“I won’t.”
* * * * *
She hadn’t run. She wasn’t scared. Something inside of Riot burst, leaving his two hearts strangely tender. Absently, he rubbed a hand over his chest. He’d known Nina was special when they’d met. He just hadn’t known how special until now. Was she the one? He thought so. He hoped so. What he was about to do wasn’t solely for altruistic reasons. Yes, he wanted to heal her wounds. It was his fault that she had them. Had he been faster, those men would’ve never been allowed to touch her.
He winced as he looked down at the cuts covering her smooth skin and the bruise on her cheek. Riot would heal her. But he also wanted—needed—to see if Nina was a compatible mate for him. There was only one way to do that. Riot’s conscience warred with his need, and lost. If she was compatible, then what he was about to do would start the bonding process. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to dissolve. The second his form disappeared, Riot stepped forward and passed through Nina, leaving bits of his essence, his very being, behind.
Gooseflesh rose on her arms. “Whatever you’re doing tingles.”
“Stay still.” Riot reversed direction. More of his essence filled her, healing her body, while attempting to bond to her. If the bond didn’t take, then Nina wasn’t his mate and his time here would be over. But if it did…soon Nina would start to change and he wouldn’t be the only Great Bear wandering these woods. Riot looked at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but her lids trembled. “You can open your eyes now.”
Nina’s eyelids fluttered. The lovely brown looked the same as it had upon their first meeting. There wasn’t even a hint of a red ring that came with a Phantom bond. It was still early. These things didn’t happen instantly. Riot forced himself to be patient though it pained him to do so.
She stared at him, then glanced down at her body. Her hand rose to skim the now healing wounds. Her mouth opened and closed as she gave him a questioning look. “There’s no pain.”
“No, but you’ll be tender for another day. What I’ve done should take care of the damage and leave no scars.” Riot couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from her lush mouth. She looked so bewildered and confused, yet somehow remained utterly enticing. How did she do that? No other human female had managed it.
As if feeling the heat of his stare, her tongue darted, wetting her bottom lip.
“Forgive me,” he said.
“For what?” she asked.
“For this.” Riot pulled her into his arms and took her mouth in a searing kiss.
* * * * *
Chapter Ten
Heat exploded the second his mouth touched hers. Nina couldn’t seem to catch her breath as she was swept up in a whirlwind of sensation. As a bear, he was fascinating. As a man, Riot was lethal. More lethal than any man had a right to be. She’d gotten a taste of it at Kim’s reception, but this was like being on the receiving end of a cannon blast. His mouth fed from hers, nibbling on her lips, begging for entrance.
Everything tingled from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. Riot ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth. Nina opened on a moan. Flames leapt inside her as their tongues touched and explored. Her hands fluttered to his chest. The second she made contact, Riot flinched, his hard body going even more rigid.
The world around them dimmed as Nina sank into the kiss, giving back all the passion that he was imbuing. Her body temperature rose until it felt as if her skin would crack. She stepped closer, burrowing into his chest. Nina needed the contact. Wanted it more than her next breath. Her nipples beaded against the hard muscled slab of his abdomen, leaving her breasts aching.
How long had it been since a man held her like this? Nina couldn’t remember. She’d been so busy taking care of everyone but herself. Oh how she’d missed the simple pleasures of touch, the sharing of one’s breath.
Riot’s hand gently grasped the back of her head, turning it slightly so he could deepen the embrace. It was as if he feared that she’d break. She was stronger than that. Nina vowed to show him just how strong she was, starting now. She returned his passion with the flame of her own, igniting them both. He growled. The sound rumbled down her throat, settling between her thighs.
Need burst inside of her. Nina hooked a calf around his thick, muscled leg. She wasn’t tall enough to get it any higher, but she was prepared to climb him if necessary. Riot groaned, then reached down to scoop her up, saving her the effort. The second her core made contact with his rigid length, Nina’s eyes rolled back in her head. She would’ve ripped at his clothes had he not been naked already. She ground her small body against his hard shaft, rotating her hips in order to reach her clit. Sensation rocked her and she shuddered.
Nina threw her head back and gasped. “I need more,” she said.
Riot grunted, then moved toward the trees. When they reached one that had its trunk hollowed out, she noticed a small pack sitting inside of it. He didn’t put her down. Instead, he grabbed the pack and shoved one hand inside it. He came out holding a blanket. It didn’t look like much, but Nina was too far gone to care. She didn’t think she’d feel the ground right now, even if he laid her on sharp rocks. She needed release. She needed this release. It had been far too long, since she’d allowed a man inside of her body.
He laid the blanket onto the ground and fiddled with something on the side of it. The blanket inflated. “Now,” he said, carefully placing her onto the makeshift bed.
Nina sank into the ‘blanket’, its thinness deceptive. She couldn’t feel the ground below her.
Riot followed her down, covering her with his large body. “Am I hurting you?”
She frowned. “No, why would you think that?”
Red blossomed in his cheeks. It was followed swiftly by a wave of insecurity.
She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen for herself. What had caused this magnificent man to feel so unsure?
“If you hadn’t noticed, I’m rather large,” he said.
Nina’s lips quirked. “Yes, you are.” She glanced down at his erect shaft. “You won’t hear me complaining.”
He snorted, but there was no mistaking the relief in his red-ringed brown eyes. Riot’s hands shook as he slowly stripped away her bra. His breath caught as he stared down at her erect nipples. His gaze moved to her face, his expression full of wonder. “You are beautiful.”
Nina released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She had never been ashamed of her body, but she was well aware that she was average. Nina had always been okay with that. She’d long ago accepted that she’d never be one of the pretty people. But for some reason, it was important that Riot not think so.
His head lowered, but he never took his eyes off her face. Riot latched onto one nipple and sucked it between his teeth. His eyes fluttered shut for a second and he gave a pleasure-filled moan. His gaze flashed back to her face, gauging her reaction. Nina bit her lip and smiled.
Bolstered by her response, he reached up and kneaded her other breast, while he feasted on the first one. His clever tongue swirled around and around, flicking and lapping the pebbled flesh until Nina writhed beneath him. Riot released her nipple and blew a hot breath across the puckered skin, before switching to the other breast. His free hand pinched and played until her breasts grew heavy.
Nina rocked her hips, brushing his cock encouragingly. She still had her underwear on and desperately needed to feel flesh upon flesh. The second time she nudged him, Riot must’ve gotten the hint because he reached down and ripped her underwear off her body, quickly tossing them aside. Her sex brushed his testicles and Riot shuddered. His erect shaft seemed to grow even larger, thickening and lengthening like a Leviathan rising from a sea of dark curls. He sat up suddenly and took her mouth in another savage kiss.
“Not yet.” He groaned against her lips. “First I want to taste every inch of you.” With that said, he slid down her body and buried his face between her thighs.
* * * * *
Riot could
n’t seem to get enough of Nina’s unique aroma or the taste of her. She was tart and honeyed all at once. He kept glancing at her face to make sure what he was doing was pleasing to her. Fear still rested firmly in the back of his head that with one wrong move he could injure her like he’d done to the only other person he’d ever been with.
He quieted the nagging voice with a vow to take care, then stared at the dark curls covering her sex. They were soft beneath his large fingertips. He carefully spread her, then slid his tongue along her moist seam, taking in her juices. Flavor that could only come from the Goddess burst inside of his mouth. He ran his thick fingers over her, spreading her wider, revealing the hidden bud that held so much pleasure for Earth women. He sucked on it, worrying the bundle of nerves with his teeth, while swirling his tongue around it.
Nina’s hips rocked and her thighs shuddered.
The beast inside him roared. It wanted its own taste. It wanted to mark the female with its pheromones. Riot kept it in check. He couldn’t afford to let his Other side out. Not until he knew that a bond had been created. Not until he could claim her completely.
He plunged his tongue into her scorching channel and flicked it from side to side. Thanks to his Other side, his tongue was longer than usual, able to reach places that no human male could.
Nina cried out as he curled his tongue and found the patch of sensitive nerves inside of her.
Riot pinched her clit and continued to tongue her until she quivered on the edge of release. He doubled his efforts.
A second later, Nina cried out and her juices flooded his mouth. Riot lapped up every drop as he savored what he’d done. When the last twitch stopped, he gave her sex one last long lick, then rose above her body, positioning his cock at her entrance. He waited until their eyes met, then he leaned down and gently kissed her lips.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he murmured, then rocked back with his hips and plunged inside of her.
Despite the moisture easing his entrance, Riot still had to work his way into her body. Nina was a small woman by Zaronian standards and he was a huge man. For one fearful moment, he thought he might not fit. Sweat broke out across his forehead. The Goddess wouldn’t give him such a precious gift only to take it away. Would she?
His fears were eased when Nina tilted her hips and relaxed her body. She ran her hands over his shoulders and pulled him close, clutching him like she’d never let him go. Something inside Riot exploded. Something he’d fiercely guarded. His eyes burned. He quickly looked away, not wanting her to see the turbulent emotions she’d churned up.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m fine. This feels wonderful.”
Riot closed his eyes and began to move.
* * * * *
Nina felt every last inch of Riot’s long, thick shaft as he drove in and out of her body. For a moment, she’d feared that he’d stop. He’d looked so scared, so insecure that it nearly broke her heart. Someday she’d ask him what had happened. It had to be a woman. Of that there was no doubt. But what kind of woman had wounded him so badly that he doubted himself?
Whoever she was, Nina had the overwhelming urge to strangle her. How dare she destroy such a sensitive, caring man! She’d just have to show him that the woman was wrong, starting now. Unchecked emotion flowed through her, surprising Nina with its intensity. Their eyes met and held. The brown had faded until all that remained was softly glowing red. It was a swift reminder that she wasn’t dealing with a man. Riot was something other. It would do well for her to remember that fact.
He rolled his hips, sending himself even deeper inside of her. Nina’s breath caught as the heat inside her began to build once more. Her fingers dug into his back, tearing at the skin.
Riot growled and thrust harder.
She felt another orgasm building inside of her, tightening her skin, sharpening her senses. Her womb clenched as her nipples scrapped along his muscled chest. The over-stimulated flesh was so sensitized that the pleasure bordered on pain. “I’m…I’m.” Nina gasped, then locked her legs around his tight bottom and held on as the world shifted around her. Her body spasmed and she cried out, a second before she bit him on the shoulder.
The moment her teeth sank into his flesh, Riot grunted and went wild above her, driving in harder and faster, all sense of rhythm lost. Nina released his shoulder and hung on. He thrust and thrust, his powerful hips rolling madly as he locked himself deep within her fluttering channel. Riot grunted. His big body strained, then shuddered, as a wave of moisture flooded Nina.
* * * * *
Nina lay in Riot’s arms, her body still twitching from the amazing orgasms he’d wrung from her only moments ago. She’d never felt the kind of connection she’d had with him. It was like they were one and the same. Yet, that was impossible. He was pure ‘magic’. Next to him, Nina was painfully aware of her fragile humanity.
She stroked his bicep, following the nicks and healed cuts with her fingertips, amazed again at how quickly he’d recovered from the bullet wounds. She reached his massive hand and interlaced her fingers with his. Riot gave her a gentle squeeze. He felt so strong, so content beneath her that she hated breeching the tranquility, but there was something she desperately needed to know.
“How did you heal me?” she asked.
He took a deep breath, and for a moment Nina thought that he might not answer. “I shared my essence with you.”
She shifted her head higher onto his chest, listening to his heart beat. It was strong, steady…and doubled. She jerked her head up to look at him.
“What’s wrong?” Riot asked. His dark eyes were slumberous and filled with satisfaction.
“Your heart…”
“What about them?” He hoisted himself up onto one elbow.
Nina’s brow arched. “Them?”
Understanding dawned on his face. “I forgot that humans only have one heart.”
“I didn’t know that the Great Bear had two,” she said.
Riot grew concerned. “About that…we need to talk.”
“Sure, but first I need to know more about your ability to heal.”
His face flushed.
Nina studied his expression. At first glimpse, she’d thought that she had somehow embarrassed him, but upon closer inspection she recognized the color shift for what it was—guilt. What did he have to feel guilty about? She pushed the thought aside. There was plenty of time to find out later. What she needed to know couldn’t wait. “Can you heal anybody?”
Riot sat up, his dark eyes growing wary. “Why do you want to know?”
“Someone I care deeply about is ill. Doctors can’t do anything more for him. I thought maybe you could…” her voice trailed off.
* * * * *
Pain shredded Riot’s two hearts. She cared for another. Why hadn’t she said something before she gave herself to him? You didn’t give her the chance, a gruff voice admonished in his head. They’d shared such passion that he couldn’t imagine her experiencing the same with another.
Perhaps that was ego on his part or more likely wishful thinking, but he hadn’t imagined her wild abandon or her passionate cries. They still rang in his ears. He swallowed hard, choking down the rock that had suddenly formed in his throat. It took him two tries to speak, but he finally got out what he needed to say. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“What do you mean? You were able to heal me.” She glanced down to her chest and abdomen. “Why can’t you heal my grandfather?” Desperation filled her voice.
Shame drowned him as he realized his earlier mistake. How could he believe that she’d betray another? Nina had shown him nothing but loyalty, and at the first chance to return the favor he’d failed. She wasn’t talking about a man. She was referring to her blood. Even with the new circumstances, it didn’t change his answer. Riot rose unable to bear looking upon her pain-ridden face. “I cannot.”
“Cannot or will not?” Bitterness disbursed some of the desperation in her question. He’d seen that look o
n other faces. It was the look one got when a loved one was facing death.
Riot didn’t think the pain could get any worse, but he’d been wrong. He was about to destroy their fragile connection and there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it. He took a deep breath. “Cannot. I am a great bear, but I am not ‘the’ Great Bear.”
Nina’s chin dropped. “I see,” she said, though he knew she did not. She wanted a miracle, but there was no bargaining with death. Sometimes you could escape it, but there was no avoiding forever. Every warrior knew that in his bones. Phantoms lived far longer than Earthlings, but still they died. Such was the way of the universe.
“Then why did your ability to heal work on me?” she asked, ignoring his confession about not being the Great Bear.
“You are different,” he said. “Special.” She just didn’t realize how much. And he had no idea how to explain.
Her lips tightened. “Just not special enough to help. Is that it?”
“You know it is not.” Riot reached for her, but she stepped out of reach and went in search of her clothes.
“Why did you let me believe that you were the Great Bear?”
“At first, I was too shocked by the fact that you weren’t frightened of me. Later, I didn’t know how to bring the subject up. You were invested in me being the Great Bear,” he said.
“Didn’t know how, or didn’t want to?” she asked.
Riot opened his mouth, then closed it again. The truth was he hadn’t wanted to tell her for fear she would leave. He knew now that had been a mistake. “Come with me,” he whispered, laying his soul bare to her, though he knew the answer before she replied. He could see rejection floating in her dark brown eyes.
“I can’t.” She sobbed. “I can’t just leave him alone. He needs me.”
He looked at her. “I need you, too.” It was the truth. She was his only hope. All he really wanted. Riot couldn’t imagine anyone ever taking her place. He knew everything he needed to know about Nina. She was brave, fearless, and strong. Her mind was quick, and she stood up for what she believed in. That was important to him. It was also why he would have to let her go.
Phantom Warriors Volume 2 Page 22