But oh, how she wanted to. To steal a wee bit of pleasure in the present moment. All she might ever get.
Skorpius abandoned the spot his lips had been attendin’ to at the crook of her neck and came around to face her with a hardened expression. “I’ve got us protected.” He glared at the sphere’s wall, toward the blur of light beyond. “Outside and”—he trailed the back of his finger along the shimmer of golden magick that formed the gown above her breast—“within.”
A spike of guilt speared through her. Do I have a right to…this? To us? When danger threatened to harm not only her, but everyone, in every world.
Yes. “Do you trust me?” His beautiful sparkin’ blue-green eyes held hers captive.
Trust. Skorpius himself had warned her to have great care where she placed her belief. Yet, in truth, she knew to her core, that all that Skorpius was…rang true.
Brigid swallowed hard and gave a nod. Skorpius had existed for far longer than she. Had sacrificed much of himself in the protection of worlds, of time itself. And if he could do so, take a wee bit of pleasure on the way to battle for everyone else? So could she.
“Aye.” More certain than ever. “I surrender.”
Chapter 28
Skorpius sensed the war within Brigid.
Would have been surprised had there not been some conflict.
As a female born to privilege—who had abandoned an easier life to defend a greater good—she accepted nothing less than everything she had to give. To others first. Herself last.
Brigid exhibited determination in venturing so far from home and staying to her course. Wisdom in assessing which battles to fight, when, and how. Bravery in facing down an unknown enemy and prepared to risk everything of herself, or die trying.
And the steely-eyed female warrior, a powerful goddess unlike any the worlds had yet known, had just submitted all she was—to him.
“I’ve never been more honored.”
“Show me.” Her chin hiked up a notch. Challenge sparked in those mercurial eyes.
Pride swelled in his chest. That she’d chosen him to share such a sacred part of herself. “With great pleasure.”
The outside danger had abated, due to his ingenuity with their unparalleled woven magicks. A last check of their internal tethers revealed the guardian tie hummed low, constant and stable. The timeline tether, however? Vibrated at a higher frequency since they’d launched their ricocheting sphere into the structure of the timeline.
Skorpius had no idea why. And no diagnostic existed to explain the elevated threat level.
So they’d steal what time they could for themselves. While they were able to take it.
“Weel…” Brigid’s gaze lingered at his waist, then dropped to his boots, eyes narrowing. “Am I to undress…or shall you…” She glanced down at her golden gown, formed of pure energy.
Bold. And right down to business.
Nice.
Yet for her first time? “Lady’s choice.”
Skorpius stepped back a pace. Then another.
To give her all the space she wanted.
And for him to take all of her wild beauty in, to savor the moment.
A smile curved her lips. Another game? “I’m thinkin’ we’ll both do so.” She scanned down from his chest, then paused at the waistband of his leather pants. “I’ll take a turn.”
With her magick, she cast out a warm glow that penetrated through to his skin.
An instant later, he stood before her in nothing but the boots.
A smirk lifted one corner of her mouth as she stared at their battered leather toes, the half-undone laces. But her amusement faded to curious wonder when her attention floated up, inch by inch, to take a good look at the rest of his body, bared for her.
Then the boots also vanished at her bidding.
“Magnificent,” she murmured with unabashed appreciation for his entire physical form.
For you. And no other.
Under the heat of her gaze, he became aroused for the first time in…a very long time.
But he blew out a steadying breath and tempered his excitement.
They had a game to play.
And he intended to take his time.
“My turn.” Which to protect her, presented a challenge. For the diaphanous gown that draped her body in fluid golden waves existed as a discharge of her excess magick. How to safely disrobe her when she needed the construct to prevent overheating?
Divert her energy. At the idea, he burst out a pulse of his magick, which displaced her glittering discharge and cast its energy flow beyond them to further electrify their sphere.
Then he strode forward to close the distance between them. He enfolded her in his arms and kissed her with all the devastating emotion he’d been suppressing.
Brigid clung to him while they explored each other’s lips.
Sipped.
Tasted.
Devoured.
The most incredible sounds drifted to his ears: soft sighs and faint whimpers.
A preternatural growl vibrated from his.
Breathing heavy, his head spun. Blood roared through his veins. In his arms stood the one female always meant for him. A fiery spirit. The kindest heart. An unshakable resolve. Unparalleled power. With a beautiful untamed innocence. The combination of her immense power vibrating under such sweet vulnerability proved intoxicating.
Waves of energy radiated out from the excitement they gave off, following the new pathway for her excess discharge. Subatomic, most of it shimmered as invisible waves. Yet infinitesimal sparks also burst to life, elements around them stirred into excitation. And in their generated sphere that mimicked the gravity of Earth, those tiny sparklers floated from the ground upward.
When Skorpius eventually released her, she gazed up at him with soft eyes, lost in a sensual haze. Until she caught sight of the tiny sparklers as th
ey burst into existence around them.
“Och!” she whispered, tightening her arms around him. “’Tis an upside-down snowfall.”
He glanced at the phenomenon they’d caused with a nod. “A magickal snowfall.” No idea what else to call it. Likely the first of its kind.
But not the only first of the moment.
“Brigid?” he murmured as he shifted behind her again. He nipped the delicate top of her ear with his lips. With firm pressure, he coasted his palms over the smooth skin of her hips, then curved them inward, one coming to rest over her belly, the other tucking just below her breasts.
“Hmmm?” She leaned back into his hold, eyes drifting closed.
Bared to his full access, a shiver tremored through her.
“You’ve not ‘tupped’ before, correct?” Although she’d alluded to the fact, he had to be certain. How he proceeded depended on accurate information, not guesswork. Slow, not fast. Gentle, not rough. Not at first. About her. Always. For his pleasure would be derived from hers.
“Aye. I’ve not tupped. Nor had the touch of a man.” His hands rose and fell in rhythm with each of her breaths. And they began to slow, deepen, as she fought to maintain control.
Mine. In all ways. Possessiveness spiked through him and his fingertips tensed against her. When a sigh escaped her lips, he splayed his hands wide, sliding them over her skin to soothe.
“Trust me in this. I’ll lead, but do whatever feels best. And tell me if you want anything.”
“Anythin’?”
“Yes.” We belong to each other. I belong to you now. Your desires are mine to fulfill.
Satisfied she understood, Skorpius wasted no time.
For he had shot their unique protective sphere with great force onto its initial course and had designed it to ricochet nonlinearly through the timeline, never stopping, and gaining speed with the supplemented magick they both discharged.
But the acceleration would only last so long. At some point, the sphere would slow down. Because their energy expending couldn’t go on endlessly without rest and refueling.
Yet for next few hours? They’d stolen the private time they both wanted. And had been granted a reprieve that his dual-tethered mission hadn’t negated.
Skorpius viewed the moment as a rare gift.
Never had he met someone so attune to him, who saw him for who he was under all the darkness. The remarkable female wanted to share her love with him—even if for the one chance.
And if all they had was the once? They’d make it the experience of their immortal lifetime.
Leading with his fingertips, he glided one hand lower and drifted the other higher, seeking what only his male touch had ever stroked. With hungry lips, he pressed a gentle kiss under her ear, then placed another, a fraction lower. Savoring the soft path, tasting her silken skin, reveling in every sweet shiver and quake, he trailed the sensual kisses down her neck.
Her hitched gasp was music to his ears when his exploring fingers slid up the curve of her breast and delved into her thatch of soft curls. While under his lips, the skin over her shoulder pebbled.
Brigid suddenly grasped his wrists, stilling his hands, then spun within his hold to face him.
A tender blush colored those freckle-dusted cheeks. Lush peachy-pink lips curved into the smile of a temptress. Pressing against him, she skimmed her hands up his front from abs to pecs, then teased him with a succulent kiss.
After several pulse-pounding heartbeats, she drew back. Seductive playfulness sparked in her quicksilver eyes. “Then we’ll be tumblin’ in that romantic bed over there.” Her small but powerful hands planted on his chest, then shoved him backward.
Nice. Warrior in all things. Even her first sexual encounter.
“Why I manifested the best.” The softest Italian linens. The fluffiest down pillows. The sturdiest mattress bearing optimal spring. Mason jars with the perfect distribution of bubble in their glass and beeswax candles inside to burn clean and long. Even the washstand beside the bed held an ivory porcelain basin and jug, the water within sourced from a pure artesian spring. “Only a bedroom fit for a goddess will do.”
Skorpius stepped to the side, then gestured a sweeping arm toward their well-appointed bed. Spreading his wings wide, he held his other hand out toward her in invitation.
Brigid came forward to take his hand, nude yet unashamed, confident in her own skin.
And he swept an appreciative gaze down her body as she moved. She’d grown fit and lithe for battle, yet possessed the gentle curves of the young female she’d become.
Another blush bloomed across her cheeks under his bold attention while she slid her hand over his palm.
His gaze locked with hers. “Beautiful. All of you. Outside, inside, through and through.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “Breathtakingly beautiful,” he murmured over her knuckles.
“Aye.” Brigid moved her hand to cup his cheek, searching his eyes. “What you are…to me. Protector of all. Beholden to no one. And yet, you’ve chosen me.”
“And you, me.”
A slight smile twitched her lips. “Weel, we’ve both chosen well, angel mine.”
Then with a forceful tug of his hand, she released her hold of him.
The bed’s sheer overhead draping multiplied, rippled down, then cascaded forward into an undulating fall of translucent fabric that she slipped behind. After two quick steps, his dreamy nymph crouched, then leapt high before landing face-first onto the center of the bed with a joyful squeal.
With the soft bounce, she rolled over onto her side. Then she patted the white linen covers. “We shall commence with the tuppin’ now.”
“We shall commence? I—” He’d been about to tease her for the formality.
But all words tumbled right out of his head as she further reclined onto the bedding, bending a knee, softening her expression with emotion.
Mouth gone dry, he swallowed hard.
The sight of his female stunned him anew. For under her soft curves and supple strength protected a heart of gold and spine of steel. And for several beats of his fractured heart, he found he couldn’t move.
But the glint of mischief in her eyes as she stared back at him—with stark desire for the male she saw in him—sealed the deal.
He forced out a breath. No holding back. Understood.
Then he strode forward. Ready to claim what was his by offer and right.
For his heart? Already surrendered.
Chapter 29
Through a billowin’ cloud of white fabric hovered the male of her dreams.
The most magnificent warrior.
And within his chest? Beat a kind, noble, and verra good heart. Even if he dinna want any to know. Protected behind an impenetrable coat of armor. Yet offered to her alone. Exposed. Vulnerable.
Doona fear. I’ll take care of you. Both her angel and his blackened heart.
But as he stared at her, those faceted eyes hardened and sparked with a brighter bluish green. Then in a flash of movement, he burst through the bed’s hazy sheers and pounced onto the bed, crouched above her.
She gasped, breath catchin’ with excitement. A rabbit’s pulse fluttered in her chest.
Hard muscles caged her body. Sparklin’ eyes captured her soul. Wings of starless midnight spread wide above, castin’ them into their own secret darkness.
But through her next ragged breaths, his gaze softened and he paused. Arms stiff and locked, he seemed hesitant to proceed.
“I’m certain.” On a shaky exhale, she hovered her fingers over his ribs, then across his back as she wrapped him in her arms, pullin’ his body down onto hers.
But still, concern flickered in his eyes. Doubt, mayhap.
That she dinna understand in full?
Openin’ her body and heart to him, she spread her knees and tugged him down until his bared hips touched hers. She slid her feet along his calves and smoothed her hands over his backside, glidin’ them to rest over the curve of his buttocks.
He blew out a heavy breath, bracin’ his arms to continue to stare into her eyes.
“’Tis my wish,” she murmured. “I accept the consequences.”
His gaze hardened. “To be further bonded.”
“Aye.”
“To me.” A furrow marred his brow.
Her breathin’ slowed as she stared up at the proud male who needed to understand his worth. “Aye, angel mine. I’ll have no other.”
“Come what may?” He finally dipped his head closer to hers and the wild ends of his hair brushed her neck.
Brigid arched up into him, brushed her lips up the hot column of his throat, flicked her tongue out to taste the salt on his skin.
“Aye. Come what may.” His mission. Her callin’. The danger they both faced. The unknown that awaited them on the morrow. Or whether or not they’d even have one.
An ache burned hot in her body and soul. To become one with him. To cause his surrender. “We’re alone. You in your world. Me in mine.” She nipped his earlobe with her lips, spoke the words burstin’ from her heart. “We’re different from the rest. Yet alike with one another.”
Skorpius had stilled in her embrace.
When she relaxed her head down, he drew his head back and searched her eyes once more. “Made for one another.”
“Aye.” She gave him a wee smile. “Mayhap from the verra start.”
Relief washed through his expression as he exhaled.
Sparks fired brighter in his eyes.
And a magickal charge rippled through the air.
Then a primal growl reverberated from Skorpius’s throat as he dipped his head down, capturin’ her lips with his.
Now we’ll commence with the tuppin’? She couldna help but cast the teasin’ thought to him.
You tell me. A different kind of tease laced his mental tone.
And the magnificent powerful body enfolded in her arms…shifted.
If Brigid had thought she’d drawn him as close to her as possible, he proved her wrong.
The amazin’ heat and hardness of his entire body settled further upon her. Solid muscles pressed her down into the cushions of the giant bed. Another far more intimate hardness rubbed along the verra center of her body, sparkin’ such great pleasure, she gasped in surprise.