“No? Well I’ll have to think of another, in the meantime, let’s try something else.”
She straddled him, his erection fitting snugly between her thighs. He was so hot, so damn tempting. Playing with him was driving her insane with need.
***
Sensations overwhelmed him. Her touch. Her smell. Desire blazed. Gods, he burned for her. He could still feel her mouth wrapped around his shaft, and his cock jerked, wanting to be sheathed in her. She leaned down and nipped his bottom lip. Then she licked away the sting, long and slow, like a gods-damn cat.
He growled.
She smiled. The warmth and love in her gaze melted away the hurt and anger like nothing else had in those unbearable hours away from her.
He became desperate.
His mouth fastened on hers. She pulled back and wagged a finger at him. “Na-uh. You don’t get to do that. And keep your hands down.”
He let his palms slide away from her hips.
Her gorgeous eyes glowing, she came back to torture his lips, grazing her teeth over the bottom one, but no damn kisses. He was close to shoving her on her back and ending this torment, when she left his mouth and moved to his jaw, stringing kisses along it, nipping and licking each bite as she explored her way down his neck. Her blunt nails scraped lightly over his chest, over his nipples then she sat up. There was no teasing light in her eyes now.
Thank the gods! Maybe she’d end this madness.
“Kiss me,” he demanded.
“Ah, now, you’re speaking to me?”
“Gods-dammit, Echo. You’re playing with fire.”
“What a way to burn,” she teased huskily and licked his lower lip. “We’re still doing this my way.”
“Your way and I may die,” he growled.
Then she kissed him. Her lush lips fastened on his. So fucking torturous. He loved it. He tasted heaven, he tasted himself. He had to have her. He licked, bit, and tasted, then finally plundered her mouth, her gasp of pleasure, pure nirvana.
Wanting more, he broke off their kiss. “Take your top off.”
She eyed him like he was a predator waiting to pounce. She would be right. Then with a deliberateness that drove him crazy, she undid the laces on the side of the leather halter. Slowly, she pulled it over her head, revealing pale, honey-toned breasts with tempting dusky peaks.
“Lean forward.” He didn’t recognize the guttural tone as his.
She braced her hand on either side of his head, her breasts just short of his mouth.
“Closer,” he ordered.
The second she did, his mouth clamped down on her nipple. She gasped. He licked and suckled on the tight nub as his hand massaged the other one.
Her moan filled the room. She rubbed her silk-covered center against his stomach. The scent of her arousal tormented his senses. His mind was so hazy, he couldn’t think straight.
“Take your skirt off.”
Slumberous eyes gazed at him in confusion. “What?”
“Skirt. Off. All off. Now.”
She straightened to move away from him.
“No. Stand over me and do it.”
Her eyes widened then she slowly pushed up and planted her booted-feet on either side of his head. She looked taller than normal in spike-heeled boots and short leather skirt.
Her breasts were a perfect handful, her skin warmed to a rosy-toned honey by her passion and the glow from the fire. And so mouthwateringly delicious, he planned to lick every inch of her before the night was over.
He moved his arms and widened the space between her legs.
The light flush on her face deepened into a full blush. He wanted to see every bit of her and he made damn sure she knew it.
“I’m waiting,” he reminded her.
***
Echo swallowed her groan. She’d started this game, but he’d smoothly taken over command, without her even noticing. When he insisted she stand above him and undress, embarrassment gave way to searing lust. She was hot, aching for him to fill her and end this torment.
She unzipped her skirt and pulled it over her head, flinging it aside. The tiny, silky black panties she had on...well, she didn’t see how she could remove them without stepping off him.
“Use the dagger.”
“What?”
“Dagger. Cut them off.”
Aethan might be thoroughly aroused but his brain was still in gear. And she was plunging rapidly into full-blown lust. Breathing deeply, she reached into her boot for her dagger. She slowly brought out the obsidian, trailing it over her abdomen. Then she slipped the tip into the edge of her panties. His eyes followed her every move. With a deft twist, she slit the narrow strip over her right hip.
His gaze lingered on the dangling bit of silk then flickered up to meet hers.
“Now the other side.” The demand was hoarse.
Her hand trembling, she slashed through the left side with the obsidian tip. The tiny scrap of silky material fell to his chest, leaving her exposed to his gaze.
Warmth flared across her face. She wasn’t that adventurous after all, she realized, standing naked over Aethan’s face where he could see her most intimate self. Dropping the dagger to the floor, she started to straddle him again when he tugged on her legs. She shrieked and went down fast, his hands guiding her hips and her core to his mouth.
The first lick of his tongue and she grabbed hold of the shaggy rug near his head as unbelievable sensations flooded her. She rocked her burning center against his mouth, heard him growl in satisfaction.
“Oh, God.”
Her knees spread wider as he suckled her. One arm wrapped around her thigh, he ran a finger down her cleft and pushed it into her wet heat, stroking her. She gasped, stiffening at the invasion. He added another finger and worked it inside her, pushing into her tightness.
Her thoughts scattered then gathered again, focusing on the sensations building between her legs. The lap of his tongue, the little nips on her clit then more licks. Her skin tightened, stretched, and she felt close to combustion. She tried to move away from the sensory overload but his hand on her hip held her down, keeping her in place.
A blazing ripple started from deep within her womb. Her muscles squeezed around the fingers he drove in and out of her. Her moans became louder. Her eyes squeezed shut as he worked her close to an orgasm. Her body grew too hot, too tight, craved his. If she didn’t get him inside of her soon, she’d die. Then he dragged his tongue down her cleft and suckled on her clit. A mind-numbing explosion rocked her.
***
Aethan didn’t give her time to recover. He pulled her down and reversed their positions. With his knee, he spread her thighs apart. The sight of her slick and wet drove him nearly out his mind. He settled in between her legs. His cock slid against her wet cleft. She arched up, rubbing her hot center against his erection. The pulse beating wildly in her neck drew him down. He sucked on it, and she moaned. He pulled back. Her eyes flashed open, glazed with passion as they met his.
“Me’et’ah, me’morae,” he whispered. He’d never seen passion this beautiful—so gods-damn tempting. The force of his need reverberated through his body, tightening his balls.
He positioned the blunt head of his erection. In one swift move, he sheathed himself in her. Her silky warmth gripped him like a fist. His gaze turned hazy.
By the gods! This was heaven.
Her gasp, her nails biting into his arms, dragged him out of his sensual fog.
“Echo?” He started to pull out in alarm. What the hell was he thinking, taking her so fast? He was too damn big.
“Don’t you dare!”
Her threat was a husky caress and his cock pulsated violently with the urge to move. But he held on, letting her grow accustom to his size.
***
Echo dragged in a breath as her body stretched to accommodate him. She shifted a little. He felt so full between her thighs. So tight. Then a subtle flow of his power seeped into her. Those delicious tingles skated over her skin
and flooded her system again, easing the tightness.
She raised her hips. He answered, drawing back to plunge into her. Echo hung onto his arms, her fingers digging into his skin as he pumped in and out.
The sparks in her grew. Her core swelled and heated. Sensations crowded her. Too much. Then he shifted to his knees and angled her hips, holding her in place as he pulled out and then surged right back in again. He reached between them, trailing a hand down her stomach, through her damp curls, to find her clit. He ran his thumb over her with a firm stroke. A delicious tightness coiled inside her at each thrust and retreat. The ripples began, the tingles grew, taking her higher, her body so sensitized. She wanted, needed...
“More—need more,” she gasped, arching up. “Don’t stop.”
***
Aethan reached down and pulled her heated body flush against his. As his tongue penetrated her mouth, his cock impaled her again. Her arms circled his neck as he pulled out all the way before sinking his thick length back into her.
“Ride me, me’morae,” he demanded huskily, reversing their positions.
She bowed her body, shoving her pert breasts in front of his face. Aethan suckled on the taut nub then let go when she started moving her hips. The friction of her sheath against his cock sent all rational thought out of his head as she rode him.
Gripping her hips with a fierce hold, he thrust into her as she came down on him. He was probably bruising her, but he couldn’t slow down. Driven to possess, he had to make her his in the primordial way of his kind. He existed for this moment only.
She branded him with her very being, taking him out of his old skin, and made him whole again, imprinting herself in his heart.
Mine. Only mine. The words drove through his head and settled in his soul. My female. My mate. Mine.
Aethan drove himself into her, pushing her over the edge into an orgasm. She tightened around his shaft, squeezing him with such force, it triggered a fiery response in him. With a harsh groan of surrender, he went over with her, spilling his seed into her body.
A light flashed around them, brightening the room. He saw her eyes change, before her lids closed. His roar of horror was lost in the blaze of energy. Her body jerked, convulsed beneath him.
Urias, no! He was killing her. He tried desperately to stop, to pull out of her, but he couldn’t, held by an invisible force.
Oh gods—don’t take her from me!
Her body arched back. His erection was buried so deep inside her he swore he touched her soul. His mouth covered hers in desperation, breathing his love, his life into her. Her eyes flickered open, slumberous and passionate.
And they blazed with the power of his Whitefire.
***
The force of their joining lit Echo from within, wrapping around her and holding Aethan in place. The beautiful sound of his surrender rang in her ears as their souls began to merge into a fiery iridescent ball of light. Deep within her, she could feel his power.
Her entire being glowed, sensitized, as if someone had plugged her into a low voltage outlet.
“Touch me, all over. Need you,” she panted. “Don’t—don’t stop!”
He laid her back on the carpet and gave her what she wanted. His hands molded, massaging from hips to breasts. He tugged at her nipples, then his mouth took over suckling the hard nub. She panted, trembled, and demanded more. The friction built and the orgasm came hurtling, taking her over, and she fell once more.
But he was there to catch her.
Minutes later, the glow around them eased as their soul-bonding completed, before seeping back into them.
Echo clung to him, little jolts of pleasure still flowing through her body. She had no idea how much time had passed as she lay shuddering, beneath him.
“I think you truly killed me,” she said dreamily, glowing in contentment.
He lifted his head to look at her. And smiled. A smile of such unadulterated happiness, Echo knew she’d never forget it because he so rarely smiled. Now, she was finally joined to her mate, in body and soul.
CHAPTER 30
Aethan leaned over her, trailing a finger up her stomach to her breast, and circled her nipple. Her body trembled.
“Will it always be like that, making love with you?” She raised a hand and wound her finger in his hair. “I mean, I expected to feel some of your powers because every time we were together I felt a jolt of it. But that?”
“It’s the mating bond.” He brushed her hair off her eyes. “I didn’t expect it to be so...”
“Overwhelming? Amazing? Surreal?”
He laughed. “Yeah. All that.” He ran a hand over the curve of her hips. Stunned and grateful, she’d come out unscathed from his powers.
My powers were muted by the mating bond, he thought as understanding dawned. “Gods, all this time wasted. My life, my mate.” He removed her hand from his hair and pressed her fingers to his mouth. “Of course, you’d be compatible with me.”
“You know, he said something similar, too.”
“Who?”
Her brows furrowed into little creases. “That man in the navy robe. I’d always believed it to be a dream. It’s why when you told me where you’re from I got annoyed. I thought you were playing with me—” She broke off and tried to squirm free.
“Where are you going?”
“I want to show you something. My backpack is in the other room.”
He pressed her back onto the rug and kissed her forehead. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”
Rolling to his feet he flashed to the adjacent guestroom she used. Locating her backpack on an armchair, he grabbed the thing and took form again beside her.
Aethan handed her the bag and sat next to her, while she hunted through pockets.
“When my foster brother hurt me—” Hearing his growl, she looked up and patted his thigh. “It’s okay. All that’s in the past. So let me say this, all right?”
He nodded. It cost him to let it go but, for her, he did.
“I’m telling you this so you’ll understand, because all the pieces came together a little while ago. After Clyde hurt me that afternoon on my way from school, I lay on the roadside, so sure I would die because of the pain. Then everything went dark...”
He stroked a hand over the curve of her spine, as much for his own comfort as hers.
“When I came to, I found myself in a ditch, close to my foster parents’ home. How I got there, I have no idea, but I’d been healed. Until recently, I couldn’t remember what happened.” She set her backpack aside and turned to him, her beautiful, mismatched eyes serious. “But I do now—being in so much pain, I lost consciousness, until a healing warmth surrounded me. I awoke to find a man, the one I told you about, healing me. I was in a place that looked like a valley surrounded by high cliffs, with boulders scattered along the base. Everything there was beautiful. Magical. The thing is, the cliffs and the rocks were white—”
She broke off, grasped his hand, and put something hard and warm into his palm. “I loved being there in the valley surrounded by the tall white trees. It was so peaceful, I didn’t want to leave. But he said my destiny had yet to unfold and I needed to go back home.” She nodded at his hand. “He gave me the stones, said they would aid me in my time of need. When I awoke in that ditch, I had those stones in my hand but no memory of what happened...Aethan? You okay?”
“This man who healed you? Do you remember his name?” Aethan could barely get the words out. His throat felt like sandpaper.
“I’m not sure. I think it started with an A. Al...”
“Allatus.” He didn’t have to look at the stones to know what they were. Already he could feel the effects of them siphoning his powers. For over three thousand years he’d searched for something to help Ground him. Now Echo had given him what he’d once desperately needed—when he no longer did.
He opened his palm and stared at the two little pieces of Empyrea. One was a river worn piece from the white boulder, and the other, an amber stone
. Resin had settled over a white leaf from a Rean tree found only in that realm.
“What are they?” she asked him.
“Empyrean Grounding Stones.”
Her eyes widened at his words. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I can feel them drawing at my power,” he said, dropping the stones on the carpet beside them.
“Don’t you want them?” she asked, concern flashing in her eyes.
“Not anymore. You are all I need. You Ground me completely.”
A smile lit her face. “I’m glad.” She touched his jaw with tender fingers and crawled into his lap. “I love you.”
“You are my heart, my soul, Echo.” He could barely contain the emotions rioting within him. “I love you.”
Her eyes misted and she leaned into him. He inhaled deeply, tightening his arms around her. Gods, he’d never expected to find his mate on this realm and yet here she was in his arms, bonded to his soul for all eternity. It made his three thousand years of hell worth it.
***
Echo pulled back and stared at him. “What do you mean three thousand years of hell?”
“It’s what life felt like until I met you.” Then a stunned expression crossed his face. “You heard me?”
“What?”
“Echo, I didn’t say that aloud.”
“But—” She blinked. “I heard you. How is that possible?”
He smiled, looking pleased. “When we bonded, our souls joined and opened our telepathic pathways. Go on, open your mind and try it,” he said. ‘Talk to me.’
“Okay.” She relaxed, as much as she could with all that steely, naked wall of muscles surrounding her, his erection a tempting hardness pressing on her thigh. She’d far rather he made love to her, but—he shifted and then bit her. “Ouch!” She glared at him, rubbing her sore nipple. “Why did you do that?”
‘You’re supposed to speak to me and keep my mind off making love to you for now,’ Aethan answered through their mind-link as he licked the tender nub, taking away the sting.
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