It gave him immense satisfaction to see her dangling on the edge, and he wondered when he had become this sadistic. Her entire body trembled as he traced a path with his mouth, moving lower and lower, with each kiss, and each lick.
“Kevin, please!”
Nina just saw him smile at her before he licked something, which made her scream out his name. The white-hot burning pleasure that swept through her had her clenching her inner muscles in anticipation. Having found something that incited such a reaction from her, Kevin became relentless, determined to draw as much of those delicious sounds out of her as he possibly could.
Nina begged.
She pleaded.
But he used his fingers and his tongue until her voice was hoarse. He always pulled back just as she was about to come, making her swear at him.
Oh, such language.
He wondered where she had picked up those words. A topic for another time. He enjoyed hearing them from her pretty, little mouth.
Finally when he was sure his cock would burst, he sat her up. Nina, however, had had enough. She quickly reversed the tables on him, and before he knew it, she had twined her legs behind his back securely, and she pushed herself on his cock.
Kevin froze, and she uttered a cry as she came immediately.
Regaining his senses, the shifter pulled back, and then lowering them both to the ground, he let loose, using all his pent-up frustration.
He pounded into her, making her scream. His movements did not stop as his hands dug into the ground for fear of leaving marks on her skin. The way her muscles tightened on his cock made him let out a rough version of her name as she milked him for all he was worth.
He was sure he blacked out there for a few seconds, and when he opened his eyes, Nina looked dazed, her hair sticking up, and her cheeks red with pleasure.
She snuggled into him, and he wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss on her forehead. Her smile was contented and her body relaxed.
After a few moments of companionable silence, she wiggled her head under his arm and looked up at him. “Did you mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“When you said you’d follow me to the ends of the earth?”
There was such a hopeful look on her face, which was tinged with such loneliness that Kevin could not bear it. Had she honestly been contemplating traveling alone? Did she not understand what it meant to be mated?
His hand settled on her hip, and he raised a brow. “You think I would ever let you out of my sight now? Wherever you go, I go with you.”
She lowered her head to hide her smile, but Kevin saw the relief and the happiness in it.
A small squeak and a chirp made Kevin perk up his ears. There was something infinitely familiar about that sound. He stood up, and his mate followed. When that chirp sounded again from above them, they looked up and saw a baby bird dangling from its nest.
Before they could move, it lost its grip and tumbled down.
Nina held out her hands, and it fell into them.
Dazed and a little annoyed, it tried to get up, but failed. Then it looked up at the person holding it and it let out a happy squawk.
Tears gleamed in Nina’s eyes, as she whispered, “Hello, Totters.”
“Master.”
The voice was immature like that of a child’s, but the presence was his.
“How do you…” Kevin looked startled. “Is that even possible?”
Nina shook her head. “I do not understand. Maybe it’s got something to do with being the Caillagh.”
“What does that mean?”
Nina looked at him. “I’m the second Caillagh. The memories of the first one are still coming to me in bits and pieces.” Her eyes focused on the baby falcon in her hands. “The one thing that is very prominent in them is Kalen. But as a man.”
She looked confused at that, and Kevin put his arm over her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Do not rush it.”
Nina nodded.
***
Kalen’s face remained in Nina’s head. Later on that day as the Council gathered, she saw Fergus stand there among them. She had heard of the wolf alpha from Kevin, but she had only seen him in action two days ago. He was certainly beautiful.
Nina had a feeling he would not appreciate himself being described as such.
This time, she did not have to bring forth her power. She had settled in her skin quite comfortably, and as she studied each face, she knew what she had to do.
“We are short of three members. One, the wolf alpha will find.”
When Fergus growled. “Why do I–”
“Because you know her best,” Nina cut him off smoothly. “Diana.”
The wolf’s face lost all color, and his voice was hoarse, lined with grief. “Diana’s dead.”
“Your mate is alive, Fergus. Imprisoned for the last ten years.”
When she heard the broken sound from him, her heart ached. “She doesn’t have much time, but I will give you the tools to find her. And once she’s healed, you can bring her to me.” The gift of time she could give him.
Her eyes moved toward Kalen, and she had a sudden flash of memory of him reaching out to her, his face filled with laughter and love. Steadying herself, she asked, “Oberon, do you wish to be released from your vows? You have fulfilled your promise.”
The look of relief on the fairy king’s face was profound. He transformed himself into his actual form. A tall man stood in his place. His features had matured, and the word handsome was an injustice. His looks were something that poets would write odes about. He nodded. “I want to rest now.”
Nina dug into her pocket, and she handed him a small bottle. “Here. To join in the dreams.”
She could see him struggle with his emotions, and then he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her cheek, and murmured. “Thank you, Nina Raven.”
With that, he grinned at Gael and flew off toward his territory. The vampire looked sorrowful at his departing, but he turned his attention back to Nina.
“Kevin and I will go to look for the other two. I’m sorry, Luke,” she said to the bear alpha whose arms were crossed against his chest. He did not look very happy, but he clapped his best friend and first lieutenant on the back. “As long as he’s happy.”
“We’ll come back,” Nina told him.
Luke snorted. “Well, yeah. This is your home. Where else will you go?”
His words made Nina’s heart ache with that easy acceptance, and she smiled, conveying how much those words meant to her.
Gael looked at her. “Why do I not join–”
“You have your people to watch over. But we will visit you.” She glanced at Kevin who gave a long mocking sigh and flung his arm on his mate’s shoulder.
“Whatever the Lady says.”
He received a polite elbow in the stomach for that, and Luke smiled in satisfaction. “Welcome to mated life, man.”
Leaving the pack was a messy affair. Heather kept giving her things to take with her, and Nina was overwhelmed with everything until she leaned over to give the crabby old shifter a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be coming back home, Heather. And I’ll make sure to call you whenever I can.”
That made the elder rub her eyes, muttering about how this room really needed to be dusted, and everyone smiled.
Cassie grinned at Nina and told her to keep her updated, and Luke just shook his head, telling her that her hands would be too full with the cub to catch up on gossip.
As they finally left, Nina stopped after an hour of walking and waited. Kevin leaned against a tree, and the wolf alpha emerged. He wore no smile on his face and asked, “How do I find Diana?”
Nina held out a parchment on which a map was drawn. “This will guide you to her. And Fergus,” she gripped his wrist as he was about to leave, “she doesn’t blame you for anything.”
A stiff nod and he was gone.
As they resumed their journey, Kevin asked, “What was that about Kalen?”
&nbs
p; Nina wrapped her arms around him. “He was Corina’s mate. Or her intended mate. She was badly injured during a battle. He could not tie the mating bond with her.” She studied Totters who snoozed in her belt pocket. “He preserved her form until he could be released from his promise to guide the next Caillagh. He’s going to go to sleep under my life tree. That potion I gave him was to hide their existence from everybody.”
Kevin frowned. “But the first Caillagh is dead, isn’t she?”
Nina shrugged. “I do not know. She still exists, but I do not know if she is truly gone or what. I cannot access a select part of her memories.”
Kevin drew her toward him and kissed her on the mouth fiercely. “Let’s not talk about death. We’ve got a whole journey ahead of us now.”
Nina returned the kiss with equal passion, her heart settling in her chest as happiness flooded her soul. She felt him throw his arm over her shoulders, and they walked in a comfortable manner, hips bumping into each other.
“So where to first?”
Nina looked up at the question and frowned. “I do not know. I just have a feeling there are two individuals out there who have the potential to become the next Council members.”
Kevin tried his best not to snort. “So we do not really know where we’re going?”
Nina ran a finger over Totter’s tiny head as he woke up and moved. “Not a clue.”
Her mate sighed. “Great.”
The black-haired witch looked up at him. Her hair had started growing in length at an alarming rate ever since the mating, it was only at Kevin’s insistence that she didn’t cut it off. “It’s an adventure. Adventures are supposed to be fun,” she insisted innocently.
“Have you ever been on an adventure?” Kevin asked his excited little mate.
She shook her head and brightened, “But I read about them. And they sound fun!”
The bear shifter flexed his claws and shook his head, exasperated, before planting an affectionate kiss on her forehead. “Sure they do.”
Nina grinned as she took a map out from her back pocket. The smile slid off her face, and those beautiful eyes flickered with silver before she blinked. “There’s a town far south from here. That’s where we have to go.”
***THE END***
Cole (Bonus)
Dragons of Umora Book 1
Sarah J. Stone
Chapter 1
You are not my son.
Those were the most devastating words he could think of. He would rather hear that his parents were dead, that his older brothers, the Crown Prince and the Duke, had disowned him. Anything but the fact that he was not who he thought he was.
His blood boiled in his veins as he stood in the middle of the grand hall, the gleaming thrones mocking him. Cole had been born the third Prince of Umora, a planet so advanced in civilization that there was no pain, no suffering, and virtual immortality through science. Everyone on Umora was some sort of shifter, some sort of magical creature – whether it be wolf, lion, or otherwise. The dragon shifters, however, had always been the royal family, ruling over those beneath them. The witches, the werewolves, and the lions all bowed down to the dragon shifters.
Cole always believed his place in the world was at the top with everyone bowing down to him. He knew that his magic was better than the rest of his family's, but he never thought anything of it. It was a gift, after all.
What he didn’t know, however, was that he was a half-breed witch and dragon shifter – a bastard orphan left on the door steps. He claimed potential royal blood from both sides or neither. He was everything and nothing at the same time.
He should have inherited the richness of the witches and the power of the dragons.
Instead, he lost it all when his father admitted the truth.
There would be no throne for Cole on Umora, no happy ending here. He had been cheated out of everything by matters of his birth.
Cole saw only red as he spun around, looking at the murals on the walls.
This explained so much about his life, about his feelings, and about why he felt like he never fit in. Growing up, it became apparent that he was different than the rest of his family. His magic did not come in the same way theirs did. He could not focus in the same way, could not create the same things. Cole needed to eat more than the rest of them, and more frequently. Alexander seemed to only nibble twice a week, and Nicholas took great pride in large feasts and social meals. But Cole was always ravenous, always strong, and always a moment away from rage.
His rage was so different than Nicholas's rage. Nicholas was simply a kind soul and fiercely loyal, but also ready to destroy anyone who came near those whom he loved. Cole seemed to rage out for no reason, and he himself admitted that he threw tantrums when he didn't get his way.
Everyone was unfair to him. His brothers were allowed to do things that he wasn't. His parents let them lead wars and lash out. But Cole was punished unfairly, even by his brothers. They always treated him like a mischievous child who didn't know how to handle himself.
Death was nothing to him. Feeding for the sake of something to do was nothing to him. He loved the attention, loved the power, but hated how they scolded him.
And now, it was clear that this was not the place he belonged. All these years of trying to fit in, and he wasn't really one of them anyways. They didn't want him; that much was clear.
He continued spinning, barely seeing, barely thinking. His anger was uncontrollable, and his rage lay in front of him. He wanted power. He wanted control. He wanted to show them what he was capable of. He was not a child to be scolded, nor was he someone to be put aside.
And that is when he spotted Earth – painted blue, small, and fragile – in the upper corner of the wall.
If he could not have Umora, if they thought he didn't belong here, he would show them where he did. He would find his own Kingdom; he would make his own throne.
He knew how to take control of a planet. That was nothing foreign to his family. They kept peace and ruled over several planets in the system. One simply needed to purge the planet, control its people, and make them fear you. Only then would they bow down.
Cole turned on his heel and stalked out of the throne room and into the records hall. The records hall contained scrolls of all nature, including rules for unlocking magic on each planet. The Gods who had created the planets, millenniums ago, had written down the secrets to unlocking each one, in the ancient tongue of each planet.
"Cole," a not-so distant voice called.
The unexpected sound startled him; he had thought he was alone in the hall. But his brother, Alexander, was standing there, looking majestic and comfortable. But then again, why wouldn’t he be? He belonged here.
"We've been looking everywhere for you."
Cole smirked.
"And why would that be? Seeing as how I don't belong here? Do you want to lock me up, too? Toss me out of the only home I've ever known?"
"Cole," Alexander took a step further. "I know we've had our differences. But there was no reason for the tantrum you threw."
"Tantrum?" Cole sputtered. "Tantrum? Is that what you call a reaction to finding out your whole life is a lie?"
When his father had finally told him the truth, Cole barely remembered what he had done. All he remembered is rage; all he remembered was his dragon brain taking over.
It was only after coming back to his human form that he heard about the destruction he had caused. He had flown – flown until his wings hurt – and killed whatever had lay in his path. The reports said that he went to neighboring planets, breathing fire, tearing up villages, and leaving civilians dead in his wake.
They had trembled in fear when they saw him coming, bowing to their knees and begging for mercy. But he didn't care about their pleas, nor did he care about their tears.
If his family was going to tell him that he was some half-breed monster that didn't belong, he would show them how he didn't belong.
Let them say he was a criminal; le
t them say he was a monster with a black soul.
"That is what I call it when it was followed by the amount of destruction you caused, yes," Alexander replied. "Cole...the people..."
"You and father have done much worse in your so-called 'peace keeping missions,'" Cole spat. "Following in his footsteps, as if he's always been around to encourage us."
He knew it wasn't much of an excuse, but there was no excuse that mattered, really. If Alexander was questioning him, then he would not see reason. Alexander was always calm, controlled, logical, and frankly, in Cole’s eyes, boring. He thought carefully about every word that exited his mouth.
"He is not the kind of King I want to be," Alexander growled.
“Poor, poor Alexander,” Cole teased him. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Always acting as the martyr. Had Finneas still been alive, your life would be so easy, wouldn't it?”
Alexander's eyes flashed at the mention of their oldest brother. Finneas was supposed to be King, and Alexander would have been his second in command. But Finneas struggled with his own identity, trying to come to terms with what his life's purpose was, and it was never meant to be. It had been two years since Finneas vanished, flitting into the black magic world that was simply known as the Other. No one had ever returned from the Other, and the weight fell heavily on Alexander's shoulders. He had lost his confidant, his mentor, and his best friend. And suddenly, he would rule the land when their father perished.
“Don't you mention him,” Alexander said, although his voice trembled with emotion. “Finneas fought a fight he could not win. But the rest of us are still here. And it does not change the fact that–”
"The fact that I am no longer your brother, just some bastard orphan," Cole cut him off, standing tall.
"That your rage may have killed people," Alexander answered. "You know that when we transform, control is harder..."
Cole simply smirked.
"So, you intend to rule passively? Kill them with kindness, is that it? And be nice to your bastard brother, who was born into a terrible life, but go lucky."
"Cole..."
"Forget it." Cole had found the scroll he needed. "Forget all of you. I was born to rule, and if you won't accept me here, I’ll find another kingdom!"
Desired by Alpha Bear Page 13