by Helen Scott
His hand that had been behind my neck came forward and ran down my chest, giving the breast it passed a quick squeeze before he roamed around and grabbed my ass. Roman used his grip to pull me toward him until my hips were flush with his and I could feel the hard line of his cock pressing against me.
I lifted a leg and wrapped it around his hips, pulling myself even closer until there was barely a breath of air between us. His lips punished mine, leaving them puffy and tender from his kisses when he pulled away.
“Please tell me what’s bothering you, angel,” he said.
There in that moment, looking into his stormy blue eyes that were bearing his soul to me, I wanted to say nothing, that the moment was perfect, but it was like there was a big raincloud just hanging over my head, dripping occasionally just to remind me of its presence. Everything was shadowed by it, no matter how perfect the moment, and would be until we were free from all this bullshit.
“I’m afraid,” I breathed. We were still so close that my lips brushed his as I spoke, and I couldn’t see anything except his eyes. Blue and tempestuous with long dark lashes that kissed his cheeks every time he blinked. Why was it that men always had such amazing natural lashes?
Now was not the time to be thinking about beauty standards. I marshalled my thoughts.
“Jax can’t hurt you right now. No one knows where you are, and I’ll fight to the death if I have to so he can’t get you,” Roman said, fire blazing in his eyes as I saw the fury that he promised to rain down on our enemy’s heads peek out from within.
“It’s not that,” I admitted, though I was loath to do so. “I’m scared I’m going to mess this up. Why is this down to me? Just because I have some ancient magic running through my veins, because I’m the first female descendent… That kind of pressure shouldn’t be put on one person. What happens if Jax hurts all of you? If he makes me submit? If I never find my fifth mate? There’s so much that could go wrong, so many ways I could fuck this up. I could get us all killed, or worse, get you and the others tortured. I would do anything to stop you from being hurt, to prevent your death, and I think Jax knows that. If he knows that, he’ll use it and I won’t be able to stop him. I won’t let you die for the sake of some gods I’ve never met. That’s bullshit. Who cares if it puts us a step closer Ragnarok? By the time it gets here, we’ll probably be long dead anyway! I love you and Micah and Blake and Tate and whoever my fifth mate is. I love all of you more than I love some gods that I thought were just stories. Why would I not save you and let them burn?” I hadn’t meant to get so worked up, but by the end of my little rant, I was breathing heavily and had been forced to pull away from Roman or just be shouting in his face.
Roman studied me and stayed quiet for a while longer to make sure I was done. “I don’t think it’s about the gods at all, Nina. It’s about the people that have to survive in this world as it falls apart. Imagine if your brother were still alive and was trying to take care of his family, would you subject them to alphas that were only going to get crueler, more misogynistic, more hateful and violent? I don’t particularly care about the gods either, I haven’t in a long time, but I do care about the people that would get hurt because of our actions. If you submitted to Jax, if you became his mate instead of ours, not that I really think you could, but if you did, then innocent people would be hurt. We all have to make sacrifices sometimes and—”
“No. I won’t sacrifice you or my other mates. Don’t you dare ask me to do that.” Fury rose within me, brighter and sharper than it had in a long time, and I could almost feel my wolf howling in protest as well.
“I wasn’t going to,” Roman said softly.
“Roman, don’t lie to me. You were about to say that we needed to think of the greater good. The greatest good I can possibly imagine is being with my true mates. Fuck everyone else. No one gave a shit about me and Sam after our parents were murdered. If an entire pack can turn their backs on two kids, then I can turn my back on them for my mates.”
“It’s not about them though, it’s about the people in my pack, the Shadow Wolves, hell, the humans. None of them have wronged you, have they? Why should they be punished for crimes they had nothing to do with? We are all just trying to do what we think is best, but don’t punish the whole world just to keep us alive. If it were to come to that, then I’d rather go down fighting, but I wouldn’t want you to give up, to submit to Jax so he could destroy you and the world along with you. We are all important, but only a few of us are aware of how impactful we can actually be. Unfortunately, we are some of those lucky few. I love you, Antonia Matsen, and I always will, with every fiber of my being, but if you were to give yourself to Jax in an attempt to save me, it would be pointless. I’d fight to the death to get you back, so I’d die one way or another.” Roman’s cold logic washed over me. I knew he truly would fight to the death as well, he wasn’t exaggerating. If he thought there was a chance he could save me, then he wouldn’t stop until he’d seen that through.
“Maybe we can just avoid that situation altogether?” I asked lamely. I didn’t know what else to say. We were both basically saying we’d die for each other, and as much as I wanted that to be romantic, it just made me sad. How had our lives come to this? There was only one answer.
The fates.
Roman nodded and asked, “Will you come back here now?”
I smiled, though it was weak given the topic of conversation, but I did roll back toward him. His blue eyes shimmered in the light, and I realized that he’d been just as upset by the topic of conversation as I had been. He was just better at keeping a cool head.
“I love you, Roman. As much as the fates may suck sometimes, I couldn’t be happier that you’re my mate.” I leaned in and kissed him.
He kissed me back, but this time it was gentle, not weak but careful, like he wanted to make sure we were done with our conversation. I pushed at his shoulder and rolled him onto his back, the flowery comforter crinkling under his head as I rolled with him and straddled him.
“You’re mine. You know that, right?” I asked.
“Just as you are mine,” he said simply before reaching up and pulling me down to him. His lips pressing against my own as his tongue demanded entrance. I opened for him, gladly, and his tongue swept into my mouth, tangling with my own as he devoured me and claimed me once more.
I had never expected every time we were together to feel like he was claiming me all over again, but it did. Not to say it felt like the first time, nothing could ever feel like that again, but I felt like he wanted to possess me, to comfort me, love me, pleasure me in any way he could, and I wanted to do the same for him. Sometimes the need was so overwhelming, I wondered where it was coming from, if it really was all me or if it was my wolf wanting his wolf to claim her. It didn’t really matter either way, especially not when I rocked my hips against his and he made the most delicious low, rumbly sound.
Apparently, my lack of response was unacceptable, because he nipped at my bottom lip and asked, “You are mine, aren’t you?”
“Roman, I’m so completely yours that it scares me. I never thought I’d enjoy being mated, but nothing could ever take me from you or make me change my mind about you being my mate. No one will ever hold my heart the way you do, just like you cannot hold my heart the same way Micah, Blake, or Tate do. Our bond is unique to us. I am yours, body, soul, heart, and mind.” I leaned forward and kissed him, pouring every ounce of my emotions into the touch.
It almost seemed like I could feel his very soul as he kissed me back, and I wanted to luxuriate in it the way a cat does a sunbeam. He really was my moon, sometimes a bit dark, and other times he shone so brightly, it was painful to look at. His phases and moods didn’t change anything between us as the bond pushed and pulled at me, though it would never wax and wane. His hands came up and wrapped around my waist, rolling us so I was under him, and I knew that within a few minutes, I’d be writhing in pleasure.
13
Roman
Being with Nina was like being with a goddess or an angel—there was something divine about the experience, more than I could ever put into words. I knew if I tried to explain it to her, she’d brush it off because she didn’t believe herself worthy of that kind of regard, but it was the truth.
Each and every time we made love, I felt like I had a spiritual experience. Each time, I saw something new within her, a new lightness to her. It was like she was finally coming into the queen—no, the goddess I knew she was inside. She had the blood of the old gods running through her veins, which blew my mind. She thought she was just a regular person, but she was far from that.
As my lips melded against hers, I couldn’t help but marvel at how right she felt against me, on top of me, under me, to the side, whatever. As long as she was touching me, then all was right with the world. Her sweet lips parted for mine once more, and I swept my tongue in, tasting the ambrosia that was her mouth, which was almost as delicious as her pussy.
Just the thought of burying my mouth between her thighs had my cock pulsing in excitement. My wolf was demanding that I mark her, show everyone that she was taken, but we needed to discuss that first. I wasn’t just going to spring it on her in the middle of everything. After all, my precious mate hadn’t had the easiest time of things when it came to her wolf side, and though she couldn’t shift sometimes, I could swear that her wolf was watching me from her eyes, just as much as her human half.
“Roman, please, take your fucking clothes off,” Nina panted beneath me. I rolled my hips, pressing the ridge of my cock to her core, and savored the quiver I felt run through her body before pushing myself off her and stripping as quickly as I possibly could. When I turned back to the bed, my cock practically jerked with need as I saw her shimmying her own clothes off.
Her perfect breasts swelled up and out of her bra with the way she was angled as she pushed her jeans and panties down her legs, baring herself to me. Her T-shirt was long gone, and I didn’t see it anywhere on the bed so I knew she’d just thrown it somewhere, not that I really cared. The moment her legs were free, she kicked the jeans and panties to the end of the bed, then I was on top of her.
I couldn’t decide between paying attention to her pert nipples or the sweetness between her thighs, so I went with both. As I spread my knees wide to anchor myself, I bent my head to those needy peaks and darted over each one with my tongue until she was squirming under me and her hands were fisting my hair. I shifted my weight to be mostly on my left hand and used the right to stroke between her folds, her slickness coating me and welcoming me home.
The feel of her juices on my skin just about drove me insane, and I couldn’t hold off any longer. I pushed my way down the bed until I could nestle my face between her thighs. The scent of her arousal made my wolf stir and I could feel him pacing within my mind, but this wasn’t about him. This was about Nina and giving her the pleasure she deserved and more.
The first swipe of my tongue against her silky folds had her gasping and clenching the sheets in her hands. I knew that would only last for a moment and then those hands would be in my hair, which was where I preferred them. Her hips canted toward my face as I thrust my tongue inside her, drinking her down. If it was possible to live off my mate’s pleasure, I would, gladly. The sweet, slightly musky taste of her coated my tongue, and I withdrew, circling up to her clit, where I swirled it around and flicked it over the swollen nub.
Her hands were in my hair then, just like I knew they would be, and she was shamelessly riding my face as I licked and flicked and sucked on her clit. When I thrust two fingers inside her tight channel without warning, it sent her over the edge into her first climax, and I could feel her inner walls clenching around my fingers.
As I eased her down from her orgasm high, I curled my fingers within her, giving her different sensations as well stretching her, preparing her for me. I could tell she was getting impatient by the way she was writhing on my hand and my mouth. Each flick of my tongue had her grinding into me, seeking more than I could give her in this position, so I switched it up.
“Do you want me to fuck you, angel? Or just keep making you come on my tongue?” I asked, wanting to be sure I was giving her what she wanted.
“Fuck me, Roman, please, for the love of the gods, fuck me,” she panted as she looked down her body, locking her gaze with mine and letting me see all the need that was within her.
I sat back, admiring my work for a second and taking in the gorgeous, sweaty, needy mess my mate was as she ached for my cock. When I moved over her body, she lifted toward me, arching her spine as she tried to press herself against me. I wasn’t even sure if she was aware that she was doing it.
Nina’s legs wrapped around my hips and pulled me down to her, so my cock was resting against her core but not inside. I reached between us and gripped myself firmly before swiping the head of my cock against her, slicking myself with the physical expression of her need. As much as I liked drawing things out and making her beg and ache and writhe for me, I couldn’t resist the call any longer and lined myself up with her entrance.
My gaze locked with hers as I pushed into her molten core. Every inch I pushed farther into her made her bite her lip as though she was eagerly awaiting the moment when our hips met. The satisfaction that filled her eyes as I filled her pussy was one of my favorite things in the world to watch. The way her brows pinched slightly as I pressed even farther, the flush that stained her cheeks, the way her lips popped open with a breathy moan as she finally stopped biting her lower lip, all of it was burned into my very soul. She had marked me in a way I never thought possible, a way that I didn’t even know mates felt for one another, but the bond between us seemed to hum with life, especially when we were in bed together. Everything about us called to one another, demanding that we get lost in the pleasure we gave each other.
After sheathing myself completely within her, I held still for a moment, letting both of our bodies acclimate and trying not to lose control too quickly. The last thing I wanted was for this to end prematurely because I lost myself to the sensations of her body.
Once I felt more in control, I began to move. I withdrew from her excruciatingly slowly before I thrust back into her again hard enough for my hips to slap against hers. The moan she let out when I did so went straight to my soul, burying deep and becoming part of me. I repeated the movement twice more before I lost patience and began a rhythmic pace as I thrust into her.
Nina’s hands roamed my body, scoring my back and digging into my ass, before finally winding into my hair and pulling me down to her. It meant I couldn’t thrust quite as deep, but I could kiss her, which I did with gusto. Her tongue caressed my own, and I slid one of my hands into her hair, well, around her ponytail, while I supported myself with the other.
I gripped tight with the hand in her hair and tugged, angling her head so I could nip at her lower lip. She grunted slightly as I did so, which only made me pull harder. Suddenly, this position wasn’t enough, I couldn’t control her enough.
Without warning, I withdrew from her and rolled her over before tugging her ass into the air and positioning myself between her legs. I thrust into her again, not needing to ease myself in any longer, and she moaned into the pillow. I started moving in and out of her once more, keeping a steady pace as I wrapped my hand in her hair and pulled, forcing her to raise her head, which let each of her moans, each ragged breath ring out around us, filling the room with the cacophony of us making love. My other hand gripped her hip, holding her in place as I pounded into her.
The whole world faded away until it was just the two of us and our bodies entwined with one another. I released her hair and moved both hands to her breasts, thankful that she’d removed her bra at some point, though I couldn’t remember when. Her nipples were hard points at the tip of her breasts, and I rolled them mercilessly between my fingers, pinching and pulling until her moans were louder and more desperate.
Finally, I released one of her breasts an
d slid my free hand between her legs, finding her clit with my fingers as I fucked her. I began circling it and pinching it, just as I was doing with the nipple that I still had a hold of, not stopping as I felt her body tighten around my cock, her walls squeezing me until it was a fight to get inside her. When she broke apart and the scream of her orgasm tore from her throat, I almost lost it, but I kept working her clit with my hand as I moved her legs together so mine were now on either side of hers. Taking her like this felt primal, and making her come on my cock even more so.
I knew she wasn’t done as I felt her flutter around my length, so I didn’t let up as I pushed her to the second peak of her orgasm. This time when she came, I couldn’t control my own release as my balls clenched, drawing tighter as my cock jerked. The rush of the release flowed through me as I pounded into her a few more times, spilling myself inside her further with each one. My hands gripped her hips and held her there, while my hips seemed to have a mind of their own as they jerked me forward until I was pressed as far into her as physically possible.
We both collapsed onto the bed, our bodies still jerking and twitching with the aftermath of our individual releases. I withdrew from her, even though I was loath to do so, and pushed up off the bed to get her some toilet paper. The need to take care of her was overwhelming most of the time, but more so after sex. When I came back to the bed, I found that she’d pulled a sheet over her naked form, and even though I couldn’t see it, I still knew every dip, every curve, every freckle. All of it was seared into my mind, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
I wanted to kiss from freckle to freckle, to show her with my touch how much I cherished her, and I knew the only way we would be able to have that kind of moment was if we found her fifth mate and dealt with Jax. My preference would be to leave him as a corpse behind us so everyone knew not to touch Nina without her permission again, that she was ours and we were hers. I also wanted the entire shifter community to respect her and apologize to her for the way they’d treated her, but that was a dream I knew would probably never happen.