"And how long would you have been expected to remain as such?"
She shrugged and looked away. “Until I met the one intended for me. That is more powerful than any servitude. Promising yourself to another in both body and soul is a greater bond than the one instigated by a blood contract. When we, after we"—she peered up at him and stammered, blushing—"make love, I will no longer be obligated to them.” Lowering her eyes, she whispered, “All of me will belong to you."
"Do you really want to see me, darlin?” he asked, eager to claim her entirely.
Her hesitant nod was all he needed. A swift and effortless motion saw her safely in his arms. He carried her to the head of the bed and climbed atop the mattress with her nestled against his chest. When his back was flush against the headboard, he released her and used his free hands to help her straddle his waist.
The plush cheeks of her ass brushed his cock, the skin silky smooth. Her plump breasts taunted him, and it took all of his control not to lean across and snatch one of the rosy nipples in his mouth. Groaning, he took her hands and placed them on his chest. Then, he released her and placed his palms on either of her outspread thighs.
"I'm all yours."
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Chapter Seven
The brazenness she exuded evaporated, leaving insecurity and doubt. She knew nothing of men, save what she learned from Alexander.
"Stop doing that, darlin',” Luke growled, and when she lifted her anxious gaze to his, she noted his glorious green irises were glowing. She could sense his anger, could see it inside those livid eyes. “Make new memories with me. Right here, right now. Don't bring him into our bed."
Immediately, she lowered her head. “I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry.” His tone softened. “Just focus on me, on us. Don't allow him to ruin this for you."
"I don't know what to do.” She sounded pitiful, even to her own ears.
He clasped her hands and moved her fingers along his chest and shoulders, guiding her in circular motions. He stopped at the tanned nipples and rubbed her palms against them.
"Did you like it when I kissed you here?” At her nod, he said, “So do I, darlin'. It's the exact same thing. I want that sexy little mouth of yours to taste every inch of me."
She blushed, embarrassed but aroused. His frank manner of speech was the ultimate aphrodisiac, removing any and all sense of propriety.
"There is no such thing as propriety between mates, sweetheart. And thinking about your sweet lips all over my body is nothing compared to what I'm struggling not to tell you."
She grinned impishly, stirred once more by his stark honesty. “It's not fair that you can read my mind and I can't read yours."
"When the instinct hits, you'll hear me."
"The instinct?"
He released her hands to grasp her arms and bring her closer. Her eyes widened, and he waited until his breath caressed her lips to whisper, “Kiss me, and I'll show you."
This time, his full lips parted in invitation. She tilted her head to the right and brought her mouth closer, until her tongue teased the small opening provided. He groaned but remained still, allowing her to set the pace and explore. His taste was sweet but totally male, a mingling of earth, fog, and rain. As nervousness faded, her tongue delved deeper, extending into the welcoming warmth of his mouth.
"You taste so good,” she murmured against his lips as she came up for air.
"So do you.” His smile was utterly masculine and breathtaking, much the same as the man himself.
She quickly kissed his lips and then created a path from his stubbled cheek to his jaw, following the square line to his neck. The skin tasted salty against her tongue, and she swallowed between featherlight strokes, savoring his flavor as she worked her way down his body.
Her lips brushed against one of his nipples, and she mirrored the same treatment bestowed by him earlier, bringing her lips over the softness of his skin and darting her tongue along the edge. He shifted his hips beneath her, hissing and cursing in a language she didn't understand when she captured the tiny nub between her teeth and flicked her tongue back and forth across the surface.
"That's right, sweetheart,” he groaned. “Jesus, just like that. You're going to be the death of me."
Encouraged by his reaction, she brought her hands up, allowing her fingers to trail over the sides of his chiseled chest. The hands placed upon her arms followed suit, and she felt Luke's fingers dip lower, and then lower still.
The first stroke of his fingers between her legs shocked more than frightened her.
He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss. “I just want to touch you."
Immediately, she relaxed, stifling a moan when his fingers slid along the wet folds. The ache inside was worse now, a hollowness that refused to abate. She wasn't sexually experienced, but she knew what it would take to alleviate the problem and bring relief.
Luke didn't frown when she moved away from his clever fingers, but then, he probably knew what it was she intended. He steadied her with arms at her elbows when she lifted onto her knees and moved back to straddle his thighs just behind his straining erection.
"Oh my,” she whispered, eyes wide.
He wasn't lying when he had said that he wasn't built like the mages of the coven. That magnificent part of him jutted proudly from a dark scattering of hair, the rounded plum-shaped head purple and painfully engorged. He wasn't only long. He was also impossibly thick.
She swallowed loudly, experiencing her first pang of apprehension.
The width alone was wider than her wrist.
"Onyx.” He said her name firmly. “Look at me."
She tore her eyes away from that daunting part of him and met his understanding eyes.
"Don't be afraid. I'll be gentle."
"But, you're so big,” she blurted out, blushing profusely the second the words escaped.
"There will be pain, but it will be fleeting.” He lifted a hand and twined it into the hair at her nape. “I can make this incredible for you, if you'll allow it. Trust me."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she reached for him. The skin seemed so unyielding and hard, as if it would rend her in two. She wound her fingers around the top portion and closed them, breath hitching at what she discovered.
"It's so soft,” she murmured, rubbing her thumb along the tip and staring at the shimmering, diamond like bead that appeared at the thin slit in the center. “Hard yet soft as satin."
"Why don't you taste me?” he asked and rolled his hips. “See if you enjoy me as much as I enjoy you."
Before she could say she didn't know how, images flashed in her mind of taking him between her lips. Something else came along with them, an inner voice that encouraged her to let go and feel. She frowned, wanting to ask where the voice came from, when Luke answered the question.
"That's the instinct. It wants you to let go and trust me to take care of you."
Allowing something foreign and strange to guide her was difficult, but she did so nonetheless. Luke reclined against the headboard and pillows as she moved between legs for better access. Nervousness was replaced with curiosity and temptation, the compulsion to take him between her lips growing stronger. His large body quivered, and she perceived the immense shift in power. The crystalline drop drew her attention, and she lowered her head until her mouth hovered just over the bulbous tip. She licked the thin slit slowly, her body going still when he gasped as if in pain.
"Your tongue feels incredible,” he said in a gravelly voice. “Don't stop."
She slid her tongue around the head, noting the bitter flavor of his seed and the saltiness of his skin. Each lick brought more of the impulses from within, a need to lure and tempt her mate. Wantonly, she parted her lips, took the tip into his mouth, and sucked gently.
"Yes, just like that.” His hands wound into her hair, fingers tangling in the strands.
More of his essence coated her tongue, fueling the lust within. M
ore erotic images flashed in her mind, causing her to moan around the flesh in her mouth. Luke's fingers tightened in her hair, and his hips moved upward, timed to meet her lips. He was far too long and thick to take completely, but she tried, relaxing her jaw as she went down his length and sucking hungrily as she returned to the head.
"Christ, Onyx,” he growled, pumping his hips. “Your scent is driving me mad."
The hand in her hair vanished, he shifted beneath her, and then his fingers brushed the lips of her sex, the slightly callused flesh rough but gentle. She pressed against them and rotated her hips. The ache in her abdomen increased, a terrible cramping sensation arriving each time her womb clenched emptily.
"Fuck,” he rasped. The rounded tip in her mouth widened and expanded, and Luke used his free hand to palm her face and pull her away. “Stop, darlin', before I come inside that hot little mouth of yours."
She let the smooth flesh slide free, but she didn't look away, mesmerized by the smooth thumb-sized extension of skin just beneath the head that slowly receded.
"It's called a barb. It will lock into place when I spend myself inside your body."
"Will it hurt?"
"No, sweetheart. Just the opposite."
"Do all men have those?"
He smiled, shook his head, and reached for her. His arms wound around her back and pulled her against him. Deftly, he rotated them until she rested in the pillows. The kiss he placed on her lips was fleeting. His mouth chose to mark each portion of her body—her neck, her shoulders, her collarbone and breasts.
Parting her thighs with his broad shoulders, he returned to her sex. She relaxed and allowed the unbelievable sensations and images to take her, basking in the rightness of being with this male.
"Yours," a voice whispered to her.
This time, as he lapped greedily at her, she allowed the climax to approach. She reached for it, let the pleasure build and build until the dam burst free and she was screaming his name. The world shattered and crumbled, dissipating in blinding rays of white. Her body became weightless, and she soared as high as the orgasm allowed.
When the room came into a blurry focus, she saw Luke's face and felt something smooth and large pressing against the sensitive entrance of her sex.
"I need you to trust me,” he whispered in a strained voice.
"I do,” she murmured, placing her hands on his shoulders.
He kissed her deeply and shifted his hips. She felt her body stretching, attempting to widen to allow him entry. Her legs parted without instruction to give him more room. Luke's hand brushed against her thigh as he slid the tip between her folds several times, the velvety head made slick by her arousal. When he pressed forward this time, he worked the head inside. She bit her lip while trying to remain still and soft beneath him.
The pressure was incredible. There was nowhere inside his body didn't touch. She whimpered when he continued forward, the fullness becoming a painful and continuous burn.
"Easy, sweetheart.” Luke released his flesh and lifted his head to study her face.
He rocked his hips carefully, sliding out of her body before pressing back in. Slowly, the burn dimmed, becoming something different. The newfound pleasure made her tremble and quake, until she was rising up to meet the shallow thrusts.
"Good girl. That's it."
Luke kissed her again as he rocked his pelvis. She groaned mindlessly into his lips, grasping and clawing at his back.
She needed more.
"Hold on to me,” he instructed thickly.
His hands clasped her hips, fingers biting into her skin. He pulled himself from her body, retreating slowly. His lips seared hers as he plunged back inside, burying himself so deeply she felt him bump her cervix. The cry of pain, swallowed by his mouth, was taken in the same instant he claimed her. An overwhelming sense of belonging and fulfillment twined and buried itself inside her heart, spindles of happiness sufficing her body and lifting her above the misery.
Bound to him.
Lycae mated. Those of the Covenant bonded. Each was similar, but vastly different. Whereas the wolf was possessive and territorial, the bonds of her people were based solely on pure love and joy.
Luke lifted his head, releasing her lips. “You feel so good, Onyx."
She relinquished the death grip on his back and went limp against the pillows. She knew he would hear the invitation in her mind, her willingness to allow him to claim her as his own. His green irises flashed peridot, and he was moving, thrusting inside of her. There was no more pain, only pleasure.
Her moans spurred him on, driving him in and out of her with brutal strokes. He rose above her, grasping her bottom in his hands. Her eyes remained riveted to the sight of his body entering and departing her sex. A pained expression marred the beauty of his face, and he stopped, gasping for breath.
At her puzzled expression, he said, “I wanted to make this last, but looking at you and feeling you all around me . . . I can't hold off. I have to come inside you."
Slowly, he pulled free. His hands encouraged her to flip onto her belly. Then he brought her onto her knees, placing several of the pillows beneath her stomach. She blushed when she realized his intent.
This was how animals mated.
He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “I am half wolf, darlin'."
She groaned when she felt the head of his erection slide against her flesh before he pressed inside. The fullness was better like this, bordering on painful. When he was completely seated within her, she could feel the fullness of his cock pulsating and throbbing. Lowering her head into the pillows, she arched her back and wriggled her hips.
He pulled free, until only the broad tip remained within her, and growled, “Be careful what you ask for, mate."
The sharp slap of skin meeting skin was muffled by her cry of bliss. Luke wasn't easy or gentle now, and she didn't want him to be. She could hear him now, his voice steady, echoing clearly in her mind. Each of his thoughts concerned her—only her. She knew he wanted to make this good for her, to bring her to consummate pleasure.
His skilled fingers found her clitoris, massaging and pinching, bringing her to an unexpected climax. She thrashed and ground her torso into the softness of the pillows, screaming her release into the billowy cushion of feather and expensive cotton.
"That's it. Take all of me. Take everything I have to give you,” Luke demanded.
His lips brushed against her shoulder, and then she felt his teeth. The fullness became more, as if he were growing inside her. The barb engaged, and she felt Luke's hot semen explode inside her as he bit down, sending her into another mind-blowing climax before the first had the opportunity to pass. She didn't have the energy or the air necessary to scream, left only to writhe and groan as her limbs contorted and she shook violently.
She swallowed between spastic pants, struggling to breathe. He released her shoulder and lapped at the ravaged skin gently. Wanting to face him, she started to shift around, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her in place.
"Not yet, darlin'.” His voice was a raspy purr of contentment. “We're not finished."
"But—"
Without warning, his cock jerked, and she felt another wave of heat coat her womb. She cried out as he did when another orgasm took them, this one stronger and longer. When it passed, she sagged, unable to lift her head or control her limbs.
"You're incredible, Onyx.” Luke's gentle hands against the sweat-slicked skin along her back were meant to soothe and comfort.
"So are you,” she groaned into the pillow.
"Keep complimenting me like that and I'll keep you chained to the bed."
She would have chuckled if she'd had the energy. “Haven't you had enough?"
"Of you?” he asked, and she felt his nose nuzzling her spine. “Never."
His body went tight, and she wanted to shout when he climaxed yet again. Her body and vocal cords were too weak to do much more than accept what he gave, and she rode ou
t the waves of pleasure each time he spent himself inside her until sleepiness made everything fuzzy.
Eventually, she felt the knot buried deep inside recede and knew the barb was no longer latched in place. “There we go,” Luke whispered and sighed.
He pulled free of her body, plopped down beside her, and pulled her into his arm in a spoon position. His mouth returned to the place he marked on her shoulder, his tongue soothing the wounds that pulsed slightly. There were things she wanted to say, questions she wanted to ask. But her body and mind were too exhausted. She yawned and relaxed into Luke's sheltering embrace, closing her eyes.
"You can trust me, Onyx,” Luke murmured. “Go to sleep."
Unable to do anything else, she did.
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Chapter Eight
"Hello, beloved."
Onyx trembled at the sound of the voice, keeping her eyes tightly closed. It was only a dream, she reminded herself. If she didn't give in, she would wake and he would be gone.
"You cannot escape me, Onyx."
Cool fingers tickled the edge of her thigh and traveled up the length of her body. She tried not to shiver, forced herself to remain still, until a featherlight stroke against her breast turned into a terrible, burning pain as he pinched the nipple painfully, twisting the rounded peak as she opened her eyes and cried out.
"Excellent.” Alexander's beaming face stared back at her. She didn't have to look past his bare shoulders to know his body, like hers, was completely naked.
Wake up! She raged inwardly, even knowing it would prove futile. These sorts of dreams ended when he allowed it. Not before.
"What's wrong? Don't I touch you as well as your lover?"
She leaped from the mattress, heedless of her naked state, and faced him with arms crossed over her chest.
"I have never welcomed your touch."
"Continuing to delude yourself, I see.” He smiled and lounged across the bright white comforter, his casual tone infuriating her all the more. “I'm not surprised. You were always the most willful creature. I suppose that's what gained my notice in the first place. Do you remember that day, beloved? I know I do. That fool of a boy didn't stand a chance with you, but then, neither does anyone else. Do you know why that is, Onyx? Do you know why you can't stand the thought of another? Because you belong to me. Everything that has happened has directed you into my path."