Part scared and part turned on because she’d felt for herself just how big he actually was, she let him prepare her. But, when it came to it, and his fingers moved away and she heard the zip of his fly being lowered, she quaked against the sheets.
He hummed, the vibration once against her lips, and the soothing sound had her leaning into him, reaching for succor, for comfort from this man who was hers.
He gave it. Freely. Tempering his kiss with a tenderness that belied his fingers.
She rocked into his hand, then squeaked when she felt his cock head against her clit.
He tapped it once, making her shriek a little—something he immediately swallowed—and then rubbed the tip down through her folds, making himself slick with her own juices.
Just the thought sent her wild. The notion of what was happening combined with what was about to happen drove her insane with need. Her hips jerked upward in invitation, desperately waiting for his response.
He wasn’t tardy in answering.
When the head of his shaft notched into her gate, she wanted to weep. Then, she did as he began to push deep. His cock slowly but steadily claiming every inch.
It hurt.
There was no avoiding it.
She had to work hard to not tense up, and even then, she failed.
Only focusing on his lips eating into hers helped and his fingers went back to her clit, aiding in the distraction.
When he’d settled inside her, his cock a thick and heavy presence that she couldn’t say was unwelcome because that was exactly where he belonged, he finally tugged his lips from hers.
Their panting immediately filled the air and fogged the space between them with the taste of the other’s breath.
“Well done, sweetheart,” he cooed to her, dropping his head to press tiny kisses to her temple.
“You feel so big,” she moaned a little mindlessly. The sense of being impaled wouldn’t go, and his thickness just made her feel like she was pinned to the bed. It wasn’t a claustrophobic feeling because it was him, but panic was there, ready for pleasure to chase it away.
He hummed at her again, the sound another hushing one as he moved down, letting his lips trail along her jaw and down to her throat.
As he moved, his cock stayed put, allowing her to acclimate to his presence. The teasing nips and bites were the perfect distraction. Her throat was hypersensitive as was always the case in Shifters. It was there where he’d lay his mating Claim, and it was there where the world would see his bite.
Nothing else could have stirred her so quickly and so much. Within minutes, her pussy was clamping down against his cock, and she started to rock her hips, desperately trying to find something; release or freedom, she didn’t know.
As his tongue plied the tender skin of her throat, his hips pulled back. She let out a, only to moan when he pushed back in, the friction making her clamp her eyes closed.
His fingers teased and tormented her clit, making her feel him in three separate ways. Ways that blew her mind.
Thoughts fled as she allowed him to overwhelm her. Her brain, never silent, always ticking, suddenly had a different task—containing everything this man was making her feel to process it for later.
Her incredible concentration was the catalyst.
It seemed to make her feel everything twice. She felt it physically and then mentally. She was literally screwing herself by focusing the way she was.
Moans escaped her instead of exhalations as he dragged her towards a culmination that had her quaking against the bed.
She knew she was close but wasn’t sure how to make that tumble, how to reach the edge he was trying to push her over.
It was so close and yet so far, and it felt like she was waiting on something. She didn’t know what until it happened and then, all of a sudden, everything made sense.
His teeth, already raking against her throat, suddenly bit down.
Hard.
The pain was what she needed, as well as the knowledge flushing through her that the Claim had been made.
She roared as the orgasm flushed through her. Blinding her, deafening her, making her mute as the sensations battered her from all angles. And through it all, his teeth remained deep in her throat as he pumped his hips, desperately seeking his own orgasm.
At that moment, she felt his need, his own greedy search for the glory she’d found. And though she felt like her brain wasn’t working, from deep inside, her She Bear stirred.
She ought to have been frightened, ought to have feared that the She Bear would react as she had the other day.
But she wasn’t scared. How could she be? The She Bear would never hurt its mate.
The creature wanted to Claim him as he’d Claimed hers, and she felt her gums tingle, then ache as her fangs lengthened.
His hips never ceased their pumping, and his fingers continued to caress and torment her clit all the while his mouth was clamped to her throat. She could feel his need, his desperate search, and knew what she had to do.
His throat was so close, so temptingly near. She’d never heard of this before, but didn’t care about that. It felt right. Her instincts clamored with the need to do what she was about to do.
And as he moaned, the sound tinged with a fiery desperation, she struck.
When her fangs pierced him, he let out a bellow. It echoed around the room, deafened her once more with its volume, but he reached his crescendo.
She felt him deep inside her.
Felt his release. His seed as she tasted his blood in her mouth.
And it was at that moment, she knew.
She was his.
He was hers.
And the baby they’d just created in her belly was theirs.
Chapter 9
“Wow,” she whispered, minutes or hours later.
He chuckled against her throat where he’d collapsed atop her. He was there, like a hot, heavy blanket, one that had no intention of moving from its position.
It was a good job she was a She Bear because she could take his weight and more. How the human females handled such heavy partners, she didn’t want to know, because if she did, that would mean thinking about her mom and dad, and that wasn’t something she really felt like doing at that exact moment.
“Wow doesn’t even credit it,” Chris mumbled, then made her shriek by stirring. He rolled over and managed to take her with him, making her the blanket now.
She settled atop him with ease and pressed her nose against his throat where she’d bitten him.
“I didn’t know She Bears Claimed their mates too.” Normally it was just the male who did the Claiming.
He shrugged, yawned. “What do we know of She Bear Claimings? Not a lot in the grand scheme of things. The Nomads are blessed to have had two girls born to them in the same generation. It’s a rarity.”
She sighed. “It’s a rarity I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she immediately countered. “I totally wish I’d been born a boy.”
He snorted. “I’m thoroughly grateful you weren’t.”
She laughed at that. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. You’re still lucky I’m not going to take offense at it.”
Ava patted him on the chest. “If you say so, big guy.”
He grunted, but rested his hand on her back and began to stroke her like she was a pussy cat, not a teddy bear.
Not that she was complaining. It felt wonderful. An innocent but affectionate touch that she’d needed for the last ten years or more.
Sighing with pleasure, she settled into him, letting herself turn boneless with delight at his absent-minded caressing.
“What was that about in the cinema?” he asked, but she heard the teasing tone so didn’t bother blushing.
She shrugged. “I’ve never necked in the cinema before.”
“Never?” He grunted. “Not that I’m unhappy about that, of course.”
She laughed. “After you, I had no interest in any other guys. Before you, I was al
ways a bit younger than the rest. Some of my friends had boyfriends, but even they didn’t really know what to do with them.”
Chris laughed. “What do you mean?”
She jerked a shoulder. “They’d call a boy their boyfriend but then they’d just stand together at recess. Usually wouldn’t have a damn thing to say to one another either. The year before we realized what we were to one another, that started changing of course.” She grimaced, though she knew he couldn’t see it. “That was even worse. Seeing everyone kissing all the damn time was hellishly boring.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t want to try it out?”
“Not really. It looked very unhygienic.”
At that, laughter roared from him, and she sat up, uncaring that she elbowed him in the belly to demand, “And what’s so funny?”
“You. Unhygienic?” he hollered, laughing so hard the veins in his temples started to bulge and, she looked on in astonishment, as he started to cough.
“What’s the matter with you?” she retorted huffily.
“You, sweetheart. Jesus, what did I do to get so lucky?”
At that, she blushed. “Oh, I don’t know. Been good in a past life?”
He snorted. “If you say so.” Chris peered down at her, and curiosity laced his words as he asked, “Didn’t you find anything we just did then unhygienic?”
“Of course,” she replied easily, settling down atop him once more. “But with you, it’s worth the risk.”
His lips twitched—she could hear it in his words. “That’s good to know, sugar.”
She closed her eyes, feeling a peace she hadn’t felt in forever. “God, my She Bear is at rest for once.”
Ava’s She Bear was relatively silent, but at night, she must have been a sleepwalker or something. Ava had terrible insomnia sometimes, mostly down to her Bear.
She never complained because it meant she could get more work done, but it would be a wondrous relief if being mated made the She Bear feel at ease.
“I know what you mean,” Chris said on a sigh, his hand coming up to start stroking through her hair. “I feel very fortunate at this moment.”
“Me too,” she replied softly, sighing deeply with the contentment she felt. It didn’t even matter that what she’d been working on earlier had pissed her off; the minute Chris had come to her door and told her they were going out, she’d pushed all thoughts aside and had focused on him and only him.
After all, he was what mattered.
Almost like he’d sensed her thoughts had drifted elsewhere, he asked, “Did you get anywhere this afternoon?”
She nodded. “A little.”
“Why did you send Jarvis off?” he asked, sounding more curious now.
“You should ask him,” she told him primly.
“Why when I can ask my mate?” Chris retorted, his tone a tad bemused.
“It’s not my secret to tell.”
He snorted. “It’s not like I’m going to spill the beans to anyone else.”
“Not even my dad if he asks because, let’s face it, he will.”
“I can hold him off,” came the immediate denial.
She rolled her eyes, not entirely believing him as she said, “Jarvis spends a lot of time working at a homeless shelter in Houston.”
“How do you know that?” Chris asked after a few minutes’ silence.
“He came to me and asked me to set up a direct debit for him. One that drafted nearly three quarters of his wage over to a shelter.” She shrugged. “I was only too happy to help. And you know most of the old-schoolers come to me anyway for help like that. I know plenty about most of them but I can’t tell you everything. They came to me with privacy in mind. I’m only telling you about Jarvis because I needed his help.”
“Why is he spending his time at a homeless shelter?” Chris pondered, letting his fingers trail along Ava’s shoulders in a way that should have been ticklish but instead, stirred up her blood to boiling point.
“It isn’t an ordinary shelter,” she commented on a tight sigh as her skin quivered with sensitivity at his touch.
“No? What kind is it?”
“Runaway Shifter kids.”
“Seriously?”
She hummed under her breath. “Yup.”
“Wow.” Chris tensed underneath her. Then, still in awe at his fellow brother’s generosity, repeated, “Wow.”
“I know. It’s pretty cool of him, isn’t it?”
“More than that. Why the hell doesn’t he want anyone to know?”
She jerked a shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s his prerogative to tell people or not to tell them. I just helped out when he needed me.”
“Why do you think he can help Spyder’s brother?”
“Because those kids live on the street a lot of the time. They see shit they’re not supposed to see.” She sighed. “When he asked me to set up the tithe, I looked into the place. Was curious. I’ve been investing on their behalf too.”
“With Jarvis’s donation?”
She nodded. “He agreed.”
“So, he knows how good you are with the stock market?”
He sounded jealous so she sat up to look at him. “We kept it quiet for each other’s benefit. If you’d been my mate at the time, you’d have learned the truth too. As it was, we weren’t sharing anything, so what would you have had me do?”
He blinked at her. “I’m not jealous.”
“No? You’re doing a damn good job of sounding like you are.” She snorted. “Not that there’s any need.”
“Just because something is irrational doesn’t stop it from hurting,” he told her softly, letting his hands come up to play with her hair.
“No, we both know how that works,” she admitted. “And I’m not teasing. I’m just saying there was no way I was going to tell you something when we were so distant. You might as well have been in another part of Texas.”
He sighed. “No more secrets though, right?”
She pressed a kiss to his pec. “Of course not. I never dreamed we wouldn’t share everything.”
He groaned. “I totally set myself up there, didn’t I?”
She shot him a grin. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean Council stuff. Unless it directly involves us.”
He peered at her. “Seriously?”
“Yup. I’m not interested anyway. I know most of what goes on in Council sessions without being there. I sign the ‘checks’ and agree to the payments, don’t forget.”
He shook his head. “Mars has created a monster.”
“All the better to eat you with, my dear,” she retorted, snapping her teeth in a way that had him smirking.
“Now I’m definitely frightened.”
She chuckled, then snuggled down against him once more. “I’m tired,” she admitted, yawning a little even as she made the confession. “And I don’t want to be. I don’t want this night to ever end.”
“I know,” he told her softly. “But this is just the first night of many we’ll have together, sweetheart.”
“We’re finally mates,” she whispered, letting her eyes drift shut even as incredulity worked its way through her.
Warmth laced his tone as he told her, “We always were, but now the world knows it too.”
Her lips twitched in agreement, but she allowed herself to fall asleep because she knew that when she woke up, he’d be there.
As he always would be from this moment on.
Chapter 10
“I want the key back to my room,” Ava demanded, standing right in front of her mother’s desk, uncaring that the administration block was staring at her as she made the demand.
Annette rocked back in her chair. “That’s a nice way to greet your mother after you disappeared for a week and didn’t call her once.”
Ava frowned. “Why would I want to talk to you? Talk isn’t something we do, is it? Now argue? Yeah, that’s something we definitely do.” When Annette winced, she refused to feel guilty. She spoke nothing but the truth. “You
bark orders at me, and I comply. That’s about the long and the short of it. But that doesn’t involve you having direct access to my room. I want the key back, and I know daddy’s on my side because Chris told me he’d seen you argue about my locking the door.”
Annette narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “What makes you think I have a key then?”
“One, because you never listen to Dad anyway when it comes to me. You’re both as insane as each other when it comes to dictating my life and how I choose to lead it. Two, because Jessie was waiting for me when I got back the other week. She told me you’d let her into my room.”
Annette hissed. “Damn. I told her not to say anything.”
“Why let her in there in the first place?”
“Because she was upset and I know she always loved your room.”
“The clue is in the title. My room. Not hers. That breaks so much of my privacy, Mom.”
Annette rolled her eyes. “Stop being so tetchy.”
“How would you like it if Mischa was upset so I let her into yours and Dad’s bedroom?” When Annette narrowed her eyes, she stated, “Exactly. Jessie’s a brat. She wants a TV as big as mine so you let her into my personal space to make her feel better?” Ava felt frustration well inside her. “Why do you never try to make me feel better?”
Annette jaw worked a second. “Because you’ve never needed me for that.”
For a second, Ava just gawked at her mother. Then, as irritation floored her, she bit off, “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I might as well just leave.”
Annette glowered. “You think I’m joking?”
“What else? Do you think I’m some kind of robot? Happy just to process statistic after statistic? Run chore after chore?”
“You never wanted much else.”
“Didn’t I? Once upon a time I wanted to go to college. Once upon a time I played the piano... Does that sound like I never wanted much else out of life?”
Annette huffed. “Jessie’s sensitive. She needs sheltering. You never needed me for that.”
Whether her mother had said the words to hurt her or not, Ava didn’t know. But they wounded nonetheless. In fact, the wound went so deep, she staggered back and away from the desk.
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