Eternally Bound: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by T. J. Michaels

  *Why are you so upset, Chrysalyn?*

  ‘Because I don’t know what to say or how to act the next time I see Rahn. Sure, he did the you-my-woman thing last night. In fact, he did it quite well.’ Her womb fluttered at the memory of what a fantastic lover Rahn had been. Every touch had brought her pleasure. No awkward moments. No missteps or blunders. It had been, in a word, perfect. ‘But that doesn’t mean he’ll be as sure about this, this…whatever it is between us now that morning is here.’

  *Woman, you make no sense. You had no problem facing him after coming together in the warm pool before.*

  ‘Hot tub, Adonei,’ she huffed.

  *As you wish. However, if you were able to face him then, you can face him now. He is your mate, you are meant to be. He knows this as well as you, yes?*

  ‘Yes, I know he’s my mate.’ A deep sigh followed the admission she didn’t think she’d ever make, simply because she hadn’t expected to have Rahn.

  *Then why would he not want you as much in the light of day as he did under the light of the moon?*

  ‘It’s just that before, when we had a chance to be together, it didn’t work out. And, well…hell, you know what happened. You were my spirit guide, after all.’

  *Yes, the spirit guide who tried to tell you…*

  ‘I know, Adonei, I know. You tried to tell me I was tripping and that he wasn’t serious about the woman he was working that case with.’

  *Yet you still chose to become engaged with that dreadful what’s-his-name.*

  Chrys grimaced. Sheesh, talk about the disaster of a lifetime. And she’d been so determined to walk into the disaster just to make Rahn jealous, it took her almost-mom-in-law disclosing the secret from hell to shake her resolve—she would have been wife number four. And it wasn’t just the number of marriages that made her back up and take stock, it was the fact the asshole hadn’t told her then, and still wouldn’t own up to it. Not to mention the way he’d gotten rid of wife number one. The sneaky bastard had movers come while he was at work, pack the woman up and ship her off. When he got home that evening, he was happily wifeless.

  Unfortunately, by the time Chrys had come to her senses and broken off the engagement, Rahn had moved back to London.

  Now here she was with a second chance to be with the man of her dreams and fear had her damn near paralyzed…unless she was in his arms being fucked silly, of course. In truth, other than the constant state of horny-ness since Rahn showed up on her doorstep, Chrys was scared down to her toes.

  *Do not worry, woman. There are events in motion larger than yourself. And they are all good things. Trust your instincts and listen to your guide. Neither of us has ever led you astray, yes?*

  ‘Yes, you’re right. Thanks, Adonei.’

  *Of course, I am right,* he sniffed, all smug male lion.

  His ever-present place in her mind lessened and the big cat’s corporeal form glimmered and faded. Her stomach knotted nervously.

  Chrys scented Rahn as he approached and almost groaned. She hadn’t had time to completely process the meaning of the explosive bout of lovemaking—scratch that—no-holds-barred jungle fucking they’d done on the living room floor. There was no way she could handle a confrontation with him right now.

  Adonei popped back in long enough to say, *And you know it will be a confrontation because…?*

  ‘Oh hush, already,’ she admonished.

  Her eyes flew open on a squeak when she found herself hauled up against a hard chest, then set on her feet on top of the bath seat. Rahn nuzzled her navel as she stood in front of him.

  “I don’t like waking without you, Chrys.”

  Tilting her head to the side, she settled a fist on her hip. Was the man growling at her?

  Ignoring her posturing, he continued. “It makes me think…”

  She sucked in a breath when her bikini top flew across the deck and the ocean breeze teased her nipples.

  “That you regret our time spent together last night.”

  The man skipped all the preliminary niceties. Hell, he hadn’t even kissed her. Just picked her up and dove for her pussy like his lifetime supply of breakfast, lunch and dinner oozed from her rapidly swelling sex.

  He backed off long enough to ask, “Do you regret it, Chrys?”

  “I-I, no. I don’t, uh. Oh god.”

  How the hell was she supposed to think, talk and feel all at the same time, damn it?

  His warm tongue slipped between her pout folds, wreaked havoc on her senses. Fingers eased up and down her bare thighs as his mouth devoured her on the spot.

  With her bikini bottom scrunched off to the side, he soon grumbled his frustration at the fabric impeding such important progress. But he couldn’t bear to let her move more than an inch from his questing mouth. She tasted so good. Felt so good. He knotted his fist in the stretchy fabric and yanked. The remnants of the bottoms joined the bikini top across the deck.

  Her very loud “damn it” told him she wanted to fuss. Instead, it came out a moan as his fingers found a home deep inside her gripping heat. He looked up in time to watch her mouth fall open. Wide enough to slip a nice wide cock into. His breath caught in his throat and rumbled around in his chest as he fought to keep his feet planted on the floor of the hot tub rather than springing up and tackling her to the deck.

  He’d always had finesse with his lovers, but Chrys sent his brain into overload. He had no class, no James Bond-type subtlety where she was concerned. It was all out there for her to see, laid bare and downright greedy for her. But he was a man of control. Puh. Right.

  “Touch your beautiful breasts, baby. I love it when you touch yourself.”

  His gaze settled on the palms of her hands as she caressed and weighed the caramel-tipped beauties. Mmm, and the way her fingers tweaked and rasped over the sweet nipples until they were stiff and distended had his eyeballs bulging along with his cock. And her soft moans and writhing hips? Aw fuck.

  To hell with it. Grabbing her by the waist, Rahn carried her, with her delectable ass pressed against his cock, to the nearest balcony door. Setting her on her feet, he pressed her up against the sliding glass doors.

  “Rahn, what the hell…?” she demanded. But that was as far as she got.

  The man palmed the sides of her firm succulent breasts as he smashed her against the cool panes. A needy cock plowed into her from behind in one frantic stroke.

  “Oh yes. Oh dear god, that’s so good.” The wicked swivel of her hips pulled him deeper. “Mmm, yeah. That’s it, baby, fuck me.”

  He grinned at the smudged fingerprints on the glass where she clawed at the window with each deep stroke.

  There it was again. Perfect, exhilarating friction and heat wrapped around his rod on each glide in, each slide out. He looked down to where their bodies came together. The sweet cunt gobbling up his cock provided the first course of a succulent erotic feast for the senses. Engaged in every way, he reveled in the sight, sound, taste, feel and scent of her pleasure. Thick honeyed dew became a froth of cream at her entrance. More. He had to have more.

  “Give me that cream, love. Come for me, Chrys.”

  He gripped a thigh, lifted it high and was rewarded with a deep gasp as her sugared walls tightened and fluttered.

  “Oh god. Sssss, Rahn. Oh yeeeesssss!”

  Rahn scooped her up just as her knees buckled. Planted firmly in her still-twinging pussy, he eased open the glass doors and stepped into her bedroom.

  They never made it to the bed…but the lovely floor-to-ceiling mirrors on her closet door provided some nice images he would remember until the day he died.

  * * * * *

  Mahpiya stretched out on her stomach, paws crossed lazily as she purred. Adonei laved the base of her neck with long swipes of his rough-textured tongue. An occasional nip of his sharp teeth produced a quivering in her stomach and a satisfied rumbling in her throat.

  God, the lion sure could groom.

  “So,” she hummed. His tongue eased over a particul
arly sensitive spot just below her ear. “I do believe our charges are getting along rather nicely.”

  “Yes, I agree. My Chrysalyn can be rather stubborn at times, yet I believe she understands the significance of her attraction to your Rahn.”

  “I am glad they have finally reached the point in their lives where they can accept a mating. When they were together before, I did not sense you as I do now,” Mahpiya whispered around a yawn.

  “Perhaps the Great Spirit meant for us to help train our charges, ready them for a time such as this? It would not have been possible to keep me away from you if I had been aware of you back then. The results would have been less than helpful to either Chrysalyn or Rahn.”

  Mahpiya thought it over and decided her mate’s words made sense. If she and Adonei had gotten together before Chrys and Rahn were ready to mate, one of them would have had to give up being a spirit guide.

  It was uncommon enough for a female guide to be given to a male human. But the Great Spirit simply wouldn’t have allowed Mahpiya to continue to guide and protect Rahn if she mated with Adonei, but Rahn didn’t accept Chrys. So to avoid such an incident, it made sense that the Great Spirit had simply hidden Adonei and her from each other. Until now.

  Sigh. And what a lovely now it was.

  Thoughts of Rahn’s case intruded on her contentment. Adonei immediately picked up on it and settled his big muscular body down next to hers, pressing his sides against her. The significance of the simple act reassured and infused her with warmth. He truly was a magnificent animal, her lion.

  “Adonei, I am concerned about the killer my charge is tracking. It is a dangerous business. We have always worked well together on things such as this, yet I feel as if I am blinded from things I would typically be aware of.”

  “Yes, I understand. It is the same with me. And more concerning is that Chrysalyn knows your charge is here for more than a simple ride to Rome. Yet she says nothing because she is afraid.”

  “Afraid of what? The Eden fellow? He makes it no secret that he wants her.”

  “No, Chrys thinks nothing of him. My charge is not easily frightened, but her desire for her mate is almost overwhelmed by fear of losing Rahn now that they have found each other again. But speaking of the Eden fellow, he seems to appear whenever she is not with your charge. There is something about him that bothers me. I am sure he is a danger to Chrysalyn.”

  “Yet you have chosen not to tell her this. Why?”

  “It is not my place. It is for your charge to discover the danger and keep her from it.”

  “Ah,” she said. “Perhaps my Rahn’s mission and the danger surrounding your Chrys are one and the same. If this is the case, I see why we would be prohibited from interfering too much. Looking after Chrys is something Rahn would wish to do with as little interference from me as possible. It is in his nature to want to protect his female.”

  “And I will protect mine,” Adonei growled as he moved to cover her.

  Mmm, there were times like this that Mahpiya more than appreciated being a spirit guide. Unlike natural lions, Mahpiya and Adonei could shift into a human representation of their lion selves, and couple for much longer than just a few moments And right now she reveled in the tantalizing sensation of her lover moving inside her, hard and fast, just the way she liked it. Strong teeth sank gently into her neck, keeping her immobile for his ravishing. Instinctive behavior for a male, but it was far from necessary. The loving felt so good, staying like this as he plunged into her hungry core was no certainly hardship.

  Chapter Nine

  The second the chef finished preparing their meals, Rahn shook the man’s hand with a grin and practically shoved him out the front door. He was already on his way back to Chrys’ bedroom when Mahpiya brought a message from Adonei. Chrys was still asleep. The male spirit guide would have usually roused her when the chef, a stranger, arrived. This time, he deliberately didn’t wake her.

  ‘Mah, ask him why he didn’t warn Chrys that I was in the apartment the night I came aboard and Chrys almost whipped my ass in the dark?’

  *He says because he felt me, sensed my essence within you. He, he…scented me.*

  Well, this was a first. Mah was embarrassed. Another question for the list of things to ask God when he got to heaven—how the hell did a lioness blush?

  Rahn chuckled. Mah growled.

  ‘Oh, don’t be offended. It’s funny.’

  Eyes closed, he grinned at the faint image of the majestic cat licking her paws with a disgruntled snap of her tongue. Her tail swished up into the air. He knew if she’d been on this plane, she’d have swatted him with it. She was such a doll.

  *On to more important matters, shall we? You have a concern, do you not, hoksila?*

  ‘Actually, I do. I’m just not sure how to approach Chrys with the whole mating, bonding thing. I’d never expected to find a mate who had a spirit guide like me. A spirit guide I’m not supposed to know anything about.’

  He shucked his robe and let it fall to the floor next to the bed as he joined his woman under the covers. Chrys’ warm body instinctively snuggled up to his.

  *Your Chrysalyn may be skeptical at first, but Adonei and I are both here. She will believe you because she believes Adonei. Now is as good a time as any other to discuss such an important subject.*

  ‘I know you’re right, Mah. I just wish I knew what Chrys was thinking.’

  *You are a wise man. You will choose your words carefully and all will work out in the end. Besides, your female is just as wise.*

  ‘Thanks for the encouragement, Mah. Stick around in case I need you, all right?’

  *Of course.*

  Mahpiya turned and padded away. Her image, but not her presence, faded from behind his eyes. At ease, yet ever watchful, the huge cat settled into her favorite spot.

  Reassured, Rahn sent one last thought to her before he woke his mate.

  ‘I love you, Mah.’

  *Yes, but not as much as you love her, which is as it should be.*

  Wow. Was Mahpiya right? He had strong feelings for Chrys, but was he already far gone in love with her?

  It was a stupid question. He’d always loved her, even after they’d shattered each other’s hearts.

  He lay there for long moments, contemplating how to go about what he knew must be done. Chrys shifted in his arms. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips as the fragrance of their loving wafted from underneath the sheets. Their scents mingled and Rahn came to an immediate conclusion—he smelled damned good on her.

  Easing his fingers along her jawbone, he gently tapped her.

  “Chrys, sweetheart, wake up.”

  “Mmmnnn, no wanna.” She grumbled, turned over and scooted her lovely backside up against his thigh.

  Instant erection. Damn.

  Ignoring the throbbing cock now tenting the sheets, he hauled her up against his chest and whispered in her ear.

  “Chrysalyn, do you believe in spirit guides?”

  He almost laughed when her neck jerked back as if he’d smacked her. Honey brown eyes snapped open, along with her lush kiss-swollen lips. She quickly painted on a plastic smile and a bland expression, but too late.

  Well, he certainly had her attention.

  “Do I believe in what?” she asked, her tone one of incredulity mixed with a bit of agitation. And was that a hint of fear in her eyes?

  Wrapping her in his arms, Rahn settled her more comfortably against his chest in a gesture he hoped was reassuring.

  “Spirit guides, sweetheart.” When she didn’t respond, he sat up, taking her with him. Her warm, moist pussy settled right against his raging hard-on. Damn, it was difficult to hold a conversation when all he really wanted to do was melt into her.

  Instead, he looked in her eyes and said, “Look, Chrys, I want to share all of myself with you. And that includes my spirit guide.”

  She still hadn’t said a word.

  ‘Okay, Mah. Help me out here…’

  *Adonei says Chrys is won
dering how someone of your origins could have a spirit guide.*

  Duh. Made sense. Of course she would wonder. Spirit guides were a Native American thing. Chrys’ Lakota Sioux grandma made sure she and her cousins grew up with a clear understanding and appreciation for both natural and spiritual things. He knew this because, even though he was a blue-blooded Englishman and half Egyptian, it was Chrys’ cousin’s fault he’d met Mahpiya in the first place.

  “Chrys, you’re probably wondering how someone like me could have a spirit guide, right?”

  “Uh, er, well…” she sputtered, pulling the sheets up to obstruct his view of her beautiful plump breasts.

  “No worries, love. After all, spirit guides are a Native thing, while I’m white and Egyptian.”

  “But, Rahn, you don’t have to…”

  “Hush, sweetheart, I do indeed have to. Now listen, all right?”

  Rahn was pleased when the woman snapped her mouth shut and listened as he recounted a case he’d worked as a young agent. Chrys’ cousin, Delaine Jeris, had been assigned to mentor him, and took him along on one of her cases. One particular mission involved corruption, murder and, unfortunately, federal agents. To this day, neither Rahn nor Delaine had ever spoken a word of the happenings of that incident to anyone except their boss. Until now.

  Thankfully, his heritage came with the luxury of a deep tan during the summer months and allowed Delaine and him to go deep undercover on a reservation in South Dakota. The same reservation both Delaine and Chrys had visited often during their growing-up years.

  During his extended stay on the res, Delaine quietly took him to spend time with their grandma. She was a wise old woman, wise in the ways of spirit and life. She’d patiently shared her experiences with him between cups of strong coffee and piles of homemade fry bread sprinkled with powdered sugar or honey.

  The Lakota believed that the Great Spirit, Wakantanka, created all things and was no respecter of persons. Granny often laughed when she said, “Wakantanka will not hold it against you that you were not born a Sioux.”