"No, I'm not bloody done." I stab a finger in his chest. "You're jealous that I went off with Rafael, and then I pretended to kiss him—Ah!" His hold on my neck tightens. The air flow cuts off and my lungs burn.
"Hawke." The word catches in my throat.
"Are you aware that your orgasm lengthens to thrice as much intensity if I choke you while fucking you?"
I open my mouth and he drops his lips to mine, blows down my throat, while letting go of his hold. I suck in a breath; oxygen from our shared breath rushes into my starved lungs. My dragon fire roars up and the wings on my back separate.
I yank and he releases me. And make no mistake, I am free because he allowed me to break away. He nods, "I am your master."
I snarl, stumble back.
"You feel me, little Ember?" He props his hands on his hips, widens his stance. His biceps bulge; his powerful legs are as strong as tree-trunks. "What are you going to do now? You going to fly away, dragon girl?" He moves forward and I lurch back.
My toenails extend, my scalp tightens, and scales push up against my skin. "Stay where you are, Hawke."
He laughs. "You don't tell me what to do. You never," he steps forward, "tell me what to do." He hooks a finger in my collar, and tugs.
I lose my footing, and fall against him.
"You feel me, Char?"
"No."
I twist my body, and the collar parts. Buttons pop, fall to the ground. My shirt tears in the front with a whine, and I snap my wings out.
"What are you going to do, huh?" He cracks his neck. "You going to finally transform into the beast that you are? You going to embrace your animal self? Show me how close you are to your base self?"
My vision tunnels and all of my senses pop. The dragon fire screams over my skin. I throw my head back and scream, then the fire bursts up. I lower my head—my mouth elongates, my nose narrows, my hair snaps back, into scales. My entire body folds in, then elongates into my dragon self.
With a screech, I open my jaws. Golden-green flames pour out of me, blanketing the man in front of me. I snap my wings out, arch my neck up, then I take off.
I flap my wings, push back, soar up, higher up. I tear past the clouds, keep going, fold my wings back, reducing resistance. I shoot up until my wings deaden with tiredness. My speed decreases. My scales stiffen. The burning heat inside of me recedes to be replaced by...guilt, turmoil. What did I do? I transformed into my dragon self and burned my mate. I open my jaws and screech. My heart stutters. The mating chord throbs against my ribcage. Is he alive? He has to be alive. He can't be gone. Not my Hawke.
Why did he push me?
Taunt me.
Press exactly the buttons that would shove me over the edge.
He'd forced me to snap the final barriers that had held the remnants of what I had been in place. He'd peeled back all of my layers...exposing the lonely, scared girl that I was. Except.
I’m not lonely. He is with me.
I’m not scared, for he cherishes me.
I trust him to hurt me, to take the lead, and allow me to come into my own self. He accepts me as I am. And... I am not a girl. I am a woman. His woman. Hawke's mate.
I spread my wings, slow my speed, lean forward, then pull back my wings, forcing my body to turn. For a second, I stay suspended, then gravity pulls me down. I hurtle toward the man who means everything to me. My heart races and my pulse pounds. Adrenaline laces my blood. I am coming, my darling. My master. My other half.
51
Hawke
I scan the skies, searching for a sign. A flash of color. A streak of green-gold fire. Something, anything to indicate my mate is coming back to me. She will; she has to. When I had pushed her to transform... The fuck had I been thinking? I tug at my hair and pain slithers down my spine. I focus on it, use it to ground myself.
That's it. I had done what was right for her. She had to embrace her dragon form...completely. She had to be complete. Charley, in all of her glory—sassy, irresistible, annoying little Ember. Mine—who had crawled under my skin, lodged herself in my gut...who had flown away after breathing fire all over me. I shake my head. She had been glorious. Her scales of gold and green had caught the sunlight and blinded me... As she had taken off.
Her fire hadn't harmed me—I am her mate, after all... Except... I glance down... Yeah, it had burned off my clothes, leaving me in the form I prefer anyway. Naked. In the middle of this fucking complex. Maybe it’s not ideal. I begin to pace back-forth-back. I should probably get inside and put something on. Or... I turn to the building that houses the infirmary. I should get in there and welcome the newest arrival to the Fae Corps team... Except... Yeah. None of that matters. Nothing matters, except her.
I hunch my shoulders, lower myself to my knees. Fuck, I blew it. Admit it. You pushed her to transform too fast...too quickly, before she was ready. Me and my fucking impatience... I had followed my instincts...and she had been right. I had been jealous about her and Rafael. Not that I doubted her—not for one second. She is mine... She knows it.
I squeeze my eyes shut, drop into the core of the mating chord. It throbs, writhes, glows against my ribcage.
Charley?
I swallow.
Char?
Nothing. Silence. Fuck. I drop my chin to my chest, fold my fingers together. Is there a higher force somewhere out there? Someone... Anyone... If there is a God... Or something that dictates destiny... Please... Let her return to me. Please.
Silence.
A beat.
Another.
Hawke?
I snap my eyes open, glance up at the approaching speck. It hurtles toward me, a flash of gold, silver sparks trailing in its wake. The sun hides behind a cloud. The outline grows more distinct. Wings fanned out, flickers of green dance off of her scales. She snaps her wings, circles the space...closer, closer. She propels herself past the rooftop of the Fae Complex, her body straight as an arrow. Aimed at me. My chest swells and my heart thumps in my throat. I rise to my feet as she comes in to land.
A gust of wind buffets me as my magnificent dragon shifter alights. Her clawed feet slap on the ground. Her wings spread out. Dust swirls over her, bathing me in grit and pebbles. I walk into it, and approach her. She folds her wings; her luminous green eyes fix on me. Her eyes. So much Charley, and yet so much...more. Luminous, glowing with an inner awareness. She watches me approach.
I pause in front of her, reach up a hand.
She bends her head and allows me to touch her snout.
Her irises blink vertically. And I'm instantly hard. Heat swells my veins as adrenaline spikes my blood. My groin tightens and the mating chord in my chest flares. Sparks of gold travel through our joined souls—connecting, tightening, firming, knotting us together.
She tosses her head. Then there's a shimmering in the air, which dissolves to reveal Charley. A gloriously nude Char—my Ember, my heart—who walks toward me. She halts close enough for our feet to bump, "Thank you."
"For what?" I frown.
"For helping me find myself."
"You did it all by yourself... I was the..."
"Catalyst?" She asks.
"An obnoxious alphahole who forced you over the edge."
A beautiful smile lights up her face. "You are my alphahole."
"Damn right, I am." I hold out my arms and she jumps up and into my embrace. She wraps those glorious legs around my waist, thrusts her gorgeous breasts into my chest. Her hair flows about her—rippling, shining, curling over my shoulders, tying me to her. I dip my head and kiss her. She parts her lips and I sweep my tongue in. I drink from her. I open myself—mind and body and soul. The mating bond snaps tighter, cocooning us, joining us. I tear my mouth from hers. "I fucking love you, Char."
She giggles. "I fucking love you, Hawke."
The sound of clapping greets us. Jess runs out of the infirmary. She stops before Charley. "Oh, my god, I saw that. You transformed?"
"I did."
"And." She glances a
t the now-healed wound on Charley's neck, then at me. "And you two are...?"
"Mated." I cuddle Charley closer and she melts into my chest.
"We are," she confirms.
A breath I had not been aware of holding whooshes out. Jesus. This woman—she's going to have me on edge, always. And I love it. I tip her chin up and kiss her. "You're fucking gorgeous."
"And you can be charming when you set your mind to it." Charley smiles, leans into the kiss.
Jess clears her throat and I lean away from Char, set her on the ground next to me.
Jess tosses me some clothes then thrusts a bundle at her sister. "I beat the rest to get this to you."
Char hesitates. "Not that I have a problem with nudity... I mean, now that I am able to transform to my dragon self and all, what's the point of wearing clothes if I'm going to be tearing them apart when I shift?"
"You'll learn to shift with the clothes intact," Jess explains.
I frown, "Besides, no way, am I allowing any other man to see you naked."
She swipes her hair over her shoulder.
I glare at her and she scowls.
Then her lips curve. "Fine." She grabs the clothes from her sister. "I'll do it for you, Big Guy."
Jess' mouth opens and closes. "Wow, Charley doing the right thing?"
I smirk.
Charley shrugs into the dress. "Don't look so pleased."
Dante prowls out of the infirmary building. "I see you two finally made it?" He halts halfway to us.
Tristan walks up to stand next to Jess. He folds her in his embrace. She snuggles in and he jerks his chin at us. "You guys are late."
Gabriel stalks out of the building to flank Dante. "You missed all the excitement."
"I don't know." I smirk, then plant myself in front of my mate, "We had some excitement of our own to deal with."
Charley giggles.
Rafael stalks out of the infirmary and walks toward us. I glare at him. He raises his hands, "Whoa, easy there. Just wanted to say how happy I am that you two finally decided to hook up."
I jerk my chin at him. "No shit. And you can say your piece from right there."
Charley digs her fingernails into my shoulder. "Be nice."
I growl. "What-fucking-ever."
She peers around me. "Thanks, Rafe."
He smiles at her. I grimace. For Ember's sake, I'll put up with him...on occasion.
Charley rubs her cheek against my side, "How's Alice doing?"
"Speaking of," I scan their faces, "where's Doc?"
Dante and Gabriel look at each other, then turn. I look toward the entrance of the infirmary. Doc walks up to stand in the doorway. He's wearing his scrubs, and in his arms is a tiny...baby. He holds up the infant, "It's a girl."
"Oh, my god, she's adorable." Charley moves forward, when a sound behind us has me swinging around. I angle my body to shield her.
A girl staggers up the lawn. Her hair is matted, her clothes torn. She looks between us. "Charley?" she coughs.
My mate stiffens. "Do I...know you?" Charley asks.
The girl blinks. "It’s Lauren... You told me to find you if I made it out alive."
The girl stumbles. Rafael races forward, catching her before she crumples to the ground. He pushes her hair back from her face, "Where did you come from, hmm?"
52
"Have you ever heard someone say your name... like you were his...?"
-From Charley's secret diary
Charley
A month later
I pull in my wings and swoop down toward the beach. My neck draws in, my claws recede, and my scales fold in on themselves. The dragon fire inside of me banks, twines with the mating bond in my chest. The golden flames burn brightly, then fragment into tiny stars that cluster in a shimmering sphere close to my heart. My human form emerges as I touch down. My feet graze the sand and the momentum carries me forward as I race across the waves. The water splashes my skirt... Yep— I've learnt to shift with my clothes intact.
I run up the beach, toward the crowd of people near the barbecue. The air shimmers, the hair on the nape of my neck rises and, the oxygen in my lungs is sucked out... I gasp, then draw in a deep breath. My head spins as I increase my pace. I spring up and into the arms of the man who's teleported to meet me.
Hawke always knows where I am.
That mating bond we share alerts him to my presence... And guess what? It's not intrusive... Quite the opposite. It's the connection that grounds me, anchors me. He's the presence that gives me the freedom to be myself, to acknowledge my deepest, most perverse desires, to embrace my sexuality, to open myself for the pain and the pleasure and the trust that underlines our every interaction. His massive arms cradle me against his chest. His heart beats in sync with mine. His warmth surrounds me.
I laugh up at him. He grins.
"You're one badass dragon shifter, woman."
I chuckle, "And I don’t trust you when you go all sweet and complimentary."
"Me?" He touches his palm to his chest. "Nope. N-a-a-h."
I shake my head. "I'm not buying."
His smile lights up his gorgeous features. His amber eyes gleam and his lips curl. I gulp. That smirk of his... Moisture dampens my pussy.
His fingers crawl up my thigh and his knuckles brush against my swollen clit. I shiver.
"Panties, huh?"
He hooks a finger under the thin fabric and I huff, "Stop that." I wriggle my hips and he drags his thumb over my swollen center.
A flush of heat bathes my insides. "Hawke!"
"Hmm?" He dips his digit inside of my weeping channel.
"Jesus, Ember, you're soaking." His voice lowers to a snarl that lights up my nerve endings. All of my brain cells seem to fire at once.
"Your fault," I gasp. "Why do you have to be such a beautiful bastard?"
"Beautiful?" He frowns.
"Yeah, the shape of your jaw, the gorgeous tendons of your throat that move as you swallow, your sculpted 8 pack..."
"12 pack..."
"Is that a thing?"
"It is now."
I scowl. "Why do I bother to compliment you?"
"Because I'm—" He curls his finger inside of me, hitting that intimate spot, deep inside, which only he can...every single time. God damn the man—my alpha Fae. My mate. My eyes roll back in my head.
"—Irresistible?" His voice whispers over my lips, "Because I am the only one who can make you come in under a minute?"
He licks my mouth, presses little kisses to my cheek, over each closed eyelids.
"Because I love you, I feed off of your little moans, the sweet honey of your cunt..."
He adds a second finger, then a third. He grinds his palm over my throbbing clit and I buck. My back arches. I slam my head against his thick biceps.
"Come," he growls.
Moisture gushes out from my channel; a low keening cry boils up. He closes his mouth over mine, absorbs the sound. He swipes his tongue past my lower lip and sucks up every single subvocal of my pleasure. He pulls back and my head lolls against his shoulder.
"Open."
I part my lips. He slips his fingers inside and I obediently lick off my cum—combined with the salty taste of his skin, and that familiar darkness of his essence... It's pure sin.
"Hmm." I lick my lips; he leans in for another kiss. "Behave now." I pat his cheek, "We have a party to go to."
"Oh, I think we got the party started already."
I laugh, "Who'd have thought my grumpy alpha Fae had a sense of humor?"
"Oh, I have many other senses I can introduce you to." He waggles his eyebrows, lowers my body so my hip grazes the column of steel in his pants.
"Why, Mr. Alphahole, I do believe you started the celebrations early."
"Shall we ditch this gathering and get out of here?" he growls.
"Later." I cup his cheek. He turns his mouth into my palm and I shiver. "Stop, Hawke. They are waiting for us.
"Let them." He nibbles on my w
rist, and my pussy clenches. Jesus, there's a direct line from every part of him to that part of me.
"I promised Jess we'd put in an appearance.
"Hmmph.' His eyebrows draw down, "Ten minutes."
"An hour." I slap his shoulder. "It's Christmas, my love. We need to spend it with family."
"Who said so?"
"It's tradition. Besides, I want to cuddle the kids."
His features soften. "Have you thought anymore about having some of our own?"
"Umm." I brush at an imaginary speck on his shoulder. "I've mulled over it, yes."
"And?" His gaze brightens.
"And, I think, we should—"
"Hawke!" Footsteps approach, then Jess draws abreast. "Where have you two been?"
She looks between us.
Hawke scowls at me, "This conversation is not over."
"Oopsie." Jess blinks. "Did I interrupt something?"
"No." I lie.
"Yes." Hawke's jaw tics.
"Hawke, Charley." More footsteps sound, then Lily comes to stand beside us. She holds a baby in each arm.
"Sooo...sweet." I wriggle in Hawke's arms, anxious to hold a baby.
He glares at me, then to my relief, lowers me to my feet. His voice dips to a hush, "Later, babe." I shiver. He turns and stalks off.
"Whew," Jess fans herself, "that's some intense shit between you guys."
I arch an eyebrow, "You should talk, the way you and Tristan have your hands all over each other."
"Wait until the kids come along." Lily drops her head to kiss Mika's soft forehead.
"May I?" I glance at his twin.
Lily nods and I take Amber from her. "She's so cute." I stare into her tiny face.
Jess takes Mika from Lily, who rolls her shoulders. "They're growing heavier by the day."
"Lily?" Gabriel hails us, "Dinner's ready, you all."
Lily walks ahead and Jess and I follow, holding an infant each.
Kidnapped by the Fae: Paranormal Dark Fae Romance (Fae's Claim Book 5) Page 24