by Setta Jay
He’d worn her out, and the thought made him grin. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I was. Your chatting woke me up.” She sounded disgruntled. “What’s soon?”
They hadn’t spoken about the actual mating, and he wondered what she knew of it. Theirs would not be the same as Alyssa and Gregoire’s. “We need to talk about a few things before doing anything.”
She looked up at him, alert and watchful. “Such as?” She moved to sit with her knees to her chest and her hands wrapped around them. He knew she was agitated. He wanted to soothe her, but he knew she was preparing herself for what he’d say. The protected way she held herself said it all.
He was not thrilled to be having this conversation. “What exactly do you know about mortal mating ceremonies?”
She looked uneasy. “I believe Sirena explained it all to me.”
“Then you know that I’ll have to share you?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded. “Is that something that concerns you?” she whispered. The sweet nervous look on her face made him inhale deeply. Sometimes she was all sass and bluster, and others she was beautiful and vulnerable. Innocent.
“Yes.” He watched her expressions closely. She wasn’t an experienced female; he knew that. “Have you ever been with two males?” He wasn’t pleased with how that question made him want to fucking snarl. He’d never had a problem sharing females, had enjoyed it often with Cahal and even some of his brothers for centuries, but the thought of sharing her ate at him.
“No,” she said, color tinting her cheeks.
He nodded, not liking anything about what was coming. It would be another fucking penance. She’d be taken to new levels of pleasure while he endured and hated every damn minute of it. He needed to touch her. He pulled her beneath him, wanting her heat against his body. His beast fucking hated the protected way she held herself as they spoke. She softened instinctually at his touch and it made him want to sink his dick inside her small body and stay there.
“I have to let an Aletheia have you. Can you handle that?” He watched her eyes as she nodded. “I’ll want to take you at the same time, and I’ll want you focused completely on me.” He knew that without thinking. It was the only way he’d get through it.
He scented her sweet pussy heating at the idea. He was both thankful and irritated by her reaction. The thought of another male taking her grated, but knowing she’d get off hard was better than her being scared or upset by it. Any female that he’d shared seemed to love having two cocks fill them. He would make it good for her. All the while he’d be in complete hell. Even now, his skin itched at the thought of another cock anywhere near her pouty lips or sweet pussy and ass.
“Okay.” His traitorous dick throbbed. His old kinks were fighting with new emotion, and it all screwed with his mind. How did the more possessive males even get through the experience? It was the only way to turn a mortal into an Immortal. Rain would have to be filled with Aletheia semen, and it wasn’t something that worked without contact. Sirena had tested that back in the early centuries of mortal matings.
He paused. “You know after that is our blood bonding?” This part of the discussion he dreaded almost as much as telling her he planned to give her sweet ass to another male.
He rubbed a hand over his face. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Yes,” she said, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
“I don’t want you to get my memories when we blood bond.” He heard her harsh intake of breath.
“So we’ve had three days of a lie? You have no intention of finishing the mating.” She wiggled to get out from under him, but he held her still.
“That’s not what I said.” He hated seeing the pain and anger in her beautiful eyes. “We will complete the mating. I’m just hoping that Sirena can find a way out of you seeing my memories.”
“And if she can’t find a way?” she shot back.
“Then we do it.” He gritted his teeth, hating that he really wouldn’t have another option. He would finish the mating, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t planning to give Sirena plenty of time to find an answer. “We don’t need to finish it soon.”
“So you decided for us.” She bucked, but he refused to let her up so she could run from him. They weren’t finished.
He understood that she was pissed off, but she didn’t have a fucking clue what he was trying to save her from. At first it was about not wanting her to see his failure, but now it was so much more. She didn’t deserve his nightmares. No one did. “You don’t know what you’ll see, Rain. The horrors I’ve experienced were fucked up.”
“You’re embarrassed.”
“Hell yes, I am. You’ll likely see the lowest moments of my centuries-long life, but that’s not the only reason I don’t want to do it. You have no idea what it was like watching your friend’s slaughter. Having twisted bitches drug and taunt you with that death, naked because I’d just fucked the worst of the bunch.” He glared down at her and saw her eyes flash when he’d said he fucked Calista before she’d killed Cahal. She needed to know the reality of it. “I’m sure you’ll get earlier shitty experiences too, back so many centuries ago that they’re only sick blips in my life, but I doubt you’ll be spared that. You have no idea what it was like in Apollo’s breeding labs, being treated like cattle! And you never need to. That sick shit will never touch you.”
He hated the whole fucking thing. Yes, it would humiliate him. She might be feisty, but she was fucking pure, and that shit would torment her. The past three days getting to know small things about her only cemented his decision. It was no longer about his humiliation as it had started. It was about protecting her.
“Is that really how you see me? Too weak to share your pain, to be a real mate? I may be young compared to you, but I’m sure as hell strong enough to share your horrors. Don’t automatically assume I’m lacking.” Her voice was filled with fury as she said the words.
“My trying to protect you from this has nothing to do with whether I think you can handle it. The point is that I don’t want you to. The lightness about you should never touch the dark shit that I’ve lived through. Seeing the things I have will haunt you. I don’t fucking want that. Be angry all you want, but I still plan to try to protect you.”
Her eyes flashed with anger, and then, a moment later, it switched to resolve. That didn’t bode well for him, but he wouldn’t budge. “Let me up. I need to go for a swim.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Whatever. Just stay out of my way while we’re out there.”
He moved off her, and she shot out of the bed. She was beautiful and so damn perfect for him. Her hot ass swayed as she went to the closet. His beast loved her, and he cared about her. More than cared. He liked to think it was the frenzy, but it was more. Being in her mind for that short time when he’d claimed her changed him in a big way. He pulled at the back of his hair; he could use a swim. It had been days, and he fully intended to watch over her while they were out there. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate it, but she was mortal, and he wasn’t taking chances with her safety. Sea creatures could be fucking huge in Tetartos. He couldn’t imagine her controlling some of the larger breeds. It didn’t matter what her power was.
Chapter 20
Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm
She woke up to an odd sensation. Her head was snuggled into a hot male chest. She smelled his sexy scent and knew right away she was still dreaming. There was a distinct fuzziness at the corners of her sight as she stretched, rolling over onto his naked body. He lifted one lid and pulled her back down next to him. It seemed weeks had passed in constant dreams. She loved it and hated that eventually she’d wake and the sick feeling in the pit of her gut would be there waiting for her, like it always was.
This dream had been so different from the rest. She’d let go completely. No games, no power struggle, just living as she would if she were a different female. They’d done so many wicked things. She still felt his fingers
on her wings. She moaned at the images in her head.
“Sleep.” His voice held a tinge of gravel. Strong arms pulled her tight, tucking her head into his chest as he rolled onto his side facing her. The way he held her felt distinctively possessive, and she chuckled.
“My dream Vane is such a cuddly kitten.”
“Sleep,” he growled, which only made her giggle like a young female into his chest. He apparently didn’t enjoy mornings, though her dreams seemed to always be in the light. She noticed a dark canopy hanging above the bed, blocking out some of the sun.
Well, why the hell not? Her dreams were her own private place to experience the things she would never allow in reality. She’d asked her dream lover to make love to her, and he had; then she’d fallen asleep in his arms, another first. Why not spend some time cuddling? In her opinion, it seemed pleasant enough. She’d always been drawn to his scent, and she inhaled deeply. Even in dreams he was a treat she couldn’t resist. She rubbed her nose and cheek over his skin and freed one of her hands to slide over his back and narrow hip, tracing the indent that vee’d to his cock.
“Woman, let me sleep,” he grumbled and tightened his hold before rubbing his cheek in her hair. She couldn’t imagine him really being like this, but she kind of liked the dream version. In reality he was probably up at dawn to make sure his beautiful hair was perfect. He was such a fussy kitty. So at odds with his strength and power.
She couldn’t see anything. He had her tucked too tightly against him. She relaxed a little. Maybe just a minute longer and she would bend him to her will. For now she wanted to see what else he would do. How the dream would end.
“How long does cuddling usually last?” she asked, curious. It was comfortable, but if it was going to last hours, she wasn’t game for that.
She was lifted up so fast it caught her off guard. His face was inches from hers; both eyes were open and annoyed. “How the hell would I know? You won’t let it fucking happen.”
She raised an eyebrow. Geez, testy much. “So, we’re done?”
He let out an irritated snort. “What did you want to do, your royal larkness? We’re obviously stuck in whatever dream shit this is. I just wanted to relax since we’re the only ones here.”
What was he talking about? “What are you talking about? It’s just a dream, and you’re fucking up my happy time,” she said, and she jumped up, glaring at him. Her heart was beating out of her chest. It had to be a dream.
“Well, if it’s a dream, songbird, it’s one that we’re sharing.”
He flipped her underneath him, giving her his considerable weight. With one eyebrow cocked, he said, “Since when do you know you’re dreaming and don’t wake up?”
Chapter 21
Guardian Beach House, Tetartos Realm
Rain wasn’t going to argue with the asshole. He wanted to swim, fine. She didn’t have to talk to him. She just needed a little time to herself to process. She wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d let her go with the sea beasts alone. As if they’d harm her, she snorted. He was about to learn she wasn’t completely powerless. At least not in the sea. Just everywhere else, she thought derisively.
They’d had mind-blowing sex for days. She wasn’t sure what to make of the time they’d spent together. He’d been tender and hot. They’d talked about her shop and her selling it. She’d thought they were bonding, stupid her. It was just sex and idle chitchat to keep the frenzy fed.
He thought she was breakable, and she kind of was. At least until they finished the damn mating he seemed to never want to complete. So, he planned to hold out in hopes that he could get out of sharing his nightmares with her? Did he really think that would happen? Idiot!
It’s not like she wanted to see them, suffer through his horrors, but that’s what mates did. She ground her teeth together as she slipped into one of the bikinis Alyssa packed for her. She was thankful her friend thought to get a bag of her things together. Her friend knew all of her favorites, and she’d packed well.
She grabbed a towel from the bathroom and headed out through the living room and kitchen area and out through the patio door. She drew in a deep breath when she saw him standing there gloriously nude. His firm ass and muscled back were to her as she made her way down the steps. She almost tripped on her own feet as she tracked his body.
He turned around and watched her closely. She hated that his eyes were so damn stunning. Every inch of him was perfection. From his blond, spiky hair, to his sculpted body, all the way down to his beautiful tanned feet.
She walked right past him and dove into the shallow surf. The water caressed her skin and soothed some of her fraying nerves. She broke through the water and took a deep breath.
She submerged again, going under wave after wave. It felt good getting out into the ocean. Relaxing, she turned to float on her back for a bit, and the water rocked her gently. After catching her breath and getting lulled by the movement, she flipped back over, sliding underneath the liquid before jolting. He was right beneath her. Scared the crap out of her. She’d known he was close, had felt a pull to him, but she hadn’t realized he was directly below her. She came up coughing water. He was a damn menace. He surfaced a few inches in front of her.
“What the hell! Why’d you scare me like that?” She needed a minute of peace, not him completely in her space.
He looked different, and she realized he was bigger. His features more angular and his eyes were brighter, almost glowing. She swore even his teeth were bigger. She sputtered a little. “Are you in your other form?”
“Yes.” He looked at her, and she saw the ancient glint in his eyes. The confidence that seemed to shadow him, even though she knew his past must have taken it down a notch. She wondered at just how arrogant he must have been before everything that happened with Cahal.
They treaded water together while he watched her. He seemed more alert, a little dangerous.
She looked down through the clear water and saw his dark grey tail. She wanted to see all of it. His form was different than the other Nereids she’d seen, not that she’d ever been that close to a Nereid before. It made sense that he would look different, darker, more deadly. He was pretty much the God of Nereids, and now she thought of their iridescent tails and knew they were nowhere near the male in front of her.
“Are you controlling them?”
What? She looked around, understanding. “Yes. And no. They’re curious. They just want to say hello.” She looked at the creatures circling them. She had projected waves of soothing thoughts to them from the moment she entered the water. They were getting closer, wanting attention, and liked to be near her. They were always drawn to her. Some were huge, but none would ever attack her or each other in her presence. She’d made it clear that they were to be peaceful around her.
“You can actually talk to them? I felt something when you entered the water, and again now.” His eyes were a little wide. She assumed he knew of her abilities.
“In a way.” She could send them instructions when she was in the water, but she got back emotion, not words.
“They’re curious?” he asked, looking around with narrowed eyes. “They never come near me. I don’t like that they’re so close to you.”
“Stop being an ass, or you’ll upset them. They can feel it, and they’re not thrilled with you near me any more than you like their presence.”
She sent more soothing thoughts out. A smaller young serpent sidled up, and Dorian frowned. “Stop it, Dorian. I can feel your worry and aggression. He’s just a baby. He’s curious and wants me to pet him.” She did. They were out just past the wave break, and she was treading water with one hand as she petted the young creature. It always made her heart swell knowing how much they loved her. The little guy was a few feet long with a hard shell-like casing over his head. She rubbed just behind that, over his back, and felt his happiness. She smiled down at him, knowing Dorian watched it all warily.
“Be careful, Rain. I will teleport your ass away if
the little bastard’s venomous spikes come up,” he growled.
“Stop it. I’m serious! He’s fine. He would never hurt me.” The serpent fluttered his back fin as she rubbed him. It would have been soothing and peaceful if Dorian wasn’t killing the experience for her. She sent the little one back to its mother, who wasn’t far off. Rain felt the being’s agitation, a reaction to Dorian’s blustering, and she nearly growled herself.
“If you’re going to stay, then you need to get a grip. I am not powerless here, so stop treating me like I am.”
He blew out a frustrated breath, and she could tell he was struggling as he looked at all the creatures around them.
He finally shook his head. “Incredible. Gregoire said that you had power with sea creatures, but even I felt it. I’ve never known a Mageia to have such tremendous power within their element.” With a furrowed brow, he continued scanning their surroundings.
Her chest expanded at the compliment. Deep down she’d wanted him to see what she could do. She’d thought he was a little more aware of her ability than he seemed to be, but she was glad he hadn’t known. It felt so much better seeing his reaction. She needed him to know that in the water she wasn’t weak. She wasn’t oblivious to her mortal limitations, but in the water, with her creatures around her, she was strong, powerful… loved. Her body may be weak, but that didn’t make her so.
“Thank you,” she said softly, and meant it. She was a little surprised that he’d felt her ability; it had to be because of their connection.
“I still want to swim for a bit,” she said, needing to move.
“Then swim with me.” His voice held a seductive quality that sent tingles all over her skin. She’d come out there to clear her head. Touching him would do the complete opposite, but he tempted her. Always.
“I can take you deep.” His voice ran over her and hit every hot nerve. She hadn’t missed the double meaning as he inched closer and ran a hand over her waist. “Show you hidden gems further down. You can share my breath.”