by Joyee Flynn
“Are you okay?” Onah whispered in my ear as he moved a hand under Rylan’s ass.
“Better. It feels good,” I groaned. “You can go faster.”
“Thank fuck,” he growled and shoved back into me on his next thrust. I cried out in pleasure and couldn’t wait anymore. My fangs slid out and I bit Rylan’s neck. It was hard once I tasted him to only take a little, but tonight wasn’t the night for a sex-fest. It was all about claiming, passion, comfort, and remembering we were alive and had found each other.
Rylan screamed my name as he came, his tight hole clamping down on my cock. I lifted my head and roared out my release, pumping my seed deep into him and inadvertently fucking myself on Onah’s cock. It was the most pleasurable experience of my life, nothing even coming close to it.
Just as my orgasm was winding down, Onah found his and grabbed my hips roughly, pounding his release into me. I moaned at the erotic sensation of being filled with my lover’s seed. Dear god in heaven was it good. Nothing so pure and so full of everything good in life could be wrong.
I never did understand how people could say it went against god. If they’d ever experienced what real love, a real connection was they wouldn’t judge anyone for what form it came in.
When he was spent, I wrapped myself around Rylan, unwilling to leave his body just yet, but making sure to keep most of my and Onah’s weight off of him. Onah did the same to me which warmed my heart.
“We did it. You guys can’t ever leave me now,” Rylan sobbed quietly, the stress of the day getting to him. “I can’t do this alone. You can never leave me!”
“We’re not going anywhere, baby,” Onah said gently. He pulled out of me as I did out of Rylan before we went back to wrapping our bodies around our smaller mate as we lay on the bed. We held him and whispered encouraging thoughts and words of love to him as he cried for what felt like hours. Not because it was annoying or I didn’t want to be there for him.
No, it hurt my heart to see my mate so upset. I was already falling in love with him and Onah, and their pain was mine.
Rylan cried himself to sleep that night and part of me was simply thankful he slept at all. I curled up around him, linking my fingers with Onah’s and staring at the man. He was so impressive and kind to me, the strong silent type who was there for whatever anyone needed.
It didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous on a whole new level either.
* * * * The next morning Rylan was a wreck. We did everything we could to keep him distracted, including but not limited to a few blow jobs after dragging him somewhere private. Onah and I understood. The fate of his people rested with the High Council meeting that morning and the outcome.
I was actually relieved when his phone started ringing with calls from contractors and possible cargo planes to rent. But I winced when my phone rang and I saw it was Desmond’s number.
“I couldn’t get Rylan on the line so I’m assuming he’s on his phone,” he said by way of greeting. “You need to get him down here to speak to the High Council. It’s not going how we thought it would.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I motioned for Onah to get the car by driving a pretend wheel.
“They want him to sign an agreement on how much blood his people will provide and make it so if things change and they won’t give it, they’re back out on their asses,” Desmond grumbled. “It was different with the wolves. They’re seen as strong and fast, an asset. The fact that margays shift into a tiny cat is clouding their judgment. Warn him that this is going to be hairy.”
“On it. Please, Desmond, just stall them and Rylan will be fabulously persuasive.”
“I’ll do my best. Elena’s chewing into them right now.” I hung up with him and grabbed Rylan’s hand, my mate still talking away on the phone as he looked at me as if I was mad. Just as we got outside, Onah pulled up with my SUV and we traded spots. He got in the back as Rylan climbed in the front. I took off as soon as everyone was strapped in and while I wasn’t going a hundred miles per hour as Rylan had in his little sports car… It was pretty damn close to that number.
“What is going on?” Ry asked me the moment he was off the phone.
“Desmond called, there’s a problem.” I quickly outlined what Desmond had told me.
“I need a gun,” he replied. I glanced at him in shock, accidentally swerving the SUV onto the shoulder before getting it back on the road.
“You are not shooting anyone!” I exclaimed.
“No, not to shoot them,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes. “To prove a point about what kind of assets we can be.”
“Okay, I’ll grab one from the gun hold when we get there,” I agreed quietly, meeting Onah’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He simply shrugged. Hell if I knew what was going on either.
It was a nerve-wracking forty-minute drive but when we finally pulled up to the Council’s compound, I was almost jittery. We quickly hopped out and I showed them where the gun hold was. Rylan picked out what he wanted and I signed it out.
When we got to the Council’s official courtroom, Onah took over, having grown up with a monarchy and knowing what to do.
He knocked sharply three times and opened the door. “King Rylan Zeev of the margays.” Rylan gave him a grateful nod and strolled right in, the gun tucked into the back of his dress pants.
“Thank you for coming, King Rylan,” Elena said loudly as she stood.
“You invited him?” Councilman Abbot growled. “How are we supposed to have a private meeting and discuss this openly with him here?”
“You can still discuss it openly, Councilman,” Rylan answered smoothly. “I am simply here to be a firsthand source to any and all questions you might have. If you wish me to step outside after I’m done to make your final points and decision, I would understand that completely. I simply agreed with Councilwoman Marius that since I hadn’t the chance to tell her all that my people can bring to your coven, it would be difficult to paint an accurate picture.”
“I didn’t know there was more,” the Councilman hedged as his expression changed to something more curious.
“Do you always show your full hand when dealing with people you aren’t sure are your friends?” Rylan asked with a chuckle. “The vampires haven’t thrived by giving away all their secrets. The only thing I ask is until we come to a decision that everything I say be kept in the strictest of confidences.”
They all glanced at each other and nodded. “You have our agreement to that, your highness,” Desmond said with a slight smile. “What didn’t we know to tell the High Council?”
Rylan smiled and grabbed a pen from a nearby table and walked toward the far wall, pausing when he saw Queen Magdalena. “My apologies, your highness. I didn’t know you would be here or I would have greeted you formally.”
“Since we are now part of this coven, I was given a High Council seat,” she explained, giving Rylan a wink. “We’re past formalities, my dear Rylan.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. I can’t stand such protocols once becoming friends with someone.”
“You’re not like your father,” Councilman James hedged as he glanced between them.
“No,” Rylan chuckled, shaking his head. “My father, god grant him peace, was pompous and elitist. He was a good man who cared greatly for his people and loved his family but a few hundred years of being treated like the bottom of the food chain by other supernaturals drove him to start seeing things differently. We argued on many things, including the fact we were so secluded and stayed out of the fight against enemies.”
“You believed that demons were a threat to you as well?” Elena asked, already having known the answer.
“I believe that what is a threat against anyone in our world is a threat against all, Councilwoman.” She nodded her approval and he walked over to the wall, marking it with the pen. I couldn’t even see the dot he’d put on there given I was about fifty feet away.
Rylan ran across the room, moving faster than I’d ever seen a
shifter go.
“We heard you were faster than the wolves,” Councilman James said with wide eyes. “I couldn’t even see you. One minute you were there and then you were across the room.”
“We’re small but we are the fastest breed of shifter there is,” he explained before turning to Onah and me. “How many demons did I kill yesterday?”
“Dozens,” I answered, shocked at the point he was keeping up. “I lost count but I would say as many as I did. You were accurate in every shot and your gun handling excellent.”
“Thank you, my mate.” He gave me a smile and in a flash, pulled out the gun, aiming it faster than I could see, and fired until the clip was empty. We all watched as bullet after bullet struck the exact same spot on the wall. “None of you could see that dot I put on there, could you?”
“No, and I’m not all that far away,” Desmond said, his eyes wide. “You could see it?”
“Margays have hypervision, so just like vampires have a gift they can use as they want, we have some. I saw it like it was right in front of me when I focused and used my vision like that.”
“Impressive but I’m not sure that would be a benefit, Rylan,” Queen Magdalena said slowly. “I’m assuming there’s more to your point.”
“Always, your highness.” He gave her a wink and smiled as he moved back into the center of their seats so they could all see him. “My mate said my weapons handling was impressive.” He glanced over to me then. “How much training do you think I’ve had with guns? We went to the gun hold and I picked this one up, knew how to check it, and turn on the safety, right?”
I thought about that for a moment, realizing there was a point he wanted me to make so I went with complete honesty. “I’ve seen warriors after they complete training handle a weapon like that. You’ve been taught well.”
“I haven’t been taught at all, my dear mate,” Rylan chuckled, giving me a wink. “Yesterday was the first time I picked up a gun.”
“That’s not possible,” I gasped, my eyes going wide.
“It is when you can look at something mechanical and simply ‘get it.’ It’s just how our brains work along with our sight. I can look at a computer, open it up, and it’s exactly what I saw in my mind when I see it.” He faced the High Council again. “I was told about your ultraviolet bullets and security. You show that to one of my people and we can improve on it with barely a thought.
“We’re very artistic and with that comes a certain degree of thinking outside the box. We play with something, like a puzzle, until it’s more effective. We just didn’t know about the ability to harness sunlight.” He took a deep breath before saying his next point. “I met with Bas and his grandmother last night because Onah had told Ferris and I that the demons are starting to kidnap shifters.”
“Yes, we know about that and his honor was supposed to discuss something with us today but the issue of whether to let your people in our coven last night or not came first,” Councilman Abbot said curiously. “What do you know about that?”
“I know why they aren’t going after the wolves,” Rylan drawled. “Certain shifters’ blood, and I won’t tell you which ones and betray their confidence without speaking to them first, allows demons to walk in the sun. The effect wears off as their blood leaves their system and they won’t be able to walk down the Vegas strip in the middle of the day, but they won’t burst into flames from the sun.
“It’s a good point to bring up since you really won’t want my people falling into their hands and losing that advantage over them. That’s what I was discussing with Barnabas last night, at great personal risk. My father didn’t want anyone to know because if it was common knowledge with the vampires and if there was a traitor or someone turned demon, then we’d be the first ones they’d come after. You want us on your side.”
“That sounded like a vague threat,” Councilman James accused. “Are you saying if we don’t let you in the coven you’ll make a deal with the demons?”
“They just murdered my parents and people who I grew up with, my best friend and godson included,” Rylan said with a growl. “I’m not going anywhere near the demons unless it’s to kill them. If that’s how you took my comment, it was not my intention but don’t you accuse me of being willing to align with those monsters.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I just thought the implication of a threat was in your tone.”
“No, I don’t threaten to get my way.” Rylan took a deep breath and calmed back down. “Are there any other questions?”
Chapter 8
Rylan “We were considering letting your people into our coven and providing security if you agree to a certain amount of blood donation. A safe amount of course and we’d need to discuss it with Dr. Johnson as to what that means, but nothing that leaves your people weak or hurting,” Councilman James said easily. “It would be a contract of your providing the blood to be in our coven and if it stopped, the contract would end and you would no longer be allowed here.”
“First off, I could buy land around here and build no matter what you decide,” I said darkly, rage boiling inside of me even though I’d been aware of what they’d wanted. “The Queen has already offered help in any form so if we had problems, her warriors would come to our aid. Is that not what we discussed, your highness?”
“Yes, yes we did, King Rylan,” she answered, smiling widely. I wanted to pump my fist in the air.
“But here I am, going through the proper channels, making sure to not step on any toes, and offering something from my people to help the community. And you’re going to treat us like food?”
“That’s not what I said—”
“No, sir, but you know very well that’s what you’re asking. We provide the amount of blood you specify or we’re out. That’s not a community. That’s not how a pack or coven works if we are to survive the threat on all of us. We would gain safety being in your coven and just as we benefit I wanted to make sure you as a people did too. I thought up a way to make your warriors stronger as your own doctor has tried.
“You were told that our blood doesn’t have the libido side effect and now you want to require it of us like cattle providing meat. I will not degrade my people like that and nor should I be asked to. We have other covens offering us a place with them for all that we bring to the table. You have a coven of artists that just joined your ranks, did you not?”
“Yes we did,” Elena agreed, her expression approving of how I was handling this.
“Ask me one of the many ways my people make their fortunes?”
“I’ll play,” the Queen chuckled. “How are your people so wealthy, King Rylan?”
“We own most of the art galleries around the world, taking different names for them but all under several corporations. My people are artistic and we sell what we create. I personally have a multimillion-dollar deal with Ikea to provide them with my photographs that they turn into prints. They sell by the thousands because of the eye I have and the way I can see things. We have sculptors that can make a perfect replica of anyone here in a day.
“Do you have any idea how much an art collector pays for such a thing? My mother’s Italian landscapes went for five figures a painting and if she got the whim over a weekend, she could create dozens of them. That’s who my people are. And they are loyal. Pompous at times, and not without pride, but the moment I asked them if they’d be willing to donate blood to help the fight we were now entering with the demons they had only one question.”
I looked to Ferris then, hoping he would stand up for me when I needed him. It was silly to even have wondered. My mate would do the right thing and was loyal to a fault the way I’d witnessed some people treating him.
“Their only concern was whether we’d look at them as only food or not. I assured them that vampires were better than that, more appreciative and noble than that. But apparently I was wrong and with all due respect, the High Council is forgetting one major point.”
“What’s that, Ferris?” C
ouncilman Abbot asked hesitantly, not sure where this conversation was heading.
“The King is my mate. He’s already part of this coven under our laws.”
“That’s not the debate, Ferris. We recognize him as your mate and he’s welcome. This is about all his people who want sanctuary.”
I smiled widely at him, that smile promising that he was going to be rewarded later. “Might I see this law? I wonder something.”
“Of course you can,” Elena answered quickly before someone else could deny me. I needed to know one thing before I tried a different approach. I didn’t want to burn this bridge that had been created with some of the coven already. She stood and walked over to a row of bookshelves, reading the sides for a moment, and pulled one out. As she walked to me, she flipped through it and glanced over some pages before smiling. “Here is the section in our laws about mates automatically becoming part of any coven the vampire resides in.”
“Thank you, Elena. Oh, and I heard Remus say he accidently broke one of your favorite vases. Bevin is a wonderful glassblower and the designs he comes up with would complement any room. I’m sure he’d love to show you his collection at the palace when we go to pack it up.”
“I do like well-crafted vases and glasswork,” she agreed, giving me a wink. “Thank you, your highness. That’s very kind of you.”
“Says the woman who welcomes sixty people in her home at the drop of a hat. You’re amazing, Elena.” I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before accepting the book from her. I looked it over for a moment, desperate to find what I needed. My eyes practically bugged out of my head with what I found instead. I couldn’t help my reaction, joy filling me in epic proportions. I threw back my head and laughed until I had to set the book down and grabbed my sides.
“What is so funny?” Councilman James growled. I tried to calm down but every time I took a breath, I’d just start laughing again.
Elena shrugged and went back to the book. “I don’t know. It says, anyone mated to a vampire and consummated the mating will be allowed into the vampire’s home coven. Along with the mate, any family said mate might have, not limited to blood-related children, but also anyone that is deemed dependent on said mate.”
