by Jaymin Eve
It was near dawn when I felt Braxton and Jessa leave the room. The dragon shifter lifted his sleeping mate into his arms and strode out the door. I was still half asleep when Maximus scooped me up, and that’s when I realized we were walking too, out of the pack room and into another one of the doors on this level.
Awareness returned as I realized I was in his room. Something panged in my heart as I wondered if this was the space he’d shared with Cardia. He must have noticed the look on my face. His somber expression was enough for me to pull myself together and school my thoughts.
“This is not the room I shared with her,” he said, caressing the side of my face. “I switched rooms right after the battle. I didn’t want the dark memories to taint my world any longer. There has never and will never be any other in this room or my life. It’s all you, Mischa Lebron.”
He set me on my feet, closing the door we’d just come through. My heart was lighter as I took a few steps into the suite. There was a roaring fireplace near a small sitting area. In the other corner was a huge king-sized bed, decked out with a dark, timber base and ornately carved headboard. I could see a sparkling bathroom through an open door to our left, and there, in an alcove near the far corner, was a beautifully-crafted cradle, dresser, and change table.
I stepped closer to the baby stuff, my eyes growing warm and damp by the pure perfection of it all. Like the furniture at my parents’ place, everything here was hand carved and painted in shades of white and cream. Dashes of lilac brightened up the area: a lilac duvet in the cradle, and lilac stuffed wolf sitting on the dresser. There were also splashes of green. I turned wide eyes on Maximus. When had he had time to do this?
He answered my unspoken question: “My brothers helped set this up while you were recovering in China. After we’ve dealt with Kristoff, we’re going to work out a proper space for her,” he said, his eyes locked on me. “But this will do for now. She’ll be close to us, and that sits right with me.”
My mate was one very thoughtful vampire. Desire and love was bursting from me, and I really couldn’t halt my legs as I scrambled toward him. He caught me with ease, his lips crashing into mine as passion burst to life between us.
“Thank you,” I murmured between kisses. “Thank you for everything. For her. For us.”
Maximus’ eyes went black then, and my stomach did flip-flops. He moved in an instant, lifting me up and striding toward the bed. When we reached the thick mattress he laid me on my side and spread out next to me. His mouth was on mine, and I lost myself in the hot, hot kisses he was dishing out.
There was no way to stop, my body was on fire. I needed him to touch me, every part of me.
“Tell me if you want to wait until after she’s born,” he said, running his hand across the bump. “Not sure I can stop, but I’ll try for you.”
I wiggled closer, my hormones screaming inside. “If you stop, I’ll probably combust, and that can’t be good for anybody.”
He grinned, all shiny teeth and wicked dimples. Without any hesitation, he devoured me with a thoroughness that I remembered quite well. He had been like that last time, so attentive, so consumed by our lovemaking, as if he saw no one but me, as if he had never seen anyone but me. The first time we came together I’d been confused by that intensity. Now I understood. It was our bond.
Somehow my clothes disappeared, and so did his. His hands were large enough to thoroughly caress my body as he ran them down me. Everywhere he touched burned, until my skin was on fire, my lower body moving uncontrollably.
“Max, please. I need you to … holy … need.”
Nothing made sense, but he understood, and the caresses soon turned much more specific. His tongue followed the path of his hands, and under his expert movements the pleasure inside of me skyrocketed and I exploded into a million pieces. It took me a long time to pull my shattered core back together. That had been so much more than last time. The surge of emotion and love in our bond was working strongly, adding an intensity and strength to the attraction between us.
I wanted to touch him, my hands reaching out to caress the velvety hardness of him. He groaned against me before stilling my hand. “I have no control when it comes to you, and right now I need to be inside you.”
He turned me on my side, spooning his large body behind me. His hand came over the front to lift my leg. I felt his hardness against my core.
I had forgotten to ask Jessa about pregnant sex, but it didn’t seem like Maximus needed any instruction. Lifting my leg slightly higher, he moved and in one smooth thrust slid inside of me. My moan was loud, that first sensation of fullness enough to have me already on the path to a second orgasm. Maximus was a huge guy, and the first time I’d worried that it was going to be impossible to fit all of him inside without permanent damage. Now I knew the only permanent damage was my addiction to him. Something I could live with.
Using his strength to hold me up, he continued to move slowly against me, sliding all the way in before pulling out just as far, each movement exquisite torture. I hooked my leg around him to give more access, which freed up his hand. He touched the center of my body and stroked the sensitive nub there in time to the thrusts of his body.
Holy shit. Hell. Fuck. It was time to pull out the curses. Gosh-golly-gee was not going to cut it here.
“Max,” I cried out, the sensations so strong.
“Stay with me, Misch,” he said, gutturally. “I’ve got you, baby. Come for me.”
In that second I splintered apart, and the million pieces from before was nothing compared to the surging pleasure spiraling through every facet of my being. Maximus followed close after, his voice low and urgent as he thrust a few more times before groaning out my name.
It took a long time for my pulse to slow and my breathing to regain control. Maximus didn’t withdraw from me and I loved the sensation of such closeness with him. Eventually we had to clean up. I found myself standing in a huge shower stall, multiple jets pulsing at me and Maximus worshipping my body like he’d never seen a woman before. Which, based on his skills, was far from the truth. His fangs were showing, and I tilted my head back for him, but he shook his head.
“Not while you’re pregnant, Misch. You need to be at full strength. Very soon though I will taste you …” his mouth was moving again, and I lost all coherent thought.
Eventually he wrapped his arms around me and we sank to the floor. He cradled me between his legs and we let the water beat down on us. I was trembling, but there was no fear or worry in my mind. I wiggled myself around a little so I could see his face, the water dripping from his long black lashes, the dirty blond of his hair darkening to a deep, rich umber. In that moment there was nothing between us, no secrets, lies, or hurt. We were just two supes, bonded for life and totally wrapped up in each other.
“I love you, Mischa.”
He said it so strongly, nothing but surety in his words. Which made those perfect words seem so much more. His hands reached up and cradled my face and I let some of the tears leak out, knowing they were well hidden in the water streaming down my face.
“Even the strongest of mate spells could not come close to mimicking this bond between us,” he continued. “You’re everything to me and I love you so damn much.”
My lips crashed into his, and I was crying even harder. “I love you too. So damn much.”
Whatever barriers had been between us crashed and burned in that moment, and then I could feel him. In my mind. In my soul. The same way that Jessa and I were connected, that bond just settled into place.
Baby?
I laughed out loud, before pressing my head down to rest against his hard chest.
Our love broke the barriers.
He wrapped me up and peppered kisses across my cheeks and down to my lips. Your love set me free.
His love had set me free too, free from loneliness and pain. Free from a life half-lived.
Maximus Compass
I awoke moments before the alarms started blari
ng across Stratford. There had been a breach. I could feel it in my connection to the town’s securities. My eyes dropped down to the mess of dark hair beneath my hands. I’d had Mischa so tightly wrapped around me when we went to sleep that her hair was tangled around my arm.
Last night had been … everything. The bond between us was complete, and she loved me. I was one lucky son of a bitch, that was for sure. The fact that she could forgive and trust me with her body and her soul, well, I would never take that for granted.
Of course, now it seemed that some asshole was going to rain on the parade, and I didn’t need two guesses which asshole it was. Time to kill me a sorcerer.
Mischa started to stir as I unraveled our bodies and reluctantly pulled myself from the bed. By the time I’d checked the messages on my cell, she was sitting up.
“What’s going on?”
“Perimeter breach. The scouts are on it, but they don’t know for sure yet what’s set off the alarms.”
Tyson was out on the patrol line at the moment; he’d sent me a brief text with what they knew. Which was basically nothing.
Striding into my small walk-in-closet, I dressed quickly and grabbed my usual weapons. As I was leaving a glint of jewel and blade caught my eye and I realized it was the gift from the ancient Chinese supe. Instinct told me to grab it, so I strapped the sheath to my calf.
Returning to Mischa, I climbed onto the bed and crawled to her side, cupping her face, my fingers threading through the silky strands of her hair. Dragging myself out of bed was probably the hardest thing I’d ever done, I needed one last taste before leaving.
Her lips met mine and I was lost for a time. But I could only ignore the blaring of the sirens for so long, I needed to get out there and protect my pack and town.
“Stay here with Jess. She’s downstairs. We’ll secure the perimeter and then come back and find you.”
I reluctantly pulled away from her; she followed me off the side of the bed. I handed her one of my shirts, which she threw on over her nakedness. “I really don’t like the thought of you going out there without me,” she said, her features drawn. “But I’m pretty useless at the best of times, let alone preggo.”
I leaned down and kissed her one last time.
“Jess said I can borrow some of her clothes,” she said when we parted. “So I’ll get dressed and wait for you. Call me if you need anything. Keep me updated.”
A satisfied grin spread across my face. She was protecting me, her wolf all bristly and fierce. Nothing warmed my heart more than that.
“I’ll keep you updated, gorgeous.”
With one last look, she turned and strode from the room, assumedly making her way upstairs to Braxton and Jessa’s lair. I was relieved that the final piece of our bond was in place, now I could keep an eye on her while out on patrol. The pure rightness of our connection highlighted how screwed up my bond with Cardia had been.
I was definitely killing a sorcerer tonight.
Braxton was waiting for me on the front porch. Jacob and Tyson were already at the border. “Have you heard anything more?” he said.
I shook my head. “Nope, just that there was a breach of the force field on the west end. The patrolling group is checking it out.”
Braxton’s jacket scraped as he whirled his arms around. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. I can sense demon energy.”
My senses were on high alert too, and as we crossed through the town center I could see we weren’t the only ones. The townsfolk were out en masse, some of them shifted into their animals, others calling spells and elements to their hands, the demi-fey using their strongest of magic to ready against the threat.
“Councilmen.”
“Leaders.”
Braxton and I received greetings and acknowledgements from most who crossed our path. I noticed Jonathon striding across to join us. “Girls okay?” he asked.
We both nodded. “Safe at home for the time being,” I said to him. Couldn’t trust either of them to stay put for long, but right now their protective instincts were working in our favor. They wouldn’t risk the young.
My phone buzzed loudly. I quickly whipped it out and checked the message.
Incoming large group. Demon energy riding them.
I held Tyson’s message up for the other men to see and we took off at a run. Others of the community must have received similar texts from friends or family. They soon joined us.
Braxton started barking orders: “Remember, do not engage the demon touched. Louis left spells with his people, so our role is to round all demon-touched into a group. Then the magic users will immobilize them and send their souls back.”
No one questioned the dragon shifter.
“The only exception to this rule is Kristoff,” he added as we approached our men on the border. “His demon is like no other. Only Louis has the power to banish it. Leave him to Louis.”
Our group was about thirty strong, and there were another twenty or so already spread across the line. This was very reminiscent of the scene with Larkspur not that long ago. The only difference … our enemies were already inside with us.
The Tressa bear pack was charging through the forest, coming in at the opposite angle of the force field. I expected they were going to try to take out the patrolling supes and then interrupt the protections around Stratford to let that asshole sorcerer in. Their pack numbered in the forties, and judging by the dark energy they exuded, at least a third of them were demon-touched.
I picked up my pace, full-on vamp-sprinting to reach the patrol group. Tyson and Jacob were front and center. Elements whipped around the fey, his face dark and pissed off.
Braxton was close behind me, and when he reached our side the quad bond kicked into place. It was easy now, instinct. All of us absorbed some of the others’ power and our bodies changed to reflect this. Braxton shifted into his fusion mode, half man, half beast. If he fully shifted into dragon, the bond was harder to maintain, so he’d save that for the serious stuff.
“Is the fusion version immune to the demon?” I asked him, as we fell into formation on the front line.
He shook his head. “No idea. Hopefully I won’t have to find out.”
Supernaturals didn’t use guns much. The manmade metals did not react well to our energy, and more often than not would backfire on the user. Instead we preferred swords, knives, and anything else sharp and pointy.
With that in mind, I pulled free the long blade which I often carried in a scabbard down my spine. This was my favorite weapon; we’d been through a lot together. Bushidō was her name. She was a katana blade I’d received from a Japanese-born sorcerer many years ago. He was my father’s oldest friend, and he had gifted each of us with a specially designed blade. Master Koto had since passed on to the next life, which meant we were the last to hold one of his highly prized blades. So far it had never let me down.
A sorcerer started shouting from where he stood beside Tyson. “Those who are shifted into bear form are not demon touched. We’ll focus on the ones still in humanoid skin. Keep the others off us.”
The Tressa pack was almost on us. Most of them were in bear form. “The demons will be trying to open portals for more of their kind,” Braxton said, his voice growly and at a level of bass no human vocal cord could reach. “Kristoff’s demon has spread his seed in the bears and they are looking for more fertile ground.”
We had to end this now. There was a delicate balance between the demon lands and the other realms. The more demons here, the larger the opening between the worlds. We could be overrun with demons in a matter of months if we didn’t shut this down now.
I’m going to block you out now, Misch. Gonna kill me some bears. Be back soon.
Her laughter filled my mind. We do need a nice rug for the floor. Stay safe. Call me if you need help.
I sent her warmth and love before shutting down our bond. Despite her blasé demeanor, she really didn’t need to see this battle. The bears were so close now, but I
had enough time to turn to our people and say: “The Tressa pack is outlawed from Stratford. They’re to be considered dangerous criminals. We aim to incarcerate them in Vanguard. If they resist, you know what to do.”
With a roar I dashed to engage the bears, aiming for the ones who were shifted into seven-plus-foot thousand-pounds of furry beast. Bushidō cut through them with ease, severing heads and limbs in seconds. They had size on their side, but I was vampire, and our speed was second to none.
A gargoyle on my right cried out as a huge bear tore his stone arm off and catapulted it into the forest behind us. I snarled, and in a millisecond had sheathed my blade again, and with a crouching leap landed on the back of the massive shifter. My reflexes were almost doubled in speed while I was joined in the quad bond. My hands wrapped around the thick neck. The bear swiped across my arm, opening it to the bone, but that wasn’t enough to stop me. I twisted and wrenched and tore its head completely free from its body.
The gargoyle inclined his head briefly in thanks, before turning back to jump into the fray. Losing an arm wasn’t going to hold him back.
With a grimace I quickly tore some strips off the bottom of my shirt and used them to bind the freely bleeding wound in my arm. I’d heal fast, but the wound was deep and needed a little help.
The battle still raged around me. There were many bears littering the ground, but also some of our people. My brothers were fine. Braxton was battling two bears at once, almost lazily batting them away as they came at him.
“Stop playing with your food,” I said with a laugh as I dashed past him. He flipped me off, and then in a double move even I was impressed by, stepped to the right and ripped both limbs from one bear and then used the claws from one of those limbs to sever the other’s throat. Then he tore out their hearts. You know, just in case they weren’t dead enough the first time.
He joined me then as we made our way across to the magic users. “Did someone send Louis a text or smoke signal or something?” I asked Tyson when we reached his side.
