After stoking the fire, he added fresh wood, increasing the light as well as the warmth. Then they stood beside the bed and undressed each other slowly, pausing to explore each exposed area before moving on to the next garment. She ran her fingers through his long, pale hair, fascinated by the color and texture. He was so different from the men she had known, so much larger and more heavily muscled.
He lifted her to the sleeping platform and she knelt, putting her face on a level with his.
“I have shared my body with others, but never have I offered my mind, my soul, my inner self. Will you allow such a bond?”
“Of course.” She brushed her mouth over his then added, “I will be satisfied with nothing less.”
Excitement gleamed in his eyes and a smile parted his lips as he picked her up and laid her down in the middle of the furs. She stroked the soft pelt with one hand as he joined her on the sleeping platform. “What sort of fur is this? How came you by it?”
“This is a harsh land, Jatara. More often than not it is kill or be killed. Food is not easy to find, especially during the dark freeze.”
She smiled as he eased her legs apart and knelt between her knees. “Did that answer my question?”
“Wolves kept killing our livestock. We had no choice but to defend ourselves.”
“Therian wolves or the animal kind?”
“They remained in animal form even after we killed them, so we believe they were simply wolves.”
“But you would have done the same if they were Therian wolves?” She wasn’t sure why it was so important, especially when they were about to form a soul bond. But she’d thought Aylon was different, his people more refined.
“Would it have been better to let our children starve?”
“No, but violence must be the last resort, not the first reaction.”
He sat back on his heels with a sigh. “I agree and strive to guide the council in that direction as often as possible. Unfortunately, I am one voice among many.”
His voice was the only one that mattered to her. As long as they were in agreement, they could work through the rest together. “I needed to make sure we are of a like mind. Bellin has entrusted me with great power and I will not squander this gift.”
“I expect nothing less.” He trailed his fingertip from her temple to the hollow at the base of her throat. “I understand your mission and I will support you in any way I can.” His hand drifted lower, caressing the upper swell of her breasts before circling her nipples. “A soul bond will give us access to each other’s emotions and thoughts. It will make us both stronger in the process.”
She smiled, growing restless beneath his teasing touch. “Is that your way of saying less talk and more of this?” She arched her back and rubbed her mound against his jutting cock.
His mouth claimed hers in an urgent kiss as his hips returned her playful thrust. Desire washed over her and expanded within her, spreading liquid heat from her chest to the juncture of her thighs. She needed him there, deep inside her, filling the emptiness Khonish had left behind.
No! She would not think of Khonish. This was precious, a sacred union between her mate and herself.
Aylon slid against her mound, his thick shaft rubbing over the knot of nerves at the top of her opening. She pulled her legs up against his sides, offering her body without reservation. “In me. Please, I need you now.”
Supporting himself on his forearms, he reared until he could see her face. Then he adjusted the angle of his hips and found her opening. “You are mine and mine alone.” He pushed into her slowly, his gaze nearly as penetrating as his cock.
“And you are mine and mine alone.” She canted her hips, aligning her core to take him more deeply. Her inner muscles spread around him, squeezing him with spontaneous pulses.
His lids drooped and he groaned. “You feel so…” Apparently he couldn’t find the words.
With infinite slowness, he pulled back until only his tip remained inside of her, then he thrust deep, seating himself completely with one quick lunge. They moaned in unison and Jatara tangled her fingers in his hair, dragging his mouth down to hers.
“Move,” she whispered against his parted lips. He eagerly obeyed, shuttling in and out as their tongues curled and slid. His taste filled her mouth and his scent surrounded her like a blanket, warm and welcome, uniquely his.
His tempo sped as he extended his arms, back arched to maximize each stroke. Suddenly he growled low in his throat and tore his mouth away from hers. “Too soon. This is not going to end so quickly.” He pulled out, ignoring her mournful cry and her attempts to lock her ankles behind his back. With a few quick movements, he flipped her onto her stomach and pulled up on her hips. “Fold your legs beneath you.”
She did as he directed, resting on her knees and forearms as his hands slid up and down her thighs. Then he moved her knees farther apart and slipped one hand between her legs. He pushed a finger into her wet opening.
“Your cock felt better.” She grinned even though he couldn’t see her smile. “We can do this more than once, you know.” Rather than reply, he leaned down and gave her bottom a firm nip. She gasped then wiggled as tingles ricocheted through her belly.
He slid his finger in and out as she grew progressively more restless. She squeezed his finger with her inner muscles, but her eagerness seemed to fuel his determination. With a slow twist of his wrist, he added another finger, but it still felt insubstantial compared to his cock.
His fingers pulled out slowly then he leaned down and found her nub with the tip of his tongue. “Yes!” she gasped, arching to give him better access to her most sensitive parts.
“Like that, do you?” He held her open with his fingers and explored her more completely with his mouth. He traced her crease and gently sucked on her tender folds, avoiding the ultra-sensitive knot of nerves until she was wild and panting. Then, and only then, did he close his lips around the swollen nub and apply careful suction.
Pleasure detonated deep inside her, expanding in rippling waves until her entire abdomen convulsed with release. She clawed the fur beneath her and cried out as his tongue pushed into her channel, prolonging the pleasure as he greedily lapped up her cream.
“So good,” he murmured against her sodden flesh. “You taste so good.” Before she could catch her breath or clear her mind of the staggering pleasure, he drove his shaft deep into her quivering body. He pulled her up, cupping both her breasts as he pressed against her back. “Give me your mouth.”
She twisted her head sharply to the side and angled her torso without dislodging his hands. His lips sealed over hers and his tongue pushed into her mouth, spreading the taste of her pleasure. She shivered and squeezed him as tight as she could, barely able to touch him in the awkward position.
His tongue slid against hers and his hands began to wander from her breasts to her groin and back. He tweaked her nipples and stroked her mound, rebuilding her arousal. She reached back and touched his hips, wishing he would let her turn around.
“I want to face you,” she whispered as soon as he released her lips.
“Next time,” he promised. “For now, I need you like this.”
Then she felt his being brush against her mind. She opened to him, eager for the connection, the intimacy of sharing emotions and sensations with her mate. He pushed deeper into her mind and her body. He kissed his way along the side of her neck then urged her back down upon the bed.
She braced herself against the bed, resting her head on her folded arms. Energy pulsed and sizzled, their connection clear now within her mind. She could feel him and “see” him clearly, just not with her physical eyes.
He grasped her hips and pulled back, then drove deep with one forceful thrust. Their connection expanded and scalding desire barreled into her mind. The man in Aylon might long to hold her, to be tender and slow as they joined, but his cat craved this position, needed to control and cover his mate.
She could see his shaft, wet with her cr
eam, sliding in and out of her body. His hands tightened on her hips and he increased his depth and speed. He tossed his head, features tense as he struggled against the inevitable end.
“Want this…to last.” He cried out sharply as his pleasure suddenly crested.
She felt everything as clearly as if the sensations had originated inside her own body. His cock twitched and his seed exploded from its tip. Deep spasms of pleasure echoed through her body, drawing another moan from her throat.
No matter how long we make it last, it will never be enough.
It took her a moment to realize he hadn’t spoken the words out loud. Can you hear my thoughts too?
Of course. The link will strengthen each time we join, but the connection is anchored and stable. He rolled to his side, taking her with him. “I want to fall asleep inside you every night.”
“You will get no argument from me.”
“I know this happened suddenly,” he said. “But I can feel the rightness of our bond.”
“As can I.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and she interlaced their fingers. “There are a few things I failed to mention before.” She smiled into the darkness, knowing what she was about to say would shock and please him. “Because my nature was defined by Khonish himself, it is likely I will live far longer than ordinary Therians.”
“How much longer?”
“We are not sure. Three, perhaps four lifetimes.” She felt him tense, but she didn’t allow his emotional withdrawal. “And your life span will mirror mine as long as we are soul bound.”
“I will live several hundred season cycles?”
“We will need all that time and more to achieve balance in the Therian world. Oh, and our link will also increase the strength of all your abilities. You will not have new abilities, but the gifts you were given will all be more powerful now.”
He laughed, his heart thudding strongly against her back. “You did not think this was worth mentioning before the link was formed?” Despite his gruff tone, she could feel his excitement and joy.
“I needed to know you wanted me for me, not for the increase in your power.” She wiggled away, reluctantly separating their bodies. Then she turned around so she could look into his eyes. “I will never allow my power to be used to harm other Therians. Your father and the other councilors must not see me as a weapon.”
“I will leave this settlement forever before anything like that happens to you.”
The conviction in his expression made her smile. “Good.” She looped her arms around his neck and settled into the warmth of his body. “Then you will not mind outliving all of your relatives?”
“I will treasure every day at your side.”
Joy unfurled within her and tears flooded her eyes. “I thought Bellin’s gift would be worth sacrificing my personal happiness. I never dreamed that I could have both.” She pushed him over onto his back and crawled on top of him. After a brief kiss she slid down his body and settled on her knees between his wide-spread thighs. “This time I want your taste in my mouth as we join our bodies.”
“I am here for your pleasure. Always,” he said with a grin as she guided him into her waiting mouth.
THE END
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Therian Heat, Book Two: Before Carissa has time to react to her sister’s disappearance, she’s kidnapped and taken deep into the Colorado mountains. Her kidnapper swears he’s protecting her, but Carissa doesn’t know what to believe. He emanates danger, strength and raw sexuality. She’s drawn to him, craves his demanding kiss and the slide of his hard body against and into hers.
Quinn has always been an outsider, scorned and mistrusted by other Therian shapeshifters. Now he’s in the middle of a budding civil war and he’s not sure how to disentangle himself without endangering Carissa. Though her powers are latent, Carissa has the potential of becoming the most powerful Therian the world has ever seen.
It was Quinn’s intention to bring Carissa to safety and simply walk away, but one taste of her sweet lips and he knows he’ll never let her go. She won’t be truly safe until she’s selected her mate—and he intends to be the one she chooses.
Therian Priestess Page 7
