by Dana Archer
He tipped her chin up. “Do you want that, Gwendolyn Annabelle Winchester? To be not just my mate, but the dirty little whore I share with my best friend?”
“You already shared me with Vlad last night.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, an attempt to hide her smile. She failed miserably at it. Her amusement showed in her eyes instead. “Unless there’s some other guy who’ll be using me to get off.”
No other male would ever touch her. Threaten her. Hurt her. He’d make sure of it.
Xander wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. “Decide what kind of mate you want to be, Gwen. No matter what you choose, I’ll treasure you until the end of time, but if you’re telling me you need more than my eternal worship, then prove it.”
The lust darkening her eyes intensified. The thumping of her pulse against his palm quickened. The scent of her need thickened in the air around them. Oh yes, this woman was his perfect match, more than he’d ever suspected.
She swallowed hard. “How?”
A carnal hunger he’d never experienced before expanded within him with the single word. She’d chosen not just to tame his wickedness but to match it.
His chest rose and fell on rough pants. He wanted to shove her to her knees. Her agreement had to come first. She’d hinted at it, but he had to be sure. Once he unleashed the inner beast she’d awakened, there’d be no going back. If this wasn’t the mate she needed, he’d find a way to kill this dark part of him. She had to decide, though. Now. He’d reached his breaking point.
He uncurled his fingers from around her tender throat and moved them to the hem of her shirt. With a rough tug, he yanked it over her head. She gasped but made no move to stop him.
A sports bra covered her chest. It had to go. He wanted her naked. On her knees. Either in the dirt or on their bed.
He unleashed a sharpened nail and slit the cotton bra, then reached around her and fisted the material, bunching it so Gwen’s arms were pulled slightly back.
Holding his naked mate in his arms, at his mercy, appeased that dark part of him that wanted to possess. No longer did he want to simply tame it, using his mate’s sweetness as a balm. The compulsion to embrace the wickedness—feed it—grew into an undeniable desire.
No. Not yet. He’d given her the choice. She had to make it. Officially. He’d be satisfied with either path she chose. He would be the mate she needed if it killed him.
He set her away from him and stepped back. “Run, Gwen.”
She swayed but reached back, using the arm of the couch to steady herself before he had to intervene. “Where?”
“If you want dirt on your knees, you won’t find it in our house.”
A slow and naughty grin spread over her cherub face. She flicked her tongue out to wet the corner of her mouth. “Then meet me in the circle.”
She shoved against his chest, catching him off guard, and knocked him backward. He landed on his backside while she ran out the door.
Chuckling, he stood and undid the button on his kilt, letting the heavy wool fall to the floor with Gwen’s scattered clothes, then opened his mind to Vlad’s. The distance between them made their connection fuzzy, but Vlad would hear him.
“Come home, my friend. It’s time we proved to the world that Gwen belongs to us.”
Once they did, the Council wouldn’t dare hurt Gwen. Or Vlad.
Chapter 36
Rocks and twigs jabbed Gwen’s feet. She ignored the sharp biting pain and ran. She didn’t want to chance Xander changing his mind. No way would she spend eternity being coddled by her mates, emotionally or sexually. She was not a fragile doll or someone to be treated with kid gloves. She’d thought she’d proven that last night when she’d loved both Xander and Vlad, at the same time.
If the carnal hunger burning in Xander’s eyes a few minutes ago was any indication, they’d held back. Probably afraid to scare her with their wicked cravings.
She fisted her hands and pushed her body harder. The anger simmering in her body mixed with the lust that had been building ever since Vlad had made love to her this morning. He’d primed her for Xander—touching her, kissing her, arousing her—then pulled back every time she’d tried to initiate sex. She’d bet her life on it. Vlad had wanted her crazed with need. She had no clue why. All it took was breathing in Xander’s scent to arouse her.
Whatever Vlad’s reason, he succeeded. She hungered.
The ceremonial circle loomed in front of her. She skidded to a stop and swept her gaze over the Winchester pack’s gathering place. The grass inside the circle would cushion her while on her knees, and the freshly piled, unburnt wood in the center would warm the area, exactly as it had last night. She just had to get to it and light it before Xander pounced on her.
Glancing over her shoulder, she scanned the back side of the house. The spotlight on the corner of the log home illuminated the area. Xander stepped from the shadows. Too far away to pick out many details, she couldn’t make out his expression, but his nakedness was easy enough to see. So was his aroused state. He’d devour her once he got his hands on her.
He moved purposefully toward her. She didn’t have much time. She faced the circle. A pile of wood formed a teepee in the center. Dante had built a similar pile yesterday. The remnants of it had been cleared away, but she’d watched him construct it and light it.
She twisted her fingers together. The bonfire also hadn’t turned into a roaring fire immediately. Dante had prodded the flames, teasing them until the fire had roared to life.
Dang it! She wasn’t going to get it started in time.
She rushed to the pile anyway and snatched a few thin sticks from the ground. She had to try. No way would she give Xander any excuse to carry her inside, wrap her in blankets, and treat her as if she were too fragile to be outside in the chilly air.
Her belly clenched on a wave of guilt. Vlad’s attention earlier today hadn’t stirred the same resentment. After loving her on the balcony, he’d pampered her for hours.
She dropped the sticks and stared at the ground. She was being a hypocrite but couldn’t help it. The partial memory Xander had shared haunted her. It compounded the feelings of frustration she’d dealt with all her life. Only Vlad had countered them by being truthful with her this morning. His confession had made his devotion special.
If her plan worked the way she’d envisioned and Xander shared what he’d been hiding from her, his worship would feel the same way. Good or bad, she wanted to know their past and how they’d gotten to this point.
Hands settled on her waist. She sucked in a startled breath, and Xander spun her into his arms.
With her hands pressed against his chest, she tipped her head back to meet his eyes. His inhuman eyes. The brown had spread to encompass the white. Colors speckled his completely brown eyes. The blue, gray, gold, and orange streaks glowed, turning his eyes into incredible orbs she could drown in forever.
“What are you doing, my mate?”
His question demanded an answer. She set aside the awe his breathtaking eyes had caused and gave her response. “I wanted to light the bonfire. It had made last night feel romantic.” And warmer.
“Romantic?” Xander flexed his hands as if it was taking every ounce of discipline he had not to push her to her knees. She wanted to end up there, but his gaze held her entrapped. Nothing could force her to look away. The appearance of his primal side turned his eyes into this mystical medley of color, the telltale sign of a shifter in the presence of his true mate. Killer had explained the phenomenon once.
“Yes.” She skimmed her hands down Xander’s chest to the dips and valleys of his abs. The strength contained within him muddled her mind. He was a perfect specimen of a man, and he was hers. Power and a sense of importance built within her. “I’m a simple girl at heart.”
“Then I’ll ask Xane to light it while you’re pleasuring me.”
“Xane?”
“Yes.” Xander turned her chin to the side.
Her gaze
collided with a man who hauntingly resembled her mate. With shorter hair and less muscle, Xane didn’t appear as powerful as Xander. It was likely a lie. Being Xander’s twin, Xane would be equally as strong, but the force of his will didn’t overwhelm her as Xander’s had when she’d first met him.
Xane swept his gaze over her, starting at her feet and ending with his focus on her shoulder, the one baring her mate mark. She slapped a hand over it and yanked her attention to Xander’s. “But I’m naked.”
Xander stepped back and perused her body, slowly. Her skin heated under his intense study, and her belly warmed with desire. The sensitive, raised edges of the bite on her shoulder thumped. Only Xander’s mouth on the mark would ease the building need.
“Beautifully naked, I might add.” Xander skimmed his knuckles across her cheek to her chin. He lifted her head slightly and gazed into her eyes. “And tonight my pack will see their alpha female on her knees in front of their alpha, worshipping him as only a mate can.”
He dropped his hand and walked backward, never breaking their gaze. A few feet from the edge of the circle, he stopped and curled his fingers, urging her forward. Flashes of movement and the murmur of voices tempted her to scan the woods.
The pack was gathering. Their gazes bore into her. She felt them as if their looks carried a living touch. Lust, disdain, jealousy, desire, regret, and hope—the range of emotions skipped through Gwen. Hers or theirs, she couldn’t tell. Didn’t care enough to figure it out. Xander’s focus on her mesmerized her.
Flicking her hair back and putting her mate bite on display, she went to him. Each step heated her body, from the balls of her feet to the top of her head, as easily as the bonfire had done the night before. She felt energized. Aroused. Bold.
She slowed her approach, taking the time to memorize this encounter. It was pivotal, an immense moment that would change everything. The truth radiated through her. She understood it on some mystical level but didn’t want to think about the consequences of it any more than she wanted to see which of her pack eyed her coolly and which members wanted to take her too.
“My mate.” She greeted Xander with the title that meant so much more than boyfriend, lover, or even husband. This was the man she’d walk through eternity with…as soon as he soul-bonded to her, anyway. He would. There was no doubt in her mind, not with the way he looked at her in this moment. She was everything to him, and he would keep her.
“On your knees.” Xander growled the words. No warmth in his tone. Only a demand.
She knelt, exactly as her alpha mate commanded. Their pack would expect her instantaneous obedience. She wouldn’t disappoint them or the man she hoped to break. He’d view her as his equal—in all things—before the night was over. She wouldn’t settle for less.
With the barest caress of her fingers, she mapped a path up his long, thick legs. The hairs under her fingertips teased the sensitive pads. She wanted to experience the sensation of them tickling her tongue. There was no reason to resist the urge. He was hers.
A sense of ownership built within her. It wasn’t the first time she’d recognized the possessiveness, but here, with their pack watching, it meant more than a label giving her the right to sleep with Xander. His body—his soul—belonged to her. He’d given himself to her. Entrusted her with his well-being. She could comfort him. Or punish him.
The pack would know this. Xander had said he never allowed his lovers to have any power over him. Yet, in this first public encounter, he was giving her control.
“Xander.” She wanted to say more, but couldn’t express how special she felt. It’d mean more to him—and their pack—to show him. That was why she was here in their ceremonial circle anyway. Only the pack could stand on their sacred grounds, and only an alpha’s mate could love the alpha here.
He was proving to everyone she was his. And he was hers. That they were equals.
“My mate.” She dragged her tongue over his inner thigh. The rich and salty taste of man flooded her senses. Her mouth watered for more. Hunger built, deep in her belly.
She understood what the ache meant. She craved Xander moving inside her, stretching her and stimulating her. Not yet, though. This was her moment to bring Xander to his knees. Metaphorically speaking, anyway.
Gwen bent closer and brushed her lips over Xander’s skin. Her lips tingled, and his masculine scent wrapped around her. He smelled of the forest, of life, of power. Inhaling deeply, she breathed him in. The lust burned stronger. Hotter.
Xander settled just the tips of his fingers on her shoulders. “Gwen.”
She didn’t know what he was trying to tell her by saying her name, but his tone excited her. The guttural edge to it betrayed his primal side. Tipping her head back, she looked up the length of his body. Those colorful streaks of color shining in his brown orbs ensnared her.
“You lured me here. Now finish this, or I will take control of this moment.”
The warning would be the only one she’d get. She wouldn’t lose this chance to take something her alpha mate never offered to any other lover.
She didn’t need another warning. Gwen took what her alpha mate gifted her: Power over him. She built it with every lick and caress, taking him to ecstasy.
The bonfire had been lit during the time she’d spent worshipping Xander. The fire didn’t roar as it had last night while she’d lost her virginity with her mates, but the sound of flames eating at the wood provided a wild background music for this moment. The fire also brightened the area, allowing her to look upon her mate and enjoy the sight of his perfect body.
Power thrummed within her. Around her. She’d felt it last night when she’d made love with her mates. Magic, they’d said. The ground they stood on was a portal to the realm of the goddesses. It was where their pack’s spirit surrounded each and every member during their full moon ceremonies. And it was here where unions were blessed.
She gave herself over to this moment. It didn’t matter who watched them. Xander was hers to pleasure. Before she could bring him to his knees, a sharp tug on her hair jerked her head back. Xander’s wild gaze caught hers. Possession and ownership flared in his eyes, stronger than she’d ever seen it. She didn’t get the chance to process what it meant.
The grip on her hair tightened, pulling harder on her head while Xander cupped her face in his hands. He bent forward and kissed her cheeks, her jaw, her neck.
Realization struck. Xander wasn’t the one tugging on her hair. The thought slipped through her mind a second before strong hands settled on her waist.
“Vlad.” She moaned her other mate’s name, knowing it was his hands on her body.
A naughty smile spread over Xander’s face as Vlad loved her, leaving her crazed with need. “Call Vlad what he is. I want my pack to hear the truth before they feel the power of our bond.”
“My mate.” She whimpered. “Vlad is my mate.”
Releasing her face, Xander asked, “And what am I?”
“My mate.” She glanced over her shoulder and got her first look at Vlad. Like Xander, there was no white visible in his eyes. The hazel color of Vlad’s eyes encompassed his orbs. The brown, blue, and green colors glowed. While Xander’s eyes mesmerized her with their mystical quality, Vlad’s reminded her of a beautiful painting she wanted to study. They suited him. He was a work of art. “You’re both my mates.”
Softer emotions swelled within her, catching her off guard. She trembled with the force of them, but she knew what they meant.
She loved them.
“Xander…Vlad…I—” She never got the words out. Their hands on her destroyed her train of thought. All she could do was feel. Eyes closed, she opened herself to the sensations whipping through her and gave herself up to her mates’ worship.
Their hands caressed her. Their kisses teased her. Their bodies loved her. And all the while, the pleasure built, spreading from her fingers to her toes. She trembled. Whimpered. Moaned. Her whole body felt on fire. Waves of pleasure whipped through her.<
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After an endless heartbeat, a wave of raw and primal emotions crashed over her. They weren’t hers. She was sure of it. These feelings had a masculine edge to them. They were all about possession, dominance, and the satisfaction of claiming what belonged to them.
Realization hit her. This was the connection Xander had mentioned right after he’d mated her. When a female accepted a piece of her mate’s soul, she’d be able to share in his emotions and be able to comfort him, or pleasure him. Give him what he needed, when he needed it. Before this moment, however, she hadn’t felt anything from either Xander or Vlad.
Tonight changed things. This loving—this incredible moment with both Xander and Vlad—changed things. It also made her yearn for more. She wanted Xander and Vlad to feel her the same way she experienced their emotions.
Soon they would. They just had to claim pieces of her soul—soul-bonding to her. It was the ultimate mate bond, a bond so strong, even death couldn’t separate them. That was what she’d been told. She couldn’t wait. Then she’d never have to lose this connection or the men she’d fallen in love with.
Chapter 37
Daylight came too quickly. Xander braced his forearms on the railing of the balcony off his bedroom and studied the brightening sky. Pinkish to purplish clouds lined the eastern horizon. According to the human weatherman, the clouds would clear and temperatures would rise into the high sixties.
He’d wanted to spend the unseasonably warm day with Gwen and Vlad. Neither of them had seen much of their pack’s lands. While undeveloped and remote, their tract of property hid many natural wonders, including a network of caves.
Their exploration and bonding time would have to wait, however. The text he’d woken to demanded his attention. Brock wanted to meet with him, privately. He had information to share about the experiments done on Molly and her twin, Megan.
Xander couldn’t ignore the ancient Royal. Both little girls’ safety ranked higher than his enjoyment. He would meet with Brock, securing whatever information he could, even if it meant missing out on the trip to visit Molly. The one thing it couldn’t prevent, though, was his confession to his mate. After the encounter they’d shared last night, he refused to keep anything else from her. Ever. Gwen needed the truth before another day passed.