by London Casey
Chrys’ eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he described the calm that had enveloped his mind. A peace so encompassing, he knew he was going to die. Just when he thought he’d taken his last breath, Mahpiya spoke to him.
*I have come to protect and guide you, hoksila. I will be with you for as long as you wish. Do you accept me?*
At his mental nod, the image of the most majestic creature he’d ever seen, a huge and powerful African lioness, appeared behind his eyes. In that instant, the connection, the bond they shared to this very day, snapped into place.
*Take what I offer, my charge.*
The words preceded a ferocious surge of power that slammed into his physical body, giving him the strength to make it to the nearest road. Thankfully, a stranger stopped and took him to the hospital.
“Chrys, baby, are you crying?”
She shook her head, but a loud, slurpy sniff gave away how touched she was by his story.
“Chrys, you’re my mate and I want you more than anyone or anything. But…” He paused and took a breath. “My spirit guide is important to me. Can you accept both of us? I understand there are old fears that make you want to pull away from me and not trust me. I’m sorry for that, but can you let it go? Especially since neither of us meant to hurt one another.”
Her eyebrows rose a good inch.
“Yes, Chrys, you hurt me too. But I know you didn’t mean to and I forgave you a long time ago.”
Rahn sat quietly, stroking the short silky curls she sported so well. He swore he heard the gears turning in her head as she worked out her feelings. No problem. There was only one thing left to say.
“Chrys, I swear I’ll be yours for as long as you’ll have me, love. Take the time you need to think about it, but let me be clear. I don’t intend to take no for an answer.”
Chrys tried to stem the flow of tears, but simply couldn’t. She knew what it took to share something as intimate as a spirit guide, how important it was to guard such a special connection with a creature not of this world. But Rhan shared his Mahpiya without hesitation. Knowing Rahn’s spirit guide must have sensed Adonei by now, the tears ran faster down her cheeks—the man hadn’t asked a single question about her own special circumstances.
The fortified walls around her heart crumbled. All the fear and pain she’d kept closed inside melted away. Chrysalyn wanted him more than ever. But…
‘Adonei?’
Warmth trickled down their psychic bond.
*Go ahead, Chrysalyn. Share yourself with your mate. The result will be a love you have never imagined.*
It was all the encouragement she needed. She took in a shuttering breath and resisted the urge to wipe her face on the warm skin of Rahn’s chiseled pecs.
“Rahn,” she blubbered, so moved it didn’t enter her mind to be embarrassed. “I don’t need time to think about it, I know what I want. And that’s you. And I have a spirit guide too. His name is Adonei, an African lion.”
Rahn shifted enough to reach over to the nightstand and pass her a handful of tissues. Blowing rather unceremoniously, she cleaned her face, wiped away the tears…and her logical agent’s brain jumped into the silence.
Wait a minute. How much of a coincidence was it that Rahn’s spirit guide was an African lioness and hers was an African lion? Was she missing something here?
Suddenly, a pair of strong hands picked her up and placed her chest to chest, thighs spread, with a meaty erection pressed against her clit. Every curious thought trickled right out of her head when the man slid his hard cock back and forth across the little bundle of nerves, urging her body to release its slick, moist dew. Didn’t take long.
Oh lord. What had she been thinking about? Wait, Rahn’s lioness…
“Mate with me?” he asked softly. Leaning forward, a warm tongue wrapped around a plump nipple and tugged lightly. His hips moved slowly, sinuously, back and forth, rubbing, sliding, encouraging. “Chrys?”
“Oh god, yes,” she sighed. Head thrown back, she rose up on her knees just enough to make clearance for his upright shaft. She laced her fingers behind her head and watched his skilled fingers move over her sensitive skin. One hand gently spread her swelling pussy lips while the other eased the tip of his cock inside.
Then came a faint stirring in her mind. Adonei? How strange. This time her guide hadn’t left her as he had the other times she and Rahn had made love. This time, the second Rahn’s hard length disappeared inside her hungry pussy, she felt a presence join Adonei.
*Hello, wicincala. I am Mahpiya, come to aid our mates in your protection and guidance. I will be with you for as long as you wish. Do you accept me?*
‘You’ve come to aid our mates? I don’t understand,’ Chrys gasped as the head of her man’s cock parted her flesh.
Mahpiya answered her question almost before it fully formed in her head.
*Adonei is my mate. My charge, Rahn, is yours. I would join with both of you. And no, the males cannot hear us. This is a moment for just the two of us.*
‘What about later?’
*All will be explained in due time. Now is the time for mating. Do you accept me?*
‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
Suddenly the flame of desire between her and Rahn erupted into a conflagration of care and flat-out lust. Strong enough, powerful enough to singe her very soul. It was the merging, the mating of their spirit guides combined with her and Rahn’s joining.
Mahpiya’s rumbled purr subsided and Rahn’s rough-edged voice filled her ears.
“Ride me, Chrys. Ride my cock, love.”
Hands cupped underneath her backside, he lifted her until he was nothing more than a tease at her entrance. Raising his hips, he slammed her body down to meet his and sank deep inside. Again. And again. Until she was a trembling mass of need.
“That’s it, Chrys. Take it, take all of me.”
Hell, she didn’t think it was physically or spiritually possible to take anything more. Inside her head, she couldn’t see Adonei and Mahpiya mating, but she sure as hell sensed it. The loving was fierce, untamed. Wild. The sensation of feral heat zinged back and forth along the psychic bond with Adonei, now made doubly strong by Mahpiya’s presence.
It called to her and she opened herself to it completely, allowed it to surge through her blood. The need was so strong, she was filled with it. Brimming over until she expected the very cells underneath her skin to catch fire.
Her pussy tightened and clenched around her lover’s thrusting cock. Oh god, it was so good. So hot. So deliciously wanton.
“Damn, woman! Oh, yeah, just like that,” Chrys heard Rahn growl. His words only ratcheted up the heat as his molten length pistoned into her wet cunt with supernatural speed. And she received him with supernatural endurance. Whoa. Their guides had given them their power without asking? Reassurance flooded her soul and she knew this was part of the mating heat between them and their lions.
And it was damned near too much. Chrys couldn’t remember ever being this overwhelmed by a bout of sex in her life. It was out of this world. Literally.
“God, Rahn, you feel so good.”
“Then come for me, sweetheart. Bathe my cock.”
Her stomach muscles trembled and tightened in cadence with her pulsing sex. When his fingers left her breast and focused on her clit, she yelled to the rafters.
“I can’t,” she wailed. “It’s too much. It just feels too good. I can’t take it!”
“You can,” Rahn asserted. “And you will.” His voice was tight, rough. His fingers trembled and his chest rose and fell with deep, but erratic gusts. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one losing her mind.
The friction between their bodies was exquisite. He slammed into her, out of her, so fast that her juices ran down the inside of her thighs like the froth on her morning cappuccino.
“Oh god. Oh, shit. Rahn!”
“That’s it, baby. Give it to me. Give it to me, now.”
They orgasmed as one. His cock pulsed and exploded de
ep inside her just as her channel squeezed and milked him. Their worlds collided, bright and cataclysmic, leaving the earth trembling in the wake.
As Chrys drifted toward sweet oblivion, her mind was bathed with a soothing blanket of love. Mahpiya’s, Adonei’s. And Rahn’s.
Rahn rolled over and reached for his new mate. A satisfied sigh became a frustrated groan. Chrys was gone. Again.
“Damn it, what is it with that woman never being where she’s supposed to be?” he grumbled to himself. After reviving from her faint—something she swore never happened, period—the woman wore his balls into the mattress with a fierce loving that lasted well into the night. They’d barely gotten out of bed long enough to enjoy a meal or two. Instead, they’d reveled with awe in their joining, getting to know each other, their guides and good lord above, their bodies.
Rahn’s mouth stretched wide in a loud, tired yawn. Quieting his mind, he reached along the bond he shared with Mahpiya. And now Adonei.
“Mah, come to me,” he sighed aloud, replete and beyond satisfied.
The sleek corporeal body of the African lioness shimmered into view. And for the first time, Adonei appeared with her. My god, he was a huge cat. His mane was thick and full, a dark chocolate brown that contrasted with his tawny coat. Easily twice as large are Mahpiya, with massive paws, a well-defined chest and eyes the same honey color as Chrys. Adonei stretched out beside his mate. Both of them showed an impressive set of canines as they dropped their jaws and half yawned, half roared rather loudly. Obviously, they were all bone-deep tired.
After the initial joining, Adonei and Mahpiya had given him and Chrys some privacy. If their sleepy demeanors were any indication, they hadn’t cut out so they could go to bed early.
“Well, Mah, I would ask why you didn’t wake me when Chrys left the apartment, but it’s obvious you were sleeping on the job,” Rahn chuckled.
Mahpiya sniffed indignantly. Adonei licked his paws.
“Either of you know where my mate is?”
*Of course we know where she is,* Adonei replied. *Yet even a fully grown lion cannot manage to keep her in one spot.* He swung his huge head toward Mahpiya and said, *Perhaps her mate will be more successful than her spirit guide.*
Sarcasm colored every word. Rahn laughed outright. Chrys would do what she damned well pleased, mated, guided, or not.
Up and headed toward the master bathroom in Chrys’ suite, Rahn inhaled deeply. Her scent was everywhere—on the towels, in the air. And all over his skin.
He looked back over his shoulder and motioned to the two lions lying lazily on the floor across the room.
“Come on, you two. While I shower, you can fill me in on what Chrys is up to, as well as what to expect now that we’re mated. I can’t hear her in my head, but I can hear the both of you well enough.”
Mahpiya padded after him.
*It is the same with Chrysalyn. The bonds are fully formed, but they do not create telepathic abilities in humans. Chrysalyn can hear and see both Adonei and me. She can see anything we wish to show her, but she cannot hear you, nor you her.*
“That makes sense,” Rahn replied. Grabbing a washcloth off the rack, he inhaled the feminine scent of his woman before he lathered up with whatever soap she had in the shower. It smelled a bit girly, but he didn’t care. Anything that reminded him of his Chrys was just fine with him. Anyone who had a problem with it could kiss the end of his fist.
“So where is she?”
*Chrysalyn has gone ashore. She is on a tour of Ibiza.*
So they’d reached the Balearic Islands during the night. Damn it, he didn’t like the idea of her venturing out alone with a murderer on the loose. The woman could probably take down the culprit, but that wasn’t the point. She was his to protect.
Sigh. Well, at least he didn’t have to do it alone.
“Can the two of you keep an eye on her? One of you stay with her while the other scouts ahead of her? Keep her out of trouble while I do a bit of snooping. Captain Laurens has a lead for me. I need to check it out without worrying about running into Chrys on the island.”
*And what of you?* Mahpiya asked, her tone abrupt. Obviously, she didn’t like the idea of Rahn going about his duties with no one to watch his back.
“I’ll be fine, Mah. I’ll call if I need you. But what I need more is for you to keep Chrys far away from me while I’m scouting. Hell, even if she’s with that Eden asshole, at least she won’t be alone.”
Adonei jumped to his feet and looked as if he wanted to pounce on Rahn. The lion’s snarl was so ferocious, Rahn almost took a few steps back. But he was there to aid and assist, not attack.
But then again, he’d felt Mahpiya’s sharp claws across his ass on more than one occasion. Usually right after he’d done something stupid. Hmm, he might have to rethink this whole spirit guide thing with Adonei in the mix. His female cat could get away with swatting him on the backside, but there was no way in hell he was going to let a fully grown, big-assed male do the same. Not without a fight.
Turning off the shower, he toweled off quickly and strode naked through the living room, heading for the closet in the guestroom suite.
Stifling a chuckle, he asked, “Problem with the Eden asshole, Adonei?”
*I do not care for the human.* But he said nothing more.
“Chrys may be stubborn, but she’ll listen to you if she’s in danger. She’d better or I’ll have to paddle her ass. Go join her on her tour, all right? Tell her I said good morning and I’ll catch up with her for dinner.”
With that, the air around the two majestic beasts shimmered and shifted until they faded before his eyes. With their essence still vaguely present in his head, Rahn dressed, grabbed a quick bite then headed to the ship’s bridge to see Captain Laurens.
Chapter Ten
Chrys forced her eyeballs to remain uncrossed as the tour guide’s deep monotone droned on, and on.
“Welcome to Ibiza. Third in size of Spain’s Balearic Islands, Ibiza’s charms include a magnificent bay that rivals that of Naples. There’s also a chain of golden beaches and an ancient and picturesque main town. As much a colony of discerning artists and writers as it is a popular tourist destination, Ibiza still offers many areas of charm, tranquility and stunning natural beauty…”
Blah, blah, blah.
Adonei stalked into her head. About damned time.
‘Adonei, where in the world have you been?’ she scolded.
*Getting to know your mate. He sends a good morning greeting and looks forward to your company for supper.*
Immediately, sweet warmth infused her soul and brought a smile to her lips. Her mate had sent her a message, even though she’d snuck out of bed this morning. Her mate—amazing how two simple words could be so soothing, yet conjure the most wicked images in mind, like the fierce loving of the previous night. There’d been such an urgency to be mounted, stroked inside and out, that she’d lost her mind under a barrage of feeling. The depth of hunger sunk so deep, it had sent her emotions reeling. Even now, it was almost too much to fathom.
A tremor snaked through her body. Her temperature soared while her stomach tripped. Ears burning, Chrys wondered how long it’d been since she’d actually blushed from thinking about a man. Rahn. God, he simply had her undone.
“Damn it,” she muttered to herself. Her head had been so wrapped up in the man, she’d missed a step and stubbed the hell out of her toe. Guess sandals weren’t ideal for sightseeing in the old medieval stone pirate towers of the island.
Okay, time to get a handle on herself.
The tour guide’s dull voice intruded once more.
“Ibiza and Formentera have been a popular destination for visitors from overseas for thousands of years, but unfortunately it is only during the last few decades that these frequent visitors have brought money with them on their visits to the islands.”
Hardy har har. Chrys winced at the dry humor.
‘I am bored out of my head. I think I’ll go off on my
own,’ Chrys whispered along her link with her lions. Strange how Mahpiya occupied the same space now, yet the feline was separate and apart from her awareness of Adonei. Almost like they had their own special connection without excluding “the guys”.
*Chrysalyn, it is not wise to venture off alone,* the lioness said firmly.
Apprehension snaked through the link and Chrys felt compelled to listen to the big cat and do exactly as she suggested. She pushed the strange feelings away.
‘I’ve got two bad-assed African lions with me. What do I possibly have to be afraid of?’
The uneasiness of the previous moment surged into full-blown protective instinct. Mahpiya was concerned for her. But why?
‘May I call you Mah, like Rahn does?’ she asked respectfully.
*Of course.*
‘Thank you. Now, Mah, what’s going on? I can feel you’re on full hunter alert. And shouldn’t one of you be with Rahn?’
Neither lion said a word for what felt like eons. Their postures seemed easy enough, but tension wrapped around the bond like a tangible thing. They were hiding something. But if Mahpiya was anything like Adonei, no amount of harping in the world would get her to spill.
Sigh. Well, perhaps she’d try anyway. Even picking away at the patience of a spirit guide had to be less boring than this stupid tour she’d signed up for.
‘Well, since neither of you are telling, I guess I’ll drop it.’ For now. ‘Meanwhile, let’s go into the heart of town and explore. Maybe get some lunch.’ Chrys didn’t wait for them to answer or give permission. With a farewell wave to an older couple she’d met while debarking off the ship, she turned and left the droning tour guide and the group of tourists behind her.
Down the road was a row of modern restaurants and shops, all top-notch according to her research. There was one that specialized in rare gifts. Oooh, and they carried Dominican Republic hand-rolled cigars. Wow. Would Rahn enjoy something like this? He’d never smoked in her presence, but a man of such impeccable taste might appreciate a seasoned mild cigar. For her, there was nothing better than a Tatiana groovy-flavored smoke with an after-dinner dessert. Or the coffee-flavored smoke of a Kahlua cigar mixed with the cool smoothness of a cream-laced beverage. Yum.