by J. J. Dean
His breath tickles my skin, and I shiver, dropping my head back with an audible thud. He presses a kiss just behind my ear before dragging his lips back down the column of my throat, dragging out another shiver from me. My hands flex across his back, and I pull him impossibly closer.
My eyes flutter closed with the attention, every nerve in my body becoming so aware that every touch grows sends a shiver through my sensitive body. Just as he reaches my collarbone, effectively turning me into a puddle, he moves away and asks, "You know what I'd like the sound of more?"
"What's that?"I manage to force out.
"Calling you mine."
My eyes pop open, my gaze colliding with Nix's. Despite the smirk he's sporting, his eyes hold a seriousness I've never seen before. My breath stills in my lungs, and my mind grows fuzzy. If I thought my heart was hammering before, I don't even know how to describe what's happening to it right now. It's almost as though it's taken up acrobatics in my chest with no hope of it slowing down. He wants to call me his? Does he mean...?
"You really want me? You're okay with the mating bond?" I ask, my voice unsure yet hopeful all at once. I've quickly come to realise these guys mean a great deal to me already. They rescued me, cared for me, brought me into their home and made me feel like I was a part of them. They've burrowed into the crevices of my heart where there's no chance of removing them. Now that I know I've created a tether between me and each of the guys, it feels like it's exactly what I was supposed to do. The Fates may have played their hand in it, but these guys? Well, they already feel like mine. It's just taken me this long to figure it out.
His lips pull up in a confused smirk. "Why wouldn't I be? I've wanted you since we saved you on the muddy river bank, and you called me your hero. If it wasn't already obvious, you're stuck with us, babe."
I'm grinning the biggest smile I've probably ever had appear on my face, and my eyes mist with happy tears. Nix grins back at me, and it's like the world stands still for this very moment.
I move my hands to reach up and cup his face, my thumbs brushing over his surprisingly soft beard. A low purr-like growl starts up in his chest, the vibrations seeping into my chest where he's pressed up against me. His hands tighten in my hair, pulling my face closer to his until our noses brush against one another. With a deep voice that does everything for me, he says, "Say you'll be mine, Novia. Be my mate."
I'm barely able to nod with the firm hold Nix has on me, but he catches the movement easy enough. He flashes me another grin before his lips are claiming mine with a feverish intensity that leaves me breathless. My hands crawl further until they're tangled in his hair, gripping tightly as he devours me.
Nix's hands move from my hair, travelling slowly down the length of my body until they rest over my ass, squeezing and pulling me closer at the same time. In a move I'm not expecting, he grips me snugly and lifts me by my ass so I'm forced to wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.
My breath leaves me in a whoosh of shock before I laugh against his mouth and kiss him harder. The hold I have on his hair grows tighter, and a deep growl escapes him. That noise alone has me needing to get closer, as if there was even a sliver of air between us. The hands on my ass cheeks tighten, and liquid heat pools between my legs.
Nix carries me easily to the bed, his mouth never breaking away from mine, blessing me with his mind-shattering kisses while he lays me down gently. As he does, the towel that had been wrapped around me comes undone, falling open the moment my back hits the comforter. He keeps himself hovered above me, his eyes leaving a trail of heat across my naked body as he looks over every inch of me. Instead of feeling self-conscious, my body warms, and I feel his eyes roaming my body like a physical touch.
His hand moves from besides my head and falls gently onto my waist, his calloused fingers creating a gentle trail on my skin. He glides his hand upwards over my ribs until he's cupping my breast in his hand. His thumb flicks over my already pointed nipple, making it even harder. I gasp, and my eyes flutter closed at the sensations it creates, blissed out on Nix's touch.
"You're fucking beautiful," he rasps. My eyes open to find his gaze on my face, and the look in his eyes has my core clenching and my need wracking up even higher. His stunning blue eyes are heated, desire pooling in their depths. His hand trails further up my body until he reaches my pointed ears, and without warning, strokes a finger along my ear. My body shivers, and my eyes flutter closed with a moan. The touch is soft, but I feel it all the way to my core.
My hands find their way to the waistband of his jeans, slipping under his shirt and gliding up over his abs and chest, pushing up his shirt with me. Nix takes the hint, moving back far enough to yank the shirt over his head and throw it behind him. He's left in nothing but his jeans, and breathing suddenly becomes difficult. He's absolute perfection, muscles straining his skin in a way that has me wanting to rub my hands all over him.
So I do.
With gentle strokes, I feel every muscle, while the veins in his arms that have popped out with the strain of keeping himself braced above me. I glide my fingers over his broad shoulders and down his chest, the tips of my fingers briefly making contact with his nipples before he loses it.
"Fuck it. Can't wait." It's all the warning I get before he's ravishing my skin, trailing harsh nips and open-mouthed kisses down my neck, over my chest, and down the valley of my breasts. I'm panting and wriggling beneath him by the time he gets to my aching centre. His breath fans over my pubic bone, and when I look down the length of my body, I see a sinful smirk on his face before he attacks me like a starving man.
A sound that resembles a mewl leaves my mouth when his meets my core. My back bows on the bed, and my hands fist the sheets as his tongue sneaks out and laps at my slit, rendering me mindless and begging for more. Nix's hands clamp down on my hips when his tongue flicks at my clit. I. See. Stars. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and my thighs clamp around his head when he nibbles and sucks on the sensitive bundle of nerves.
An orgasm is suddenly creeping up on me, building until it's teetering on the edge. My left fist tightens in the sheet while my right hand grips onto Nix's hair as he draws me nearer and nearer to the cliff I find myself begging to fall off.
"Please. Please, Nix," I plead, my back arching further when his motions become more frantic, and a deep, guttural groan vibrates from him to my clit. Swiftly, he pulls one hand away from my hip and thrusts a finger inside me, pumping along with his tongue. The intrusion is a surprise, but a very welcome one when his finger crooks inside me, rubbing against a spot that has me panting and gripping Nix harder.
A second finger joins his first, and, after one thrust, I'm shattering around his fingers. My walls tighten, and an orgasm washes over me with such intensity that I lose my breath entirely. My eyes close as the feeling of utter bliss rushes through my body, leaving me a boneless heap on the bed.
Movement at the bottom of the bed has my eyes slowly opening, only to find a very naked Nix standing in all of his glory, watching me with hungry eyes. As if I didn't just shatter to pieces, my pussy throbs, and need builds within me suddenly, pulling a gasp from my mouth.
Nix doesn't hesitate to climb back on top of me, his skin sliding against my own. The feel of him against me is like nothing I've experienced before, something I'll never grow tired of. His warmth seeps into me, and I wrap my arms lazily around his neck. He bends to kiss me deeply, his tongue drawing a moan from my lips. His hardened shaft rubs against my soaked slit, covering him in my juices. He groans against my lips, a sound that has me throbbing all over. I lift my legs and wrap them around his waist, the heels of my feet digging into his lower back.
Without warning, he's thrusting into me until he bottoms out entirely. Pain erupts from deep inside me, and I cry out, gripping onto Nix tighter while my eyes close. Nix freezes above me with my cry. Now would be the time to tell him I've never been with a man before, but I'm still waiting for the pain to fade, so I can talk
again.
He beats me to it.
"Novia, did I… was that… am I the only my man who’s had you?" he groans, sounding slightly pained. My eyes open, and I nod, meeting his eyes head on. They suddenly fill with so much lust and desire that my mouth falls open, my walls clamp around him with a vise-like grip, and my legs tighten on his waist. Another groan leaves him before he burrows his face into the crook of my neck. "Fuuuuck. That information is not going to help me last long. Not at all."
Surprised, I laugh. The agony in his voice, mixed with the tinge of disappointment and burning hunger that I hear isn't what I expected, but I'm beyond pleased that he isn't angry I didn't tell him that I was still untouched. Given I was taken at eighteen and wasn't all that interested in boys before my capture, I've not had any time to rectify the situation.
Not that Nix seems to mind when he growls against my throat and huskily whispers, "That's not helping. You're so fucking tight. Jesus."
The pain has already faded, and when Nix begins to pepper kisses along my neck, nipping at a certain spot at the crook of my neck, my walls tighten again, and a rush of liquid coats his dick even more.
Nix leans back to look at me, his eyes lit with so many emotions I can't keep track of them. It has my needy core begging for him to finally move inside me. He bites his lower lip, causing my legs to squeeze his waist, before asking, "You okay, babe?"
Breathless with need, I answer, "Yeah. More than okay. I'll be even better when you start moving."
His mouth pulls up in a grin that sets me on fire. With no warning once again, he pulls out of me before thrusting his dick deep inside me. There's another pinch of pain, but pleasure overrules it, rippling through my body relentlessly. He repeats the motion, pumping in and out of me with deep strokes while his hands roam over my body. While he moves his body, his hands move to my thighs, tugging the lower half of my body upwards. The new angle has me cursing and crying out in pure pleasure as his shaft finds that spot inside me that has a second orgasm growing swiftly.
Nix growls again, this time sounding more animal than before. "Christ. Damn your pussy for being so fucking tight."
He thrusts his cock inside me a couple more times, the sound of skin slapping skin loud in the room, before snarling in a way I find entirely too sexy and pulling himself away from me. With a move so sudden, he's flipped me over until I'm braced on my hands and knees in front of him. I look back with wide eyes, and when my gaze finds his, it's to meet a set of yellow irises filled with a possessive glint mixed with need.
He's pistoning his shaft inside me again, the new angle causing me to moan long and hard. Nix leans over me, his arm wrapping around my waist while his other hand moves my hair to the side. His nose brushes my ear, and my walls spasm around him. His thrusts are rough and rapid, and it drives my release closer and closer to the edge again. His cock slides so deep that it hits me just right, and my orgasm is crashing into me like a tidal wave. I cry out my release while Nix still pumps himself inside of me, my walls clenching tightly around him.
Nix suddenly growls, his voice all animal, deep and rough. I shiver, and my skin breaks out in goosebumps before a sharp pain streaks from my shoulder to my breast. My chest grows unbearingly warm, and something deep within me just... clicks. Like a piece of me settles, and a shard of my heart grows content.
When I look down, I see Nix's claws digging into my skin, but he's suddenly roaring his release and slamming into me so hard that my eyes roll into the back of my head as another release suddenly overtakes my body, and I black out entirely, slumping onto the bed boneless and exhausted.
Chapter 28
Novia
When I come to again, Nix is still buried to the hilt inside me despite his softening shaft. His head resting in the middle of my shoulder blades while he pants for air.
He pulls out of me slowly, drawing out another mewl from my lips. He leans over my body, his face coming into view from where my head is lying on the pillow before he kisses me soundly. These kisses are different from the ones before. The desperation and need is gone, replaced with a certain contentment that I feel down to my bones.
Nix pulls away, rubbing his nose against mine before whispering, "Is it appropriate to brag that you’re mine now, and I had you first, or is it bad bedside manner to do that after blowing your mind with three orgasms?"
I laugh loudly, hard enough that tears form in my eyes, and I see Nix’s big toothy grin through the mist. When he wiggles his eyebrows at me, those tears spill over with more laughter. I wrap my arms around his neck and shake my head at him with a grin that I simply can’t wipe away.
He kisses my tears away with a gentleness that contrasts the way he just took me, and it sends butterflies soaring in my belly. I smile softly at him before saying, "I suppose you can brag a little. I do expect more orgasms though. All the orgasms."
His deep timbred laughter has my smile growing and my heart swooning like a love-sick teenager. "All the orgasms, huh? Already planning on more?"
I snicker as he moves from on top of me and falls to the side, reaching out to gather me in his arms. "Obviously. I'm only here for the sex, didn't you know?"
Nix laughs again before kissing me deeply, once again leaving me breathless. He pulls away slowly, rubbing his nose against mine. With a voice as soft as a whisper, I tell him, "You know this means you’re mine too, right?"
He grins and slides his arm around my waist before scooping me up and sitting me on his stomach with one fluid motion. His hands caress my bare thighs while he beams at me. He opens his mouth as if to say something while his eyes move from my face and down to my chest. It's then his features morph into something else entirely.
I watch with confusion as pure horror plasters itself on his face. His blue eyes widen, and he sucks in a sharp intake of air before sitting up quickly. His hands reach out to stop me from falling off him, but his eyes never leave my chest.
When I look down, I understand why.
From the top of my shoulder blade to the spot between my breasts are three very deep cuts, raw and red with drops of blood pouring from them. I know like I know my own name that it was Nix's claws that caused them, but they don't hurt. I lift a finger to prod at one of the cuts, but instead of the pain that should have accompanied it, I only feel an intense warmth from them. My eyebrows shoot up my forehead, and I look back at Nix who looks as much horrified as he does mortified.
I lift my hands and cup his face, gently pulling his head up until he looks at me. I see guilt flash in his eyes, so I'm quick to reassure him. "They don't hurt, Nix. I'm okay."
"But you're bleeding. And not just a little, but a lot." And he's right, there's a steady stream of blood dripping from the wounds, down my body, and onto the white sheets beneath me.
"Okay, sure, it looks bad. But I'm not in pain," I promise, shaking my head and shrugging. A stupid move when more blood drips from the cuts.
Nix's eyes shut tight before he rubs his hands roughly over his face, shaking his head at the same time. He drops his hands enough for me to see his tortured eyes pointed at the cuts on my chest, and from underneath his palms, he mumbles, "I'm so sorry, Novia. I didn't even realise I'd cut you so deep."
"Phoenix, look at me," I demand softly. I wait for his eyes to reach mine before smiling and telling him, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm not hurting. They're just really warm when I touch them is all. Please don't look so guilty. I'm fine, I promise."
He must sense my sincerity because he slowly nods and drops his hands, breathing out a slow huff of air. When he seems calm enough, I ask, "Is it safe enough to ask why I have your claw marks embedded in my skin?"
Nix winces slightly, and a sheepish look washes over his face. He looks away from me, his eyes spanning the room before he sighs in defeat and faces me again. "My animals were marking what is ours. It cements the mating bond, only the cuts aren't supposed to be that deep. It's supposed to be a nick, a small drop of blood, and that's it. I guess my animals ar
e assholes and super fucking territorial. They should have healed by now, though."
My mouth opens with an audible pop. Nix bites his lower lip and squints with another sheepish look, and I can't help the laugh that leaves me. His animal did more than mark me. There will be no mistaking that I'm his, that's for sure. "Your animals are savages. But they're lucky I have no intention of getting rid of you, claw marks or not. And they probably haven't healed because I'm completely drained right now. You scared the last of my energy out of me when you snuck into the room and took ten years off my life."
The sheepish looks washes away only to be replaced with a look of sheer joy as he ignores my jab about scaring me to death. My heart fills with warmth at that look, and I shake my head at him with a smile. I drop a kiss on his lips before lifting myself off his body and the bed before turning towards the bathroom.
Walking towards the bathroom, still completely naked, I prod the wounds again. Once again, the pain isn't present. All I feel is an intense warmth any place my finger touches. I walk into the bathroom and stand directly in front of the mirror. I'm still testing the limits of my cuts, checking if there's a spot that hurts at all, so I'm not paying attention to the mirror when I stand in front of it.
It's when I hear a shout, something that sounds like a scuffle, and a yelp that I look up into the mirror. I shriek and clasp a hand over my mouth when I see Zayn standing directly behind me. His eyes are completely blacked out, and two canines are digging into his bottom lip. He's watching my hand carefully, and when I pull it away, I realise why. It's covered in blood from where I've been messing with the wound, and a smudge of blood now stains my lip, cheek, and chin.
There's a thud outside of the bathroom, but Zayn doesn't take his eyes off me. How did he even get here? How did he know where we were?
