by Brenda Trim
Without conscious thought, she ground her hips against his erection, bringing his animal even closer to the surface. She wanted to connect with the bear as well, and to do that, she needed to feel him right under his skin. Most shifters buried their animal deep inside while they had sex, for safety reasons. An out of control shifter was dangerous and unpredictable. She didn’t want his bear in any corner; she wanted him right under her touch.
She pulled back and saw his eyes clearly this time, they were glowing a brilliant cognac, heavy with lust. Pema arched her back, pressing her body against his hairy chest. He ran his hand down the side of her throat and bare shoulders. His fingers slid into the top of her peasant blouse and slowly pushed it down, revealing her to his gaze.
Her nipples tightened under his scrutiny, a silent plea for attention. She pressed back against him needing the contact, the friction. Each breath she took made her breasts heave, rubbing her nipples tantalizingly against his skin. It caused a flood of wetness to seep from her core. Her craving was intense and undeniable and he had barely touched her.
There was no way she could have been prepared for how intimacy was between mates.
He pulled back and stared at her in shameless hunger. His eyes told her that he wanted her and only her. She loved how her body captivated this male. His fingers danced from her shoulders to her pebbled tips, then pinched and pulled, elongating them further. “Goddess, that feels so good, Ronan. So damn good, it has to be a sin.”
“Not a sin, love. Right,” he declared and sucked her nipple into his mouth. He was working her flesh like a violin and she loved it. Pema grabbed at his pants and fumbled with the zipper.
He kissed his way to her other breast and pushed her long flowing skirt down over her hips. Her body was on a triple-loop rollercoaster as he skimmed his fingers under the edge of her silk panties. Yes, she silently pleaded. She had been aching for him for two days, and last night hadn’t been enough.
She shimmied and the fabric fell to the floor. A bright light blinded her momentarily, reminding her they were in her shop in front of a large picture window. She looked around in a sensual daze, searching for a private place and spotted a fabric chair off to the side. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward it as she lowered his zipper, freeing his erection, making her mouth water.
Right now, she wanted this male, regardless of anything else. She shoved aside his pants, to fully embrace everything Ronan had to give her. She placed the hand he was teasing her with between her legs. “Feel what you do to me. How hot and wet you make me. It’s like that from one glance. I need you…now.” He stroked her and the moan that escaped her was deep and throaty.
She reached down and palmed his long, thick cock. “Harder,” he demanded. “Squeeze it. Stroke it.” His head fell back and he groaned, pumping himself into her hand. Her free hand reached under his shaft and cupped his balls. A firm squeeze had his head snapping forward. He growled as she ran her thumb along the slick slit and increased her rhythm. He impatiently pulled her hands off him and picked her up.
She squealed when he lowered her down onto his cock. The hot wet slide of her flesh over his shaft brought her tantalizingly close to climax. It was nothing for her strong mate to stand there holding her with his cock buried to the hilt inside her core. He nestled his head in the crook of her neck and stood still. Given his labored breathing, she guessed he was trying to regain control of himself.
“Chair…fast,” she pointed to the corner. “Goddess help us, but if you don’t move soon I may die,” she mumbled as her pussy clenched and unclenched around him while he walked to the chair.
“Yes,” she hissed out, the motion driving her over the edge as she cried out from her climax.
“That’s it, come hard for me, baby,” he replied, licking her nipple as he sank down into the chair, keeping his cock seated inside her.
*****
Ronan was inside his mate and she had just come on his aching cock. The hot slide in and out of her sweet pussy brought him unimaginable pleasure. He wanted to remain buried inside this perfect female for days. He had been afraid and confused after they had been together. He’d had a carefully laid out plan to win Claire back, but all that changed after he discovered she had poisoned Pema. And, then he learned Pema was his Fated Mate.
He refused to hold onto the past and was determined to be with Pema. He’d been given the gift of his Fated Mate and didn’t plan on squandering it. He hated that his previous relationship with Claire was placing walls between them. He planned on tearing them down brick by brick because every moment he spent with Pema made him fall for her even more. He wanted to claim his mate and all that entailed.
He wrapped his arms around Pema as his protective instinct took hold. No one would harm her ever again. He would die before he let that happen. In the meantime, his hands slid down and gripped her ass, moving her up and down. His pace was slow, but when she gasped and dug her nails into the flesh of his back, he increased his pace, pounding into her. Her channel rippled around him, and that fast, she was close again.
She may deny what was happening between them, but her response gave him hope for the future. She was as affected by him as he was by her. She threw her head back and took control, riding him hard. He leaned down and sucked her nipple as he reached between their bodies and found her clit. He gave it a pinch and she came with a rush, screaming his name. His name. He wanted to pound his chest in triumph.
He closed his eyes. Nothing existed in that moment but them. As the hot wash of Pema’s climax drowned his cock, Ronan knew the true feeling of love and family. His teeth elongated into his bear’s fangs, and for the first time, he realized the true pain of needing to claim his mate.
He gritted his teeth against the desire. She would never forgive him if he proceeded with the mating and took her blood. His arm was on fire, but none of it diminished his pleasure and was easily pushed aside. They didn’t belong in that moment. They would complete the mating soon, he told himself.
He watched his cock disappear deeper into the slick haven between her legs. He caressed her ass cheeks and slid his finger into the crevasse. He reached her core and coated his finger in her moisture. He wasn’t going to begin the blood exchange like his body demanded, but did he dare give into his animal and claim her dark passage? She went wild, bucking when his finger teased her backside and slowly entered the tight opening. He worked her clit with one hand and finger-fucked her ass with the other while he sucked her breast and thrust into her.
His spine tingled and his seed surged into his shaft. The middle of his cock filled with blood and the mating knot became engorged, locking him to his mate. The mating knot enhanced his pleasure to an unbelievable level. “Someday, Pema, I will have all of you,” he vowed, his breath coming in pants now. He pistoned in and out of her as much as the knot allowed.
“Yes,” she cried out as she peaked again. Her body demanded he give up his seed and he was powerless to deny it. He lifted his head, desperate to see her sea-green pools filled with rapture as he erupted. He held her close while he drove into her with shallow thrusts, frantic now to reach that peak with her. Before she came down from her third peak, he rolled his hips and pulled her tighter to his body.
Unable to hold back any longer, he exploded, his seed spilling into the mouth of her womb. He ground against her harder and she came once again. He was surprised when his thoughts shifted to wondering if they would get a child out of this union. He knew the swelling meant that he was now fertile and for the first time in his long life, he longed for a family with this precious female who had been made solely for him.
He met Pema’s glowing sea-green eyes. She was so beautiful, his heart ached to have her completely. “One day soon I will claim you for always,” he guaranteed.
* * *
CHAPTER TEN
Pema watched Ronan pull away from the curb in front of Black Moon, wondering when she was going to see him again. She was powerless against the mating compulsion
and relished that every encounter only brought them closer together. She was falling for Ronan and didn’t care that she was vulnerable to heartache and loss. She hadn’t wanted to be a part of something that had crushed her father’s heart, leaving him a broken male, but the pull was undeniable.
None of her questions mattered because she knew for certain that he wanted only her. His declarations went a long way to settling her uncertainty. The fact of the matter was that they had both been permanently transformed and there was no going back.
The glare from a car window had her shielding her eyes. As she turned to call her sisters from the office, she caught a glimpse of a grey Mercedes driving away. Doing a double take, she thought she saw a female with mousy-brown hair that looked exactly like Claire’s. If that witch thought to harm her again, she had another thing coming. Don’t jump to conclusions, her inner voice chided. The poisoning must be making her paranoid, there was no way it had been Claire.
She heard the click of the back door followed by her sisters’ footsteps. “Damn, I can’t believe you rode him like a bronco in the front of our store. You’re lucky someone didn’t walk in, but I’m proud of you,” Suvi crowed. “We need to get you a rope and boots, with spurs. Giddy-up girl,” Suvi whooped, spinning her finger in a circle above her head as she exited the office, followed by Isis.
“He is magnificent,” Pema sighed looking out the window. “The Goddess has blessed me with a talented mate and I can’t help myself when he is near.” Her world was spinning on its axis and she was excited for what would come next.
“Magnificent he may be, sister, but you showed your bare ass to half of Seattle,” Isis remarked as she leaned against a display case. “And, we need to send this chair out to have it cleaned. I can’t sit on it knowing what you guys did. How about the next time you do the shifter, you put a towel down first,” Isis teased.
She needed to keep her hands off the male, not start fantasizing about the next time. Her mate mark began to itch and burn as her desire rose. “We don’t need to worry about that. We never actually made it into the chair,” she said rubbing at the pain in her arm.
“I am the worst sister on the planet” she gestured wildly with her hands, “I didn’t once consider how my actions will impact you both and I think I saw Claire drive by the shop after he left. What if she hurts one of you because of me?” Pema asked, outraged by her selfishness.
Her first concern had always been for her sisters. Yet, she had put them in danger of coming into Claire’s crosshairs and hadn’t once given a thought as to how to protect them. She’d been too busy having mind-numbing sex with her mate.
“You are not responsible for what Claire does. We can protect ourselves,” Suvi declared, fixing a display of potions. “I love seeing you so happy. You positively glow, Pema. I can’t wait to find my mate. It all sounds so delicious. And I hope he’s a vampire like Bhric. I love fangs…” As her sister trailed off, smoke rose from Suvi’s silver ring and became her familiar, a black bat that she named Bhric, of all things. It launched itself and landed on Suvi’s shoulder, nuzzling her ear. “Hello, my sweet,” she petted the bat absently, lost in a daydream.
Isis rolled her eyes at them both. “You worry too much, sis, Suvi is right. We can take care of Claire, if she tries anything. In fact, I’m rather hoping she will try something.”
Isis tilted her head to the side and considered Pema. “Did you realize that your powers were flaring while you rode your honey bear? Suvi and I contained it, but it could have ended up causing damage.”
Pema contemplated what she was saying. She hadn’t been aware that her power had surged. Losing control of her magic was dangerous. Not only that, power flares could be harnessed in the right vessel. The last thing she wanted was to add power to anyone’s arsenal.
“I think if you don’t complete the mating, you had better avoid sex with him unless we are close. Not that I mind, he does have a nice ass,” Suvi said, waggling her eyebrows comically.
Beyond Pema’s control, her jealousy spiked, regardless of the fact that her sister was teasing. Still, she couldn’t help but responding, “If you look at my male again, I’ll gouge your eyes out. He’s mine.” Ronan’s soul flexed in her chest, sending warmth coursing through her body, like a shot of tequila, only magnified.
“Clearly your hormones have hijacked your brain. This is day two of Pema’s mental vacation and you need to get it together,” Isis added.
“Problem is I don’t have control. This mating has wreaked havoc with me,” she grabbed Isis up into a quick hug. “It’s not easy, but I promise you, I am trying.”
Pema’s stomach chose that moment to growl in the quiet of the store. “I’m famished. You guys want Vietnamese?”
“I’d be famished too if I’d been working my mate as hard as you have,” Suvi sang out and started giggling. Pema couldn’t help but smile at her sister, she wasn’t wrong.
“I’ll take the lemongrass beef with egg and crushed rice,” Suvi requested.
Suvi’s infectious laughter had Isis giggling behind her hand. “That sounds fantastic. I’ll take the grilled pork and vermicelli with some egg rolls, please. You sure you can manage after that rough ride? Do you need help to your car?” Isis teased.
“Smart ass,” Pema replied as she picked up her purse and walked toward the door. She retrieved her car keys and paused on her way to the door, ducking the pen Isis had thrown. She smiled over her shoulder at her sister.
When she turned back around she noticed that it was pouring outside. She used her remote to unlock the doors and a loud explosion sounded, followed by blinding fire. The force of the blast threw her against a glass display case and glass shattered, flying towards her.
She felt like a rag doll being tossed around. She could feel cuts all over her body, but had no idea how severe they were. Her head hit the concrete floor, causing stars to wink in her vision and sharp pain to sear her brain.
The world went dark and when Pema came to, smoke filled the room and she was disoriented. She had no idea how long she had been out of it, but felt a burning sensation in her limbs. Her sisters’ screams filled her ears and she tried to move toward them, but her body refused to obey.
She lay panting for long moments while the noise settled and her sisters went quiet. Frantic, she shouted their names, but they didn’t respond to her. Fear twisted her gut at the thought of them being injured. Only one person could have done this. She had no doubt that it was Claire. It was Pema’s fault that her sisters were hurt. They had to be alive or she would never forgive herself.
Warm liquid dripped off her arms from a million tiny cuts that littered her exposed skin. She turned to look at her legs and groaned. As she tried to lift her head, it throbbed and felt like a lead balloon. She sat still, gathering her strength and trying to clear the dizziness.
When the pressure in her head eased a bit, she lifted her eyes and realized her left arm had gone through the glass case and was stuck in the broken doors of the display cabinet. She finally managed to glance down and then wished she hadn’t. Bones were sticking out of her right arm and left thigh. Oddly, it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as she thought it should. She was sure that shock kept most of the pain at bay.
She tried to cast a pain-relieving spell so she could get to her sisters, but nausea assailed her. Silence descended over the room, or maybe she had blacked out again, she couldn’t be sure. Smoke, thick and cloying, poured in through the missing front windows. Her beautiful Ferrari was in flames at the curb.
Anger, hot and sharp, had her cursing. She began coughing and grimaced at the pain in her rib cage. She added a broken rib to her list of injuries and wondered again if her sister were okay. As much as her injuries allowed, she searched the rubble for sight of them.
Unable to see anything, it took every ounce of strength to pull her left arm free. Her attempt to stand up brought sharp pain and made her stumble. Her leg gave out and she fell back down. Thankfully, Isis crawled to her side a
nd Suvi was right behind her.
“Thank the Goddess. Are you guys okay?” Pema asked as she laid her head back and saw Bhric, Suvi’s bat, flying erratically overhead.
“Pema…holy shit, your arm! Oh Goddess, your leg, don’t move! I’m going to put pressure on them and it’s going to hurt. Suvi, call Jace and see if he can portal here,” Isis ordered. Pema knew it was bad if they wanted Jace to portal to her. The pain now wracking her body only confirmed her suspicions. She cried out when Isis pressed on her injuries.
Isis’ eyes hardened like a storm-laden sky as she snarled, “I’m going to find that bitch and kill her. She isn’t getting away with it this time. She has fucked with the wrong witches!” Before Pema could agree with her sister’s rant, Isis’ grip tightened and her world went black.
*****
Ronan drove back to his apartment in the pouring rain, replaying the sex with Pema. He was awed by the experience and anxious for more. His mate was a hellcat and fired his blood like no other. The change his thinking had undergone in a matter of hours was mind-boggling. He had gone from not being sure what he wanted, to wanting nothing but Pema.
His cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Caller ID told him it was the hotline at Zeum. This was the first number he had been given when he arrived in Seattle right after Killian had explained the state of affairs with the demons and skirm. Immediately, he began to worry. Why would the Dark Warriors be calling him? Was it Pema?
“This is Ronan Blackwell.” His bear stirred as his anxiety rose.
A deep, male voice answered his greeting. “Ronan, this is Rhys at Zeum. I need to talk to you about something. Is this a good time?”
“Sure. How can I help you?” Silence met his reply. He waited several agonizing seconds and wanted to reach through the phone and punch the shit out of the male and make him talk.
Just when he was about to lose it with the Dark Warrior, he said the words that had Ronan’s stomach dropping to his feet. “There’s been an explosion at Black Moon.”