by Laurie Roma
Allie smiled, but a part of her didn’t feel settled. Cael kissed her lightly again then left the room.
It worried her. So many things were different in this world. It was confusing and frightening. Allie didn’t know what was expected of females of this world, and even if she did, she probably wouldn’t do it anyways. Would she ever find a way to truly fit in? Would she have to change who she was in order to be happy here? She squeaked as Tynan lifted her and settled her on his lap.
“We do not want you to change who you are. We will find our way together. Do not worry, little one,” Tynan whispered as he stroked her hair, holding her close to his warm body.
Allie was fascinated by how much warmer their bodies were than hers. Their core temperatures must have been much higher than hers. She snuggled into his embrace, resting her head on his chest where she could hear the steady beat of his heart.
Tynan wrapped his strong arms around her, and they sat there like that for long minutes until Cael returned with a heavy tray laden with food. He set the tray down on the bed and sat down next to them. Allie made a move to sit up, but Tynan held her in place.
“We will feed you, mate,” Cael said as he picked up a piece of sweet bread and cheese and carefully fed it to her.
Allie blushed. “You don’t have to do this,” she said after she chewed the food.
Cael’s glowing eyes darkened with lust. “But I would like to.”
Tynan picked up a piece of meat and held it to her lips. Allie opened her mouth and accepted his offering. The meal went on like that, both males not allowing Allie to touch any of the food. Instead they fed her in between taking bites of it for themselves.
Allie’s thoughts turned to her earlier request. She wanted…but she didn’t know how to say it.
Tynan sighed. “What is it, little one? Tell us what is on your mind?”
“Can’t you see it or hear it?” Allie asked, prevaricating.
Cael growled softly. “You aren’t always open to us. I find it frustrating.”
“I do as well,” Tynan agreed. “This is not the normal way of a blood bonding.”
Alarmed, Allie sat up. “Is something wrong?”
“Nay, little one,” Tynan assured her with a soft smile. “You are just harder to read. You have a strong mind, and that is not a bad thing. Frustrating for us as your mates, but it just means we will have to learn to voice our wants and needs when we cannot read them from one another.”
Allie traced small circles over Tynan’s large bicep, and she considered her words carefully. “I was wondering about sleeping arrangements.”
Cael smiled. “Aye, we shall both sleep with you here.”
Allie’s worried her lip between her teeth and wanted to kick herself when both Tynan’s and Cael’s smiles faded.
“Do you not want us with you?” Cael asked.
“I do,” Allie hurried to say. “But…” Damn, why was this so hard to say?
“Ah,” Tynan said as he smiled at his brother. “She wants Ryder.”
Allie ducked her head, embarrassed that she should have such strong feelings for a man she had never even had a conversation with. Cael gently raised her chin again so his glowing eyes could look upon hers. She was surprised to see the warm glow shining back at her with love and not anger.
“You are supposed to want all of us, Allison. That is the only way this bonding will work,” Cael said softly. “I will bring Ryder in here to you. It is your day of birth, and whatever you wish we will give you. Only two of us can sleep beside you on any night. We will learn to work out a schedule among ourselves, but tonight I shall relinquish the right to sleep beside you to Ryder since I had you to myself all day.”
Allie gifted him with a brilliant smile that stole his heart. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Unable to hold back the need to take it further, he pushed his tongue in her mouth to mate with hers. Reluctantly, he pulled back and turned to leave the room.
Cael was upset that he would not be able to feel her soft warmth next to him that night, but her happiness made up for his loss. He knew that by bonding with him and Tynan, the need for Ryder was great in her and that she was uneasy being away from a wounded mate. She didn’t understand it, but he and his brother did.
It was up to them to make this easier on her.
* * * *
Allie woke slowly and let out a sigh of contentment.
After Cael had brought Ryder’s large body into the room and laid him down on the bed, Allie had curled up next to him, letting her exhaustion drop her into a deep slumber the instant her head hit the soft pillow. She had slept the night through, cocooned between the Tynan and Ryder, comforted by their presence.
Allie stretched her body and jerked as her hand hit warm flesh. She opened her eyes to see Ryder staring down at her, his head propped up on his hand as he lay beside her. She smiled shyly at him, extremely aware that they were both naked in bed, yet she had never even had a conversation with him.
“Hello, mate,” Ryder said, his voice low and husky from disuse.
“Hi,” Allie whispered shyly.
Damn he looked good. Ryder’s chiseled features were the same as his brothers’, but his glowing eyes seemed more intense somehow. It was as if he were staring straight into her soul. She blinked to break the strange connection with him, trying to regain some sort of self-control.
She cleared her throat. “How long have you been up?”
“I woke shortly after sunrise. It is around midday now.”
Allie’s eyes widened in surprise. “I can’t believe I slept that long!”
His glowing eyes lowered, hooded under his dark, lush lashes. Those glowing eyes had the ability to render her speechless as she saw the intensity of the hunger staring back at her.
“My brothers wore you out last eve.”
“Oh,” Allie breathed. She had forgotten that he would have known exactly what happened between the three of them last night. Before she could get into that, other pressing needs had to be taken care of. “I have to…”
Ryder smiled. “Go ahead, Princess. I will wait for you here.”
Allie jumped up from the bed, remembering she was naked only after the cool air hit her body, making her nipples pucker. She didn’t have time to feel embarrassed as she ran for the bathing room, but noted absently that she wasn’t as sore as she thought she would be after last night’s activities. Still, there was a slight uncomfortable feeling running just under her skin that had her worrying a bit.
She made use of the facilities and took the time to swish the mint-flavored cleansing liquid Tynan had shown her how to use the previous morning. It cleaned her teeth and mouth better than any brushing could have done.
With her morning rituals taken care of, Allie took a deep breath and walked back into the bedroom. Her breath caught as she took in the sight of Ryder stretched out on the bed, naked and waiting for her.
Her mates were really too good to be true. Allie eyed Ryder’s hard body, with chiseled abs and thick, powerful shoulders and arms, with greed. His body was that of a god. Bronze skin was stretched tight over heavily corded muscles.
And all that male yumminess was hers...
Her lascivious thoughts can to a screeching halt when she saw the bandage wrapped around his lower abdomen peeking out from under the covers, and worry took over. She hurried over to his side and sat down next to him. Ryder’s eyes widened as he reached for her, but she slapped his hands away and pushed on his chest to make him lie back.
“Hey, behave! I want to see your wound.”
Ryder lay back with a heavy sigh. “I knew it was too good to be true.”
Allie ignored him as she pulled gently at the bandage. “Are you sure you should even be up? I mean it was really…”
Her words trailed off as she stared at his injury in disbelief. If she hadn’t done the stitches herself, she never would have believed it. Ryder’s skin had mended together as if he had never been wounded. The emergency thread stuck
into his smooth skin, not having enough had enough time to dissolve like it was supposed to for a normal injury.
“I can’t believe this!” Allie exclaimed. “How did you heal so fast? It’s like you were never injured! Oh, Ryder…” She put her hands over her face and burst into sobs, surprising them both. All the worry, all the stress of thinking she would lose him before she ever really had him came flowing out in a torrent of tears.
Ryder jerked up from the bed and dragged her on to his lap, wrapping his arms tight around her. He held her head on his chest and buried his face into her pale hair. “Shh, Princess. Do not cry. Please, it is breaking my heart.”
“I…thought…you…were going to...die…”
Allie sobbed while Ryder rocked her gently, stroking a large hand over her hair as he kissed her brow. She was so precious to him. During his healing slumber, images came to him, of her…of her life before she came to his planet, and of her time with his brothers. It had been a certain kind of hell, being trapped in the healing sleep of his kind that happened when one was injured with a mortal wound while his brothers enjoyed their mate.
But his angel had saved him.
Now he would live a long life, enjoying his time with her.
The door to Allie’s room slammed open as Tynan and Cael entered at a run.
“Get out!” Ryder roared his displeasure so loud Allie had to hold her hands over her ears. Ryder lowered his voice to an angry growl as he glared at his brothers. “You broke your vow. This is to be my time with our mate. Alone.”
“She is crying,” Tynan snarled back in outrage. “What have you done to make her weep so?”
“Nothing,” Allie said, embarrassed by her outburst. “I was just…He’s fine now. I was so worried that he wouldn’t be…” Her voice cracked as she held back another sob.
Tynan and Cael let their muscles relax at her words. Their glowing eyes lost their worry and began to shine brightly with lust as they took in her naked form cradled in their brother’s arms.
Ryder growled low in warning, making Cael blow out a breath. “Fine. We will leave. But I am having a meal sent up for our mate. She must be hungry after her long rest,” Cael added in a voice that warned Ryder not to argue. Cael’s face softened as he smiled at Allie. “Good rising, Allison.”
Allie sent him and Tynan a watery smile. Tynan sent her a hot look back that had her core heating with need.
“We shall leave you for now, little one. Cael and I will help with preparations for your celebration tonight,” Tynan said.
“Oh, I don’t really need a—”
“It is our honor to celebrate your day of birth as well as our mating,” Tynan interrupted her. He turned around and headed back to the door. “Come, brother,” he said to Cael. “Let Ryder have his time with our mate.”
Cael shot one last look of longing at Allie before addressing Ryder. “We will have the food left in the sitting room.”
“My thanks, brother,” Ryder said as Cael and Tynan left the room, shutting the door.
Ryder used a hand to cup Allie’s face so she looked up at him. “Is it all right with you that I have asked my brothers to leave us for now? I simply wanted to spend some time alone with you.” Allie’s eyes shone with happiness at his words. He gently wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “I will be fine, Princess. Your extraordinary skill gave my body time to heal naturally. I am still a little sore, but in another rising I will be as good as new.”
“I would love to spend some time alone with you.” Allie blushed as she realized she had soaked his bronze chest with her tears. “Sorry I cried all over you.”
“Do not apologize for caring for me,” Ryder said, all the love he felt for her shining from his bright, glowing eyes. “I know I have not been awake, and this is all very new to you, but I feel as if I know you already through the bond I have with my brothers. I would like for us to have that same kind of bond.”
He wanted, no…he needed to bond with her. To feel as close to her as his brothers did. To have access to her mind, her thoughts, and her feelings. He wanted to be so deep inside her that she would never be free of him.
He needed to make her his.
“I would like that, too,” Allie assured him. She felt the same need to be one with him. It was like an addiction. She craved his touch, the taste of his skin like nothing she had ever felt before. It was as if the time he had been apart from her while he had been sleeping had caused an ache deep in her soul that only intimacy with him would mend. Going on pure instinct, she reached up to stroke his long hair back from his face and pressed her lips to his in a kiss so sweet she felt her toes curl.
Pleasure swamped her.
Allie moaned at the first touch of his tongue against hers. She pressed lightly against his large chest with her small hand and knew he allowed her to push him back down to the bed. She had no choice but to follow him down as his arms wrapped her tight against him. The covers shifted, allowing for his long, thick erection to brush up against her hip.
She could feel his flesh throbbing against her and smiled. He was still recovering from his injury, not fully healed yet, but there were other things they could do that wouldn’t cause him harm.
Allie pulled back, looking down at Ryder. Part of her was still uncertain by the need she had for him, but her heart knew him. She decided to go with her heart and allowed the feelings of love to flow through her. Ryder was her mate as much as Tynan and Cael. She wanted the same bond with him that she had with her other mates.
But first…
Allie flashed Ryder a small impish smile. “You’re still hurt. So, as your doctor, I can’t allow you to participate in any vigorous activities that may put your health at risk.” Ryder began to growl, but Allie cut him off. “However, I think I need to thoroughly inspect you to make sure you’re okay.” She noted the confusion in his glowing eyes and held back a grin.
Allie sat up next to him on her knees on the bed. “Stay right there,” she commanded in a forceful voice. She watched his eyes narrow and couldn’t help but reach out to trail her fingers lovingly over his face. “No fever…” she whispered.
She moved her hand lower, stroking lightly down his throat, and watched as he swallowed. She held her hand over his heart. Feeling the steady beat speeding up against her flesh brought on a wave of longing so intense she had to squeeze her legs together, trying to prevent her juices from seeping out of her pussy down to her thighs. “Strong heartbeat…”
It was pure torture.
Ryder’s nostrils flared as he inhaled the sweet fragrance of his mate’s desire for him. His cock throbbed with painful need, jutting up as if vying for attention as Allie caressed his body with her soft hands. He could feel a pearl of pre-cum seep from the tip of his cock and had to hold back a groan as his self-control faltered.
He fisted his own hands at his sides to prevent himself from grabbing her and throwing her down to mount her. He didn’t know if he could take the sweet agony of her touch much longer without coming.
Allie stroked her hands lower, tracing the muscles of his abs. Her crystal-colored eyes were mesmerized at the sight of his hard body. She had never taken the time to study her lover’s body before, and it was fascinating to her. Her gaze drifted lower and saw Ryder’s rampant erection hovering over his stomach.
“Hmm,” Allie hummed softly. “I see we have some swelling…” Her eyes rose up to meet his. She had to blink at the raw, savage hunger glowing back at her. Her voice lowered to a husky whisper. “But this kind of swelling is good.”
She gently reached out and gripped his throbbing shaft in her small hand, feeling Ryder shudder at the contact. He swore softly as Allie held him, eyes wide at the sight of his iridescent pre-cum leaking from the tip of the bulbous head.
“I cannot take much more, Princess. It has been too long since I have released my seed.” Ryder spoke through gritted teeth. The males of his world needed to come either by jacking off or having sex at least once a day. If not, their hor
mones raged out of control and made them very dangerous to be around.
Ryder had been holding onto his control by a thread. Upon waking that rising, Ryder had thought to relieve himself in the bathing room, but even the thought of touching his own cock when his mate lay in their bed was abhorrent to him.
“You’re lucky I have a big mouth,” Allie murmured, to Ryder’s confusion.
He was going to ask what she meant, but thought became impossible as Allie flicked her tongue out to lick at the semen weeping out of the tiny hole at the tip of his cock.
“Fuck!” Ryder snarled out as Allie took hold of his hot, hard length with her hand. He shuddered as his eyes closed. The pleasure was so intense he could barely breathe. Never had a female volunteered to pleasure him with her mouth before. He had heard tales of such a thing and hoped that one day his mate would do it at their bonding ceremony, but here was his mate who wanted nothing more than to bring him to pleasure with her mouth right here in their bedchamber.
It was the most selfless act that anyone had ever done for him, and he felt a wave of love overcome him that was so strong he was glad he was lying down, as it would have brought him to his knees.
“You do not have to do this, mate. I am too big for you to take there.”
Ryder’s words might have said to stop, but his hips flexed beneath her, as if seeking more of the sweet torture. He was so large that her fingers didn’t meet, but she squeezed gently and was awarded with a deep growl from Ryder. Allie slowly took the head of his cock into the hot cavern of her mouth and swirled her tongue over it. She pulled back and blew cool air over the head before sucking it back into her mouth.
“Fuck, Princess. Gods, your mouth feels so good on me. Suck me, suck my cock.”
She moaned at his words, and he could feel the sound humming over his cock as she sucked the length of him down.
