Rowan Sisters' Trilogy

by Brenda Trim

  “Maybe I did wear this on purpose, but I had planned all along on taking it off. Can you say the same?”

  It was the most erotic conversation of his life, to be talking like this a breath away from tasting a female. “I hope you are an exhibitionist, because I can’t wait any longer. The last twenty-four hours have been torture thinking about you. I have to have you.”

  “I don’t mind who sees me naked, but I do mind if anyone sees you naked. Faoi cheiltius,” she murmured. Automatically, he stiffened when he felt the ripple of her spell take hold, but he sensed no malevolence in her magic. He relaxed and replayed her words, stunned at how her possessiveness made him feel. It ignited him, and made him feel cherished, and his soul sighed with relief. Giving himself over to the passion, he closed the gap and smashed his lips to hers.

  Electricity arched between them and she gasped into his mouth. He took full advantage and slid his tongue in, devouring her as the hunger consumed him from the inside out. He was ravenous and quickly found her breast with one large hand, stroking a hard nipple through the scant fabrics. He moaned loudly and trailed his hand to the edge of her shirt, needing skin on skin.

  Cambions needed sex frequently or their inner sex demon lost control and would do whatever necessary to sate it. Self-release didn’t provide any relief, and, if severely depleted, would rape anything, male or female, to regain power and control. But with that one kiss, Braeden gained as much power from Isis that sex normally provided.

  Her hot hand scalded his stomach where it slid under his shirt. He deepened the kiss as her hand blazed a path across his abdomen, making his muscles quiver. She was headed south and he arched into her hand when she cupped his erection through his jeans.

  His own hand hadn’t stopped in its objective, and a full, swollen breast was filling his palm to overflowing. He was blinded by an overwhelming desire that was riding him like none before. He squeezed the globe and broke the kiss to explore more of her body. He trailed his lips down the side of her throat and sucked her pounding pulse while she gasped for breath in his ear. That’s how she should always be, he thought, gasping in pleasure.

  “What are you doing to me?” she asked.

  “Goddess,” he uttered, about to lose his seed to her ministrations. “If you have to ask, I must not be doing it right. My da would be so ashamed, he raised me better.” He laid her back on the blanket and followed her down. The music continued around them and he heard sounds from people not two feet from them, but the two of them remained unseen and unheard, thanks to her magic.

  She lost contact, but she was quick to re-establish it, this time shoving her hand down his pants. His body jerked at the electric contact and pre-cum oozed from his sensitive tip. He began unbuttoning her shirt with one hand and teased her other breast with the other.

  She cried out when he tweaked her nipple roughly. “No, you’re doing it right…oh so right. Goddess, don’t you dare stop.”

  “Wild phoukas couldn’t get me to stop. You are so sweet, like peaches. I want to taste your peach pie.” Her scent was driving him crazy. He had to have a taste of her or he was going to lose his mind.

  He abandoned her shirt for the moment and gathered her skirt into his hands. He hiked the material up to her waist and lost his breath. She was wearing lace panties that were little more than strings, and he could see her glistening flesh under the fabric.

  “Do you like what you see?” she asked with a knowing smirk.

  “You have no idea how much I like. I fear I am already addicted to you,” he answered automatically without ever looking away. He slipped his finger under the string at her waist and tugged hard. He pulled the torn underwear from under her body and shoved them into his pocket.

  Her eyes widened comically before a smile transformed her face. “Sentimental, are we?”

  “Never have been, but then again, I’ve never become hooked on any female like I have you. Your sight and smell alone are enough to make me crazy. I may never let you go.”

  He scooted his body down her torso and lamented the loss of her sure grip on his cock until his face was scant inches away from her throbbing core. Settling on his elbows, he reached up and separated her moist folds. His tongue had a mind of his own darted out, licking a long, hard stroke from her backside to her throbbing little clit. She cried out his name and grabbed his face, holding him to her body. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to grab hold and take what she needed.

  His licked and laved her pussy like the wild beast caged inside. Cambions typically didn’t enjoy oral sex as much as other males. His kind saw the act as a necessary step in getting what they needed to survive, but ravishing Isis had his demon energized and purring like a kitten.

  The more pleasure he gave Isis, the stronger he felt. He briefly wondered why this female made him react in such a manner, but none of that mattered at the moment. He lost himself in the folds of her slick flesh. Her cries grew louder as he sucked and teased her with his tongue. Her body writhed beneath him and he put one arm under her, holding her still for his torment. He inserted one thick digit into her hot core and felt her flexing. She was close, which was good, because he was ready to fuck her senseless, if his rock-hard cock was any indication. He needed to be inside her now.

  He looked up and met her glowing grey eyes. They looked like a stormy sky, so fucking beautiful. She unbuttoned her shirt fully and grabbed her breasts, teasing her own nipples. Holy Goddess, he had never seen anything sexier. He inserted a second finger and she detonated. He had thought he couldn’t get harder, but that changed when her peach flavor intensified with her climax. His shaft stiffened so much it hurt.

  He surged upward, taking his shirt off and shoving his pants down to his knees. His need was too high to take the time to strip fully. His gaze followed his hands as they ran up her luscious body. She was an exquisite female and he lowered his body, draping it over hers. She spread her legs and wrapped them around his waist, inviting him in.

  “Now, Braeden. I need you now,” she demanded.

  He pulled back and positioned the head of his cock at her entrance. “Relax for me. I’m a big male,” he encouraged her. Her half-lidded eyes widened as he began to push in. He took his time, enjoying her reaction to him. His hips rocked back and forth slowly, moving deeper and deeper in her tight channel. When he was seated to the hilt, he paused to savor the moment.

  “Goddess, you feel so good. You have to move,” she murmured.

  “And, how sweet Isis, do you like it?”

  “Give it to me raw, baby. I need you too badly. One orgasm wasn’t enough,” she squealed as he thrust into her with enough force to drive her head off the blanket. He smiled and took her mouth as he let his body set the rhythm.

  The feel of his cock sliding in and out of her slick core was like nothing he’d ever experienced. He grabbed one of her legs and hooked it over his shoulder for deeper penetration and lost all sense of reason.

  “Yes, oh Goddess,” he kissed her, cutting off her words. He was rapidly losing his control. His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled with hers while his shaft pistoned in and out of her. It was impossible for him to keep his emotions out of this joining. He found himself connecting to the expressive little witch beneath him. He wanted to spend more time with her and earn her trust. The look of pleasure on her face made him feel like he’d conquered an empire, and he wanted more of it.

  She pulled away, trailing kisses down his chest. Her warm breath against his flesh sent a delicious shiver through his body and he clutched her to him. Her inner muscles squeezed him and his breath left him. He ran his hand down her abdomen and stroked her clit as he pounded into her.

  She gazed up at him and her eyes blazed with a fierce tempest, telling him she was close again. He bit the inside of his cheek to hold off his orgasm until she exploded around him. He rose up and stared deeply into her eyes as he grabbed her ass with one hand while he plucked her clit with the other.

  “Grab your breasts, love. Sque
eze your nipples,” he demanded. She unconsciously arched against him, urging him on, while at the same time, she grabbed one breast and teased her nipple.

  She gasped for air and reached her free hand out to his chest. Her fingernails dug into his skin before they trailed to one of his nipples. With expert precision, he teased her with nimble fingers. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw back her head and split the night with her cries of pleasure. Braeden joined her and took them both over the edge, plummeting into an abyss of ecstasy.

  He noticed her cries had changed in pitch from pleasure to pain. Her hand left his body and frantically clutched her right breast. His hoarse shout of completion was cut short when something seared his right pectoral. He looked down, expecting to see the skin flayed from his body, only to discover a brand being burned into his flesh from the inside out. Stunned, he looked at the delectable female beneath him and noticed that Isis’ right breast was inflamed and branded with the same design. It was tribal with a crescent moon over it.

  Her terrified eyes met his, and they shared a moment of utter disbelief. He hung his head as he panted through the pain. This couldn’t be happening to him. The Goddess was blessing and cursing him. Isis was his Fated Mate!

  The portion of her soul that he carried reacted and was brushing against the inside of his skin in a languid caress, adding to his torment. Isis was his Fated Mate, his very own personal Goddess. The female created just for him. And, this changed everything. Braeden knew he should say something, but instead, he knelt before her, staring at her mark.

  He tried once again to tell her about Cele and his son. The same pain paralyzed his voice and trapped his words. Several long moments later, he finally found his voice. “You are mine,” he whispered. “My Fated Mate.” She reached out and placed her hand over his mark. Her touch soothed the pain, while at the same time, aroused him all over again.

  She gasped and sat up, making his still-stiff cock slide free of her body. He needed her desperately and found himself in a quandary. He had been tasked with betraying her weaknesses so the evil High Priestess could steal her power and subjugate her. If he didn’t do this then his son was going to be tortured and killed. This was the female he wanted to love and cherish with every fiber of his being. He closed his eyes at the impossibility of his situation.

  “I want you again…” He took a deep breath, gathering his courage to reject his mate.

  “I sense a ‘but’ in there,” Isis spat, flaying her hands on his chest, burning him further.

  “The concert is over and we need to leave before my car is locked in the parking lot,” he said with a crooked grin, hoping to lighten the mood. She smiled, but Braeden saw that his hot-headed mate hadn’t bought his excuse entirely.

  * * *

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Isis stormed into the house and slammed the door without looking back. She knew Braeden was hiding something and she was pissed. She could tell that he had wanted to tell her something, but held back even after discovering she was his Fated Mate. She had felt a connection to him from the moment she’d met him, and that bond had only intensified with sex. She thought she had seen the same glimmer reflected in his eyes, and now wondered if she had only seen what she wanted. She was not one to fall into the trap most females did of equating sex with feelings. It had been different with Braeden from the beginning, and now, his reservations with her made her feel like an idiot.

  As she leaned against the closed door, she heard his car peel out of her driveway and rubbed the ache in her chest, hating that he had an ability to hurt her. The ride home had been full of awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say to the other as they absorbed the enormity of the situation. Both of their lives had been irrevocably changed.

  The fiery redheaded side of her hoped her soul was shredding his insides to pieces. Fated Mates shouldn’t keep secrets from each other. She suspected it had to do with his son’s mother and that just made her angrier. A light bulb in the overhead fixture shattered and glass rained down on her. She cursed as she tried to get control of her anger. She refused to let a male, even if he was her Fated Mate, affect her so deeply.

  Suvi raced around the corner when she heard the noise, followed closely by Pema and Ronan. “Damn, Isis. What’s wrong?” Pema asked, eyeing her warily. “Grab a bulb and the broom, Suvi,” she told their little sister.

  Isis clenched her fists when she saw Ronan wrap his arm around Pema. She didn’t want to see mates, or love, or anything of the sort, just yet. She walked by without a word to them and stopped when she felt Pema’s hand on her shoulder.

  “Tell me what happened. You left the store all excited about your date. What did that male do to you?”

  “Well, let’s see. He had sex with me and when his brand showed up on my breast, he couldn’t get me home fast enough,” Isis ground out. The breaking of glass had her turning around to see that Suvi had dropped the light bulb that she was holding.

  “What?” Suvi and Pema asked simultaneously.

  “I need a drink,” Isis called over her shoulder as she continued down the hall and into their great room.

  “I’ll clean up the glass, you two go to your sister.” Isis heard Ronan tell her sisters.

  “Fuck you, Ronan, stop being so nice. All Fated Mates suck,” Isis yelled out, grabbing a bottle of alcohol.

  Pema and Suvi stepped into the room. “Wow, that was completely uncalled for, but I’ll let it slide this time,” Pema said joining her at the bar. “Tell us exactly what happened.”

  Isis poured herself a shot of tequila and downed it then poured another. After drinking that one, too, she turned to her sisters. “We were having a great time, listening to music and making out. We were getting along and laughing, he’s a really funny male. Everything was perfect until we had sex. It was like ice water when the brands showed up. There was something in the way he looked at me and I can’t put my finger on it, but something isn’t right. It’s not that he doesn’t want me as a mate. I actually felt his desire for me. This is going to sound odd, but he wanted to tell me something, and for whatever reason, decided against it.”

  Isis crossed to the couch and sat down with her sisters next to her. Suvi pushed Isis’ wild red locks from her face. “Maybe he’s in shock. Look at how Pema reacted. Finding your Fated Mate is a big deal. Maybe he just needed some space and time to deal with it. You know males are complex creatures.”

  “I admit that I didn’t have the best reaction when I found out about Ronan. Suvi could be right, this is huge for anyone. It changes your entire lives and he has a son to consider. Give him time.”

  “Oh, bullshit. You know what I think? I think he’s still hung up on the mother of his son. How he could want a female that left him and his son high and dry, I have no idea.”

  “What happened to that little voice that said he wanted you, too?” Pema asked.

  “It’s drowning in Jose Cuervo,” she quipped as she leaned forward and picked up the bottle.

  “I don’t know Braeden, but give him the benefit of the doubt, Isis. Give him a chance and listen to your gut. You have the feelings you do because you know him like no one ever will. You carry a piece of him…let that guide you,” Ronan added as he walked into the room.

  “When did you become Yoda?” Isis asked, knowing she was being rude, but she needed to vent.

  “I see the force is strong with this one tonight,” Ronan teased, ruffling Isis’ hair as he passed. “Okay, I’m going to leave you three to hash this out while I get to work. Have fun.” Isis watched as Ronan kissed Pema senseless, leaving her breathless, before leaving the house.

  “Yeah, I want that,” Isis said. “I want Braeden and I to have that.” Her brand took that moment to begin burning as if to punctuate her point. “How long does this pain last?” she asked Pema, gesturing to her breast.

  “You’re not going to like the answer. It’s going to keep getting worse until you complete the mating. Towards the end, I thought the flames of hel
l had engulfed my arm. Good news is that relief is instantaneous when you do the blood exchange.”

  “Of course,” Isis sighed.

  “Can I see your mark?” Suvi asked.

  Isis nodded and unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her right breast. The tribal brand covered most of the fleshy globe, including the nipple.

  Pema held up her mate mark and compared the two. “It’s interesting that they both have crescent moons. I wonder if there is any significance to this.”

  “Yeah, I wonder what the design means. And, why the crescent moon? The full moon carries the most power,” Suvi remarked.

  “Enough about mates and mate marks for now. Can we change the subject? Have you heard from Cele? Has she made any more threats against us?” Isis needed to think about something else. She didn’t want to sit there and obsess about Braeden any more. She needed to try and think about something else.

  “Cele told the elder witches that we are responsible for Claire’s condition. Dad told me that she is out for blood, and won’t stop until she makes us pay,” Pema replied.

  “Rumor is that she’s deep into dark magic,” Suvi added. “My guess is that she’s trying to heal Claire. There isn’t a spell in light magic that can reverse that kind of damage.”

  “Where the hell would she be practicing dark magic without being caught? The elders would never allow that at the academy. Hell, they wouldn’t allow it anywhere, for that matter. Don’t they have a ward set up to detect the use of such power?” Isis inquired, setting the half-empty bottle of tequila on the coffee table.

  “My guess is that she practices at her house. It’s definitely big enough, and no doubt, she has found a way around the elders ward,” Suvi mused.

  “We need to find out if she is. The realm isn’t safe if she is accessing dark power. We also need to find out what her plans are for us.” Isis was itching to take action. That family had put hers through enough and she wanted to put an end to their reign.