“Mmm, yes, Lyla. You’re soaked.”
There was a sharp tug. There went another pair of panties. And suddenly he was there, moving between her legs, kneeing them wider. She held her breath with anticipation, aching, longing, needing him, and then there he was, the broad blunt head of his penis probing her, finding her entrance, and pressing in with one long, gliding trust. He was hot velvet magic inside her, pressing along all the right places. He made soft animalistic grunts in time with his thrusts that shot all along her nerve endings. The pleasure built impossibly fast, racing through her body, growing and surging within her. Aaron’s grunts took on a ragged quality. He reached down and pressed his thumb gently over her clit and that was it. She rocketed right over the edge, wave after wave of pleasure shooting through her.
She wasn’t even quite finished when he wrenched himself out of her, flipped her on her belly, and pulled her up on her knees. He pushed the camisole up her back with one hand and thrust back inside. She gasped at his entry—feeling him behind her like that—the position making her feel more completely dominated, the angle filling her even more completely, and he was hitting that magic spot again with each stroke. He pulled the camisole down from her shoulders and then ripped it right down the center, leaving the torn pieces to fall back down her arms. For some reason, the sound of the fabric tearing sent another flash of desire flooding through her.
He leaned over her, folding his body along her back, nuzzling the back of her neck, his thrusts building in power, but still controlled. And the most erotic thing about it was the way he breathed her name into her ear with each thrust.
“Lyla.
"Lyla.
"Lyla.”
Her muscles contracted each time he said her name, shivers rippling through her body. Each time he pulled back, he scraped his teeth down the tendon running along the side of her neck. Sparkles of pleasure and need arched through her body with each touch of his teeth. Those nerve endings there were definitely connected to her erogenous zones.
Suddenly, he bit down hard. The shocking flare of pain unexpectedly turned the sparkles into a torrent, and pleasure erupted through the pain, flashing along every inch of her skin, along every nerve in her body, and then rolling through her in deep, cascading waves as her internal muscles clenched and released in helpless spasms of pleasure, building in intensity until it blasted through her with the force of an explosion.
Aaron howled, a deep-throated growl of possession and completion that reverberated through her body, and she felt herself shattering into a million tiny pieces, each one a tiny spark of bliss shooting out from her, farther and farther, until they slowed and stopped, hovering out there in the abyss, and leaving behind a profound sense of peace.
And this time when they rained back down, it felt as though they settled into place, fitting together like a perfectly aligned, three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, and she felt whole in a way that she hadn’t in a very long time.
Aaron collapsed on top of her, his warm weight further grounding her to the earth, and she was grateful.
Later, after Aaron had released her wrists and pulled her to lie mostly on top of him, she realized there was no way she could let this go. She fought through her lethargy; pretty sure he was drifting off to sleep too, and gave a sharp tug on his chest hair. He grunted and regarded her with groggy, half-focused eyes.
“Mmrmph?”
At least that’s what she thought he said.
“So. How come nobody thought to mention the biting?”
He blinked at her. “What? The bite?”
“That’s right, Aaron, the bite.” She levered herself up on one elbow so she could see him better. “That seems like something you might have mentioned.”
“How else did you think the bond happens?”
“I thought that was the sex.”
“Lyla, we’ve had lots of sex.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know that. I mean the sex after the ceremony. During the new moon?” She raised her eyebrows at him and tried to ignore the muted ache in her neck that seemed to pulse through her body with a weird, tingling vibrancy. She wasn’t at all sure she liked it. And yet—
He shook his head. “Wouldn’t work without the bite.”
“How can that be? You told me yourself that most humans are bonded accidentally. You can’t tell me they were accidently bitten.”
Aaron grinned suggestively. “Lover’s bite." He shrugged. "It's an instinctive urge. But probably more of a nip, I would guess. They don’t usually get a good bond from that.”
Lying there with one arm up under his head, his broad chest on display and his biceps bulging, he did not look the least bit concerned. In fact, she’d have to say he looked very satisfied. Smug even.
“Aaron! Would you take this seriously? You should have told me!”
He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘yeah, that would have been a good idea.’
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Aaron, did you just make a sarcastic comment while I’m trying to have a serious discussion?”
He dropped his arm and slipped both hands down around her hips, pulling her on top of him, so she had to brace her hands on his chest. He gave her a serious look, which was somewhat mitigated by the fact that he was stroking his hands along the curve of her bottom. His big hands opened to encompass it entirely. He gave a gentle squeeze.
“Lyla, it was bad enough I had to tie you. Think about it. Would knowing about the bite have made it easier or harder for you?”
“That’s not the point!”
Aaron sighed. “Okay. What is the point? I must be missing something here.”
“The point is I have to know what to expect!”
Lyla winced as that came out more like a wail, instead the firm declaration of her demands that she’d intended. She tried to moderate her tone. “This is all new to me.”
Aaron regarded her steadily for a second. “Okay, fine. What to expect.” He stroked his hands up and down her back. “Let’s see. So there’s the bond—which I can feel, so it definitely took. And you know that will connect you to the pack, not just me. And you know you will be able to sense me, where I am roughly, and my emotions.”
His hands settled over her butt and squeezed again. “You know there’s going to be a lot of great sex.”
Lyla rolled her eyes, and he grinned.
He leaned in and lightly ran his tongue over the bite. “And when I do this—”
Ripples of sensation rolled up and down her body from the site—nerve endings that should have been completely sated coming to attention.
“—you will always remember who you belong to.” His sleepy eyes were warm and content as he gazed up at her. “Now you are mine, Lyla. You will always be mine. And I’m yours.” He gazed at her for a moment, his smile widening.
“I don’t mind if you bite me back.”
He turned his head away, exposing his neck, and her stomach clenched at the vulnerability of the gesture. She stared down at him, his head turned submissively away, and couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Go on, Lyla. Just a little bite.” He snuck a look at her out of the corner of his eye, his lips twitching.
“You know you want to.” He ran a finger down the side of his neck. “Right here.”
“Aaron, don’t be silly.” But she couldn’t help smiling back.
“Come on,” he coaxed, tapping his neck with his finger. But other than that, he didn’t move—just lay there with his neck exposed—and a tiny smile playing at the edge of his lips.
“Fine,” she huffed out, and leaned down to place her lips on his neck. She ran her tongue hesitantly along the tendon there. He shivered. His skin was warm and salty. After a moment, she gave him a tiny little nip.
Aaron groaned theatrically.
“Yeah. Like that, Lyla. Harder.”
He pressed his reawakening body up against hers, pulling her down to him.
She giggled and pulled back, giving him a little
slap on the chest. “Would you be serious?”
“I am serious. I’m serious about you.” He raised his head and gave her a quick peck, then relaxed back, a full, megawatt smile on his lips. “I love you, Lyla.”
Lyla felt her heart melt, along with a tiny flutter in her belly. This wonderful man loved her. Truly loved her and wanted to be with her. Forever.
“I love you too, Aaron.”
She gave him a mock serious look. “Even if you did bite me without warning me.”
She leaned down and gave him a soft kiss to take the sting from her words. “But really, Aaron, we need to talk about these things. This is a partnership. I really do need to know what to expect.”
“Okay, Lyla. Sure. I can do that for you.”
He stroked a hand down her back soothingly. “So, let’s see. You know we’re going to go to the cabin until the full moon, right? While the bond is solidifying.” Aaron grinned. “Elizabeth calls it the honeymoon period. And probably—I mean, if you like it—we’ll just move in.”
“Wait. What?” Lyla leaned up on her elbows, and Aaron winced.
“Sorry.” She removed her elbows from his ribs and tried to lean more on her forearms. “We’re moving to the cabin?”
“If you like it.”
She’d never even seen the cabin. Sure, she’d heard about it. She knew Aaron had done a lot of the work on it, and recently his brothers had been working on the finishing touches. But she’d never imagined they would live there.
A place of their own. Still on pack territory, but far enough away that they would have some privacy. That sounded perfect. But she really wished she’d seen it. What if it was some rustic, shed-type thing? What if the bathroom had one of those horrible, miniscule prefab shower stalls?
“Aaron, why didn’t you tell me?”
He looked a little sheepish. “It was kind of a surprise.” He made a face. “I guess I should have.”
Lyla felt her annoyance slip away. He’d wanted to surprise her. And he hadn’t wanted to make things harder for her during the bonding process. Actually, she had to concede both points.
“It’s a wonderful surprise, Aaron. I can’t wait to see it.”
His smile turned boyish, almost shy. “I think you’ll like it, Lyla. I, um, did all the final details with you in mind.”
Was she dreaming, or was there a flush creeping across Aaron’s cheeks? Her stomach did a little dip. Could this man be any cuter?
“I’m sure I’ll love it, Aaron. And if there are, um… any small things that need to be adjusted—that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Not at all.” His face was earnest now. “Whatever you want.”
She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. “It’s going to be perfect.” She’d try to be gentle about any changes she absolutely needed.
“But, Aaron, from now on we need to discuss these things. Anything that affects our lives, affects both of us. And we should each have a say. Right?”
“Right.” He pulled her down for another kiss. “No more surprises. Got it.” He squeezed his hands over her butt for emphasis.
Not exactly what she was going for, but it would do. Aaron was not going to try to control her life. She could trust him on that. And she loved him. That was what mattered. They could work out the rest. The rest was just details.
“So, um, did you want to wake up?” He squeezed her butt again, pressing her down against him, “or did you want to sleep now?”
“Sleep now,” she said, and wiggled over to slip down beside him, her head pillowed on his arm.
“Good night, Aaron.”
She glanced around at the gauzy tent enclosing them and sighed with contentment. And it came to her that a man who made this for her—for one night in the woods—definitely wouldn’t expect her to live in a shed. She felt a little shiver of excitement. The cabin was probably going to be lovely.
“Good night, Lyla. Sleep well.” Aaron kissed the side of her forehead.
Lyla released all her worries. She snuggled closer and let herself drift into sleep.
It was just before dawn when Lyla woke, warm and cozy, her back spooned to Aaron’s front. She could just make out a lighter strip of sky above the edge of the tree line. At first she wasn’t sure what had woken her, but she had the strangest feeling that she needed to get up. That she needed to do something. She sat up and glanced around the clearing. The lantern still cast its flickering glow around the glade, but there was an odd silvery light over by the river.
Her first thought was she should wake Aaron. But she paused. For some reason, she had a strong inclination not to. She pulled on her ruined shirt and tied it around her waist. Her panties were history, so she pulled her pants on commando. Just in time, too, because whatever was causing that light was getting closer.
She hesitated, debating whether she should wake him. Her logical mind said of course she should, but something was holding her back. And then she felt it. The hair on her arms tingled and stirred.
Magic.
A figure in a silvery robe came into view, and just before Lyla’s hand touched Aaron’s shoulder to shake him awake, she realized what she was seeing. Or, she should say who she was seeing. That was— Lunetta.
The goddess of her people.
And Aaron’s too. Aaron would call her the Moon Maiden.
The figure paused and pushed back her hood. and midnight dark hair spilled out, floating down to settle around her shoulders. She spread her arms, palms out, hands low.
“Welcome, my warrior princess. Long have I waited for you.”
One hand turned in a graceful gesture, inviting Lyla to join her.
“Come. The moon sets soon. Time is short.”
Lyla scooted to the edge of the mattress and pushed back the netting draping the bed. She found her shoes and hastily pulled them on. She pushed herself to her feet and gingerly approached the glowing figure.
Lunetta. The Maiden.
Lyla swallowed. She tried to speak, but noting came out but a strangled croak.
The Maiden stood waiting, patiently. Her silver robe glowed in the darkness, and Lyla could see a scattering of midnight blue moons and stars splashed across its surface, almost like a photo negative of the real world.
Lyla moved forward hesitantly, and as she got closer, she could make out the goddess’s features. Her lovely, oval face was pale and serene. Her eyes were large and dominated her face. They were fringed with thick lashes and framed by dark arching eyebrows that stretched across her brow like the wings of an angel.
Lyla’s heart gave a little stutter and she stopped, unable to go any closer. She sank to her knees.
“Lyla, my child, the time of the Prophecy is upon us. I must give you your task. My People are under attack—from within—and from without. In this age of reason, those with power flourish unchecked. There are none who believe in the threat they present to form a defense. You believe. Build the defense.”
She reached out a hand and touched Lyla lightly on the forehead.
“And bring my People back together. Build the bridge.”
The goddess leaned down and took Lyla by the hands, pulling her to her feet. She gave Lyla a sad smile.
“The moon and the stars were never meant to be apart.”
And then she stepped back and turned, facing towards the river. Shimmery silver rays of light descended from the starlit sky to touch the figure as she walked, surrounding her in a soft glowing bubble of silver light, and then in a flash, it streaked back up into the sky.
And she was gone.
Lyla stood there for a moment, blinking in the aftermath, her hands tingling. To the east, a slim glimmer of lighter sky was just cresting over the trees. Did that just happen? Did the Goddess really come to her and call her a warrior princess? Tell her she had to build a defense and a bridge?
She looked down at her tingling hands and watched, open-mouthed, as a silver shimmer slowly faded to nothing.
Well, damn.
Lyla
stood there for a moment and then stared up into the sky. Really?
A feeling of calm certainty settled over her. She took a deep breath.
Hmmm. It looked like she had something to discuss with Aaron. She squirmed a little, wondering if she could put it off. But no. Probably not.
She took another deep breath and turned back to their makeshift pavilion. This was not going to be easy. She called softly, her voice uncertain even to her ears.
“Aaron?”
The End.
This book is over, but the story continues.
Stay tuned for:
Checkmate - Book 3 of the Rabbit River Saga.
Coming March 2019
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the love and support of my wonderful group of friends and beta readers who eagerly devoured my first published novel, Moonrise, and gave me such wonderful and helpful comments on it. It’s been a truly fabulous experience bringing my first book public and having strangers, actual strangers, read it and presumably like it, since they seemed to finish it (according to Kindle Unlimited). Some of them even joined my mailing list! How’s that for success? I have an author mailing list!
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