by Paloma Beck
“I don’t know. It’s just something that began happening when I turned the age of maturity. I don’t like to talk about it or people will think I’m a freak but this time, I wanted you to know.”
Amelia stepped towards Davina, drew her into an embrace and thanked her. “Thank you so much for telling me. I won’t speak of it to anyone else.” Amelia owed her this promise for the gift she’d just given her.
Davina nodded and then smiled a mischievous grin. “Want to know another secret?”
“Maybe,” Amelia answered, uncertain.
“Your niece will be at your Pronouncement too.” Davina winked and walked over to talk with Gracie, leaving Amelia both stunned and excited by the news. A giggle escaped and caught everyone’s attention.
“Sorry,” Amelia looked sheepishly, “Just getting excited seeing the dress.”
“So, you’re excited now? We weren’t sure how it was going for you and Gage and you hadn’t said much.” Eloise asked.
“It’s good.” Amelia blushed.
“How good?” Gemma asked.
Paige hit Gemma with her shoulder. “Knock it off. It’s personal and you’re embarrassing her.”
“Still, he shoots you and then you find out he’s your mate. That had to be a good story.” Eloise said. “You have to be laughing at it now. I just want to know how much you made him work for it after that major mistake.”
The seamstress told Amelia she was done and could take off the dress whenever she was ready. She packed her things away and left the room. Amelia would’ve been happy to do the same thing given the line of questioning.
“Come on, just tell us a little. We want to know all about Madden’s little brother.” Gemma went on. “He’s the playful one. Is he still? Like, in private.”
“Enough,” Layla interjected.
“Yes, dear Goddess, I can’t listen to talk like this about my brother,” Davina chimed in. That brought giggles around the room.
“My daughters, I’m afraid you will be like this forever.” Chiara shook her head but smiled. Her smile faded quickly though and the room grew quiet. Everyone’s thoughts turned to Sadie.
“Let’s have a circle prayer to the Goddess for Sadie,” Davina suggested. As she spoke, Amelia noticed her hand was resting on Gracie’s arm and it gave her pause, but no sooner did she give the suggestion than they were all preparing for the circle.
“Let me change from my dress. I’ll meet you all on the patio,” Amelia called out as she left the room.
A few minutes later they gathered in a circle with their fingertips touching ever so slightly and small bursts like lightning flies claimed the air around them. It was just dusk and the air was still. The scent of burning incense was prevalent and reassuring. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? As women of the Magdalena Circle, they had strengths of their own and when put together, they were mighty. They would connect with Sadie’s aura and aid her with their combined strength.
The chanting started with the eldest women. “Come to us, Mother of all Mothers.” Chiara and Adelina were there as well as Caedon’s mother, Angelica. The vibrations around the circle were the strongest Amelia could ever remember a circle being. She assumed it was from so many powerful, mated women. The chanting grew louder as each of her sisters joined in.
Davina’s voice penetrated through the hum of the chanting as she called forth to Mary Magdalena. “Come to us, Mother of all Mothers, and bless us. Call forth the earth with its nourishment, the wind with its spirit and the water with its purity. Save our sister.”
The chanting altered to “Save our sister.” The sparks of power congregated above them in a brilliant ball of energy. Amelia drew her eyes upward to regard the magnificent sight, a demonstration of their Goddess manifested before them.
Their chanting grew louder, their words taking on a hum as they melded with one another. Amelia felt as if she was floating and a surreal cloud of joy carried her upward. She was bolstered with a newfound sense of calm. It was a peace, a calm that ended abruptly at a single gasp. All other sounds stopped. Nothing could be heard but Layla’s raspy breath and then her voice. “Mother, it’s time.”
* * * *
Amelia found solace in Gage’s arms as their Pronouncement grew nearer. The waiting for news on Sadie was made easier by the joy of her niece’s birth. Julianna was born to two very proud parents who let each family member in for little more than a few minutes before closing themselves in to get acquainted with their daughter.
Amelia felt herself yearning for that same connection to Gage. She was older than her sisters and while the others seemed to be waiting, Amelia had hopes of a family sooner than later. She wanted a little boy who looked just like him with dark brown hair and his midnight blue eyes.
She shifted as she saw Gage enter the room with a bottle of wine. “Drink with me. It’s from my father’s new stock.” He poured two glasses and handed her one.
Amelia sighed as she sipped the sweet dessert wine. “I love this.”
“Iced Davina. He named it for my sister.”
“Your sister is special. Do you know?” Amelia hated to give away any secrets Davina might hold, but she wondered how close Gage was to his sister.
“She is,” he agreed. “Did she share her gift with you?”
Amelia nodded and saw a smile spread across his face.
“She doesn’t share it often. She must feel close to you. It was good news?”
“She told me both Sadie and Julianna would be here for our ceremony tomorrow.”
“Then that is worth celebrating,” Gage said as he tapped his wine glass on hers. Then he stood, placed his glass on the table and with nothing but a thought, removed his clothes. His intuitive Valendite powers were so sexy. Combined with his physical strength, her mate was unstoppable and the security that gave her during this tumultuous time was immeasurable.
Gage looked down on her with his normally bright blue eyes clouded over with lust. Amelia’s body shook in anticipation of what was to come. The thought that he could overpower her thrilled her. Knowing he wouldn’t made her feel safe. That was that edge she straddled when he spanked her.
Soaking up his corded body as he stood before her, Amelia couldn’t resist looking down at his thick cock. She’d never been able to spend time simply admiring Gage’s body and the view made her instinctively lick along her bottom lip. Gage saw her eyes fixate on him and brought his hand to his shaft. He fisted it, moving his fist up and down with a force that made Amelia imagine him inside her doing the same thing. Then he slowed and she saw his breathing was nearly as ragged as her own breaths.
Amelia moved to the edge of the bed, closer to his cock. Then before he could control the moment, she surrounded it with her warm mouth. She leisurely brought it in and out of her mouth and massaged his sack with her fingers. She pushed forward to bring his cock more fully into her mouth, allowing it to touch her throat so she could swallow around the head.
Bringing his cock fully out, Amelia smiled up at him. This was a nice view. She licked her lips and bowed back down to take him in deeper this time. His deep groan was her reward.
“I want to come in your mouth,” he said with a deep, sexy voice that moistened her folds.
“Yes.” She answered as his cock jumped in her hand. “I want to taste you.” She hardly recognized herself in this moment, but she was feeling too good to be embarrassed. He was granting her a chance to have the control.
Amelia took him once again completely into her mouth. Faster and faster, she pulled him in and then out of her mouth, using her tongue to stroke him. She admired the texture of his cock as she pulled him almost out of her mouth again and drew him down to the back of her throat. The thick veins pulsed and grew darker and more fierce. His shaft was warm to touch, but made warmer still by her mouth. Goddess, she was a lucky woman. In this moment, his pleasure belonged to her. She rejoiced in the powerful feeling of such an act as she watched Gage throw his head back in pleasure. His thigh musc
les quivered and she knew he was holding back, wanting this moment to last as much as she did. She softened her suction.
Using her tongue on the underside of his cock, Amelia found a sensitive spot that made him groan each time she stroked it. She worked him into a frenzy once again and then backed off only to do it all over again.
“Stop playing with me, sweetheart.” Gage grunted. “Finish me.”
Amelia began rhythmic pulls on his shaft and reveled in the feeling of Gage reaching for his orgasm. She continued to take him deep, savoring the taste of her mate. In this moment, he was everything that surrounded her. Gage was her world and she was his.
“Now. I’m coming now.” Amelia felt the first pulses of his cum even as his words were being spoken. Gage’s eyes were now nearly a glowing yellow, a sign of power and lust in the Breeds. Gone was her light-hearted mate and in his place was this incredible sexual beast. She saw his desire. She felt it and Goddess, she liked it, she liked it a lot.
“Fuck, sweetheart,” Gage called out as the spurts of cum hit her tongue and slid down her throat. Amelia took every drop of him and savored it. The warm saltiness reminded her of when she fed from him and she instinctively felt nourished.
A stirring in the air began. Her sisters had spoken of this but she had yet to experience it. Growing wisps of air grew thicker around them. Amelia trembled, needing him now inside her. Gage took in deep breaths to steady himself and them climbed onto the bed and drew her into him.
“Your powers are getting stronger,” Gage seemed awed as he touched her.
“I can’t control them yet when my emotions are so high.”
“I don’t mind at all. Now, let’s see how high I can get those little flames to shoot.” Gage latched onto one of her nipples and put an end to the conversation.
Amelia lost all thought as the sharp sensations shooting from her nipples to her core warmed her. Her muscles grew tight and she squeezed her eyes against the torrent of zinging pleasure. Gage pushed her legs open and held them open with his thigh. He moved his hand between her legs and touched her everywhere but where she needed him most. She moaned as sensations began to build again, biting her lip so as not to beg for more.
“Oh, you are so warm, and so wet, and so absolutely mine,” Gage’s voice came out guttural deep and his eyes darkened further as he lifted his fingers that now glistened and sparkled with the proof of her arousal.
Before Amelia realized what he was doing, Gage flipped her over onto her stomach and was on top of her. He pulled her hips up to raise her ass into the air. Goddess, Amelia knew he’d found his favorite position and she was pretty sure she had as well. She didn’t even care anymore about being so exposed. She trusted Gage. Goddess, she loved Gage. Her heart stuttered as she let that realization roll through her.
Then in the next moment and with a single quick movement, Gage thrust inside her. He grasped her hips as he took her deep.
“Oh, Goddess,” Amelia shouted, “Gage, you’re so damn deep. I love this. I love this.”
“That’s what’s so good about this position, sweetheart.” Gage moved one of his hands from her hip to the back of her neck. “That and if I wanted to drink from you while I fucked you, this is just how I’d do it.”
“Yes,” Amelia groaned as Gage shifted out and back in at a new angle. This angle seemed to hit a particularly sensitive spot that had her toes curling. “Harder, Gage. I love it.”
That was all the permission he needed. In the next moment, his full power was behind his thrusts, nearly knocking her over had he not been holding her in place. She was at his mercy, unable to move within his hold. Amelia reveled in this ferocity he’d never used on her before. It was as if they were completely open to one another, the emotion raw. His strength and power consumed her in this primitive act.
Amelia grew slicker as Gage continued his assault. His thrusts were strong and focused, so determined that his sack slapped against her folds every time he moved in. Her wetness nearly caused his cock to slip from her channel with each pull back out. Gage was driving them towards a release they wouldn’t soon forget. Amelia was simply happy to be along for the ride.
She felt him thicken as he took hold of her hips in a tighter grip. Her core ached and her legs trembled. She found it hard to catch her breath as the length of his cock rubbed directly on her clit with each glide. Dear Goddess, she wanted to call out to him but there were no words.
The orgasm that came upon her caused her powers to rise up against the emotions rolling off Gage as she felt him empty himself inside her. A sense of wonder washed through her body and heated her blood further. Once they completed the Pronouncement, each time he emptied his seed inside her it would be possible for her to become pregnant. She couldn’t wait.
As he lowered them both back onto the bed and cuddled her into his side, Amelia was amazed Gage had become so important to her. She understood the mating bond, but it was these feelings of love she already had for him that were so shocking. It was so very amazing to experience such a bond she’d only read about up until now. Nothing in the world would’ve prepared her for how powerful a mated connection was.
She took a deep breath and jumped. “I love you, Gage. I know it’s soon and I can’t explain it, but I do love you.” Amelia used her bond to speak the words she couldn’t yet give voice to. She was nervous about his reaction, but when she felt his smile against her shoulder, she warmed.
“Ti amo, baby,” Gage murmured into her hair before falling into a deep sleep.
Chapter Eight
The knock at Gage and Amelia’s door startled them awake. It was early, the sun just rising, and the day of their Pronouncement. Both were on their feet and on alert nearly instantly. Too much was happening around them not to be on edge. Gage lifted his gun and headed for the front door, telling Amelia to stay in their room. She obeyed until she heard Madden’s voice and Sadie’s name.
Amelia raced down the stairs. “What is it? Have they got her?”
Madden nodded, but Gage flashed her a look reminding her she’d just disobeyed and put herself in potential danger. He’d address that later but first, he wanted to know the answer to her question as well.
“We’ve got her. She’s with Granger. They’ll be debriefing for a long while yet but then I’ve put him in charge of making sure she has everything she needs to prepare for the wedding. Your father is also with her.”
“Was she hurt?”
Madden’s eyes softened and his voice lowered. “She was mishandled. There’s no permanent damage. Her spirits are high though there’s concern she is suppressing something. Your father has called in a specialist to talk with her.”
“No permanent damage? Oh, Goddess.” Tears spilled over Amelia’s cheeks. She turned her head into Gage and cried as he whispered nonsense and held her. The door closed and they were alone.
“Sweetheart, if she’s anything like the rest of you, she’ll survive this. She’ll be okay,” Gage reassured her.
They walked to the family room and sat in loud silence until it was time to prepare for their Pronouncement and Amelia was pulled away to get ready. He knew he’d see her soon, but letting her go for any reason was not an easy task. The world felt right when she was in his arms. Nothing felt right when she was away from him.
Standing in the middle of the circle formed by women of the Magdalena Circle an hour later was an empowering experience. Their power was nearly visible in its strength. Behind those women were their mates and other TEU agents with members of the Santucci compound and family. It was a celebration during a time when they needed to remember to celebrate the good things. He was sure things were going to get worse before they got better.
The compound—his family’s home and TEU’s primary offices—was now locked down. Nico watched from the roof of the main house with a long-range weapon at the ready should anything happen. They knew Abdul-Nassir’s group was working on recreating the Breed virus. Their latest breakthrough using his mate’s serum mea
nt they were close. Their connection with Dr. Whitner meant they knew the Breed was also close in fulfilling the Seventh Prophecy. That knowledge put each of the Sinster sisters in danger. Gage wouldn’t rest until Nassir was brought down.
Gage needed to let all that go, for today. They’d done everything they could to prepare for all possibilities and today he’d put all that aside to enjoy this moment with Amelia. He’d found his mate and he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Amelia was his perfect fit, his other half, his life.
He’d always been the little brother, the carefree tag-along with too much bravado and not enough self-preservation. Now, he felt like a man and an equal to his brothers. As if his axis shifted when he mated. Amelia trusted him to protect her. She relied on him for her pleasure, her happiness, her health. He had no plans to let her down. In giving him her trust, she transformed him into the man he was this day.
Gage was happy. A peace settled in on him. It wasn’t about guns and blowing things up. It was a real peace that he’d found his place in the world. Looking up and trying to wrap up these emotions and put them away, his eyes caught on the tiny sparkling white lights in the trees. They lent a glow to the early evening sky. It was nearing twilight, the traditional time for a Valendite Pronouncement. Any moment now Amelia would appear. The chanting had already begun. He prayed to the Goddess that Amelia would be as charmed as he was by this moment.
* * * *
With hours to go before their Pronouncement, Amelia had sought comfort in her mate’s arms. She knew their world was likely to get worse before it got better and her only solace was in the arms of Gage. With more of her sisters finding mates, they were closer than ever to fulfilling the prophecy.
Now Amelia took a single deep breath as she took in Gage surrounded by the circle of their families. She was more than certain she’d found the perfect mate. Even after their beginning and the potential for disaster that had, Gage won her. He owned her. He knew exactly what she needed and he didn’t shy away from providing for her. Her powers coursed through her body like sparks of electricity as she thought about what was to come. The Pronouncement meant they would transfer their powers and share the very essence of who they were.
