Song of Midnight Embers

by Dana Marie Bell

  He’d do it, too. The nut. Greer was the class clown of the dryads, the one who always tried to lighten a dark mood or make the others laugh. He’d been acting pretty rough the last couple of days, but she had the feeling that had more to do with her than what they were facing. Even in the darkest of times, Greer’s antics kept their hopes alive. He was like a living embodiment of joy.

  And she wanted a taste of that joy. The kiss had only whetted her appetite for her mate. Now, it was time to find out if the embers she’d sensed beneath his silly facade were as hot as she suspected.

  No one understood fire the way Mollie did. If she was right, they would burn so brightly the sun would be shamed.

  Mollie headed for the bedroom door, determined to seduce Greer once and for all. She’d had a crush on him in high school and had carried that into her adult life. She’d dated others, slept with a few, but always it was Greer who haunted her dreams, whose face appeared before her when she was alone in the dark. If she’d known for even a second that he returned her feelings, she would have made her move, but he’d been nothing but friendly and goofy and...Greer all these years, so she’d suspected her crush was nothing but that. The yearning of a teenage heart for a man who made her laugh.

  Now that Mollie knew the truth, not even a demon would stop her from making Greer hers.

  With that thought in mind, Mollie strode to the bedroom door, took a deep, cleansing breath and opened it. “I’m ready.”

  She blinked, her big entrance ruined when she realized Greer wasn’t there.

  Mollie chuckled, her shoulders slumping. How stupid was that? I’m ready? She was letting her nerves get the better of her. She tilted her head, listening for any sound that would indicate where Greer might be.

  There. The shower was running. No doubt he was washing away all the dust of the day. Now, what to do to make it clear that she wanted him without embarrassing herself?

  Mollie stared at the king-size bed, debating just hurling her clothes off and curling up under the covers. Or she could lie on top of them, fully clothed, and do the come-hither thing that they did in the movies, crooking her finger at him and daring him to approach.

  She pictured that in her head and almost ran from the room. That was so not happening.

  Mollie bit her lip, her nerves once more starting to get the better of her. She supposed she could sit on the bench at the end of the bed and pretend she’d just entered the room. If she’d read him right, he’d take her to bed, and she wouldn’t have to worry over whether or not she was doing the femme-fatale thing right.

  Or she could just—

  “What’s got you thinking so hard?”

  Mollie jumped at least a foot in the air, or so she’d swear if she was ever asked. “God damn it, Greer!”

  He chuckled from behind her, wrapping her up in his arms. He was still dressed, the rustle of cloth against her almost deafening. “I could hear you thinking a mile away, you know that?”

  “Sorry my thoughts are so loud they interrupted your shower.” Mollie winced, aware she sounded defensive, but her face was on fire with embarrassment. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and pretend she hadn’t been standing in his bedroom picturing herself naked.

  Who did that, anyway? She did, that’s who. She was a big-ass dork. Hell, she hadn’t even pictured him naked with her.

  “Do I want to know what has you thinking so hard?” Greer kissed the tip of her ear, the brush of his lips soft and sweet.

  “Nope.” She’d never tell. Not even if her toes were dipped in ice water.

  “Are you sure? You were staring at the bed pretty hard when I came in here.” He began easing her toward the bed, and despite her embarrassment, she allowed it. “Can I hazard a guess or two what’s going through that pretty head of yours?”

  “Do it and die.” Mollie spun in his arms just before they reached the bed. “I thought you were in the bathroom.”

  He shrugged. “I told you I’m good at what I do.”

  “Uh-huh.” All her dreams were about to become reality, and it scared her to death that she was somehow going to mess this up and lose him forever. “Greer?”

  His expression softened. “It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Mollie shivered as his tree whispered in her mind, the sensation both alien and familiar at the same time. It had rocked her to the core when Greer’s birch bonded with her. It had rifled through her soul and found her just right for its dryad. Now it was reassuring her that everything would be fine if she’d just relax and trust in Greer.

  So she did what it suggested, melting against her mate when he kissed her deeply, sinking into him as he lowered her to the bed. He broke the kiss to ease her shirt off over her head, staring at her breasts with a hunger that made her blush all over again.

  “You’re so beautiful.” The reverence in his voice, the way he softly kissed the tops of her breasts, told her this meant as much to him as it did to her.

  She reached up and cupped his cheek, her breath hitching when he leaned into her touch. “You too.”

  He scoffed, smiling as he pushed her down until she was on her back, her knees dangling over the edge of the bed. “Men aren’t beautiful.” He flipped his hair back. “We’re fabulous.”

  She laughed as he undid her bra, sliding her arms out and lifting just enough for him to tug it out from under her. “That too.”

  He slowly licked her nipple, teasing her. He slid her shorts down her legs, kissing each thigh before tossing the shorts off the end of the bed. Her panties followed, leaving her bare to his gaze.

  He stared at her for several moments, his expression so filled with heat it nearly scorched her. She cupped his face and pulled him down, kissing him with all of the passion in her soul.

  This was her mate. She’d wanted him, loved him, for years, and now she was going to mark him as her own.

  The poor guy had no idea what was coming.

  “Greer,” she whispered against his lips.

  He smiled and sat up on his knees, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it aside. He wasn’t broad and thick like Noah, but his muscles were well defined, his chest bare under her touch. He reached for his jeans and slid them down before falling over her once more, kissing the breath out of her. She could feel his hard cock pressing against her thigh, the tip wet with his desire.

  “Aren’t you going to take your jeans off, cowboy?”

  Greer laughed, rolled onto his back and patted his thigh. “I’d rather you save a horse.”

  Mollie rolled her eyes. “That’s it? That’s the romance I get?” She started to roll out of bed, only to find herself tackled in a nanosecond. She giggled as he pinned her hands above her head.

  “I had no idea you felt that way about cowboys.” He sighed mournfully. “Guess I’ll just have to see how you feel about missionaries.”

  “Oh my God, that was terrible.” She tugged on her hands, but he held fast. She wasn’t going anywhere. “Please, no more bad puns.”

  “Aw. And I was gonna ask if I could play with your Slip’N Slide.”

  “Asshole.” She leaned up and kissed his chin.

  “Your asshole.” Greer let go of her hands. “It could be worse. You could have wound up with someone grouchy.”

  She pretended to think about that. She’d never had fun in bed with a lover before, but with Greer, it just seemed so natural to tease him and play with him while they lay naked against each other. All of her nervousness from earlier was gone, replaced by laughter, sighs and a desire that never seemed to wane.

  “Uh-huh.” He blew a raspberry against her neck, tickling her and making her squirm. “I swear, what am I going to do with you?”

  “I have a couple of ideas.” Mollie pinched his nipple, earning a hiss. She couldn’t decide if that was pain or plea
sure, or both, but Greer wasn’t laughing anymore. His golden brown eyes had darkened, his pupils blown as he bent his head, nibbling and sucking on her neck. He was marking her, his teeth on her flesh, a delicate agony that had her clutching at his shoulders with desperate hands. The heat that had been building up between them suddenly exploded, the embers roaring to life, warming them both.

  Mollie wasn’t going to be passive, lying there and letting him do all the work. No, this was her time, her chance to finally have sex with Greer Berkley. She wasn’t going to...

  To...

  Oh, he’d found her sweet spot.

  Mollie tilted her head farther, closing her eyes in bliss as Greer drove her crazy with lips, tongue and teeth.

  “So beautiful,” he said with a sigh.

  Mollie opened her eyes to find him watching her again. She put her hand in his hair, touched by how he leaned into her grasp. “I know.”

  Greer pulled free, dabbling kisses all over her skin as he made his way down her body. Somehow he’d managed to finally ditch his jeans, the tops of them hanging on at the bottom of the bed, falling as Greer maneuvered himself between her thighs. He kissed her there, on her curls, before taking a long, wet lick at her clitoris.

  Mollie almost jumped off the bed. The heat of his tongue was exquisite as he tortured her, bringing her close to the edge over and over, only to pull back. Her body ached in the most delicious ways with each and every swipe of his tongue. Her hands tugged on his hair, pulling him closer, silently begging him to drive her over. Greer held back despite her pleas, taking his time despite her cries, but not even he could stop the orgasm that slammed into her, blinding her to everything as she rode the delicious waves.

  He slipped inside her as she was still shuddering in the aftermath, his cock filling her as he kissed her. “Touch yourself. I want to feel you come again.”

  “Can’t,” she panted. She’d never come twice with a lover, and she doubted even Greer had the magic dick to change that.

  He grinned and shifted, turning them so that he was on his back and she was hovering over him, his cock barely touching her pussy. “You can. Take your time, let it build.” He cupped her breasts, caressing her nipples, her body’s response startling her. Perhaps because it had been so long, or the fact that this was her mate, but she was willing to give it the old college try.

  Mollie slid down his cock, her pussy against him, the pale curls around his cock tickling her clit. She murmured with pleasure, throwing her head back as he continued to play with her breasts. The pleasure was quieter this time, slower in coming, but soon she was riding him, sliding on and off him in a desperate bid for ecstasy. She fingered her clit, the pleasure rising, her fire burning brightly. Her other hand was on his shoulder, right where her mark would eventually go.

  Not yet, though. No, she planned on doing that when he claimed her, making sure it was something they both wanted. Tonight was about taking pleasure from Greer, giving him the same in return. When she marked him, the fire would rage out of control between them.

  She gasped, the orgasm building inside her once more. “Greer, soon.”

  “Go, baby.” He clutched her hips, thrusting into her, his face a mask of pleasure. “Do it.”

  Mollie cried out as the climax washed over her, her whole body clenching as she rode him to completion.

  When it was over, she looked down at Greer. His jaw was slack, his eyes closed. He was panting, his hands sliding up and down her waist. He’d come too, his wet warmth inside her.

  She thought about using her flame, burning away his essence and assuring that there would be no pregnancy, but the thought of having Greer’s child was something she’d yearned for longer than she cared to think. Still, were they ready for that step? She hadn’t bonded with him yet. It was possible she couldn’t get pregnant without that step.

  “You okay?”

  She blinked at the question. “Just...thinking.”

  He winced. “Then I did it wrong.”

  She chuckled. “No, silly.” She bit her lip, anxious now that she was about to say it out loud. “We didn’t use protection.”

  He paled. “Oops.”

  She had to know what he thought of the idea of little hims and hers running around the Throne. “Do you?”

  “Huh?”

  “Want kids?”

  “Fuck yes.” He rolled them over, sliding his thigh between hers. Their heads were level on his pillow, their arms wrapped around each other. “Do you?”

  She nodded. “Fuck yes.”

  “Then we let nature decide, right?” Greer shrugged again, this time blushing. “I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

  “It is.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “But we were stupid not to talk about it before now.”

  “With everything going on, all the pain we’ve been through, I didn’t even think of it.” He cupped her cheek tenderly. “I apologize for that. I should have taken better care of you.”

  She kissed his palm. “Me too.” She hadn’t thought it possible to fall for him even more, but in that moment she was certain that she would never hit the true depth. She’d keep falling and falling for the rest of their lives.

  And that was fine by her.

  Chapter Ten

  Noah had chosen to hold the wake for his lost beta and brother in the Throne rather than in the alpha’s house. If Iva were awake, no doubt he would have chosen differently, but Greer had the feeling that more and more of the pack’s functions would move to either the Throne itself or somewhere nearby. Mina didn’t appear to have a problem with it, but Greer didn’t want the Throne to become the special space for the wolves. The Throne was meant for the dryads.

  Unlike most, when a shifter was lost, the wake didn’t involve sad faces and hugs. No, for wolves, the wake became a howl as the wolves voiced their loss, a song that Greer felt down to his bones. It was part of the forest, a part of him, and he nearly joined them as they sang their grief.

  He found himself humming under his breath, an undertone to the song of the wolves. Allan and Lily Wulfenbach had been loved by many, and the pack’s anguish echoed all around him.

  “Greer!”

  Greer jumped at Mina’s shout. “What?”

  “You were singing.”

  He frowned. “No, I wasn’t.”

  She huffed out a breath. “I meant you were Singing. Look around you.”

  Greer did, surprised to find himself surrounded by wolves, all of them sitting there patiently staring at him, waiting for him to...resume his song. He’d been pulled into their pain without realizing it, and now he was healing that pain in the only way he could. “And?”

  Mina shook her head with a smile. “Never mind. Get it out. Help them.”

  Greer nodded and lifted his voice, singing the sorrow of the forest for the lost wolf and naiad. The wolves remained silent as, without words, Greer gave back to them. He sang the song of falling leaves, of the long winter sleep of the trees. He sang of ice and the mournful wail of the wind through barren branches. And then he sang of spring, of the hope of life renewed, of the circle the Throne truly represented. As things end, so do they begin, and new life comes in the wake of those gone.

  The Throne was silent, only the trees rustling to the Singer’s voice as over and over he sang in the language that those of the forest could understand. Greer finished the cycle as it was meant to, his voice drifting away until only the song of the trees remained, for that song never truly ended. Even the rustle of leaves quieted, and the wolves, including the alpha, bowed their heads in the silence, the whole forest mourning the loss of the beta and his mate.

  But even that came to an end. The alpha shifted back to his human form, all the wolves following their alpha’s example. Greer stepped out of the way, making sure the alpha was now the center of their atte
ntion.

  “Thanks.”

  Greer smiled as Paisley Hayes, Carter’s sister, embraced him. “You’re welcome.”

  “Ahem.” Mollie suddenly appeared, her hand clasping hard around his biceps. “Clothes, woman.”

  “Gay woman.” Paisley smirked at Mollie, laughing as Mollie swatted at her. “Fine, I’ll go get dressed.” Paisley winked at Greer. “I do love me a fiery lady.”

  Now it was Greer who felt possessive. He winked back. “Mine.”

  “Oh, I know. And if anyone can understand that, it’s a wolf.” Paisley sashayed off, following the rest of the pack to where they’d stashed their clothing.

  “Hmph.” Mollie snuggled up against him, rubbing her chin over his arm.

  “Are you scenting me?” Greer was thrilled. Mollie was letting the wolves know that Greer was taken in their own way.

  “Yup.” She grinned. “No more naked people rubbing up on my man.”

  He sighed happily. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She poked him in the side. “Now what?”

  “I take you home and ravish you?” Greer was all for that plan. Hell, he was reaching for her, already hard and aching, when she spoke again.

  “No, silly. The wolves.”

  Oh. Them. “Ah. I think Noah will appoint a new beta.”

  “So soon?” She sounded shocked. “His brother hasn’t been gone long.”

  “And he’ll keep mourning him for the rest of his life, but the pack needs the reassurance of a beta.”

  “Do you have any idea who he might pick?” Mollie followed as he walked to where Mina and Ash were waiting under the great oak.

  “I have no idea.” He took her hand, standing with the other dryads as Noah clapped.

  “All right, everyone. I know what you’re thinking, and it’s time.” Noah glanced toward Mina, who nodded crisply. “I have discussed my choice with the forest queen, and she agrees.”