She walked to him, taking care to note the banked anger in his eyes. Her body warmed in anticipation. His patience didn't mean he allowed her to walk over him. No, her arrogant lion let no one walk all over him. Excitement brought a defiant smile to her lips. It was fun arguing with him, plus the added bonus of making her forget the pain of her time at the hands of Maksim. Possession showed in his glowing irises as she stopped directly in front of him.
“You will not do that again, Dalia,” he stated very slowly.
“I've been swimming alone in this water almost my whole life, Bron.” She pulled her wet hair over her shoulder to wring it out.
His eyes tracked the movement of her hair before they flickered to her face, spearing her. “I'm not referring to you swimming, mi ôkàn. I'm talking about you hiding from me. I felt your pain when you ran from me. It beat at me as you deliberately stayed underwater so I would lose sight of you.” His voice was restrained, but his eyes were flashing in anger.
“It's no business of yours what I choose to hide from you, Bron.” Dalia stepped around him, shaken from the realization she just reached.
She was already in love with him.
He grabbed her arm in an iron grip, holding her in place. “You are my business, Dalia. It will go better for everyone if you'd remember that.”
She scoffed, jerking her arm to test his hold. Though his fingers were gentle, the hold he had on her arm was strong.
“You mean it will go easier for you.” She tossed at him. “Newsflash Bron, just because you want something doesn’t mean you’re gonna get it.”
“Don't test me on this, Dalia.”
Well now, orders. She didn't do well with orders.
She stood on her toes to meet his eyes. “Why? What would you do about it?”
The changing of his eyes was the only warning she got as he lifted and carried her across the beach. She felt the bark of a tree biting into her back a moment later. His body crowded hers and his mouth claimed hers in a possessive kiss. Dalia wrapped her arms around his neck, hungrily returning his kiss. Heat flooded her body, her center throbbing in anticipation. He bit her bottom lip and sucked it into his mouth. Lust drove her near the edge as Bron ripped the bottom of her swimsuit off in impatience.
“You are mine.” The raspy growl was barely human. “Everything about you is my business.” His erection pushed at her entrance, punctuating his vow.
Dalia gasped when he buried himself within her body with a single stroke. Her inner walls gripped him. The burning friction of his forceful entrance dragged a moan from her. His face was set in a fierce mask, his eyes searing her as he lifted her legs, pushing deeper into her heat. Dalia had no snappy retort, no defiant remark to refute his claim— his every stroke would've named her a liar had she tried. Bron devoured her mouth as his body drove hers up and over the edge. Dalia screamed her pleasure, stars exploding behind her eyes.
He nudged her head aside to gain access to her neck, she moaned as his teeth nipped her shoulder. His growls moved through her body, awakening nerve endings. The tree biting into her back added little stings of pain to her sensitized skin that should've hurt but instead added to the pleasure.
Bron growled low in his throat, his beast unleashed, sending power along his skin, fueling his pleasure. He tasted the salt from her skin as he licked a path from her shoulder to her ear.
“Tell me.” He pulled her earlobe into his mouth.
The hot, wet walls of her body tightened around his shaft, and his knees buckled. He thought his heart would stop when he watched her get bounced around by those waves. He lost sight of her for five minutes, and his panic quickly gave way to anger when she surfaced. He thought of nothing but asserting his dominance over her when he backed her against the palm tree.
Now with her legs around his waist, her moist heat enveloping him, his mind was a haze of lust. His hips thrust into hers seeking and demanding her submission. His hands gripped her butt, adjusting her to deepen his strokes.
'Tell me!' He demanded. She was so damn stubborn, and yet it turned him on as nothing did. Need rode him, driving him near the edge. He clenched his teeth to hold it back, his muscles tense from the effort. Sweat trailed down his back, the sensation like little fingers driving him that much closer.
'I’m yours.'
Her declaration filled his mind. A ragged moan was torn from her as his hips picked up speed, once again sending her shattering over the edge. This time, he followed and clamping his mouth tight to keep his lion's roar of satisfaction.
'I love you,' she whispered through his mind. Dalia was limp in his arms, her body completely sated.
Bron kept his kisses tender as he lowered her legs. He kissed her brow lightly, rubbing his face into the side of hers. He rubbed his body into hers, marking her with his scent, allowing his animal the comfort of reasserting his claim on its mate.
“I love you,” he told her.
She tensed for a moment and then relaxed when he took her lips in a possessive kiss.
“I don’t know how to do this, Bron. I’ve never done this before.”
His heart stopped. "You don’t have to do anything, Dalia. I only want your trust, mi ôkàn.”
“That’s asking a lot, Bron.” Nervous laughter gave her away.
She was hiding something. Her confusion danced around in his thoughts and he searched her mind for the source. Bron studied her. She needed the time, but there was a grain of something hidden within what she was saying. He didn't like it.
“Give me a little while longer.”
“Tell me what's bothering you,” he demanded.
“You need to work on your tone, papi,” She frowned when he produced a towel out of thin air and wrapped it around her waist. “How did you do that?”
“We were blessed with the gift of magic.” He shrugged. “There are many things that I'm able to do.” He thought of the years he was restricted to the temple. He had used the majority of them honing the magic he was blessed with.
“I believe you,” she said. “Will you give me more time?” She cupped his cheek.
Bron turned his face into her palm and inhaled. He nodded briskly and stepped back to allow her room to move. Giving her time would cost him. Already his felt his lion fighting him, the restless energy buzzing through him. “Will you call to me when you have made your decision?” He followed her to their blanket.
She nodded as she pulled on a shirt, grimacing at the sand in her hair. She rolled her eyes when Bron easily willed on a pair of jeans and t-shirt.
“That’s so unfair,” she muttered.
He smiled at her. “You're just jealous that my clothes aren't covered in sand.” He kissed her nose.
“I'll call you when I've made my decision.” She hugged him close to her.
He nodded and gave her a deep kiss. He had run out of time. He knew once she returned home, the barriers he had worked so hard to tumble would come back up. He'd built a precarious trust between the two of them and her return home could shatter that. He still hadn't talked to Dalia about their mating, some part of him didn't want it tainted by what he would be forced to do.
Dalia broke the kiss a minute later and smiled softly at him. She waved and disappeared right before his eyes. Bron sighed and called to Zahra. Some part of him knew he would pay for these weeks he'd stolen with his mate. He took one last look around the beach.
It was worth it. Now he prayed he would be strong enough to do what he needed to ensure she could stay with him.
Chapter 14
“YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?” Bron looked up to see Fynn lounging against the doorjamb of his bedroom. Little Lord Fauntleroy raced over to him and scurried up to his shoulder.
“Traitor,” Bron muttered. “There's not much to talk about.”
Fynn sauntered in and sat on the edge of the bed where Bron was seated. "Seems to me, you have been sulking, bàbá.”
“You were always a disrespectful cub.” Bron smiled for the first time in days.
He'd been at the safe house waiting to hear from Dalia for three days now, each day he and his beast became more restless.
“Well, you raised me, so there you go.” Fynn smiled.
Cheeky bastard. Still, pride for his son swelled his chest. “I promised your mother, she caught me at a weak moment.” He'd promised the first oracle on her deathbed that he would take care of her son, so when the woman caring for Fynn died, he'd gladly taken over the duty. Having a child in the temple had taken away the loneliness, if only for a few years. Bron imagined that Fynn didn’t realize how much he had saved him. Little Lord bounced on the bed between them restless, sensing the tension.
“What’s on your mind?” He sensed the inner turmoil in Fynn.
“Zahra is getting impatient.” He flopped onto his back. “There's only so long she'll wait for Dalia before she decides to go to her.” Fynn growled in frustration. He was very protective of his wife.
“As stubborn as Zahra is, Dalia is more so. I can't push her on anything Fynn, I’m sorry.” Bron let out a frustrated sigh of his own.
Fynn sat up on his elbow and stared at him. “What if I talk to her?”
Bron raised his eyebrow “You’re not exactly known for your finesse, cub.” He drawled. Fynn snorted at that understatement. “Besides, Zahra’s not letting you go without her.”
“You damn straight,” she said from the door. Both men sat up, having been caught. She sashayed into the room and stood over them, her head shaking. Her dark brown skin glowed as she smiled down at them. Her almond shaped eyes were mischievous. “Tsk tsk, talking about the little woman while she is not here to defend herself.” She teased. Fynn pulled his petite wife down onto his lap.
“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Zahra,” Bron scolded, smiling at her.
“That’s the only way to hear the good stuff,” she said breezily. “So when are we going to see Dalia?” She asked sweetly.
Fynn stiffened and threw a panicked look to Bron. “Zahra.”
She held up her hand to silence him. "Fynn, this needs to be resolved, if Dalia is uncomfortable coming to me, then I'll go to her.”
“We'll talk with the Ijoye, figure out how to do it safely. If we can't then we don't go, is that clear?” Fynn told his wife, his tone broking no argument.
She nodded, her eyes heating in temper. She opened her mouth the blast her husband. Bron put his arm between the two of them. Fynn turned and growled at him.
“This is my room, none of that here,” Bron said.
Zahra glared. "Fine." She gave her bossy husband a small kiss and stood from his lap.
“Come Little Lord, let’s go get a snack.” She extended her hand so the monkey was able to climb to her shoulder. “Bron contact Dalia and find out if she is willing to meet with me in New York. I'll call the warriors together for a meeting downstairs.” She stopped at the door and smiled impishly at her husband. “Take your time, my husband and father-in-law will need time to stew, and figure out the safest way for this to happen.” She tossed a saucy wink to her husband over her shoulder and left the room.
Fynn stared at his wife’s retreating form with undisguised love as well as frustration, and Bron sighed. It was hard not to be a little envious of the way Fynn and Zahra were with each other. He tried to imagine how Dalia would react once she learned they were mates, but he had a hard time picturing it. In the weeks they spent together in Puerto Rico, Bron had learned that she was unpredictable. She did things her way, she expected those around her to either go along with her or stand aside. Their fights for lead made things interesting in Bron’s eyes, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I'll leave you to contact Dalia,” Fynn stood.
Bron waited until Fynn left the room before he sent out his call to Dalia on the link they shared.
THE ARGUING in the living room greeted him as he hit the bottom of the stairs. A small laughed escaped as he walked into the room. Zahra was on her toes standing up in her husband’s face, while the four other warriors sat with their faces chagrined. At only five six, even on her toes Zahra could barely meet her husband’s shoulders. All the warriors were well over six feet tall. He quickly smothered his laugh when Zahra turned to face him. Her hazel eyes held sparks of anger and her mouth was set in a mulish line. He could only speculate as to what her husband had said. Bron sat in an armchair next to the Ijoye and waited.
“What did she say, Bron?” Zahra snapped. She took a deep breath and paced to patio doors to calm down.
“She was okay with the idea.” He told everyone. It had taken some convincing, but he finally got her to agree.
“Zahra, you understand that it'll be nearly impossible to secure,” Fynn said tightly. The look she gave her husband would have knocked down a lesser man, but Fynn met her angry glare with one of his own. Bron could not help but feel a little pride in how strong Fynn was.
“There is a Haven in New York.” Saleem had his six four frame curled into the other armchair in the room. His pose was relaxed, almost indulgent, but tension and readiness in wafted from him. Of the warriors, Saleem was the hardest to read.
“What's a Haven?" Zahra asked.
"A safe house, if you will, for all things that go bump in the night." Saleem answered. "No harm can come to those who enter their doors."
Bron thought it the perfect solution. "If you are wary, Zahra…"
“I'm not the one wary,” Zahra said heatedly.
“Zahra, your safety must come first.” Fynn held his hands out.
“So I'm to be coddled to death?” she asked the group. The warriors shifted uncomfortably in their seats. “If the goddess has chosen her, then I can’t see the harm in meeting her.”
“We've been over this before, Zahra.” The Ijoye spoke up next to Bron. “You were kidnapped last year, was that not enough excitement for you?”
Zahra shuddered.
“Dalia is my mate. There has to be a way to resolve this.” The silence was thick as they took in his words. The look he received from the Ijoye chilled him.
Saleem broke the silence first. “Security will already be in place there, Ijoye."
Bron released the breath he had not realized he was holding. There were no recriminations from his brothers, well at least not all of them, only curious stares.
“No one would risk the wrath of Rugaba, trust me, the place will be secure." Aren chimed in.
“Ajani, you and Aren take the new warriors there now and check it out.” Fynn instructed. Ajani nodded. “Check all exits and entrances. Leave two of the warriors there to keep an eye on it while we figure out what time to meet.” Aren gave them a mocking salute and headed to the barracks. Bron eyed Fynn speculatively.
“That was well done.” Bakari’s dry tone seemed to go over Fynn’s head.
Fynn nodded absently. The fact that he had made decisions without the Ijoye did not register to him but to the others in the room it was glaringly obvious. Saleem looked between the two of them as though waiting for a fight for dominance. When none came, he and Bron both breathed easier.
“Saleem and I will accompany the three of you into Haven, Fynn. We can leave Ajani and Aren outside to make sure she does not bring company.” Bakari told him.
Fynn nodded, reaching his hand out to his wife. After a tense moment Zahra grabbed his hand and Fynn pulled her to his side, he leaned to nuzzle her neck. Everyone looked to Bron expectantly.
“I'll have Dalia meet us there at nine.” He stood to prepare for their meeting. He would make sure that everything went fine. Where his mate went he would be forced to follow, he didn't want it to be at the expense of his family.
'You won't lose your family, Bron. I swear it.' Zahra’s soothing touch moved through his mind.
'Thank you.' He nodded without turning back. He prayed again that everything worked out.
Chapter 15
"You've got to be kidding me." The bouncer shook his head.
Saleem stepped forward. "We're here for a meeting."
&nbs
p; Power spilled from the male, his scowl showing his displeasure. "No, you're here to make my job harder. We can't protect you once you leave this club, you do understand that right?"
"We didn't ask for protection, Cagyn. Simply a neutral meeting place." Saleem shrugged.
The bouncer snorted and spoke into his earpiece. He smiled and shook his head. "Lucien's getting a private room for you, if you'll step inside." The bouncer moved aside.
A moment later a male in leather pants, a silk shirt and nasty attitude came out and stared. Bron barely held back the growl at the insolent look the male raked over them.
"Ok warriors. For those of you who don't know the drill. There are a few Ajo here, so I'll give you the speech. No weapons, no maiming and no killing within the walls of Haven. Fighting is allowed, so long as no body parts are missing when you're done. Have we an understanding?"
Everyone nodded.
"Oracle, I offer our protection to you, but it doesn't extend to your warriors, so keep that in mind as you move about Haven." Lucien circumvented the dance floor and escorted them down a corridor with glass on one side showing the writhing bodies on the dance floor. They followed him up one flight of stairs and down a hallway of doors.
"I'm not a trouble maker."
Bron coughed to hide his laugh of disbelief. Zahra shot him a nasty look.
"Here is the room. It's sound proof, no one will disturb you here." Lucien nodded and left them in silence.
Bron walked to the floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the dance floor. He saw the glimpse of tattoos scattered through the crowd. His beast moved, his fingers ached and he had to suppress the need to give chase. He paced the suite.
'Quite fidgeting,' Zahra scolded him. 'It will be fine.'
Bron smiled blandly at her, keeping his eyes pinned to the front entrance. His breath hitched when Dalia walked in minutes later. She was in full battle gear. Her leather pants hugged her slim thighs and were tucked into leather boots that reached her knees, her green t-shirt was snug, clinging to her curves, damp in some places, testament to the August heat that gripped the city. The boots didn’t have a heel but her five’ ten frame towered over the other dancers. He could hear the other warriors communicating telepathically, but could not make sense of the words. His beast was moving through him blocking out everything but the sight of his mate. His hands itched to touch her and he had to restrain himself from going to her.
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