by Katie Reus
Disappointment flickered over her face, but she shook her head. “I’m okay for now. I just want to grab a hot shower.” Again, she looked as if she might say more, but didn’t.
Damn it, he’d definitely come on too strong. “Okay.” He didn’t want to let her out of his sight even for a second, but knew that wasn’t a viable option. He couldn’t just drag her with him wherever he went. And his house was safe.
Didn’t matter to his demon half. Right now he wanted to drag her into his arms, kiss her, but he headed for the stairs instead. If he got a taste of her now when he was all keyed up, they wouldn’t be stopping. And that wasn’t the way to win her over anyway. He needed to take things slow, not just jump her.
She needed to decide if he was the type of male she wanted. She’d seen his true form. Maybe once she thought about it she’d realize he wasn’t the type of male for her.
Go take her now before she realizes what a monster you are, his demon half ordered.
Bo ignored the voice and went in search of Finn. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Especially when his demon side wanted to throw Nyx over his shoulder, take her to his room and forget the outside world existed for a few weeks.
* * *
Rory resisted the urge to pace and instead sat in the cushy armchair next to Liberty’s bed. She was propped up against a bunch of pillows and wearing a long-sleeved pajama set. He wasn’t sure if the clothes were Nyx’s or someone else’s. Didn’t matter, he’d be buying her anything she wanted. The realization that he wanted to take care of her, make her happy, was jarring when he knew nothing about her. Or very little.
It had been a long damn time since he’d been in the human realm. He normally wasn’t here all that long either. He’d always thought humans were weak, pathetic.
Now that he was looking at one who’d survived unspeakable horrors, he knew he was an asshole for thinking that.
“Ophelia was nice?” he asked. His experience with other shifters hadn’t been good. That being an understatement. But the healer had seemed as if she cared. And Bo seemed to trust Finn, the Stavros Alpha.
Liberty half-smiled, revealing a glimpse of just how stunning she was. “Yeah. She said I need food and sleep. I can deal with that.” She cleared her throat, picked at the comforter. “Thank you for…doing what you did. For getting rid of those creatures.” It was subtle, but a shudder wracked her slender frame.
He wanted to bring them back to life and kill them all over again for what they’d done to her. He could bathe in their blood, make them suffer for weeks. His canines pulsed against his gums, but he kept himself in check. For her. His wolf was feeling restless around her, wanting to comfort her. It was disturbing. He’d even bared his teeth at his brother earlier because he hadn’t wanted Ian to carry her, something he’d never done. Not in true anger anyway. But he hadn’t wanted anyone to touch her.
He just grunted a non-response to her thanks, not sure how to respond. He didn’t want her gratitude.
“Is there someone you want to call?” Ophelia might have said not to push but he needed to make sure she didn’t feel as if she was a prisoner here too.
“No. I just want to not think for a while. Does your brother really not mind if I stay here?” She pinned him with dark, haunted eyes. His wolf was going crazy with the need to erase the shadows there.
“He doesn’t mind. And you’re safe here.” She’d always be safe as long as he was around. “If you want to go somewhere else just let me know. I’ll make it happen.” Right now he’d give everything to this female if it would help her heal. He was glad his new half-brother was letting them stay. His openness was surprising but Rory found he liked the guy.
She blinked in surprise. “Thank you. Can I ask you something?”
He nodded.
“How many different…uh, types of supernatural beings are there?”
He lifted a shoulder. “A lot. Shifters, vampires, half-demons, fae, and then there are mixes of every species, though that’s a little rarer.”
“Fae is like faeries, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what Nyx is?”
He knew Liberty was asking because of Nyx’s wings, which weren’t visible in this realm. Not unless she wanted them to be. “Yeah.” He also knew Nyx was more than a simple fae. She had some serious power she was keeping under wraps. And the whole transporting thing…he only knew of two beings who could do that. Gods and demigods. He was pretty sure she wasn’t a goddess so that left one option. One of her parents must have mated with a fae.
“She’s more though, isn’t she?” Liberty whispered.
He nodded. “I think so.”
“A few months ago I would have thought someone was crazy if they’d told me there were other realms and other beings besides humans in the world.”
Rory filed that away. She couldn’t have been in the Hell realm more than a few months if she said that. Of course that time frame would have felt like a lifetime, especially when held as a prisoner and abused in ways that made him want to rip something apart. “We’ve been around as long as humans.”
She didn’t respond, just picked at the comforter again. He couldn’t tell if she was nervous or what. His experience with females was lacking. Hell, his experience with most species was lacking. After being basically rejected by his own pack, then other wolves, he’d had no problem retreating to an alternate realm.
Now guilt racked him that she’d been in his realm for who knew how long, suffering. And he’d done nothing. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t known. He and his brother had gotten complacent, just existing in their territory. They should have been out hunting predators, defending the weak. It was what their mothers had taught them. Instead they’d been selfish, only thinking of themselves.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked quietly.
Liberty shook her head. “No. But I’m not really up for conversation. Ophelia gave me a couple pills, said they should help me sleep.” Liberty nodded to a glass of water and two small pills on the nightstand. “But she said I should eat first.”
He stood, glad to have a task. “I’ll go check on the food then.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” Because the most primitive part of him needed to take care of her. He wasn’t sure what to do with the odd feelings humming through him, but he would figure it out. For now he was going to go with his instinct.
And it was telling him to protect this female with his life.
Chapter 14
Bo hurried up the stairs, probably too desperate to see Nyx. He didn’t care. After talking to Finn about his brothers staying here, reassuring his sister that he wasn’t going anywhere again and getting Ian settled in, he needed to see his…Nyx.
He didn’t want to think of her as his mate. Not if she ended up rejecting him. Now that they were back in this realm and she had time to think about what a monster he was, he knew it was a possibility.
He knew he should hold off, but after he’d told her to make a decision, he wanted an answer. Too soon? Probably. Yes. But he apparently had no freaking control where she was concerned.
When he reached the door to her room, he stopped, took a deep breath. Control. He could show some. He just wanted to tell her goodnight. That was it.
He knocked softly once. Then again a little louder when she didn’t answer. “Nyx?” Feeling a little like a stalker but not really caring he opened the door. Only because he was concerned. Something could have happened to her in the shower.
He snorted at himself. He couldn’t even come up with believable lies to tell himself. Frowning, he looked around the empty room. Her bed hadn’t been touched either and the light was off in the attached bathroom.
In full-on stalker mode, he headed to Ian’s room. She wasn’t there. Feeling a little guilty, but not enough to stop, he knocked on Liberty’s door.
“Come in,” a soft female voice called out.
He half-opened the door to find Libe
rty sitting up against a stack of pillow with one of his books opened against her lap and Rory at the foot of the bed in wolf form. The male lifted his head, made a snuffling sound before putting his massive head back on his paws. Damn, he’d never seen a wolf shifter so big.
Since Bo didn’t want to come across as a stalker to them, he said, “Just checking on you, making sure you have everything you need.”
“I’m great, thank you again. And listen, as soon as I can I’ll pay you back for—”
“No. I don’t want or need your money.” He knew he sounded rude, but he needed to find Nyx.
She frowned at him, gave him a look that said this conversation wasn’t over. It was for him but it was good to see a spark of determination in her gaze. “Well, thank you.”
“You guys seen Nyx?” He tried to sound casual, but was pretty sure he failed.
When they both said no, he backed out and searched his entire fucking house. Nyx wasn’t anywhere.
Full blown panic surged through him as he reached his bedroom door. Fuck this. He didn’t care what he’d said about giving her time. He hadn’t meant he wanted her to leave. His demon clawed at him, telling him to find her, bring her back where she belonged. What if her mother had grabbed her? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that a goddess had gotten into his house undetected. That was pretty much the only type of being who could infiltrate his home without his permission.
He slung open his bedroom door, ready to grab his phone and start calling everyone who might know where Nyx was—and stopped dead in his tracks.
Nyx was on his bed with the covers pulled up to her chest. Her arms and what he could see of her chest were totally bare. One of the smaller lamps was on, the soft glow illuminating her perfectly.
She looked good in his bed. Perfect there. Just like that, he was hard.
Her midnight black hair was down, slightly damp as if she’d just taken a shower and her ocean blue eyes were as clear as he’d ever seen them. “I made my decision.” Though her voice shook a fraction, he could see the truth in her gaze.
She wanted him and knew what it meant for him. This wasn’t casual.
Without looking, he kicked the door shut behind him. If anyone tried to bother them, he’d probably destroy them. “Are you naked?” he rasped out.
Swallowing hard, she nodded.
“Drop the covers.” He needed to see her more than he needed his next breath. His whole body practically vibrated with a desperate hunger.
Her fingers tightened on the cover once before she dropped it. He’d tasted her sweet pussy, had seen her mostly naked in the other realm but this was different. She was like an offering to him.
One he’d gladly take, devour, pleasure until she was sated and begging him to stop. “Lay back,” he ordered, needing a semblance of control.
Nyx was completely naked, her pink nipples tight little buds and the sleek lines of her toned body absolute perfection. He’d never been more aroused. The urge to take her roughly was a primitive thing, but he shoved it back.
He needed her to come. More than once. It was her first time and even though he might not know anything about virgins, he knew that much. Which meant his clothes were staying on until that happened, because if he felt her bare breasts against his chest, or any other part of her against him, he’d lose it.
In the lagoon it had been hard enough to keep control when she’d been wrapped around him. Now there was nothing stopping them.
She stretched out on his bed, shoving at the covers with her feet so she was completely bared to him.
A low growl built in his throat. He stalked to the bed, climbed up it and covered her with his body. God, she felt good underneath him. Like the heaven he knew he’d never make it to. She was the only heaven he’d ever experience, and he had to savor it while he was still alive. What she’d said back in the Hell realm about him making her climax before they’d even kissed properly had bothered him. Yeah he’d kissed her before she’d gone into that camp but that was different. He’d been terrified he’d lose her.
Now he would take things slow, do this right. When she arched her back upward, wrapping her arms and legs around him, his control slipped faster than he’d expected.
He cradled her head in his palm before crushing his mouth to hers, taking everything she had to offer. She tasted sweet, perfect. Like his. Her tongue flicked against his and her fingers dug into his back with an urgency he felt all the way to his bones. He nipped at her bottom lip, tugged it between his teeth.
She moaned against him, the sound making his cock press insistently against his pants. Too fucking bad for him. This was all about her right now. She had to come before he got inside her.
He moved to her jaw, feathered kisses against the delicate line. “I’m gonna make you come against my mouth again.” He nipped at her earlobe.
“I can live with that,” she murmured, her voice breathy, teasing as her fingers trailed over his back.
Something inside him eased at her tone. This wasn’t a race and she wasn’t going anywhere, despite what the voice in his head said. His demon half wanted to lock her down, fuck for hours, completely claim her, but he could do this slow.
He smiled against the column of her neck, inhaled her sweet sunshine and roses scent.
Slow. Control.
He repeated the two words over in his head. He had this.
As he made his way down her tight body, he shuddered when he reached her breasts. Full, a little more than a handful, she had the most perfect pale pink nipples. He cupped them, staring down at her. None of his past experiences had had a sliver of the meaning this did.
“You’re fucking mine,” he growled before sucking one ripe bud into his mouth. He hoped she really understood that too. That she was his in every sense of the word. And vice versa. The female completely owned him. Until the day he died, he would be hers.
“Bo.” She arched into him on a gasp, running her fingers through his short hair, digging into his scalp.
He savored the bite of pain, his dick pulsing even harder with the need to bury himself deep inside her. Nyx completely destroyed him. She made him want to be a better male, the type of male she’d be proud to call her own.
As he flicked his tongue over one of her tight buds, he memorized the way she reacted, the little sounds she made when he gently pressed his teeth against her nipple.
“That’s good,” she moaned, things around his room starting to rumble.
They were just getting started. He loved how reactive she was. He was vaguely aware of the sound of breaking glass, but ignored it. Until she stiffened under him. Hell no. “I don’t care about it,” he said against her skin, moving to her other breast. “Break the whole damn house.”
God, he really did want to devour this female, lick and taste every sweet inch she had to offer.
The rumbling started again, making him smile against her other nipple. He needed her to let go, to trust him to take care of her. He pressed down with his teeth, tugged gently. She sucked in a breath and when he felt between her legs, barely stroked a finger through her folds, he shuddered.
She was soaked. And it was all for him. He slid a finger fully into her and she bucked against his hand. The female was so tight it shredded his control.
Almost.
Continuing a path of kisses down her stomach, he pulled his finger out, slid it in again.
“Bo.” She moaned his name, rolling her hips in a way that made him want to throw his control out the window.
He moved lower, lower and sucked on her clit instead of teasing her. She jerked against him, her inner walls tightening around his finger. Oh, she liked that.
With his tongue he flicked and teased her sensitive bundle of nerves as he added another finger into her tight body.
Her fingers dug into his head again as she made the sweetest moaning sounds. She was already close, he could feel it with each stroke. And with each stroke he got even harder, something he hadn’t thought possible.
All he could imagine was her tight sheath wrapped around his cock instead and it was driving him to the brink of control.
“Oh…” She started rolling her hips faster so he increased the thrusting of his fingers and the pressure of his tongue.
Her inner walls contracted faster and faster until he felt the rush of her climax, her sweet release coating his fingers. He wasn’t going to wait, guessed it would be better for her if he slid inside her while she was in the aftermath of her orgasm. And yeah, he needed to be inside her.
Moving faster than he’d even thought possible he stripped off his pants and T-shirt before he settled on top of her again.
Her eyes were heavy-lidded as she looked up at him. “That was amazing, but I want more.” Her fingers trailed up his chest.
His cock lay heavy between them and even though he wanted nothing more than to push into her… “Do you need protection?” He realized he had no idea. Most supernatural beings didn’t need to worry about condoms. They didn’t have diseases and for shifters, at least females, they could only get pregnant a couple times a year. But Nyx was different.
The ghost of a smile teased her lips. “I’m good.”
That was all he needed to know. Leaning down, he took her mouth again, this time softer, slower, with a marginal amount of control.
Surprising him, she reached between them, wrapped her fingers around his pulsing cock. Good, he wanted her to get used to the feel of him, know what to expect. As far as he was concerned, his cock was hers now.
He moaned into her mouth, slid his hand through the curtain of her hair, cupping the back of her head tight.
She lifted her hips and even though he didn’t need the help, he let her guide him to her sweet, sweet entrance. When he pushed inside her he knew without a doubt that everything he’d experienced before paled in comparison to Nyx. Keeping his gaze pinned to hers, he went slowly, taking care with her until he was buried to the hilt. Not even his demon half was impatient now as he ordered him to do this right. Because fucking up with Nyx wasn’t an option. Her inner walls were slick and oh-so-tight. He’d never felt anything more perfect.