by Cherie Marks
Her words pleased him more than he thought her approval could. Every nerve in his body was alive and firing as he dropped his lips to her neck. She leaned her head to the side to give him more access as he dropped light touches to her skin, following a path to her collarbone. He pulled back and helped her remove her vest and lift her shirt slowly over her head. He quickly reached a hand over his head and pulled his own shirt off. With some effort, they removed their pants and underclothes.
A rush filled his abdomen as their bodies touched, and his cock twitched at how close he was to taking his mate for the first time. He felt a purely masculine thrill at the idea of giving her pleasure and making her cry out his name.
He ran a hand down the side of her naked body, brushing the underside of her breast as he did. He picked up where he left off with kisses to her shoulder as he began to move lower. He placed small kisses slowly across her chest. Her breathing sped up with each of his touches.
With circular movements, he eased his way to her nipple, finally sucking it between his lips, laving it greedily with his tongue. A short, high-pitched cry erupted from her throat at the touch. He continued his attentions, moving to the other nipple. Her hips undulated beneath him, against his erection, driving him crazy with need.
He wasn’t going to be able to resist any longer. He should tell her what she was to him and how this would change things between them. But he was being selfish and greedy. He wanted her too badly.
Giving one last lick, he lifted his gaze to look at her, loving the sight of her with her head tossed back and her lips parted. She looked like a goddess on fire to him, and he couldn’t get enough of looking at her. With everything in him, he wanted her, but he needed her to want him back.
“Mezzie, I want to make love to you, right here, right now.”
She slowly met his gaze and lowered her chin as she said, “Then, what are you waiting for?”
It was all the invitation he needed. All doubts aside, he reached his hand down to her sex and opened her with his fingers. He slipped one inside and felt the slick readiness, a groan on his lips at the realization that she wanted him, too.
He raised up on his arms and nudged her legs apart with his knee. She complied, hot promises of pleasure in her eyes as she stared at him.
He poised himself at her entrance, and she rolled her hips, nearly bringing everything to a quick end. But he managed to get his lust in check enough to ease between the lips of her pussy and begin to push there.
Immediately, he encountered resistance, and he looked down at her beneath him, slight discomfort showing on her face.
“Are you a...? Have you never been with a man before?”
“I told you. I live alone and have for years. I’ve avoided people for most of my life, so, yeah, I’m a virgin. I still want you. Please, don’t stop now.”
Without a doubt, some strange part of him, felt thrilled that his mate was his and his alone, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
“Are you sure about this? Because, I don’t want to fucking stop, but I will if you aren’t ready.”
“I’m ready, Lucian. I’m more than ready, and I want it to be you.” Her legs fell wide, giving him complete permission, and he nearly spilled into her in that moment he was so turned on.
It was all he needed to hear.
But he needed to make it good for her. He rested his elbows beside her head and kissed her so completely, and when he pulled free of her lips and lifted his hips to place himself at her entrance, she was restless and panting with want.
He pushed himself slowly into her tightness, giving her time to accommodate him. He held her gaze, not wanting to look away from her. He thrust slowly until he was seated completely inside his mate.
Pausing to give her time to adjust, he lowered his mouth to hers once more. Sweat beaded on his brow with the effort to let her get used to him. When she started to move her hips beneath him, he pulled out gently and pushed back in slowly.
She gasped and said, “It’s good, Lucian. It’s really good. Don’t stop now.”
He began to rock into her with careful, even strokes, trying to stay mindful of her pleasure before his own.
Small, sweet moans emanated from her parted lips as he set up a steady rhythm. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and they moved together, creating a pleasurable friction between them. He gyrated his lower body, and she moaned even louder.
He was losing himself in her as he felt the bonding beginning. He couldn’t stop the connection between them tightening, though he gave a half-hearted effort. He knew they would be forever linked in a way only two fated mates could be, but he couldn’t tell himself no in that moment.
* * *
Mez had no idea sex could be so pleasurable. Even now, she felt warm all over her body, like pleasure itself was taking over. And she couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t get close enough to him. Every time he pulled away, she wanted to cry out for him to return. When he shoved into her once more, she had no control over her response. Her moans and cries came unbidden from her throat purely in reaction to the incredible sensations filling her body.
He straightened his arms to rise above her, thrusting harder and firmer now. As he reached between them, he used his thumb to rub small, firm circles over her clitoris. It was her undoing. All thought erased from her head, and the only thing she could think about was how to get to that summit that seemed to be building deep inside her.
His movement against her body intensified, and she could tell he was losing control.
“Everything I’ve ever wanted...Will never get enough...”
His words seemed reactionary as he gazed down at her. She felt something like an invisible cord snap between them and she felt a pull on her chest toward him. In an instant, she knew she was connected to him in a way that would be forever.
Her pleasure hit her like waves crashing, and she felt her sex clenching around him. Swell after swell rushed through her as she cried out, “Don’t stop!”
An intense, white-hot orgasm rolled through her, and she cried out his name.
His thrusts became hard and erratic as he threw his head back and cried out, sawing in and out, riding the surge of pleasure until he was completely spent and collapsed over her.
As they both came down from the sexual high, his lips found hers again and kissed her over her face and neck before he rolled over and pulled her into his embrace.
It occurred briefly to Mez that they probably should be concerned about the noises they’d made. They hadn’t exactly been quiet. Someone might have heard them, but in that moment, neither seemed to care. Let the enemy come. They’d take them down together.
“Are you okay?”
She sighed contentedly, a little pleased that he’d even thought to ask.
“More than okay. I’m ecstatic. That was...that was...It was everything I wanted it to be and more.”
His self-satisfied smile made her laugh a little. She’d obviously given him a little boost to his ego. She didn’t mind.
One thing still confused her, though. “Right before we...um...came, something strange happened. Like an imaginary strand grew between us in my mind. I reacted physically with a pull in my chest toward you. Did that happen to you? Do you have any idea what that was?”
He seemed a little uncomfortable with the question. He pulled her tightly against him and said, “We’ll talk about it in the morning. Tonight, you need to get some rest, and I’ll stay awake for a little while to make sure no one heard you shouting my name as you came so hard.”
She chuckled and playfully sunk her teeth into his rumbling chest before kissing it better.
“Whoa! Not so fast. Get some rest tonight. We’ll go for round two tomorrow.” He hugged her to him like she was his most important possession, and she drifted off feeling content and satisfied for the first time in a long time.
She was happy. Life was good.
Her chest tightened as thoughts of her dream returned.
This was usually the time when things went bad.
Chapter 16
The night had passed uneventfully, and for once, she’d slept without dreaming. At sunrise, Lucian had awakened her so that he could rest for a little while. She had risen and decided to collect some things for them to eat while they waited for things to develop.
Kresley had shown her some of the edible plants and berries around her home. Now, Mez had to wonder if she’d done it for more than just educational purposes. Had she known that Mez and Lucian would be out here, in the wilderness, needing that kind of information?
She took off in the direction from which they’d come yesterday. She had noted the location of some berry bushes so that she could revisit and harvest some of the fruit just in case she needed them. Yet, when she was in the middle of picking the berries and holding them in the hem of her shirt, she heard the sound of two voices on the ridge above her. She quickly flattened herself against the canyon wall and worked to stay out of sight.
“I thought you said we had an inside guy?”
“Yeah, it’s weird. Esved left him here just about a week ago, but there’s no sign of him anywhere.”
Was there someone else out here for Lucian and her to avoid? That was all they needed.
“Who was he, anyway?”
“Some shifter. A wolf shifter. Went by the name of Henry.”
Mez wasn’t sure she had heard correctly. There was apparently another wolf shifter out here somewhere. Someone named Henry, but the only wolf shifter she’d seen was Lucian.
“Well, we could use him about now. That secret weapon is supposed to arrive today, and from what I’ve heard, it’s not exactly easy to control.”
They had to be talking about Peps. She really hoped they weren’t mistreating him.
Mez eased along the wall of the canyon, trying not to dislodge any rock or make any other noise. In an instant, one of her feet rolled over a stone that bounced down a few layers causing an echoing sound to carry upward.
“What was that?”
Their voices became clearer above her as they peered down into the canyon where she hid.
“Is someone down there? Come out?”
“Is that you, Henry?”
They waited, and Mez hoped they chose not to investigate.
“We’ll have to go down and check. We can’t have anyone running around here, warning the old witch what we’re up to.”
Mez nearly panicked. She began pulling in deep breaths through her nose, trying to get a tickle to form. If she could sneeze, she might be able to freeze them or send them to another dimension, but nothing seemed to work.
Then, in a stroke of luck, a large four-legged, agile animal ran by her, leaping at the sight of the men above and taking off in another direction.
“Look! It was just a jumping deer. Nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t know. Should we still investigate?”
“No. We need to get back to camp in case the general comes with that weapon. Once it’s here, we’ll all have to chip in at that point.”
Mez waited a few extra minutes, barely daring to breathe until she was sure they had gone. As carefully as she could, she picked her steps back toward the campsite where Lucian waited, his gaze hungry the minute he saw her. From the heat in his eyes, she knew he wasn’t thinking about food, but they had more immediate concerns.
She rushed to his side and dropped the berries into his lap.
Her breathing was heavy as she said, “Someone called ‘the general’ is coming today with the weapon.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“I just overheard the two from yesterday. They were on the ridge above me and nearly caught me, but I managed to get away without being seen.”
He pulled her down beside him. “You shouldn’t take those kinds of risks. Something could have happened to you. I would never be able to...” But he didn’t finish his statement.
She grabbed a handful of berries and popped a few in her mouth. After swallowing she said, “They did say something else interesting though.”
“Oh? What was that?”
“Apparently, there’s another wolf shifter out here. Someone named Henry. They were looking for him. It’s their inside man.”
She picked out a few more choice berries and popped them into her mouth, meeting his gaze, and what she saw there crushed her. It had occurred to her briefly, but she didn’t want to think it could really be true.
“You are Henry, aren’t you?” She stood back up and took a step back. He didn’t have to confirm it with words. The look he gave her said it all.
He stood up, dropping all her hard-picked berries to the ground. “Listen. It’s not what you think. I’m Lucian, but they think I’m Henry.”
“What? Why? What’s going on?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Well, uncomplicate it because I need to know whose side you’re on.”
“I’m on your side. Always.”
It wasn’t a clear answer, and it only served to make her angrier. “You had better start explaining because my aunt’s life depends on me, and I had hoped I had you to help me, but now I have to wonder if I’ve been a complete fool.”
“I will try to explain, but you’ve got know that I didn’t tell you everything to protect you. It could have put you in danger.”
Mez didn’t like the whole I did it to protect you argument. It reminded her too much of all the excuses given by people who broke her trust over the years. It was those type of people who drove her to isolate herself. She had trust issues for a reason.
And it reminded her that she had tried to protect herself by pulling away from everyone. This is what she deserved. She’d tried to trust someone, she tried to connect, and as always, she got hurt.
This time, she didn’t need dust or pepper or anything else. She felt the icy tingle in her fingers, and in an instant, she directed her blast with pinpoint accuracy right at Lucian. It was the first time she had felt full control over her magic.
For the briefest of moments, she stared at the look of pain on Lucian’s face. Maybe it was just the distortion of the ice, but he genuinely looked sad in his still form. She still felt betrayed and knew she needed to leave before she dissolved into tears.
She picked up the green book and started away. Once he’d thawed, maybe she would have cooled off enough to listen to his excuses, but she probably wouldn’t. Instead, she would probably do what she always did. She would run. She would save her aunt, get Peps, and run back to her little cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Yet, for the first time ever, she had trouble leaving. Something about him kept her from taking the first step. That strand of connection between them felt tight and unbreakable. She wondered at its existence in her head alone or was she experiencing something real?
Finally, she forced herself to take that first step, and tears rolled down her face as she took another and another. Once she had turned a bend and could no longer see him, she let herself cry fully. All the hurt and disappointment from all the years seemed to crash over her at once. She collapsed on the ground and let herself feel every bit of it. All the names she’d been called and the pranks played on her and every time they’d told her she didn’t belong with them came rushing out in a flood of tears.
Suddenly, arms were around her, and she met Lucian’s gaze as he pulled her against his chest. At first, she fought him, but his soft reassurances broke through, and she let him hold her while she cried.
After another minute or two, she calmed down enough to ask, “How did you get free?”
“I felt your pain, and I knew I needed to get to you. Nothing could ever keep me from getting to you, not even an inch-thick layer of ice. At the thought of you hurting, my skin heated instantly, and the ice shattered around me.”
“You lied to me.”
“I should have told you from the start, but I didn’t know if I could trust you. I’m a double agent. I work for King Zolund
er, and I was supposed to collect information on the movements of the Secret Army. Only, you fascinated me, making me forget my mission and get off track. Now, I understand why.”
“You said you were curious about me. What do you understand now?”
“It’s the same reason I can feel your pain. It’s the same reason I will always protect you. And it’s the same reason I want to get you naked every time I see you.”
His mouth came down gently on hers, and a windstorm swirled in her abdomen as it deepened instantly.
But he pulled back, shaking his head. “I was drawn to you then, and now, we are forever connected. You are my destined mate.”
The connection between them! It made sense now. She had heard of fated mates, but she had never realized it could be an actual thing.
“So, we’re stuck together no matter what?”
He laughed. “Not exactly. You will always have a choice. You could walk away if you wanted to. I wouldn’t stop you, but I will always feel the need to protect you and pleasure you. It is my nature. It’s the nature of a mating.”
“So, we’re mated.” It wasn’t a question. It was more of a statement of clarification for herself. But Lucian still nodded at her, a concerned look on his face.
But, for some strange reason, it didn’t bother her at all.
They stared at each other for a few moments before Mez’s thoughts turned to a wonderful occurrence she’d just remembered, and she asked, “Did you notice how well I used my magic back there?”
“Oh, I noticed alright. As a matter of fact...” But he didn’t get to finish his statement.
Not too far away, a loud, piercing screech sounded on the air, and Mez immediately knew what it was.
“Sounds like the general is here, and he brought the secret weapon.”
Chapter 17
Mez stepped back out of his arms, and Lucian felt her absence immediately as she asked, “So, you are Henry then.”
“That’s the name I gave them.”
“And they still believe you’re on their side.”