by Olivia March
Nefarion reluctantly let go of her nipples, giving one last lick before kissing his way down Annabelle heated body. He easily parted her thighs, Annabelle being too far gone in her passion to allow a self-conscious denial of what he wanted. When he parted her sex, he found her soaking and ready for his possession. Her legs were trying to pull him inside her, but he couldn’t allow that. He released a couple shadow tendrils and commanded them to immobilize her hips and keep Annabelle’s legs wide open. Once she was tied down tight, Nefarion settled in to feast.
Time had no meaning while Nefarion tasted his mate. He concentrated on thoroughly working Annabelle over, licking and sucking and probing her depths with his tongue. He relished the sweet taste of her essence and the salty flavor of her skin as it heated for him. The hot tightness of her walls around his fingers and his tongue were a temptation that was incredibly hard to deny, and the longer he felt them the harder it was to resist. He needed to resist though, so he lashed her with pleasure mercilessly, until the tent echoed with the sound of Annabelle’s keening cries as she came over and over.
“Nefarion, please, please, come inside me. I can take it, I swear,” Annabelle whimpered, her hands trying to pull him from between her legs and up her body.
“I can’t take you gently, Annabelle. I need you too much,” Nefarion replied with more than a little frustrated desire in his tone.
“Then let me take you damnit!” she demanded, trying to fight off the hold of his shadow tendrils.
Nefarion stared up her body, arrested. Let her take him…Nefarion had been an alpha since birth. When he wanted a female, he seduced, he took, he was in control. And here was his mate, demanding that he cede his control and let her take him. With any other female, he’d be voicing a flat denial immediately. But this was his mate. And she wanted him enough to make this demand of him. And he wanted her enough to have her however he could. He released his shadow tendrils as he came off the bed. Holding eye contact the whole time, Nefarion slowly took off all his armor until he was completely naked.
“Understand this mate…but I will not allow you to harm yourself. We will try this, because I want you fiercely. But I won’t jeopardize you, so go easy.” With that warning he climbed back on the bed and slowly lowered himself onto the bed.
Annabelle nodded, sat up and crawled towards him. His blood nearly boiled at the sight of his mate coming to his side, her sweet body bared to him, her eyes hot with need. One of her delicate hands tracked up his left thigh, until it reached his rampant erection now freed from the restrictive armor that had been holding it at bay. Her touch was soft at first, inquisitive. But the harder he got the bolder Annabelle got, until she was gripping him tightly with one hand while the other caressed his balls. The pleasure of her touch was staggering, but he wanted more.
“Straddle me, mate. Climb on top and lower yourself onto my cock, slowly,” he growled, lacing his hands behind his head. He didn’t trust his hands within easy reach of Annabelle, not right now.
Annabelle nodded again before carefully doing as he bid. She’d never been on top of a man, and it took all Nefarion’s willpower to not take over and feed his cock into her himself. Instead he lay there completely still as Annabelle threw one leg over him, perching her wetness right over his aching shaft that was straining to combine with her. Without further prompting Annabelle spread herself while he watched, and slowly lowered her hips until the head of his dick was lodged at her entrance. And then she shifted her hips, forcing her body to accept his invasion inch by inch, panting harder and harder the more he filled her.
Nefarion wasn’t even half inside her yet when Annabelle orgasmed again. He smiled grimly, hanging onto the threads of his control as her sweet depths clenched around him. The feel of her coming around his cock was hot, tight, and incredible. Nefarion wanted to feel it again and again, maintaining his position as Annabelle’s helpless squirming during her orgasm dropped her further and further onto his cock. When she finally finished coming, Nefarion was fully seated and ready for a ride.
“You’re not done yet, young one. Now you ride me,” he demanded, fisting his hands around his hair and pulling hard, the pain a reminder to him not to let his control slip.
Annabelle smiled at his words, placing her small hands on his chest for balance and raising her hips until his cock nearly slipped out of her body. His growl of warning seemed to amuse her more, but she slowly took him inside her again, dropping until her ass rested on his balls and he was fully seated inside her. She must have liked how that felt, because instead of rising again she rotated her hips, making sure she was stimulated inside and out. Then she rose up again and came down, harder this time, before ending the thrust with another grind. And then again, and again.
Sighs and whimpers continuously fell from Annabelle’s lips as she took him this way, pleasuring herself on his cock and in turn giving Nefarion pleasure as well. But it was a frustrated sort of pleasure for him, because he wanted to thrust faster, and harder, while Annabelle was content to ride out each thrust slowly, absorbing every bit of feeling she could from the contact. Soon though her movements became more frantic again, and Nefarion knew she was reaching towards another climax.
“Help me, Nefarion,” she demanded before lifting her hands to grab her own breasts, pinching the distended nipples hard. Her hips began to come down on him harder and more frantically, her body reaching for release but not quite able to make it there again on its own.
Nefarion’s internal debate lasted all of five seconds before he dropped his hands to Annabelle’s hips, forcing her up and down on his cock faster, and harder. He leaned up at the same time, replacing her hands on her nipples with his mouth. He sucked and thrust hard, forcing her body to take every hard driving inch over and over. His grip on her hips would probably leave bruises, but he was too far gone to care, and Annabelle didn’t seem to mind either if her guttural cries were any indication. She was meeting him thrust for thrust, sheer desperation in each halting cry ripped from her lips.
Nefarion could have held off his own orgasm and continued to enjoy the ride, but he retained enough sense to know that Annabelle’s stamina was still not up to speed and he didn’t want her to overtire. He kept one hand on her ass to propel Annabelle down into his thrusts, and the other he moved around to her front, easily finding the sensitive little pearl at the top of her sex. And that he rubbed ruthlessly while simultaneously sucking hard on one nipple and thrusting his cock hard into her tight channel one last time.
The triple assault on Annabelle’s senses was the final straw, and she came with a wail, her body clenching so hard around Nefarion’s cock that he was immediately propelled into his own orgasm. His whole body tensed, the pleasure so consuming that he nearly blacked out, stars dancing before his eyes as he emptied everything he had into his woman. It was the most intense pleasure he’d ever experienced, enhanced by the knowledge that he’d almost lost her to treachery and death. Annabelle had been right, reaffirming that she was alive had been exactly the right thing to do.
“I love you, sweet Annabelle. I swear, I will never let anything bad happen to you ever again. You’re my life, my everything.”
“Nefarion…you have to stop beating yourself up over what happened. I’m alive, we both are. If anything, this brush with death has freed me, so I won’t regret that it happened.” Annabelle had collapsed on his chest once her orgasm subsided, and she remained there in an exhausted heap. But she was gently stroking his chest too, calming the fear that still tried to take control of him. The fear of her fragility, the fear of Annabelle dying.
“What do you mean it freed you?” he asked quietly, returning her caresses with his own down her back.
“I was so afraid before. I was afraid of dying, so I hid instead of helping others escape the Scourge. I was afraid to fall for you, and self-preservation had me behaving like a coward. And when I was poisoned, I felt so much fear that I would die without committing myself to you, that I wouldn’t have time to tell
you and show you how much you mean to me. But I’m different now. I fought death and won, with your help, and the healers. I feel like I can do anything now. I can help my fellow humans and redeem myself. I can push aside my fears about our future, because any future that has me and you together will be full of life, and happiness, and no regrets. I’m alive. And I’m with you, and I still have a chance to make a difference in the world. And that’s all that matters.”
“You’re right, that is all that matters. And while you go forth and make a difference in the world, I will be right by your side, making sure you stay alive, and mine, and free.”
When Annabelle lifted to smile at him, Nefarion took her mouth again. Right now, they were in a perfect little bubble of happiness. The campaign to destroy the Scourge was a worry for tomorrow. Traitors and Scourge half-breeds were for tomorrow. And alliances with shifters and mages were a trial for tomorrow. For tonight, Nefarion would hold his mate close, and protected. Tomorrow was for the world, but tonight was for them.
Epilogue
High Commander Bron was hard pressed to disguise his irritation, but he managed it. Having a shifter female reclining on his desk was an annoyance, but it was hardly the first time a shifter female had been inappropriate in his presence. They seemed to thrive on antagonizing him, and the best recourse he had was to ignore it until they got tired of trying to provoke a response. Shifter males were no better, aggressive and primal as they tended to be. But at least King Fane had come on request, and he was more level-headed than most.
“What you’re implying is quite serious Bron. Scourge filth taking female hostages, breeding to infiltrate the planets they attack from within. Are you sure of this information?” Fane asked from his perch on a nearby bench. His stance was quite casual, leaning back with one elbow on the table behind him. But the alertness in his eyes told Bron that Fane was taking this issue quite seriously.
“We haven’t confirmed our suspicions. We need the help of the mages to get onto those ships and see if our worst fears are a reality. But we do know that the traitor Tolvein claimed to have the soul of a Scourge, but was no convert. Healer Nathal is working on an autopsy as we speak, so we will know more soon. And since Commander Helion took and bred a human mate, attacks on human refugee camps have started popping up.”
“Those camps were supposed to be protected by your shielding technology High Commander,” came a languid voice from the other side of the table. Prince Saros, diplomatic liaison for the mages of planet Harkan.
“Yes, they were secured when we first portaled our forces on the planet. We sent countless humans to those camps all over Earth. And they were operating normally until recently. We believe now that traitors like Tolvein are undermining the safety of those camps and giving the Scourge fodder for their war machine. The males that can’t be converted are being killed, women and children and young males being taken captive. And we fear now that those women will be used to breed Scourge infiltrators.”
There was silence as the contingents from the shifters and the mages digested the issues currently at play. The Scourge hadn’t attempted an attack on either of their planets, because both had a very tangible military might that the Scourge hadn’t felt confident enough to overcome. They preferred to take on targets they believed could offer weak resistance, though their analysis in that regard wasn’t infallible. They had attacked the Keepers after all, something neither the Shifters or the Mages considered doing. And now the Scourge were feeling the full brunt of the Keeper’s wrath.
“What is it you want from us, High Commander?” Fane asked, his tone impassive.
“We need the help of our allies to make sure the Scourge are well and truly destroyed now. Keepers have chased them across the galaxies, and severely diminished their numbers, but these new developments have increased the urgency to wipe out this filth before they do further harm. From the shifters, we need warriors on the ground, fighting in the battles with us. But we also want your senses. Your feral traits can sense much, perhaps even sense if a Keeper’s blood is entirely Keeper so we can weed out insurrections from within. Tolvein’s traitorous activities nearly cost the lives of many Keepers and two new Keeper mates.”
“And from the mages, High Commander?” Saros asked, his languid voice dusted with frost. “You wish us to portal significant numbers of Keepers onto Scourge ships. I’m sure you know that such a maneuver will require significant reserves of power. And nothing is free in our world.”
Bron gritted his teeth, but nodded. Now was the time to negotiate, and the shifters and mages had the upper hand.
“I realize what I’m asking goes beyond our treaty agreements, and I have the permission of our ruling Council to negotiate further recompense for both shifter kind and mage kind.”
Saros and Fane exchanged a long look, seeming to communicate without speaking. Bron knew the two of them were friends and frequent companions on diplomatic missions and in battle. Whatever the two wanted for their people, they would be colluding with each other for maximum gains. Bron didn’t grudge them that however. What he was requesting was dangerous and deadly for all concerned.
“The thing is, High Commander, we’re not entirely certain you can provide us with what we want. You mentioned that one of your Commanders mated a human female and already managed to breed a son on her. That’s a rather…intriguing development,” Saros said, his voice ringing with challenge.
“It surprised us all as well, but we don’t question good fortune,” Bron replied, unease settling in.
“It is good fortune…for Keepers. Just in the last few weeks not one but two of your princes has found a compatible human mate. As you know, shifter and mage kind both tend to have the same low rate of births as Keepers do. If you want our aid, we want access to the humans.” Fane accompanied his words with a feral grin, all teeth and predatory intent.
“King Fane, Prince Saros, surely you aren’t suggesting that I attempt to enslave human females to give to you. That goes against everything Keepers believe in. We don’t harm the weak, we don’t abuse women, and we hold the female sex in the highest regard. Those beliefs extend to all females, regardless of race,” he challenged, pointedly glancing at Fane’s bodyguard, who was still laying prone on his desk. Even in his annoyance he hadn’t mistreated the irksome woman, it wasn’t the Keeper way.
“I object to your phrasing, mating with either of our kind would hardly be abuse. But as it happens, we aren’t requesting slaves. We too respect and honor females, as you know.” Fane’s voice was pitched to sooth, but Bron continued to eye him with the aggression he deserved, so he shrugged and continued. “What we want is the same opportunity your own men currently have. We will join your forces, and we will stamp out the Scourge menace. In return, if our soldiers find willing human females, they must be allowed to mate them without Keeper interference.”
Bron looked between the two bastards, trying to maintain his composure but wanting nothing so much as to throw a few knives in their direction. They thought they had him over a barrel, but they didn’t. He knew from talking with Helion and Nefarion that human women had minds of their own. If Saros and Fane were expecting to drop onto planet Earth and leave with human women, they would soon find that accomplishing such would be more difficult than they anticipated.
“Obviously, I can’t negotiate on behalf of these hypothetical human women. But from a Keeper standpoint, I can promise we won’t interfere in the progression of courtships between shifters, mages, and humans. But have caution. These unions, should they come about, must be one hundred percent consensual, as with my own men. No woman of Earth will be forced into these unions. If I find that a nonconsensual mating has occurred, your people will not like the consequences. Are we agreed?”
Saros and Fane exchanged another loaded glance, then nodded. And so, the alliance to destroy the Scourge once and for all was formed. In the hours that followed there was much planning done, troops called up, and decisions made. And back on Earth, those cowe
ring before the Scourge invasion would soon realize that there were more heroes in the galaxy than they imaged. But could they live with the price of survival?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivia March
Olivia March read her first romance novel in middle school and never looked back. She finds time to write now herself, between raising two rambunctious daughters, caring for her husband, and working full time. And besides all of that, what is life really, without a good book, a cold soda, and one to four chocolate bars
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