by Regine Abel
I nodded, suddenly feeling frazzled. Shifting all the bags to one hand—which had to be painful seeing how much they weighed—Kazan wrapped his freed arm around me, tucking me against him.
“Do not be afraid, my Jade. No one will hurt you.”
I shuddered at the eerie similitude of his words to those of the Mistwalker. Yet, I didn’t sense the presence of the ethereal being or feel the tingling usually associated with him. Kazan tightened his embrace and hurried us to the car.
Although he tried to lighten the mood with casual conversation on the way back to my house, I didn’t miss the careful and frequent way he glanced at the rearview and side mirrors as he drove, no doubt on the lookout for any pursuers. I did my fair share of checking the passenger side mirror for any signs of the black car, in vain. By the time we rolled up to my house, we were both a lot more relaxed.
Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, once more hanging out on their front porch, eyed my companion with blatant curiosity. Mrs. Palmer’s gaze lingered on the bags in Kazan’s hands. Despite the bright street lights, night had already fallen, making it harder for the nosy woman to get a good view of the labels. Thankfully, the Dungeon Mistress bag was mostly hidden by the Victoria’s Secret one. I wished he had brought out his Shay & Vincent bags instead, but I could deal with being outed for wearing sexy lingerie rather than for kinky equipment.
We nodded at them on our way to my house. Her barely repressed smile told me she’d not only give me the third degree the next time we spoke, but that she’d also be talking her poor husband’s ears off with wild speculations.
I closed the door behind us, and Kazan deposited the bags on the dining table, looking amused.
“Have I ruined your reputation?” he asked, mockingly.
“I believe so. You’d better prepare to battle to restore my honor, oh valiant warrior,” I said wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I’ll fight the Gods and the Titans themselves to defend your honor, my beloved,” he said against my lips before kissing me.
I melted against him, but he put an end to it, all too soon.
“Are you hungry?” I asked as he pulled away from me. “I’ve got some steaks in the fridge. I could make a salad or rice with steamed veggies if you’d like? Or we could order in.”
Kazan hesitated. He had started nodding, going along with one of my requests as usual, but held back. That pleasantly surprised me.
“Actually, I’m not hungry but I’ll be glad to steal a couple of bites from your plate.”
I smiled. “In truth, I’m actually not hungry either since I ate before you picked me up.”
“We’re all good then,” he said, smiling as well.
“All right. Let me go put this upstairs, and you can take the shots you wanted in the panic room’s staircase,” I said, getting excited at the thought of posing for him again.
I grabbed the Victoria’s Secret bag and quickly rummaged in the Dungeon Mistress bag to remove one of the condom boxes.
“Where are you taking that?” Kazan asked before I could discreetly slip it into the lingerie bag.
My face heated, and I licked my lips nervously. “Taking one upstairs?”
“Why?” he asked, his stare intense.
“So that we have one here and the other at your place for… you know… when we need it.”
Kazan took a few steps towards me, closing the distance between us. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes darkened.
“When will we need it?” he whispered.
I swallowed hard, my gaze dropping to his sensuous lips. “Technically, we don’t need them since I have a contraceptive implant,” I said, absentmindedly touching the skin of my arm which covered it. “I’m clean, and I’m assuming you are, too?”
“I am.”
“But they’re cherry flavored, so… I guess that counts for something?”
God, I felt so clumsy and juvenile. You’d think I was eighteen, not twenty-eight.
“Would you let me make love to you, Jade?”
My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t seem to draw in enough oxygen. Voicelessly, I nodded my assent.
“Right here? Right now?” he persisted, moving even closer to me.
I nodded again, unable to speak, hypnotized by his stormy eyes.
“Do you want me as much as I want you, Jade?”
“Yes, Kazan. I do.”
He drew me to him. Clasping my hands behind his neck—the box making it somewhat awkward—I purred as his palms ran down my back before settling on my butt, and then lifting me up. I instinctively wrapped my legs around him. His gaze locked with mine, he headed for the stairs up to my bedroom.
My pulse raced as he carefully laid me down on the bed. Staring me straight in the eyes, he slowly stripped out of his clothes. I blindly placed the box of condoms on the nightstand, almost dropping it to the floor as I feasted my eyes on my man’s breathtaking perfection. At 6’7, with the muscle mass of a character straight out of an epic, demi-god warrior novel, a dreamy face, and mesmerizing eyes, Kazan embodied every fantasy I had ever held of the ideal man. My gaze never strayed from him as I kicked off my shoes and wiggled out of my leggings. Halfway through yanking off my socks, I watched him lower his pants, exposing his erect shaft. My jaw dropped, and my mind went numb. Long, thick, with ropy veins along its length, it qualified more as a club than a cock.
I gulped with a mixture of fear and excitement, my undies instantly drenched with my arousal. As he stepped out of his pants, I tossed my socks aside and reached for the hem of my crop top. Lifting it over my head, I squealed in surprise when Kazan’s hands clasped around my ankles, dragging my bum to the edge of bed. Battling my way out of the crop top still covering my face, I yanked it off only to have it tangle in my hair.
My groan of frustration turned into a startled gasp as Kazan brushed his lips against the length of my inner thigh while kneeling before me, and then buried his face between my legs. A burning flame exploded in the pit of my stomach. He nuzzled me over the tiny triangle of my midnight blue thong, his hands roaming up and down my thighs, over my stomach, then back down my legs.
Breath laboring with anticipation and excitement, I absentmindedly rid myself of the pesky top. Lifting my head, I looked at Kazan, his gorgeous face mostly concealed by his lustrous, wavy, black hair. My breath caught in my throat when he grabbed the side of my thong with his teeth and pulled it aside to expose me to him. Lifting my legs over his shoulders, he covered my mound with soft kisses before teasing the seam with his hot, wet tongue. I whispered his name as a bolt of pleasure zipped through me. With slow, deliberate movements, Kazan explored me with his mouth, tasting, teasing, and sucking. I writhed beneath his sensual ministrations, my hips gyrating with a will of their own.
My back arched off the bed when he slipped two fingers inside me, and his lips latched onto my clit. Fisting his silky hair with one hand, I slipped the other one under my bra, pinching my painfully hard nipple. Skin afire, I gave myself over to the raging inferno building inside me as Kazan accelerated the movement of his hand. As I neared the edge, the familiar tingle of the Mistwalker manifested itself, spreading all over my feverish body instead of focusing around my nape as per its usual.
A blinding light exploded before my eyes as I detonated. I screamed Kazan’s name, my head rolling from side to side in the throes of passion. The tingling sensation intensified, heightening the sensitivity of my skin.
Through my haze, I heard the crinkling sound of a condom wrapper being ripped open. I cracked my eyes open to see Kazan standing before me in his glorious nakedness, a feral look on his face, the intensity in his dark eyes pinning me in place. He didn’t break eye contact as he rolled on the condom, apparently oblivious of the ghostly, black tendrils hovering around him like shadowy flames.
The familiar fear, excitement, and guilt coursed through me. I crawled backwards, instinctively wanting to get away from my ‘monster’ and yet, also wanting to be captured.
“Kazan,�
� I whispered, uncertain what I wanted to say but feeling I needed to warn him.
My words died in my throat as he grabbed my ankle again, stopping me from crawling away, and climbed on top of the bed.
“Stay still,” he said, in a commanding voice that had me paralyzed. “You are mine, Jade.”
Although I heard the words through my ears, I could have sworn that last sentence also resonated inside my head in the disembodied voice of the Mistwalker.
Kazan kneeled between my legs, his hungry gaze roaming over me with a possessiveness that left me breathless. His palms caressed a path up my thighs before grabbing the waist of my thong. In one powerful movement, he snapped the strings and ripped the underwear from me. I gasped, my pulse and breathing accelerating further.
“All mine,” he growled before pressing his mouth to my core again and nipping my clit.
I emitted a strangled cry as another bolt of pleasure went off inside me. His hands and lips trailed a path up over my stomach to my chest. Pushing up my bra to free my breasts, he rubbed his face in the valley between them before kissing each one in turn. My hands clutched the comforter as his hands reached for my bra which met the same fate as my thong. I shuddered when his lips lingered over the Mistwalker’s brand, his tongue slowly tracing the pattern with disturbing reverence. As his mouth continued to explore me, he licked my clavicle, kissed the curve of my shoulders, and nipped at the pulse in my neck.
“Touch me,” he ordered.
I wanted to comply, but my eyes flicked to the dark aura of the Mistwalker around him.
“Look at me,” Kazan said, in a stern voice that brooked no argument. My eyes immediately flicked back towards his. “All is well, my Jade. It’s me, your Kazan. Stay with me. Focus on me.” His knees spread my legs wider, and he pressed his rock-hard cock against my core. “Touch me, my Jade. I need your hands on me, my love.”
Those last words broke through the haze of my fear. Despite the strong sense of the Mistwalker’s presence, I drowned in the turbulent sky of Kazan’s eyes. Letting go of the comforter, I placed my hands on his narrow waist, caressing a slow path along his sides, and up his strong, muscular back.
“Yes… Yes!” he hissed, his face tense with pleasure.
He leaned down and captured my lips as he pressed himself inside me. His massive cock slipped inside me inch by inch with slow thrusts while our hands explored and our mouths devoured.
“Tell me you’re mine, Jade,” Kazan whispered against my lips as he picked up the pace. “Tell me you belong to me.”
Lost in a sea of pleasure, each stroke fanning another blaze spreading like wildfire within me, I could barely focus on anything other than the feel of his burning skin against mine, the powerful arms holding me, the fullness of his length spearing me, and his hot breath mingling with mine.
“I’m yours, Kazan,” I slurred, between moans. “I’m all yours. Take all of me.”
“My Jade…”
The words came out as a barely understandable growl as something seemed to snap inside him. Slipping both arms behind my knees, he spread me even wider and pounded into me. Nails digging into his back, I screamed his name as I climaxed for the second time. Before I could fully recover, he flipped us around and lowered me back onto his stiff cock. Too dazed to ride him, I pressed my palms to his chest for support, while he held me above him with both hands under my bum, and thrust up into me.
The shadowy flames of the Mistwalker aura around Kazan as he took me made the bed appear to be covered in a troubled, oily sea. But I ignored it, hypnotized by Kazan’s face, contorted with pleasure. I gave myself over to my lover as another wave of ecstasy slowly built again within me.
“I’m going to come, Jade. I’m going to fucking come. Come with me, my love.”
The urgency and commanding edge in his voice undid me. I threw my head back with a guttural cry as my orgasm swept me, my inner walls clamping down on him. Kazan slammed me down on his cock as he shouted his own release. His body shuddered as he rode the last waves of his climax, grinding his pelvis against mine.
I collapsed on top of him, destroyed. Kazan wrapped his arms around me in a bruising hold and pressed a passionate kiss on my forehead before placing my head in the crook of his neck.
“You own me, Jade. I am all yours, and I’m never letting you go.”
My stomach flip-flopped at being thus claimed. I kissed his neck and held onto him tightly. The last man I had allowed myself to love, that I had devoted myself to, in the end had not wanted to be mine, let alone keep me.
Keep me, Kazan. And let me keep you.
CHAPTER 6
Kazan
My Jade... She looked so peaceful in her sleep. I marveled at her beautiful, naked body draped in a curtain of red hair, splayed on the bed. How I ached to wake her up and ravish her again, but she needed rest. I barely repressed a snort thinking that we’d already used four condoms in a single night. Considering how thoroughly—and passionately—I’d worn her out, it came as no surprise that she’d sleep in. My woman wasn’t an early bird to begin with. Good thing it was Saturday morning.
Grabbing my pants, I regretted not having brought in my Shay & Vincent’s bag of new clothes. I hadn’t planned on us having sex, let alone spending the night. I still couldn’t believe the boldness with which Jade had just grabbed the condoms from Lorna. I’d have to thank the older lady the next time I visited Dungeon Mistress.
Slipping a couple of condoms into the pockets of the pants in my hand, I tried to ignore my stiffening cock at the thought of all the other ways I wanted to take my woman. I quietly went to the bathroom in the hallway and took a quick shower. Sensing that Jade would be waking soon, I went down to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge to find the ingredients for pancakes. While flipping the first one, the shuffling sound of Jade’s footsteps reached me. I smiled, my belly tightening with a pleasant feeling at the thought of seeing my woman again. Thrumming with impatience, I tried to silence the fear that she might decide it had been a mistake.
It would crush me.
While she showered, I cooked some ham and bacon, having found no sausages. I then proceeded to make a huge stack of pancakes and cut up some oranges. Jade’s brisk steps came down the stairs and padded along the short hallway before she entered the kitchen. Barefoot, she wore only an oversized sports t-shirt which fell to mid-thigh, her lustrous hair still slightly damp.
“Hmmm, something smells good,” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
Relief flooded me as she sauntered towards me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and lifted her face expectantly. I gladly leaned forward and kissed her, holding her tightly against me.
“Good morning, sleepy head,” I said, releasing her.
“Your fault,” she said, without the slightest shame before slapping my butt. “I’m famished!” she said, peering at the food laid out on the table. “You, sir, are quite the keeper.”
My chest warmed.
“Good,” I said, pulling a chair for her. “I fully intend to be kept.”
Her face melted with a tender expression that tugged at my heart. I wanted her to always look at me that way, and I’d do everything in my power to make sure she did.
I finished laying out the food and settled next to her as we dug in. I liked ham and bacon, although the latter could be a little too salty at times. The pancakes didn’t faze me either way; they had an interesting texture. A dab of maple syrup on them actually tasted nice, but butter and drowned in syrup like my woman liked it made my stomach revolt. I watched her plop a huge square of butter on her pancakes and then look at my plate, ready to inflict the same treatment upon my stack. Normally, I would have allowed her to do so and pasted a grateful grin on my face, but as we would spend the rest of the day together, I didn’t want to fight nausea while keeping my power in check.
Bracing for Jade’s reaction, I gestured for her not to give me any, smiling gently to soften the rejection. To my surprise, and delight, it didn’t upset h
er. In fact, she seemed both stunned and… pleased. My mate had taken to closely observing my reaction to every situation, which unnerved me. I’d assumed she was testing how compatible we were in our likes and dislikes. But now, I was starting to question that assumption.
We finished the meal with pleasant chatter, although I noticed Jade testing my tastes throughout the meal by offering me different combinations of things, from coffee with sugar and milk—when she knew I usually stuck to freshly pressed fruit juice or water, finding coffee too bitter—to whipped cream on my orange slices. She did make me cave in to a tiny amount of coffee in lots of hot milk, with a hint of sugar and cinnamon. Although a little strange to the taste, it was rather pleasant.
She called me a Latte dude. I could live with that.
With barely ten days left before the next Mist, we still had quite a bit of work to do to complete the collection, or rather, one final piece which she would model for me in the staircase of her panic room. But before we got to that, Jade insisted we watch one of her favorite old school TV shows. Spooning on her couch, we ended up watching two back-to-back episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Although she tried to hide it, whenever the Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax would appear on screen, Jade would study my reaction to her. I had to repress a smile, guessing what thoughts crossed her mind and wondering how she would word her questions.
As the credits started rolling, Jade turned on her back to look at me, her dainty fingers tracing circles on my chest and around the areola of my nipple. Forcing myself to ignore how her touch resonated in my groin, I focused on her instead, bracing for the question I knew would come.
“I love Jadzia. She’s beautiful and smart,” Jade said, trying to sound casual. “But as much as I love Dax and the idea of a symbiont, I don’t think I could do it.”
“Do what?” I asked, playing dumb.
“Play host to another sentient being. Having them control part of my body and my thoughts. Knowing that I’d never be a single individual again. Wouldn’t that bother you?”
“Depends,” I answered truthfully, slightly unnerved by her intense stare. “I would object to being possessed by a demon or some kind of parasite, to be taken against my will. But in Jadzia’s case, she not only chose to become a host, she studied and worked hard for years for that honor, and to be deemed worthy of Dax.”