by Zoe Chant
And he feels the same way about me too, she thought, licking her lips. I know it.
She’d seen the way his eyes had seemed to glow as he looked at her in the diner. No man had ever looked at her that way before. A look that said he was moments away from tearing off her clothes with his teeth.
Emilia shivered.
Rowan had flown them swiftly over the trees, and, looking down, Emilia recognized the curve of the road that wended through them. They were almost home.
Biting her lip, Emilia felt anticipation run through her. Would they pick up where they had so obviously left off? She felt excitement building in her stomach.
Is this really happening?
Letting out a low sound as if in warning, Rowan suddenly dipped his wings, spiraling gently down toward the ground. Below, Emilia’s house came into view, in its little clearing between the trees.
She braced herself as Rowan came in to land, feeling his powerful muscles coil beneath her. His mighty wings angled to bring them down gently, landing in the snow by her front porch.
Still exhilarated from their flight, Emilia laughed out loud as, reluctantly, she climbed down from his back.
“That was... that was... wow...” Words didn’t usually escape her, but this time, she honestly wasn’t sure there was anything she could say that would adequately capture how she felt. In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined anything like this was possible.
Not the existence of men who could turn into mythical creatures, and definitely not that she might be with one now, watching as he shifted from an animal back to his human form.
And what a form it is, Emilia thought, her eyes hungrily roving over Rowan’s muscular body.
In her arms, Freddy wriggled, barking once or twice as if to remind them both he was here. He’d been remarkably good the entire duration of their flight – but then, Rowan seemed to have that effect on animals.
“Come on,” he said, with a smile. “Let’s go inside.”
Chapter Six
Emilia
They were greeted by the usual tide of dogs the moment she opened the front door.
All six of them – Jez, Laurel, Bob, Suzie, Coop, and Max – surged forward as she entered, as if they hadn’t seen her in a month.
“All right, all right, guys!” she laughed, as Laurel and Bob leaped up, trying to lick her face. “Take it easy!”
Pushing them down, she told them all to sit, before placing Freddy down on the ground in front of them.
“We’re going to be looking after this little guy for just a while,” she told them, stroking Freddy’s back to show them he was a friend. “I expect you all to make him feel very welcome while he’s here, okay?”
Tails waving madly, the dogs sniffed curiously at Freddy, who was reveling in the attention. He bounded about the crowd, sniffing, wagging his tail, and clearly wanting to get to know everyone.
Behind her, Rowan laughed, rich and deep. “Well. Seems like someone’s making friends.”
Standing, Emilia grinned. “They’re a friendly bunch. They’ll be fine.” She glanced into the living room and saw exactly what she expected to see: Antony, Cleopatra and Octavian snoozing peacefully on their cushion, oblivious to the pack of excited dogs by the front door.
Outside, it was completely dark, snow fluttering against the windowpanes.
“I don’t think we’ll be heading out again for a little while,” Emilia said. She swallowed, letting her eyes drift up Rowan’s tall, broad form.
There was no trace of the griffin – he was, pretty obviously, fully human.
They’d only known each other a short time, and yet, so much had happened. She had so many questions for him.
“I feel like we should talk, then,” Rowan said. He hesitated slightly, his eyes, intense and golden, trained on hers. “You must have some things you want to ask me.”
Emilia nodded. “I do.” So many questions swirled within her, and it was hard to know which one to ask first. But in the end, there was one thing she had to know more than any other. “The way I feel about you – I mean, the... attraction between us... is that because –”
“It is.” Rowan nodded. He moved forward, taking her hand in his. Emilia gasped, staring down at where they touched. His hand was so warm and strong. A shiver ran though her.
“Emilia, this is something I’ve wanted to tell you, but... well, I’m sure you can appreciate now why I held off. It’s very complicated to explain.”
“To put it mildly,” Emilia laughed, her stomach churning with excitement.
Rowan smiled. “We shifters... changing from animal to human form isn’t the only way we’re different from other people. We also have fated mates – a person we’re made for, who we’re meant to be with. And when we find them, the attraction is... well, it’s –”
“Exactly what we’ve been feeling toward each other.” The words slipped out of her mouth involuntarily. Emilia’s head spun. She felt as if she had wandered into a dream. Could any of this possibly be real?
A mate. A fated mate. I’m his fated mate.
The expression in Rowan’s eyes told her it was true.
“Well, that certainly explains a lot,” she said, laughing a little shakily. She supposed there were a lot of other questions she should be asking, but now she found them fading from her mind. The only thing that mattered was his hand on hers, his thumb lightly stroking over her skin, the sparks that ran through her even at this most gentle of touches.
She wasn’t certain which of them leaned in first. All she knew was that finally, finally, his lips were touching hers, gentle for a moment, before suddenly they were kissing hungrily. Her mouth opened for his, her spine arching as his tongue swept into her mouth, claiming it greedily.
Sparks ran up the full length of her spine as his arms came up, pulling her against him. Emilia felt dizzy with need, and she moaned helplessly into his mouth, gasping as her hands clutched at his shoulders to keep herself upright.
Her body responded to his instantly – her nipples hardened, and she moaned as they pressed against the unyielding muscles of Rowan’s chest. Emilia’s heartbeat was loud in her ears as they kissed, desire rolling through her like a wave. Her need for him drowned out everything else: all thought, all their surroundings. Nothing mattered but Rowan’s lips on hers, his hands against her back.
They parted momentarily, and Emilia looked up into his eyes. They were still as golden and beautiful as ever, and he looked just as overwhelmed as she felt.
“Emilia...” he whispered, his voice deep and husky with desire. He raised his hand, cupping her cheek tenderly. A moan rose up within her, breaking free of her lips as his thumb traced over her cheek.
“If we do this, it will seal our mated bond,” Rowan said hoarsely. “I need to know that you accept it, that this is what you want...”
Emilia felt her mouth go dry. She tried to steady her spinning head.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
The thought was in her mind immediately. She felt guided entirely by instinct – and all of her instincts were telling her that this was right.
She’d never met a man like Rowan before. And she felt beyond excited by the strange new world that was opening up before her: a world of mystical creatures and mated bonds, of magic and mystery.
And more than anything else, she wanted him. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything else in her entire life. No one had ever set her on fire the way that Rowan did. No one had ever spoken to her soul as he did, or made her want to forget all she’d thought she’d learned about the cruel side of love.
“I do,” she whispered, reaching up to kiss him again.
Heat gathered within her, deep in her belly. She was already wet with need for him – she could feel her desire building irresistibly, and she moaned as her thighs brushed against each other, sending sparks of pleasure through her.
“You’re beautiful,” Rowan murmured, his eyes drinking her in. “I thought so from the first moment I saw yo
u. It wasn’t until our fingers touched that I knew you were my mate, but before that...” He trailed off, as if it were too much for him to continue. “God, I want you so much,” he finally finished.
His words overwhelmed her. She moaned, throwing her head back, pressing herself against him with abandon. Her heart was racing. She could feel her pulse fluttering in her throat.
She wanted him so desperately she felt like her whole body was on fire, her need throbbing between her legs.
Rowan leaned forward, drawing her into another kiss as her hands slipped down, resting on his hips. She could feel the strength of his thigh muscles, flexing beneath her touch as if he was holding himself back – which was, to be perfectly honest, the last thing she wanted right now. She wanted to feel him against her, bare skin against bare skin, feel him on top of her, inside her...
Emilia let out a low, desperate groan at the thought. Wanting to feel him, she drew her hand over his thigh, and found him hot and hard against her palm. He gasped into her mouth as she teased along the bulge in his pants. Emilia smiled against him, feeling her own arousal grow as he pushed against her hand. She could feel him trembling, the muscles of his thighs twitching as she stroked him.
It seemed amazing to her that this huge, strong man could be so undone by her touch – she knew she wasn’t a small girl by any means, but she sometimes had the feeling Rowan could’ve picked her up with one hand if he’d wanted to, he was so big and masculine.
His own hands traced up the curve of her waist, sliding up to her breasts. She shivered as he cupped them, his thumbs tracing over her hard nipples through her shirt. Emilia groaned, throwing her head back, squeezing her eyes shut as sensation rippled through her.
“Let’s... let’s take this upstairs,” she managed to gasp out at last, once she’d scraped together the power of speech.
Rowan let out a low rumble of agreement – and then, as if to prove her point about being able to pick her up, he swept her up into his arms, carrying her bridal-style to the staircase, before continuing on up it without breaking stride.
Emilia shivered. Resting her head on his solid chest, she could feel the thrum of his heartbeat against her ear. Reaching the doorway of her room, he carried her inside, laying her down before him on the bed.
He kissed her again, hard and passionate, making her writhe up against him as his body lay over hers. Emilia couldn’t wait any longer to feel his skin against hers, and her hands went to the hem of his shirt, pulling it up.
“I want you so badly,” he murmured, his eyes dark with lust as he pulled back slightly. “Can I – ”
His hands lingered on her hips, and she squirmed, impatient.
“Yes. God, yes,” she said, not wanting to wait a second longer.
That was all the encouragement he needed. Rowan’s hands pulled at her clothes, removing them from her body in record time. Emilia tore at his clothes in turn, pulling his shirt up over his head and unzipping his pants. She couldn’t help but stare as his body was revealed to her – hard and angular, his perfect pecs and abs glistening with sweat.
Emilia had long ago realized that she’d never look like a supermodel – but she thought her curves had their own appeal. From the look on Rowan’s face as he stared down at her, Emilia could see that he agreed.
“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured, as his gaze ranged over her body, pure lust in his eyes.
Emilia wriggled on the bed, reaching up to unhook her bra, wanting him to see the whole of her. He groaned as it fell away from her breasts, before leaning down, taking her nipple gently between his teeth.
Sparks of pleasure rippled through her and she cried out, arching up off the bed. She could feel wetness pulse between her legs, and she knew she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Please,” she whispered, as he teased her with his tongue. “Please, Rowan...”
He seemed to understand her perfectly. Emilia’s fingers moved down over the grid of his six-pack, tracing lightly over the dark pleasure trail that led inside his jeans.
He helped her, shoving his pants down over his hips. She swallowed as his sizable erection sprang free. Her mouth felt dry as her heart pounded in her ears.
Emilia had never imagined anything like this – an irresistibly attractive man like Rowan, who was kind, gentle, and who wanted her.
And who can also turn into a griffin, Emilia reminded herself, thinking again of the magical flight over the snow-covered forest below. It would be a while until she could process that fully.
For now, she decided, she’d focus on the almost-as-outlandish idea that she might actually enjoy this Christmas.
But then, her focus was drawn very much back to the present moment, as Rowan drew down her panties, pressing kisses to her thighs as he went.
Groaning, she spread her legs wider, feeling everything within herself clench with need for him.
“Please, Rowan, do it –” Her voice left her as a breathy gasp. Rowan moved up her body again, dropping kisses on her skin as he went, until she was trembling with desire. Finally, his lips found hers again, and he kissed her as his hips moved forward, pressing against her.
Emilia gasped into his mouth as he pushed into her, opening her perfectly. She was so ready for him that, huge as he was, he slid inside her easily with one slow, powerful thrust. Emilia trembled, clutching at his shoulders as he lay within her. Her whole body throbbed, desperate for more.
His first thrust was overwhelming, and Emilia heard herself cry out, her body arching as he drove into her. She clenched her thighs around his hips, moving with him. She wanted everything he had to give her, to be possessed by him, claimed by him as the fated mate he had told her she was.
I’m his. And he’s mine.
The thought was in her head as if it had been sent to her, but, somehow, she knew it was true.
His mate. His fated mate.
Pleasure exploded through her at the thought. Emilia knew she had so much to learn yet – about him, about his powers, about everything that being his mate meant – but right now, it felt so right that there was nothing she could do to resist. They fit together perfectly.
Ecstasy surged inside her with every movement that Rowan made, and Emilia cried out, her fingernails digging into the hard muscles of his back. Rowan groaned, and Emilia felt him pulse inside her, as at last a wave of pure bliss rolled through her, making her arch her back, every muscle in her body going taut.
“Emilia.”
At the sound of Rowan breathlessly moaning her name, she felt another desperate surge of pleasure, before at last she collapsed back on the bed, utterly exhausted. They were both breathing hard, skin pressed against sweaty skin.
It was a while before Rowan sat up slightly, and his lips found hers, kissing her tenderly.
Emilia could do nothing but trail her hands tiredly over his body.
Well, he’s definitely no dream, she thought to herself. He’s hard and solid and real. And he’s mine.
Something about the thought felt like the truth. Rowan had said that by sleeping together, they would be sealing their bond – and, strangely enough, Emilia felt in her heart that was it true. It wasn’t something that she was sure she could describe, if anyone had asked her to. It was simply a feeling of rightness, that some part of her that she hadn’t even known was missing had now been found.
Rowan moved to her side, his fingers stroking sweat-soaked hair from her face.
“That was amazing,” he said after a moment, still sounding slightly breathless. “You’re amazing.”
Emilia grinned, glad she was still flushed from exertion so he wouldn’t see her blush. “I feel like that’s my line,” she said, laughing softly.
“I mean it, though,” Rowan said. “It’s not everyone who could have accepted everything you’ve seen here today. A lot of women probably would have run screaming.”
Emilia shook her head. “Maybe so,” she said. “And to be honest, if you’d tried to tell me about what you are instead of just sh
owing me, I probably would have thought you were crazy. But I’m not really in the business of disbelieving what’s right in front of my face. Or turning down a good thing when I see one, strange mystical powers or not.”
Rowan grinned, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Well, I’m certainly glad for that.”
Emilia sat up, leaning her head against her hand. “But I do have a lot of questions for you, I have to say. Like, do shifters usually mix with humans?”
“Some do, some don’t,” Rowan answered her. “I choose to – I don’t think shifters should have hide themselves away. One day I hope we’ll be able to live openly, but not everyone agrees with me. And I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any other shifter’s safety for my own personal feelings.” He hesitated. “It’s one of the reasons why I didn’t tell you right away. I knew you could be trusted, but we shifters are used to keeping things to ourselves. I’ve never told anyone about myself before.”
Emilia nodded. “Well, that makes sense. I can see why you’d want to keep things quiet.”
“Yes. A lot of people might think we’re dangerous,” Rowan said. “But most shifters just want to live a peaceful life. Most.”
Emilia caught his implication. She said nothing, and waited for him to continue.
Rowan grimaced slightly. “I was being straight with you when I said I was a cop. I’m just a different kind of cop – a cop that deals only with shifters. If a shifter is involved in shady things, the regular police are at a disadvantage dealing with them: shifters are stronger than most humans, and if they need to disappear, I’m sure you can imagine it’s pretty easy for them to do it.”
Emilia blinked. “So, when the heat gets too high, they just change into...”
“A wolf, a cat, a bird, a bear – shifters come in all varieties.”
“What about other griffins?” Emilia asked.
Rowan shook his head. “Even amongst shifters, we mythical shifters are rare,” he said. “It’s both a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because it comes with a lot of advantages. Bad because... well, I have to be much more careful about where I shift. You can explain away a rabbit or a dog, or even a wolf, no matter where you see one. A giant winged lion with the head of an eagle, and it gets a bit harder.”