by Eve Newton
“Can we change the subject? Please?” I beg and he smiles sadly at me.
“Sure. I suppose I had better have my way with you all of today as I won’t have you to myself tonight, or tomorrow or Monday at this rate.”
“Why not?”
“Because of Lincoln, needing to be with you. I don’t fancy my chances against a moody, aggressive Wolf.”
I chuckle at him. “Why do you think I am pushing our trip forward? We are going to England tonight so that we are at the estate there tomorrow night. If he takes the room next door to mine, err, ours…” I amend at his look, “Then he will be all right.”
“Oh, yeah, good idea,” he says with a twisted smile. “Wait, estate? You have an estate there?”
“Yes, of course. In Buckinghamshire.”
“Buckinghamshire? Where is that in relation to where I need to be?”
“About an hour away. Don’t panic, Grayson is going to be there to get you door to door. Aren’t you sick of hotels anyway? I know I am and CK doesn’t even bother anymore, he just goes back to Ponte every night.”
“He does? How does that work with the time difference?” he asks.
“Doesn’t really matter. He only sleeps about an hour a night, if that, anyway.”
“I hate that you know that,” he grumbles.
“He has for centuries. It’s nothing new.”
“Humph, well at least I know that you need lots and lots of sleep. Cuts into his time.”
“Cole!” I say, trying not to laugh.
“What? I am allowed comments like that. It is my right as your husband.”
“Well, I won’t argue with that. Now, husband, I have been sitting here waiting for you to take me and all you keep doing is yammering on.”
“Oh, my apologies, Your Majesty, please do come here so I can kiss you and take you,” he says, and his good nature has returned.
The flight to London is uneventful, well, by our standards, anyway. Lincoln gets on everyone’s nerves by pacing fretfully and then the both of us are shoved unceremoniously into the bedroom for me to comfort him. He lies with his head on my lap as I stroke him, and he eventually falls asleep. I, however, do not. I tug on the wings of my cuddly, black dragon that Sebastian bought me in Vegas, which goes everywhere with me now. I have formed a strange attachment to it and even though Cole doesn’t ask, I know he finds it odd.
Jess comes to chat with me to alleviate the boredom and we find out that we have even more in common than we thought. Despite my initial hatred and misgivings about her, she is shaping up into quite the girl. I like her and I suppose, reluctantly, I am glad that if it was anyone Devon was forced to sire, it was her. But she too succumbs to sleep after a few hours, as did everyone else. Fan-bloody-tastic.
After a quick refuel in New York, we land in London six hours later and I am the first off the jet as usual. More so than usual as I’m now feeling like a caged Dragon.
Chapter 15
We pull up to my estate, an eight-bedroom manor house in Buckinghamshire with four acres of garden and woods at the back. Perfect for our needs over the next couple of days.
We pile in and I sigh. “It’s nice to feel like being at home again,” I say as Cole wraps his arms around me.
“This place is great. Very country mansion,” he says, taking in the dark wood panels and floor and the red carpeted stairs. “I think I prefer it to our home in L.A,” he adds. I also think he prefers it to staying in the middle of the city, where he supposedly thinks it will look like the eleventh century.
I smile at his “our home” and tell him to go and get settled. I pull CK to the side and ask him if he is going to stay.
“You want me to?” he asks.
“Yes, I miss you.”
“Then I will not refuse your request,” he says with his made-for-me smile, that makes my heart skip a beat and my body to respond to him as he pulls me close. “I want you. I hate not being able to have you whenever I want you.”
“I will come to you soon. I need you too.”
“Are you ready for me?” he asks me quietly in my ear.
“Always,” I murmur back, and he chuckles.
“And yet you will make me wait for you.”
He is challenging me, and I shiver, half of me wanting to throw caution to the wind and take him upstairs with me right now. He sees it flash across my face and grins wickedly. “Do you dare?” he whispers, and I whimper in restraint to his delight. “Oh, I will make you wait now, my sweet. I want you completely at my mercy.”
“You are a cruel, cruel man,” I say in jest and he laughs. He is still edgy, but he seems a bit more relaxed which is good. Hopefully he is getting over his itchiness.
“I have an errand,” he says. “I will see you later on.”
“Okay,” I say, knowing better than to ask as he won’t tell me anyway. I squeeze his hand and turn on my heel to let him watch me walk away, which he does, all the way to the top of the stairs and I feel a slight sense of triumph.
I find Cole in our bedroom, which he found with no problem and he points to the bed, “It’s exactly the same.”
“Not quite,” I say. “There are slight differences but why mess with perfection?”
“I agree,” he says, taking my face in his hands and giving me a searching look. “It will feel like home to sleep with you here tonight.”
“We could always sleep now,” I say suggestively, meaning anything but.
“I have an errand to run but I will be back soon and then I will take you up on that.”
Another errand? “What kind of errand?” I ask him, thinking I may get an answer from him, but he smiles secretively.
“Nothing for you to worry about. Just business. Now, I am going to be magnanimous and send you to Lincoln while I am away. Perhaps if he spends time with you now, we will be left alone later.”
“You want me to go to Lincoln?” I ask, wondering if I heard right.
He nods. “I will be gone a few hours, that should give you plenty of time.”
“Err, okay,” I say as he pushes me towards the door, wondering what the fuck is going on here. I look back at him and he smiles at me and turns to change. Well, not one to look too far into the gift horse’s mouth…again, I knock on the door next to ours and Lincoln opens it.
“Hi,” he says. “Can we go outside for a bit?”
“Of course,” I say, and he leads me back downstairs and out of the library’s French doors to the expansive grounds.
“Where are you two off to?” Xane asks idly from the terrace, having already found his way outdoors.
“None of your business,” Lincoln snaps and Xane raises his eyebrows at him.
“I didn’t think you were the possessive type, Wolf,” he says.
“That is about to change. Everything is about to change around here,” he says, flexing his broad shoulders. “That includes you keeping your dick in your pants around my Alpha.”
“Lincoln!” I say to him, aghast, thankful that there was no one else around to hear him say that. I am momentarily distracted as I glance around to double check for overhearing ears, by an interesting scene being played out on the driveway, some hundred meters away. CK, Sebastian, and Devon are arguing heatedly over something. I try to listen, but they are too far away, even for my super hearing. There is a lot of pointing and gesturing and I take a step towards them to find out what the problem is, when my attention is drawn back by a loud, very wolf-type growl from Lincoln. Which, in fact, is a wolf growl as he has Shifted and is snarling at Xane, who looks much like he is about to Shift himself–although into what I have no idea, as he has never shown me his true Demonic form. He must have one though, he can’t look all gorgeous and like butter wouldn’t melt in the heat of battle. I don’t get left waiting for long to find out, as a quick flash goes over him but only for a second, maybe two, before he shakes his shoulders out and resumes his normal features. But fuck me. I’m quite glad that he did, as I probably would have run a mile had
he maintained the Shift. As near as I could tell, he looked like a ten-foot sized Dragon on two legs, wings included. I step forward to diffuse this situation and put a hand on Lincoln to calm him. He growls at me, but I growl back at him and he bows his head in apology, whimpering into my hand as I look at Xane.
He grimaces at me and says, “Get him under control.”
“I will, don’t provoke him though.”
“I didn’t. He just came out with that accusation.”
“In all fairness, it’s not an accusation. He knows,” I say quietly.
“Oh really? I thought you wanted it under wraps,” he says, pleased.
“I do, but Lincoln and I have a special connection. That day after The Thirteen nightmare, with us in the shower? He saw what we have.”
“And what did he see?” he asks as he steps closer, ignoring the roar and gnashing of teeth from Lincoln.
“I am sure I don’t need to spell it out,” I say. “Now I do need to go and…” I tilt my head to Lincoln, whose sinewy muscles are rippling down his flanks. “He needs to run.”
“Go. I will catch up with you later. I want to talk more about this.”
“And I want to talk more about what I just saw.” I indicate him up and down.
He looks embarrassed and shrugs. “I was hoping you wouldn’t see that for a while yet.”
“Why? You have seen my Shifts. It’s only fair.”
“That side is a vicious side. I don’t want you to see it,” he says shortly.
“Don’t be silly,” I say softly. “It is a part of you.”
He nods swiftly and turns back to the house without another word and I let Lincoln go and he shoots off towards the woods, leaving me to follow at a more sedate pace in my heels. I kick them off as I look back towards the driveway, but it is empty now and both cars are gone. I shrug it off and, keeping my eye on Lincoln, who has stopped on the edge of the woods to see if I am following, I answer my phone which is buzzing in my jeans pocket.
“Cade, what can I do for you?”
“Are you safe?” he asks without bothering with pleasantries.
“Perfectly fine, thank you.”
“I don’t like being away from you.”
“Oh, how sweet, you miss me,” I say.
“Not like that,” he grumbles.
“Sure, whatever,” I sing-song to him to his annoyance. “Have you found anything out?”
“Yes, Nico has said they are sending a team in. In fact, they are already in London.”
“How many?” I ask, only slightly concerned about the team of Hunters being sent to kill me, or whatever it is they plan to do.
“Six. The best six, not Hunters though.” He sounds worried.
“But you are better. Just get here as soon as you can. What are they then if not Hunters?”
“Assassins. Way worse. I am on my way; we landed an hour ago, but that airport is manic. Nico is going as fast as he can. Geez, these roads are tiny and busy,” he complains.
“No worries. Nico knows where to come. I will be on the grounds but don’t disturb. I have some nurturing to do,” I say with a smile and he laughs.
“Fine, you go nurture. We’ll see you in a bit.” He hangs up and I pocket my phone. I look up and remember that there is no shadow cover over the grounds here. Good thing we are isolated, but I turn in a circle, arms outstretched and say the spell, borrowed from the Grimoire this time, and a rush of smoke comes out of both my hands as I spin, twirling it up into a vortex that branches out over the estate and with a soft “thwump” bounces and shimmers into nothing. We are now protected from prying eyes. Nicely done, if I do say so myself. I have reached the edge of the woods by this time and I decide to Shift myself to Wolf form. Putting my phone on a low-level tree branch, I concentrate and the next minute I am on all fours shaking out my golden fur and picking up Lincoln’s scent the second my nose hits the ground. I snuffle after him. It is faint so he must have gone quite far so I pick up my pace, anxious to get to him now. The scent gets stronger the deeper into the woods I go and soon I am almost on top of it. I am in a clearing. A small patch of grass, free from trees and debris with a heavy canopy of leaves high up above. It is gloomy and cold. I feel it in this form. I look around for him, but I can’t see him. I let out a low rumble and he comes to me almost instantly, peering at me with his beautiful green eyes. I remember what he wanted to do to me on the full moon and pang of nerves shoots through me. He feels it and steps back. He shakes his head and Shifts back. He scratches me behind my ears and chuckles, “Don’t worry if you aren’t ready for that. Shift back.”
I step back from him and Shift and he is in my arms, knocking me to the damp floor, our naked bodies entwining around each other in desperate need as he kisses me.
“I need you,” he says, and I open my legs in response, but he shakes his head.
“Turn around. I know you are nervous to do it as a Wolf, but I can still take you this way now.”
I do as he says and, kneeling in the clearing, he pushes on my back as he enters me and I moan, “Oh, yes, Linc.”
“You are so wet, so warm. I love this,” he whispers as he slides roughly into me.
Intent only on his own pleasure for a few moments until he brings his hand around to play with my clit, pleasure shoots through me as I bury my fingers into the wet grass. I am so caught up in what he is doing to me, I am surprised when he grabs my butt cheek with his other hand and inserts his thumb into me. Slowly at first, but then with the same pulsing movement as his hips and his fingers now rubbing against me, I explode around him, coating him with my desire and he moans, “Oh, do you like that, baby?”
“Yes,” I say breathlessly as he continues to rub and pulse in three different spots, all in a perfect matching rhythm, which is driving me crazy. “More,” I pant, and he speeds up, driving into me now, bruising my knees against the hard floor. He removes his thumb and slings his arm under me, holding me steady as he brings his knee forward and slowly lowers me to the ground, all the while thrusting into me harder and faster. My breasts hit the damp grass and I open my legs wider for him now in this position, as braces his weight on his hands on either side of me. I cry out at the sensation of his enormous cock rubbing against my G-spot at this angle and with a wave of pure pleasure, I come again and then again as he thrusts a final time into me, coming with a loud howl before he lowers himself to the ground next to me.
“Fuck me, Linc. You are good,” I say as I turn into him, resting my head on his chest, listening to his slowing breathing.
“So are you. Christ, Liv, you make me feel things I could only have ever dreamed about before I met you. There are so many things I want to do to you.”
“Like what?” I say, smiling against his skin.
“Everything and anything,” he replies.
“Well, I rarely say no.”
“I know. That’s one of the reasons I love fucking you,” he says with a wicked smile.
“I want you again,” I say, climbing on to him.
“You’ll have to give me a minute,” he laughs.
“Bet I have you inside me in under sixty seconds,” I whisper as I crawl down him and take him in my mouth. He grows hard quickly as I massage his balls and he grabs me by the hair, pulling me up and flipping me gently over, thrusting into me in a swift move as he kisses me. “You win,” he says as he moves slowly inside me. I push him over and ride him, delighting in his size.
“Bite me,” he says, sitting up, and I drop my fangs, eager to oblige. I pierce his flesh and suckle slowly as he moans.
I release him and murmur, “I love the way you taste. I love biting you and fucking you. I love the way you make me feel, so safe, so happy, so loved.” I run my hands down his chest as he whimpers at me, carefully scratching me with his claws down my sides, mindful of V.A. on my back. “You are so sexy,” I say, staring deep into his eyes and his lips part in desire. I push my tongue into his mouth and match my rhythm now, tongue to hips.
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��Oh fuck, I love you,” he says around my mouth. “I want you to be mine.”
“I am yours,” I say, taking his face in my hands,
“All mine,” he says. “All mine.” He pulls my legs out to wrap around him, drawing him even closer into me. I come suddenly as he shifts deeper into me and he follows soon after as I tell him I love him.
We collapse back to the ground and I kiss his chest. “I feel so much better now,” he says with a smile.
“So do I. I have missed you.”
“I suppose we had better get up and get back to the house,” he sighs.
“No, not yet. I want a few more minutes in your arms.”
“I like that plan,” he says, contented.
“Linc?” I say after a few minutes. “Don’t fight with Xane.”
“I won’t. I told you I am not going to interfere. It was the Wolf talking.”
“Okay, good. I, err, I’m not going to try to break the bond,” I say, sitting up.
“Liv,” he says, rubbing his hand over his face. “Is that such a good idea?”
“Probably not, but I cannot deny what we have anymore. It hurts,” I say quietly.
He looks at me, concerned. “Hurts? As in physically?”
“Yes,” I admit this reluctantly.
“I see,” he says thoughtfully. “Well, I will try my best to support you, but if it comes out, I fear there will be little I can do.”
“Oh, Linc. I do love you. You are the best friend a girl could have. You are my special secret-keeper,” I say it with a smile, and he twinkles at me.
“Secret-keeper? I think I like that. I like having secrets with you.”
“And you have more power than you give yourself credit for.”
He shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t like to throw my weight around. There is enough of that going on.”
“You can say that again,” I say dryly.
He stiffens and snaps his head to the side, pushing me off him as he sits up.
“What is it?” I ask softly, trying to sense what he is but coming up short.