by Evi Asher
He gave her a wicked grin as he hooked her knee over his shoulders and spread her thighs. His grin turned to an expression of wonder. “So wet for me.”
His rumbled compliment made frissons of pleasure race up Scarlet’s spine.
He moved his hand between her thighs, making Scarlet arch her back against the bark of the tree as he ran a finger down her slit, stroking her and collecting her moisture before rolling his thumb over her clitoris. She hissed in pleasure.
He dipped his head forward, and with the first slow, long lick, Scarlet could have sworn she saw starbursts.
Her hands clamped around his head and she had to force herself not to pull it in closer.
“More,” she said between gasps.
“Your wish—my command.” He licked her, then another slow lick had her jacking her hips forward.
He delved his tongue deep, kissing her as if she’d never been kissed before, and she realized no previous man could compare to Archer.
Archer’s not a man, he is an immortal male.
The thought and the wicked things he was doing with his tongue sent Scarlet over the edge, and she cried his name as the climax hit her—and hit her hard. Waves upon waves of it coursed through her, a sea of pleasure she couldn’t deny.
Her body went limp as she finally ended her orgasm, and Archer lifted his arms to cradle her and pull her down to the forest floor with him, his mouth finding hers for another searing kiss.
The male was masterful, and he was nowhere near done with her yet. The thought made Scarlet smile into the kiss.
He had her on her back, half his weight on her as he kissed her deeply.
Scarlet let her hands roam over his body—every inch of strength, and all the plains and hollows that fit her curves so well.
She let her hand travel to his hips and curled her fist around his large erection.
He hissed in a breath, and she stifled the urge to worry. He wasn’t small by any means, and it had been a very long time for her.
As if Archer could sense the train of her thought, he broke the kiss to murmur. “Don’t worry, belan.”
* * * *
As he spoke, Archer wasn’t sure he could keep the implicit promise in his voice. His body trembled with need for his She, and he didn’t know how gentle he could be.
He lifted a trembling finger to her cheek, stroking down the length and tried to give her a soft smile.
“I won’t hurt you.”
She swallowed and nodded. “I know.”
Such trust in such a beautiful woman, and she was his—he had her back.
Archer wanted to throw his head back and howl to the moon. He had his She.
She shifted slightly under him, was just enough to make him snap his eyes down to her. He let out a low growl as he lowered his head down so he could lick her taut nipple.
Scarlet moaned, and when Archer latched on to one hard bud and pinched the other, she wiggled under him in a way that made him shift his weight to settle between her legs.
He dropped a hand between them and stroked the folds of her heat with one finger.
As he sucked her nipple between his teeth, he slid the finger into her as deep as he could.
Scarlet gasped and curved under him, her body begging for more.
The urge to mark her was becoming undeniable and it was all Archer could do not to respond to it. He fought off the mating imperative. There would be time for that later.
Archer switched his mouth to her other breast, and Scarlet dug her little nails into his scalp. It made him growl in pleasure.
“That’s it, baby, show me how much you want me.”
“Please, don’t make me beg.” Her words were husky.
He accompanied his warm chuckle with a nip at her breast as he slid another finger inside her.
“God, you are so tight.”
She arched into his hand as he slowly started to move his fingers in and out, fucking her with them.
“Damn it, Archer.” She scratched down his back, then reached between them to grab his cock.
Archer hissed out as her small fist clenched him and pumped down his length. He felt semen bead at the head.
“Stop teasing,” she warned, giving him another long stroke.
He grinned and lowered his head to kiss her. Archer continued to make her moan until she went over the edge again. Only then did he remove his fingers and brace his weight around her.
He gave her one soft kiss before the head of his erection found her heat and they both moaned.
Scarlet rolled her hips, trying to force Archer in deeper.
He managed to get the head of his erection into her.
“Deeper,” she moaned.
His whole body was shaking, his arms straight while he held his weight up over her. “Give me a second, belan.”
He pushed, and gained a little more depth, then closed his eyes, praying for the strength not to shove into Scarlet and tear her.
Scarlet was having none of it. She slid down and grabbed on to him as she bucked her hips, forcing him in deeper.
“Fuck,” he hissed, her motion nearly making him come like a virgin with his first woman.
“Have some mercy,” he groaned out. “There is something I have to do first.”
She was mindless, leaning up to rain kisses along his jaw and towards his mouth. “Want you now,” she murmured.
She rolled her hips again, and he couldn’t help but meet her thrust. He settled deep inside her and they both groaned in pleasure. “Stop—wait.”
He forced her shoulder down to the ground with one hand. “One second.”
Scarlet looked up at him with passion, hooded eyes, a rosy tint on her cheeks and swollen lips from his kissing, and he nearly gave in and started thrusting.
He shook his head, trying to clear it.
Gotta do this.
Keeping himself balanced with his left arm, Archer put his right palm over Scarlet’s left breast, just under her collar bone.
“Scarlet.” He spoke, but she wasn’t listening. She tried to rock her hips again. “Listen to me, this is important.” Her eyes focused on his face, and he smiled at her.
Archer concentrated on his hand and his She lying on the forest floor under him. Then, he spoke the ritual words in Lycan.
“Scarlet, bestaidan nortolige gant morshe.”
Our beasts entwined, you are forever, my She, he translated in his mind at the same moment.
Archer felt the burn in his hand as his name appeared under his palm on Scarlet’s skin. The sign was a Lycan rune that others would recognize as his mark on her. Scarlet would be his forever more.
Her eyes opened wider. “What did that mean?”
He didn’t answer. He leaned in to kiss her as he pulled out and thrust into her heat, even harder.
Scarlet moaned and pulled herself up to kiss him.
Archer welcomed the kiss and deepened it as he thrust into her again.
Her nails scored his back as he increased his speed until their groans of passion drowned out the night sounds of the forest. He was close, and Archer was fighting it for all his worth. He would not disgrace himself. His She would climax before he did.
The muscles on his shoulders stood out in cords as he continued to pound into Scarlet until, with his name a scream on her lips, she came.
Archer thrust into her forcefully, then stiffened, his whole body becoming taut as he came.
The pleasure was so intense, he felt weak and shaky from it, and when it eased, he collapsed onto the ground, pulling her on to his chest.
Chapter Three
Scarlet was tempted to fall asleep in Archer’s arms, right there on the forest floor—she really was.
She was exhausted. Being burned alive only to be resurrected took it out of a person. With a small grin, she admitted that epic, phenomenal sex did, too, but as she was dozing off in his strong warm arms, he’d roused her.
“Come, I want to take you back to the cabin and have my way with
you in a soft bed.”
She leaned up on an elbow and looked down at him.
“Oh, you do, do you?” The grin from earlier still played on her lips. “You are that sure I’m a sure thing?”
With a groan, he rolled her over, pinning her to the forest floor, her arms stretched above her head. “I know I’ll have my way with you, ‘cause you can’t resist me.”
“Ha,” she barked. “Toss the gauntlet, and you’ll be sorry.” This game had her wanting to giggle, but his sudden serious look, and the way he started leaning down, got her attention in a hurry.
Archer nipped at her lower lip before slanting his lips over hers and meeting out a soul searing hungry kiss.
“Don’t think I can wait for the soft bed.” He growled as he thrust his growing erection against her hip, and lowered his mouth to suckle at her nipple.
“Is that so?” she teased, but it was half-hearted, because she was as turned on as he was. Tired or not, she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of this male.
Scarlet gasped in pleasure and melted under him, silently begging for more attention.
She worked one hand free from his grip and raked her nails down his back, leaving welts in his tanned skin.
He growled against her breast and rewarded her with a nip, swiftly followed by a long languorous lick to make it better.
“More,” she moaned, wriggling under him to get him to listen. Archer moved his attention to her other breast and nipped small trails all around the swollen bud before sucking it into his mouth.
Scarlet nearly flew off the ground with the pleasure that he gave her, and she shoved at his shoulder to get him to lie on his back and let her explore his body, but he wouldn’t budge, so she gave it up as futile—for the moment, and decided to let him have his way.
Scarlet pulled his face up to capture his lips in a kiss, but he stiffened above her, and in an instant, he was up, yanked Scarlet to her feet, and shoved her behind his broad body.
There was someone else by the old oak. Someone Archer considered a threat.
“What do you want?” he bit out, but Scarlet felt his body relax, and that told her whoever was there was not that much of a danger
She peeked out behind Archer and saw the woman from the clearing.
“Belay that question. First, tell us who you are?”
“My name is Ena.” That was all the information she gave before she spoke directly to Scarlet. “It’s time.”
“What? Time for what?” Archer asked, and ignored.
“Come, Scarlet.”
Ena held out a hand, and Scarlet felt a strange compunction to take the offered hand. She tried to fight it, but the urge was so strong, she stepped out behind Archer and laid her hand in Ena’s palm.
Archer looked confused. “What are you doing, Scarlet?”
“I don’t know, but I have to go with her. I can’t stop myself.”
Ena waved her free hand in a downward arc and flames appeared in midair, opening up into a tear. Scarlet could see another place through hazy air. It looked like pillars and columns.
Ena tugged at Scarlet. “We must leave.”
“No.” Scarlet managed to jerk her hand out of Ena’s hands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Scarlet tried to step towards Archer, but her feet wouldn’t obey the command.
Archer reached forward and grabbed her hand, refusing to let go as Ena tried to pull her into the rift.
“Be reasonable. You cannot stay on this plane. You are phoenix, no longer of this world.” Ena’s argument seemed so right, but yet Scarlet shook her head, the phoenix playing with her mind. There was no way she was leaving Archer. The mere thought of leaving him caused a pain in her chest that made her refuse to move. She couldn’t leave him.
“Come with me, Archer,” she begged him.
“No! Men are not allowed in the Phoenix realm.”
“Then I’m not going anywhere.” Scarlet dug her heels in and tried to pull away from Ena.
Scarlet turned her face to Archer, her eyes pleading and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her.
“Enough. I will not keep with this tug of war. You will return with me, because that is our way. Archer, you will let her go or…” Ena let the words trail off as she filled her palm with fire.
“You may pray for death if my burn finds you. My fire is strong.”
“I don’t care. Burn me, but I’m not letting Scarlet go. She is mine.”
His words made Ena pause. “The deed is done?”
Archer nodded in reply.
Scarlet watched as Ena sagged, only to straighten her shoulders. “It matters not—she will come with me now. That is our way. Let her go, or I will burn you to ash.”
Scarlet saw Archer’s decision in his eyes. There was no way the stubborn male was going to release her, but she also didn’t want him dead.
She noted he was distracted with Ena and wiggled out of his grip. Scarlet bolted past Ena, and dove through the rift. She wouldn’t have Archer die because she wanted to stay with him.
* * * *
Archer stared down at his empty arms for a nanosecond before the reality hit him and he made another grab for Scarlet’s arm, but she slipped out of his grasp like an intangible ghost and dove through the fissure.
She’s left me! his mind screamed.
Chase! his beast roared in his ears, and Archer dove for the fissure intending on following his She to the plane of the Phoenix.
A wall of heat and fire hit him, throwing him back to land six feet away on his back, skidding across the dirt and grass of the clearing. He shook his head and surged to his feet, ignoring the pain of the burns and the smell of singed hair and burnt skin.
He wasn’t fast enough as he saw Ena step through the tear and close it behind her.
For the second time in a day, Archer sank to his knees and howled his pain to the sky.
He’d lost his sense of Scarlet. She was nowhere in reach and he couldn’t feel her.
Archer’s wolf was making so much noise in his head, he couldn’t think. There had to be a way.
“Shut up and let me think.” Archer grabbed his head with his hands as if gripping it might make his Lycan settle.
Gone, gone, gone, gone,
the wolf inside keened.
“No, we will get her back.” Archer’s determination more than his words must have soothed the creature, because it quieted in his head.
“We need to go back to the others.” Archer took off at a lope, speeding up to a sprint through the forest.
He came around the back of the cabin, between the Impala and the SUV.
The reality of losing his She hit Archer hard. He knew Scarlet would die if he didn’t get her back.
His animal roared, and Archer lashed out. His arm connected with the back window on the SUV, shattering the glass, then he hissed in pain as he felt the shards cut his forearm.
Archer heard the Outsiders laughing. Obviously, they hadn’t heard him break the window of the SUV. He needed to get into the cabin.
He took the last steps to the cabin at a lope and burst through the door. He skidded at the last moment, so he didn’t hit the back of the couch.
The reaction was instantaneous as the Eternals jumped up in various stages of reaching for weapons and getting ready for battle. Then they got a good look at Archer.
“Oh, fuck,” Erik hissed. “She burned you up, didn’t she?” He was looking around behind Archer for Scarlet.
“Shut up, douche,” Heath shot at Erik.
Sophia stepped closer to Archer and held her hands out. “What happened, Archer?”
That the rest of them had expected attack spoke volumes about his entry.
Gone, Archer’s beast whined, and he repeated the word, his body on the point of collapse from the pain and the loss. “Gone! She’s been taken.”
Sophia pulled a chair up and made him sit. She then turned and went to get him a glass of water from the kitchen.
When she
returned and started to hand it to Archer, Heath rolled his eyes, grabbed the glass out of her hand, and put a bottle of whiskey in Archer’s hand instead.
“This will get you drunk, and will make you feel better,” Heath muttered.
Tate pulled a chair up to Archer and sat. “Start at the beginning, and tell us what happened.”
Zane fetched some medical supplies, and between Sophia and him, they cleaned Archer up as he told them about Ena’s return and Scarlet’s kidnapping.
His story was met with, no, and, That fucking bitch.
“She dove through that fissure.” Archer pushed Zane’s hands away from his face. “She fucking dove.”
“Don’t be an ass, Archer. She did it for you.” Sophia pushed his hand out of the way, and cleaned an open blister on his cheek.
Archer hissed in pain, then glared at her.
“Big baby.” She gave him a calm smile. “It’s not so bad.”
“My She is gone...my claimed She,” he said in a dark tone. “She left willingly. I can’t feel her presence. Where do you get the idea that she did it for me?”
The rest of the males looked at Sophia, not seeing the obvious reasons for Scarlet’s leap into another world.
“Ena was going to burn you, but Scarlet doesn’t want you dead.” Sophia shrugged. “It’s a bit of a no brainer, guys.”
Heath nodded as if he got it and even Zane had an, ah okay look on his face, but the rest frowned, and it was Erik who stated their version of obvious. “Archer coulda handled that Ena bitch with one arm tied behind his back, and both feet hobbled.”
Archer’s glare said the same.
“Think about it. If you had the same choice Scarlet faced, and you wanted to protect someone, what would you do?”
“I still don’t buy it,” Archer murmured, his tone dark.
“That’s ‘cause you are being a blind-ass fool,” Sophia said, giving him another smile.
“This isn’t for your entertainment, Sophia.” Archer snatched the piece of gauze out of her hand and pressed it to his cheek.