by Faith Gibson
“Maveryck, it’s over,” Ryker yelled. When Mav’s lion continued mauling the Gryphon, Ryker yelled again, “Mayhem! Stand down.”
“Shit. He’s lost in his blood lust,” Hayden said, now back in his human form. “Lolly, talk to him. You’re the only one who can reach him.”
Natalia knew Maveryck would never hurt her, but she wasn’t sure he was in there. Still, she had to try. “Maveryck?” When he released his grip, she called out to him a little louder. “Mav, baby, look at me.” The lion turned its head toward her. “I need you, Mav. I need my male.”
Maveryck stood, stepping on the dead Gryphon, and stalked toward her. Hayden eased closer to Natalia, and the lion growled.
“It’s okay, Hayden. He won’t hurt me.” Natalia stepped around a now-naked Hayden and strode toward her lion. “Come back to me, Mav. Come back to me so we can go get our boys.”
Mentioning the twins did the trick. Fur turned to skin, and four legs became two. The other males started closing the distance, but Natalia held up her hand. Keeping her eyes on her male, she didn’t stop walking until she was in his arms. Maveryck held her tight, burying his face in her neck.
“I’m sorry, Princess. I never wanted you to see that side of me,”
Natalia kissed his jaw that was surprisingly free of blood then looked up so she could see his eyes. “Do you think less of me because I killed Cassandra?”
Mav straightened and cupped her face. “What? No. You were fierce. Did I want to step in? Yes, but I knew it was your fight. I’ve never been prouder than I was watching you kick her ass.”
Natalia placed her hands against Mav’s bare chest, caressing the muscles under his skin. “Likewise. Well, not the stepping in part, because those talons are fucking scary.” Natalia kissed his chest before looking up, grinning. “Is it weird I’m a little turned on right now?” The scorching look he gave her said no, it wasn’t weird.
“Aaand, that’s our cue to leave.” Hayden bent over to pick up his shredded clothes. Natalia closed her eyes and buried her face against Mav’s chest, laughing. She really didn’t need to see all Hayden’s bits and pieces. “We’ll just grab our clothes and head back to the house. Give you two a few minutes.”
“It’ll take more than a few,” Mav replied huskily.
Hayden huffed. “While I’m not doubting your prowess, don’t forget Lolly has wounds that need tending.”
Natalia groaned, because she knew sexy time would have to wait. Mav stepped back, checking her over. “Fuck, Princess, I’m sorry. How bad is it? Let me see—” Natalia cut him off with a kiss.
“Natalia,” he mouthed against her lips as he gripped her wrists to try and move her back. She couldn’t help but hiss at the pain where his palm covered one of the deepest wounds. “Shit!” Mav dropped her arm like it was on fire and stepped back, running his hands through his messy hair.
Natalia sighed. “Grab your clothes. The sooner we get me cleaned up, the sooner we can get on with that vacation you promised me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him her sternest look, but the misery on his face had her backing down quickly. “Oh, Love. Come here,” she whispered.
Maveryck shook his head. “I’m sorry. I never want you to feel pain, especially at my hands.”
“And I never want to be the cause of your pain.” She placed her palm over his heart. “Especially here.” She moved her hand up, running her fingers through his beard. “I only want to bring a smile to those blue eyes of yours.”
“You do. You have brought so much joy back to my life. You’ve taught me how to love again, and if you’ll let me, I promise to make you smile every day for the rest of your life. I love you, my Princess.”
“And I love you, my Gryphon.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Maveryck
While Maveryck cleaned Natalia’s wounds as best he could without a proper first-aid kit, the others went to dispose of Cassandra and Digger. Since both Natalia’s and Maveryck’s DNA were on the bodies, they decided to torch them. They were in the middle of nowhere, and a fire wouldn’t be suspicious, especially since there was already a burn pit at the back of the property.
As much as Mav wanted to pull Natalia down onto the bed there at the compound, he wanted her home in their bed more. Plus, he had two little boys he was missing greatly. Mav undressed his Princess as gently as possible, cringing at the sight of each new wound. The blood was stark against her pale skin. She was a trooper though, only flinching when he dabbed at the deepest cut, the one he had unintentionally grabbed. “This needs stitches,” he muttered.
“I wish I was a Gryphon. Your wounds have already healed.”
Mav pressed a kiss to her wrist. He wished that too, with all his heart. He would love Natalia until her dying breath, but then he’d have to find some way to go on without her. He just prayed to Zeus that didn’t happen for at least seventy more years. To keep the melancholy out of his voice, he joked, “I don’t think the world could handle it if you were any more badass.”
Natalia pulled on shorts and a T-shirt with short sleeves so the fabric wouldn’t abrade her cuts. “When are the boys coming home?” she asked. Maveryck had called War while Natalia asked for a minute alone in the bathroom to pee.
“Not for a couple more days. War didn’t know how long it would be before we finished up here, and he promised the twins they could play with their new friends a while longer. Plus, Rory’s in heaven spending time with Kaya. She’s Rafael’s – the King’s – mate, and they have a new baby. She and Pop met Rafael and Kaya when Lucy was missing. Mom’s never met a baby she didn’t fall in love with.”
“I miss them,” Natalia said wistfully.
“Me, too. But that gives us time to take you shopping and replace some of your clothes and shoes.”
“It also gives us time for other things too,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
Maveryck laughed and kissed her on the nose. “It sure does. I also want you to feel free to redecorate our bedroom. I know the bedding is kind of boring, and since it’s now your bedroom, I want it to reflect your style. Same goes with the rest of the house. It’s your home, and it needs your touch.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“Nope. I refuse to spend even one night apart.”
“Okay, but when all my shoes and boots overtake your closet, I don’t want to hear you complain.”
“Well, let’s see. There are two guest bedrooms you can use for all your many shoes and clothes. If those get full, I’ll build you a new closet.”
Natalia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. “Deal.”
“Are you two decent?” Hayden yelled as he entered the house.
“No, but we have our clothes on,” Natalia yelled back.
Maveryck chuckled. “Don’t encourage him.”
“What?” she asked, innocently.
“You know what, you cheeky minx. Come on. I’m ready to go home.” Maveryck took their bags to the living room where the other Hounds were waiting. “Any problems?” he asked.
“Besides the smell? No.” Ryker ran a hand through his hair. “We found the rental car Digger was driving. Cassandra must have ridden with him, because we couldn’t find another vehicle.”
“How did they find us so quick? It’s a good three-hour drive from home, and Lucy’s message wouldn’t have been circulated that fast,” Hayden asked.
“Cassandra said working for Nexus allowed her a few tricks. She probably traced our phones.” Maveryck sat on the arm of the sofa and situated Natalia between his legs with her back to his chest. “What are we going to do about Nexus? Mikael mentioned Oz, Nix isn’t to be trusted, and your handler’s dead.”
Ryker looked at Natalia. “Did you mean what you said? Are you really done working for them?”
“Yes. I have plenty of money saved up for now, and I’d really like to spend my time with the twins until they start school.” She looked over her shoulder. “If that’s okay with you?
”
Maveryck’s heart swelled. His Princess was going to be the perfect mother. He was ready to officially make her a Lazlo, and he hoped she would be willing to adopt the boys. “I think that’s perfect.”
“With the money we got from Natalia’s family, Sutton and Rory are set for a while. Sutton has an old buddy who started his own organization, but I didn’t see a need to go elsewhere. Until now. I’ll get in touch with him and see what he has to say. But for now, we’ll all take some well-earned time off. You have two boys you need to spend time with. I need to locate Josiah and find my daughter’s boyfriend. And we all need to hit the road on our bikes. It’s been too long since we took off together for the hell of it.”
“Here, here,” Tank said. “Martina’s got plenty of help at the restaurant, and she’s been itching to ride.”
“Then let’s get home and make that happen,” Ryker said.
On the way back to New Troy, Tank dropped off Digger’s rental car at the local branch so the authorities wouldn’t be notified of a stolen car when it wasn’t returned. That left Cassandra’s disappearance as their only concern, but when they spoke to Lucy during the drive, she assured them she and Julian would be able to make it look like the woman had fled the country.
They stopped off and got some bandages and antibiotic ointment for the worst of Natalia’s injuries before they sat down at a steakhouse for dinner. Maveryck tried to get Natalia to go to a local hospital, but she asked if they could call the Rev instead. So, on the way home, Mav made the call and asked him to meet them at their house. Once her arm was stitched up and the Hound said his goodbyes, Natalia closed and locked the door, leaning against it. She bit her lip and looked up at Mav with heated eyes.
“I want to call the boys, and then I want their Daddo to take me to bed,” she said.
Maveryck pulled his phone out of his pocket so fast he had to juggle it to keep from dropping it. “Then get your fine ass over here, Princess.”
Natalia joined Maveryck on the sofa where they spent twenty minutes listening to their boys recount their day with their new friends, Connor, Remy, and Amelia. Major was smitten with Amelia, and he asked Mav if boys wore tutus. Marshall, with his tender heart, asked if Remy could come home with them because he needed a Lollipop since his own mom was with the gods. War assured Mav he and Kerrigan would explain to Marshall that Remy had plenty of females around who loved him and that he’d be okay. By the time they got off the phone, Natalia was a mess.
“That boy,” she whispered, sobbing against Mav’s chest.
“That boy loves you. They both do. Thank you, Princess. Thank you for loving them the way they should be loved.”
“I do. I love them both so much. And I love you.”
“Let’s go to bed so I can show you how much I love you in return.”
Instead of the heated passion of their first time, Maveryck stripped Natalia down and kissed every inch of her skin, taking extra care with her wounds. His Gryphon was pushing Mav to take her hard and to mark her. Mav wouldn’t do that until they talked about it. The mating bite was reserved for the one being a Gryphon wanted to spend the rest of their days with. He had never marked Jenna. Never planned on it even though he was going to marry her. That should have told him something. But now... Mav wanted to bite Natalia. To claim her for as long as she was alive.
“Mav, is something wrong?” Natalia was on her elbows, frowning.
“What? No. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Are you sure? Are you having second thoughts?”
Mav lowered his head and nipped at the skin above her hip bone. “Definitely not. It’s just...” Mav studied her beautiful face. Her dark eyes were wide as she waited. “We haven’t talked much about the Gryphon side of me. I know Lucy explained some of it, but did she tell you about mates?”
“Just that it’s the term shifters use for their significant others.”
“There’s more to it than that. With the Gargoyles like Tamian, they have what’s called fated mates. One being chosen by the fates for them. When they find their one, they’ll never be able to love someone else. With Gryphons, we don’t have that. We are given the choice as to who we take as our mate. With both species, we mark our mate with a bite. That seals the bond. Unlike marriage, it’s permanent.”
“Was Jenna not your mate?”
“No. I was willing to marry her, but for whatever reason, I never intended to mark her. Now I know why. You are the one I want for the rest of my life. I want to marry you. Raise my boys with you. Spend my life growing older with you. Marking you isn’t necessary for all that to happen; it would just make my Gryphon incredibly happy if you one day accepted the bite.”
“Your Gryphon? What about you? Do you want to bite me?”
“More than anything.”
“I’m past worrying about how fast we came together. I love you, and I can’t imagine there being someone else more perfect for me. So, if you want to claim me, do it. Make me yours.”
“Are you certain? Because once I do, you’re stuck with me.”
Natalia carded her fingers through his hair. “I’m sure.”
His Gryphon roared in elation, and Maveryck pushed against the beast to calm the fuck down. Natalia was still injured, and his plans to make love gently hadn’t changed. Maveryck resumed pressing kisses to her torso, working his way up. He stopped at her breasts to lick each one, remembering how Natalia reacted last time. When he bit the tip, she grabbed onto his hair, holding his head in place. When he tried to kiss higher, Natalia pulled harder. Mav chuckled around the nub.
“Mav...”
He looked up, and her eyes were even darker, if that was possible. “Yes, Princess?”
“I need you,” she husked.
“You’ve got me.” Licking a line from the center of her chest to her neck, Maveryck released his fangs and scraped her skin. When Natalia gasped, he kissed the spot where his sharp teeth had touched. “Easy, Love. I promise when I bite you, it won’t hurt.” He climbed her body, her legs already open to accommodate him. Settling on one forearm, he touched the point on her shoulder where he would claim her. “I’ll bite you here, but not until we’re both ready to come.”
Natalia nodded and licked her lips. “Kiss me.”
“Gladly.” Maveryck pushed down on his erection so it pointed toward her mound, and as he tasted her sweetness with his tongue, he rolled his hips so his piercing rubbed against her clit. He kissed her slowly, keeping rhythm with his lower body. Maveryck called on his shifter’s control to keep his orgasm at bay. He drove Natalia to the edge then eased off, kissing her neck so she could take a breath.
“Mav, baby...” Natalia raised her hips, searching for the friction that would take her over the edge. Maveryck didn’t give it to her. He wanted her to experience the explosive orgasm she’d have with the mate bond. Angling his hard-on so it pressed against her entrance, he slid into her wetness, relishing the way she molded to him perfectly as if she were made solely for him.
He propped up on his forearms so he could watch her face. Natalia kept her eyes on him as he glided in and out slowly, wanting to prolong the feel of being inside her. “You’re perfect for me. The way your body surrounds my dick, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
“Yes, I... Mav... I need...” Natalia closed her eyes and begged with her body for him to give her more. His Gryphon was demanding he take more. It amazed him how his beast had never tried to get him to claim Jenna. Mentally shaking his ex from his brain, Mav increased the intensity, thrusting a little harder. A little quicker.
“Are you ready to be mine, Princess?”
Natalia opened her eyes and looked at his mouth. He released his lion’s eye teeth once again, and Natalia nodded. Maveryck thrust harder, pumping his hips with purpose. When he couldn’t hold off any longer, Mav lowered his mouth to her shoulder and sank his fangs into the muscle. Natalia’s startled shout turned to moans as her pussy clamped down around him. His own release exploded as her blood
coated his tongue. He retracted his canines and licked her skin, the two holes closing with his healing saliva. His dick pulsed, still releasing his seed deep inside her. He’d never felt more alive than he did becoming one with his mate.
Her warm, dark eyes met his blue ones, shining with love and wonderment. Yeah, she felt it too. “Hello, mate.”
Natalia smiled, cupping his face, running her fingers through his beard. It was something she did often, and the caress was as good as her saying “I love you.”
“Hello, my Gryphon. That was...” Natalia bit her bottom lip. “I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“You don’t have to.”
“You felt it too?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Did you know I could see the lion?” Natalia touched the edge of his eye and caressed the skin there.
“Does that bother you?”
“No. It’s amazing how there are these different sides of you. Three animals buried within this human shell. All three spectacular, but I have to say, the lion is my favorite.”
Maveryck pushed up so he was on his hands and brought forth the animal. His face transitioned and the long mane touched her chest. He shook his head and called it back. Natalia laughed, her eyes glinting with joy. “Like I said – amazing. Will the twins be Gryphons?”
“We won’t know for quite a while.” Maveryck’s soft dick slid from her body as he rolled over to his back, taking her with him so she was lying against his side. “The Gryphon doesn’t come out until puberty, if it manifests at all. We’ll hide what I am until they’re old enough to understand how important it is to keep that part of us a secret. But we will tell them so they’re prepared if their bodies start changing in ways they aren’t expecting.”
“Will you love them as much if they remain human?”
