“I am Marino. What of your...coyote companion?”
He wanted to know who I was and why I was here. I couldn’t blame him. I had no right to request a meeting with the Warrior of Water. That said, I’d had no right to request one with Thorn, either.
“Briar is with me.” Thorn’s voice was firm.
Marino nodded, sparing me a quick glance. “This way, please.”
We followed him through the trees toward the river, with another bear falling in behind us. The fact that he hadn’t shifted did little to ease my nerves. However many other bears were out there, they all remained at their posts in the jungle, so at least there was that.
A shot of anxious energy flowed through my veins. I was afraid of being trapped. I was afraid Hale would refuse us. I was afraid everything I had done since I’d left my home could be for nothing.
Thorn squeezed my hand. It was such a simple gesture, yet it meant so much. I took comfort that no matter what happened, I wasn’t alone.
He was with me. He was doing all of this for me.
I looked up at his face. Even his features were strong—sharp and sculpted lines with a touch of hair along his jaw. Everything about him was hard, except for his eyes. There was a warmth there that made heat coil in my belly and my tension ease.
He told me Celedon hadn’t chosen him, but I would have. In a different world, maybe we could be more, maybe we could be mates. But he was a wolf, an alpha, and a warrior. I was a coyote, and just me.
Dreaming of the impossible only led to heartbreak.
I turned my attention to the path ahead of us.
The trees broke to a river at the base of a great waterfall. Stone buildings lined both banks, with a huge bridge of what appeared to be crystal crossing from one shore to the other. Cascade Village was larger than both my home village and Lycaon combined. There was no canyon, no gate, no wall. It was both open and full of life.
Everything else faded into the back of my mind as I took in the sights.
The first building we passed was two stories tall, with a pointed roof. Smoke billowed from a pillar along the side wall. The scent suggested a wood fire blazed inside.
The street was much like that of Lycaon, paved with stones. Yet here, the center of the village appeared to be the river itself. Wooden platforms perched along the banks. On one, an elderly woman waved sticks of charred fish, beckoning passersby to come and have a taste. The rich aroma made my mouth water.
“Vendors,” Thorn said, following my gaze. “They trade their crafts for their other needs.”
There was a man with linens, and a third vendor with stacks of clay bowls. In both Lycaon and my home village, we didn’t trade. We all did our part, and we shared. Was life here different in other ways? Were those differences due to the size of the population, or some other reason?
We kept walking, following Marino past more buildings and more vendors, and past a steady trickle of foot traffic. Light hair seemed to be common here, with about half of the people blond and half having dark brown hair. Many glanced at us, but unlike my arrival in Lycaon, no one’s attention lingered. It was solely passing interest, and no one glared.
And as we approached the crystal bridge, Thorn leaned in, still holding my hand. I no longer felt that his touch was my lifeline. Instead I held onto him because it felt good to do so.
His hazel eyes glittered as he looked from the bridge to me. “It’s ice.”
“Ice?” Lights flickered off the shining surface. It was translucent and impossibly smooth. I reached a finger to test the feel. It was freezing cold, so strange in the jungle heat. “How?”
Thorn replied with a single word, “Hale.”
The Warrior of Water was responsible for the wellbeing of animals and shifters, along with controlling water and ice? Between so many obligations, and acting as leader to such a large tribe, he must be a formidable alpha.
No matter what he was like, he couldn’t compare to Thorn.
My cheeks heated at the thought. I brushed it away and looked up to the waterfall. We were quickly approaching the staggering cliff. The sound of crashing water was both tranquil and louder than I’d expected.
The buildings and platforms ended, but the street continued, all the way to the edge of the cascading water.
Marino said nothing before stepping through the waterfall.
I turned to Thorn. We were expected to follow?
I wondered if Hale lived in a cavern behind the water that couldn’t be seen from this side. And if so, wasn’t it inconvenient to have to dry off every time he went in or out?
“Ready?” Thorn asked.
I nodded.
He was still holding my hand. Even if it meant nothing to him, it meant the world to me. It was like we were different people here, apart from reality.
We stepped through together.
The icy downpour I expected didn’t come. I’d moved through the waterfall, but somehow the downpour didn’t touch me. I stood on the other side, in a huge cavern, bone dry.
“Water magic,” Thorn said.
It was another demonstration of Hale’s power, and offered hope that he could help us cure the affliction.
The cavern was larger than it seemed like it would be from outside. The ceiling was taller than the roofs of the buildings we had passed, and covered with stone spikes. The floorspace was at least as expansive as the pond back home. There were wooden seats and ornate rugs scattered around. There were only a handful of people inside, gathered by a large fire, with the scent of bear and charred fish heavy in the air.
Marino led us toward the fire. “Please excuse the interruption—”
Before he could say another word, one of the men rose to his feet. His dark hair reached his shoulders and his sharp eyes were the color of the sea. He wasn’t as tall as Thorn, but he was less lithe, hulking thick with muscle. If it came to a fight, the two would likely be evenly matched. Thorn would excel in speed and this bear would rely on brute force. Given the dominant energy that emanated from him, he was without question the bear alpha we had come to meet.
“Thorn!” He leapt over the fire, almost on top of one of his companions, and threw his arms around Thorn, squeezing and lifting him off the ground. “How long has it been, friend?”
Thorn tapped his back, half-hugging him in return. “Too long.”
“And who is this beauty you’ve brought along? Don’t tell me you took a mate and didn’t invite me to the celebration.”
Mate? I swallowed hard, waiting for Thorn’s swift denial, waiting for him to tell his friend the truth about me, that it was a mistake for me to be by his side.
“Hale, this is Briar, Alpha to the Coyote Tribe.” Thorn smiled at me.
A flash of heat carried across my skin, and my hands clammed up.
“I’m not—” My voice came out a little too soft, and a little too high. They didn’t seem to hear me.
“You gave Herrik the beating he long deserved.” Hale clasped my shoulder and laughed—a deep, bellowing sound. “My kind of woman. Welcome, Briar, to Cascade Village. You’re just in time to join in the revelry.”
“Thank you, but—”
“Come, have a seat by the fire,” Hale said. “Someone get our friends a drink.”
Thorn and I sat on a log positioned around the flames. There was a woman on my other side who was nearly as wide and muscular as Hale himself. She offered me a plate heaped with charred fish. It smelled even more divine up close, and made my stomach growl again.
“Welcome, Briar of Coyotes. I’m Deltha,” she said, then pointed to some of the others. “That’s Gliss, Azure, and Koa.”
They all had various shades of straw-hued hair like Marino.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, hoping I would remember who was who. Someone handed me a goblet over my shoulder. I turned back, and accepted it. “Thanks.”
“What brings you to the river?” Deltha asked.
“We’ve come seeking assistance—” I started.
> “No talk of business.” Hale spread his arms wide and dropped down on the log across from us. “Tonight, there is only the feast.”
I looked to Thorn.
He leaned closer and whispered, “He’ll speak to us in the morning.”
I mirrored his tone, remaining quiet enough that the others wouldn’t hear. “Morning? You expect me to spend the night here?” I was sure the village was perfectly lovely, and the people were much more inviting than I’d expected, but I needed to get back to Lycaon.
“His village, his rules,” Thorn said.
I looked down to the plate of food in my hands and took a piece of charred fish, then tried to pass the plate down to Thorn.
“I have my own dish,” he said. “It is a feast, after all.”
“I guess it is.”
The fish melted against my tongue. Savory yet cool in an herbed white sauce that was drizzled over the filet. It was delicious.
Plates of other foods were passed, stories were told, wine was consumed by the gallon, and after a while, the urgency I’d felt to talk to Hale faded to resigned contentment. My eyelids grew heavy. With a full stomach and my head swirling, I leaned on Thorn’s shoulder and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 10
Briar
What could have been minutes or hours passed, but the next thing I knew, I was being lifted. I opened my eyes and found Thorn carrying me. I leaned into him, spreading my fingers out over his chest. I’d wanted to do that since I first saw him, to touch his chest. My brain was buzzing, everything was lighting up, from my nose to my toes.
The sky was a smattering of stars, swimming like tiny fluorescent fish in a boundless lake. All of us looked up to the same sky—the bears, the wolves, the coyotes...even the dragons. Maybe we weren’t so different after all. I snorted at the absurdity of the thought.
Marino opened a door for us. It was one of the stone buildings along the river.
Thorn carried me inside. The men exchanged pleasantries, and then the door shut behind us.
We were alone.
Thorn carried me a bit farther before he laid me down on a bed in a dark room. The bed was soft, and the air was crisp. Every step he took in the other direction left me colder.
“Wait,” I said.
He looked back at me, one foot out the door.
Even in the haze of a full stomach, and a head full of sleep and wine, I didn’t know where I got the nerve, but I said exactly what I wanted. “Stay with me.”
“Briar—”
“Please?” I lifted up onto my elbows and tapped the bed beside me. “I want you to stay.”
I didn’t want to be alone. But it wasn’t just that, it was him. I wanted to be close to Thorn.
In the dark, colors were always dampened in gray. But I could see the copper seep through his hazel eyes. He looked at me with an intensity that made heat carry across my skin. It swirled in my belly, reached down between my legs, and made my breath hitch.
Thorn approached. I couldn’t blink. I couldn’t think. My mouth went dry as I stared, completely captivated by his eyes. My stomach fluttered and knotted with nerves.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, and I breathed him in—tranquil forest after a storm, earthy sandalwood, alpha wolf.
Mine.
I grabbed the collar of his shirt and met his lips with mine. Maybe I’d wanted to do that all along. Maybe it took stepping away from my reality and a little liquid courage to actually see what was right in front of me.
His lips were soft. He tasted like fire and wine, and I wanted more. It was me who was insistent, him who let me lead, until I reached for the hem of his pants.
So fast I didn’t see it coming, he grabbed my wrist and leaned his forehead against mine.
His breathing was ragged. Mine was, too.
Everything inside me told me that this was right, that he was right for me. I wanted everything he would give me, and I wasn’t sure I could ever get my fill.
Why stop? Never stop.
Drunk with the taste of him, I looked into his deep hazel eyes. The copper was stronger than ever, overpowering the shades of green and blue. I saw exactly what I felt—raw desire.
“You want me,” I whispered. “Don’t you?”
“What about Flint?”
I shook my head and pulled back. “Why are you bringing up my brother now?”
“Brother?”
“Yes?”
He ran a hand over his face, and his chest lifted and fell quickly. At first I thought something was wrong. But no, he was laughing.
I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. The fluttering butterflies in my stomach turned to thrashing bats.
“He’s not your mate?”
“Of course he’s not my...you thought he was my mate?” I wrinkled my nose. “I’m one-hundred ten percent mateless.”
So fast I didn’t catch his movement, Thorn towered over me. I fell back against the mattress. His cock pressed hard against my thigh as he caged me with his arms. I didn’t feel trapped. I felt wanted, which turned me on even more.
“That’s a lot of mateless.” A wicked grin spread across his face.
I shrugged. “I am who I am.”
“We’ve been drinking,” he said, with a slow inhale.
“Both of us.” I nodded. “You twice as much as me.”
“I’m twice your size.”
He was, he really was. And I loved it.
Supporting myself with my arms, I pushed up so our bodies were flush against each other. He was hard everywhere, unyielding planes of muscles against my softness. I wanted skin to skin, I wanted him deep inside of me, and I wanted to stay in this night for an eternity.
“My life has always been difficult,” I said. “But not with you. You’re a constant light in the darkness. It doesn’t have to mean anything. I’m not asking you to make me any promises. Just be with me tonight.”
His gaze searched mine and settled on my lips. “It can’t mean nothing.”
I nodded, not quite sure what he meant. I grabbed the waistband of his pants and looked over his face to try to see what he was thinking, to make sure we were finally on the same page.
He stole my breath and my wits with a crushing kiss. Rough was what I needed. The desperation and tension I’d felt for so long and was finally letting go. I kissed him back, bruising, biting, scrambling with clumsy fingers to lower his pants.
I knew it was fast. I didn’t do this kind of thing, but tonight I didn’t want to be me. Timid Briar would overthink everything. Timid Briar had only had sex once, and it had been horrible. I didn’t want to be her. I didn’t want to think. I wanted to be in this moment, completely consumed in sensation.
Thorn shucked his pants then rocked back, pulling me onto his lap. I clawed at his shirt and pulled it up over his head. He tore off my dress.
His skin was hot, but mine was fire. I ran my palms over his chest, over his shoulders and his back. He cupped my breasts.
“Even more beautiful than I imagined,” he said, gently rolling his thumbs over my nipples.
Shots of pleasure rippled out from his touch, settling in my core. I rocked my hips forward and arched my chest into him, needing more. What I wanted was down between us—his thick cock. It was velvet over steel, soft and firm at the same time. I wrapped my fingers around him and slid my fist slowly up. His eyes rolled back and a deep groan escaped his lips.
I did that—I caused that groan of pleasure. I wanted to do it again, over and over until he came undone for me. I wanted to milk every ounce of ecstasy from him, then do it all over again. And I wanted him to do the same to me.
In a flash, he flipped me back onto the bed and straddled me.
I stroked up and down, watching the way his features tightened and relaxed as I moved my hand over him.
“I want this,” I said. “I want you.”
He closed his eyes, and a deep sound escaped his chest. “Turn over.”
I did as he said, wondering what he w
as going to do. My skin lit up in anticipation, my pussy aching to be touched.
“Ass in the air.”
I lifted up and balled the sheets in my fists. My cheeks grew hot as he pulled my underwear slowly down, exposing everything. I was wet, so wet, and dying to be touched. I wanted him to sink into me, just like this, so deep I couldn’t take any more.
Instead, the bed moved slightly, and I could feel his hot breath on my aching pussy. And then his tongue.
I gasped as he lapped over my folds.
It was the most amazing feeling in the entire world. He licked up and down. I tilted my hips back and spread my legs as far as the underwear gathered around my knees would allow.
He squeezed my ass, and I moaned as his tongue thrust inside of me. In and out, and down around my clit. I buried my face in the bedding. My entire body tingled with delight.
I wanted everything. I wanted his cock. I wanted release.
Soaking wet and full of need, I rocked back against his face. He licked up, and slipped two fingers inside. A few strokes and I was close, so close to the release I desperately needed.
His other hand slid up over my hip, my stomach, my ribs, until he found my breast.
He pinched and squeezed and thrust inside of me.
“More,” I cried.
He pulled his fingers out, and pressed in with his swollen tip. That’s all it took to send me reeling. My pussy clenched and I cried out.
Thorn held still, as I pulsed around him, gently kneading my breast.
“You make the best sounds when you come.”
I mumbled something even I didn’t understand.
“I want to hear you do it again,” he said.
I nodded my agreement, unsure if that was even possible, and turned my head to the side to try to look at him.
His face was dark, hidden in shadow, but I could see he was smiling.
He held onto my hips and thrust all the way in. I gasped for air, impossibly full.
But then he pulled back, and I hated the emptiness I felt. I opened my mouth to beg, just in time for him to thrust in again.
That build, the climb—it was happening again, and this time every touch and every stroke was even better than before.
Wolf Warrior of Land (Alphas & Alchemy: Elemental Shifters Book 2) Page 6
