by Ravenna Tate
“It’s your own fault. You’ve got me all hot and bothered, and I’ve been waiting since the sun came up to be alone with you again.”
A soft chuckled filled the space between them. “And I love that I can so easily get you this way.” Arizona pulled off her dress and removed the cord that served as both a belt and decoration. He stared at it for a few seconds while his wicked grin grew wider.
Gillian watched him place it on the dresser, but didn’t have time to ask what he intended to do with it. She was too distracted by the fact that he’d just removed her bra, and now had his hands tangled in her panties. She gasped when he simply tore the fabric and ripped them off her.
“Show-off.” Hadn’t she just been thinking how he never made an obvious demonstration of his strength?
Another hot kiss silenced her. Gillian clung to her mate, who still had his clothes on, while he ravished the inside of her mouth. When he moved to her neck and licked the wound, she cried out in pleasure. “Will it always do that?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad it does now.” He licked it again, over and over, until her legs shook and she could barely take a full breath.
When he shed his clothes, Gillian was so helpless and trembling with need that all she could do was watch. Arizona glanced around, grinning when his gaze fell on a large armchair. He picked up the cord, pulled two large pillows off the bed, and took her hand. “Come over here, love. I have an idea.”
After asking her to face the armchair, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pushed his cock against her ass. Gillian moaned loudly and moved back toward him, dying to have him inside her. “I’m going to tie your arms behind your back, beautiful. What do you think of that?”
“I think you could literally do anything to me right now and I would love it.”
More licks on her neck wound, and now her pussy contracted in tiny spasms. If he kept this up, he wouldn’t have to touch her clit to make her come. She was so wet the juices coated her upper thighs.
Arizona tossed the two pillows onto the chair seat. “Bend over. Rest your face and torso on the pillows.” She did as he asked. “Now give me your arms, Gillian.” She placed them behind her back and he tied them at the wrists with the cord. In reality, she could probably easily break free of the bond if she wanted to, but her heart raced just the same that he wanted to do something like that at all.
When Gillian had found out that night at dinner that Arizona was a virgin, deep in her mind where she dared not go, she had been a bit worried that their sex life wouldn’t be all she’d hoped for. She couldn’t have been more wrong. He was perfect. His zest for life itself spilled over into everything, especially their bedroom.
“Are you comfortable like this, love?”
“Perfectly comfortable. But if you don’t fuck me soon I think I’ll lose my damn mind.”
As expected, all he did was chuckle. His arms came around her again, and she was forced to endure endless caresses, licks, and his soft moans as he teased her into a frenzy, unlike any she’d ever experienced. Tiny contractions inside her pussy were constant now. Arizona played with her nipples, kneaded her breasts in his strong hands, and brushed fingers in and out of her pussy and her ass until Gillian could do nothing but moan and whimper.
“Do you have any idea how fucking beautiful you look right now?” Shivers ran down her spine at the tone of his voice, so raw and reverent, as if she were some ancient goddess to be worshipped instead of merely his mate. No man had ever made her feel the way Arizona did.
Finally, he slid his dick into her pussy. Gillian’s orgasm peaked, and stayed there for long moments as he thrust in out of her so slowly she was sure she’d lose her mind. How did he have this kind of self-control? It still amazed her.
“Oh, Gillian… This feels so incredible.”
No words were possible. Her entire body shook with desire. Sweat poured off her forehead and onto the pillows beneath her. She was helpless against him, and she loved every single second of this submission. She’d give this man anything he wanted.
When he withdrew, she let out a slow breath as the contractions were still going strong. They spread out to her fingertips and toes, filling every cell in her body with a deep-seated need for more. She’d never get enough of Arizona. Never.
Two lubed fingers filled her ass, and she barely heard him put on a condom. Her thoughts were too jumbled and unfocused. It didn’t matter. She was his. She belonged to him. And this was the only place she wanted to be for the rest of her life.
There was no pain as he fucked her ass, hard and rough. All she felt was crazy pleasure. He caressed her clit with expert precision and kept her climax going. How, she didn’t know. She no longer cared. All she wanted to do was please him.
“Gillian, I can’t get enough of you!”
“I hope you never do,” she whispered.
He pulled out, tore off the condom and gently lifted her to feet and turned her to face him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
Arizona kissed her, leaving her breathless and shaking once more. “Will you let me come in your mouth like this? With your arms behind your back?”
Her pussy contracted in tiny spasms once more at his request. “Oh God, yes.”
Once she was seated, he held her head gently and fucked her mouth. Gillian could hardly stand the excitement of being completely at his mercy like this. It didn’t take long at all for him to come, and she was so weak she couldn’t even swallow all of it, but he didn’t seem to mind.
After he helped her stand, he pulled her close and untied her wrists. He stroked her hair and damp back. “You’re perfect. You’re so damn perfect.”
“So are you.”
“Thank you for mating with me, Gillian.”
“Oh, Arizona.” Gillian was certain her heart couldn’t possibly hold more love for this man. “Thank you for choosing me.”
They stayed that way, holding each other in the dark room, for long moments. Finally, he carried her to bed and they lay down to sleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter Fifteen
Facing the village two days ago and reciting vows that were as archaic as any she’d ever heard had made Gillian a bit nervous. Not because she hadn’t believed in what she was doing, or because she’d been afraid of the reaction of their neighbors to her and Arizona having their mating ceremony.
The simple truth was that standing in a courtroom, addressing a judge or jury was easy compared to being on display in front of an entire village of people who looked like her, but inside were as different as alien beings. At the party afterward, she’d drunk and eaten too much, but it was only to calm her nerves. By the end of the day, she’d felt welcomed and part of them, which was far more than she’d ever expected.
But now, today, she stood in a somber room inside the village hall, along with Canyon, Fiera, and Arizona, before three men who represented the public face of the Council. She was out of her element here. This wasn’t a Seattle courtroom, and she had no authority inside this building as an attorney. Her status here was Arizona’s human mate, and nothing more.
“This is highly unusual,” said Dar Barrett, peering at the document with a frown that creased his entire forehead. The sight reminded Gillian of a Shar Pei, and she coughed to hide a laugh.
“Yes,” said Arizona, “but we’re submitting it just the same.”
Good for him. Under different circumstances, she would have patted him on the back or at least given him a thumbs up for not offering more information than was necessary, or for trying to justify their petition. She’d coached him and Canyon beforehand, reminding them that they didn’t owe the Council an explanation, and if they acted as though they believed in their allegations, the Council would take them seriously.
“It’s an old trial trick,” she’d said. “Only answer the question and then stop talking. Give no additional information, and don’t offer any explanations beyond what is asked for. Don’t put fo
rth any opinion that you haven’t specifically been asked to give. And even then, if you don’t feel qualified to opine on a certain subject, you say that and then stop talking.”
Mr. Shar Pei face glanced at his two colleagues, who also gave the petition a concerned look. They had the required one hundred signatures on it. Those had been easy to obtain. Every lynx in the village had signed without question, as had most of the cougars. The jaguars had been a bit more cautious, but it was the leopards who had surprised them.
Apparently the ones who believed the Medinas should have been arrested or killed ages ago hadn’t left the village when the Medina females did. It was nice to know there were some leopard shifters who hadn’t sided with that toxic, destructive family. They certainly made up the minority now living in the village, but at least they were willing to help with an issue that concerned everyone, not merely their own kind.
Mr. Shar Pei gave Arizona and Canyon sharp glances in turn. He barely stopped his gaze as it swept over Fiera and Gillian. “Are you absolutely certain you want to do this?”
“Yes.” Both men answered at once, and Gillian’s heart swelled with pride. She was certain Fiera felt the same way. Both Fiera’s and Canyon’s families had suffered enough because some of the Elders refused to see things as they actually were in this village. From what Gillian had been told, past stories of things the Medina family had done were even worse. It was time to end it.
“A leopard died because they refused to put a stop to the Medina family,” said Arizona, his voice quiet but full of authority.
Dar raised his brows. “Your friend here killed him.”
“It was a fair fight,” said Canyon. “One that never would have happened if Hawke and his family had been stopped years ago.”
Dar sighed loudly. Apparently he thought by doing so they might change their minds. “Very well.” He shook his head in a last attempt to give them an out. “We shall proceed with this. You’ll hear from us within forty-eight hours.”
“Thank you.” Arizona grabbed Gillian’s hand and gave it a slight tug. It was time to leave.
****
Less than twenty-four hours after Gillian had stood in front of three members of the Council and watched them try to dissuade Arizona and Canyon from presenting the petition, she and her mate were startled before the sun had risen by loud banging on their front door.
Was someone hurt? Had someone painted more blood on their house? When she and Arizona finally woke up enough to climb out of bed and race through their home, Canyon and his father stood in on the front porch.
“What happened?” asked Arizona.
“There’s been an emergency session of the Council called for one hour after daybreak,” said Luke. “You and Canyon have been summoned to attend. You’re each allowed one representative. I’m going as Canyon’s. I think they’ll allow Gillian to be yours since she’s an attorney.”
“Oh?” She raised her brows. “Now they’ve decided that’s important enough to be recognized?”
“Is this about the petition?” asked Arizona.
“Not entirely. Another incident has occurred. Someone painted a slogan in blood on the door of the town hall, but this time there was a witness.”
****
Gillian felt ill-prepared by the time they walked into the town hall. She’d have loved at least an hour to prepare notes and get her thoughts together, but Arizona, Canyon, and Luke had rushed her along.
The entire Council sat in a chamber that reminded Gillian of drawings she’d seen, depicting the great halls of ancient Rome where the Senate presided. For a village where most of the homes were made of wood, and the most elaborate embellishments were a stone front or a wrap-around porch, the town hall looked out of place.
Dar Barrett motioned them forward, and asked them each to state their names for the official record. Eyebrows were raised when Gillian said she was there as Arizona’s representative.
“You’re an attorney in the human world,” said a man named Sage Austin. “Is that correct?”
“It is.”
He, Dar, and another man Arizona told her was named Tobias Villas bent their heads together and talked for long moments. Arizona leaned close to her again and whispered that Dar, Sage, and Tobias were the head of the Council. She’d already guessed that, but merely smiled at him. Playing the adoring, dutiful mate on specific occasions was easy with him because he treated her with such respect all the time.
Finally, they straightened up again. “Very well,” said Dar. “You may act as Arizona’s representative. We are here for two reasons. One, we have decided to grant the petition to replace certain members of the Elders.”
When Arizona gave her hand a squeeze, Gillian took that as a warning not to react, which was a good thing because her first instinct had been to give a war whoop and pump her fist in the air. She had honestly expected them to turn it down, even with the required number of signatures.
“Secondly, we have an issue with Stone Rockwell, and since he is best friends with Canyon and Arizona, we wanted to make you both aware of it. We’re also hoping you can shed some light on this development.”
As all four of them looked at each other, Gillian realized that Arizona, Canyon, and Luke had no clue what Dar meant.
“Has something happened to Stone?” asked Arizona.
“The witness who came forth to tell us she knows who has been painting slogans in blood on doors in the village also told us she’s a leopard shifter, and that Stone is her mate.”
Holy shit…
“And?” Luke’s voice was so calm. Gillian was impressed. She knew that Arizona had told Canyon what they had seen the night Arizona took her for a run in shifted form, but that had been the last she’d heard of it until now.
Sage sat up straighter, as if doing so would make his next words sound more authoritative. “And, he refuses to speak to us about it. He won’t say who she is, where he met her, or what her business is in this village.”
“Then I imagine he has a good reason for that.”
As Gillian gave Arizona’s hand a squeeze, she wished she could reach across him and shake Luke’s hand. He had a way, the same as Canyon, of cutting right to the heart of a matter. No wonder she enjoyed working for them so much.
“This female is rumored to be from the same village where the Medina females fled,” said Tobias. “You don’t consider that a dangerous problem?”
“Why do you consider it one?” asked Gillian. “Is everyone who lives there forbidden to mate with males from this village?”
Tobias regarded her as if she were nothing more than an annoying insect. “No, of course not.”
“Then why do you feel the need to interfere in Stone’s choice of a mate?” asked Arizona.
“I would have thought he’d have told you both about her.” Dar eyed Arizona and Canyon in turn. “This is why we summoned you here. To explain this.”
“Shouldn’t you be speaking to Stone instead of to us?” asked Canyon.
“You’re his best friends,” said Sage, narrowing his eyes. “Why don’t you two know about this yet?”
“Stone’s business is his own,” said Arizona. She knew that tone. He was holding back his anger, likely out of respect for them. He had more self-control than she did. She was ready to let them have it for interfering where they had no business to. Maybe if she changed the subject, they’d leave Stone alone?
“When did she come forward and claim she knows who did the painting?” asked Gillian.
“Yesterday,” said Dar. “She said she’s been following them for weeks.”
“Why did she wait?” That sounded suspicious.
“She didn’t say.” Dar’s voice was hard now, as if Gillian’s questions had ruffled his feathers.
“All right. So, who’s been doing it? Seems to me that’s the real issue here, not whether or not she’s Stone’s mate.”
“We aren’t prepared to discuss that yet. Not until we’ve had time to investigate this further
.”
“Why aren’t the Elders investigating this?” asked Luke.
“Because they have decided to deal with the petition for now instead. They’ve asked us to look into this matter.”
“In other words, they don’t believe this female leopard’s story.”
Dar averted his gaze just enough that Gillian knew Luke had hit the nail on the head.
“What’s her name?” she asked, knowing full well they likely wouldn’t tell her.
“Once we have time to investigate, the villagers will know what they need to know. If none of you have anything further to say about Stone, you are dismissed.”
“What about the replacement Elders?” asked Arizona.
“You will hear when the rest of the village does. We gave you that information this morning as a courtesy only because you are the ones who brought the petition. But the main purpose for this meeting was our hope you could shed more light on Stone and his alleged mate.”
“Alleged mate?” Arizona was beyond angry now. She could feel it coming off him in waves. “Since when is a mate alleged? Didn’t we have enough of that nonsense with Canyon’s mate when Hawke Medina tried to claim her? If Stone has chosen a mate, it’s a done deal.” He tugged on Gillian’s hand. “I think we’re done here. Let’s go.”
Once they were outside, all four began talking at once. Gillian laughed, but it was from nervousness, not because she thought this was a humorous situation. “I hope the woman we saw him with in the woods was this same leopard.”
“I’m sure she is,” said Canyon. “At least now we know why he’s been avoiding us.”
“But he doesn’t have to.” Arizona sounded hurt, and Gillian couldn’t blame him. “He should know better.”
“There has to be more to it,” she said. “Some reason why he thought you two wouldn’t accept this woman. How can we find out who she is?”
“Find Stone and ask him,” said Luke. “We’ll get nothing from the Council.”
