by Brenda Trim
He gathered his magic once more and grabbed the remaining elements of the spell, casting it away. A ten-ton weight lifted off his shoulders as the enchantment disintegrated, and he imagined Angelica screaming in defeat. He was finally free!
He pulled back and met Cailyn’s stormy hazel eyes. “Ah, Goddess. I’m free. I’m finally free,” he expressed and kissed his mate brutally, feeling nothing but bliss. His body surged into his love play with Cailyn. He cupped her breasts and teased her nipples. Her heat seared him through their fabric. His cock was hard as a rock, yet there was no nausea.
“You did it. I knew you would.” Cailyn wiped at his eyes as he broke the kiss for them to catch a breath. He realized he had tears in his eyes, but didn’t care. He was no longer bound, and knew what it was like to feel true pleasure.
“You’re in for it now, baby,” he warned as his need became feral.
“Jace,” she yelped when he set her down and ripped her shirt from her body. Her nipples pearled under the black satin, making his mouth water.
“Let me love you, Cailyn.” He reached back to unclasp her bra and stole her reply with his mouth. He didn’t want to hear a denial. Her tongue met his, and he knew there would be no denial. He let her bra fall to the forest floor along with his past. The rain had lightened to a mist and it mingled with the sweat on her skin, making her glisten.
“Mmmm, yesss.” She arched her back and rubbed her breasts against his chest. His mate mark chose that moment to burn hotly, demanding that he finish the mating. It was harder than he imagined to stop from taking those final steps.
He set her on her feet and knelt in front of her. He grasped the waist of her pants, took a breath and looked up into passion-filled eyes. “I have to taste you, Shijéí.” He needed this with a desperation that was painful. He had to have her coating his tongue. He loved that she widened her stance at the same time she blushed and turned her head as if shy. Not that he had experience in pleasuring a female, but her combination of carnal abandon and shyness drove him crazy. Ignoring clasp and zipper, he ripped her jeans apart in one swift move.
“Holy shit, Jace,” Cailyn gasped. “I liked those pants, but you can rip anything off my body anytime you want.” A twist of his fingers and her silk panties fluttered to the ground as well. He glanced away from her flushed face to her exposed core. It was glistening with her arousal. He lifted a finger to trace her moisture and his eyes traveled up to her face, stopping to admire the way her exposed breasts rose and fell rapidly with her breaths.
His hand ran up her leg, luxuriating in her satin-soft skin. His fingers sank into her silky, slick flesh. “You are mine, Cailyn. My mate, my soul and I will win your heart.” He swooped in and licked up her channel. Her response was lost as she mewled and panted her pleasure. One taste wetted his appetite and he savored her like a starving man. Going on instinct, he licked, nipped and sucked on her aroused flesh.
“Oh God, Jace. Please, whatever you do, don’t stop.” Her head dropped forward and he wrapped his arms around her waist as she wavered on her feet.
“You taste like heaven, love. I wouldn’t dream of stopping,” he murmured against her intimate flesh. He inserted one finger into her quivering flesh while he sucked her clit into his mouth. Her core clenched, and he added another finger, stretching her, preparing her for him. She writhed in his arms, rubbing against his mouth with abandon. He loved that she was so responsive to his touch.
He bit down on her bundle of nerves, making her squeal. He smiled and renewed his efforts, plunging his fingers in and out. As she convulsed and cried out his name in climax, joy swept through him that all he felt was an unbearable desire to join her in ecstasy. He refused to let up, despite her pleas. He was a male possessed by his Fated Mate.
As he continued his assault on her body, he marveled at the intense feeling of the pre-cum building in his cock. The pleasure was even greater this time without the nausea hampering it. She cried out as she came against his mouth a second time.
Driven by an urgent demand, he stood and headed for a nearby evergreen. “I can’t wait. I’m sorry, love, but this is going to be hard and fast. The mating compulsion has me firmly in its grip,” he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I’m going to fuck you so hard that you have no doubt who you belong to.”
“Oh,” she cried as he impaled her on his cock in one smooth stroke. She was wet and more than ready for him. He did that to her. His chest puffed with pride that he could arouse his female. He began a slow rhythm trying to be gentle as he walked forward to the tree.
“How does it feel to have me deep inside you?” he demanded, and thrust hard, pushing her into the bark. He needed her to acknowledge that he was the only male for her. “So deep, I can’t tell where you end and I begin,” he groaned. He pulled his cock out of her pussy and saw her cream glowing along his length under the moonlight. He nearly lost his seed at the sight.
“Oh God, you feel so good. Fuck me, Jace,” she managed, thrashing her head back and forth, using the tree to meet him stroke for stroke. He wanted to take more care with her, but he was an animal possessed right now.
Every sound she uttered made his cock harder. At the moment he was hard as steel and could pound nails. Instead, he speared into her tight little sheath while her walls squeezed him deliciously. He had never experienced the sensations bombarding his body, and he wanted more. He was greedy for it.
He realized he needed to complete the bond with this female, who not only carried a precious part of his soul, but had made her way into his heart. He needed her to accept his claim, and mate with him.
“You will accept me as your Fated Mate. We will spend the rest of eternity together. This I promise you, Shijéí.” She yanked on his braid in response, making him buck and pound harder. He tried to remind himself that she was human and fragile, but was unable to stop the building orgasm that drove him deeper into the mire of insane arousal.
He reached down with one hand to play with her clit, stroking it harshly, demandingly. She tensed, signaling her orgasm was but a breath away. His was even closer, and he felt the pressure of his seed building, ready to explode. It threatened to melt him to ashes in the best way.
His spine tingled and his balls drew up tight. Her spasms began milking him as she cried out his name and her body shuddered violently with her release. She quaked over him and he roared out his victory as he joined her. He had won much this night, freedom, but a pleasure so great that it destroyed and remade him.
He felt the brush of their souls at the moment of climax, and it sent them both spiraling into another, deeper orgasm. He trembled as he held her against the tree, both their breaths coming in pants. He would never be the same after this night, and prayed to the Goddess that she felt the same way.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Cailyn was still shaking as she followed Jace back to the house, and her mind was reeling. She’d had the best sex of her life, and he hadn’t run away to throw up this time. Truth be told, she had felt the moment the spell was lifted. She was honored to have played a part in such a momentous moment for this formidable, yet vulnerable male.
It would not be easy to walk away from Jace, and yet she hated to break John’s heart. He was a good man. Life wasn’t clear or easy when you loved more than one person, because no matter what, you have to let one of them go, despite the pain it would cause. Sometimes you had to do that which you wanted least, in order to gain that which you wanted most. It was impossible to deny that she was made for Jace, and Jace alone. His every touch made her come alive.
Still, she struggled with how to walk away from John when he was familiar and comfortable. She knew what life would be like with him. She’d keep her job, marry him, eventually have a family then move to the suburbs. It would all be average, happy and…safe. She was okay with an average, safe life. It was what she had been raised to know, and didn’t need a life of unending excitement and intrigue to be happy. But, with John, there wouldn’t be the passion and thrill.<
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With Jace, it was as if she’d finally found home. His world might be filled with danger and violence, but she was protected by him and the warriors. Her life had been threatened too many times to count, her sister had been changed into a vampire and her best friend was a dhampir. Excitement, peril and intrigue were the mainstay of life at Zeum, but with Jace she had never felt more alive in her entire life.
“I need to talk to John before we can go any further. I know you want me to declare my love for you, and I know you don’t want me to see him, but this is something I must do,” she blurted, hating to ruin the afterglow. Despite the trudge back to the house, they were both still humming from the intense encounter. But sure enough, at the mention of John, he tensed, and the easy-going feeling vanished.
He squeezed the hand he was holding and stopped abruptly. She looked into angry, amethyst eyes. A firm tug brought her chest bumping into his. It was difficult for her to ignore the feel of his hot, hard flesh pressed against her naked breasts.
“I know that you have things to work out, but know this. You are my mate. You belong to me, and I will not stop until I have all of you. That human will never have you,” he growled at her then kissed her. It was a hard kiss, full of dominance and ownership. She couldn’t deny that he had a command over her. His free hand tangled in her hair, holding her close.
After several long moments he tugged at her hair, pulling her head up. His lips were red and swollen and gleamed in the moonlight. His expression was fierce and possessive, and she was thrilled at how deeply this strong warrior wanted her. Still, she bristled at his dictation. “No one tells me what to do. I would’ve thought you had learned that by now. I am my own person and make my own decisions.”
“I don’t deserve to have you, but I will not stop until I have won your heart and soul. I fought what you represented to me, because you deserved better than what I was, and I refused to force you to be with a mate who was wrecked and unable to be what you needed. You changed all that. I walked the earth for centuries filled with bitterness and anger, and I never truly lived. And then you came into my life, bringing hope with you.”
He untangled his hand from her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. “I meant what I said in the clearing. I love you, Cailyn, so much it hurts.”
She was stunned, but she felt the truth in his words through their connection. She had no words, and wasn’t ready to explore her own deep feelings. “This is not what you want to hear, but I need a little more time.” She stood up and placed a tender kiss on his lips.
“Come on. Let’s get back to the house. We have time to figure things out, and I have waited seven hundred years for you. I think I can wait a bit more.” He twined their fingers again and began walking before she could respond.
The big house came into view and the lights flooded into the yard. Suddenly very aware of their nudity, she ducked behind Jace.
“Jace, we can’t go in there without clothes,” she hissed. Laughter and talking emanated from the kitchen.
“We can grab something in the pool room. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to let anyone else see what’s mine,” he replied with laughter dancing in his eyes. She had never seen him so light and carefree before, and it elicited a smile from her.
They approached the enclosed patio and as she crossed the threshold, she recalled her sister’s mating ceremony that was held in that room days ago. The intricate design inlaid in the center of the floor was vital to the realm. It was a representation of the Triskele Amulet, which was a magical talisman that allowed communication with their Goddess. The downside of the amulet, and the reason for the war with the demons, was that it could free Lucifer from his frozen prison in hell. She shuddered to think if he indeed got free and wreaked havoc across the earth.
They hurried to the pool room and quickly donned robes before heading to the others. As they walked back through the patio, Cailyn found herself wondering if all mating ceremonies were held in that room.
The idea of her and Jace standing before the realm and Goddess surrounded by the twinkling lights and magic was more appealing than she was ready to admit, just like Jace’s insistence that she belonged to him. It would be easy to accept Jace and all that he offered. She may have grown up expecting an average life, but she was more than ready to begin a life living on the edge. Putting that thought out of her mind, she entered the kitchen to find nearly every resident of the house gathered while her sister cooked.
She smiled at the sight her sister had always wanted. She could remember Elsie playing restaurant with her and their friends. Elsie was happiest when she was whipping up a meal with those she loved around her, and now she had a large family of hungry warriors. Cailyn wanted to be part of this world with her sister, Jessie, and most of all Jace.
“There you guys are. I was about to turn the sprinklers on if you didn’t stop soon. We have big news and can’t afford for all of us to get caught up in your mating frenzy,” Elsie joked. Cailyn blushed to her roots knowing they were all aware of what they had been doing. She could kill her sister for bringing even more attention to it.
“Mmmm, that smells delicious. What are you making?” Cailyn asked, changing the subject.
“One of your favorites, enchiladas and taquitos. Want to help?” Elsie motioned to the roast in front of her. Yum, suddenly Cailyn was ravenous, and realized she hadn’t eaten since early that morning.
“Sure. What’s your big news?” Cailyn walked past Kyran to reach Elsie’s side and noticed he was eating creamsicles again. In fact, the warrior was double fisting them, and had a box in his arm. She wanted to laugh at the sight of one of the most intimidating warriors in the bunch obsessed with ice cream treats.
“Before we get into that,” Zander said, turning to Jace as he picked up some meat her sister was cooking and popped it into his mouth. “From the shock wave that reverberated through the grounds, I take it the spell is lifted.”
“Yes, it is. I couldn’t have done it without my mate.” Jace came up behind her and placed his hands on her hips, staking his claim verbally as well as non-verbally. She ignored the meaningful looks Elsie and Jessie threw her way. The questions were in their eyes, but they held back for the moment. She knew the second they had her alone, they would let loose. She would have to avoid them until she had spoken with John.
“Many are hunting Lady Angelica as we speak, we will find her. You will have your chance for vengeance. Now, back to the matter at hand. Orlando, please share what you told me earlier,” Zander ordered, picking at the food again.
“Well, it seems Kadir has upped the ante once again, and somehow brought lesser demons into our realm. On patrol tonight, we faced half a dozen unknown creatures. They were bent on destruction and difficult to kill,” Orlando shared as he walked over to grab some roast.
Elsie smacked Orlando’s hand with her hot tongs. “Between the two of you, I won’t have enough to finish these taquitos.” He stuck his tongue out at her and they started laughing.
“Whatever they were, they seemed to feed off of our anger. And the cleanup sucks. They don’t turn to ash like skirm,” Gerrick steered the conversation back on track.
Rhys reached around Elsie and grabbed a bit of meat and retreated before Elsie retaliated. His movements were faster than Cailyn could follow. It was comical that the big bad warriors were afraid of her sister. Or, maybe it was Zander they were afraid of, Cailyn amended. “Kill,” Rhys mumbled with a full mouth, “can you check the database? Maybe it’ll tell us what type of demons they were. I think it’s safe to assume that we will be facing these lesser demons, as well as skirm, at this prophesized battle.”
“It’s worth a try. I need to grab my laptop, I’ll be right back,” Killian answered as he left the room.
Cailyn watched the guy disappear, and thought about the last battle that occurred outside his club. She recalled those terrifying moments, and didn’t want any of these people she had come to care for, especially her
sister or Jace, facing that type of danger again. The thought had her stomach knotting, but this was part of life at the compound. A poignant reminder of what to expect, should she mate with Jace. She looked over her shoulder at her sorcerer, and something told her it would be worth every risky second.
“I had no idea that demons were so fucking hard to kill. We had to behead the bastards with our sgian dubhs and it was a bitch. Skirm are so much easier to battle. We will need to carry our claymores to this battle next week. And it wouldn’t hurt to bring in more warriors either,” Santiago said as he leaned against the granite counter.
“I vaguely recall the lesser demons my da banished. They were ferocious and there were too many of them for us to overcome without risking others,” Jace explained. “What did these demons look like? The spell he used in the Grimoire may be effective against them, too.”
Killian breezed back into the kitchen. “Hold those thoughts. Let me get the database up and running so I can compare while you talk.” Killian flipped the computer open and before long he was typing away, giving the all clear to proceed.
“The ugly fuckers had mottled, smoke-colored skin,” Orlando shared, running his hand through his short white-blond hair, causing it to stick up more. “They had the typical horns, fangs and claws of a demon. Only they had four red horns and sharp black fangs. They weren’t overly tall, about six feet.”
“And, they had glowing yellow eyes. And Goddess, they stunk like shit, or rather dead animals,” Gerrick added.
Elsie stuffed and rolled the various tortillas she had been lightly frying while Cailyn stuck toothpicks through them, skewering the yummy tubular concoctions. They had done this many times before, and it helped Cailyn calm her nerves as she listened to the talk of demons. She marveled at how fearless her sister had become as she jumped right in the conversation without a break in her cooking. “Who were they targeting? Are there any victims we need to worry about?”