Spirit Flight

by Jory Strong

  Her eyes and throat burning, she reached him and silently begged, Say something.

  Pain flickered across his face and stabbed into her. "Why did you leave me?" he asked.

  The question was so unexpected that for an instant she remained mute. And then she hurtled herself at him.

  "I didn't leave you! I had to go to the bathroom and afterward I was too scared to climb back down to the cave!"

  His arms crushed her to him. "Never again. Don't ever scare me like that again. Promise you'll never risk yourself again."

  "I didn't think Ethan and Kaitlyn would be anywhere close."

  His arms tightened. "Promise me."

  "I promise. I won't knowingly put myself in danger." She breathed in his masculine scent, hugged him more fiercely, absorbing his strength. "You saved me—again. Just like you did before. You were the thunderbird. I wasn't hallucinating."

  Ukiah slammed his mouth down on hers and plunged his tongue against hers. His. She was his. Had always been his.

  When he'd woken to find her gone he'd feared the worst. That she'd run after seeing the thunderbird's shadow when he'd taken her on her hands and knees. That she'd finally guessed the truth—not only guessed it, but had been terrified by it, preferring to risk death rather than to stay with him.

  He had never known such pain. And then when his spirit had shed the temporary form and he'd taken to the air, seen her once again under attack— Only the knowledge that it might make matters worse if he killed her brother had enabled him to rein in the thunderbird's fierce desire not only to protect its mate and unborn offspring, but to destroy anyone who threatened them.

  She met the thrust of his tongue with hers, clung to him. And the feel of her body pressed to his became the need to share the full truth.

  He scooped her into his arms and her laughter broke the kiss.

  "I can walk."

  "But I enjoy carrying you."

  Marisa thought he'd do something romantic like carry her over the lodge threshold. Instead, Ukiah left the porch. His mouth returned to hers, his kisses long, sensuous assaults that left her aching and needy, wet and swollen.

  He took her a short distance into the woods, to a tiny building surrounded by totem poles. "Is this a ceremonial sweat lodge?"

  "No. It's a sauna I built for the guests to enjoy."

  He placed her on her feet and unbuttoned her torn, bloody shirt. Her nipples went instantly tight but she grabbed his hands. A glance around and she saw several cabins discreetly positioned among the trees. "I can't strip here!"

  Ukiah laughed, enjoying the way she grew flustered at the thought of someone other than him seeing her without clothing.

  Complete satisfaction followed his amusement. Utter masculine contentment as he remembered how she'd been with him in the cave. How freely she'd given him access to her body, let him touch and kiss every inch. Let him keep her naked.

  His cock pressed urgently against the front of his jeans. The throb of his heartbeat pounding through his shaft.

  He leaned in and kissed her, nibbled on her lips because he couldn't stop himself. "There's no one here but us. The lodge is closed for the winter."

  She loosened her grip on his hands and he finished removing her clothing, ushered her into the sauna building before she grew chilled. Marisa laughed and tugged at one of his braids, sending a jolt of pure happiness straight to his heart. "I notice you didn't strip where someone might see you."

  He kissed her again, found that having her naked while he was fully clothed satisfied something deeply primal in him. "That's because my clothing isn't covered in dried mud and blood."

  Her hands went to the buttons at the front of his shirt. She undid them, then pushed the material away, baring his chest. Her fingers teased over his nipple. His cock jerked and leaked.

  "Should I help you get undressed like you helped me?" she asked, her voice husky and aroused, curling around his erection and making him groan, each of her strokes to his nipple sending shards of ice-hot pleasure straight to his cock.

  His mouth reclaimed hers, his tongue thrust and twined with hers. It became too painful to remain clothed. He stripped, anxious to feel her against him. "A quick rinse and we'll go into the main room."

  She looked around at the small shower area. He said, "This is the men's entrance. The women's entrance is on the other side."

  He led her to where the floor was tiled and lifted the hand-held shower wand. He rinsed himself first, then turned the spray on her.

  "I can take care of myself," she said, heating him with memories of bathing her in the cave.

  Ukiah's hand swept down her body and hovered directly over her sex, sending a stream of water pounding against her clit.

  "I like to take care of you," he said and closed the distance between the wand's head and her swollen flesh, intensifying the effect of the water.

  When she would have moved away, he crowded her against the wall, holding her there with the force of his will and the pleasure he was giving her. "Spread your legs wider," he commanded, his free hand dropping to his cock, encircling it.

  He hadn't meant to linger in this room but whenever she was naked he lost his concentration. Her gaze followed his hand and his balls pulled tight in warning. She licked her lips and the remembered feel of her mouth had him nearly coming.

  Her hand joined his, covering it. Her thumb brushed over his exposed cock head, a quick pass and then a lingering rub against the slit.

  Ukiah's buttocks clenched. He pumped into their joined hands.

  She'd bested him and they both knew it. If they didn't stop now he'd spew his seed on naked flesh before he could drive her to orgasm with the shower wand.

  With a groan he pulled the wand away from her, slipped it onto the wall mount and turned off the water. Marisa started to go to her knees.

  "No," he gasped, forcing his hand away from his cock, and with it, hers, then pulling her against his chest and holding her there.

  She gave him a mischievous look through lowered eyelashes. "Turnabout is fair play, Ukiah. What's good for you, is good for me."

  "Marisa," he groaned, wavering for a moment. Hot need and the desire to feel her mouth on his cock very nearly overwhelmed him. But he tightened his grip when she would have slid down his body. "Later. You can do anything you want to me later, when we get back to the lodge."

  "Promise?"

  She licked over a rigid nipple and his hips bucked. He panted. "Promise," he said, then led her into the main chamber and stopped next to a fur-covered pallet.

  Marisa's breath caught at seeing the restraints. Something darkly erotic uncoiled inside her at imagining herself bound to the two strips of leather attached to the floor at the upper corners of the mat. "I don't think this is standard equipment for a sauna."

  Ukiah cupped her face and forced her to meet his eyes. The dark, dark eyes of the thunderbird. "You are mine." he said, and she felt the words all the way to her soul. Felt them echoing from the past and had a fleeting image of standing naked, her wrists bound in front of her as these same words were once spoken in a language she didn't know, their meaning translated by the way her captor's gaze roamed possessively over her body.

  "I'm yours," she whispered, arousal trickling down the inside of her thighs.

  She allowed him to guide her to the bedding, to tether her wrists and make her helpless. A symbolic gesture because bound or freed, she trusted him completely and would never willingly leave him.

  Ukiah straddled her, his heart swelling with pride and pleasure and possessiveness. She was beautiful, inside and out. And even though she was the one in restraints, when it came to her, he was equally helpless.

  He lowered himself, groaned as his sac settled on her warm belly. His mouth covered hers, captured, claimed, then moved to her ear, her neck, and finally to her breast.

  He took her nipple between his teeth. Bit down on it, flicked it with his tongue. Sucked it as she whimpered and writhed beneath him, sending bursts of near
painful ecstasy through him.

  Liquid heat escaped, coating the head of his cock, wetting her in the places where their bodies touched. It was primitive, raw. He had to fight the urge to take himself in hand and bring himself to orgasm so he could mark her with his seed.

  The heady scent of her arousal finally drew him away from her nipple. He kissed and bit and licked his way downward. Parted her thighs and held her open so he could look at her, taste her, drive her to orgasm by swirling his tongue over her clit, plunging it into her slit.

  Over and over again he made her cry out in release, her pleas turning to screams, her body bowing, arms fighting the restraints.

  Finally she went lax. And even then Ukiah couldn't get enough of her.

  He nuzzled her swollen folds, sucked on them. Dragged his tongue along her creamy opening until she was whimpering again, her hips undulating, his name a ragged whisper on her lips.

  Only the demands of the thunderbird gave him the strength to crawl up her body and position himself above her. His hands went to hers, fingers entwining though he didn't free her wrists. He impaled her with a single hard thrust, forced open a channel that still seemed barely able to contain him.

  Thunder rumbled as she wrapped her legs around him. Welcomed him completely. Held him deep in her body as if she would never let him go. "Fly with me," he said.

  Marisa stared into his coal-black eyes as their bodies moved in a timeless rhythm. An ancient dance.

  There was no fire in this room as there had been in the cave, but at the corner of her vision shadows formed and flickered on the walls. They blended and merged in time to Ukiah's thrusts, to the drums and chants edging into her consciousness, filling her and building in intensity.

  He became more forceful, more frenzied as another orgasm built, this one a tidal wave compared to the others. And when release came, it arrived in a great sparkling wash of red and black and white with hints of blue and yellow. It crashed over and through her, took her with it as the chants and drums reached a crescendo.

  There was a wrenching sensation, followed by gray, cold nothingness. And then she became aware.

  Immense energy and power gathered and rolled through her. Not her human form, but a body that was huge, feathered, the wings outstretched, riding the thermals.

  She faltered and immediately felt talons on her back, a gentle grasp meant to reassure and guide. Ukiah. She flapped the magnificent wings to communicate that she was okay and felt him lift away.

  She flapped again, more forcefully this time, and reveled in the increased speed, the thrill of flight. Mentally she explored every inch of the thunderbird, nearly dropped from the sky at discovering the spark of life in her womb.

  Once again Ukiah's talons on her back steadied her focus. With a fleeting thought she became aware of her human form in the building below. Her wrists freed, her back curled against Ukiah's chest, their breathing synchronized and deep as their spirits flew free.

  Emotion surged through her. Raw and fierce. Rumbling out in front of her as thunder. A shout of triumph. Of joy. Of love. Of two souls reunited.

  # # #

  Thank you!

  Thanks for reading Spirit Flight. I hope you enjoyed it!

  Reviews and ratings are more important now than ever. They help other readers find books. I'd appreciate it if you'd take a moment to review and rate Spirit Flight.

  I love connecting with readers! Visit my website at http://www.jorystrong.com or contact me at jory@jorystrong.com. I can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

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  http://www.jorystrong.com

  Some of my other works are…

  Inked Magic and the sequel, Inked Destiny: A ménage set in modern-day San Francisco where a changeling tattoo artist has come to the attention of two very compelling men—the son of a mob boss and an Elven lord.

  Ghostland series: Set in a post-apocalyptic world where supernatural beings no longer hide their existence, and where angels and Djinn are heading for the ultimate battle over who will control Earth.

  Supernatural Bonds series: Witches, Weres, faeries, elves, dragons, Drui and demons, there's something for everyone as each heroine meets her perfect hero—or heroes.

  Fallon Mates series: To avoid extinction, there's only one hope for the winged inhabitants of the planet Belizair. Come to Earth and claim the perfect, genetically-matched mate, the catch—it has to be done in pairs, a feather-winged Amato must share a lover with a suede, bat-winged Vesti.

  Crime Tells: Where mystery, family, and finding love while working as private investigators come together in a contemporary world.

  The Angelini: In a modern day world where vampires and Weres exist, the Old Magic is returning, and the Angelini, who always take at least two mates, guard mankind against the predators hidden among them.

  And there are more, stand-alone stories. Information on them can be found at: http://www.jorystrong.com.

  * * * * *

  About the Author

  I've been writing since childhood and have never outgrown being a daydreamer. When I'm not hunched over my computer, lost in the muse and conjuring up new heroes and heroines, I can usually be found reading, riding horses, or walking dogs.

  My stories have won numerous awards and been national best sellers. I live in California with my husband and a menagerie of pets.

  I love connecting with readers! Visit my website at http://www.jorystrong.com or contact me at jory@jorystrong.com. I can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.