Curling my limbs tight around him, I dug my nails into his back. “Then don’t wait any longer.” I arched into him, rubbing against the head of his cock. “Now.”
He slammed home, groaning as my body squeezed and pulsed around him. I’d totally forgot how much he stretched me; forgot how good the burn felt. He didn’t pause to let me get used to his size. Just pounded into me at a feral pace, going so deep it hurt. But I loved that, even needed it. No one had ever fucked me the way he did—his movements were always dominant and aggressive, and yet there was a reverence there that I could feel but not fully explain.
“I’ve missed this,” he rumbled against my throat, closing a hand over my breast and squeezing hard. “Missed the feel of you. Tight and hot and perfect. You were made to take my cock, Imani.” He thrust harder, faster. His teeth raked over my pulse, teasing and warning me. And when he slid a hand between us to part my folds, exposing my clit to every hard slam of his cock, my release finally crashed into me.
Contracting around him, I screamed. Butch sank his teeth into my throat, drinking deep. At the same time, his spine locked and he exploded deep in me with a growl.
Feeling totally wiped, I melted into the mattress, panting and shaking.
He licked over the bite. “Needed that.” He rolled us so that I was sprawled on his chest with his cock still in me. His eyes roamed over my face. “Never thought I’d have you again.” The pain of that was in his tone. “This is gonna be a rough ride, baby.”
“I know.” We each had our issues to deal with, and people weren’t going to accept our relationship in a hurry.
“Are you with me?”
“I’m with you.”
“That’s all I need to know.” He tucked my face into his neck. “Sleep.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
(Imani)
Our plan to reveal our relationship was pretty simple: we’d tell everyone all at once by walking into the conference room, hand in hand. Then nobody could be pissed that someone found out before them, and we could get the whole ‘you two are making a mistake’ thing over and done with in one swoop.
However, Fletcher sent a text message to notify us that there would be no conference that evening. As such, Butch and I altered our plan so that we would make our relationship public when we entered the arena to begin our training session.
I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I was in a good mood since Butch woke me at dusk by shoving his cock deep in me. It was slow and sensual this time, but still just as phenomenal. Probably just because it was him.
Ready to leave, Butch gave me one last deep kiss as I opened the door. Then I heard a gasp…and realised our plan had just been fucked up. Paige and Alora stood gaping at us. But Paige’s expression quickly became a scowl.
Alora pointed from me to Butch. “You…and you?”
As he slid an arm around my shoulders, I replied, “Yeah, we’re together now.”
“But…you said you were done with the bed buddy thing.”
I nodded. “That’s true, and—”
“You said you were done with him. You said you were done with letting him use you.”
“I know, but—”
“How long has this been going on?” Paige snapped. “Is this why he came here the other night? You know what, I can’t believe you’d keep something like this from me.”
I’d known that would bother her most of all. We’d been through a lot together; she’d trusted me with all her secrets. “Paige, it wasn’t like that.” There hadn’t been much to tell until last night.
She took a step back, her smile bitter. “Oh, I see what it was like.”
“I was going to tell you, tell all of you, tonight. This is—”
“Bullshit,” Paige bit out. “It’s. Total. Fucking. Bullshit. You’re smarter than this.” She pointed at Butch. “And if you cared about anyone but yourself, you’d realise she deserves better. You’d walk away before you hurt her again.”
I held up a hand. “Paige, just let me talk a second.”
“Talk?” She barked a sardonic laugh. “You weren’t interested in talking to me about this before. How many times have I confided in you, Imani? How many times have I told you shit that I’ve never told anyone? Yet, here you are keeping things from me.”
“Paige—”
“Not that I need to ask why you kept this from me. You knew I wouldn’t like it; you knew I’d tell you that you’re being dumb, and you didn’t want to hear that. You didn’t want to hear the truth, because you didn’t want to face it. You wanted to live in a fantasy land where Butch actually gives a flying fuck about you.”
He puffed out a breath. “Didn’t have you pegged as the dramatic type, Paige.”
“Excuse me?” she hissed.
“You’re protective of Imani, I get it. You don’t want her to be with someone like me, I get that too. But this isn’t about you. And if you’d push past your protective streak and your hurt feelings and let her fucking speak, you’d hear that you’ve got this wrong.”
“No, Butch, you might be able to bullshit her, but you won’t bullshit me. Nu-uh.” With that, she stormed off with a majorly annoyed Alora close behind her.
Sighing, I rubbed at my forehead. “I can’t say that didn’t hurt. But I also can’t say I didn’t expect it to go like that. It’s going to be mere moments before this reaches the others.” Alora would tell Evan, who would tell Sam and Jared. Paige would tell the other girls, at which point Jude and Ava would tell their mates. Salem and Chico would then tell the other members of their squad. “Paige is seriously pissed at me.”
Butch kissed my temple. “She’ll get over it.”
“You don’t know Paige like I do. That girl can hold a grudge.”
“Having second thoughts?”
I frowned. “No. I knew when I made my choice that people would react badly. You were right; we have to be tight and stand against it.”
“So you’re still with me on that?”
“I’m with you.”
He nodded in satisfaction and twined his fingers with mine. “Let’s get to the arena and get the rest of this shit over with.”
As if by mutual agreement, we took a slow walk out of the building and to the arena. It seemed that neither of us were in any rush to listen to more people slate our decision. I kept my chin up as we walked inside, still hand in hand. To my surprise, none of the girls were there. I didn’t know what that meant, but I guessed it was an ‘I’m so pissed at you, I can’t even look at you right now’ message.
Butch’s squad was there, however. With the exception of David and Salem, they all scowled at him. The weight of their disapproval and anger set on my shoulders like lead. It also ticked me off big style. Who were they to freaking judge?
None of them spoke. They just stared at Butch expectantly, as if waiting for him to begin explaining himself.
Finally, Chico arched a brow at Butch. “Got something you want to tell us?”
Butch just shrugged, nonchalant. “You already know.”
“It’s not enough that you fucked her over once before?”
I was about to make it clear that he hadn’t fucked me over; that I’d known what I was getting into a year ago and I’d chosen to take a risk, but Reuben was speaking before I could.
“I thought better of you, Butch. I really did.”
“Jude is having a shit fit right now,” said Chico. “She’s also considering slicing off your balls. I had to confiscate her knife.”
“It’s nothing to do with Jude or any of you,” Butch stated, his tone even.
“Wrong,” insisted Chico. “This is Imani we’re talking about. She’s not just anyone. She’s a member of the legion, she’s under our protection.”
“If you want to be a hit and run guy,” began Harvey, “I figure that’s your business. But when the girl you’re running over is a member of the legion and under our protection, it becomes our business.”
Chico nodded. “We gave you the benefit of the
doubt a year ago, because we trusted that you wouldn’t get involved with someone you’re supposed to protect unless it was serious. We realised we were wrong. So don’t think any of us will trust you not to hurt her a second time.”
“There are other females on this island for you to use and drop,” said Damien.
I narrowed my eyes. “And you’re so certain he’ll use and drop me?”
Looking at me like I was dumb, Damien snapped, “Well he’s done it before, honey.”
“Careful,” warned Butch. It was a lethal whisper that made Damien swallow hard.
“He doesn’t use women to be an asshole, Imani,” Denny told me, his voice gentle. “He does it because he’s not capable of more. That’s why we’re worried here.”
Nodding, Max turned to Butch. “I’d like to think you’ve changed. I’d like to think that you’ll be different with Imani. But I know you won’t, because you walked away from her once before.”
“And you know this isn’t good or you wouldn’t have hidden it,” added Reuben.
Butch lifted a single brow. “Since when do I have to announce the details of my personal life to all of you?”
No one had an answer to that.
Wiping a hand over his face, Stuart looked at me. “Imani, you’ve got to see that Butch isn’t who you need. You just got out of a relationship after being let down by someone you trusted. Do you really want to go through that again?”
“Is this like a rebound thing?” Harvey asked me. “You’re feeling lonely and vulnerable and just looking for something to fill the void?”
My eyes widened. “No. It’s so far from a rebound, it isn’t even funny—not that I need to justify myself to you. And I’d just like to point out that some people worried that Salem wouldn’t be good for Ava, but no one said shit about it.” Though that may have been because Sam threatened that any interference would be met with bodily harm.
Damien, Stuart, and Denny shifted uncomfortably as they glanced guiltily at Salem.
Reuben jabbed a finger in Butch’s direction. “If you have any decency in you, you’ll end this before you have the chance to hurt her.”
Looking bored, Butch ran his gaze along everyone. “You all done now?”
Reuben cursed. “Don’t you have any—” He cut off as Sam and Jared entered the arena. “Have you heard about Imani and Butch’s special news?” he asked, his tone mocking.
“I don’t think that’s the business of anyone here other than Imani and Butch,” said Sam.
I blinked, surprised.
Chico gaped at her. “You can’t tell me you’re okay with this, Coach.”
David cleared his throat. “Let’s just forget about this and start the session. Coach is right; this is their business.” Salem grunted in agreement.
After a moment, Reuben inclined his head. “Fine.” His annoyed gaze moved to me and Butch. “I think it would be best if you two go. Emotions are running too high in here right now, and we need to have our heads straight while we’re training.”
My mouth fell open. Had he really just said that?
Face blank, Butch said to him, “I don’t recall asking what you think is best. If Coach and Jared want us to leave, we’ll do just that.” Butch looked at the couple. “But I’ll never enter this arena again. I remember Max once making an offhand comment about you two out of jealousy.”
The image of awkwardness, Max averted his gaze.
“You told him personal shit has no place in this arena,” Butch said to Sam. “Is that true? Or does that only apply to some people?”
She didn’t reply, but her next words made her stance perfectly clear. “Take your usual places.”
Chico’s face hardened. “Coach, seriously—”
“I am bloody serious,” she fairly snarled. “You can be pissed at Butch and Imani in your own time. Though why you’re all taking this personally as if they’re together to spite you, I don’t know. It’s bloody ridiculous. Stop fucking whining and get your shit together.”
Jared nodded his agreement. “You get to feel how you feel, but you don’t get to use this arena as a place to vent.”
Glancing around, Sam frowned. “Where are the girls?” When no one spoke, she hissed, “Jared, call them here now.”
Looking a little worried on Jude’s behalf, Chico again spoke, “Coach—”
“Not another bloody word.”
Everyone fell silent as we waited for the rest of my squad to arrive. Paige fairly marched inside. Other than Ava, who cast me a weak smile, the girls pointedly ignored me. Nice.
Flicking her brown hair over her shoulder, Jude sighed. “Look, Sam—”
“If what’s about to come out of your mouth has anything to do with Imani and Butch, I don’t want to hear it,” Sam snapped, the mercury tint to her irises flaring slightly. It clearly took the girls aback. I couldn’t blame them for looking wary; I wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of Sam’s anger either.
“Considering we might soon find ourselves in a battle with dragon shifters, we need to be at the top of our game,” said Jared, face hard. “We don’t have time for this shit.”
“You’re here to train, nothing else,” said Sam, slashing her hand through the air. “Now all of you stand over there and listen to what Jared and I have to say.”
(Butch)
Abashed, everyone did as they were told. I led Imani to the front and centre of the group—it was a message that we wouldn’t be pushed out. If the scowls directed at me were anything to go by, the message was received and it wasn’t much liked.
Slowly pacing in front of us, Sam began, “Most of you have been in battle before; you know what to expect, you know how bad it can get, you know the best attack and defence formations, and you know who to partner with if splitting up is necessary.” She halted. “But all of that is going to mean jack shit in the upcoming war.
“We won’t be up against our own kind. We’ll be up against creatures bigger and stronger than us. Worse, they can bloody fly—I don’t need to tell you that’s gonna be a big problem. It means they can fight from above, dodge our gifts with minimal effort, and it would be difficult to stop them from passing us.”
“The latter will be the biggest problem,” said Jared, feet wide apart. “In a battle against charging vampires, we could hold them off. But these creatures could just fly right over our heads.”
Sam resumed pacing. “Jared and I did a lot of thinking, and we’ve come up with some ideas that might help. You know I can extend my energy shield outwards to protect others. But what if I used it to contain the dragons in one place? It would mean we were inside the shield with them, so we wouldn’t be protected from them. But it would also mean they were trapped with us and unable to go any further. It would mean that any damage they did would be unable to spread.”
“Can you do that?” Imani asked.
Sam bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know. I’m hoping that if Reuben boosts my gift, it will be enough for me to expand my shield that far outwards. I’d have to practice a lot.”
“You’re a hybrid with a shitload of power,” said Reuben. His gift allowed him to strengthen or weaken the gifts of others. “Boosting that power should do it.”
“But could you control all that power?” Max asked Sam.
“I’ll learn, because there’s no other acceptable result.”
Harvey raised his hand, like a kid in a classroom. “Um, I hate to be a kill-joy, but...well, I’m guessing they’ll be flying pretty fast. Could you cover them with the shield fast enough to keep them all contained?”
“Probably not.” Sam looked at me. “That’s where you come in. You can form a protective wall. You use that as a shield and often stretch it around you. But what if we enlarged that wall? What if we made it so tall and wide that anything that flew at it crashed?”
It could be possible, but... “I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t,” said Jared.
“I can form walls of energy,” began Sam, “but the energy I feed from is a crazy mixture of kinetic energy, solar energy, and my own preternatural energy—that makes it vibrant and visible. The dragons would see it.”
But my shield didn’t glimmer because it was generated by my own individual energy, not a combination of varying energies. That meant the unsuspecting dragons would fly right into it.
“If they’re flying fast, they’ll crash hard,” Jared pointed out. “Even if they don’t fall to the ground, they’ll be unbalanced and confused long enough for Sam to extend her shield over us all.”
“We can try it now.” Sam gestured for me to move forward.
Reluctantly leaving Imani’s side, I advanced a few steps.
Nodding in satisfaction, Sam said, “Bring up your shield.”
It was easy enough to do, since it was something I’d done a thousand times. Raising my hands, I let the preternatural energy that filled me flow out of my palms and form a shield that I could feel but not see.
“Instead of pulling it around you, stretch it outwards.”
As I extended my arms, I pushed out more preternatural energy to widen the shield.
“Now try making it higher.”
I raised my arms and made the shield increase in height.
Sam smiled. “That’s really good. Reuben, do your thing.”
With a brief touch to my shoulder, Reuben’s ability caused mine to grow in strength.
“Right, this time I want you to extend the shield so far that it forms a wall between you and everyone else.” Sam urged Jared to move with her to stand with the group, leaving me alone. “Think about pushing it outwards.”
I didn’t move my arms at all, just kept them above my head as I let more and more energy slowly trickle out of my palms until it stretched the shield, making it higher and wider. I felt it bump something—I was hoping it had collided with the walls and the roof.
“Now we need to test just how high it is.” Sam pivoted on her heel. “Denny, jump.”
The animal mimic could jump as fast and high as a copepod. He swallowed. “What if it worked and Butch’s shield stretched that high?”