by Brenda Trim
Cailyn watched him for several silent seconds before she answered. “Oh, Jace. Yes,” she cried. “Yes. I will marry you and mate with you. I love you. I love you so much it scares me.” She held out her left hand and he slid the ring onto her finger. “I can’t believe you got my mother’s ring…”
Jace’s soul erupted in flames and filled his chest as she launched herself out of her chair and onto his lap. The friction tantalized his shaft and had him close to losing control. He grabbed her waist stilling her movements. The pain in his mating mark flared. It had become unbearable unless they were making love. “You are going to have to stop that,” he whispered in her ear.
She gasped and pulled back to look in his eyes at the same time her body melted further into his. “Is that for me?” she whispered with a seductive smile. He stood abruptly and carried her from the room, ignoring the hoots and hollers.
“Only you,” he kissed her mouth brutally as he walked. “It’s yours and yours alone, Shijéí. I am going to love you so thoroughly that you forget there was ever another,” he growled against her neck as he took the stairs two at a time to their room.
“Hmmm, that may take some time,” she taunted and licked his throat.
“We don’t have to leave the room until the next full moon in three weeks, love.”
“Sounds like heaven, but what’s in three weeks?”
“Our mating ceremony,” he announced then tossed her on the bed, eager to show her how much he loved her.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Cailyn marveled at how her life had changed so drastically over the past couple months. Jace expertly twirled her through Zeum’s ballroom as she beamed up at him. They were mated and married, and she couldn’t be happier.
The mating ceremony had happened moments ago, and every description Elsie had shared about the experience paled in comparison to the reality. The magic of the moment was mystical and life changing. She lifted her fist off Jace’s shoulder and opened her hand with the exquisite amethyst stone.
She was still shocked that the river rock Jace had held between their hands had been transformed into the one she now held. The surge of magic that flowed through the seemingly ordinary stone as Zander blessed their mating was near orgasmic. The mating ceremony wasn’t anything like a human marriage. Every word wove a spell that bound her and Jace together. She felt the chains form between them, and knew that nothing could ever come between them again.
Her love for Jace was her weakness and her strength. She could study every language spoken for millennia and still be unable to find the words to describe what he meant to her. He completed her in every way, and they had yet to do the infamous blood exchange, the final step to their mating.
Her stomach clenched with need to take this last step. From the moment she entered the patio for the mating she had wanted to ravage Jace as he stood there in his traditional Native American garb. He was shirtless, and his mouthwatering bronzed skin was displayed to perfection by the bone and Buffalo horn breastplate. The tight leather pants were handmade and likely centuries old, molding to him perfectly.
She trailed her hand from his shoulder to his waist, tempted to untie the drawstrings and explore his hard flesh. Instead, she ran her hand up his chest and through his hair, careful of the eagle feathers that had been woven into the long tresses. She saw how his nipples beaded under the breastplate and her fingers lightly grazed his nipples, making him shudder.
“Careful, love. You’re playing with fire,” Jace whispered into her ear before he sucked her lobe into his talented mouth and bit down.
She stepped in closer to him, reveling in the hardening shaft that brushed her soft belly. “I like fire. I want to be burned, and can hardly hold myself back. I ache to have you fill me, Jace.”
“It’s the mating compulsion. It’s driving us both harder than ever to complete the final stage of the mating.”
“I’m all for that. We can skip out and leave the rest of them to enjoy the party.” She glanced around the room and found Elsie and Zander in a similar embrace. Her sister gave her a sheepish smile and she winked back at her.
“Okay, let’s go but we have to be back for the bonfire. I probably won’t want to leave the room, but we have to be there for our mating bonfire. My mother told me stories of my parents’ mating fire and I want to experience one of my own.”
“What is a mating fire?” Cailyn asked her mate. Her mate, she would never tire of saying that. And surprisingly she loved the term mate far more than husband. It held so much more meaning and depth that the traditional human connotation, and it certainly bound her more securely to Jace.
“It’s something only sorcerers experience,” he murmured as he kissed her neck.
“You can tell me later, blood exchange now,” she demanded as she followed him out through the double doors. She struggled to keep up with him as he raced up the stairs, anticipation bubbling in her veins.
*****
Jace kicked the door shut behind Cailyn and walked her into the bedroom. She was a vision, and had taunted him from the moment he had seen her earlier that night. Her full breasts were all but spilling out the top of the low-cut wedding gown. The white silk garment gloved her luscious curves and revealed her perfect bosom.
“Stay like that. I plan to take my time peeling every layer of that dress from your body,” he husked to her.
He noticed the goose bumps on her arms, and knew he was driving her mad with arousal. He turned her around and started on the hundred buttons that ran the length of her spine. He bent and kissed her bare shoulders, the sweet taste of her skin exploding on his tongue.
Suddenly impatient, he ripped the dress down the back not bothering with the buttons any longer. The fabric pooled at her feet as she turned around to face him. The white satin cups of her bra barely covered her nipples. He licked his lips wanting to taste the berry tipped peaks that tightened under his scrutiny.
He finished his perusal of her body, expecting to find white silky panties to match the bra but was met by a neat thatch of dark curls. His blood sizzled, the inferno within fueled to scorching.
“Elsie warned me about the rampant lust and I had hoped you’d fuck me in the pantry, so didn’t bother with them,” she demurred, clearly using her ability to read his thoughts.
“I like the way you think. I hope the bed is okay. This moment is too important for the pantry.” He reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra. Her breasts bounced when set free, calling to him.
The white silk fell from his numbed fingers as he leaned down and sucked one pert nipple into his mouth. Her hips began moving and his free hand slid between her damp folds.
“Yes, Jace. Jesus that feels good.”
“I thank the Goddess for you every day, Cailyn.” In truth, she was more than perfection. “You are my goddess…my salvation. And, I am going to devour you, love.” He propped her up on the high bed and spread her legs, displaying her lush petals. He knelt in front of her, prepared to worship her. He would worship her for eternity.
He dipped his head and his tongue snaked out and licked her lips. He spread her to his view and the scent of her desire, spicy cinnamon, made him hungry for more. He attacked and tongue-fucked her slick channel as she tangled her hands in his hair and held him to her. She was close to orgasm. Her hips undulated against his mouth and took what she needed from him. She came, crying out his name. He was so hard he thought his dick had petrified.
She was so wet her clit glistened with her desire. He sucked the little bud into his mouth, driving her passion higher. “Now, Jace,” she panted. “I need you inside me. I’ll die if you don’t fuck me, now.”
“The lady’s wish is my command,” he smiled down at her and swiped his tongue over his lips, tasting her.
“I’m not a lady right now. Fuck me, Jace.”
“Aye, wench. I think I have what you need,” he teased, grabbing her ankles, bringing her bottom to the edge of the bed. She reached down and tugged his lac
es in a frenzy. He left her thigh-high stockings and little white heels on as he removed his breastplate and tossed it away. She had his leathers undone and his aching cock in hand.
He groaned and jumped when she squeezed his shaft. He snatched her hands and held them above her head laying her back on the bed. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her heels dug deliciously into his ass, causing his mating mark to burn and nearly robbed him of control. He wanted to surge into her and fuck her hard and fast, but held back, wanting to make this unforgettable.
He felt the build of his seed, something he had only ever experienced with this female. It was almost his undoing. Hastily, he shoved his pants to his knees not bothering to remove them.
He pointed the leaking head at her dewy mound and entered her slowly, their groans mingling in the heated air between them. He watched his cock disappeared into her hot, tight pussy. He reminded himself that they had a ceremony to complete, before he lost himself completely.
“Ah, God. Faster, Jace.”
He pulled out and slammed back home. “Patience. We have a mating to complete, Shijéí.” He twisted without separating their bodies and felt her muscles clamp down on him, keeping him deep inside her sheath.
He tore the drawer from the nightstand nearly spilling the contents and grabbed the ceremonial dagger, a small, silver blade engraved with Celtic symbols and his family name. It was one of the few keepsakes that Zander had recovered from the ruins of his parents’ home. “Sorcerers don’t have fangs so we have a familial dagger for this part of the bonding.”
Cailyn’s lust-filled eyes widened and he saw her fear when she took in the blade. He refused to allow fear in this moment and reached down and plucked her clit, fully bringing back her arousal. She writhed and moaned and he made shallow thrusts while he played with her engorged nubbin. “Do it, Miakoda,” she demanded. He loved when she ordered him around.
He brought her palm to his mouth and licked and sucked the area preparing it. He struck quick and made a shallow incision. “With this exchange,” he murmured as he sliced his own palm, “we will be joined for all eternity.” He held up his hand offering her everything he was. Speechless, she nodded before she latched on. Lust shot through his cock and balls as she sucked and swallowed. He took her hand to his lips and felt the moment their souls united.
It was a blinding gold light and he began plunging into her pussy like a piston and all too quickly his seed exploded from his cock like a freight train. Their souls rushed from his body as her head tossed from side to side and her fingernails dug into his shoulders. They were both gasping for breath. He felt the spasms of her orgasm continue and strengthen in volume. In a purple haze, he saw their souls entwine and join their intimate dance.
He didn’t know how long he fucked her tight little sheath or how many times they came, but in one final hot explosion more intense than the last he poured all he had left into her.
After long moments of him gently rocking his still erect cock into her core, their souls drifted back into their bodies. For the first time in his life, Jace felt whole and complete. Jace probed and prodded his soul. His was joined so tightly to Cailyn’s that there was no way to distinguish them, and he didn’t want it any other way.
“Oh my God. That was unfuckingbelievable. I want to do that again,” Cailyn cooed as she lay back and threw her hands above her head in abandon. As she stretched, he noticed her mate mark had inked into her skin. He leaned down and kissed the mark, eliciting moans from his mate.
“I will never tire of making love to you.” He continued to pump in and out of her welcoming body. She responded so well to him that her desire was already returning. He was loath to stop but they needed to be at the bonfire. With a regretful sigh, he pulled from her body.
“I’m not ready to stop. I want that magnificent cock fucking me all night long,” she objected.
“I will make love to you night and day for the rest of our lives, but right now we have to make an appearance at the bonfire,” he replied.
Instantly, her eyes widened and she had her hand to her mouth. Only then did he realize she had not spoken. He had read her thoughts. “You didn’t say that out loud. Apparently, we have already shared our powers with one another.”
“Does that mean I can heal now?”
He nodded and watched her place her warm little hand to his shoulder where she healed the wounds she had left during their love play. He had risked everything to let Cailyn see his pain. He’d been forced to expose his shame and weakness, and give up his entire way of life, but he would do it again without hesitation to have this female by his side.
*****
Cailyn looked through the patio windows as she followed Jace. The moon was full and the weather was perfect. The property was decorated so differently for them. Elsie and Zander had thousands of twinkling lights and candles, but she and Jace had an illuminated path that lead to a raging bonfire at the water’s edge. The scene was surreal, and she was able to feel the strength of the magic that surrounded the area. She instinctively understood that this was as important as any other part of their mating ceremony. “It’s so beautiful, Jace and I can feel the power envelope me,” she commented as he held the door open.
Jace looked at her and smiled that smile that never failed to melt her heart and instantly she wanted him again. He had fucked her to the point where she was shocked she could still walk, and still it wasn’t enough. His chuckle told her he read her thoughts. Her cheeks flamed. “This is all for you, Shijéí. And don’t worry, by morning you won’t be walking,” he promised and pulled her into an embrace.
She stood on her tiptoes, her lips drawn to his like a magnet. The kiss caught fire and she felt his hot hand sneak up under her skirt. “My naughty little mate. I love that you aren’t wearing anything under this skirt. It’s going to be impossible to concentrate knowing this.”
Before she replied, Kyran brushed past them carrying a box of creamsicles and grumbled. “For fucks sake can you take that shite to your rooms? I canna stand all the sex around here.”
“What’s wrong with him?” she asked Jace as they followed the warrior out of the house.
“Kyran has issues that he has to work through. I have a surprise for you.” He quickened his steps and she found she had no problem keeping up with his pace. Apparently, she was already faster and had better vision she thought as she looked around and saw their way clearly in the darkness of the night. In no time at all, they had reached the ring of stones and the ten-foot flames.
Jessie ran up to her and hugged her tightly. “You smell of sex,” her friend said. Cailyn smiled at the blunt comment, appreciating that Jessie was still the same woman she knew despite all her changes. “I see you completed the mating. Your mate mark is a tattoo.”
“I know, I love it. But, you should see Jace’s. It makes his ass look fine as hell,” she sighed, recalling the sight of his muscular globes.
Jessie laughed. “I’ll trust you on that one. I don’t want you to claw my eyes out for sneaking a peak,” her friend teased as she hugged her. “You look happy, happier than I’ve ever seen you and I am so glad to see it.”
“I am happy. Thank you,” she released her friend as a delicious chocolate aroma reached her. “Do I smell s’mores?”
Jessie smirked and turned around. “Yeah, we told Angus they were your favorite. They’re right over there,” Jessie replied, pointing to the side of the fire.
“Have a seat and I’ll be right back. I’ll cook your marshmallow just right.” Jace’s voice turned husky and he leaned over to kiss her. Cailyn went to the wicker lounge with her friend trailing behind.
“So how does it feel to be mated?”
Cailyn looked around the bonfire seeing that everyone was there. Her sister and Zander were in an embrace talking with Evzen. All the Dark Warriors were laughing and relaxing, which had been rare of late. There had been so much going on between her car crash, the search for a cure, the Mystik Grimoire appearing, the b
attle, and the recovery. It hit her that this was now her family.
Finally, she turned to her friend. “I have no words for how this feels, Jess. I only know that this is right for me. That I am whole in a way few ever experience.”
“I wonder if I will have a Fated Mate now that I am a dhampir,” her friend mused as she picked up a stick to poke the fire.
Thane came up behind Jessie and wrapped his arms around her. “You will have a mate surely enough, Jess. I will just have to enjoy you until that lucky man claims you.” Cailyn smiled as her friend bid her adieu and went off into the shadows with the San Francisco Dark Warrior. After everything Jessie had been through, she deserved to find the same happiness Cailyn had. She said a silent prayer to the Goddess to send a mate Jessie’s way.
Jace returned with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers on a platter. He handed her the plate and then maneuvered his body behind her. His masculine strength surrounded her and made her want to eat her treat off of his body. “Careful what you think, my love. I may take that as an invitation,” he growled in her ear. “Watch the flames,” he murmured.
As if on cue, everyone gathered around and focused on the fire. When her eyes made it back to the flames she gasped at the colors rolling through them. Purple and pink dominated the colorful scene and rose into the air. The cloudlike images morphed into her face and formed a slide show of images of her with Jace. In each one she was smiling and laughing. She was beautiful in a way that she didn’t see when she looked in a mirror. A flood of emotions raced through her as she watched the most romantic gesture ever created.
The love and devotion Jace had for her was obvious in every flame, and she was awed by its intensity. She vowed to show him how much she loved him every day. Maybe then she would deserve one tenth of what she saw.