He turned on the water so it was steaming while Diana eyed it skeptically as she leaned against the counter.
“I don’t know.” She frowned. “I said I wasn’t too tired, but I was kind of thinking of the usual.”
“I’ll do everything,” Felix said, picking her up again. “All you have to do is sit back and feel.”
He set her down and ignored the spray on them as he slowly pulled her clothes off.
“They’re going to be ruined,” she said.
“I’ll buy you more. So many,” he said, tossing the flannel outside the door, followed by her tank top.
She reached for his jacket and shoved it off as well. He was careful to reach for his sword and holster and set them aside.
Then he focused on removing the rest of his clothing while she stripped out of the rest of hers.
When they were finally standing there naked, appraising each other with the glass caging them in and steam all around them, Felix didn’t think he could breathe. That’s how happy he was.
“God, I love you,” he said, choked up at the sight of her body.
She stepped a little closer, holding up her small ring finger. “Okay if I leave it on?”
He let out a little growl as he pulled her close with one hand around her back and caught her hand with the other. He kissed right below the ring. “Of course. It’s gold and diamonds. It’ll last forever. Just like us.”
She leaned up on her toes to kiss him, winding her arms around his neck.
He let her push him back against the glass, glad to know she wanted him. But as her tongue pushed in to swirl against his, he pushed back.
Slowly, keeping his lips on hers the whole time, he pushed until her back was to the glass behind her.
She gasped as he grabbed and pinned her arms, still not releasing the kiss.
“Not this time,” he said against her lips, teasing her. He felt her knees press together, and he moved so his whole body was against hers.
The points of her nipples to his chest, her soft belly to his firm one, her hips cushioning his hardness.
So perfect.
His hand moved down to cup her curls, gently stroking until he found her softness. She was wet and silky, and his thumb circled her clit as he lazily kissed her ear and neck.
“Already ready for me?” He put a finger inside her, testing, then added another.
She squirmed as if having a hard time staying up.
He slid in a third finger, and she let out a moan, writhing against him, trapped by his hand.
She nodded quickly, already overwhelmed. He withdrew slowly, then brought his fingers to his lips, kissing them softly, licking off every last taste of his mate.
She was trembling as she watched him, her hands now flat against the shower. “What now?”
He came forward, looking down at her as he brought his hands down to cup her buttocks. “Make love.” Then he lifted her and sheathed himself inside her in one fluid movement.
She gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist as her entire body tightened in response to having him inside.
He moved away from the wall so she could arch back, eyes lost to pleasure and tension. Steam rose around them, leaving little droplets wherever the water didn’t fall. Her hair was curling from the wetness.
Her sheath clenched around him, and it was all he could do to compose himself and not move until he’d regained control.
“It could never be like this. Never with anyone but you,” he said, resting his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, Diana.”
“I love you too,” she gasped out.
She was feather light in his hands, and he loved being able to support her so easily.
He withdrew and then pushed into her again, enjoying her gasp of sheer want.
“You’re only for me. Only mine for all time,” he said fiercely, pulling out and then pushing in again.
“Yes,” she grated out, her nipples pressed up against him. “Only for you. Please don’t stop.”
He pulled out slowly, enjoying the tortured look in her eyes as she waited for him to come back. “I told you I’ll never stop. Never stop coming for you. Never stop protecting you. Never stop loving you.”
He began to thrust in and out in earnest, and her nails dug into his shoulders, her legs still wrapped around his back, holding him close.
Her cries grew more desperate as he moved faster, and though he wished he had waited longer, done more foreplay, the glint of the ring on her finger made it hard to hold back.
It meant so many things that made Felix happy.
It meant there was still a life for him outside the Tribunal, and it was better than anything he’d ever imagined.
He had friends waiting to celebrate with him. Family that wanted to get to know him.
Most importantly, a woman who loved him, moving together with him over and over in the steam and heat, murmuring his name like a prayer.
Like she could possibly want him as much as he wanted her.
“Felix, I can’t wait much longer,” she said through gritted teeth. Her nails were making marks on his back, he was sure of it, and it made him proud.
Her hot, slick sheath totally enclosed him, pulling at him until it felt like his very soul had merged with hers.
His lips covered hers as he thrust deep inside her just at the angle he knew she liked, and she came, arching back, nails digging into him, breasts in beautiful dusky points.
“Felix,” she cried out. “You’re everything.”
He buried his lips in her neck as he came as well, jerking inside her rhythmically. The two of them coming together felt cosmic. The sensation of his whole body releasing in tandem with hers was similar to how he felt when looking at the stars.
Like there was something bigger than him, yet he could still be a part of it.
Like there was a point to existing in this world.
Just so he could love her.
He pulled back to look down at her face twisted in pleasure. Water droplets bounced off her skin, and steam was everywhere, softening everything.
He was glad he’d come into the shower.
When she was done and slumped against him and he had somehow resisted the way his legs wanted to give out, he gently cleaned off his mate and then carried her out of the shower.
He set her down, grabbed a towel to wrap around her, and then picked her up again to toss her on the bed.
“Hey,” she said, struggling to get out of it for a second before giving up and lying back on the bed. “You don’t need to just carry me everywhere.”
He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the room to join her, sitting next to her on the bed.
He helped her adjust the towel so she could sit up, and she leaned against him with a satisfied sigh.
“I can’t help being a little overprotective,” he said. “Besides, picking you up is fun.”
She gave him a small smirk. “I guess I should show you once I’m a dragon.”
Felix winced at the mental image of it. “Please don’t.”
She laughed, putting her hand over his, her diamonds glittering even more brightly after the steam and the water. “You’re a control freak. I get it.”
He grabbed her chin and tilted it up to face him. Then he kissed her lightly and let her go. “If anything, we both are. And with each other, we are learning to let go.”
“What do you mean let go?”
“Just let go of a lot of things,” Felix said. “The past. The Tribunal. Our fights. The fact that we were made to be together and no matter how much we screwed up, we couldn’t fight it.”
“Right,” she said. “That.” She seemed happy to just lean on him. “You know, I never thought I would be mated to Darkness.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, abashed. “You know, about that. I think I’m going to need a name change.” He let out a happy sigh. “Because there really shouldn’t be that much darkness for me anymore.”
“We ne
ed other people to call you Felix,” she said. “It means lucky, after all.”
“I guess so,” he said. “I think that’s why I was more comfortable being called Fifi. I never felt fortunate or blessed.”
She looked up at him, her dark-brown eyes galaxies, as always. “And do you feel lucky now?”
He looked down at her hand intertwined with his and at the blinding sparkles on the ring that was evidence of her accepting his love forever.
“I do.”
Epilogue
“When is she coming again?” Max set down the beer he’d been drinking and glared at the clock on his phone. Out of all of them, he was usually the least patient.
“It’ll be fine,” Jackie said, patting his hand with a smile. “I’m sure she’ll get here when she gets here.”
Max’s usually stern face became tender as he intertwined his fingers with Jackie. He used his other hand to pick up his sandwich and smiled when she took a little bite.
Everyone was grossly happy, and Felix couldn’t even complain because he was grossly happy too.
For the past few weeks, he and Diana had been shopping for a new place to live, deciding for now to stay near Club Crimson. There were other places he could go that had a connection to his past, but right now, he was more excited about the chance to build a new future.
“Has anyone else met her?” Diana asked, looking around the table they were all eating lunch at while they waited.
They’d set it up in the middle of Club Crimson, with music playing faintly and the lights bright and welcoming.
Nothing like the club looked at night.
“We have,” Benny said. “I don’t know if you’ve met Dare. He doesn’t work much since he’s mated, but the oracle came to talk to him here. Harley, Max, and I were all there.”
“I see,” Tasha said, turning to Lock. “Have you met her?”
“I’ve avoided her as much as possible, given my previously sketchy activities.” He scratched the back of his head. “But she normally only meets with dragons. She doesn’t worry about rogue wolves.”
Tasha locked eyes with Diana and then Jackie. “I guess we are the new ones, then. I wonder what she’s like.”
“She came through a swirly blue portal,” Benny said.
“Like the ones the dragons went through at the end of our fight,” Diana said.
“Right,” Benny said. “Which, by the way, was awesome.”
“They were really good together,” Tasha said with a little sigh. “Watching them defend each other, fight for each other, it was remarkable.”
Lock put his arm around Tasha, still a little grumpy about the fact that he hadn’t been able to do anything in the situation. As a result, he was being overprotective as hell lately.
Good thing Tasha seemed to like it.
Felix took a sip of lemonade, then a bite of his sandwich, then looked out the window with a nervous glance. What would the oracle be coming to tell them?
Why would she care, when there wasn’t a dragon among them? Except for…
He frowned as he realized his mate was technically a dragon now. Though, she’d been reluctant to let that form out or even partially shift.
Was the oracle coming to do something about it? Was she going to insist that Diana was still a wyvern and, as such, an abomination to nature?
Felix had no idea. But if anyone thought they were going to bother her with him around, they had another thing coming.
As long as no other gold dragon with a perfect, impenetrable shield was coming, he could take anything that came their way.
“I can’t believe how much it’s raining lately,” Benny said, looking at the water dripping down the windows. It was much brighter in the club than outside where it was cloudy and gloomy and stormy all at once.
A long black car drove past the window and then turned around. Felix stood up to see what it was doing just in time to see it pull into the parking lot.
The driver, a man wearing a black hat, got out and walked to the other side, opening the door so someone in the back could get out.
It was a shorter person, hidden by the umbrella the driver opened for them.
Felix could just make out the shape of the woman as she walked slowly toward the door, the driver holding the umbrella overhead.
“Thank you,” the figure said as the driver put the umbrella away and took a seat in the corner.
Felix tried not to gape as he realized the shorter person was the oracle.
He recognized her from several run-ins with the Tribunal, though he hadn’t talked to her himself. She’d gotten wind several times of their calumny but had never been able to prove or stop it.
Right now, she just looked very tired.
Felix hurried to get up and pull out a chair for her, taking her hand to help her lower down onto the seat.
Her misty purple eyes twinkled as she looked up at him. “You’re quite the charmer, as I’ve heard. Very beautiful also.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I do all right.”
The oracle grinned, her face crinkling as she looked around the table. “And who is your mate?”
“Diana,” Felix said, sitting down next to her.
“Should I stand up or…?” Diana looked like she had no idea what to do in the situation, and Felix rested a reassuring hand on her leg.
“No need to stand.” The oracle smiled at them. Her hair was white, pale like her skin, and she had little spectacles on her small, pointed nose. She was round and short, sort of looking like an older fairy godmother.
Overall, Felix found he liked her immensely. Goodness seemed to radiate from her.
“I do love to see such love between mates,” she said, looking around the table. “So much love in the room, not just between mates, but between friends. Against the odds, you’ve all created a little family.”
Benny nodded. “We have.”
The oracle looked pleased. “And you still continue to help other shifters through your late-night meetings and through the hours when humans come.”
Lock nodded, still looking a little nervous.
The oracle smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Lachlan. I’m not here to get you. I think you have finally found the right place.”
Lock raised an eyebrow. “How did you—”
The oracle just turned away mildly, looking over at Tasha. “And of course, you look so much like your brother. Are you enjoying getting to know him?”
Tasha smiled at Felix. “Yes, definitely. Though, there is a lot of time to make up for.”
The oracle nodded. “That is to be expected.” She glanced at Harley. “And I’m glad to see you’ve finally locked your bear down.” She glared at Benny. “Though, I have to say what you did by accepting that dragon’s help was supremely stupid.”
Benny nodded. “I was lucky to even survive.”
The oracle looked at the group as a whole. “The benefits of having friends around you. You should be more cautious in the future.”
It was eerie to Felix how she seemed to know something about everyone, though maybe it was to be expected, given the magic she supposedly possessed.
More magic than any dragon.
She peered at Felix. “At least you had no choice but to get involved with a corrupted dragon.”
“Corrupted?”
She sighed, resting back in the chair as Harley handed her a lemonade and set a plate of food in front of her. “It’s too much to explain at the moment. I simply… would steer clear of any shifter who doesn’t identify what they are.”
Diana nodded. “I should have questioned him more from the beginning.”
“Double dragons turning on me,” the oracle said, pushing on the bridge of her spectacles as she looked down at the table. “I could never have imagined it.”
“What happened to them?” Tasha asked. “I mean… it was crazy—”
The oracle gave her a sharp glare. “As I said, it’s not up for discussion. Be more careful about who you trust, and
the issue shouldn’t come up again.”
Tasha sighed, leaning into Lock’s side. “Okay, then.”
The oracle gave her a smile. “He’s going to have his hands full, isn’t he?”
Lock smirked. “Oh yeah, full all the time with—”
Tasha elbowed him, and he shut up while the rest of the table chuckled.
“Not to be rude,” Max said, brushing his long golden hair over one shoulder. “But we were all expecting you to come through a portal. Not in a town car.”
The oracle grimaced. “My powers have been weakening. A new oracle will soon take her place in the world, and I will be allowed to return to the earth.”
The table was silent then, as no one knew what to say.
“Don’t be sorry,” the oracle said, looking up at them brightly. “Everything has a beginning and an end. That’s what makes life special. I am tired and ready to find rest.”
Felix wanted to ask her so many questions, but only one was pressing the most on his mind. “So why did you come here, given that your energy is so valuable?”
“Well,” the oracle said, eyes twinkling. “I heard that we have a new dragon.”
Diana pressed in against Felix, suddenly nervous.
Felix took a deep breath and put his arm around her, pulling her in close. “If you mean to take her—”
“No, no,” the oracle said, waving a hand. “Never! I would never split up true love. Especially between two people who have suffered so.” Her eyes were soft as she looked between Felix and Diana. “Now, you both deserve nothing but happiness. I just wanted to hear more about what happened. My double dragons from New York have already given a report.”
“New York,” Benny said. “They came a ways to help us, didn’t they?”
“Was it hard to make that portal?” Jackie asked, always the considerate one.
“It was worth it,” the oracle said. “To make sure no one was hurt by that rogue dragon.”
“Rogue, corrupted,” Lock said. “Why have I never heard of this type before?”
“There are a million aspects of our world you haven’t heard about before,” the oracle said mildly. “Enough to make your head explode if you knew of them. Not to mention facts about other worlds.”
Felix Page 19
