Soulfire

by Juliette Cross

  Still on my knees on the bed, I placed tentative hands on his upper chest, feeling down the rippled planes of his abdomen and back up. He closed his eyes as I explored. More confident with every sweep of my fingers, I brushed feathery kisses along one pectoral, then dipping at his sternum, continued my line across. A vibration rumbled beneath my lips, a deep growl resonating from his chest.

  One taste made me want him more. This man—my man. No longer hesitant, I opened my mouth at the hollow of his neck, licking out with my tongue. His broad chest and contoured abdomen tightened at my touch. His wings widened at his back. When my mouth skated across his nipple, he hissed in a breath, his perfect composure failing.

  One hand thrust into my hair, wrapping around my nape, the other slipped the knotted strap off my shoulder until my top half was bare.

  He dipped his mouth to my neck, giving me the same attention I’d given him. He laved a trail of kisses across the upper slopes of my breasts, heightening my desire. I closed my eyes as he moved lower, teasingly, and took my breast in his mouth. My hands clenched on his biceps as he loved me there with tender nips and licks. Such a new sensation, I was embarrassed and swept away by longing at the same time. He crossed to my other breast, hands low on my hips. I melted under his gentle hands and warm mouth, wanting more with each gasping breath. His teeth grazed my taut peak, shocking a whimper out of me. Heat coiled in lower places. He kissed back up my neck, steering around my lips.

  “Lay back on the bed,” he whispered in a gentle tone.

  He sat on the edge of the bed to finish undressing. Feeling braver with his back turned, I slipped the dress off and kicked it over the other side. He joined me under the covers. His face fell in shadow when he peered down. “Close your eyes.”

  I obeyed.

  He traced light fingers over my brow, across my cheeks, and down my neck. Then up again. A soothing touch. The tension ebbed from my body.

  “When I painted you,”—his words poured like thick honey—“I imagined this moment. When I could touch you.” His fingers traced lower over my collarbones, edging the line of the silk sheet over my breasts. “When you would want me to touch you.” My breathing accelerated. He drew circles and loops up my neck and across my shoulders, sliding the sheet down with each sweep of his fingers, inch by inch. “I never thought it would happen.”

  I couldn’t speak, deft fingers grazing my breasts, not stopping, pushing the sheet lower to expose my stomach. He circled my navel, trailing figure eights in the hollow between stomach and hip. “In my imagination,” he began, voice like velvet, fingers teasing across my abdomen, trailing to my hipline before coming back up, “I was always in control.” He swept the sheet down to my thighs, fingers grazing over my panties, back up and around my navel. “I never thought I would be such a slave to your beauty. To you.” I sucked in a breath when his fingers slipped beneath the thin layer of lace, stilling before they slid between my legs. “But I am.” He pressed a kiss below my collarbone. “I am yours.” Hot, open-mouthed kisses over the slope of my breast. “Command me anything, and it will be done.”

  Oh, God. Don’t stop. That was my first command. I wanted to scream it, but I couldn’t form words, my mouth gone dry.

  “This skin,” his voice rumbled. “Like milk. So soft. Beautiful.” He nuzzled my breast then opened his mouth on me again, hot breath warming before his tongue took its turn.

  His fingers glided lower, spreading my folds, finding me slick and ready. He rumbled a growl of pleasure, the sound vibrating against my breast before he slid a finger inside me.

  “Lucius,” I whispered.

  I gripped the back of his neck clutching him harder to me, hot desire making me more brazen. I opened my legs wider. He stroked and petted until I lost control. Breathless, sliding my hips back and forth, a primal need drove me on. I’d never felt this wanton and wonderful at once. My body coiled tighter and tighter. Just before I soared, he slid a second finger inside me, his teeth grazing my breast.

  “Oh, God!”

  A violent shudder rocked me to my toes. I moaned as he nuzzled his way back up my neck before I could even catch my breath.

  He slipped my panties off one-handed and shifted between my legs with slow, precise movements, like one with sure purpose. The fire at his back created a dark silhouette of my Morgon man. His gaze seared me with its heat. Gifted with superior sight, he saw my body as clear as if we were sitting in sunshine. When I couldn’t bare his intensity a second more, he lowered his weight onto me, his great black wings spread wide, a protective canopy above us. I wanted him, needed him inside me, even though my heart raced with both excitement and trepidation. “Kiss me.”

  He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  He spread my thighs farther apart with his knee, settling his weight lower, bracing his upper body on his forearms.

  He nudged his hard length an inch inside me. Slick and ready, my body stretched for him. Another inch. Pain replaced the pleasure. “Wait,” I breathed in a panicked whisper, my hands flattening on his chest. This wasn’t going to work. “You’re too big—”

  He stopped. “Shhh. Look at me.”

  I did. Trapped in blue flame, my pulse pounded.

  “I know you’re a virgin, love. Don’t be afraid.” His lips finally lowered to mine. “We were made for each other.”

  Heart racing, I remembered this was Lucius, the man who nearly murdered another for daring to hurt me. He was mine, and I was his. I had to trust him. I did trust him. He waited, lips hovering. The fear melted away under his loving gaze. Finally, I nodded, whispering, “Yes.”

  He sealed his lips to mine, urging them apart. A sizzling burn melted down my throat, pouring into my chest, to my limbs and to lower, deeper parts. A sensual euphoria gripped my whole body, spreading molten pleasure like lava down a hill. I moaned deep in my throat. Soulfire burned its way through me, bleeding into my veins, pounding into my heart.

  I whimpered. Ecstasy soared through my body.

  Lucius pushed all the way in with a deep thrust, breaking my barrier. The sharp pain was engulfed by soulfire. He filled me, stilling with agonizing restraint, waiting for my body to stretch for him. I arched my back, basking in the ecstasy of receiving Lucius inside me. Another wave of soulfire lapped through my veins, easing the discomfort, urging me to move. I rolled my hips in a slow, languorous motion.

  He uttered a curse under his breath. His reins slipped. He devoured me with mouth and tongue, sliding in and out of me, stroking me deep. I scraped my nails down his back. The pain lingered, but pleasure soon swallowed everything. A primitive growl vibrated from his chest to mine. Slipping his hand behind one of my knees, he bent it high, opening me wider. He penetrated so deep, marking me in a place no one could reach, a place no one else ever would. But him.

  I gloried in the burn, pleasure and pain, melting me to my toes. A moan escaped my lips when he nipped along my jaw to my neck. I tried rocking my hips to meet his thrusts, unable to match his pounding rhythm. Too hard, too fast, he overwhelmed me. Deeper. I was wild and wonderfully broken. I plunged my hands into his hair and pulled his mouth back to mine. I kissed him, loving him with my mouth, lips, and tongue.

  Another melting swell of soulfire pushed me over the edge. I clenched around him, screaming his name. Three deep thrusts. Lucius tightened into a rigid wall of Morgon man. His wings whipped out to full breadth, spanning the entire bed. Only one part of him moved, spending, pulsing hard inside of me.

  With his chest crushing mine, our hearts synchronized, beating in exact rhythm with each other. Lucius nibbled on my swollen lips, keeping himself sheathed deep inside as if he would never leave.

  I felt sacred. Precious. Protected. Safe.

  I felt loved.

  “Lucius…our hearts. I can feel… I don’t know how to explain it.”

  He smiled, and I melted.

  “Yes, love.” A gentle caress of lips on my unbruised cheek. “We are heartbound. I am yo
urs.” Now the other cheek, more tenderly. “And you are mine.” Now my lips. “Forever.”

  Chapter 11

  I awoke to the sound of two masculine voices in the next room. One was Lucius, the other unknown to me. Scooting off the bed, I realized I was still naked. I smiled, remembering Lucius’s attentions late last night—a warm bath in a pool-sized tub, his hands soaping and soothing me into boneless oblivion, strong arms drying and tucking me into his luxurious bed, his strong body wrapped around me as I fell asleep.

  My dress was nowhere to be found. I pulled a black T-shirt from his drawer, marveling at the nearly invisible zippers stretching along the wing-slits. Slipping it on, the hem hit below mid-thigh. It covered enough to venture out of the bedroom.

  When I stepped closer to the open-arched doorway, I paused at the unfamiliar voice, deep and gruff.

  “You do realize this could mean war between the families on the business front. Maybe even beyond business.”

  Lucius’s voice was a sharp blade. “That means nothing to me. She is my mate. I’ll kill anyone who even attempts to harm her. They’d best be ready for me if they plan a war.”

  “Slow down, brother. I have no idea what the reaction will be. Father will be displeased, I’m afraid. There’s no getting around it. But I support you, as always. And he will, too, when he understands the heartbond has been made.”

  “Thank you. I’d like you to meet her.”

  “How about now? She’s awake and standing by the door.”

  “I know,” said Lucius.

  I gasped in surprise.

  Lucius raised his voice. “Jessen, you can come in.”

  Feeling sheepish, I walked into a smallish den with low-backed, leather furniture and a bar in the corner—a bachelor’s lounge. This was a more intimate chamber than the living room where Lucius entertained me the first night we met. A narrower archway led to a terrace. “Sorry. How did you know I was here?”

  Lucius smiled. “We could hear you. And smell you.”

  Smell me! What did that mean? Damn Morgons and their supersonic hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell. Lucius’s eyes drifted down my legs when I walked toward them.

  “This is my brother, Lorian, who you met last night.”

  I hadn’t taken much note of him the night before since I was quite absorbed with Lucius at the time. He was the same build and frame as Lucius, though slightly darker skinned. His eyes were striking—one the same brilliant blue as Lucius’s, the other hazel-brown. His facial features bore a rougher, rugged quality, the jaw sharply squared. Like Lucius, he was the kind of man who would make the most confident person step out of his way. His natural expression was more brooding, more intense than Lucius, who wore a mask of indifference most the time.

  Except in the bedroom. With me.

  Lorian took my hand and dipped a regal bow over it. Kind of awkward since I stood there half-dressed in Lucius’s T-shirt.

  “Welcome to the family. As my brother’s heartbound mate, you have my unwavering loyalty and protection.”

  Wow. How did you respond to something like that? Especially when my family had probably disowned me.

  “Thank you, Lorian.”

  He gave me another tight bow, his expression fixed in hard lines. With a nod to his brother, he stepped out onto the open terrace and lifted off into the gray morning.

  “Your brother is a broody kind of guy, but I like him.”

  Lucius pulled me into an embrace. “Yeah. It’s just his way. You’ll never find another with deeper loyalty or a bigger heart.”

  “Why does he seem so angry or intense or whatever?”

  Lucius gazed out onto the terrace as if looking after his brother. “When my mother died, he took it hardest. I was already a grown man, plunging myself into the business to ease my grief. But he was younger, still at home, and quite attached to her.”

  “You weren’t?”

  He looked down at me. “I was. I loved her dearly, but I moved past my grief. Lorian couldn’t. He immersed himself into violent arenas, trying to beat it out, I suppose.”

  “What happened? He works in the family business now.”

  “Yeah. After I dragged his ass out of the cesspool he was drowning in. Like I said, he’s got a gruff way about him, but he’s fiercely loyal.”

  “Good to know.” I pecked a tender kiss to his lips.

  Lucius nuzzled into my hair, his hands sliding up and down my back. One hand slid lower. He groaned when he found me bare beneath the T-shirt.

  “Lucius,” I warned, winding my arms around his neck anyway.

  “Still sore, love?”

  I nodded as he brushed his lips along my neck, letting his tongue barely caress my skin. “I want you again.” His mouth slowly trekked up along my jaw. “And again.” Finally reaching my mouth. “And again.” A soft, sweet exploration ignited every nerve in my body. His hands became firm on my bottom and lower back. Despite my soreness, I arched into him, my desire spiking whether my body was ready again or not. He flicked his tongue inside one more time before drawing back.

  “I can wait.” Funny, because one part of his anatomy completely disagreed. “We have a whole lifetime.”

  Chest to chest, I could feel our hearts pound in rhythm. “Will I feel soulfire every time we, uh, you know?”

  A wicked smile. “If by ‘you know,’ you mean have wild, passionate sex, then I think the answer is yes. Sometimes, soulfire will ignite with just a kiss. And it may feel different. Though you’re my first and only woman to experience soulfire with, I’ve been told the heartbond renews itself every time mated lovers join.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.” A nip on my lips. “Wow.” With a sigh, he smoothed down the T-shirt to cover me, banding his arms around my waist. “What should we do today?”

  Something occurred to me. I frowned.

  “What is it?” His brow furrowed together. “You’re not having regrets or anything, are you?”

  I laughed. “No. Of course not. I was actually thinking I need to get my car. But it’s at my parents’ house, and I doubt I’ll be welcome to pick it up.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

  “Lucius! Just like that. You’ll buy me a new one.”

  “Yep. What else?”

  “Obviously, I need clothes.” I looked down at his T-shirt hanging loosely over me.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you more clothes. A whole wardrobe. Shoes, too.” He patted my behind. “Though I kind of like you in this.”

  “Oh, really? I wonder how the rest of the world will feel when I walk down the street half naked.”

  He scowled. “You’re right. You need more clothes. Actually, I do have something for you.” He released me and picked up a glossy black bag from a side-table. “Lorian brought it over for me this morning.”

  “What is it?” I asked, pulling out the paper-wrapped fabric.

  It was a black, V-necked sweater made of the most luxurious cashmere my fingers had ever touched. The inside tag bore the Nightwing crest. It was made for a human woman, not Morgon.

  “I have a feeling my new wardrobe will be mostly black.” I raised a brow, smirking at him. “A certain clan’s color.”

  His voice dropped deep, brushing me in a sensual caress, his hand combing through my long hair. “You’re already wearing my color.”

  I nearly lost my bearings, especially when his gaze fixed on me, luring me closer. I somehow managed to speak. “Since when does the Nightwing clan own a human retail store?”

  “We’ve already bought the property in the Warwick District. It’ll open by the end of the month. There are jeans and a pair of shoes in there, too. And…undergarments.”

  I blushed at the last added item. Especially when I pulled out a matching set of sheer black-lace panties and camisole. And they were the correct size.

  “Lucius, how do you know my exact size in everything I wear?”

 
His mouth quirked into the sexiest smile I’d ever seen. “Get dressed, love. We’ll go out for breakfast. Because if we stay here much longer, I’ll be having you instead.”

  “Devil.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I do.” I arched a brow, slipped my arms around his waist and pressed my body into his.

  “Temptress.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I do.”

  He fisted his hand in my hair, arching my neck up, his mouth slanting roughly over mine. The way he nipped and sucked, I thought maybe he did plan to have me for breakfast. One hand slipped up to cup my breast. Through the shirt, he teased me with his thumb until I was hard. I moaned into his mouth. A small taste of soulfire slid down my throat, whispering through my veins with a ripple of ecstasy. Not the same as last night, but no less potent. Like a whiff of an intoxicating scent, it drifted to all the right places.

  “God, woman, I think I’m addicted to you already.”

  He gripped my hips and detached me from the curve of his body, leaning his forehead against mine. Both of us panted, wanting more.

  “So,” I said between breaths, “I’ll go get dressed.”

  He chuckled. “Yes. You will. Quickly.”

  Pulling out of his arms, I grabbed the bag and headed for the bedroom, shouting over my shoulder. “Even if you plan to buy me a new wardrobe, I need to get some personal things at my apartment.” I turned. “Can we swing by after breakfast?”

  Captivating eyes still burned for me. “Your wish is my command.”

  Chapter 12

  After breakfast at a Morgon café in the Warwick District where we attracted all kinds of gawking stares, Lucius flew me back to my apartment. We were nearly there when I giggled at something.

  “What?”

  “Poor waitress. She spilled almost everything she set on the table.”

  “Clumsy girl, wasn’t she?” he teased.

  “No, Lucius, she wasn’t clumsy. Maybe we should be more careful about how much affection we show in public.”