The Reaper's Mate

by Celia Aaron

  “Stalking you?” I slide one hand to her delicate throat. “Just tonight.”

  “But how’d you get that tattoo? How did you know?” She digs her cute little kitten nails into the back of my hand as I walk her forward to the bed.

  “It’s not a tattoo. It’s our mark. We are fated.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  I turn around and sit on the bed with her in my lap, keeping one hand at her throat and using the other to swipe her soft hair away.

  “It means.” I drop kisses along her shoulder, tasting her sweet skin and relishing her scent. “That we are bound. Forever. I am yours. You are mine.”

  Her pulse races as I nibble at her. “Are you making this up?”

  I press my palm between her tender thighs and feel her wet panties again. “Does this feel false to you?” I release her throat and place my palm over her swiftly-beating heart. “Or this?”

  “I don’t know.” She sighs. “I can’t tell what’s real. I know I need to run, but I can’t seem to do it. You’re clearly some sort of lunatic stalker. But instead of distance, I want . . .”

  I kiss the shell of her ear. So delicate, breakable. Mortal. Her demise rises like a specter in my thoughts, but I refuse to pay it any attention. I’m on the cusp of claiming my mate, and no harm will befall her under my care.

  “Let me claim you.” I cup her ample breast and squeeze the hard tip. “You’ll see. You’ll feel it when I’m moving inside you.”

  Her moan sets my body alight and before I can stop myself, I’ve ripped off her wings and laid her on the bed. Looking up at me, she’s far more enticing devil than pure angel, and I want to sample her promise of sin.

  She tenses, but I kiss away her surprise, tasting her lips and teasing her tongue. I grip her hair and angle her head to the side. With full access to her luscious mouth, our souls entangle and dance with each other just as our tongues do. She is warm and wanting, her aura giving me light shocks as her arousal deepens.

  I can’t wait any longer. I have to be inside her, to feel our hearts beating in unison.

  I lift away from her and pull at the hem of her top. She hesitates, then seems to make a decision, and lifts her arms. I’ve never been so thankful in all my life. I peel her shirt off then stare at her breasts and the hard nipples trapped beneath the lace of her bra. Leaning down, I capture one in my mouth.

  She runs her hands through my hair. The scent of her arousal drives me wild, and I bite her nipple.

  “Matt!” Her nickname for me is perfect on a gasp, so I bite her other nipple, then suck it until she’s writhing beneath me. I should take my time with her, but my soul aches to embrace hers. Denying myself any longer is torture; I’ve waited eons for Annabelle.

  I snap the lace between her breasts with one finger and feast on her. Her soft skin, lightly scented with jasmine, is the stuff of dreams. I nip at the undersides of her breasts, and return to her taut peaks. She clutches my hair, her breathing becoming more desperate. The only thing that can tear me away is the promise of heaven between her thighs.

  Kissing down her stomach, I stop and dart my tongue into her cute belly button. She tenses, and black sparks skitter through her aura.

  “What?” I catch her eyes.

  “My stomach. It’s just, um.” She bites her lip. “It’s not, you know, it’s not—”

  “It’s beautiful. All of you. Beautiful.” I say it more fiercely than intended, but it’s true.

  She takes a breath, and tears glitter in her eyes. “No one’s ever said that before.”

  “No one?” I find it impossible at first. Then pride swells in my chest at the confirmation that I’m her only lover. After all, if a man had ever seen her naked, surely he would have told her the same?

  I kiss every inch of her stomach, dragging my tongue along her softness and dropping lower toward the promise of sweeter delights.

  Her body trembles beneath my touches, and I hook my fingers inside the waist of her skirt. My cock tries to massacre the line of buttons on my pants, but I have to taste her first. I want my claiming to be seared in Annabelle’s heart—multiple orgasms seem like a sure way to achieve that effect. With a soft tug, I pull her skirt off and toss it on the floor.

  She’s naked except for the thin satin of her panties. I drink in her exquisite body, disbelieving my luck at having such a gorgeous mate. I stare, memorizing every curve, every breath, everything about her.

  “You’re killing me.” Her voice is thick with need.

  The irony isn’t lost on me, but I refuse to think about her demise—the demise I will not allow to happen. “Never.” I drop to my knees and yank her to the edge of the bed. With the flick of my fingers, I rip her panties away and get a view that steals my breath.

  “Son of a bitch.” I realize now that I’ll have to fight for her. Males will try to get close to her, to taste what’s mine. Never. A growl rips through me at the thought of anyone else seeing or tasting her lovely cunt. I haven’t spent the last several boring millennia escorting souls to the afterlife—many of them to their final, ultimate happiness—just to sit back and watch my happiness get stolen away.

  I vow to myself I’ll keep her satisfied, keep her with me, then I focus on the hot flesh between her smooth thighs. The skin here is fairer than the rest of her, and the pink lips similar to a pale rose. When I see the wetness waiting for me, my mouth waters, and I give her a slow lick.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ANNABELLE

  I GRIP THE BEDSPREAD as Matt runs his wide tongue up my pussy. The way he looks at me, his reverent touches—I’ve never been treated like this in my life. I’m afraid that, even after this short time, I’m becoming addicted to it. And no matter how many times I tell myself this is irrational and ridiculous, I’m still drawn to him like a magnet.

  I jolt as he lingers at my clit, his tongue pressing against it as he pushes against my thighs with his palms. I spread for him, desperate for more of his attention.

  Taking his time, he licks me slow, each sweep bringing a moan from me as I arch and press my pussy onto his face. All embarrassment is gone, and I’m consumed by the need to find my release. I chase it with utter abandon as he keeps his pace slow and slides a hand down my thigh.

  “Please.” I gasp as he sucks my clit between his teeth.

  “What, my angel?” He stares up at me, his eyes bright in the dark room.

  “I want—” Heat rushes through me at the words I’m about to say. “I want your fingers.”

  “Anything for you.” He gives me a wicked grin and presses a finger inside me.

  I moan and work my hips in a quickening rhythm. He matches it, his finger and tongue working in unison.

  He groans into my pussy and my hips rise up even higher, my ass off the bed as he licks and sucks at my most tender spots. With his free hand, he wraps first one leg, then the other around his head, my knees hooked over his shoulders.

  My stomach is already drawn tight when he reaches up and palms my breast.

  “Mmmm.” I can’t put words to the intense sensations.

  He adds another finger, stretching me, and I press down on them. If his fingers feel this good, what will his cock be like?

  When he fastens his lips to my clit and sucks again, any last semblance of thought disappears. I have to come, and every cell in my body focuses on that one outcome. I pump my hips as he pinches my tight nipple and runs his tongue across my sensitive nub. His pace is impossible, his tongue whipping faster than even my vibrator’s top speed. Jesus.

  My breath stops, and I tense until my muscles begin to shake. He curls his fingers inside me and plunges them deeper. I’m gone. A blinding orgasm rips through me. My body tightens and releases in a steady procession of pleasure. Each new wave pulls a cry from my lips, and I grip the bedspread hard enough that my fingers cramp.

  When the last aftershock subsides, Matt lowers me to the bed and kisses his way up my body. He lingers at my breasts, kissing the mounds before darting
his tongue along the tips. I’m hyper-sensitive, and his touches are priming me for another round. If anything, he’s made me hungrier for it—for all of him.

  His low growl returns as he kisses my mouth, sharing my taste with me as he presses one strong arm beneath my back and situates us in the middle of the bed. I wrap my arms around his neck and cover his face with sloppy, blissed out kisses.

  “I’m going to claim you now, angel.” He pushes back from the bed and stands. With his gaze firmly on me, he unbuttons his black pants, revealing more of his pale skin and the tantalizing trail of dark hair. When he pushes his pants to the floor, my eyes grow wide. His cock is thicker than anything I’ve ever had before. A swirl of fear is tempered by the rush of desire his naked form creates in me. He is a living statue, perfect, hard, and masculine. And I’m just … me.

  I glance down at my body, and the difference hits me hard.

  “What is that?” He stares at the air around me. “Why are you unhappy?”

  “How?” I cock my head at him. “How can you tell?”

  “Your aura changes. Have I displeased you?”

  “Displeased me? No. You were, that was … you were amazing. It’s just that I’m not…” I can’t figure out how to say what I’m feeling, and I start to slide my legs closed as embarrassment creeps in.

  He’s on top of me before I move an inch. “I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you right now. You are my beautiful, perfect angel.”

  I see no duplicity in his eyes, only warmth. His words instill a confidence in me that I’ve never experienced. I run my palm down his cheek and press my lips to his. He kisses back with so much emotion that I can’t catch my breath. Goodbye heart.

  “I want you, too.” I close my eyes and try to inject confidence into my words. “I want you to claim me, like you said. Make me yours.”

  His growl of approval rattles against my breasts, and I grow even wetter as he stares down at me with feral hunger. He pins my wrists next to my head and sucks my nipple into his mouth.

  “Mine.” His voice is guttural as he licks and sucks.

  I squirm against him and moan when a jolt of pleasure shocks through my clit. He thrusts against me, his cock growing slick as our bodies slide against each other. The friction builds, and I want him. I threw out any reason or prudence the moment he pulled my release from me with his tongue and fingers.

  He stretches on top of me and claims my lips again in a passionate kiss. His thrusts grow more desperate, and I dig my heels into the backs of his thighs, urging him on.

  “I’m on the pill.” I gasp out as the tip of his cock slides past my clit, heading lower.

  “Pill?” He runs his teeth along my bottom lip and releases my wrists.

  “Birth control. I can’t get pregnant.”

  “We’ll remedy that later.” He gives me another delicious kiss and grasps the long strands of my hair with one hand. “But for now, I want you to focus on me. On my claiming.”

  I cling to his shoulders as he lines up to my entrance. Fire races through me at the thought of being filled with his cock. “Please.”

  He presses his forehead to mine.

  I gasp as he thrusts his tip inside me.

  “Sweet angel.” He pulls back and pushes farther in.

  I curl my toes and relish every sensation—the pinch, the pleasure, the feeling of his huge, hard body against my soft one. “Don’t stop.”

  He groans and sinks deep inside me. I yelp at the sweet sting of my body stretching to accommodate him.

  “Are you all right?” His voice shakes as he kisses my forehead, my cheeks, my nose, and then my lips.

  I wriggle my hips a little, and something explodes behind me. I glance up. Matt has punched a hole through the headboard and into the wall beyond.

  “I don’t want to hurt you. But you are too fucking perfect, angel. I want to give you the claiming you deserve.” He kisses my neck, and I can’t stop myself from making small sounds under his delicious assault.

  “Please. I want it. I want you, all of you.”

  His growl is possessive, and something in me answers. I want to be possessed, to be fucked wild and raw.

  He pulls back, then slams home, and stars burst behind my eyes. I run my hands down his back as he begins a steady rhythm. His thrusts are strong, slamming into my thighs as his thick cock touches me in all my secret places.

  All I can do is hold on as he takes over, his solid body ruling my soft one. I moan when he bites my neck and swirls his tongue across the stinging skin. Something in my chest warms with each of his strokes. I dig my nails into him, urging him faster.

  “You feel it?” He bites my ear. “My claim on you?”

  “Yes!” I gasp and hook my ankles together behind his lower back.

  He runs his hands beneath my shoulders and grips me, holding me in place as he pistons into me. The friction on my clit increases, and my body tenses. I’ve never come this way before, but his steady thrusting is making it a reality with each movement.

  “I can feel you tightening, angel. My mate is trying to make me come?” He fastens his lips to the spot where my shoulder and neck meet.

  My nipples rub against his hard chest, the sensation maddening and sending pulses of pleasure straight to my clit.

  “Not yet. I want to see you.” He lifts up onto his knees and pulls my hips toward him.

  The pressure on my clit lessens, and I groan in frustration. I’d been so close.

  He grins, the look devilish and sexy as all hell. “I’ll satisfy you angel, every time you need it. You never have to ask for what I want to give you.” Licking his thumb, he presses it onto my clit.

  I press my palms into what’s left of the headboard as he continues surging into me with almost animalistic power. I’ll have bruises. I want them.

  He speeds his tempo on my clit, and the tightness rushes back. My thighs begin to shake.

  “I can’t.” I try to make words, but they come out in a rush of air.

  “Come with me, my mate.” He thrusts even harder, his impossible eyes lighting as he holds my gaze. His jaw is tight, the tendons in his neck standing out in sharp relief. I want to bite him, but I’m too far gone to do anything but take everything he’s giving me.

  I surge my hips up toward him, and he hits the final, perfect stroke on my clit. A cry sticks in my throat as my pussy tenses, then starts a rhythmic release. His name falls across my lips as my eyes roll back in my head.

  A roar rips through the room as he yanks me tight to him and slams deep inside me. His cock kicks and shoots my orgasm back up a notch. The thought of him coating me, his come sticky inside me. God. I clench my eyes against the rush of too much sensation. My heart expands, and at that moment, I realize I am Matt’s. It’s as if a final puzzle piece clicks into place. The tattoo along my lower back stings and sizzles, as if reinforcing Matt’s assertion that our souls are entwined.

  My muscles slowly relax as my orgasm begins to roll away. He grunts once more, our bodies tightly joined, and leans forward.

  Supporting himself on his elbows, he kisses my chest, my neck, my cheeks, and then finally presses a sweet thank you to my lips. I’m limp, every bit of energy gone. I’ve never come so hard in my life.

  “Perfect mate, my angel.” He smooths the hair from my sweaty forehead and kisses me there. “Perfect.”

  “Did you feel it?”

  “The claiming?” He stares down into my eyes, then takes my hand and presses it to the mark over his heart. The lines are blazing, almost hot enough to burn. “I felt it the moment I saw you, but there can be no doubt now. You are mine. I am yours.”

  I should be afraid of the giant with the impossible eyes. Instead, I work up the energy to wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself back to his delicious lips.

  He smiles against me as I run my fingers through his dark hair.

  His cock is still inside me when the door explodes inward.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  MATHIEU<
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  I COVER HER SMALL body with my own. Her shriek of terror pierces my heart, and I silently swear vengeance on whatever creature has caused her fear.

  “Mathieu.”

  I know the voice. The plume of debris clears, and I get a view of the reaper Gaius.

  “What are you doing here?” I rise from the bed, careful to cover my mate with the bedspread lest Gaius get a look. He’ll want her for himself, no doubt, and I’ll be forced to kill him.

  “I heard there was a job to be done.” He leans on his scythe and stares at my Annabelle.

  “Job?” I pull on my pants. “What job?”

  “Word is this little morsel is for the afterlife in—” He glances at his black-robed wrist, his sandy blond hair falling into his face “—less than fifteen minutes. And you don’t seem to be getting the job done.” He glances back to Annabelle. “Look at that aura. Damn. You just fucked the shit out of her, didn’t you?”

  He grins and takes a step toward her. No. I snatch my scythe up and stand between him and Annabelle. “Don’t touch her.” I grab my robe and slip it on.

  “I just wanted a look.” He arches a brow at me. “And since when do you fuck the mortal merchandise?”

  “I’m right here, asshole.” Annabelle sits up and clutches the bedspread to her chest. “Don’t talk about me like I can’t hear you.”

  “And a spitfire to boot.” He twirls his scythe so fast it makes a whirring sound. “I like her.”

  “She’s mine.” I shoot my hand out and stop his blade. “Leave.”

  “No can do, my friend. I have orders.” He shrugs.

  “What are you talking about? Orders?” Annabelle scoots to the end of the bed, the blanket still pressed to her, and starts gathering her clothes.

  I can’t take another second of Gaius ogling my mate. “Outside. Now!” I grab his arm and shove him in front of me. “Angel, I’ll be just outside talking to Gaius. Stay here.”

  She snatches her skirt from the floor. “What’s going on?”