by Sable Sylvan
“What, you think because you’re a Scoville, you don’t have to share?” asked the man. “Come on. One dance.”
“No,” said Addy firmly, and the man reached for her.
Sage moved with lightning speed. Nobody frikkin’ touched his woman. His polar bear roared, and before Sage could stop it, it started to burst forth.
As soon as Sage’s hand left her waist, Addy instinctively knew she had to move back.
Addy moved toward Minerva, who was by the lounge area. Minnie was intently watching the situation unfolding. Addy turned and saw what was going on.
The stranger was a shifter, a grizzly shifter, and his bear was out, but not to play. Where Sage had previously been standing was a giant white bear that outclassed the grizzly in terms of size. People had moved off the dance floor, and the grizzly had started to circle the polar. The polar turned to keep its eyes on the grizzly’s face.
That’s when Addy saw that Sage’s shift was no ordinary polar. It had a black streak of fur through its white. It looked like a lightning bolt if she squinted.
The grizzly pounced, and Sage batted it away, but the grizzly was back on its feet in no time. What the grizzly didn’t have in size, it had in speed. It bounded through the scraps of fabric left over from the shifting process and pounced again at Sage. This time, Sage couldn’t turn fast enough to swipe at the bear, so Sage ended up on his side. Addy let out a gasp. Could Sage beat the grizzly?
Of course, Sage could. He wasn’t just a man with a pretty face. He had an animal inside of him that he wasn’t afraid to let take over his body. He may have been a gamma in terms of rank, but in terms of power, he could take on any alpha any day of the week. Could he win? Maybe not, but he would accept any challenge thrown his way…or finish any challenge he doled out.
Sage got back on his feet and roared in the grizzly’s face. Sage didn’t stop roaring as he swiped at the grizzly, roaring over and over, long and low, right in the grizzly’s face. Sage was getting loud, rowdy, and wild. His bear was making noise, and lots of it. This confused the grizzly and in its confusion, the grizzly’s swipes didn’t land on Sage. They just ended up smacking thin air and throwing the grizzly off balance.
Even with the grizzly on the ground, Sage wasn’t done. He roared and roared in the grizzly’s face until the grizzly whimpered and ran off, out the doors of the ballroom and onto the quad.
“Who the heck was that?” Addy asked Minnie.
“I think he’s some German exchange student,” said Minnie. “No matter where a shifter’s from, they can appreciate curves.”
Addy turned and watched as Sage walked back to her. It was just like in that vision she’d had. She hadn’t expected the bear to have a streak in its fur, though. Sage came up to Addy and rubbed against her leg.
“What does he want?” asked Addy.
“Get on his back,” said Minnie. “It’s time for him to take you home. Grab your bag from coat check. I’ll drop off his stuff tomorrow. I didn’t see a wallet or phone fall out of his pants, but I can double check just in case he was carrying them.”
“I didn’t feel them, so I don’t think he was carrying them,” said Addy.
Sage looked up and nodded in agreement.
“All right, then get out of here, you two crazy kids,” said Minnie. “I’m sure Sage has a lot to talk to you about.”
Sage shot Minnie a look that Addy hadn’t seen Sage give anyone since the first time she’d met Minnie. A lot to talk about? What the heck was going on?
Chapter Seven
Addison had never ridden a polar bear but found it wasn’t much different than riding a horse. Step one: get on the bear. Step two: don’t fall off the bear. They were back in their dorm room in no time. They took the elevator up to the room, but of course Addison had to handle the buttons and the locks to the dorm room. When they went in, Sage walked right into his bathroom, and Addison shut the door for him to give him privacy.
Addison sat on the gray chaise lounge and looked around. The large black grand piano was in front of the gray chaise lounge. To her right was the private bathroom which must’ve shared a wall with Clove’s private bathroom. There was a dresser, a closet, and a set of cubbies that Sage had used to store vinyl records and sheet music. He had a record player on his dresser, hooked up to his alarm clock. His bed was black, metal, with plain gray and white striped sheets.
In a few minutes, Sage came out. All he was wearing was a towel, leaving his chest uncovered. What Addison saw made her have to cover her mouth.
Sage’s chest was firm, broad, and like all bear shifters, had a special mark. It was his mate mark, the mark that was supposed to tell him who his fated mate was, but it didn’t take, as Minnie would say, a runologist to decode what his mark meant. The mark was a single word, slightly stylized, but without any other details, written in pure black on his chest.
The mark read, ‘Addison.’ After staring, it was obvious what the stylization meant. Some of the letters looked like musical symbols. The letter ‘A’ was missing its center line, forming a carat-like symbol, or a triangle without a bottom line, an upward pointing arrow. It was a marcato, which designated a note that was to be hit a certain way. The letters ‘dd’ looked like a pair of linked musical notes. The ‘o’ looked like a whole note.
“Does that say what I think it says?” asked Addison. “Or am I seeing things?”
“‘Addison,’” said Sage. “I’ve had this since I was eighteen.”
“Really?” asked Addy. “So…you’ve known, this entire time, that you’re meant for me?”
“Yes,” said Sage.
“And you didn’t think to tell me sooner?” asked Addy, folding her arms. “Wouldn’t telling me sooner have solved a lot of problems?”
“Would it have?” asked Sage. “Think about it. Some guy you’ve never met before tells you that you’re meant to be with him, forever, the moment he meets you. Would you give him a chance? Probably not. You got to know me over the past week in a way you haven’t known me before. Now, you can make your decision. Do you want to see if you’re my fated mate, or is this the end of this fairy tale?”
“Sage…how will you know if I’m your fated mate?” asked Addy.
“The first time that we make love, something will happen,” said Sage. “Something magical. That is, if we’re fated mates.”
“And that’s never happened to you with anyone else?” asked Addy.
“No, has it happened to you?” joked Sage.
“Well, I’ve never actually, y’know…” said Addy, turning away as she blushed.
“Wait, do you mean to tell me that you have never, ever had sex?” asked Sage. “You’re a virgin?”
“Yeah, okay?” said Addy. “I’ve never gone that far with a guy. You weren’t my first kiss or anything, but I never found someone I would be comfortable with, that is…until tonight.”
“Until tonight?” asked Sage.
“On that dance floor, I felt safer than I ever had before,” said Addy. “It may sound silly but I have never felt that protected by anyone before. I know to you, dancing is no big deal, but…I was scared at that dance until you got there and put your hands on my waist and spun me around like I was your entire world.”
“Because you are my world,” said Sage, coming over to Addy and sitting across from her on the piano bench. “Addy, we don’t have to—”
“Shut up,” said Addy, putting a finger on Sage’s lips. “What I’m trying to say is this. My entire life, I’ve felt like I was in a glass cage I couldn’t break out of. I was afraid, going through life as if it was a dream. But around you, I feel like I’m awake. I want to take this next step with you, Sage. I want to know whether or not I’m your fated mate. I’ve wanted to know for a while.”
Addy leaned in and Sage met her in the middle, their lips brushing against one another’s. He could taste the champagne cocktail on her lips from the ballroom, but underneath that there was a more primal taste, a taste of her that he couldn�
�t describe as anything but hers.
Sage got up and, not breaking the kiss, lifted Addy up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist as Sage caressed her curves, his arms against the softness of her waist. Sage turned and put Addy down, so she was sitting on the piano bench.
“What are you doing?” asked Addy.
Sage stood and dropped his towel. What Addy saw shocked her. Sage was hung, really hung, and she had no idea how that thing would fit inside of her.
“You know how the first time hurts?” asked Sage.
“Yeah…will you be gentle?” asked Addy.
“If you want, but I have a feeling you won’t want that once I prepare you,” said Sage. “Your first time doesn’t have to hurt. I want this night to be special for you, Addy. That’s why I want to kiss you in a special way.” Sage got down on his knees and reached up to pull down Addy’s underwear. Addy put her legs over Sage’s shoulders and carefully moved her hips so that Sage could wriggle her panties down.
Sage tossed the lacy panties aside and moved his head under Addy’s dress skirt. He pulled her closer to him so that he could press his mouth against her honeypot and show her what true pleasure could feel like. Sage’s bear roared. This was the moment that the bear had been waiting for. They were so close to mating with Addy. Soon enough, the answer to the question that had haunted Sage would be answered…but before that happened, Sage had to ensure that this would be a night that Addy would look back on fondly.
Addy had never been eaten out before, and Sage was not shy in the least. Being covered by her skirts made it a little less embarrassing, as Addison wasn’t as open about her sexuality as her sisters. While Abby, Kai, and Sav had talked about sex tips they read in magazines, Addison had hung out with Alice in the kitchen baking pies…but now, her cherry pie was ready to be popped.
Sage knew what he was doing. He was kissing her in ways and in places she lacked the words to describe. She had been nervous about going for it, about having sex with Sage, but she could feel her body relaxing as Sage worked his magic. Sage wasn’t just making her nether regions feel good. He was sending waves of pure bliss through her entire body, from fingertips to toes and through her core, where a ball of pleasure was growing, bouncing up and down as her body moved up and down with Sage’s licks, gentle nibbles, and firm kisses.
As Addy leaned back in ecstasy, her back pressed down on the piano keys and her hands reached out, looking for something to grab, her hands running over the ivory and ebony keys. The sound of the piano couldn’t drown out the sound of her moans. There was only one thing that could make her feel better, one thing that could put her on a-whole-nother level of sexual ecstasy.
“I need you,” said Addy. “Please, Sage…I’m ready.”
Sage could feel and taste that Addy was indeed ready for him. He got up from the ground and picked Addy up, but he didn’t carry her to his bed. No. He put her right on top of his piano.
Sage was already hard. Addy was already wet. Seeing Addy sitting there on his piano, Sage had to have just one last taste of her. He leaned down, wrapped her legs around his head, and went to town. He gave her a last set of licks and kisses before he lifted her up against his firm, hard body and put her on his bed.
Sage slid into Addy and filled her. Addy let out a gasp. She had seen how big Sage was, but she still had no idea what it would be like to be filled by him, especially that fully. He had entered her with his fingers when he ate her out, but she had barely noticed, more focused on what he was doing with his tongue. Sage’s cock was hitting parts of her body she had only read about in magazines, and it made that ball of pleasure inside of her grow even more greatly.
“Oh, Sage,” moaned Addy, reaching up to grab onto the handsome shifter above her. “Oh, Sage!”
“Addy, you feel so good,” said Sage. “I knew you would. Tell me how you want it, baby. You want it gentle…or do you want it hard?”
“I want it hard,” admitted Addy. “It doesn’t hurt. Show me what you’ve got, Sage.”
“You’ve got it, sugar cakes,” said Sage. He kissed Addy on the cheek and pulled away. He turned her over, so he was entering her from behind. She was on her hands and knees, her back facing him. She was still wearing that dress. At least she hadn’t been wearing stockings. Sage undid the zipper on the back of the dress, and it came loose. Addy took her arms out of the dress and Sage pulled out for a second to take the dress off Addy’s legs, before he reached up and undid the black lace bra that Addy was wearing. It matched the panties that Sage had thrown aside.
Addy let herself out of the bra, and Sage’s bear roared as he saw Addison’s natural, feminine curves. This is what a real woman looked like, with soft flesh that called for him, thick hips that would be perfect for breeding, and a beautiful set of breasts that could fill out any dress beautifully.
“Do you like what you see?” Addy asked, turning back to look at Sage.
“Yeah,” said Sage. “But I think I’d like it better from the front.”
Sage twisted Addy so that she was on her back again. They were both fully nude, the only thing on Sage’s chest the mate mark that had Addison’s name practically tattooed on in black.
Addy reached up, then pulled away.
“Touch it,” said Sage. “Feel it. That’s you, baby.”
Addy reached up again and touched the mark. The skin was raised from the surface like a scar, but unlike a scar, the skin was raised evenly and made of perfectly straight and perfectly curved lines. Her name was there, in musical notation, on Sage’s skin. She had never in a million years expected this. It was too good to be something from her imagination, too perfect, too unbelievably perfect.
Sage was pounding her hard and fast. The ball of pleasure had been growing inside of her, and she felt her back arch. She knew she was close.
Sage sensed that Addy was close to the edge. The bear roared. Sage had been holding in his own orgasm for so long, ever since he’d seen Addy at the ball and soon, he wouldn’t need to hold back.
“You’re close,” said Sage. “You want it harder or faster?”
“Yes and yes,” said Addy. “Sage…don’t hold back. Take me for a ride.”
That’s all Sage needed to hear. He gripped onto Addy’s hips with one hand and her wrist with the other. He pressed her wrist down into the soft mattress and gripped her hip hard with his hand as he entered her as hard and fast as he’d wanted to. He was no longer afraid of hurting the woman who had turned out to be more than just some delicate flower.
He was riding her hard and fast, just like she’d wanted. Addy let her body do the work for her. She didn’t have to think about what she was doing. It came naturally, as did her release. She let out a small gasp that became louder as Sage continued to pump into her while her petals closed around him. Sage’s cock was being gripped tightly by her inner walls, and it was a pleasurable experience for both Addy and Sage. Sage’s eyes flashed pale blue as the bear inside let loose a roar. As Addy came, Sage stopped holding back his cum, and he let loose a wash of hot Nordic snow into Addy’s canal, their pleasures joining to become one…as the room started to fill with a warm, golden light.
Chapter Eight
The mark on Sage’s chest was undergoing a change. The mark was all black before but now, streaks of gold were filling the letters, leaving a thin black outline on the edge of the stylized script letters. The gold parts of the mark were glowing, and Addison reached up to touch them. They felt slightly warm, but Sage’s chest had always felt warm to her. After all, polars might look ice cold, but they ran hot.
“Your mark,” said Addison softly. “It’s…it’s different now.”
“It’s like what we’ve got, baby,” said Sage. “Pure frikkin’ gold.”
“With a dark streak,” said Addison, pulling Sage close for one last kiss before he pulled out of her. As she kissed him, she ran her hands through Sage’s hair. She swore she could feel that dark streak by touch alone. It felt slightly coar
ser than the rest of his hair.
Sage pulled out and laid back, lying next to Addison. He thought that now that he’d claimed Addison and proved she was his fated mate, his polar would shut up. He was wrong. His polar had never roared more loudly than it roared that night, but it was roaring out of joy, not out of sorrow. Finally, Sage had found their fated mate, and both the man and the bear would be able to enjoy the fruits of true love on the smörgåsbord of life. Sage and the bear both knew what they had to do, but they had to do it at a speed that the curvy human could handle. After all, a shifter’s love was intense, but Sage had seen too many of his friends act too quickly with women before. He was going to have to treat Addison like a delicate flower, sheltered from the frost of life’s icy tears of sorrow and misfortune. That is, until he had nurtured her and their love into something as thick and sturdy as a Nordic pine, which would last the tests of time just as the forest surrounding the Scoville Manor had lasted through the ages.
“So…what do we do now?” asked Addison.
“You’re my fated mate,” said Sage. “I’ve known that for a long time, Addison. I knew since the moment I met you that there was something special about you, even though you try and keep that fire quiet. I want you to learn to let out your inner fire. You’re not just some sleeping beauty, you know? You’ve got passion. I want to see it.”
“And is that all you want to see?” asked Addison.
“No,” said Sage. “I want to see you on my arm at the Scoville Ball.”
“The Scoville Ball?” asked Addison. “Oh, right, your grandfather’s party. You think that he’d be okay with us going together?”
“He better be,” said Sage. “Trust me. He’ll be thrilled. He…sort of was the one that pushed me to pursue you.”
