by Sable Sylvan
“Sage…how will you know if I’m your fated mate?” asked Addy.
“The first time that we make love, something will happen,” said Sage. “Something magical. That is, if we’re fated mates.”
“And that’s never happened to you with anyone else?” asked Addy.
“No, has it happened to you?” joked Sage.
“Well, I’ve never actually, y’know…” said Addy, turning away as she blushed.
“Wait, do you mean to tell me that you have never, ever had sex?” asked Sage. “You’re a virgin?”
“Yeah, okay?” said Addy. “I’ve never gone that far with a guy. You weren’t my first kiss or anything, but I never found someone I would be comfortable with, that is…until tonight.”
“Until tonight?” asked Sage.
“On that dance floor, I felt safer than I ever had before,” said Addy. “It may sound silly but I have never felt that protected by anyone before. I know to you, dancing is no big deal, but…I was scared at that dance until you got there and put your hands on my waist and spun me around like I was your entire world.”
“Because you are my world,” said Sage, coming over to Addy and sitting across from her on the piano bench. “Addy, we don’t have to—”
“Shut up,” said Addy, putting a finger on Sage’s lips. “What I’m trying to say is this. My entire life, I’ve felt like I was in a glass cage I couldn’t break out of. I was afraid, going through life as if it was a dream. But around you, I feel like I’m awake. I want to take this next step with you, Sage. I want to know whether or not I’m your fated mate. I’ve wanted to know for a while.”
Addy leaned in and Sage met her in the middle, their lips brushing against one another’s. He could taste the champagne cocktail on her lips from the ballroom, but underneath that there was a more primal taste, a taste of her that he couldn’t describe as anything but hers.
Sage got up and, not breaking the kiss, lifted Addy up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist as Sage caressed her curves, his arms against the softness of her waist. Sage turned and put Addy down, so she was sitting on the piano bench.
“What are you doing?” asked Addy.
Sage stood and dropped his towel. What Addy saw shocked her. Sage was hung, really hung, and she had no idea how that thing would fit inside of her.
“You know how the first time hurts?” asked Sage.
“Yeah…will you be gentle?” asked Addy.
“If you want, but I have a feeling you won’t want that once I prepare you,” said Sage. “Your first time doesn’t have to hurt. I want this night to be special for you, Addy. That’s why I want to kiss you in a special way.” Sage got down on his knees and reached up to pull down Addy’s underwear. Addy put her legs over Sage’s shoulders and carefully moved her hips so that Sage could wriggle her panties down.
Sage tossed the lacy panties aside and moved his head under Addy’s dress skirt. He pulled her closer to him so that he could press his mouth against her honeypot and show her what true pleasure could feel like. Sage’s bear roared. This was the moment that the bear had been waiting for. They were so close to mating with Addy. Soon enough, the answer to the question that had haunted Sage would be answered…but before that happened, Sage had to ensure that this would be a night that Addy would look back on fondly.
Addy had never been eaten out before, and Sage was not shy in the least. Being covered by her skirts made it a little less embarrassing, as Addison wasn’t as open about her sexuality as her sisters. While Abby, Kai, and Sav had talked about sex tips they read in magazines, Addison had hung out with Alice in the kitchen baking pies…but now, her cherry pie was ready to be popped.
Sage knew what he was doing. He was kissing her in ways and in places she lacked the words to describe. She had been nervous about going for it, about having sex with Sage, but she could feel her body relaxing as Sage worked his magic. Sage wasn’t just making her nether regions feel good. He was sending waves of pure bliss through her entire body, from fingertips to toes and through her core, where a ball of pleasure was growing, bouncing up and down as her body moved up and down with Sage’s licks, gentle nibbles, and firm kisses.
As Addy leaned back in ecstasy, her back pressed down on the piano keys and her hands reached out, looking for something to grab, her hands running over the ivory and ebony keys. The sound of the piano couldn’t drown out the sound of her moans. There was only one thing that could make her feel better, one thing that could put her on a-whole-nother level of sexual ecstasy.
“I need you,” said Addy. “Please, Sage…I’m ready.”
Sage could feel and taste that Addy was indeed ready for him. He got up from the ground and picked Addy up, but he didn’t carry her to his bed. No. He put her right on top of his piano.
Sage was already hard. Addy was already wet. Seeing Addy sitting there on his piano, Sage had to have just one last taste of her. He leaned down, wrapped her legs around his head, and went to town. He gave her a last set of licks and kisses before he lifted her up against his firm, hard body and put her on his bed.
Sage slid into Addy and filled her. Addy let out a gasp. She had seen how big Sage was, but she still had no idea what it would be like to be filled by him, especially that fully. He had entered her with his fingers when he ate her out, but she had barely noticed, more focused on what he was doing with his tongue. Sage’s cock was hitting parts of her body she had only read about in magazines, and it made that ball of pleasure inside of her grow even more greatly.
“Oh, Sage,” moaned Addy, reaching up to grab onto the handsome shifter above her. “Oh, Sage!”
“Addy, you feel so good,” said Sage. “I knew you would. Tell me how you want it, baby. You want it gentle…or do you want it hard?”
“I want it hard,” admitted Addy. “It doesn’t hurt. Show me what you’ve got, Sage.”
“You’ve got it, sugar cakes,” said Sage. He kissed Addy on the cheek and pulled away. He turned her over, so he was entering her from behind. She was on her hands and knees, her back facing him. She was still wearing that dress. At least she hadn’t been wearing stockings. Sage undid the zipper on the back of the dress, and it came loose. Addy took her arms out of the dress and Sage pulled out for a second to take the dress off Addy’s legs, before he reached up and undid the black lace bra that Addy was wearing. It matched the panties that Sage had thrown aside.
Addy let herself out of the bra, and Sage’s bear roared as he saw Addison’s natural, feminine curves. This is what a real woman looked like, with soft flesh that called for him, thick hips that would be perfect for breeding, and a beautiful set of breasts that could fill out any dress beautifully.
“Do you like what you see?” Addy asked, turning back to look at Sage.
“Yeah,” said Sage. “But I think I’d like it better from the front.”
Sage twisted Addy so that she was on her back again. They were both fully nude, the only thing on Sage’s chest the mate mark that had Addison’s name practically tattooed on in black.
Addy reached up, then pulled away.
“Touch it,” said Sage. “Feel it. That’s you, baby.”
Addy reached up again and touched the mark. The skin was raised from the surface like a scar, but unlike a scar, the skin was raised evenly and made of perfectly straight and perfectly curved lines. Her name was there, in musical notation, on Sage’s skin. She had never in a million years expected this. It was too good to be something from her imagination, too perfect, too unbelievably perfect.
Sage was pounding her hard and fast. The ball of pleasure had been growing inside of her, and she felt her back arch. She knew she was close.
Sage sensed that Addy was close to the edge. The bear roared. Sage had been holding in his own orgasm for so long, ever since he’d seen Addy at the ball and soon, he wouldn’t need to hold back.
“You’re close,” said Sage. “You want it harder or faster?”
“Yes an
d yes,” said Addy. “Sage…don’t hold back. Take me for a ride.”
That’s all Sage needed to hear. He gripped onto Addy’s hips with one hand and her wrist with the other. He pressed her wrist down into the soft mattress and gripped her hip hard with his hand as he entered her as hard and fast as he’d wanted to. He was no longer afraid of hurting the woman who had turned out to be more than just some delicate flower.
He was riding her hard and fast, just like she’d wanted. Addy let her body do the work for her. She didn’t have to think about what she was doing. It came naturally, as did her release. She let out a small gasp that became louder as Sage continued to pump into her while her petals closed around him. Sage’s cock was being gripped tightly by her inner walls, and it was a pleasurable experience for both Addy and Sage. Sage’s eyes flashed pale blue as the bear inside let loose a roar. As Addy came, Sage stopped holding back his cum, and he let loose a wash of hot Nordic snow into Addy’s canal, their pleasures joining to become one…as the room started to fill with a warm, golden light.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The mark on Sage’s chest was undergoing a change. The mark was all black before but now, streaks of gold were filling the letters, leaving a thin black outline on the edge of the stylized script letters. The gold parts of the mark were glowing, and Addison reached up to touch them. They felt slightly warm, but Sage’s chest had always felt warm to her. After all, polars might look ice cold, but they ran hot.
“Your mark,” said Addison softly. “It’s…it’s different now.”
“It’s like what we’ve got, baby,” said Sage. “Pure frikkin’ gold.”
“With a dark streak,” said Addison, pulling Sage close for one last kiss before he pulled out of her. As she kissed him, she ran her hands through Sage’s hair. She swore she could feel that dark streak by touch alone. It felt slightly coarser than the rest of his hair.
Sage pulled out and laid back, lying next to Addison. He thought that now that he’d claimed Addison and proved she was his fated mate, his polar would shut up. He was wrong. His polar had never roared more loudly than it roared that night, but it was roaring out of joy, not out of sorrow. Finally, Sage had found their fated mate, and both the man and the bear would be able to enjoy the fruits of true love on the smörgåsbord of life. Sage and the bear both knew what they had to do, but they had to do it at a speed that the curvy human could handle. After all, a shifter’s love was intense, but Sage had seen too many of his friends act too quickly with women before. He was going to have to treat Addison like a delicate flower, sheltered from the frost of life’s icy tears of sorrow and misfortune. That is, until he had nurtured her and their love into something as thick and sturdy as a Nordic pine, which would last the tests of time just as the forest surrounding the Scoville Manor had lasted through the ages.
“So…what do we do now?” asked Addison.
“You’re my fated mate,” said Sage. “I’ve known that for a long time, Addison. I knew since the moment I met you that there was something special about you, even though you try and keep that fire quiet. I want you to learn to let out your inner fire. You’re not just some sleeping beauty, you know? You’ve got passion. I want to see it.”
“And is that all you want to see?” asked Addison.
“No,” said Sage. “I want to see you on my arm at the Scoville Ball.”
“The Scoville Ball?” asked Addison. “Oh, right, your grandfather’s party. You think that he’d be okay with us going together?”
“He better be,” said Sage. “Trust me. He’ll be thrilled. He…sort of was the one that pushed me to pursue you.”
“Really? No frikkin’ way,” said Addison.
“My grandfather and I share a special bond,” said Sage. “It’s his story to tell, not mine. Is there anyone you want to tell before we tell him that we’re going to the ball together?”
“Um, I think I should probably tell my sisters,” said Addison. “Otherwise, well, they’re going to flip out when they see pics of you and me at the ball together. They still think I hate your guts.”
“Do you hate them a little less now?” teased Sage.
“A little,” joked Addison. “Pass me your phone.”
Sage passed Addison his phone. She made a group call and called up her sisters and put them on speaker phone.
“Hey, guys,” said Addison.
“Addy, is that you?” said Alice. “How’re things?”
“Hey, Addy!” said Abby.
“Hi!” said Savina.
“Hey, girl!” said Cayenne.
“Hey, everyone,” said Addison. “You know I wouldn’t be doing an unscheduled group call if I didn’t have news, big news.”
“You got into that class you were excited about?” said Savina.
“That was so last week,” said Cayenne. “You fell in love with a prince, and now you’re going to be a fairytale princess?”
“Yup,” said Addison.
“Okay, okay, not that, so…” started Abby.
“No, I was serious when I said ‘yup,’” said Addison. “Girls…I found the one. Like, the one.”
“Holy heck,” said Savina.
“Who is he?” asked Alice.
“It’s someone you already know,” said Addison.
“Hey,” said Sage.
“Is that…Sage?” asked Abby. “OMG. Addison, really?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe it but it turns out we have a lot in common, and long story short, we’re fated mates,” said Addison.
“I frikkin’ knew it,” said Abby. “I knew it! I knew you two would end up together.”
“Then why the heck are you on the phone?” asked Savina. “Congrats, and have fun! Everyone, hang up in three, two, one…”
The group call ended, and Addy passed the phone back to Sage.
“There’s just one person we’ve got to tell,” said Sage. “My grandpa, Morten. Mind if I call him?”
“Not at all,” said Addison.
Sage pulled out his phone and called up his grandfather, the patriarch of the Scoville Polar Clan, Morten Scoville.
“Sage?” said the man on the phone.
“Hey, Grandpa Morten,” said Sage. “How’re things?”
“Well, that depends on how you answer my next question,” said Morten. “Did you find yourself a date to the ball? You can invite that Georgina girl, you know.”
“Yeah…that won’t be happening,” said Sage.
“Sage…do I have to go through my book and find someone for you?” asked Morten.
“No, I found someone,” said Sage. “There’s a girl I’ve invited…a very special girl.”
“Well, out with it,” said Morten. “Is she from a good family?”
“I’m inviting Alice’s younger sister, Addison,” said Sage. “She’s the one at Bonimolean for a semester.”
“Addison? Oh, yes, young Addy,” said Morten. “Is she there?”
“Yes, Grandpa,” said Sage.
“Well then, put me on speaker!” said Morten.
“All right, gimme a sec,” said Sage before tapping a button. “There. You’re on speaker.”
“Addison, my dear girl,” said Morten. “How are you finding Bonimolean?”
“Very good, sir,” said Addy.
“Call me Morten,” said Morten. “None of this ‘sir’ stuff. You’re not my employee, now are you? No, really, are you? I don’t know everyone who works for our companies by name.”
“No, sir, I mean, Morten,” said Addy. “Sage won’t have to go to HR. I’m very honored to be attending your ball.”
“Well, I’ll be honored to have you,” said Morten. “I know Abigail and Clove can’t make it, but I’ll be delighted to meet you. Will Alice and Herb be in attendance, do you know?”
“Unfortunately, not,” said Sage. “They have a meeting they can’t move that day.”
“How unfortunate,” said Morten. “Well, you two will have to represent both the Quincy and the Scoville clans. A
fter all, Basil is in Brazil, and I have no idea where Mace is.”
“You lost Mace again?” asked Sage. “Ugh. Grandpa…”
“Don’t ‘grandpa’ me!” said Morten. “I’ll send you, Clove, and Minnie out to hunt for him sometime. He’s probably doing Fate knows what in Ibiza, far too warm for my tastes. Well, I better let you go. Looking forward to seeing you both.”
Morten hung up the phone.
“Well, now what do we do?” asked Addy. “I got the prince and an invitation to the ball. I guess usually the order is the other way around…”
“Hey now, you heard your sister,” said Sage. “It’s time for round two.”
Chapter Thirty
Four Weeks Later: February the 14th
Addison and Sage spent the next four weeks getting ready for the Scoville Ball. It turned out that Sage’s grandfather was born on February 14th, so the ball was held on Valentine’s Day. The ball was both a social event, a birthday party, and a Valentine’s Day party, so it was a triple whammy. Addison was busy with her days spent at classes, nights spent at etiquette lessons, and weekends spent dancing on her feet and in the sheets with her boyfriend, Sage.
The day of the party, a Saturday, Sage and Addy took a private helicopter to London and a private plane from London to Oslo. A town car brought them to the family entrance of the Scoville Manor, which was in a forested estate just outside of Oslo proper. Sage and Addy went to their rooms (Sage’s personal bedroom and a guest room for Addy) to get changed. Once they got changed, they met in the hallway entrance to the ballroom.
That’s when Addy got déjà vu…
A red dress. She looked down and she was in a puffy red dress that made her look like a Valentine’s Day cupcake, with a sugared rose petal marshmallow topping, as the dress had pink petals embedded underneath a layer of red mesh and lace that was embroidered with green leaves. On her feet was a pair of shoes that looked too fancy, tall but somehow easy to stand in, probably easy to walk in.