Brazen Temptation [Temptation, Wyoming 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Zoey Marcel

  Joaquin felt a swell of hope from deep inside of him. He knew in his heart what he had to do.

  * * * *

  Claire drove for a little while before pulling over and parking. She and Nex walked hand and hand through Oxbow Bend along the Snake River, enjoying the scenic beauty in reticence. Mount Moran stood proud and covered in snow in the background with a dainty skirt of smoky-gray clouds encircling it, though most of them hovered above, blending with the fusion of colors cast by the rising sun. The palette was an impressive marriage of baby-pink and lilac with subtle appearances of light gray that reminded her of Joaquin’s eyes when he was tranquil.

  With all the natural beauty and wildlife, it was easy to see why Grand Teton National Park attracted so many tourists. Even in late autumn with the snowy landscape and the occasional haunting call of migrating elk, the place was stunning.

  The only thing that captivated her more was the way her hand fit so nicely in Nex’s and how rugged and manly he looked towering over her. The gray T-shirt showcased his well-built physique to the hilt, and his tan, baggy, khaki carpenter pants had plenty of pockets on them. Being so warm-blooded, he seemed perfectly warm in this frigid environment.

  Claire, on the other hand, was bundled up like normal human beings were on a snowy day. She was glad they were the only ones around at the moment. It was a peaceful feeling.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked her.

  “I was just thinking about that sign near where we parked. I stopped there once back in September to ask for directions to Temptation. It’s kind of ironic how I stopped here again on my last day there.”

  “We can stay in that town if you want.”

  She shook her head sadly. “It would be harder that way. It’s a small town and we would run into them.”

  “Joaquin and Dakarai?”

  She nodded, feeling the emptiness at hearing their names and knowing she would never see them again. What if Nex left her too? No, she loved him. She couldn’t lose him too.

  “I was here once too, back in September.”

  “Really? What for?”

  “To kill Hilary.”

  Claire snickered. “What? Why?”

  “For turning me human and later sending me to hell.”

  “She only did it because you were a terror back then. Besides, if she hadn’t turned you human, we never would have met. Did you ever think about that?”

  “Aye, I’m grateful for that, but the witch still sent me to hell.”

  She squeezed his hand in sympathy. “I’m so sorry, you poor thing. Were you in a really bad part of hell?”

  He shrugged. “If I was, I didn’t know it. I was frozen completely in ice in Cocytus. It was like one long, icy coma before that demon resurrected me.”

  “Do you mean to tell me you were basically unconscious during your time down there and escaped all the torture and you’re pissed at her for that?”

  “It’s not a matter of suffering. It’s a matter of principle. No one crosses Nex and lives.”

  She laughed.

  “It’s not funny, lass. Others have shuddered in fear over that knowledge and you have the brazen audacity to laugh at it?” His tone was stern, but his lips shaped to form a smile.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just so full of male pride. Why not let the past go and just be glad that you didn’t have it that bad and we’re together now because she turned you into a human?”

  “I haven’t sought revenge on her since you came into my life. I hoped my good behavior would win you over.”

  “You wanted me to pat you on the back for not killing anyone, huh? It’s okay. I know you’re only saying that because you don’t have a soul. If you did, you would be able to let the past go more and truly forgive rather than just be good to get what you want.”

  He stopped her, voice gentle. “I can get a soul for you, Claire, and love you like you deserve, but in order to do so I have to claim you in my true form.”

  Her spirit lifted. At least one of her men still wanted her. “Yes, do that.”

  He held a hand up to steady her zeal. “I want to go about this intelligently. I’ve never had sex with anyone in that form before. What if my killer instincts take over and I bring you harm?”

  Her spirit sank. She’d heard this song and dance before. “Damn it, just take me. I need you.”

  “I need you too, lass, very badly. I wanted to wait until you were ready and then claim you in front of Joaquin and Dakarai so they could keep an eye on us and make sure I didn’t get too carried away and hurt you.”

  “That’s sweet, Nex, but they aren’t here. You and I are, and we were meant to be together, or do you no longer believe that?”

  He kissed her hand. “Of course I do.”

  “Then claim me before you change your mind. I don’t want to lose you too.” Her eyes prickled with sorrow.

  He cupped her cheeks and gazed down into her eyes with a tender ardor. “That won’t happen, Claire. I will never leave you.”

  “But if you don’t claim me someone else might come along to catch your eye—someone better than me.”

  “There isn’t any better than you.” He smoothed his palm over her hair, green eyes incandescent and meaningful. “You will always be the only one.”

  Her heart clenched in awe, losing itself to him completely. “Then make me yours.”

  “There’s snow all over the ground. What if you freeze?”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way to keep me warm,” she hinted, grabbing his crotch before taking off into a run.

  Nex seemed surprised by her retreat, but he grinned and came after her. Claire felt giddy and carefree again as she fled from him like a deer fleeing her predator. She darted into the woods and glanced behind her long enough to catch a furry, orange blur with black stripes pounce on her and pin her down in the cushion of snow. He nuzzled her face with his gigantic head. His fur felt soft and inviting, though the whiskers tickled her face.

  His tail swished around rhythmically and it made her happy to know that he seemed to be having fun too.

  “God, you’re so big and powerful. I don’t know if this is such a good idea. Can you understand me in that form? Lick my cheek if the answer is yes.” She squealed and giggled when the tiger gave her a slobbery swipe of his tongue against her cold cheek. “Okay, good to know.”

  His eyes had become a beautiful golden-amber color and the wild depths in them were endless, like well-polished gemstones. She could see puffy fog emitted from his nostrils when he exhaled. The cold from the snow-laden ground seeped in through her clothes, but the top part of her was warmed by the furry beast.

  “So when you bite me can you make it a nice shallow nibble and not break any bones?”

  “I’ll try to claim you partially shifted and see if that works so I don’t hurt you in my true form.”

  Her jaw dropped when she realized Nex had just communicated with her telepathically. “Are we psychic? I thought you had to bite me to claim me.”

  “I will leave my mark on you, my sweet, but if we’re hearing each others’ thoughts while I’m in this form then we must already be partially mated at least. I think we have our mingling blood in the cellar to thank for that.”

  He shifted so his body resembled a mixture of man and beast, resembling something out of mythology.

  Claire felt a wave of relief at his transformation. He was mostly human right now. His face was that of a man, but his eyes were still tigerlike and his tail danced rhythmically behind him.

  He pawed at her coat as if to coax the clothes off of her. She held his hungry gaze as she slipped out of her coat and lay on it. His amber depths consumed her as she swam in the untamed ocean of his gaze and slowly unzipped her jeans and lowered them down her legs to rest around her ankles.

  Nex lifted off of her so she could do so, but then he took his head and stuck it between her legs so they were wrapped around his thick neck and his face was poised at her waxed pussy. His stubble tickled the nerve en
dings to life and his balmy breath caressed her naked flesh like a steamy kiss. She was almost embarrassed by how wet she already was. She sighed with contentment when he nuzzled her with his cheek and purred like a great big house cat.

  She lost her breath when he tasted her bare mons with his wet, pink tongue. The rough, catlike texture rasped against her sensitive skin, conditioning it for the wild ride ahead. Still, it felt damp and soothing as it consoled the flesh it simultaneously punished. It was the perfect union of scratchy and smooth, like a man’s stubble.

  She gasped, sending her breath out in a mist when Nex’s wandering tongue made its way lower and dipped into her folds for a taste. She was dripping with need for him like a dirty little slut and without Rochelle screaming in her head, she felt no shame. Claire relaxed her body and opened her thighs more for his devoted mouth. His skilled tongue strummed on in deliberate, sensual strokes through her soaked pussy, seeming to enjoy the cream she made for him.

  “You’re so wet for me. I love it.”

  “I can’t help it. I’ve never had this kind of connection with anyone before through our minds. Thank you. This feels amazing.”

  “My tongue or the bond?”

  She groaned at the twirling ministrations his tongue made in her vulva. “Both.”

  “Talk to me with your mind, Claire. I’ve never shared this with anyone before either. I want us to talk through our bond while we mate.”

  She moaned, lifting her hips higher when his tongue became smooth again and lapped at her perineum before swinging back to her anus. She didn’t recognize the frantic whimpers of desperation as he laved her buttocks and wiggled his tongue in her crack. She almost pulled her cheeks apart for him but refrained.

  Nex growled low in his throat. “Don’t hold back with me, my bonnie mate. Give in to your fleshly desires and surrender your needs to me. I want all of them. Now spread your ass cheeks for me like the hungry little hussy you are. I’m going to lick your ass.”

  Claire moaned loudly and held her butt cheeks open, nearly losing her mind when he tongued her ass like an animal.

  “Wider, damn you. My tongue wants to fuck you.”

  “Oh god, Nex!” Her tiny cries of depravity seemed to echo in the cold stillness surrounding them as she spread her buttocks as wide as she could, surrendering the tiny knot there to his possession. She shrieked with pleasure when he crammed his tongue into her anus and wiggled it lewdly in her hole, rimming her inside like an empty peanut butter jar.

  “You’re mine. Say you’re mine.”

  “I’m yours, Nex.” A cry wrung in her throat when his tongue slid in and out of her like a penis. Her cunt flooded the more he stimulated her with his hot, calculating mouth. His tongue withdrew from her anus and swiveled back up her twat, collecting her fresh nectar on his ascent.

  “Are you going to come for me?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes watered at the too-good pleasure bombarding her senses and she bit back a scream when he lashed at her clit with his wicked tongue.

  “Are you going to come for your mate?”

  “Oh god, yes!” Any second now and she would lose it.

  “Come hard, Claire. Come very hard. Show me what I do to you.”

  Her orgasm slammed into her in a maddening rush of powerful spasms and soft, fiery ripples that spread through her body like a virus taking over her completely. She screamed her release and came for her tiger, her Nex, her mate.

  On the way down she couldn’t stop panting hard as she shuddered with the aftereffects of her abandon. She nearly wept with joy when he loved on her privates as he licked her clean before rising.

  “Undress for me. I want you completely naked when I claim you. I want you to feel every part of me as we become one in flesh and spirit.”

  “I want that too.” Claire struggled to get out of her clothes due to all the violent trembling, but once she was in the buff, she turned over and got down on her knees and elbows on her coat, waiting for his move.

  “You’re stunning, Claire. You amaze me in every way.”

  His affection moved her nearly to tears. “Thank you. You absolutely blow my mind all the time.”

  “I will try to be as gentle with you as I possibly can. Tell me if I hurt you or get carried away at any point and I will slow it down.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  Claire braced herself for impact, not knowing what to expect. He was mostly human, but his torso was changing slightly. His soft, thick fur caressed her bare back as he lowered down over her and got into position. She spread her legs for him and gaped when she felt his cock poke at her entry. With a gentle, insistent push he breached what little resistance she gave him as he filled her vagina with his length.

  Nex purred like a contented kitty during the first steady strokes, but he seemed to lose it within seconds and his sounds became feral and dangerous. He didn’t hurt her, though, and she barely felt the chilly breeze anymore with the blanket of fur covering her like a shield against the cold world around her.

  Suddenly he pulled out and crawled away from her, panting. “I can’t do this! I’m sorry, my sweet. I thought I could take you halfway, but the urge to shift is too strong and I know I’ll hurt you if I turn.”

  “But how else will you claim me?”

  “I have an idea. Since we’ve already mated several times and we’re already mostly bonded because of our blood mingling, what if I just bite you in my true form without fucking you? I’m sure I could stay strong that way, but if I make love to you in my true form I won’t be able to keep from losing control with you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. Do you think it will work?”

  “It’s worth a try.” Nex shifted into his true form. “I won’t bite you very deep, just enough to leave a nice pretty mark on your sweet shoulder. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, I’m ready. Claim me, Nex.”

  Hot saliva pinged onto the place where her neck and shoulder met just before sharp canines pierced her delicate skin, sending a stream of blood into his mouth. She screamed at the devastating agony of the bite as his teeth locked shut on her flesh. He wasn’t hitting bone, so it must not have been a very deep bite. Still, it smarted like hell.

  The misery melted into euphoria and she was surprised to find herself thrown into an orgasm almost effortlessly.

  Nex unlatched from her shoulder with a loud roar. Claire looked behind her to see his eyes glow like white fire and a strange golden light entered his mouth. The beams shone from his fur as though he were an angelic tiger. In a flash the light disappeared and he stumbled, falling on his belly. She crawled over to him and stroked his fur, pleased that the rising and falling of his side indicated he was still breathing.

  “Nex! Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, lass. I just need to ask you a question.”

  “What is it?”

  “How the devil do you live with a soul inside you every day?”

  Claire grinned. “Well, when you’re good there’s no guilt to contend with.”

  “I don’t want to be sorry for my actions, but the truth is I’m a wretched son of a bitch, aren’t I?”

  She chortled. “Only sometimes. It’s not so bad having a soul, Nex. I’ll help you through it.”

  The tiger glanced at her shoulder and got up. “I made you bleed. I’m sorry. Let me clean you, my precious mate.”

  The purring tiger nuzzling her melted her heart and she stroked his massive front paw. “I love you, Nex.”

  “I love you too, Claire.”

  “Claire!”

  Her ears perked, both startled and elated to hear Dakarai’s intriguing voice ringing through the snowy woods after sunrise.

  “Oh my god, he ate her!” Joaquin shouted. “Damn you to hell, Nex!”

  Claire wanted to laugh when she saw Joaquin wearing a dark cloak with a hood pulled down over his face, running toward her as though he wanted to kill Nex.

  Dakarai walked up behind Joaquin when
he halted in his tracks. He also wore a hooded cloak to protect himself from the sun. “I think what happened between them was funny business and not a life-and-death struggle.”

  She grinned, wanting to dance with joy that all of her men were here with her. They came for her. Surely that must mean something. Would they give this another try? She hoped so. If anyone could make it, they could. “He was just checking me for ticks.”

  Dakarai laughed. “I see.”

  “Yes, I can tell he did a very thorough job,” Joaquin snorted, though he sounded amused. “I thought he was eating you.”

  “Oh, heavens no.”

  “Although I did eat her out,” Nex’s mind said.

  Claire giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Joaquin demanded.

  “He said he ate me out. But then that probably wasn’t what you meant, was it?” she teased. It felt good to be lighthearted again. If this was all a dream, then she never wanted to wake up. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “We miss you,” Dakarai confessed.

  His sincere tenderness warmed her. “I haven’t been gone that long.”

  “You’ve been gone. That’s long enough,” Joaquin said firmly. “I sent you away to protect you and you didn’t argue with me about it like you normally do.”

  “I was trying to be a good sub to you.”

  “I know. I saw that note you left for me about all the reasons you respect me. I’ve never had a sub write something like that to me before. It meant a lot. I want you to—damn it, Nex, stop licking her tits and let me talk to her.”

  The tiger flattened his ears and made a slight hissing sound before acquiescing with his request. Claire wanted to laugh but figured listening would be the smarter choice this time. As much as she mourned the loss of Nex’s warm tongue on her boobs, she wanted to hear what Joaquin had to say.

  “I want you to come back, Claire. Dakarai isn’t the only one who misses you.”

  “You want me to come back to do the show with you?”

  “I want you to come back forever.”

  “But you said you would just train another sub for—”