by Sharon Kay
C
HAPTER 21
TESSA’S MIND WAS OVERLOADED WITH the masculine, dominant force that was Scorpio. And her body? He’d reduced that to a puddle of mush with that kiss back at her meditation spot.
He’d been gentle with her. Whether it was out of fear of hurting her or the risk she would change her mind, Tessa wasn’t sure. All she felt was an overwhelming desire to make this man come apart in heart-pounding pleasure. This man whom she had misjudged. This man who had saved her life.
She wrapped both hands around his enormous cock and stroked, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from him. “You’re so big,” she murmured. A tiny frisson of nervousness flared, wondering how she was going to stretch to accommodate him. She’d never been with anyone as big as he.
But this wasn’t all about her. He’d held himself back, and now she wanted him to let go. She wanted to bring him to the rushing, dizzying precipice she’d just tumbled over. So she pushed all thoughts out of her mind, and focused on his body.
He flexed up into her hands as she stroked, running her fingers over every ridge and vein. At his tip, a small drop of liquid seeped and she rubbed her thumb in it, moistening his thick head. Then she licked her lips and brought her thumb to her mouth. She sucked slowly, deliberately, and he gritted his teeth.
“Tessa. Gods.” He reached for her, pulling her forward so her breasts pressed against his chest. He lowered his mouth to her neck. “I want to bite you.” His words rasped along her skin, igniting a delicious sense of possession that made her hotter than she could have expected.
But this tryst was a secret. She was leaving and that wouldn’t change, no matter who showed up out of the blue to try to save her and Bronwy. The last thing she could do was walk around with a bite mark and have to explain or lie about where it came from. “Not there,” she whispered, tracing his jaw. She met his eyes, hoping she wasn’t hurting his feelings or making him mad. Taking two of his fingers, she dragged them up her torso to stop at the side of one breast. “Here?”
His striking golden eyes flared and the only emotion she registered was desire. She dropped her head back as his lips and teeth closed over her tender flesh, sucking with a pressure that found its echo between her legs. “Mmm,” she breathed.
He played with her breast, flicking one nipple while his tongue did wicked things to her other. She scooted her hips nearer to his, but it still wasn’t enough. His thick cock was so close to where she needed it.
A whimper escaped as sensation built along every nerve until she couldn’t stand it. “Scorpio,” she breathed.
He released her with a pop and a satisfied smirk. “You ready for me?”
“Gods yes.” She rested her hands on his shoulders and lifted her body up above his length. Lowering herself a fraction, she dragged her body across his tip.
“Fuck.” He ground out the word slowly, almost painfully. His eyes, so bright they lit the dark space around them, focused on her like lasers.
She took him in her hand to position him exactly where she needed, and lowered herself to take just the thick head. Then she rotated her hips, coating him in the release he’d brought her.
“Tessa. You’re going to kill me.” His words were clipped, and one big hand fisted in her hair. A warning.
She ached for him. She needed him to fill her so completely that she forgot everything else. And if this was her one chance to be with a male who cherished her, she’d take it.
Because this moment was stolen. She knew it, and wouldn’t kid herself.
And it was a moment she would hold on to for the rest of her life.
Taking a deep breath, she started to lower herself onto his shaft.
The pressure was instant and she stopped, letting her muscles adjust and forcing them to relax around him.
“You okay?” His hands caressed her hips, teasing circles that helped her body melt around him.
“Yes. You’re just huge.”
A devilish grin tugged at his mouth. “Words every male loves to hear.” His fingers at her hips snaked around to her lower belly. “You can take me. Slow as you need to.”
She pushed down another inch as his hands delved lower, teasing her slickness and stirring her ardor anew. With a new rush of liquid heat, she moved lower until she seated herself completely on his cock. She wiggled, reveling in the sensation of him.
“Gods you feel amazing, Tess.” His eyes dropped to their connection, where his talented fingers lingered. “Ready to go for a ride?”
She nodded, thrown into a vortex of bliss as his fingers teased her everywhere. Between her legs, tugging her nipples, grabbing her hips, he rocked up into her as she found her own rhythm. His girth stretched her, making her feel every deep thrust. Playfully she squeezed her inner muscles, seeing if he could tell.
“Can you feel that?” she whispered.
“Hell, yes.” He flexed inside her. “I feel everything you do. Every breath, every sexy little touch.”
On a deep level, she already knew that. She knew he observed everything, and she could never ever forget he thought she was his mate. But his words only reminded her that he wouldn’t be able to observe her forever. No. She wouldn’t think that now.
With renewed purpose, she rocked her hips back and forth. He played with her body, stoking her higher, until she shattered. She clutched his thick biceps and hung on, holding her body up as he pistoned beneath her to find his own release.
“Ah, fuck, Tessa,” he snarled as he came. Her sheath warmed with hot fluid as he pumped and pumped. A sheen of sweat shone on his magnificent chest and his breath sawed in and out of his lungs. She’d never seen a sexier male.
He stopped and pulled her head down to rest on his shoulder. His heart hammered against his ribs, slowing gradually. So vibrant, so powerful. So…hers, if she wanted.
Tessa blinked against the errant thought. Maybe it was true, but that didn’t mean it could actually happen.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered, because that’s the only word she had for him. Coming from a life of coercion to a life of battle, and now into her village and her arms. Just as she had to leave. Her heart ached at the wrongness of it.
“So are you.” He slid a finger under her jaw and raised her head and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “How about I take you to bed?”
“Mmm, sure.” She kissed his jaw. “But what if I don’t feel like sleeping?”
“Sleeping is always optional.” Standing in one fluid motion, he kept her body locked to his. He walked them into her tiny bedroom where he stopped in the bathroom. The cool countertop met her bottom as he set her down, finally disengaging from her. He grabbed a soft washcloth and gently cleaned her up.
She let him, loving his surprising sweet side. Then she headed for her bed and climbed in, scooting to one side to make room for him. “I don’t think my bed is big enough for you,” she murmured as he slid in behind her, tucking her back to his chest.
“Not many are.” His voice rumbled in her hair as one hand curled over her hip.
They lay like that for a few minutes. Tessa simply breathed him in, his masculine scent, his warmth, his muscles caging her closely. She felt adored and protected and, try as she might to hold onto the feeling, a nagging voice ticked like a timer. Reminding her this was only a snapshot, not the big picture of her life.
No! She shoved away the thought and turned in his arms, needing to see him, needing to hear him. “I know I asked you this before…” she ran her fingers down his arm, dipping into the ridges between bicep and tricep. “But I still don’t understand how you said you knew I was your…mate. My scent, right? But you hadn’t met me yet. Is it a Lash thing, that you just know, sometimes?”
He snorted. “I wish. That would make a lot of people’s lives really easy, if they could instantly know who their mate is. Or isn’t.”
“So that’s a no?”
“Yes, that’s a no. Lash demons need to spend at least a little time with their mate. Though I’ve heard o
f matings that went really fast. Like an hour.”
“So then how did you know?” She was pushing, but desperate curiosity drove her to know the whole story.
He blew out a breath and reached for her hand. “I was cursed.”
“What? Cursed?” She shook her head. A tendril of hurt threatened to uncurl. “You were cursed to get me for a mate?”
“No!” He kissed her cheek. “No, no, no. That wasn’t how it went.”
“Then how did it go?” Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
His gaze shifted to the window, where clouds obscured the moons and stars tonight. “It was in the Winter Realm. A hundred years ago. I was on a job for Dalamos. The mark was a mage…” He dropped his eyes to hers. “I’m not proud of this, Tess. I’m not proud of any of the things I did for that man, but especially not this.”
“Okay,” she said. “I know he made you, and all who worked for him, do awful things.”
“I was assigned to kill this mage. But he was with a female, a witch, his new wife. They were all over each other. She wouldn’t stop trying to fight me off, to protect him. I couldn’t get a clear shot at him. She was fierce. Determined to thwart me.”
Tessa waited, dread building in her belly.
“I couldn’t let him get away. I had Kira and Raff to worry about. But the female wouldn’t move. So I... I killed them both.”
Tessa’s eyes went wide and she stared. Her heart stuttered in horror at what he’d done, then her brain caught up. What would she have done to save a loved one from torture and abuse? “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, laying a hand on his chest. “It wasn’t right to kill her, but you had a horrible choice to make.”
“I was especially on edge because one of the new guards had taken a liking to Kira. Always verbally harassed her, grabbed his crotch in front of her, and told her how he was going to force himself on her.” His jaw tightened. “That asshole was waiting, praying I’d slip up, and he could get to her.”
Sudden tears pricked Tessa’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “No one should have had to go through any of that.”
“So that night in the Winter Realm, there was another witch there. An old one. She was yelling at me, trying to stop me. I didn’t listen, told her to go away. But she didn’t.” He rolled to his back. “She told me the pair was newly joined, that I should leave them alone. I ignored her.”
Tessa propped up on one elbow and studied him. Power rolled off his frame, but also a deep sense of regret.
“She cursed me then, that as soon as I was in the presence of my mate, I would know she was the one. That she belonged to me. That I would be seized with the need to claim her and make her mine.”
“And?” Chills ran up Tessa’s arms as the need to understand built inside her.
“And that my mate would despise me for the monster I am.”
Tessa gasped and this time, couldn’t keep the tears from falling. “Oh my gods.” She sat up and drew the sheet around herself, shivering though the air was warm. “That-that’s exactly what happened. What you felt…and what I felt.” She rubbed away the tears. “I judged you. Just like that. I’m so sorry.”
Scorpio sat up and wrapped his arms around her. “I had forgotten all about it, actually. It was so long ago, and I sure as hell wasn’t looking to get mated. Plus, I didn’t believe her that it would really come to pass.”
“Yeah.” That made sense. The reliability of spells and curses depended on the strength of the spell caster. She sniffed and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I told her it didn’t matter, that her effort was a waste.” He shook his head. “But she just looked at me with her one crazy eye, and said her love spells always come true.”
“What? One eye?” Tessa’s head snapped back. “One…eye?”
“Yeah.” He studied her, awareness dawning in his gaze. “Wait. Don’t tell me you know her too. Like Whysper?”
“Lenore,” Tessa whispered. “Yes, I know of her. There are certain witches who are really old and really powerful. They’re like celebrities in our culture, even if other species have never heard of them. Whysper, Lenore, another one named Rosa.”
“I’ve seen Rosa in action.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “She was intense. Don’t ever want to be on her bad side.”
“But, Lenore, in the Winter Realm,” Tessa said. “She’s an expert. Her love spells, or curses, are legendary. She’s right.”
“She sure was.” Scorpio frowned. “I don’t know how you guys do that.”
“But, don’t you see?” Tessa searched his face. “If I’m your mate…what are we going to do?”
“Stay right here.” His tone was resolute. “I won’t let you go to Damien.”
“I have to. If I don’t, he’ll take retribution on everyone here.”
“How?”
“Who knows? Their dark magic can do anything. I won’t endanger all of my people.” She gestured in a wide arc. “My dad, Zeebi, others who helped raise me. I just can’t.” New tears gathered in her eyes.
“Shh.” He pulled her close. “It won’t come to that. No one will be in danger. Never underestimate the power of Watchers on a mission. We can have a whole contingent here. Plus witches.”
“Who will all get injured because of me.” She twisted out of his embrace and held his hands in front of her. “Don’t you see? I can’t allow that. I got into this mess. I have to deal with it.”
A growl rose in his chest. “Not alone, you won’t.”
Her shoulders slumped as she stared up into his golden eyes. Stubborn determination rolled off him like smoke and she knew he wouldn’t budge. Not tonight, anyway.
Exhaustion and adrenaline mixed in her veins, making her muscles too tired. With a push to his chest, he cradled her and brought her horizontal with him. His heart beat steadily under her ear. His heart, which he was ready to pledge to her.
Lenore was never wrong about mated pairs.
The knowledge made Tessa joyous and devastated at the same time. She’d never thought about finding her true mate. Not all witches did. Now, this most unlikely of warriors lay in her bed. And she was almost ready to leave Bronwy to marry a power hungry villain.
She wouldn’t endanger her coven.
And more, she wouldn’t endanger Scorpio. He’d lived through hell. He had family who loved him.
She wouldn’t be the one to rob them of their brother. She’d said goodbye to her chance at happiness when she made her arrangement with Damien.
She just never thought it would also mean saying goodbye to the one man who was meant to be hers.
Scorpio held Tessa as she slowly relaxed into a fitful sleep. Her distress tore at him. The thought of wanting to keep loved ones safe was painfully familiar to him, and her resolve made him proud of her. But there was no way in hell he would let her near that man.
No fucking way.
She was his.
And by extension, the Watchers were her newly adopted family, whether she wanted them or not.
He breathed her in, studied her sleeping angelic face, nuzzled her soft hair. She was perfect. He wanted nothing more than to stay all night, but that was impossible. She might have started to accept the idea of being his mate—helped by her knowledge of the one-eyed Lenore—but that didn’t mean the rest of the coven would accept him. Plus, he was still supposed to be locked up.
He allowed himself another selfish minute to cradle her, then carefully slid out of her bed. She rolled to her side, sighing. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful.
“I won’t let you get hurt. I’ll protect you always.” His body rebelled against leaving her, but he locked it down. “I love you, Tess.”
She slept through his declaration, oblivious to the emotion churning inside him.
He stole one last glance at her, then stalked to the front door where he dressed and paused. He listened for any footsteps or voices and heard none. Quickly, silently, he slipped out.
The night air was still, as if wa
iting for something. Wariness slithered up his spine. He frowned, ducking between Tessa’s cabin and the next, and crept toward Zeebi’s home. A possum took one look at him and scurried out of his way, and the leathery flap of bat wings echoed off the trees above. And as he drew closer to Zeebi’s, her sharp intonation carried clearly from inside to his ears.
“They think the wards were breached somehow. Spent all day searching, checking…yeah.” Her voice was frustrated, with a note of worry. “No, they let him out to do perimeter patrols.”
A pause.
“I don’t know! Hallon trusted him enough to let him call his leader today.”
The answering angry male voice was loud enough to reach Scorpio, concealed in the shrubs beside her window. Gods, he hadn’t expected to hear all this. Fuck. He was right. This confirmed it. She was a spy. But why?
“Yes, I tried to listen! Duh, Damien! But he must have figured out I was there. I got away before he saw me.” Another pause. “You know how good those guys’ hearing is. I couldn’t help it.”
“Yes, he still thinks she’s his mate or some shit. Even told his leader that. But I don’t think she’s going for the idea. She keeps talking about how she’s leaving soon. Mm-hmm.” Zeebi snorted. “Ha. You know she won’t let you do that.” Her voice dropped to a seductive purr. “She won’t let you do the things I will. You know you’ll still need me to satisfy you.”
Holy shit. Zeebi was fucking Damien? And wanted to keep doing it after Tessa married him? Scorpio clenched his fists. This situation got worse every damn day.
“Why don’t you come and see me and I’ll remind you? Tomorrow night. By the river bend. What?” She huffed out a breath. “Fine, in three nights. Okay. I can’t wait.”
With a beep, the call ended. The slight thud of a body sitting down, then a rustling like sheets. Zeebi let out a loud sigh. Gradually, her breathing slowed to a pace that indicated sleep.
On silent feet Scorpio crept to his cabin and climbed in the window. He paused, checking for Kharv’s breathing. A cough sounded. Not Kharv. Orser. Maybe they had switched in the middle of the night. Didn’t matter, tonight all was quiet.