by A. Mashburn
“Exactly.” He laid her on the rug in front of the hearth. His hooded eyes drank in her hourglass figure; she was perfect. Her beautiful breasts, tapered waist and flared hips, all made for him. He growled low and deep in his throat and her eyes widened.
He backed up a little and turned to move away, but before he could, she grabbed his arm. “No, Nicoli—not this time. You’ve pushed me away because the world stood between us, then my memories, and now that there’s nothing standing between us, you will not push me away anymore. Unless you don’t want me? If that’s the case, I won’t, well, I mean can’t force you, obviously.”
She felt him grab her hand and pull it around his waist. She didn’t know what he was doing until he wrapped her palm around something hot and thick. “Does that feel like I don’t want you? Want is not the problem, Princess. I need to know that you feel the same way. I can’t allow myself to take something from you, if there’s even the slightest chance you might regret it later.”
She began moving her hand gently up his shaft as she moved beside him. “I won’t regret it, Nicoli.” She grabbed his large hand and placed it between her legs, moving it to her core. He groaned, feeling her wetness for him already. “If we start this, Gretchen, I don’t think I will be able to stop myself again.”
“Good, stop thinking and make love to me, Nicoli.”
“Love?” His heart thundered in his chest. Could she? He dared not think it. But the smile she gave him had him floating. “Do you mean to say you love me, Princess?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Nicoli.” His heart dropped into his stomach as disappointment and fear speared him. He knew it was a lot to ask so soon after her memories were restored but she loved him once and he thought as an adult that maybe…
She caught his gaze and he noticed the soft tilt in the corner of her mouth. “Nicoli, I’ve loved you since I was a little girl. I wanted to keep you then and that hasn’t changed. From the moment you came back into my life, it damn near physically hurt me to be away from you. Yes, you fool, I love you.”
If he thought he could have returned the sentiment with words he might have tried. Instead he kissed her with everything he had, everything he was. He poured every ounce of love and passion he held in his heart into that kiss. His hand traveled down her body to her breast, kneading it with one hand while he ravaged the other with his mouth. He bit and nibbled until her nipple was at a stiff peak and repeated the process with the other. She groaned as one of his hands slipped between her legs and he circled her sweet spot. She arched her back as electricity jolted throughout her body as he slid in one finger, then two, as he began to thrust them in and out of her.
He kissed her stomach down to her mound when he heard her voice, barely above a whisper. “Wait,” she panted, sitting up. “Lay down.” He looked at her questioningly as he followed her instructions. And boy, was he glad he did; she knelt with a thigh on either side of his head and he began to lap at her crest. She tasted like thick, sweet honey as it coated his tongue. He wrapped his large arms around her thighs as she gyrated her hips against his face. He penetrated her with his tongue and her body shook on top of him.
Lost in the throes of passion, Gretchen had to straddle his face because the only thing she could think of was his stiff member in her mouth. She leaned forward as he was lapping at her core and licked the tip of him. It was so large Gretchen was worried she wouldn’t be able to fit it all in her mouth. It made her insides knot, knowing damn well she was going to try. Just the thought of his engorged erection pulsing in her throat pushed her to the brink of orgasm.
She parted her lips, flattening her tongue so that her teeth didn’t hurt him and took him in little by little. She felt a rumble that reverberated from his chest to mouth and directly against her most tender of spots, making her body quake atop him. She took him deeper, moaning around him, sending vibrations down his shaft. She tugged at his balls with her free hand, making him growl against her. She met him lick for lick, suck for suck as they pleasured each other.
Nicoli felt himself losing control; he shoved his fingers inside of her repeatedly as she took him into her mouth. He sucked on her clit and groaned, smacking her ass, leaving a print as she rolled his balls in her hand. He felt her body clench around him and he knew she was close. He curled his fingers, working her G-spot as she took him deeper into her mouth.
He lifted his hips and plunged into her throat as she continued to suck and wrap her tongue around him. The sounds she made as her body spasmed, made his member throb. He doubled his efforts as he sucked her, riding the waves of pleasure as they came apart as one.
They collapsed side by side, their chests heaving. “That—was—” Nicoli panted at a loss for words.
“Amazing,” she finished for him as her flushed body still tingled from the ends of her hair to the tips of her toes.
Nicoli pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “And we didn’t even get to the best part.” He nipped her shoulder and she shivered against his body.
He continued to kiss her neck, biting her occasionally, making her grind her ass against his already stiff rod. "Goddess, you feel so good." The sound of his deep, husky voice sent chills down Gretchen's spine. She rolled over to her side and kissed him, shoving her tongue in his mouth. The taste of him on her lips drove his wolf wild. He felt Xander trying to take control but forced him to the back of his mind.
Nicoli ran his hands down her body grasping her ass cheeks roughly as he rolled on top of her, his lips never leaving hers in the process. She ran her nails down his back, causing him to growl as he positioned himself between her thighs.
Gretchen took stock of Nicoli's chiseled body, admiring how each muscle flexed when he turned. The tattoos inked in his skin, dancing in time with every movement. Her eyes lifted to his as he positioned himself at her entrance. "Are you sure?" he asked.
She smiled up at him and shifted her hips, rubbing her wetness against him. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Nicoli. I love you."
With those three words, he drove inside her, feeling her slick tightness wrap around him. With every thrust, he felt her velvet walls stroking him. Her moans were music to his ears as he lifted her onto his thighs and she ground against him. Her arms clung to his broad shoulders and her hips moved beneath his hands with reckless abandon. She was a fluid vision swimming in his intense gaze, a powerful seductress using her passion to claim his, ripping it from the very center of his being. Consumed with lust, everything in him wanted to mark her at that moment, but he refrained, somehow. He knew she wasn't ready for that.
"Oh, Goddess—" she screamed as he slid a hand between their bodies and stroked her clit. She rocked her hips, meeting his thrusts head-on, matching his strength with her own until his body began to quake in time with hers. Their ragged breaths and moans echoed in the small room. She wailed and rolled her body back over his arm, as he pounded in and out of her tight sheath like a piston made of flesh and bone.
“Yes, Nicoli—yes, harder—Oh, Goddess, fuck me harder.” Her beautiful breasts bounced in time with his onslaught. She screamed his name as her body began convulsing around him and pushed him over the edge. He poured into her, enticing yet another orgasm from the force. He thrust once more, then stilled, his massive cock buried deep inside her, bathed in the furnace they had stoked together until the last wave of contractions faded away. Beads of sweat dripped off him, joining hers on her slick, sweat-soaked skin.
"I love you, too," he mumbled into her hair as he pulled her close and buried his face into her mass of red waves. "In case it wasn't obvious," he added, smiling against her skin.
Before long, she was snoring softly next to him. He threw an extra log on the fire, grabbed a fur blanket from the corner and placed it over them. He kissed her one more time before falling asleep with a contented heart and a smile on his face.
Jade walked back to the castle dragging his feet. How am I supposed to get Jayce to agree to work with Nicoli? And if that i
sn't damn near impossible enough, I'm also supposed to convince Nicoli that we want peace after so many years at war.
Because we do want peace. We never wanted a war to begin with. Hell, I don't even think Jayce wanted a war. Talon, on the other hand, was hard for Jayce to control in the beginning. Maybe appeal to Nicoli's better nature? Archer suggested.
Nicoli has no idea how Jayce came to be this way. Maybe he’d be willing to work with us if he knew getting Laria back meant saving the last shred of humanity Jayce has. I don't know, it's a long shot, Archer.
Jade walked through the castle to the cage where Jayce sat, eyeing the plate of food that was in front of him. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Jade asked.
A half-smile lifted the corner of Jayce's mouth. "Like I got hit in the head with a club by a three-hundred-pound giant." He smiled but there was no mirth in it. "Believe it or not, in here, I feel almost sane—how fucked up is that? I have to be caged in my own home, by blessed wood to weaken Talon, and silver to weaken Nyx, to be able to form a true thought of my own. I don't know how long I can keep going like this. I can’t control him anymore, he’s already draining Omegas, Jade." He placed his head in his hands. "I've fucked up so much and I have no one to blame but myself for being here."
Jade growled and slammed a hand into the bars that surrounded his brother. "That's horse shit, it was the Hunters."
"Stop, just stop and listen for a minute little brother. It's been so long since I've had some true clarity. The Hunters did this to me, but it's the decisions I made that led me there; in the end, I am to blame. Regardless, while I'm feeling a little like my old self," he smiled, "who is your mate?"
Jade eyed Jayce suspiciously as he said, "I won't lie to you, but you won't be happy."
"First of all, I was happy the moment I saw the mark. Nyx was jealous as fuck and Talon, well, as you saw, he lost his shit; but for me? Brother, you deserve this."
"It's Scarlett." Jade winced, waiting for another manic episode. But Jayce just laid back on his cot and took a deep breath and a slight tilt to his lips graced his ragged face.
"It makes sense. Scarlett always scampered after you and never entertained any male company. But dare I say, she's going to give you a run for your money because she is as stubborn and willful as she is beautiful. She's as tough of a she-wolf as they come; you’re evenly matched." Jayce smiled but there was an obvious sadness that was etched in his features. "I admit I am envious, but not because Scarlett is your mate. I'm jealous because I won't ever have that. The closest thing I have to a mate is Laria and I can't even be with her properly, without allowing Talon to take his aggressions out first on Rebecca and how messed up is that? Yet, she stays; Laria and Rebecca are as loyal as they come. So, I suppose I should be grateful."
Jade stood there, staring in shock at Jayce. He circled the cage, taking in Jayce's relaxed shoulders and deep, even breaths. Jade hated to ruin this moment, but he came here for a reason and his body stiffened as he remembered why. He had to talk all three of Jayce's personalities into working with their middle brother, Nicoli. Jade pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an aggravated breath. All he wanted to do was go home and relax with his mate, not deal with all this bullshit.
Jayce rolled his head to the side and propped it up with one hand. "Out with it, Jade, whatever it is, we will figure it out. I'm the brains and you're the brawn, remember? Although, I must admit having three distinctive personalities battling for control at any given time has addled me a bit."
"Jayce, have you ever talked to Laria about ridding yourself of Talon? She seems to have it in her mind that if she were to infiltrate the Hunters’ den, she could find a way to reverse what they did to you."
Jayce shot up from the cot, he was nothing if not keen. "Where is Laria?" His eyes began to flash to the black onyx of his wolf.
"That's the thing, we don't exactly know." Jade admitted as Jayce began pacing in the cage. "When I brought you here, I told her no; that you would never allow her to put herself in danger. She said it was just an idea and that she knew you didn't want to live like this anymore."
"She's not wrong; it has taken its toll. But I would never allow her to be put in harm's way; you were right in saying that. She smiled and told you what you wanted to hear and then sent you on your way. I knew something was off when she brought me the food. It was as if she were saying goodbye without actually saying it. I should have fucking known." He punched the cot. "Tell me everything, we have to get her back; I cannot do this without her. She’s the only thing keeping Nyx sane."
"Well, I believe there’s a way we can get her back. By now, she’s probably well on her way to the Hunters, if she's not with them already. We need all three of us, though, Jayce." Jade eyed his brother wearily as he paced the inside of his cage.
"We can't—Nicoli will never—" Jayce trailed off, deep in thought.
"So, you're willing to work with him?" Jade interrupted.
Jayce's ever-changing eyes flipping between red, black and green pinned him with a hard, lethal stare. "For her? Yes, but he won't be."
"I think if we told him everything, he might—"
"Might isn't going to help me, Jade. There has to be a different way."
"There's not, I've talked to a seer. She said the only way to save Laria and stay intact, is for us brothers to unite as we used to be. Nicoli and I with our mates to go find yours."
"A seer? Nicoli's mate? Forgive me, brother," Jayce's dual-layered voice sneered. "What do you mean Nicoli's mate—and what fucking seer are you speaking of?"
"Jayce, the seer wishes to remain anonymous for this reason, right here." Jade motioned to Jayce and his behavior.
Jayce took a few deep breaths and spoke evenly, "You're right. I’m unstable, but I need to know this. There hasn't been a seer in generations."
"I will not break her trust; we may need her in the future. As for Nicoli," he sighed, "I've heard word that he's been Gretchen's guardian since they left Scotland. He didn't steal her away or kill her as we were led to believe."
"Gretchen—she's—the Princess is alive?" Jayce's eyes bulged and began to water. "You're sure of this? She's alive?"
"Yes, it's from a trusted source. Gretchen will play an integral part in getting Nicoli to work with us."
"I need a moment to digest this." Jayce began pacing again. "Please, brother, just leave for now. I need to get my thoughts sorted and find a way to travel without being a hazard to anyone's health."
Jade nodded his head and turned on his heel as he heard his brother laugh, "Gretchen's alive, she's alive—I can't believe it." The hope and happiness in Jayce's voice tore at Jade's heart. Because now Jayce knew the same thing he knew back then; Gretchen never belonged to anyone other than Nicoli.
Jade left the castle and walked home where he found Scarlett had finished setting the table. "You're back sooner than I expected." She smiled. The smell of garlic bread ignited his hunger.
"Yeah, Jayce is surprisingly clear-headed in the cage. He agreed to find Nicoli. We need to figure out how to make Talon less of a threat during the journey, though."
"What did you tell him about how you knew?" Malcolm asked.
"I said I found a seer and that she wished to remain anonymous because of his unpredictable nature. He loves Laria and will do what he must to ensure her safe return."
Gideon scoffed, "So now we just need a way to keep Scarlett's visions a secret, keep Talon under control, convince Nicoli to work with the two of you, find out where Laria is hidden, break in to rescue her, find out how to remove Talon for good and stay alive. Did I miss anything?" He held a finger up for each of their many tasks.
"Sounds like a piece of cake," Scott chimed in.
"Yeah, a piece of cake." Jade sat at the table as Scarlett placed the pasta in front of them. "This smells delicious," he said as he took her hand.
She smiled down at him reassuringly. "One thing at a time, Love. Tonight, we have an agreement from Jayce, which is a good start. Tomorr
ow morning, I’ll go through some books and see if there’s a binding ritual I can perform on Talon. We’ll also scout out the abandoned Hunters' den and see what we can uncover from there. Hopefully, I can get us a lead on where to look for them. I'm sure Laria had the same idea, as they usually leave clues behind."
"You make it sound so simple," Jade grumbled as he scooped pasta onto his plate then passed it to Gideon.
"It's only as complicated as you make it. If we don't overthink it and take things in stride, we will work it out; but we can’t allow ourselves to become overwhelmed. So, first things first, eat." She smiled as she took the seat to his right.
The five of them finished eating dinner and decided they would meet back at the cabin first thing in the morning. Gideon, Malcolm and Scott went home, leaving Jade and Scarlett behind to clean up.
"After we're finished, I’ll head to my place to do some research," Scarlett said.
"What do you mean, mate? This is your house." Jade wrapped his arm around her and kissed her mating mark which caused her to shiver and groan against him.
"Well, you never officially invited me into your home to stay—I didn't want to assume," Scarlett teased.
"Scar," he said as he turned her around to face him. "I let you into my heart, letting you stay in our home was a given. I mean, hell, I installed your own personal swing last year. That should have been your first clue to how I felt about you."
She giggled and stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. "Better be careful—the guys may think you're whipped."
"That ship has sailed, Love. Didn't you hear them on the back porch?" he laughed. "Why don't we skip the dishes tonight and go to bed?"
"Hmmm, I think you're smarter than you look, mate." She grinned and slithered out of his arms. "Catch me, if you can." She sprinted across the house and tried to slam the bedroom door closed, but he was too quick. He had her pinned to the wall before she made it inside.
