“She spoke of Gilleoin, that his line is called ‘Son of the Bear’ and that he was the first man to draw claws and shift, a gift bestowed upon him by The Most High One. This she told me in great confidence, that you would come on this night and claim me as your mate. She assured me I would have naught to worry about, that we were destined for each other.”
“Aye, she spoke only the truth.” He bowed his head. “My name is Ivan and I’m the second-born son of Gilleoin from the House of Clan Matheson. My soul recognizes and longs for yours just as your soul longs for mine. May I have your name?”
“Lady Bethia, daughter to the Chief of Tainfield Castle. My clan have strong ties to the Royal House of Lorne from the Celtic Kings of Dalriada. Nessa informed me that Gilleoin’s lineage too stems from the same Royal House.” She motioned through the trees to where a fortress of stony gray rose high. The castle’s massive gray tower windows were lit with candlelight, its garrisoned walls topped with battlements and guardsmen patrolling the barbican. “My home.”
“Then I would like to speak to your father.”
“You may, but he is sickly and plagued with the chills and isnae up to visitors this eve. Nessa told me he would survive his ailment but no’ recover his great strength. She said you would be the one to lead our clan in his stead, until my younger brother comes of age. He is but ten and three.”
“What else did Nessa say?” His grandmother was a wily woman, one he completely adored.
“There were so many things she knew about me, things that I’ve never spoken of to another soul.” She shuffled closer, until the tips of her white satin slippers touched his booted feet.
“My grandmother came to pave the way for my arrival.”
“Aye, she loves you greatly. That I understood well. She also gave me her word you were a man of great honor.” An intriguing smile lifted her lips. “Will you show me your other form, that of the bear?”
“’Tis too soon. I dinnae wish to frighten you.”
“Your grandmother promised me you’d never be able to do so. And there is naught that frightens me.”
“Did she also explain what this night would entail?”
“Aye.” A mischievous glint lit her eyes. “That should we complete the bond then we would form an unbreakable merge of the mind. I must warn you though, I’ve always suffered a rather impetuous streak. I couldnae help but sneak out to meet you afore you arrived at Tainfield’s gate. I wanted to speak with you first in private.”
“Glad I am then for your rash behavior, and aye, I promise you’ll never regret meeting me here.” He lowered to one knee, took her tiny hand in his and spoke the words drawn deep from within his soul. “You’re my mate, the one woman I wish to share my life with. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
“I should insist you speak to my father first.”
“Aye, you should.” He swung her into his arms and carried her to his horse. “Allow me to take you home.”
“I’d rather no’ return this eve.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her nose in his shoulder-length hair, and whispered, “My answer is aye, I wish to be your wife, and my soul aches for more this very night. I desire the bond and all that it entails.”
“As I desire you, to complete the bond and merge fully as one, although we have only just met and I have no issue if you wish to wait.”
“Mayhap I forgot to mention my impetuousness?” She smiled, her lips lifting into a playful grin.
“I see.” Grinning back, he carefully set her upon his horse, slid in behind her and with his arms around her, slapped his reins against his destrier’s neck and rode toward the quaint inn he’d passed at the edge of the forest some miles back.
Tonight was their night, and no other’s.
He would woo his mate as she deserved and if she truly wished for more, he would gladly join with her. Bethia was his, now and forever.
Chapter 7
Isla stood unclothed before her mate, her towel lying in a puddle at her feet next to the gurgling river meandering through the forest near his cabin. This was the most beautiful place, so private and secluded and it was just them within this little slice of paradise.
“You should have warned me you were about to do that.” Iain, his thumbs still stuck inside the waistband of his black silk boxers, stared into her eyes.
“Do you still intend to shift with me?”
“Absolutely. What my lady asks for, she shall receive.” He slid his boxers down his muscled legs then kicked them on top of his pile of clothing. Every inch of him was on delicious display and although she’d touched him earlier in the day, made him come with her hand alone, that time together paled in comparison to the intensity and raw intimacy of this moment.
“Need to touch you.” Ragged words as he stepped closer. He trailed a finger down her neck then gently, carefully, he cupped both her breasts, dipped his head and licked one nipple. The heavy rasp of his tongue across sensitive flesh sent a flurry of need pulsing through her core. “I long to make you mine, Isla.”
“I’m already yours. I was from the moment I was born.” She dropped to all fours and for a miniscule moment, pain seared through her as her bear broke free. The Change was swift and fast, the pain leaving her as quickly as it had come.
Iain grumbled, dropped and in a sizzling display of fireworks, made the Change beside her. One large bear with silky black fur lumbered closer, his beast twice her size as he nudged her muzzle with his own then rose up on his hind legs and roared. His thunderous growl stated his claim, that she was his and for all others to remain far away, not that they weren’t already alone.
Grinning, she plodded into the shallow water at the edge of the river then went deeper and paddled across to the other side. She trod up the far bank, shook the water from her body and sent drops flying. Happiness exploded inside her. This was the most glorious place on Earth. In a patch of sunshine, she sat and rolled onto her side, the grass tickling her muzzle and belly. Such a moment of perfection.
Iain followed in her wake, plopped down beside her and dropped one front paw over her rump, his claws lightly scratching her pelt then with lightning speed, he made the Change, fur retracting and muzzle shortening in a shimmer of bright light until the man lay beside her. He stroked her head and rubbed between her ears. “Your bear is beautiful, Isla.”
A purr rumbled from her.
“But I have to touch the woman.” He stroked down her body, caressing her soft fur. “Change, little bear. I need you.”
Liquid heat rushed through her veins at his gentle touch and she took control and forced the Change. All woman, she arched into him and moaned as he gripped her hands, pressed them over her head and stretched out over top of her, his hard shaft pressing into her hip.
“If you want me to stop, tell me so now,” he whispered against her lips.
“There’s no stopping what is to come. All I ask is that we take things slowly.”
“However slow you need. You’ll tell me what you like, or what you don’t like. What you’d prefer for me to do, or not do.”
“Nothing is off limits. I want to be with you in every way.”
“So I can touch you wherever I please?” He released her hands and shuffled down, his warm breath brushing across the heated skin of her belly.
“Aye. Can I touch you too?” She sank her fingers into his soft wavy hair and gasped as he licked around her belly button.
“I demand you do.” He nipped in a line upward until his nose brushed the underside of her breasts. He cupped both mounds and thumbed the peaking tips. “I want to taste every inch of you as well.”
“I want that too.” Boy did she want, and with a desperation she’d never experienced before.
“It feels as if I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment.” He sucked her nipple deep into his mouth then moved to the other. Heat rippled through her. Then he caught her hand, turned it over and kissed her palm in the sweetest caress. Her heart melted as he lifted
his gaze to hers and smiled. “There’s something I need to say before we go any further.”
“I’m listening.”
He laced their hands together. “Isla Matheson, from this day forward, I promise to protect and keep you safe, to honor your needs above my own. All that I am is yours, heart, body and soul.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she slid her hand over the heavy beat of his heart. “Iain, you’ve stolen my will to be anywhere but here with you.”
“Good, because from this moment forth, you’ll never leave my side.” He stroked over the claw-and-star tattoo on her hip, a seriously hungry look lighting his eyes as he gazed at her breasts. He licked one nipple, so sensuously slow. “You taste so sweet.” He drew the aureole deep into his mouth and played the tip with his tongue. Oh, he knew exactly how to use his tongue. She palmed the back of his head and held him against her breast as he sucked.
“That feels amazing.”
“Tell me if I do anything you don’t like.” He tugged her onto her side, slid one of his legs between hers, and in a dark, sexy tone, murmured, “Touch me.”
She encircled her hand around his thick cock and smiled as a drop beaded and glistened on the plump head. “I want to do more than touch.” She slithered down, licked the tip then swirled her tongue around the head. He tasted divine, salty and strong, and she sucked, taking as much of him in as she could. “Mmm, this could get rather addictive, rather quick.”
He growled and rocked his hips. “I won’t last long if you do that.”
“Please, just a little more.” She took him deeper, slid her hand lower and cupped his balls covered with a smattering of dark hair. Carefully, she caressed them. He was all hers and soon she’d have the telepathic link their mated couples did. She longed for it.
“Cease. No more.” He pulled her up, tumbled her onto her back and kissed her. His hunger was potent, the same as hers, and his mind, it pounded at the edge of hers as it demanded entrance. “Your scent is driving me insane.” Stroking down her sides and over her hips, he nuzzled her mound and breathed deep. Then he spread her legs and revealed all of her to his ravenous gaze. With a rumble, he stroked a finger along her slit. “So wet, and all mine.”
“Aye, all yours.” She slid her legs against his, her heartbeat a pounding mess. Then he ducked his head and she tangled her hands in his shoulder-length locks. She held onto him as his tongue swept across her flesh, as he extended his claws then retracted and curled his hands around her hips. A firestorm radiated out from where he touched, as he moved his mouth over her sensitive clit, and sucked, hard. “That feels sooo good.”
“For me too, but I need more, Isla.” Licking her, he built her orgasm to exquisite perfection and she lifted her hips and her legs fell wider. He accepted the invitation, grasped her bottom and drank from her deeper.
Panting, she struggled for a breath at the intense emotions surging through her. “I don’t want to come this time without you inside me.”
“Are you sure?” He lifted his head, his gaze holding hers.
“Aye.”
“Then what my woman wants, she shall receive.” He came up over top of her, nipped her lower lip, then with his hands on her hips, he slowly, carefully, moved between her legs and nudged his cock along her slick folds.
She cupped his face, her mind shoving against the barrier still between them. “Do it.”
He tore through her barrier below, and as he did, the block between their minds fell away and he lay completely open to her. Her mind tunneled deep inside his and along a private pathway that would only ever be theirs. “My mate,” she murmured mind-to-mind as she gripped his shoulders, his cock buried so deep inside her. Never had she felt so completely and wonderfully full.
“Aye, your mate, always and forever.” Ever so slowly he slid back out then stopped and pushed all the way back inside her. She clung to him, wanting more, as hard and fast as he could give it yet also wanting it slow so this moment would never end.
“I can sense your thoughts, Isla. Fast and hard, but also slow so this moment never ends. That shall not be an easy task.”
“Start with fast and hard, then we’ll get to the slow and never-ending part later.”
“As you wish.” Thrusting, he pounded into her and every nerve ending in her body charged and sparked where they touched. She rocked with him, sucked the skin of his neck between her lips and bit down when she could no longer hold back. She marked him, as territorial as any female bear would. Her man. Her mate.
“Do that again,” he growled in her mind, his pace increasing.
She nuzzled the other side of his neck, lapped at his skin then grazed her teeth back and forth. Slowly, succinctly, she bit down and he roared his pleasure, bucked into her and marked her neck in the same way.
“This feels so good.” Her lashes fluttered down. “I don’t want to leave your mind.”
“Then don’t, only look at me. I want to see your pleasure when it comes.”
She opened her eyes. He was buried so exquisitely deep, and his heartbeat thumped against hers. Then he laid claim to her lips and sent every one of her last thoughts flying. “Touch me below. I’m so close, Iain.”
“Here?” He touched her clit, so gently.
“Aye, please, more. Need more.”
“This day”—he caressed her nub—“I’ve found my true peace.” Then he drove deep and her inner muscles tightened and locked him in place. Blissful spasm after spasm racked through her body, each of his possessive strokes a balm to her soul. Then he jerked, his seed shooting inside her, and with the skill of his mouth taking hers, he sent her soaring over the edge once again and far from her body. He’d taken her over, from the inside out and she reveled in it all.
“Aye, peace.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him as her lashes fluttered down.
* * * *
Iain lifted up a little, not wanting to bear his full weight on his woman. He’d wanted her with a thirst he’d never known before, and even though he’d just come, his need for her still raged deep within him. He’d longed for her since the moment their bond had solidified five years ago, and just the thought of the years they’d already lost near tore his heart in two. He wouldn’t lose a moment more.
He slid down her body, raised her legs and spread them until she lay even more fully exposed to him.
“What are you doing?” She opened her eyes and rested her elbows underneath her as she peered languorously at him.
“You’re so beautiful, so pink and lush.” Her soft flesh enticed him and gently, he touched the smear of blood along her inner thighs and reveled in the fact that she’d given him her innocence, the right allowed only to him. It was the most precious gift, one he’d now claimed, just as he’d in turn allow her to claim whatever she wished from him. To his dying day, he would be hers to command. “Do you hurt here?”
“A little.” Her golden gaze softened.
“Then allow me to take care of you.” He stood and walked into the river, scooped fresh water and returned to her. Tenderly, he washed her clean, and once done, pressed a soft kiss against her bare mound. “I can’t believe you’re smooth down here.”
“I like to wax and keep things tidy, no matter the other half of me sprouts fur.”
“I adore your fur, as well as all things smooth.” He parted her folds and plunged his tongue deep inside her. She bucked, her nipples hardening into tight points. “Hmm, it appears you like it when I taste you here.”
“I have a feeling I’ll like everything you do.” She gasped for breath. “Surely neither of us can come again so quickly?”
“I’m hungry, Isla. I wish for you to come often, and always at my hand.” Lapping her, he eased one finger in then as she mewled for more, a second finger. Gently, he caressed her, her soft cries a heavenly crescendo that made his chest pump out. This was what he wanted, to hear her passion and know it came because of his touch. Sensations stormed through him and his cock throbbed as he imbibed at the v
ery heart of her.
“Iain, that feels so good, but I need your mouth on mine.”
He lifted up, took her mouth in a hot kiss as he continued to stroke his fingers into her below. As he did, she caressed his cock with long pulls and his spine tingled as the pressure in his shaft built.
He’d longed for her for so long, to join with her and make her his in every way. Now her sweet demands were driving every rational thought from his head. Kissing her, tasting the delectable recesses of her mouth had his cock begging for release. Soon. There was so much more of her he yet needed.
Still fondling her below, he slid down a little, tracing her skin with his mouth and tongue. He gorged himself on her full breasts, sucking her pebbled nipples deep inside his mouth until she could barely breathe for the pleasure. He feasted on her creamy flesh, licking over her flat belly and along her groin. He nibbled on her inner thighs, first one and then the other, her knees quivering either side of his shoulders. His bear rumbled deep within him, demanding another taste of her, to know her scent and to imbibe.
Blood pounding, he lowered his head to her clit and razzed the tip with his teeth. She was his, always his, and his mind went dark with lust as he smoothed his hands along her inner thighs and opened her up more fully for his touch. He drank her in, allowing his desperate need for her to consume him.
“Iain!” She screamed his name and he raised up and plunged his cock deep inside her, reveling in the fiery heat of her core. “Oh goodness.” She clutched his butt and pulled him in even deeper. “You feel so good, like there isn’t an inch of me not filled with you.”
“There isn’t.” He lifted up then slowly pushed back in. As he did, his mind swept out along their telepathic link and tightened its hold on her. “We’re one, and always shall be, from this day forth.”
“Make me fly.” She kissed him and he pounded harder and deeper.
His thoughts flew as she raked his back then he was lost as her inner muscles tightened and dragged him in. He roared, his release exploding violently along with hers as he spilled his seed deep within her.
Highlander's Desire (The Matheson Brothers Book 1) Page 9