by J. L. Madore
“Careful, Jayne. You’re dangling over a precipice as it is. The last thing you need is a push.”
Amusement warms her eyes. “Empty threats aren’t your style, darling. You don’t know where half the skeletons are buried. Like the human’s say, behind every successful man is a woman. Don’t forget who that woman is.”
“You think too highly of yourself,” I say, cursing myself for allowing her to become so integral in my company. “I can end you with one phone call.”
“And I’ve known that for years. You don’t think I’ve taken precautions? It’s you who needs to be careful, Hawk. I learned from the best.”
She steps over to the sofa and flashes me her ass as she bends to pick up her handbag from where I tackled her earlier. Big mistake. I should’ve let Calli fireball her.
When she straightens, she glosses her ruby red lips and smiles. “I’m heading over to the Bastion. I’ve reserved the FCO cabin for us for the duration of the Monster Rights conference. If you want to keep the faith of your shareholders, I suggest you join me tomorrow, so we have a day to go over the objectives. You wouldn’t want to look like an unprepared fool in front of the fae world now would you, darling?”
She blows me an air kiss and heads for the door.
My knuckles ache, my vice-grip on the piano the only thing holding me back from tearing her to shreds. I don’t move until after the click of the door latch signals she’s gone.
Motherfucking hell.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Calli
“This is ridiculous,” I say for the umpteenth time. I meet Hawk’s hard gaze in the rear-view mirror and frown. As hostile as he comes off, I sense a shift in him. Regret. Anger. Maybe even a budding hint of concern. “I didn’t pass out. That’s not what that was. I told you, Riley came to check in and do some sort of ghost-mortem of the past two weeks. I guess I just checked out while we were chatting.”
“You say that like that’s a real thing.”
“Why not? I didn’t believe in magic and wildling men and fireballs until I lived it. Isn’t it within the realm of possibility that I’m right and Riley and I connect on a level you don’t understand?” I look to Kotah. “Help me out here.”
Kotah squeezes my thigh and tilts his head as if considering it. “While it’s true, the possibility of afterlife visitation can’t be ruled out in its entirety, Hawk is also right that there might be another more plausible answer.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“Like a brain synapse misfire,” Hawk snaps. “That’s what happens when you overstress your system and pass out twice in one day.”
I want to remind him that it was him and his corporate sex partner who stressed me out but won’t open that wound again. A worried Hawk is a crusty Hawk. At least he’s here and engaging with me. “Well, I’m fine. You’re all overreacting.”
Jaxx tightens his grip on my hand where he sits to my right. “I don’t know about your ghost whisperin’ with your girl, but Hawk’s right about the collapse. You were unconscious and unresponsive far too long. You scared us, kitten.”
Kotah rubs his hand against the inside of my knee and offers me a wave of supernatural support. “Humor us, Chigua. If we all submit to some baseline testing now, in the future, if anything changes with our health, we’ll have records to base decisions off. It’ll be good for all of us.”
I can’t argue with that. In the past week we’ve dealt with being shot, stabbed, burned, drowned, and strangled. Having the starting points of our health worked out can’t be a bad thing.
Brant rolls his shoulders and twists in the shotgun seat. “Plus, a few tests might shed some light on how your powers are coming in so fast. Compulsion isn’t something magically gifted wildlings command after a decade—no matter how talented you are or how pissed you get, you shouldn’t be able to do that in a week.”
“I’m sorry, Bear. I didn’t mean to—”
He waves that away. “That’s not what I’m saying. There’s too much we don’t know about your transition and development. I know it wasn’t your fault.”
“No,” Hawk says. “It was mine. I choked Calli, I upset her afterward, and then my assistant showed up and t-boned her with bullshit. This entire mess is on me.”
Brant flashes him a sarcastic smile. “Look at you, hotshot. Pulling up your big-boy pants and taking your lumps for once. Doesn’t change the fact that yeah, you are a jackass, but at least you admit it.”
“Hawk isn’t at fault for his assistant’s rant,” Kotah says.
I tense. Even though Kotah isn’t standing up for Jayne, the mention of her fires up my insides. “FYI, I hate that bitch.”
Hawk frowns. “Jayne won’t be a problem going forward. I put her on notice. You won’t have to deal with her again.”
“You should’ve fired her,” Brant snaps. “She intentionally hurt Calli. She deserves more than a slap on the wrist.”
Hawk frowns. “Trust me, I want to.”
“Want to? You’re the all-powerful corporate king, aren’t you? Seems to me if you wanted to cut ties with your fuck-buddy, she’d be snipped and falling into the trash can where she belongs.”
The angry hum that Hawk makes isn’t as deeply bass and growly as Brant’s bear or as raspy as Jaxx’s jaguar purr, but it conveys his frustration and anger. He casts Brant a sideways glare. “What you don’t understand—being a mere cog in my FCO machine—is the far-reaching ripple-effects I consider. I can’t go with my gut and muscle through life as you do.”
“I forgot. You’re the game player. It’s all about moving the mindless pawns around your board, right?”
“In a manner. I’m juggling a dozen high-priority projects and Jayne keeps all the balls in the air. She’s been on my front line for years. After this afternoon, I intend to weed her out of my business, but right now, that’s not an option.”
I lean forward between the front seats. “And you sure it’s only your business balls you’re worried about her dropping?”
Hawk curses and pulls onto a small, private airstrip. “I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it. I’ve never held any interest in being engaged to, or sharing my life with, Jayne or any other female.”
“Emphasis on female,” Brant says. “Methinks thou doth protest too much.”
Hawk rolls his eyes. “How old are you? Calli’s had one hell of a day. Can we hold off on the schoolyard bluster?”
Brant shrugs. “At least I make her smile, flyboy. How’s your courtship going? Oh right, she tried to kill you?”
I reach forward and squeeze Hawk’s shoulder. “I didn’t try to kill you.”
“Too bad, he can’t say the same,” Brant says. “How’s your throat, beautiful?”
I peg Brant with a glare. “Enough. We all have issues that bubble up. Hawk didn’t intentionally attack me. Everyone in this truck knows that. So, enough with the dirt slinging.”
“He’s not altogether wrong,” Hawk says, meeting my gaze in the rear-view. “And while I didn’t mean to hurt you, it happened. I think a bit of distance will do us all good.”
I straighten, not liking the sound of this at all. “No. Time together, working through what happened will do us good. Retreating accomplishes nothing.”
“I’m not retreating,” he says, slowing to park in front of an airplane hangar. “I’m chairing the discussions at the Monster Rights conference at the Bastion this week. I need tomorrow to prepare and then will be in and out of meetings for three days.”
“But you’ll come home at night, right?”
He turns the keys and the truck’s beefy engine falls silent. “I’ll be entertaining for dinners and drinks and stay in one of the on-site cabins.”
“The FCO cabin on the water, isn’t it?” Kotah asks.
Hawk nods. “It is, but it’ll be occupied, so I’ll arrange for a private one for Lukas and myself this time around.
I read between the lines and see the apology in Hawk’s expression. He won’t stay in the FCO
company cabin because that’s where Jayne will be.
I look between Kotah and Hawk as we get out of the truck and my heart pulls in both directions. I need to be here with Kotah as he faces his father, but I also need to ensure Hawk doesn’t pull away.
Kotah brushes my arm and a wave of calming energy comforts me. “If you need to be with Hawk, go, Chigua. Facing my parent’s judgment is nothing new. If I know you’re happy, I can face anything.”
Hawk shakes his head and squeezes my wrist. “No. Calli stays here with the three of you. I’m a ten-minute helicopter ride away if you need me. Other than a few minutes here or there, I won’t be available. Stay here for Kotah, work on your defensive training, and learn about the fae world. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Kotah
The next two days pass with little fanfare. Jaxx, Brant, Calli and I enjoy the gardens and grounds of the palace, work on some light defensive training, and await the summons from my father. He likely thinks having me wait for his attention is punishment—and in my life, prior to the guardianship, he would’ve been right—but I refuse to twist myself into knots wondering how to please him. I found where I belong and who I belong with. I refuse to lose that.
“Don’t drop your guard, kitten,” Jaxx says, pausing so I can step onto the training mat and fix Calli’s form. “Protect your core at all costs. We’re only using fists now, but when we use knives or swords it’ll be important. A hit to the arm or leg will do damage, but body shots are far deadlier.”
I shift behind Calli and reach around her sides. In a stance alignment we’ve practiced for the past couple of days, I adjust her elbow and bring her defensive arm back into position. I meet her gaze in the reflection of the living room mirror of our suite. With the furniture moved out of the center of the room, we have a wide-open space to work on Calli’s training.
“Like this,” I whisper behind her ear. “Protect my girls.”
She casts me a flirtatious smile. “How about you give your girls some love? They’re lonely, Wolf. They miss you.”
And I miss them. Oh… boy, do I miss them.
Since having sex with Calli three days ago, my obsession with being naked with her soared from male anticipation to a mate’s possessive need of wanting her every moment of the day and night. She is the sun to my universe, and I willingly agree to burn alive in her heat.
She grinds her backside against my groin and my mind blanks out. My resistance to two days of unrelenting advances is weak. As she tenses to shift and drop her form completely, I grip her hips to prevent her from turning to grope me. “Focus on your form.”
“No. Let me focus on your form.”
I tighten my grip on her hips. Being rough with her doesn’t deter her at all. If anything, her arousal increases.
“Chigua, please.”
Brant joins the fun and smiles. “No sex until we get the results back from your physical, beautiful. We agreed.”
The whimpered huff she lets off is adorable. “No. You four agreed. I protested. I’m fine. If anything, you guys will kill me by ignoring my needs. C’mon boys,” she says, glancing at each of us. “How about a little light play to take the edge off? Bear, you’ve kept me waiting long enough. Let me suck on that big cock of yours. I promise, no sex.”
The bass rumble of Brant’s laughter resonates in my chest. “Hawk said we’ll get the results back from Dr. Glask today.”
“Hawk is at the Bastion for his monster meetings. He’ll never know.”
I laugh. “Oh, he’ll find out somehow. He’s Hawk.”
Brant grunts. “The point is that we ensure you’re healthy. Then we’ll strip you naked and then Jaxx and Kotah can fight over who gets inside you first.”
Her brow pinches. “Why not you, big guy? You’re taking the back seat on us getting together. Why? Am I messing up with you somehow?”
He shakes his head, his brown hair brushing his broad, muscled shoulders. “Not a bit, I want you all to myself our first time. Call me greedy, or old-fashioned, but I want the whole deal: dinner, conversation, moonlight, and then hours of uninterrupted time to claim you.”
Calli closes her eyes and the burning scent of her need pollutes the air of our private space. “That sounds wonderful.”
His voice grows deeper. “And we have to pick our window because by the time the sun comes up, we’ll be so sore and sated we won’t be able to move for a week.”
Unbidden, my body responds to the call of Calli’s need. My wolf growls and I step back. Too late.
She felt my body stiffen against her backside and turns, determination flaring in her eyes. “That’s it wolf. We’ll keep it simple.” She yanks her tank top off and throws it at me. She’s so hungry.
I stare through the netting of her black lace bra and groan. Her nipples are peaked and tight, and the scent of her wanton brings my wolf howling forward. I hit the practice mat with Calli straddling my hips and pressing my shoulders to the floor.
“Mine.”
Her primal claim never ceases to render me defenseless. Our lips are about to meet, the warmth of her breasts pressing against my chest.
A moment later, the warmth and weight of her are gone.
“Noooo,” she wails.
Brant has her around the waist and carries her back into position. “New game,” he says, holding up his finger to explain. “Instead of talking about sex, let’s raise the stakes. Let’s call this hangman strip sparing. For every fist you land, a piece of Kotah’s clothing comes off. If you get him naked, you get your prize and can have your way with him.”
Her eyes flare. “Yeah?”
“For reals. Anything you want. You can ride him, suck on him, have him fuck you up against the wall, in the showers, down on the mats. Lady’s choice.”
As much as I love being named as the prize, I’m not sure Brant should promise sexual carte blanche with Calli this hungry. She’s proven herself a highly motivated female and none of us want to risk her health after the last time.
“Done deal,” she says, shaking her arms loose at her sides. “Prepare to be dominated, Bear. Kotah, I’m coming for you.”
She flips her ponytail behind her shoulder, raises her fists, and adjusts her stance to assume first position. Determination bursts off her like she’s an MMA fighter going into the title match—oh, I see what he did.
Now Calli’s more invested than ever before in her fight training. Instead of being distracted by sex, she’s motivated by it. Smart bear.
“Remember to keep it simple,” I say, realizing that the level of commitment Calli’s exuding might bring her heart rate up to the same stress levels as sex and multiple orgasms. “Don’t overexert.”
Jaxx and I give the two of them space. We drop back to where we tossed the couch cushions on the floor and watch the show. The two of us lean back on our palms, side-by-side, with our legs stretched out.
“When the elder’s council told us it’s key for us to align as mates,” Jaxx says, smiling at Brant and Calli, “I’m not sure stripping games during physical training is what they meant.”
“Honestly, it’s far better to how I grew up spending my time in this palace.”
Jaxx laughs. “No doubt. Any word from on high?”
“No. I figure Mother painted me in such a disappointing light, he may not speak to me for a week or two.”
“I’m sorry, my man,” Jaxx says, leaning sideways to brush my shoulder with his. “It sucks.”
Calli makes a good feign and lands a hit to Brant’s side. “Whoop!” she yells. “Point to me, Wolf. Take it off.”
I chuckle and pull my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor beside me. Calli and Brant go straight back to it. I’ve never seen her so motivated. “In truth, I’m fine being excommunicated. If I’m lucky, I’ll be shunned altogether.”
“It’s not right,” he says, his gaze filled with warmth. “You belong out in the world with us. We’ll fight for you. You know that, right?”
I exhale and fal
l back to lie flat on the cushions. Stretching my arms behind my head, I stare up at the ceiling. “I do. Still, it’s nice to hear.”
Jaxx’s phone buzzes at the same time as mine. We both check the incoming text from Hawk. Tests back. No issues. Game on.
Jaxx pulls his shirt off and tosses it next to mine. “Let’s see how long it takes them to join in, shall we?” With that, he throws his leg over my hips and locks my mouth to his.
CHAPTER NINE
Jaxx
Well, well. I’m not sure when things changed for me in this mating, but there’s no question my needs have broadened. Kissing Kotah the other day started as a sexy show for Calli. Kissing him now is… wow, well, unexpected is one word for it, enlightening is another, erotic… Yes, Calli is our queen, but as Kotah’s hands caress up and over my bare shoulders and his body relents to my advance, my yearning goes beyond sharing a mating bond to our phoenix.
I want him.
“Fuck, Wolf.” I grip his wrists and pin them over his head. “How far into this mating do you picture us going?”
Breathless, Kotah looks up at me, his animal side wild and playful. “I’m going wherever you take this,” he says. There’s not one ounce of hesitation in him and thank fuck for that. “I’m all in—for Calli, you, us, or for whatever happens.”
“Great answer.”
I’m not sure if it’s because Kotah is an Omega or if it’s his empathic gift or if his soul is so pure but I covet the contact.
Releasing my hold on his wrists, I rise over his hips and stare down at the cut of his abs, the rapid rise and fall of his pecs, and that gorgeous fucking tattoo that wraps around his neck. “It wasn’t lip-service when I said you’re a feast to my eyes. You rock everythin’ I’ve got, Kotah.”