Ripping pain punched through his chest at the return of those memories, those moments when she had looked at him with such calm intent as the mountain began to crash around them. He cradled her face in his hands. “Never again, little human,” he said, his voice roughened. “You must live. That is my one truth in this world. You must live, even should all others die.”
She shook her head, an instant negation of his words. “But I can’t live without you. I don’t want to. And I’m terrified to think I might end up being the cause of your death.”
With cat-quick feet, rage began to overtake pain. She could not…she could not… “What are you suggesting? That you leave? Me?”
His hands prevented her from turning her head, so she settled for closing her eyes, the circles beneath them a blue-black smudge against her pale skin. “I’m not saying that – don’t put words in my mouth. But it still hurts, that my selfishness endangers you. I love you so much, I can’t bare-”
“No!” How could this evening have gone so horribly wrong? His woman, his mate, thinking of leaving him? Never.
Never.
She had taken him into her heart and her body, had pushed past all barriers and filled the empty places within him with laughter and warmth, and now she talked of taking that away? For what? Pathetic fear? Fear for him? No, she should fear for any enemy who would dare approach her, fear the pain and death he would bring to them.
He was gargoyle. Skin and marrow and bone he offered for protection, a path awash with the red tide of enemy’s blood.
Instinct, ancient and demanding, hot and molten, flared within him.
He was gargoyle. Tonight, his mate would learn exactly what that meant.
Chapter Four
‡
Before her, Terak’s wings flared as they did in battle, and the sense of danger she’d been experiencing all night increased a hundredfold. “Terak?”
“You think me so weak I cannot protect my mate?” His voice was a low wash of sound, a growl which caused enemies to tremble in fear.
She was trembling. But fear? No. No, it was something else in her responding to the vibrations of his tone, a deep feminine instinct to this side of him – a side she had often seen in battle, but never here in their bedchamber.
He loomed over her, huge and hard, a male in his prime, a leader who bowed to no one. A warrior god, and she stood before him a sacrifice.
How had she ever forgotten how overwhelming he was? Those hands, strong enough to crush her, stroked the length of her throat in slow, deliberate movement, the light press of calloused fingertips scraping against her flesh accelerating her heartbeat.
He stepped closer, engulfing her, surrounding her, and now his claws, light and sure, running over the thin fabric of her shirt – over her arms, down her back, the slow strokes prickling the skin underneath which strained towards his touch. “This is mine,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I will lay low any who seek to separate me from you.”
“Terak?” Was that her voice, so high and unsure?
“Take these off,” and dark warning threaded itself through his words. “Or have them ripped off.”
His face was inches above her, the hard glint in his eyes assuring her nothing he said tonight was for effect. Without conscious thought trembling fingers came to the buttons on her shirt, and one by one she undid the fastenings, all the while his eyes followed the movement with fearsome intensity.
The shirt skimmed her arms and fell from her body, and now her bra…and here she paused to take in the pure possession in his face, which only grew as his gaze rested on the slope of her breast, still covered in sky-blue satin.
His arms shot out, gathering her wrists above her head in one hand, and his mouth descended over her nipple. The rough wetness of his tongue could be felt through the thin material, and Larissa groaned, head falling back and eyes shutting against his ministrations.
His mouth was firm and warm and wet, giving her small, firm nips through the material between the long, firm stroke of his tongue.
Marking me. He’s marking me.
This was so unlike him. He was always gentle with her, touching her as if she were fragile glass. Gentle was not the word she would use now.
Rip of fabric, and cool air hit her wet nipples. Now his mouth covered her, the nip from his teeth sharper, the pull in her belly deeper now that there were no barriers, only his mouth on her.
First on her breasts, then he lifted his head so his mouth covered hers, a controlled plundering where he dominated, forcing her mouth wide, the smallest scrape of fang eliciting a gasp and a swirl of heat through her belly.
Her wrists were released, and claws traveled down her back, dragged her jeans down the length of her legs in an explosive burst of movement, leaving her in front of him in only her underwear.
Without warning he turned her, moving her at his pleasure. She leaned against him, her back to his chest. His mouth was hot where neck met shoulder while the tips of his claws played with her nipples, the tiny nip of pain tightening them to pointed tips. His tail curled around her calf, warm and strong and supple, massaging the sensitized length of her leg.
“Are you mine, Meyja?” His voice was urgent, rough. “Will you leave me?”
Reason prodded against the murky swirl caused by the myriad of sensation in her body. That’s what this was about? He was scared she might leave? “Never, I swear. Terak, I’m yours.”
One hand left her breast to run across her stomach, never going low enough for her. She canted her hips upwards, but he remained in control, not allowing her any relief. She tried to rub back against him, but he held her away, his hold firm.
His tail moved up her leg, moving against her in sinuous rhythm, urging her legs apart, a demand she eagerly complied with, and she sobbed in relief as finally, finally, he rubbed against the edge of her clit.
Wave after wave of sensation crashed through her. Terak brought his wings in front of them and surrounded her, enveloped her. Her senses were filled with him, the sharp point of his teeth against the back of her neck while his hands continued to play with her breasts, pinching just to the point of pain, before rubbing over the hard nub in pure sensuous caress, and during all this his tail firm and strong against her, making her tense in near release and then it would still, slow, let the mounting sensation abate and leave her to cry out in frustration.
“Are you mine?” came the dark velvet whisper in her ear.
“Yes.” Her answer was a sob, a supplication. Anything to have him finish.
One final hard press of his tail, and then the wings opened and the tail withdrew, and he bent her over the bed and thrust into her. It might be the position, or it might be he was so overpowering, using her as he wished, but he felt huge inside her, almost uncomfortable as her body adjusted to him.
There was no gentleness. His hand against her shoulder blades bent her deeper into the bed, tilted her hips higher, and his body owned hers with each forceful motion of his hips.
The clamp of his teeth on the nape of her neck pushed her over into orgasm, her body shaking so hard Terak faltered for a moment before he resumed his motions, hard and firm and fast, working her body for every last shudder of pleasure.
Even as her body came down from the high, Terak still moved, still pushed into her with his full strength. There was no respite. Her body barely had the final tremor of pleasure when he pulled out and flipped her onto her back, gathering her legs over his shoulders and sliding into her again.
He bent low over her, his mouth capturing hers again. Her nerve-endings were so sensitized it was too much – his mouth, the heat of him, the thrust of his body, the scrape and slide of skin against hers. Her mind was pure white, any rational thought quieted. All that remained was primal longing. Her mate fucking her, using her, forcing her to submit, burying himself in her and marking her with sweat and come.
He pulled up and took her legs from over his shoulders and pushed her knees to her chest before parting them.
She followed his gaze and gasped to see herself so open, see in full measure his cock sliding in her, disappear into her and his pelvis crushed against hers for a moment before he slid out, his skin slick and wet and shining from her. He groaned above, and as if her gaze spurred him on his hips moved even faster, and he asked “Are you going to come again, mate? Do you wish me to let you come again?”
Where had this dominating male been hiding inside her gentle gargoyle? He owned her, and with every word he showed he reveled in it. She raised her arms, curled her nails in the hard mass of his biceps. She licked her lips, and would have smiled at the answering groan if she wasn’t panting. “Yes, mate. Let me come.”
“If I do, will you take my cock in that hot little mouth and swallow me down?”
Oh fuck. It was too much, and once again her orgasm surprised her, shook through her body and tightened every muscle as if an electric current was flowing through her.
He slowed, kept working her through every aftershock, as her body bowed and shuddered under him. He moved until she let out one last low groan and relaxed.
Only then did he withdraw, letting her legs fall back on the bed. Only then did he gather his cock in his hand and moved up her body, moving to her side and presenting it in front of her mouth.
She took it eagerly as she lay there, swallowing it down in one long stroke. The taste was pure eroticism, her taste strong at first but then the smell and sensation that was pure Terak coming through.
In this she answered the question he had been asking her all night, by her total submission to him and his needs. Her tongue stroked over the hard flesh while her throat massaged him in the deepest way possible.
His groans grew louder with every moment, and it wouldn’t be long before he would come. She worked harder, wanting him to come so she could swallow.
His hands wandered over her face, worked through her hair, his fingers flexing to grab hold of the curls. He grabbed tight and guided her movements, held her close while he pushed his cock down her throat. The movements were slow and deliberate, controlled enough so no harm came to her, but insistent, dominating. His voice was dark and rough, velvet scraping over rubble. “My mate. My love. Mine.” And then his growls, the most erotic sound in the Realms, as his back bowed and his wings flared, and she drank him down, greedy, hungry, wanting every part of him.
When she gazed upwards, it was to the site of his head thrown back, his chest rising and falling in deep movement. As if sensing her eyes, his gaze came down to meet hers, but it was not completion in his face. Instead, it was sharper, fiercer, the hunger in him not yet satisfied. He glanced down her body and his lip curled, a snarl emitting from his throat.
She followed his gaze, and a heat that came from embarrassment crept through her body. Her legs were sprawled open in wanton invitation, the curls between her legs noticeably damp. Before she could close them his hand was there, his fingers invading her, pushing inside her receptive body.
“Terak,” she said, voice a small plea.
In swift movement, he gathered her two hands in his one and pressed them above her head. The continued domination had the same effect as it had all night, making her grow wetter around his thick fingers. “No, little human. For all of tonight, you are mine.”
Chapter Five
‡
She woke to Terak’s claws raking through her hair and her body deliciously sore, well-used in the best sense.
His strokes were gentle and bordering on hesitant. So her gargoyle was back to himself, having left the demons which drove him last night to the darkness. She shifted so she was lying on her back, looking up towards Terak.
His eyes were hooded, and he wore no smile on his face. And when he voiced a somber, “Larissa,” she knew what was going on in his head – and she was going to put a stop to it.
“You didn’t hurt me. Everything we did last night was something I wanted.”
“I was too rough-”
“Did I say no? Did I say stop? Go away? I don’t want this?” With every question she awaited his acknowledgement, waited for him to shake his head, and after he had done so, she continued, “If there is one thing I know, I know you would tear off your wings with your own hands before you would ever harm me. You are my mate, Terak. You are my love and my beloved. And you are a gargoyle. So if that means things get a little…” and here Larissa faltered, images and sensations pressing against her, cutting off the righteous indignation and reminding her how wanton and carnal she behaved last night. Heat traveled over her body, a mingling of renewed desire and embarrassment.
Strange, but it was this reaction that seemed to finally relax Terak, more so than her verbal defense. His body lost the taut gravity, replaced with smug satisfaction. “So my mate enjoyed what I did to her last night?”
“Don’t get cocky,” she shot back, not giving him the satisfaction of looking away, no matter the burn in her cheeks meant there was a good chance she looked like she had a sunburn. “I’m not here to stroke your ego.”
He bent down and brushed his lips over hers. “No,” his voice a deep, wicked whisper. “You stroked other things, did you not?”
Last night he was in charge, but now she was back in the game. “I think it was you who was doing the stroking. All I had to do was open my legs, and there you were, every part of you, rubbing over me to make me wet and make me beg.” She leaned up, giving his earlobe a gentle bite before whispering, “I was begging my mate to let me come. I begged him to make me feel like only he can. You’re so big all over, and only you can fill me. You like filling me, don’t you? You like pushing into me when I’m wet and dripping for you?”
“Yesss.” It was almost painful, how he sounded now, and unlike last night, he was at her mercy. Time to flip him over and ride him like a bucking bronco.
Which is what she did. She barely had to push before he was on his back, and their mingled groans when she lifted her hips and joined with him told how ready they both were for this.
Last night was dominance, was pushing fear away with physical mastery. Now was recommitment, as his hands on her hips steadied and lifted her, as her hands on his chest moved in caressing strokes across his skin while she accepted and loved him in the most primal way a female could with a male.
Larissa took him deep, relishing each slide of flesh and the groans that came from deep inside him, telling of how much of a hold she had over him. Her gaze locked with his, and she willed him to see everything – love and devotion and that she would never falter, would never, to the end of her days, leave his side. He was hers, and she was his, and nothing would change that.
His breathing became ragged and her body responded, everything in her tightening to match his quickening rhythm. He pushed her back against him faster, harder, and her nails scored his chest as her body was abused in the most pleasurable way imaginable.
Terak surged upwards into her, once, twice, and a loud, long growl erupted as he emptied himself into her, her muscles tightening around him as she found her own release, her cries lost in his.
Collapsing against him, Larissa drifted, only peripherally aware of the cooling sweat on her skin and her labored breaths in the still morning air.
“What you do to me, little human.” The voice was rough, though the humor was unmistakable.
“And I plan to keep doing it to you for a very long time, because I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.” Larissa pushed up, looking down at her lover’s face. “I’m scared, Terak. I’m not ashamed to admit that. We’re in the midst of something big. I hate that you’re in danger – I’m allowed to hate that, I’m allowed to hate I’m a danger to you – but I can’t leave you. So I listen to my warrior mate when he tells me how to stay safe, and I take every precaution to make sure I never do something stupid that puts you at risk.”
The look in his eyes – adoration, gratitude, devotion – kept her enthralled. “I will gladly take every danger known to keep you at my side. Never leave me, Larissa. Not even to p
rotect me.”
Her beautiful gargoyle. She leaned down, bestowing on him the most gentle, most loving kiss she could, willing every emotion she felt for her protector to be expressed through breath, lips, skin. “You by my side, and I’m at yours, and we’ll never leave, no matter what else happens in this world. Right?”
His fangs brushed against her lips, his claws raked down her back, and his tail wound around both their ankles, binding the two of them together. “Right…”
The End
The Cage King
Chapter One
‡
It was in the alleys she had discovered his fear of the dark. As they huddled together, rats unseen but heard scurrying in corners, so dark not even a sliver of moonlight penetrated, he shook. Her big brother shook, tremors he tried to hide by holding her tighter, and all the while he swore, he swore, he was going to get them to a place light and open, where you could take a breath without the stench of garbage and shit.
And where had he ended up? A coffin – small, confined, deep in the deepest dark of the earth, crammed in with so many others, the gravestones not a hands width from each other.
The bump of magic across her skin brought Nalah back to the now, where she was not in a graveyard on the day of her brother’s funeral but wandering familiar and loathed streets. This ability to know magic was the one constant in her life, a life that saw her and her brother moving from shelter to shelter. It was a crawl of heated sensation with a dancing, jagged edge – deep warmth with sharp little teeth.
Ahead of her, the pawn shop. A week ago Nalah came here with the only thing of value they owned, the ring her mother could never let go of, had worked three jobs and yet refused to sell. It had been her mother’s mother’s mother’s, and maybe further back than that. Mama had died too young to tell all the stories, but the one she’d never failed to tell – as she’d wrapped her daughter’s and her son’s little hands around the golden band with bright red stones and pressed so hard the ring left an impression on skin – was of how special that ring was, how they must never lose it.
Entwined Realms Volume One Page 30