3013: MATED (3013: The Series)

by Roma, Laurie

  She held her breath and finally released it as she heard the door softly open and shut again. Closing her eyes again she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort and rocked a little. It was a habit she had learned when she was young. With no one to hold her and comfort her, she had learned to depend on herself. Later when she had met Draven and Cristof, she’d thought she had finally found someone to care about her, but she had been very wrong. They had taken her trust and used her for their own purposes. She hadn’t mattered to them and swore she would never allow herself to be treated like that again.

  Obviously, she was wrong on a fucking epic level.

  Giving in to the tears that wanted to come, she put her hands over her face and let them spill down her cheeks unheeded.

  “Alexis…my love.”

  She gasped as she was caught up in strong arms. Thorn said her name in such a tortured voice it hurt her heart. Damn it, she thought he had gone back inside with Galan. He pulled her onto his lap as he sat down on the floor.

  “Do not fight me, please,” he whispered as he buried his face into her neck, cradling her against him. “We never wanted to make you feel unwanted. You are the mate of my heart already, no matter that you have not allowed us to claim you. I vow it is true.”

  The sincerity in his voice gave her pause and she stopped struggling against him, allowing her body to relax against his powerful frame as he sheltered her in his arms.

  “It took everything in me to sit there and behave,” Brydan hissed out softly, his voice shaking with emotions. Alexis looked up in surprise to where he was sitting on the bench. It shocked her that she hadn’t heard him come out and join them, but then again she had been distracted bawling her eyes out like a child.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, trying to pull herself together.

  “I could not look at you,” Brydan said after huffing out an impatient breath. He rubbed his hands over his thick thighs and glared at her. “Do you think it is easy having felt the pleasure you gave Xavier and Galan this afternoon then to restrain ourselves while we gave you time to get comfortable in our presence?”

  Holy hell.

  She gasped. “You…felt what we did?”

  “Aye, we did. And it took all our will not to just throw you down on the bed and take you like they did when you returned to our quarters,” Brydan growled as he looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Then we had to attend this damned dinner because you wanted us to. If I looked at you I would have dragged you out of that room and taken you against the wall. Did you want that, Alexis?”

  She couldn’t even form the words to respond as she gaped at him. The vicious snarl on his face didn’t scare her. Instead, she felt something that had broken inside her begin to mend. Thorn’s arms were wound tight around her, holding her close to him as if he wanted to merge their bodies together if he could.

  Communication was a bitch in a normal relationship, and even more so when trying to navigate the current minefield she found herself in, not to mention that her emotions seemed to be going haywire. She felt appeased now that Brydan and Thorn had explained their actions a bit, but she wouldn’t, couldn’t allow them to treat her in a way that made her feel bad about herself, no matter if it had been a misunderstanding.

  Perhaps she had overreacted, but it wasn’t as if she could help how she felt.

  “You…all of you made me feel cheap earlier, and tonight at dinner made me think that I couldn’t count on any of you the way I thought I could,” Alexis explained softly, wanting them to understand her reaction.

  Thorn’s arms tightened around her, practically squeezing her to death, but she didn’t complain. “We never wanted to make you feel like that.”

  “I know that now,” Alexis sighed as she let herself relax against him. “I’m sorry if I overreacted, but…I can feel the emotions of everyone at the table, especially the women that the four of you are talking to. I can also sense your lust—”

  “It is only for you,” Brydan swore with such vehemence that she couldn’t help but believe him.

  It was humiliating, but she knew they deserved to know about her past. Taking a deep breath, she let it out and said, “I got out of a really bad relationship where the men treated me as if I wasn’t good enough. They wanted me in private, but in public, they treated me like you did tonight.”

  She watched Brydan wince and felt Thorn do the same. Thorn growled low in his throat in a sound so raw it both thrilled her and terrified her. “Who are these males? We will end them for you for ever making you feel like that.”

  A small chuckle escaped. “That’s sweet…and slightly disturbing. But I don’t need you to take care of them. I ended it and moved on. I’m simply telling you this because I have some issues with the men I’m supposed to be with ignoring me in public. It makes me feel—”

  “Never again will you feel anything less that wanted and cared for in our presence,” Thorn swore after he turned her head so he was looking down at her with somber, glowing eyes. “You are too important for us not to give you what you need.”

  Alexis’ hand lifted to grab hold of his thick wrist. “What about what you need?”

  Fire flashed in his eyes then they dulled again to a muted glow. She could feel the sadness coming off him in waves and she immediately wanted to do whatever she could to ease the ache she felt inside him. “You are not ready to mate with us.”

  She didn’t know about that. It was crazy how possessive she felt about them already after knowing them such a short time. She’d wanted to kill the other women speaking to them, and suspected that it would be that way as long as she knew them. Her free hand clenched into a fist. Just the thought of any of them being with someone else made her want to…

  Hell, just thinking about them leaving and never seeing them again had pain surging through her so acute it stole her breath.

  Jesus, she felt like she was losing her mind!

  Her body was shaking with all the swirling emotions careening inside her. She needed to get her shit together or she thought she was going to implode. She let out a gasp as she was hauled out of Thorn’s arms and found herself staring into Xavier’s furious silver eyes. Both Xavier and Galan had stormed back out onto the balcony, and she could feel the waves of their lust and anger fueling her own.

  “Enough! This pain you are feeling is unnecessary. We want only you. It has been unbearable for my brother and I to hold ourselves back and give you time. I was moments away from throwing you down on the table and taking you in front of everyone because all of those males do not know who you belong to, and yet you question how much we want you?” he growled furiously. “You are mine!”

  “Calm, Xavier,” Thorn warned in a low voice.

  Xavier snarled at him. “I will not have our mate questioning our loyalty to her!”

  “She is not yet our mate,” Brydan reminded him

  “I am not so sure about that,” Galan said softly. “I am bound to her already. I feel it.”

  “As am I,” Xavier growled with conviction.

  Alexis’ eyes widened. “But I…you…how is that possible?”

  “I do not know, but this would explain the jealousy and hurt you were feeling. Our race feels deeply, much more than humans. If we had a blood bond with you we would have been able to feel what you did, just as you would feel us,” Galan explained passionately. “You would never have reason to doubt our feelings for you.”

  “You have no need for doubt, Alexis. I am already mated to you, blood bond or not. I feel you here.” Xavier put his hand over his heart. “I know you needed time, but I have already claimed you. You belong to me…to us, and we will not let you go.”

  Alexis felt the surge of emotions emanating from them. Somehow she could tell that all four of them were furious at themselves, but mixed with that was a feeling of satisfaction and a deep sense of pride that she was theirs. Yes, they’d hurt her, but she had hurt them as well, by doubting their feelings for her and refusing their claim. She knew they
were waiting for her to explode, to scream at them and unleash her fury for taking away her choice…but she wasn’t angry.

  Instead, she felt free.

  She could feel their sincerity and had never felt more ashamed of her gifts than now. Since meeting them she had been reading their emotions, reacting automatically to how they were feeling, but she had been denying them that same right.

  Logic had been holding her back, telling her it was too soon to make a monumental decision that would affect the rest of her life. She’d only just met them, yet in her heart she felt like she’d been waiting for them her whole life. Like they were the missing pieces of her she had never even known were missing until she saw them.

  Normally, she didn’t like taking chances. She was a planner, and liked to know what to expect before she did anything new, but nothing about this was expected. How the hell could she have planned meeting four alien warriors that could shift into dragons that would want to claim her as their mate?

  Alexis wasn’t anything special, but the way they looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world…hell, in the entire galaxy. When she felt their emotions it was as if they were a part of her.

  When they touched her, shivered.

  When they looked at her, she melted.

  Knowing they’d claimed her settled something inside of her that had been aching. It meant that she belonged, when she never had before…not really. It also meant that they belonged to her, and that she would never lose them. Mating was a bond stronger than anything humans could imagine, and she wanted that with them.

  Alexis didn’t give a damn about waiting any longer, and she knew what they said was true. In her heart she was already their mate. The scent of Xavier’s skin was like an aphrodisiac to her already overloaded senses. His snarls didn’t scare her. In fact, it made her hot, so hot she couldn’t control herself, and she stopped trying. Gripping his hair, she surprised him as she crushed her mouth to his in a searing kiss.

  His taste exploded on her tongue, and it made her want to devour him in big, greedy bites. He immediately responded in kind, taking control of their kiss as he plundered her mouth. She loved how commanding he was and moaned at the pleasure he gave her.

  Xavier pulled back, breathing hard. His eyes burning a molten silver as he looked down at her and she shivered at the intensity in his gaze. “Does this mean you are not angry any longer?”

  She slowly smiled. “No, I’m not. Actually, I’m relieved. It might be sooner than I had planned, but I think the outcome was inevitable. I couldn’t give you up. Any of you. I want to be your mate. Actually, I feel like I already am.”

  “You are,” he growled.

  “She may be claimed by you, but not by us. Not yet,” Thorn said, his voice dark with need. “And we are going to fix that…right now.”

  ***

  Chapter Six

  In the time it took Alexis to blink she found herself teleported back in the living room of the guest suite with her four Dragon Warriors. Their magic sure came in handy and was a pretty damn slick mode of transportation.

  “Wow, now that is a cool trick.”

  Xavier chuckled. “Glad I could please you, mate.”

  “Come here, my love,” Thorn commanded as he took her from Xavier’s arms, carrying her into her bedroom that she had taken in the guest suite.

  Exhilarated, Alexis let out a laugh. “I am going to have a hell of a time explaining all this to my commander tomorrow.”

  “You should not have to answer to any other male regarding out mating,” Xavier growled. She rolled her eyes at him. Somehow she had known he was going to say that.

  “We shall just have to make it worth your while then,” Brydan said, his eyes sparkling with mirth. Thorn set her back on her feet and she shivered as Brydan lowered the zipper of her dress, stroking his fingers along her naked back. He turned her to look at him.

  “I need you. Are you ready to mate with us, Lexie?” Brydan asked. “Blood bond and all or are we rushing you?”

  Concern warred with desire, making her hesitate for a moment. She couldn’t deny that she was still nervous about making such a permanent commitment to them, but the alternative wasn’t an option. Just thinking about losing them made her heart ache and she never wanted to find out what that would feel like in reality.

  Taking a deep breath, she took the plunge and winked at him. “I guess that’s only fair since I can read your emotions.” She wrapped her arms around his waist when she saw his glowing eyes dim and felt his disappointment. Decision made, she gifted them all with a serious smile. “I was kidding, Brydan. I would be honored to mate with you fully. I want to be yours. I feel…I know we’ve only just met, but I’m ready to be your mate.”

  Brydan stroked his hand down her cheek, loving the feeling of her soft skin as he saw sincerity shimmering in her beautiful violet eyes. He pushed her dress down, letting it fall to the floor so she was wearing nothing but a tiny scrap of material that hid her pussy from him. His eyes narrowed at the offending barrier and took hold of it, tearing it from her with one pull.

  She laughed. “You could have just asked me to take it off.”

  “I liked my way better,” Brydan said with a low growl and he took off her wrist unit and dropped it onto the floor onto her dress. She was sheer perfection and he could hardly believe that she was willing to give herself to them. “You are so beautiful.”

  “I feel beautiful when you look at me.”

  He leaned down and kissed her sweetly, stroking her tongue with his own, pulling her body up against his. Sitting next to her at dinner without being able to touch her had been torture. He’d barely been able to eat, intoxicating by the scent of her need. It had driven him crazy not being able to hear what she was thinking, and the scent of her pain had made him lose his mind.

  He had done his best to hold a conversation with the other people at the table, but he had wished them all to hell for taking time that could have been spent alone with her. Knowing that Xavier and Galan had already claimed her made him crazy with the need to take her, to sate his lust within her body and form a bond that could never be broken so that no one could ever take her from them.

  Thorn moved up behind them, pressing against Alexis’ back as he kissed her neck. He loved how she leaned back against him, and he felt his cock harden to the point of pain as he imagined taking her ass while his brother fucked her pussy. He could feel the depth of emotion his brother felt for their little mate, and it matched his own. Alexis was every wish, every dream he had ever had, and she was finally going to be theirs.

  Forever.

  By the gods, he was shaking with the need to take her. Hunger tore through him, making him feel feral. Never had he wanted a female so much he thought he would go mad if he didn’t claim her. Just the sound of her laughter had his dick swelling so he was hard and aching. He wanted to throw her back onto the bed, spread her wide and mount her. Ride her until he spilled himself deep in her pussy, and bind her to him so she would never be free of them.

  Thorn made a silent vow that he would always show her that she’d made the right choice, that she would never regret binding her life to theirs. He would never fail her, and he would love her to the end of days.

  Turning his head he glanced over at Xavier and Galan, noticing that both of his friends were tense. “Will you be able to wait while we bond with her?” Thorn asked through their blood bond.

  “Aye, we will take her after you do, but hurry,” Xavier replied.

  Thorn could feel the urgency they felt that matched his own and knew they couldn’t wait much longer. He knew that waiting would be harder for Xavier, since he was the most demanding of all of them, but what surprised him the struggle he felt inside Galan. He could feel that it was costing them both to stand back and let Thorn and Brydan have their time with Alexis, and he appreciated it greatly. He didn’t want to have to fight the brothers of his heart, and knew he was close to violence if anyone challenged him righ
t now.

  Before he could say anything else, Alexis broke away from Brydan and turned to look up at him with concern. She stroked his cheek, and by the goddess, her soft hand on his face felt amazing. He rubbed himself against it, imagining how her tiny hand would feel stroking over his entire body and felt his cock pulse in his pants, straining to break free.

  “Where did you go?” she whispered softly.

  Not wanting any untruths between them, Thorn answered honestly. “I was speaking to Xavier through our bond. They need you as much as Brydan and I do and asked that we move this along.”

  The smile she gifted him with warmed his heart. “So, you really can speak to each other in your minds? That’s pretty cool.”

  “Aye, and soon you will be able to do the same. I do not mean to rush you, but we are barely holding on to our control. We need to mate with you, Alexis. We need to form the blood bond with you while we are deep in your body and claim you as our own.”

  Alexis’ eyes went wide and her breathing sped up. “Then don’t wait. I’m ready.”

  He growled as he crushed his mouth back down on hers, feasting on her sweet taste. When he pulled back he saw that Brydan had shed his clothing and was sitting down on the bed.

  “Come here, Lexie.”

  Alexis felt her heart pound as she looked at Brydan. Stars, he looked like some sort of golden god sitting there. All four males were gorgeous. With tight, roped muscles beneath golden skin, Brydan looked like her wildest fantasy come to life. She held back a laugh. Hell, this was a fantasy. Where else would she ever find four hot males who wanted to mate with her?

  Both Brydan and Thorn were slightly shorter than Xavier and Galan, but they were also broader, heavier with dense muscle. Brydan’s long, thick cock jutted out in front of him, pointing straight out like it was reached toward her. She could see a drop of pre-cum leaking from the slit and lust surged through her so strong that it made her knees go weak. She had never felt so wild with the need to fuck, to feel a man moving over her, in her. Her pussy clenched at the thought, and she knew if she didn’t get one of them inside her soon she would go mad, but first she wanted to taste Brydan.