by V. A. Dold
That little bit of encouragement was all she needed. She settled over his trim hips, one leg on either side of his, and drank him in with her eyes. She felt like she was really seeing him for the first time.
A slow smile spread across her face as she gazed into his eyes. More love and adoration shown back at her than she’d ever imagined a man would feel for her. He didn’t say a word. He simply grinned and waited for her to do whatever she had in mind.
She felt her boldness return and she knew Richie was bolstering her self-confidence through their bond. Nibbling her lower lip, she began her unhurried perusal. Piper didn’t want to miss a single detail.
Ever so slowly, she traced his strong cheekbones and jawline. He had such a handsome, strong, manly face. Her thumbs met over his bottom lip and stroked back and forth. The temptation was too much. She had to kiss him. She heard him groan when her weight shifted forward to claim his lips and caused her pelvis to grind on his erection in exquisite torture.
Finally, she sat up, her hands on his chest, eliciting another groan from his lips.
“Is this too much for you? Are you going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Take your time.” He clinched his teeth and gripped the sheet.
He seemed sincere, so she continued her study of her mate. She ran both palms down his body, enjoying every dip and muscle. She loved the feel of his skin. Slowly, she circled his hard male nipple with her finger. Richie let out a little growl as she rolled it. She grinned when his eyes glowed brighter with desire.
Richie’s muscles quivered and clenched under her light touch, as her fingertips floated lightly over the ripples and valleys of his abdomen. Her gaze fastened on his hip area, fascinated by the deep ‘V’. By this time, she’d worked her way down his legs to sit near his knees. Her mouth watered to taste him. Holding his heated gaze, she leaned forward and ran her tongue from the top of the left side of the ‘V’ down to his weeping cock and gave it a lick. Then she used her tongue to trace the other side.
Richie jerked his hips so hard she thought he was going to buck her off the bed.
“I’m sorry, cher. I’ll hold still. I promise.” He would give her all the time she wanted, if it killed him. And at the rate she was going, it just might.
“Good, because I have to inspect this area a bit more,” she teased twirling her finger over his groin in emphasis which sent him into a growling fit.
The pads of her fingers skimmed his cock, and she felt the hard length of him jump as he sucked in his breath. She lightly traced the length and shape of his cock and he thought he would die. The top of his head almost blew off when she wrapped her fist around him and began a mind-numbing glide from tip to balls.
He squeezed his eyes shut, willing his body to remain still. But when her hair grazed his inner thighs, and she took him into her warm, wet mouth, his hips jerked reflexively. His heart stuttered and all the air whooshed from his lungs. Damn, she was going to kill him with pleasure.
As she took him deep, all the way to the back of her throat, his eyes rolled and every brain cell exploded. With every caress of her tongue, his dick twitched and bounced. He panted and clutched the sheets in a death grip, barely holding to his resolve. The final straw was when she gently cupped his sack with her free hand.
That was it. Game over. He swallowed his tongue. He had all he could do to hold his release.
Mon amour, you need to stop right now. If you don’t, I’m going to ruin the ritual.
A wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes as she released him with a ‘pop.’
Before she could draw a breath, he flipped her onto her back covering her with his body.
“How the heck did you manage that?” Piper squeaked in surprise.
“I’ve got mad skills, mon amour.” He grinned from ear to ear and winked. Then he nestled his hips between her thighs, and sat back on his heels.
Mimicking her early inspection, he trailed a finger along the side of her neck, and traced the swell of her breast. She shivered under his light caresses, which made his blood run even hotter.
Her body shook with arousal, but he didn’t give in to impulse and hurry. He simply continued his slow inspection from head to toe.
Piper was breathing hard. “What are you doing?”
“Like you, I’m enjoying every inch of my mate,” he said as he brought his gaze back to her face. “The curve of your lips. The dusky color of your nipples when you’re aroused. The way your waist dips in ever so slightly. I’m burning every detail into my mind so when I close my eyes, I can picture you perfectly, exactly as you are right now.”
He licked his lips, tasting her essence there and gazed deeply into her eyes. Then eased his hips forward until the tip of his cock entered her. Ever so slowly, he rocked against her. Only making a shallow penetration. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself and his wolf. Then he looked her in the eye again. “Are you ready, my beautiful mate?”
“Absolutely,” she said emphatically.
“Do you see that sheet of paper on the side table next to you? I wrote the ritual out so you’ll know what to say and when.”
Piper picked up the paper and nodded. “Got it.”
“Will you give yourself, body and soul, to complete this man and his wolf?
“Will you unite your life with mine, bond your future with mine, and merge your half of our soul to mine, and in doing so, complete the mating ritual?”
She looked at her script and read aloud, “I will give myself, body and soul, to complete you as a man and his wolf.
“I will unite my life with yours, bond my future to yours, and merge my half of our soul with yours. I will complete the mating ritual with you,” she stated her answer and smiled brightly.
With the required request and acceptance completed, he bent forward, planting his strong arms on either side of her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her enthusiastically.
“You have no idea, how badly I’ve wanted to hear you say those words,” he breathed against her lips. Then he kissed her again, his tongue danced sensually with hers, and in one thrust he was buried to the hilt. Slowly he rocked in and out, relishing the love he felt through their bond.
Richie kissed her one last time, a sweet lingering kiss. “Are you ready to complete the actual ritual, mon amour?”
“I’ve never been more ready in my life.”
He locked his elbows and gazed into her eyes as he began. “I claim you as my mate.” A breeze of magical energy caressed their skin with his first words.
“I belong to you as you belong to me.
“I give you my heart and my body.
“I will protect you even with my life.
“I give you all I am.
“I share my half of our soul to complete you.
“I share my magic with you.”
Richie unlocked his elbows and kissed her lips, then whispered next to her ear. “This is the part where I bite you.”
Piper sucked in a breath as he nuzzled her neck. She felt him lapping at her neck where he’d said he would leave his mark. He lapped once, twice, a third time, and pierced her flesh with his elongated canines.
Piper yipped and then instantly sighed as bliss enveloped her. It hadn’t hurt as much as she’d expected.
She felt his tongue as he lapped up the blood seeping from the little wound he’d made, licking gently. Then he started his shallow thrusting again.
“I beseech the great Luna Goddess to bless you and your wolf guardian.
“You are my mate to cherish today and for all time.
“I claim you as my mate.”
The breeze of energy from earlier gathered power and swirled faster and faster around the room before it whooshed into the center of her chest.
Her eyes got wider than the rings around Saturn. “What the hell just hit me?”
“That was your wolf soul entering your body. Now you need to repeat the words back to me, and bite me right here.” He tapped his neck and waggled h
is eyebrows suggestively.
Piper concentrated on her script again, took a deep breath, and cleared her throat. “I claim you as my mate.
“I belong to you as you belong to me.
“I give you my heart and my body.
“I will protect you even with my life.
“I give you all I am.
“I share my half of our soul to complete you.”
Richie rumbled loudly.
“Okay, now what was that?” she asked wide-eyed.
“That was our souls knitting together.”
“It feels amazing. I’ve never felt this content and peaceful before.”
“I feel it, too,” he said, rubbing his chest with one hand, a huge smile on his face.
“Cool.” She smiled continued. “I share my magic with you.”
He lowered himself on his arms again, and exposed his neck to her. “Make me yours for all time, mon amour.”
She’d never been so hesitant in her life. She really didn’t want to hurt him by doing the bite thing wrong.
“Just do exactly what I did. Trust me, you won’t do it wrong.”
“Okay,” she said quietly as she eyed his neck. Trusting him, she followed his advice, and copied him. She lapped at the spot, once, twice, and as she licked a third time, super sharp fangs erupted.
“Holy shit! Are you sure you’re not a vampire? These fangs are beyond huge,” she lisped around her oversized canines.
Richie chuckled which caused his neck to move. “I’m sorry, I’ll hold still so you can do this.”
Thankfully, instinct took over, and she bit down piercing his flesh. She was sure she wouldn’t have been able to do it without the extra push.
He moaned and she felt his ecstasy as her fangs sank deep. Still copying what he’d done, she lapped at the bite.
Richie’s forearms quivered from the intense erotic pleasure each lick shot through his body, but he managed to hold still.
With a shaky breath, he locked gazes with her again to watch her finish the ritual.
“I beseech the great Luna Goddess to bless you and your wolf guardian.
“You are my mate to cherish today and for all time.
“I claim you as my mate.”
Richie growled loudly and kissed her with more passion than he’d ever experienced. The ritual words were completed, now he could love his mate the way she liked to be loved. A little bit rough, with a truckload of sensation.
“Mine!” he howled, and thrust into her.
“Mine!” she echoed back, and met him thrust for thrust.
He gripped her hips and pulled almost completely out before slamming all the way to the hilt. With each deep stroke, he had her moaning louder.
He set a rhythm designed to drive her into a frenzy.
He tipped her hips to hit her inner sweet spot. “Can you feel your wolf engaging in our ecstasy?”
“I think so,” she panted, and began to make a keening sound.
He had her on the edge as flesh slapped flesh in earnest.
Piper locked her ankles behind his hips, and he drove deeper. Three thrusts and her climax rolled over her like a tidal wave. Her channel clamped down on him as she screamed his name.
A moment later, he joined her in his own release.
Gasping, he managed to collapse by her side and not crush her. A huge, sated grin filled his face. He was so unbelievably content. Richie thought his heart would burst with the amount of love he felt coming from Piper.
She was grinning too, and had an equally sated expression on her face. A surge of male pride roared through him, he’d put that expression there.
“Wow,” she panted, reaching blindly for his hand.
“Double wow,” he panted and wound their fingers together.
Finally able to catch his breath, he growled, “I love you, Piper Majors.”
“I love you, too, Richie Majors,” she growled back. Then she sucked in a breath and whispered. “That’s freaky.”
“What’s freaky?” He propped himself on one elbow to look at her.
“My wolf growled through my voice and I felt her emotions.”
He grinned and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Cool, huh?”
She grinned back. “Way cool.”
Chapter 16
Piper had only nodded off when she woke with a start. She didn’t feel well. Not well at all.
Richie tucked her closer to his side. “Are you okay, cher?”
“Not really. I feel strange and achy.”
“I think that’s the conversion starting,” he said with a very concerned expression. “What can I do to make you feel better? Is there anything I can get for you?”
“I don’t know. What do shifters do for the mate to help them through a conversion?”
Richie wouldn’t look her in the eye. Her heart pounded and she started to become alarmed when a tear rolled down his cheek.
“I should have been more adamant about your discomfort when I explained the conversion to you. From what I’ve been told, there isn’t much I can do to ease your pain.”
“Shit. This is going to suck, isn’t it?”
All he could do was nod.
“You said you were injured a few times on the job. I’m trying to remember if I’ve heard any stories of other mates besides Rose, who endured the healing of such things.”
She placed her hand over her stomach, as the cramps rolling in her belly, began to build. Then she felt a sharp pain that slowly eased. She looked at Richie in horror as her mid-section began to twitch and push up in sections, like something alive was trying to break out. Good lord, was the alien from those Sigourney Weaver movies in there?
Piper rubbed circles over her churning stomach. The only thing she could think to do was breathe like in the movies when a woman was in labor. Which was stupid, she’d never had a baby and had no idea if she was doing it correctly. All she accomplished was near hyperventilation.
She came up on her knees, clutching her stomach with both hands as what must have been the hundredth wave of pain in the past hour racked her body.
Richie leapt from the bed and searched for his phone. “This doesn’t seem right. You’re in too much pain and this is taking too long. I need to call Emma Le Beau.” He searched his brain for stories of a mate not surviving the conversion. Thank Goddess, he couldn’t remember hearing any.
A few minutes later, Richie skidded into the room and found her crawling across the floor. “Goddess, what are you doing?” he asked in a panicked voice.
“I’m going to throw up.”
He swept her into his arms and rushed her to the bathroom. Then watched helplessly as Piper hung her head over the toilet.
“I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”
Silently, he held her hair aside while she retched over and over. He was unable to bear the pain for her, so he sent her love and comfort through their bond.
When she felt well enough to go back to bed, he scooped her off the floor and carried her. Very gently, he laid her down before sitting next to her. “Mon amour, what have you failed to tell me? What happened to you between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five that would affect you this way?”
Piper screwed up her face in annoyance. “I told you, I was shot and stabbed twice.”
“Where and exactly what were your injuries,” he demanded in an overly tight voice.
She let out a resigned breath, then admitted. “All in the stomach. And I lost my appendix and spleen to the stabbings.”
Richie scrubbed his hands over his stubbled face. “You should have warned me. As a human you were obviously given medication to dull the pain. No wonder it didn’t hurt too badly. For Goddess sake, Piper, you had to have gone through several operations. Now the damage from those wounds is healing and your organs are regrowing without painkillers. That’s what’s causing the excessive pain. Emma suspected something like this. She said if we’d known ahead of time, I could have had a hypo on hand and given it to
you after the ritual. You could have slept through this, mon amour.”
She nervously chewed her lip. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t think of that when we talked about it.”
Piper rolled to her side, and began rocking back and forth.
Before he could think of a way to help her, pain etched her face again. He could see it. He sensed it. And damnation, he felt it like it was his own.
He saw the sheen of sweat dampen her hair and running down her face. That at least he could help with. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with damp clothes and dry towels. As tender as a mother with a newborn, he bathed her face and dried her hair.
“Thank you,” she said weakly.
“You’re welcome, mon précieux. Is it getting any better?” She seemed to be resting more comfortably and hadn’t doubled over in the last ten minutes.
“I think the worst of the pain is over. Now all I feel is dull aching in my joints and muscles. And a weird tingling all over my body.”
“Normally, the regression is rather short. Hopefully, you follow the norm and it’s almost done.”
“That would be nice. At least I have an idea what to expect when we have a baby.”
“Goddess, woman, are you trying to kill me? Let me get through this before you talk about something like that.”
Piper chuckled at the dismay he evidently had displayed on his face.
Then a grin and fascination pulled at his lips, but he tamped it down and didn’t say a word.
“What?” she asked, gingerly touching her face. “Why does my skin feel tight?”
“Your skin just smoothed out like Saran Wrap pulled tight over a bowl of food.”
“Is that what I just felt? Because I’ll tell you, if felt freaky.”
He grinned for the first time since the conversion began. “It looked freaky.”
Piper sighed and lay back on the pillows.
Suddenly Richie scowled darkly.
“Good lord! What now?”
He glared at her body. “How thin were you when you were twenty-five?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe fifty pounds lighter.
Richie bared his teeth and snarled louder. “When this is over, you’ll take a shower while I prepare a high calorie meal for you. I will not have a skinny mate.”