“Do you accept me?” she asked, unsure where the words had come from or why she’d said them.
“Yes, ta’konima. A thousand times over. Yes,” he managed between thrusts.
Lisa swayed and would have fallen if Gardelle wouldn’t have wrapped an arm around her waist as he took her. It felt as if something was there, tying her to Gardelle with invisible string.
He moved just right, and a wave of pleasure crashed over her once more, making her cry out loudly. He rammed into her and stilled, his cock twitching. She could feel him releasing in her and that only served to excite her more.
Her breathing was irregular, her body was spent, and her mind was nothing but mush. The man had reduced her to a breathless pile of hormones.
She really hoped he did it again.
He didn’t pull out. Gardelle eased his hands around her and then up to her covered breasts. Yanking on the top of her dress, he caused her breasts to spill out. He then took one in each hand and began to move in her once more. She knew he’d come. The proof of his orgasm was currently starting to leak out of her. She wasn’t sure how in the hell he was still hard.
The man was a machine.
He moved at a slower pace, as if savoring every thrust. It was easy to see he’d taken the edge off his need by coming and showed no signs of stopping.
She put a hand over his on her left breast and bent her head, her body still thrumming with pleasure. Lisa closed her eyes and the second she did, she was assailed with visions. The first ones were of her dreams. The dreams of the mystery man making love to her.
The realization that the mystery man felt identical to Gardelle in her body made her gasp. She fumbled with her free hand behind her, yanking his shirt up as best she could and feeling his side.
The moment her fingers traced over a large scar there, she understood without a shadow of a doubt that Gardelle had been the man she’d been dreaming of.
“Gardy?”
He pounded into her harder.
Chapter Eleven
Additional visions came at her faster than she could sort. It was all too much, and she grabbed her head, crying out in pain.
Several minutes went by before she realized Gardelle was no longer in her, bending her over and fucking her doggie style. He was on the sofa, sitting, with her on his lap as he cradled her head to his chest. He was saying something to her in a language she didn’t understand. It was comforting nonetheless.
The visions kept coming, finally slowing enough for her to actually begin to make sense of what she was seeing—kind of. After all, it was hard to make sense of seeing men with wings in her mind.
Lots of men with wings and swords.
And all of them were going at Gardelle in what looked like the parking lot of the club.
She screamed and opened her eyes to find herself staring into Gardelle’s dark brown gaze.
Worry knit his brow. “I was too rough. I should have taken my time with you. I should have romanced you and spent hours upon hours pleasing you before I even entered you. I should have—”
She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. Her head throbbed and another flash of men with wings filled her mind. She shook her head, wanting it to end. “It hurts.”
Gardelle teared up. “Forgive me. I never meant to hurt you. All I have ever wanted was to keep you safe from harm.”
“What?” she asked, focusing as best she could. “Hurt me? You didn’t hurt me. That felt fucking awesome.”
“Lisa?”
She rubbed her temples. “Ouch. My head. It hurts. I saw you before. In my dreams. Then I saw the twin girls. And now the men with wings. Like I’m dreaming while awake.”
Gardelle tensed and caught the sides of her face gently. “Lisa, calm down and tell me what it is you speak of. What dreams? What twins? And what of men with wings?”
Fear came over her at his frantic reaction. “Am I going crazy? Gardy?”
He kissed her lips tenderly. “You saw something in your mind? Something about us?”
She nodded. “I dreamed of a stranger, but he’s you. I didn’t know it was you to start with. I couldn’t remember your face when I woke up. Just your body. And the scar on your side, among others.”
He kissed her again, soothing her more. “You dreamt of me but didn’t realize as much at the time?”
Surprised he’d managed to get all of that out of what she’d said, she inclined her head. “Yes.”
“Were these dreams sexual in nature?” he asked.
She blushed, unsure why. He’d been buried balls deep in her minutes ago. “Yes. Some. Not all. Some you’re there with me with our little girls.”
His eyes widened. “Little girls? Would they be the twins you spoke of?”
“Y-yes,” she said, waiting for him to cut and run at her crazy talk.
He didn’t budge. He did kiss her again though. “And what of men with wings, Lisa? Did you dream of me with wings, perhaps?”
“You? With wings? What? No,” she said, rubbing her temples more, concentrating on what she’d seen. “Other men. They all had black wings with silver bits and they had swords. Gardelle, they were attacking you.”
He merely watched her.
She thought harder on it all. “Ohmygod, they were attacking you to get me!”
He kissed her again and held her to him. “Lisa, take a deep breath. All is well. You are safe in my arms. You have told me we are to be blessed with children one day. And you are mine now in every sense of the word. Any who try to take you from me would meet my wrath.”
She nodded and then thought about what he’d said. “Huh? You sound crazier than me, and I just talked about guys with wings and swords. I should be winning the crazy rat race by a landslide, buddy. Back off my breakdown.”
As Lisa realized her dress was wrapped around her waist, leaving her breasts and lower half exposed, she sat up on Gardelle and tugged at it. She only just managed to get it over her swollen breasts when Gardelle grabbed her legs and arranged her exactly right on his lap so that she was full-on straddling him, her moist core against his distended flesh.
He reached between them and tweaked her swollen bud. “I have something to tell you.”
She squirmed on his hand. It felt really good.
He teased her more, taking her close to culmination once again. He then took hold of his cock and lined it up with her pussy. “Lisa.”
She locked gazes with him, her body in a state of burning need. “Yes?”
“You are not crazy,” he said, easing into her. “Men with wings are real. And you are mine. My mate.”
“What?”
He thrust upwards fully, stealing all rational thought from her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and went for his mouth with hers. The kiss was out of this world; so was riding him. She clung to him as he lifted her hips, controlling the pace in which she rode him. Vaguely, she became aware that Gardelle was still fully dressed.
Continuing to kiss his mouth, she tugged at his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. She cast it aside and stared at his bare upper body. Her jaw dropped.
Gardelle stopped moving her on him. “Lisa?”
It was real?
She traced her hands over the hard planes of his chest in total awe. “I dreamt this. I dreamt you with me. How?”
He pushed up slowly and lazily into her. “My people believe that everything is fated. And sometimes, fate can be changed, but you have to open your mind to it all. Some of my people have the gift of foresight. The ability to tap into what we call the Oracle. They are granted glimpses of the past, present, and future.”
Lisa touched the puckered scar on his side. It didn’t look as old as the others. “This is recent.”
He caught her wrist. “Lisa, it’s painfully clear to me that you aren’t paying attention to what I’m saying.”
She moved her hips, swiveling them just right to cause flashes of pleasure to move through her. She moved faster on him and he countered her. Within secon
ds, she’d hit her zenith again. He wasn’t far behind.
He stilled and roared, holding her down on his lap as he came in her.
She grinned and kissed his lips. “Mmm. That was great. What do you say I chain you to the wall and have my way with you? There are paddles here. Fun!”
He chuckled. “There is no need to chain me. You may have your way with me all you want.”
He released her wrist and she touched the scar on his side again.
As she made contact with it, flashes of Gardelle filled her head. He was shirtless and tumbling in the air towards the ground at a rapid rate. There was a sword rammed through his side. Above that, he had wings. Honest-to-God wings. The second he struck the ground, the vision vanished, and she opened her eyes.
Gardelle gasped, touching just below her left eye. “There are flecks of gold in your eyes now. They weren’t there before.”
“What do you mean?” She eased off him and he helped her stand. It took a moment for her to get her dress pulled down and sorted. Her thong stuck to her, slick with their combined juices.
Gardelle tucked his cock into his jeans and stood, grabbing for the wall as he did. “My legs are shaking.”
She waited for him to show signs of regretting what happened between them.
He turned and went for his discarded shirt. As he did, Lisa caught sight of his back. When she spotted another puckered scar there, lining up perfectly with the one in front, thoughts of him falling through the air, skewered on a sword, came flooding back.
She cupped her mouth and shook her head. “It’s real?”
Gardelle retrieved his shirt but didn’t put it on. He came for her and drew her into a hug.
“Gardy, people don’t have wings, right?” she asked, expecting him to laugh and reassure her it was just her imagination running wild. That no one had wings or swords.
He wrapped his arms around her tighter.
As she buried her head against his chest, something rustled, and then the sound of flapping filled the air. Confused, she looked up at him—and then past him.
There, behind him, were huge brown wings, spreading out wide in each direction, taking up a huge portion of the room.
“Holy fucking shit!”
Gardelle tsked. “Really?”
She stared at his wings and then him. The man wanted her to watch her choice of words when he’d just revealed he had frigging wings? Maybe he was the crazy one after all. Another thought occurred to her. “Are you an angel? Did I just bone an angel? Oh shit. That’s a one-way ticket to hell. I’m not sure any amount of Hail Marys will help.”
He groaned. “No. I’m not an angel.”
“Hey, it was a legit question,” she returned, her gaze locked on his wings. “Holy bird-boy. Those are legit fucking wings.”
He flapped them, and she yelped, stiffening in his arms, making him chuckle. “Lisa, you’re safe. I would never hurt you.”
“You’re not from Eastern Europe, are you?” she asked, already guessing the answer.
“No. I’m not.”
“Are you from outer space?” She kept her arms pinned between herself and his chest, afraid she’d bump his wings without meaning to.
Gardelle touched her chin lightly. “You think I’m an alien? Like the movie I saw you and Sabrina watching once? The ones with the little green men? Do I look like a little green man to you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what to think. I’m kind of in shock here. You have wings. Huge fucking wings.”
He flapped them again. This time she held it together and didn’t scream. He then wrapped his wings around her, encasing them both. That made her squeak.
He laughed softly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
“This is a lot to take in,” she confessed, reaching up hesitantly. She came just shy of making contact with his wings. “Will I hurt you if I touch them?”
“No,” he said, his voice wavering. “I’m told its incredibly erotic to have one’s mate stroke their wings.”
“Mate?” she asked as she touched his wings. They felt exactly like a bird’s wings.
Gardelle’s neck strained and he reached down and grabbed her ass. “Keep touching them like that and I will be buried in you again.”
She continued to stroke them. “What is a mate, and what are you if you’re not an angel or an alien?”
“A mate is the other half of what makes someone whole,” he said. “Someone made just for you. Your other part. Who fate selected for you to spend eternity with. For us, it’s similar to what you humans know as man and wife, but with no ability to end things and a far greater bond.”
“Us humans?” Lisa stopped moving. “That implies you aren’t human. So you’re not a science experiment gone wrong…or right, depending on the end goal?”
He grinned. “You have an interesting mind. And no. I’m not the result of a science experiment. I was born this way. I’m not of this realm. Neither are Sabrina or Lazar. It’s why you’ve not been able to see her since she was beget with child. Travel puts a strain on her and the babes she carries. It’s best that she remain within Accipitridae until the little ones are born. Then she will be able to travel here.”
“Accip-tra-what?” she echoed, still encircled in his wings.
“It’s the name of my home realm. The bird realm. It’s composed of various kingdoms. Each belonging to a different type of bird shifter. I am of the Hawks. Lazar is of the Falcons.”
Lisa had a thousand questions, but none came to the forefront of her mind. Mostly they swirled around in her head, moving a million miles a minute. When she finally settled on one, it wasn’t the one she was expecting. “How can I be fated for you when I’m human, not one of you?”
“There are a few of my kind who have human mates. The women all reside in the bird realm now. And I swear to you that I saw gold flecks in your eyes only moments ago. They are gone now, but I know what I saw. It makes me question just how human you are.”
Lisa wiggled free from his hold and he opened his wings, letting her step back. She did and soaked in the sight of him. Everything about him screamed warrior. How had she missed that before?
Her gaze went to the top of his undone jeans. “Holy shit! I had sex with a bird man!”
“Lisa.”
She backed up more, feeling overwhelmed.
“You fear me now?” he asked, his face forlorn. “I would never harm you.”
Chapter Twelve
Gardelle bent his head, unable to see the fear in his mate’s eyes. He’d lost control and claimed her without first explaining who and what he was. She was his wife now in the eyes of his people. There was no undoing it. Not that he wanted to. What he did want was to no longer see fear in her gaze.
But he couldn’t blame her.
It was a lot for anyone to accept.
His nerves were still on edge. The entire time he’d flown to her from his realm, after hearing of the vultures’ plan for her, he’d thought the worst. That the vultures had found her and were torturing her. That he’d find her broken or dead or, gods forbid, both. When he’d not found her at her condo, the panic had built to the point it controlled his every action. By the time he’d reached her childhood home he was beside himself, positive he’d find the worst.
He’d caught her scent there and it was heavy, indicating she’d only just been there. It was then he’d caught sight of her sports car speeding along the narrow road on the side of the mountain. He’d taken flight, following her. When she’d pulled off into the large, darkened parking lot, he’d landed and just barely gotten his shirt on before he was rushing to her, grabbing her.
The strike she’d delivered to his groin had been well deserved and still throbbed. Though the pain of the hit hurt far less than her outright rejection of him. It hurt less than hearing her say she believed he hated her. He didn’t. Far from it.
How could she not see what she did to him?
Lazar saw it.
He knew how much Lisa twist
ed his heart and mind. Yet the woman who consumed his every thought believed he only barely tolerated her.
She was so close to him, wearing a barely there, skin-tight red dress and killer heels, with her long blonde hair hanging down in ringlets. She looked amazing. Then again, she always did. And he knew what it felt like to be in her now. He knew what her skin tasted like. Knew the look upon her face when she orgasmed. He could never go back to the way things had been between them. No. He couldn’t accept that.
He wouldn’t.
He took a deep breath. “Lisa, I need you to hear me.”
“Gardelle—”
“No. Let me say this,” he whispered.
She eased up closer to him, which was a good sign. “Okay.”
“Sabrina has wanted to tell you the truth of all of this for months now. Basically, since she found out about it all,” he said.
“Wait. She didn’t know she had wings?” asked Lisa, her expression making him smile.
“She doesn’t have wings. Not many females of our kind do. Sabrina is no exception.”
“Does Lazar have wings?” she grilled.
He nodded.
“Can I see them and touch them?”
His jaw set. “You most certainly cannot touch them! Did you hear me tell you it’s erotic to have… Why are you smiling like that?”
She winked. “Knew that one would get you going. Figured the mood needed to be lightened. And making a joke about stroking another guy seemed perfect and very me.”
He let out a long breath. “Does that mean you believe that I’d never harm you?”
“I know you wouldn’t,” she said, stepping even closer to him. “You have brown wings. Which bird shifters have black ones? Well, not all black. They look a bit silver-ish on the underside.”
“Vultures.” He drew his wings into himself, and Lisa touched her stomach with one hand and her mouth with the other. He realized too late that he should have warned her about the fact his wings vanished into him. He put a hand out to her and stopped, fearful he’d scare her more.
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