by Leia King
“Do you think you can live here?”
“Yes! Absolutely! I love it! Thank you!” she looked at Shaye and Josh. “All of you, Thank you!”
“We’re glad you like it,” Shaye said.
“And we’re glad you’re back,” Josh added as he wrapped his arm around Shaye. “Ry was a nightmare with you gone. Fuck, Cora, you don’t even know.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Exaggerating as usual.”
“Really, Ry? Am I? I mean, Cora, I would’ve liked to have seen you as a vampire. I’m sure you were smoking hot, but Ry didn’t seem to like it. He’s a speciest, after all.”
“Hey! First off, don’t talk about my wife in a sexual context when I’m around, or ever. And secondly, I’m not a speciest. Fucking vampires just isn’t my thing.”
“I heard that you did, though,” Josh teased.
Ryan and Cora exchanged an awkward glance.
“It was more complicated than that,” Ryan said in his defense.
“Sure it was.”
Shaye cut through the awkward conversation, saying, “Cora, I wanted to thank you for putting my name forward for the Royal Court in the White Realm.”
“No need to thank me. We could use you.”
“We?” Shaye questioned.
Ryan smiled with amusement. “You’ll have to wait and see, Shaye. I know how much you hate secrets, but you have no choice.”
“But you know?”
“Of course. I’m her husband.”
“Ry, stop teasing my girlfriend. I’m gonna hear about this all night now,” Josh complained.
“Hey!” Shaye said, slapping his arm.
“Speaking of tonight, do you want us to watch Orion so you two can… get reacquainted?”
Cora blushed and buried her face in Ryan’s chest. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her and Orion. “No. We’re good. We’re not letting him out of our sight. He’s been back for two weeks and the three of us haven’t been apart for a single day. We plan to keep it that way.”
“What if you guys want to fuck?” Josh asked bluntly.
“We just wait until he falls asleep,” Ryan answered.
Ryan saw Josh’s disappointment. He knew how close Josh had become with his son. He’d taken care of him enough times to form a strong bond with him.
“Come by any time, J,” he offered. “You can spend time with him whenever you want. Plus, you can help with Cora’s wolf lessons.”
“Wolf lessons, huh?”
“Yep, Ryan’s teaching me everything there is to know,” Cora told him.
“Finally, you asshole,” Josh said.
Ryan held up his free hand in surrender. “I know. I know. Apologies have been made.”
“Learning to rein in your controlling ways at long last, are you?” Shaye teased.
“It’s a work in progress.”
Josh approached him and said, “So, seeing as though you’re in such a good mood, I guess you won’t mind that I invited the pack over for a housewarming party.”
“What?” Ryan growled. “When?”
“Tomorrow night.”
Ryan caught Cora’s eye and saw her amusement. “Fine,” he told Josh. “I’ll stock the bar. But you’re in charge of the food.”
“The food? How am I gonna pull that off in one day? A pack of wolves eat like, well, a pack of wolves, Ry!”
“Figure it out. You invited them all on such short notice. It used to take major planning on my part to make sure I had enough shit for everyone when you guys used to hang out downstairs every night.” He grinned. “Good luck.”
“Is this because you’re King now? Too busy to deal with such unimportant stuff?”
“No, it’s because I’m a husband and a father now.”
Josh chuckled. “You win. I’ll take care of it.” He rolled up the sleeve of his leather jacket and glanced at his watch. “Shit, Shaye. We’d better get going. We’ve got a lot of work to do for this party.”
“We?”
He grabbed her hand and told her, “I’ll make it up to you in whatever way you want.”
Ryan and Cora laughed as they watched them leave.
“Do you want to tell them tomorrow night?” Ryan asked.
Cora raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I thought you didn’t want to tell anyone until Oriana was dead and buried?”
“I changed my mind. And the entire pack will be here tomorrow night. It’s right to tell them first. Besides, we haven’t heard squat from Oriana in the last couple of weeks. For all we know, she’s long gone and realized her revenge mission is never gonna work out.”
“I doubt that. She’s probably just recuperating. Nathanial said he injured her.”
“I don’t want to live our lives worrying about what she might do, my love.”
Cora smiled and squeezed his hand gently. “Okay. Tomorrow night.”
“Meanwhile, put Orion down in the crib over there and you and I will try out the bed.”
“Mmm. What exactly do you have in mind?”
He feigned his disapproval, wagging his finger at her. “Tsk. Tsk. Not in front of Orion.”
“Ooh, am I in for some punishment now?”
His eyes darkened. “Don’t tempt me.” He took Orion from her arms and walked over to the crib. “Now get in that bedroom. I want you naked and ready for me on the bed.”
“Ryan—” she said shyly.
“I’m serious. Thirty seconds. Starting… now.”
She giggled and ran out of the room. Ryan smiled to himself as he put Orion down to sleep.
Finally, he had his life back.
And he wasn’t going to fuck it up again.
He’d tried to play down his concerns about Oriana still being out there. But the truth was that it was always on his mind, nagging at him. Part of him wanted her to make a move so they could take her down and just get it over with. He’d had enough of it hanging over his head. No one threatened his family! If he saw her again, he would do everything in his power to kill her.
No matter what he had to do, he would never let her take his son or wife away from him again.
Without them he was merely a shadow of himself.
18
Luca unbuttoned his shirt slowly as he approached the foot of the bed.
He gazed at Aerona looking back at him, clutching the sheets to her chest. He knew she was naked underneath and his cock twitched with anticipation. When he’d approached her in the courtyard two weeks ago and she’d flung her arms around him suddenly, he’d wanted to take her right then. The pull to her was unbelievable. As soon as her skin had touched his, he’d felt it. Now he knew what all the fuss was about regarding destined mates. There was no feeling like it.
But, he’d held off with her, wanting to do things right, to treat her like the princess that she was.
Plus, she was so shy, so unsure of herself and everything around her. Her father had kept her hidden from the world for years. Luca understood his desperation to protect her, to a certain extent. He knew he’d been abhorrent for many years, not someone a father would want his daughter mated to. But, Aerona was his destined love. They literally belonged together. Keeping them apart, especially for such an extensive period of time, was unforgiveable.
He knew the only reason that Kristoff had allowed her near him now was because of his father. Nathanial had obviously threatened him and forced his hand. For that, he was grateful. In the moment that he had realized his father’s part in bringing him and Aerona together, he’d really seen, for the first time, how much his father truly did love him. He’d given him the one thing that he had craved for so long.
There had been no one more obsessed with finding their destined mate than him. It had driven his behavior towards Cora, his dangerous obsession with her. Although, he had known that she wasn’t actually his true mate, the effects of the betrothal bond had come pretty close to creating that feeling, that connection. And so he’d pursued her relentlessly, despite all the obstacles in his way. Even when she’d turned
him down and found her true mate, in his brother, no less. Even after the two of them had borne a child together. Nothing had been able to stop him. He’d been so obsessed that he hadn’t even stopped to question it. Even after that infamous night that had nearly torn her and Ryan apart, when she’d let him take her to his bed, he’d known that what they’d both felt wasn’t love. Sure, she cared about him. He’d felt that much from her. But it was just a side effect of the betrothal bond. Although Nathanial had broken it, it had existed for far too long between them so the engineered pull hadn’t faded. He should have told her that was what it was, why she’d let him take her, but he hadn’t. He’d wanted to believe it was real.
When he’d turned her and acted as her Sire for that brief period, it had been the closest he’d come to the connection he craved. Taking care of her in that way, laying with her every night. It had seemed so real. But it hadn’t been. Deep down he’d known that. And that was why, when Ryan had come to take her away that night, he hadn’t stopped him. Seeing her in his arms had been a wake-up call. Cora was Ryan’s, not his.
But now, after all these years, he’d finally found the woman who was his without question. And, despite how much he wanted to consummate their bond, as he gazed at her and saw the trepidation in her eyes, her trembling hands clutching the sheet, he hesitated.
He buttoned his shirt at the middle and perched on the edge of the bed. “Another night, beauty.”
“Luca, no. I’m fine. It’s fine,” she replied hastily.
He reached out and stroked her hair. “You’re not ready.”
“I want you.”
“I know. It’s not a question of that.”
“Then, what?”
He smiled and climbed onto the bed. He straddled her over the duvet cover. “We only get to complete the mating ritual once. I don’t want us to do it if you’re not ready.”
“Luca, I’m always going to be nervous, because I’ve never been with a man before. But I want to do this tonight, like we planned.”
He studied her. He couldn’t tell if she was just saying that to please him or if she really meant it. He didn’t want her to feel like she had to do something she wasn’t ready for. And one of the things he’d come to know about her so far was that she was very submissive and extremely eager to please. She never led their conversations, never wanted to have her say in what they would do or where they would go. She left it entirely up to him and she was eager to do whatever he suggested. He didn’t want now to be one of those times.
“Beauty, you say that, but I know how much you want to please me in everything.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. And, pleasing you makes me happy too.”
“Okay, then let go of the covers,” he challenged.
“What?” she asked nervously.
“Let go of the covers and let me see you.”
“Uh… can you do it first?” she asked quietly, gesturing to his shirt.
He grinned. “Sure.” He unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. He tossed it off the bed and turned back to her. When he did, the look in her eyes caused his cock to stir. Fuck. Her gaze travelled over every inch of his chest, her eyes hooded with desire as she drank him in. He watched her bite her bottom lip with anticipation and his throat went dry.
“Your turn,” he rasped.
Her gaze wavered as she slowly pulled the covers down her chest. He swallowed hard at the sight of her full breasts, the creamy flesh begging to be tasted and her perfect pink nipples needing to be teased. He leaned forward and gently cupped both of them, massaging them gently. He grazed her nipples with the pads of his thumbs and she let out a little gasp.
He captured her lips in a soft kiss. She relaxed into it and arched her back, pushing her breasts into his hands. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped her hard enough to draw a little blood. Her tongue darted out and met his and they lapped up her blood together. It was so incredibly erotic that he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold back. He was right on the edge.
He slipped his hand beneath the covers and cupped her pussy. She was dripping wet. His fingers slid between her moist lips and he drew small circles with his index finger.
“Luca, please,” she panted.
He pulled back and ripped the covers aside. Easing her thighs apart, he then spread her pussy lips, opening her for him. He sought her clit and leaned in, flicking it with his tongue. She shrieked and he chuckled. He pleasured her with long, firm strokes of his tongue. He licked, sucked, nipped her into a frenzy. Her pussy was gushing with her arousal and he savored every drop of her.
As he teased her entrance with his fingertip, she came, screaming his name and clawing at his hair. He plunged his finger deep inside her, then pumped in and out, as she rode the wild wave of her orgasm. The way she gripped his finger was the last straw.
He had to be inside her.
Crawling up the bed, he warmed as he saw her watching him with a sweet smile and eyes dazed with pleasure.
“Okay, beauty?”
“Mm hm,” she breathed.
He pulled out a condom from the pocket of his pants and then hurriedly discarded them. Slipping the condom on quickly, he positioned himself and asked her, “Ready?”
She nodded. There was a mix of excitement and trepidation in her eyes.
He stroked her hair and murmured words of comfort to her as the head of his cock teased her entrance. Her eyes widened as he pushed in an inch or so. He stilled to allow her to adjust to his size. She was so tight that he could barely move until she relaxed.
“More?” he asked.
He’d never been so gentle with any woman in the entirety of his very long, immortal life, not even Cora. But with Aerona he wanted to. He was happy to take it slow with her. He wanted to savor every moment of their first time together. The woman awakened feelings and emotions in him that he’d thought he’d buried long ago. She brought out everything good in him, parts of him that he hadn’t even known were there. She made him the man that he was meant to be.
“Please, Luca,” she pleaded.
He gave her what she wanted and slowly eased his cock into her until every inch of him was buried inside her tight pussy. Her walls were slick from her orgasm but she was still incredibly tight. He had to use every ounce of his self-control to prevent himself from taking her hard and fast. She felt so good wrapped around his cock. He pumped in and out of her in a slow, sensuous rhythm. He watched her throw her head back in pleasure. The sweetest moan he’d ever heard escaped her lips.
“Yes,” she gasped. “It feels amazing.”
“So you don’t want me to stop then?” he teased.
She hissed at him and let her demon rise to the surface for the first time in his presence. He reached out and traced his fingers gently over her contorted features. She was absolutely breathtaking in demon form as well. Her pure white fangs glistened in the muted bedroom light. She gripped his shoulders, jerking him towards her, and then she snarled before burying her fangs in his neck.
He grunted at the sharp sting and almost came right then from the delicious sensation of pain fused with absolute pleasure. He let loose then, pounding into her hard. She sucked harder and her hips bucked against him wildly in a desperate attempt to meet him thrust for thrust. He released his own demon, growling low in his throat as he grabbed her ass roughly, his talons digging into her soft, nubile flesh as he pulled her onto his lap. She ripped her fangs from his neck with a satisfied moan.
He felt heat emanating from his own eyes and looked at hers. They were glowing a vibrant gold, glowing for him. As he lifted her up and down his cock, guiding the rhythm and taking her deep, he slashed a sharp talon across her chest, just above her right breast. He sank his fangs into her and she let out a cry.
“Yes, Luca! Oh, God! Your bite is… oh my God!” she screamed as she wrapped her arms around him, her sharp talons scraping up and down his back.
She rose almost all the way off his cock and t
hen slammed back down hard. At the same time Luca bit down harder, tearing through her sensitive flesh. She screamed out his name as she came. With the sweet taste of her blood flowing into his mouth, he wasn’t far behind. He pulled back and gripped her hips roughly, using his vampire speed to fuck her, so that they became a vibrating force of movement.
“Fuck!” he roared as he felt her pussy spasm around him violently again.
He lost control then and released himself inside her, roaring as her pussy continued to milk his cock.
When he pulled out they both collapsed onto the bed, completely spent.
After a few moments, he slid off the condom and disposed of it in the trash can beside the bed. He settled back down in the bed and pulled her to him, enveloping her in his embrace.
“I feel different,” she said quietly after a few moments of peaceful silence.
He did too. It was because they’d just completed the bonding ritual. It had solidified them as a couple, as destined mates. But he wanted to hear her tell him exactly how she felt. He wanted to know all her thoughts, everything about her.
“Tell me, beauty,” he encouraged her gently.
“I feel closer to you somehow. Complete, I guess.”
“Me too.”
She craned her neck to look at him. “That was incredible.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad. Did I hurt you at all?”
She winked at him slyly. “Only in a good way.”
“Mmm. You like a little pain with your sex then?”
“Seems that way,” she responded coyly.
“I’ll have to remember that for next time.”
“I hope that you do,” she challenged.
He laughed and stroked her soft hair. “I love you, beauty.”
She sank into him and breathed, “I love you too, Luca. Very much.”
“I want to take you to dinner tonight. There are some great places in the human realm that I know you’d love.”
“Really?” she asked excitedly.
“Yes. Because of your father keeping you under lock and key for so many years, there’s so much you haven’t seen.” He squeezed her tighter. “And I want to be the one to show you. To show you everything.”
