by J. L. Madore
He grinds against my ass and my knees threaten to give out. He holds me firm and chuckles in my ear. “Don’t get weak in the knees yet. You challenged me to be myself with you, remember? I’m an Alpha and a Dom. Raise the bar. Whipped cream is mainstream. Think harder. How do you want to dress up vanilla?”
“Kotah could watch.”
“Do you get off on voyeurism?”
He takes that moment to rub over my cleft with more ardor and my breath catches. “Since the mating, yes.”
“Being reborn a wildling is bound to unleash your primal side. Okay, what else dresses up vanilla.”
“Hot fudge.”
“Mmm, how hot? Does it sting when I spoon it onto your nipples?”
I stiffen. “Should it?”
“Oh yeah, I think it should.” He reaches in front of me and turns the faucet a touch, so the water gets hotter. “Tell me if you don’t like something, Calli. We’re playing so you should always enjoy what we share. You’re safe with me but for kink to work for both of us, you have to trust me and be honest about your pleasures. Do you understand?”
The water grows hotter and it’s almost too much… almost. It heats the air and makes me feel a little light-headed.
“Do you understand?” he repeats in my ear.
“Yes.” I swallow and try to focus. His hands are everywhere and I’m throbbing with the need for him to push inside me. “Do I need a safe word?”
“Of course,” he says, nipping his way from one shoulder, across my nape to the other shoulder. “We’ll develop one as we progress. For now, just tell me to stop if it’s too much. I won’t push you far until we set some boundaries. As I said, you’re safe with me. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl,” he says reaching around to the faucet again.
I’m afraid he’s going to turn it up again, but he doesn’t. He turns it down. The water that hits me next is cool and I suddenly miss the heat. I step back but he stops me. “No, no. Trust me. I’ll make you feel good. Do you like heat more than cold?”
I swallow and nod. “Yes.”
“Do you want me to give you back heat?”
“Yes.”
“All right, then. Step up on the tile footings, angel, and spread your legs.”
He points to the floor of the shower and I see what he wants. There’s a tile ledge on both sides of the shower where the tile meets the wall on one side and thick glass on the other. It’s wide, maybe three feet apart but I do as I’m told.
“Good girl, now lean forward and press your palms on the wall in front of you.”
Hawk
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Calli will be my undoing, I swear. I planned to give her a few orgasms and leave her wanting more for later. There’s no way. Maybe it is mating madness, but as I pull my fingers from her clenching heat, my mind shatters. Calli’s hunger pollutes the enclosed space and I need inside her more than I’ve ever needed anything.
As she leans forward, I stare at the meaty rounds of her ass, and my cock pulses like a divining rod, pointing toward gold. I smell her vulnerability. Her compliance gives me a stunning sense of how obedient she can be when she tries. My original plan dissolves as my control breaks. I suck my two fingers into my mouth and savor her flavor as I hit the control pad.
The front nozzle shuts off and four side nozzles start, two on our left and two on our right. They spray with a jet pulse, the water steamy warm again.
She groans and arches like a cat in heat. “Gawd, that feels so nice.”
Good. I need her to love playing sex games. I need her to be able to fulfill this part of me. For the first time in two weeks, I wonder if everything might work out, after all. “Now, close your eyes and don’t open them no matter how much you want to. It’s just you and me in here, so let your senses wander and feel, got it?”
She nods.
Damn. She’s so much more responsive than I expected. I give my cock a couple of tugs and yeah, I’m as hard as I’ve been all week. “You ready?”
“Yes,” she says, her voice breathy.
“You’re not going to pass out on me, are you?”
“Gawd, I hope not.” There’s a touch of laughter in her voice and it eases my concern a little.
“If you feel faint, I’m trusting you to tell me, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl. Eyes closed. Here we go.”
A mewling sound escapes her throat as I reach under her from behind and reinsert my two fingers. Her pussy is tight and wet and so greedy with its pulse and squeeze. Despite the height difference, with her perched on the baseboard ledge, our bodies match up perfectly.
She shudders as I stroke her, arching, surging, moving against the sensation of my touch. The need burning inside me rises with every brush of her skin. It calls out to the darkest part of me demanding I claim her.
Is this it? Am I ready to accept this mating and all that comes with it? Being bound and responsible for four mates?
Calli’s head drops forward, her legs trembling in a gentle quiver. She’s close. “Not yet, angel. Hold off a little longer. I’ll tell you when.”
Her growl shoots straight to my cock.
I chuckle. “Brace yourself.”
She takes my command seriously and strengthens her position against the shower wall. Having her stretched out and compliant is erotic as hell. I release the nozzle warming my hip and bring it around to spray her clit.
Angling the pulsing jets to massage her feminine folds, I work my fingers in her core. Hot water spills over my hands and down the inside of her legs. Calli cries out and bursts into a blinding golden glow. “Oh… I need to come.”
“Not yet,” I say, my breath coming fast. “How good do you feel?”
“So good… too good.”
I slip a third finger inside her and stretch her wider. I’m a big boy and want her ready for me. The extra digit does her in and I feel her muscles trigger her orgasm.
Damn. She’s so fucking responsive.
“Okay, angel. Let it take you. Feel it wash through you and let yourself explode. I’ve got you.”
I set the nozzle back in its cradle and hold her steady through her release. Her cries echo off the hard surfaces and I memorize every sound she makes. Slowing my fingers, we ride out the waves of her first orgasm.
When she settles, I turn down the water pressure.
“You up for me now?” I step in tight, angle her a little deeper in her stance and guide my aching cock where it so desperately wants to go. “I want to fuck you, Calli. I need to fuck you. Are you good with that?”
“Yes,” she gasps, her voice pitchy.
“Tell me you want it.”
“Hawk… please… yes, I want you to fuck me.” She bounces on her feet as if impatient and I lose another ounce of my control. My undoing, I swear.
I press the head of my cock through her opening and bury deep inside her. I freeze. My skin burns, my arms start to shake, and I feel the magic of our mating bond taking hold. The relief that has eluded me the past weeks hits hard and fast. It is the harshest ecstasy and the sweetest pain.
For better or for worse, Calli is my mate now. With my animal side locking into place, I know it’s forever. “Mine.”
I hear my words echo in the shower and they startle me. With Calli I lose control. I withdraw my hips a few inches and press home. “Fuck, you feel good.”
Like she said—so good… too good.
I close my eyes and focus on my breath. In. Out. In. Out—
The succulence of the heat ripping through my cells makes my head spin. And that’s before I start to pick up my pace. As fae magic tightens its hold on me, I try not to fight it.
I want this… I think. No, I’m sure… pretty sure.
The only thing I’m truly sure about is that I want Calli.
If being part of the guardian’s mating quint is how I make that happen, then it’s done. Gripping her hips, I thrust hard, burying myself inside her again and aga
in.
Fuck, she even feels like home.
I don’t know how long I last. It could be minutes. It could be hours. I’m lost in the consuming bliss of mating my female. Calli meets every hammering thrust with a buck of her hips, every grunt of mine with a gasp of her own, every slide, and glide with a clench and release.
I’m oblivious to the world around me, the dangers we face, and the demands on my time and attention.
For this moment… there is only this moment.
Eventually, though, my balls crawl so damn tight into my crotch that I’m sure they’ll implode. And as much fun as we are having, I don’t want to hurt her or have her blacking out. The animal in me gained strength today.
I feel the power of our union feeding my cells already.
I clench my jaw as my release ignites in my balls, building pressure in my shaft. I push back, fighting a losing battle.
Calli’s pussy is greedy and the throbbing of her next orgasm starts. Another shock wave shoots to my cock and a ragged cry rips from my throat. It echoes off the marble and glass. There is no holding back.
My orgasm brakes free. Heated jets pour into my mate as my hawk shrieks victory inside my soul.
Calli shouts my name and comes apart with me.
Glowing with the power of her gift, she’s breathtaking. She breaks through every barrier I erected, and we crash together into an abyss. Pleasure doesn’t begin to describe it. I am home. I never want to pull out. I never want to leave her warmth.
I stay inside her and release her hips, afraid my grip will bruise her. I collapse against her back, my arms wrapping around her to hold her up. I kiss the sweat and shower slick skin of her shoulder blades. Another frantic wave of magic pulses through me.
My senses reel. My muscles convulse. The mixed scents of our marking and sex sear my primitive brain with pride.
Calli wears my scent now.
“What have you done to me?” I gasp, the world spinning. I struggle to take in enough oxygen so I don’t pass out. Ha! That would serve me right. After the fuss I made when Calli blacked out having sex, if I do the same thing it would be a hell of a hit to my man card.
Right. I shut that shit off quick.
Easing out of my new favorite place on the planet, I groan. The loss of connection is horrid. How have the others been able to function? Newfound respect springs to life for Jaxx and Kotah. They’ve been able to function while not being inside her.
I’m not sure I can.
I help Calli off the little ledge and pull her against my chest. She’s spent and clings to me, replete. I hold my hand under the trickling stream of water and cup handfuls of warmth to rinse the milky residue from multiple releases from between her legs.
When we’re both clean, she smiles a wry smile. “That was fun. Thank you.”
I brush our lips together and chuckle. “You amaze me yet again, Spitfire. Your transition. Your commitment to a world you don’t owe a damned thing to. Your dedication to this mating. Your innate fight to survive whatever comes at you. And now this. I didn’t think you’d trust me enough to submit.”
“This was your turn in charge. I expect to get a turn, too.”
I shut off the water completely and help her out into the bathroom and wrap her in a fuzzy towel. When she’s dry and looking content, I pull her against my chest and kiss her nose. “In time. I’ll work on letting go, I promise. Be patient with me.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kotah
It’s my deepest pleasure to have Calli all to myself for the day. While Brant, Jaxx, and Hawk work on the investigation of who the Black Knight might be, who the mole in the upper hierarchy of the FCO is, and where our villainous nemesis is housing fourteen gifted young adults, I have the honor of showing Calli my home and introducing her to the members of my pack.
The fact that she’s still glowing, literally and figuratively, from her shower session with our avian only adds to her majesty and I’m pleased with the rousing welcome and support she receives from my family.
“Everyone here is so nice,” she says as we leave the village proper and head to the clearing to work on her morning training regimen. “It’s hard to believe…” She bites her lip and waves the rest of her comment away.
“Hard to believe after meeting my parents? Well… my mother. My father didn’t even give us the consideration of meeting with me or my new mate.”
She shrugs. “It’s his loss. You’re amazing and will be an incredibly important member of the fae realm whether you’re the next Fae Prime or a Guardian of the Phoenix or just Kotah Northwood a beautiful soul.”
I pull her tight to my side and kiss her cheek. With her arm wrapped around my lower back, I could walk these grounds forever and never tire. “I asked Mama to look into any historical reference of the position to see if there’s a precedent that could excuse me from serving in my father’s sted. Before she retired to raise Jaxx and Laney, she was the head historian of the fae chronicles. Did you know that?”
She shakes her head and smiles up at me.
Midday sun spangles off her long, golden lashes and makes her emerald eyes sparkle like priceless gemstones. “I’m sure between all of us, we’ll come up with some way for you to escape life in that palace.”
I hope she’s right. I draw a heavy breath and release that which—for the moment—cannot be changed. Standing in the center of the clearing, I stop and step behind her. “All right,” I whisper into her ear. “Like we practiced. Clear your mind and focus on your phoenix. Greet her. Invite her forward. And then relinquish control to your firebird.”
I step back and give her space. “There’s nothing to fear. Your animal side is part of you. Allow her the freedom to soar.”
Calli shakes her arms out at her sides and goes through her meditation exercises. Deep breaths in, identify her negative triggers. Deep breath out, naming, and expelling them.
She speaks her truths on a whispered breath, and I respect her privacy enough not to listen. When she stills, her feminine frame is noticeably less rigid. She tilts her face up to greet the heat of the noon sun.
The glow of her skin builds. It’s as if she’s absorbing the fire of the sun and channeling it into her being. Flames bursts off her in a whoosh of orange and gold. She stretches her arms out wide and the dancing licks of fire extend off her fingertips.
Movement to my left brings my attention to Keyla and a half-dozen members of our pack who have come out to watch. I raise my fingers to my lips and motion for them to keep their distance. The heat of Calli’s flaming female form doesn’t burn me like it did before we mated. It’s equally as hot, but our bond protects me somehow.
The same won’t hold true for them.
Calli’s flames grow in length and height, stretching, testing the air until they gather into a rough outline of wings.
That’s it, Chigua. You can do this. Believe in yourself.
The flames dance in the air, silhouetting her animal form but not quite taking hold. She tries for a moment longer and then flames out. I pull one of her new fireproof coverup dresses from my backpack and help her shrug it on.
When her head pops through the neck, so looks so defeated it breaks my heart. “No, my love.” I pull her to my chest, cup her jaw, and raise her face to kiss me. She tastes of magic and brimstone. “That was great strides closer than ever before. Don’t be sad. You’re doing amazingly well.”
She shakes her head and notices the staring audience. “Oh, gawd. They must be so disappointed. Some phoenix savior I am. I can’t even shift.”
I wave them closer. They can’t get within fifteen feet of us, but by the awe-inspired looks they wear, I know they’ll prove my point. “Calli’s discouraged because she can’t yet shift to her wildling form.”
“Oh, m’lady,” Tess says, worrying her gnarled and weathered hands. “That was magnificent. A true show of strength and potential.”
Logan Silver Fox nods. “Prince Nakotah mentioned that you transitioned from a
human life less than two weeks ago. To call your animal forward in that short time is unheard of. It’s simply miraculous.”
Calli straightens and looks up at me, her eyes sparkling once again. “Really? I thought you were just being nice.”
I shake my head. “You are a natural, Chigua. If you can do this in two weeks, imagine what you’ll do in two more. Believe in your power, my love. And if you can’t, we will all be here to believe in it for you.
She looks to my family and their supportive smiles reaffirm my words. Yes. Northwood is exactly where she needs to be. The magic of my home has never let me down—it won’t let our phoenix down either.
“Come. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
Brant
Working with Hawk and Jaxx is more productive than I expect. By midday, we’ve uncovered a few thin strands of new evidence leading from the FCO head office to whoever is maneuvering things behind the scenes. All of them are geared to incriminate Hawk, which, I admit he’s too smart to leave discoverable if he were the Black Knight.
Jaxx’s computer skills are a surprise boon to the team. He doesn’t think much of it, but Hawk’s impressed and I figure the jaguar must’ve been a hacker in another life.
Hawk’s understanding of company clearance access and the players who could’ve pulled these strings gets us our pool of suspects. He prints us off everyone’s corporate profile and we start taping them up on the wall so we know who the potential players on the board might be.
My contacts and friends among the blue-collar members of the FCO succeed where Hawk’s influence ends. Some of the workers feel more comfortable talking to me than to him and there’s a lot to learn from watercooler gossip.
By mid-afternoon, we’ve tugged those loose strands of evidence enough that we’re unraveling a tangled web of deceit.
“Have we got a destination for Lukas yet?” Hawk says, muting his call and looking over Jaxx’s shoulder. “He’s at the Bastion helipad and can move toward a targeted area if we point him in the right direction.