Rise of the Phoenix

by J. L. Madore

  Even though it’s only been a couple of days since I woke up in the safehouse, it feels like a lifetime has passed. I stretch, arching my back, and roll over to face Jaxx. “And this is the Bastion?”

  “The surrounding compound, not the castle used for the business center. The Bastion is the heart of the fae community, laws, and government. People come and go often, so there are cabins and lodges for gathering outside the gates. That’s where we are.”

  “Well, they have a welcoming taste.”

  “We aim to please.”

  Jaxx is clean-shaven this morning and looking damn fine in graphite dress slacks and a black V-neck that pulls tight over his landscape. There’s no tension in his shoulders and all evidence of his injury is gone. I’m beyond relieved. “You’re looking super sexy this morning.”

  “You like?”

  Mhmm, yeah, I do. The tremendous yearning I feel at the closeness of him overwhelms me. I roll over and reach under the bottom edge of his shirt to find the fastener of his pants. When I look up, his wild, turquoise gaze burn into mine. “Tell me we don’t have to rush straight into introductions and training schedules.”

  He brushes his thumb across my lips, and I give it a gentle bite. “I suppose we could take a moment. After all, you are the star of the show. You get to have your say.”

  “And what are the odds that I can have my way with you and not set the cabin on fire?”

  Jaxx’s low, throaty chuckle does something sinful to my insides. “The odds are good. You called your phoenix forth during the ambush. That means you’re gainin’ control. I bet, with me as a sexual outlet, you’ll be fine.”

  “Good.” I drop his zipper to reveal the golden hue of his skin beneath. I crawl up his legs and press my lips low on his bare abdomen. “If you want these pretty clothes to survive, you need to get naked now. I’m still a little shaken about almost losing you and need some private time to reassure myself that we’re good.”

  Jaxx is naked and pushing Brant’s t-shirt up my thighs and over my head in seconds. My hair falls in a tumbling cascade to rest on my breasts and his gaze is locked. “We’re more than good.”

  “Good, because I’m crazy randy.”

  Jaxx laughs and tosses my nightie. “Your wild side is strong this morning, is she?” He grips me by the hips and yanks me down the bed. It’s rough and playful and I squeal under his control. He lowers his face to my breasts and nuzzles them like the feline he is. His tongue is hot and is soon driving me mad.

  He lets off a raspy purr. It tightens in my core and I almost orgasm. Big cats don’t purr—but this one does.

  “How sexy is that?”

  “Oh, kitten. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Jaxx circles my nipple with his tongue and the purring returns.

  Gawd, I want him. The craving is growing stronger by the minute. I gasp, twisting as his hand slides around my hip and down my belly. His fingers inch toward the slick heat of my folds and I suck in a breath. “I’ve never been this horny.”

  A rush of heat meets his fingers at my core.

  “Frack, you’re wet.”

  “Told you.”

  The next minutes pass in a ravishing flurry of hands and mouths and tongues. Jaxx’s instincts are perfect—as if he senses my need and can anticipate what I want. Maybe he can. There’s so much I don’t understand about our mating bond.

  I think about the four of them and wonder what characteristics convinced the universe they are the perfect match for me. Nakotah, my omega, is smart, innocent, and the most emotionally sensitive of the four. He’s the calm in this storm.

  Then there is Brant. Overprotective and smothering one minute and a comedic charmer the next. He’s brute strength, fearless, and loyal. The easiest fit for what I imagine a Guardian of the Phoenix to be.

  “Oh, Jaxx,” I breath, bucking my hips so his fingers slide deeper inside me. “I need you. Right now.”

  His laughter vibrates against my nipple, but he doesn’t stop. He nips at the tight tip and I shudder.

  Jaxx, my sexy jaguar, is a lead by example kinda guy—calm, direct, and steadfast. He’s a paranormal paramedic by trade, so he’s a nurturer… a fixer.

  That leaves Hawk… my shrewd and ruthless one. The loner. The mate who holds himself above the others. Even thinking about what he did to me ignites a fire in my chest. He hurt me—but like he said, ‘It takes one to know one.’

  Because of him, Jaxx is here with me now.

  Jaxx pulls away from my breast with a wet pop and I instantly miss the connection. I twist, grinding my thigh against his cock like a horny cat on a scratching post.

  The predatory growl that rumbles between us, hits me right between my legs. His gaze narrows. “You’re sure? You’re feeling better about things?”

  “I am.” I swallow getting lost in the pools of his warm turquoise eyes. “I’m so hot and hungry. It’s insane… not to mention damned distracting.”

  Jaxx nips at the tender flesh of my sternum and shifts to pay homage to my other breast. “That’s a wildling thing. Our primal ‘F’ needs rage paramount—food, fighting, and especially fucking.”

  “Yes, please. Last one first.” I arch against his touch tilting my pelvis to give him more access. The pad of his forefinger glides over my throbbing clit and I shudder. “And the sooner the better.”

  Jaxx props himself up on his palms, prowling over me like a predator. I miss his fingers, and whimper, so aching and empty. The scent of our lust is heavy in the air and I wonder how far it carries. In a community of heightened senses, this could get embarrassing.

  His gaze grows serious as he brushes his lips over mine. “Calli, I don’t want you to rush. There’s plenty of time.”

  “Now’s a great time.”

  Jaxx chuckles. “Then teach me who you are behind closed doors. I’m getting a dominant wild child vibe. Do you like your man to talk dirty or have you got a filthy mouth yourself? I want to learn you.”

  My cheeks heat. On one hand, I feel very exposed sexually attacking this gorgeous man. On the other, I’m desperate to get to the fucking. We’re eye to eye, only inches apart. I swallow and find my voice. “Right now, I ache. I want this thick cock,”—I say, gripping his bobbing erection—“Inside me. Less talking. More orgasming.”

  Jaxx lowers himself over me and I wrap my legs around his hips, arching off the mattress with the ache of my clenching core. The friction of his hard against my wet is so good my orgasm pushes forward.

  The keening of sensation is raw. So good. We aren’t even having sex yet and my breath is catching in throaty bursts.

  Jaxx’s skin is hot, a stark contrast to the cool air of the room that teases over my flesh. My nipples are still peaked and Jaxx inhales a long, unsteady breath. There’s a look of raptured amazement on his face. “You’re so, fucking delicious. I can’t wait to devour you.”

  My breath catches. How can any man want me as desperately as Jaxx’s expression suggests he does? What makes me worthy? He barely knows me? I barely know him. I stiffen and he draws a steadying breath.

  “Too much? You okay?”

  I shake my head. “I, uh… I have condoms in my purse but have no idea where it is. I’m wondering, praying really, that we don’t have to stop.”

  Jaxx winks and positions his erection. “I’ve got you covered with wildling magic. Without getting into a biology lesson right this minute, trust me. I will take care of you.”

  And I do.

  Before I catch it, a girly squeal bubbles up my throat. I don’t know what it is about him, but my entire body is alive. “Excellent. Now, back to business. Your female aches.”

  Jaxx laughs, drops his mouth to my neck, and presses his hips. The penetration halts as the head of his cock pushes forward. He stretches me open and energy explodes between us.

  Our bond courses between us, swirling from my system to his and back again. The connection links us. Two are now one. We are together, complete.

  Fire licks over my skin and moves
to cover him. He doesn’t burn or wince. He does cry out, but not from pain.

  He thrusts his hips forward, fully penetrating me as he throws his head back. My need for him increases a hundredfold. It’s torture. Succulent. Erotic torture.

  “Oh, gawd,” I pant, writhing beneath him as his hips start to pump. “What’s happening. I’ve never been this turned on.”

  “You’re tightly wound, kitten,” Jaxx says, his voice a deep bass, with his purr. “You need a little mate TLC.”

  I groan as he inches farther inside me. He’s big but I’m wet and greedy. There’s no issue with priming me for an invasion. Back arched, I bear down, and the sharp heat of my release burns hotter. A little TLC?

  “If this is mating. I need a lot.”

  “A lot it is.” Jaxx thrusts his hips forward and we both cry out. He stills as I adjust. This is what I want, to be possessed by him, taken, deliciously stretched.

  I’m new to the whole scent thing, but the air is rife with a seductive mix of need and pheromones and magic. Jaxx lowers his mouth to mine and I’m lost. A flick of his tongue. A gentle pinch of teeth trapping my lip. Whatever is happening it is life-altering… and not enough.

  I wriggle, grabbing his shoulders, bucking my hips. There’s nothing ladylike about the way I claw at him, pulling him closer, urging him to drive me insane.

  Thankfully, the torture is over. He draws back, and pushes deeper, once, twice… “Yes.”

  The moist glide of our joining is ecstasy revisited again and again. Harder. Faster. He throws his shoulders back and leverages his weight to slam his hips. I look at him from under heavy eyelids. He’s so beautiful, his lip dotted with sweat, his jaw clenched tight.

  I’m so exquisitely stretched my body ripples around his cock, squeezing and trembling with my impending orgasm. I let off a moan that surely carries beyond this room.

  Lost as I am, I don’t care who hears.

  “Come for me, kitten,” Jaxx’s voice rasps with need as he pumps into me. “Cream my cock so I can keep fucking you for hours.”

  Hours… oh yes. Wild for him, I pull his mouth to mine and rock hard against his thrusts. My orgasm explodes through me, starting with the erotic spasms of my core and radiating out until my entire body convulses. Yes… gawd, yes!

  He watches me as I fall apart, his possessive gaze more animal than man. I ride out the violent waves of release and something inside me unlocks.

  My mind spirals. “You are mine.”

  “All yours,” he says, his voice rough. “As you are mine.”

  Jaxx

  Calli is hands down the sexiest female I ever had the pleasure of worshipping. With her golden hair sweated out and sticking to the rounds of full, swaying breasts, and her breath coming in heaving gasps—she’s incredible. And the fact that she wants to claim me as her own…

  The burn of release twists in my balls and explodes. I throw my head back and lose track of reality. My body explodes into her, utterly shatters. A surge of possession hits me as my cum fills her in hot streams.

  This female—the phoenix—is mine.

  Mating heat has my jaguar roaring within.

  As her orgasm fades, she slows her grinding and catches her breath. Her smile lights me up. Shit. So goddamn sexy. She collapses beneath me and I roll to the side to cover her with a sheet, so she doesn’t catch a chill.

  “Wow,” she says, chuckling against the racing thrum of my heartbeat. Her gaze flips from hazy ecstasy to assessing me. “Are you okay?”

  In truth, I’m off-balance and my stomach is so empty it’s cannibalizing itself, but who the hell cares. “I’m amazing. Thank you for asking.” Her smile fades as she studies my face. I roll over and stroke her cheek. “What’s wrong, kitten? Too much? Are you sore?”

  “No. I, uh… I want you to know, I don’t usually do this.” She gestures between us. “Despite what we just did and what Hawk said, I’m not a wild child. I’ve had a handful of men in my bed and only ever guys I was committed to.”

  I nod and kiss her shoulder. “You don’t have to explain your past to me, Calli.”

  She leans in and kisses me, gentle and sweet. “I want you to understand this means something to me. It’s more than mating hormones and a wildling need for sex. I hunger for you, Jaguar—no question—but more than that, I’m falling for you. You’re a good man with strong morals, and a kind, forgiving heart. You’re protective and loyal and gorgeous and I’m so grateful you found me and have taken such good care of me.”

  Oh, sweet mercies. This female is too much.

  I swallow and try to breathe past the weight pressing on my chest. “It means more to me too, kitten. Wildlings mate for life and my animal claimed you from that first moment. You don’t understand the extent of what that means yet, but you will. I’m all-in here, Calli. I am your pride now.”

  She sinks into my arms, tracing a gentle circuit over my chest and down my arm. On the third trip toward my elbow, she props her head on her hand. “Was that normal sex for a wildling?”

  I laugh. It’s a shallow, breathy sound because I haven’t gotten reacquainted with oxygen. “No. That was… I can’t even.” I search my vocabulary for a word that might begin to cover what happened. “Transcendent.”

  Calli laughs and I’m struck stupid. With her guard down and her body sated and relaxed, she is radiant. “I thought so too. I have no idea where that came from.”

  Now it’s my turn to smile. “That’s mating heat. It’ll be like that with each of us and all of us. The five of us bonding seemed crazy to you looking at it from a human viewpoint a few days ago, but once you wrap your head around how the fae world works, you’ll see. It’ll be amazing.”

  Calli flings her arm up and covers her eyes. “How will I ever survive four of you.”

  I roll her onto her back and press her into the mattress. “There’s only me here now. And so far, no fires.”

  Her face lights up and I see the moment her attention shifts back to sex. “And you did say something about fucking me for hours.”

  I chuckle and pull her closer. “I certainly did.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Brant

  “How’s the feline?” I ask Doc when he returns to the billiard’s room in the main lodge of the Bastion compound. When he finished giving the kid a clean bill of health, he headed to our cabin to check on Jaxx. The jaguar barely recovered from head trauma before getting thrown straight into a roadside battle. Doc’s concern about a patient’s well-being is nothing new. The guy is solidly good people. He also has a weird expression screwing up his face as he reclaims his cue and studiously chalks the felt tip. “What? I thought with the flood of tears Calli laid on him, Jaxx is good to go.”

  Doc chuckles. “Oh, he’s good to go all right. I’d say he’s made a full recovery.”

  The subtext of what he isn’t saying raises my hackles. “What? What’s the face?”

  He grabs the triangle to rack us up and shakes his head. “Not my story to tell. Let’s say, my medical skills are no longer required.”

  I may not be the Rhodes Scholar our wolf is, but I’m a far cry from stupid. Jaxx seemed steady last night. Phoenix tears are the bomb. Closing my eyes, I focus on the growing bond between the five of us. I find Hawk’s energy agitated and alone on the grounds, Nakotah is reading in the library, and Jaxx and Calli are—my bear growls.

  “Oh, that’s what you mean.”

  Doc raises an ebony brow. “Yep. That’s what I mean.”

  It’s not like I see or hear what’s going on across the compound, but I pick up on the sensations. Jaxx has recovered and is making up with Calli in the most intimate of ways. I chuckle and set my attention back on the game.

  “You’re not jealous?” Doc asks, lining up his shot. “I figured the way your bear claimed her, knowing what’s going on would set you off.”

  I amble around to the other side of the table. “Do I envy Jaxx his moment? Without a doubt. Do I feel angry or jilted? Nope. Not at all.”<
br />
  Doc shakes his head as if he finds that hard to believe.

  “Seriously. Jaxx claimed Calli first and they have some guilt and trust issues to work past after the accident. A win for him is a win for all of us. The jaguar’s smart. He’ll treat our girl right.”

  “By what I witnessed, there’s no question about that. Your girl has lungs.”

  The growl that rumbles from my chest is nothing I can control. “Watch it, Doc.”

  He raises his palms looking confused. “Touchy.”

  “Calli isn’t like the other girls, Doc. This mating bond… I can’t describe it. When she speaks, the hair on my arms stands on end. My pulse races when I catch her scent in the air. Calli is the sun in my universe and I can’t imagine it’s any different for the others.”

  His dark eyes are lit with skepticism, but I don’t care. He doesn’t understand. “And what happens when the hormones settle, and the honeymoon phase fades? You’re committing yourself to a five-way relationship with people you’ve known for a week. I’m worried, Bear. I know you. Forever has never entered your picture. You live for the moment.”

  “And I had a great decade doing it. It’s different now. It’s more like—”

  Kotah joins us, book in hand and stops inside the entrance to the games room. “Apologies, am I interrupting? Should I come back?”

  “Nah, come here, buddy.” I wave him over and lay my arm across his shoulders to face Doc. I’ve got over a foot of height and a hundred and twenty pounds on the kid, but he fits against my side like he was born to be there.

  Doc’s eyes widen and I know he doesn’t understand.

  “As much as I love the bears of our sleuth—and I do, never doubt that—Calli, Kotah, Jaxx, and maybe even at some level Hawk are my family now. They are my heart. It’s not about hormones and mating, though I look forward to that. It’s a sense of belonging, of knowing that if we take the time and make the effort, the five of us are destined to become something incredible.”

  I glance down at the sweet surprise on Kotah’s face. The dip of his chin tells me we’re on the same page. I don’t know a lot about the kid’s upbringing yet, but I get the sense that he hasn’t always gotten the support and acceptance he needs.