by Ophelia Bell
Her own energy swelled yet again, and while he’d been determined to make her come under his mouth a moment ago, this time she caught a glimpse of the effort he put into drawing her pleasure out for as long as possible.
“Hold on for me, sweet pea,” he growled. “I want to make this good … show you what you mean to me.” Her ankle rested against his shoulder as he plunged deep, and he turned his head to press a reverent kiss to the side of her foot. In that moment, she was disarmed by the utter lack of self-consciousness this man possessed. His expression was completely bare and open, his adoration of her so complete a warm fluttering filled her chest.
That she could have two such different, yet completely focused men as these two for her mates had never occurred to her. Theron and Bekim she adored, but they felt like two halves of a whole. Zephyrus and Cade, however, were only together for one purpose—her—and they’d both worship her in their own way.
She held on tighter to the bars above her head, arching up as he cupped one breast and squeezed, then lightly pinched her nipple. He slid that hand down her torso and pressed his thumb between her legs, applying pressure to the hardened flesh of her clit. She let out a sharp gasp at the spike of pleasure that shot through her and realized at the same time that he’d pushed a third finger into her ass.
Sweet Mother, his cock was so big he’d rivaled the god who’d come before him. He rivaled full-sized dragons in their true forms. That he promised to use it in other ways was more thrilling to her than she could have expected. But the care he took to prepare her for it spoke of his determination to ensure her pleasure more than his own.
“You can come inside me,” she said. “I want you to.”
His eyes flashed, and she thought she saw a spark of the other being that resided within his body, as though Zephyrus might regret not being the one in control while they shared their final climax. But he’d had his turn and had used it well, proving how true his love was and had always been.
A low growl built inside the big ursa’s chest, the vibration rippling through him until she felt it deep in her core and at the base of her skull. “You’re damn right I’m going to come inside you. I hope you’re ready, because I’ve got a lot to give, sweet pea. I’ve saved every last drop for you.”
“Yes!” She pushed her hips up, meeting his quickening thrusts, the rising pleasure of her own climax swiftly surging to the surface.
Cade’s body glistened with sweat from his hours of exertion, yet he showed no signs of flagging. She should have guessed a Windchaser would possess such stamina. Though she adored her Rainsong lovers, she was often grateful there were two of them because she doubted one would be enough. How this Windchaser had been left behind as a lone bachelor made no sense. He had the skill and power to satisfy a dragon, not to mention any number of ursa females.
His jaw clenched and his torso arched, the hard lines of his abs standing out in the perpetual morning light. He shoved deep into her with a harsh grunt and threw his head back. The fingers inside her ass stilled even as his thick, hard shaft pulsed his hot seed into her.
Cade groaned long and loud, continuing to fuck her hard with each spasm until his thrusts made lewd squelching sounds from the copious essence that filled her. Numa’s entire body lit up from the surge of energy, but it was only a fraction of what she’d been sure he held back. Her heart fell when the waves of power subsided and he pulled out.
“I ain’t finished yet,” he said and gripped her by the hips, flipping her over in one swift movement. He hauled her close and shoved his cock back into her dripping snatch once more, but eased it out again and slid the shaft up along the cleft of her ass instead, coating her opening with their shared juices. He repeated the process, his cock still stone-hard and searing with the heat of his arousal as he stretched her well-used pussy, once again reminding her of his generous girth.
Three fingers slipped into her ass again, pushing the gathered lubricant past her barrier to coat it from the inside. Then his tip was at her rear opening and she braced herself, clinging to the bars of the headboard and mindlessly staring out the window behind the bed into the shimmering distortion of the temporal barrier.
“Tell me to stop if it hurts, sweet pea. But if you trust me, this will blow your mind.”
“I trust you.”
Just as his thick tip breached her barrier and she gasped in pleasure, his hand slipped around her hip and between her thighs. He hooked two fingers into her pussy, pushing them deep and fucking her with them as he eased his enormous cock into her ass. She clung to the pillows, digging her nails in until sharp talons erupted from the tips and downy feathers floated into the air from the rents in the pillowcases.
Every part of her told her to shift, that she couldn’t accommodate a cock that large where he wanted to put it, not in the shape she was in now. Her dragon form could take him easily, but she desperately wanted to feel what he promised her and knew that wouldn’t happen if she cheated. It didn’t hurt; it was just a mind-crushingly full sensation coupled with the stretch of the most sensitive part of her body.
Then his fingers found her clit and began to lightly tease, swirling more of the already overflowing fluids from her pussy until her entire lower body was awash in conflicting sensations.
“Come here, baby,” he growled behind her, sliding his hands up her sides and around her chest, pulling her up and tight against him. The shift in position forced her back and down onto his cock, and she cried out at the sudden and complete invasion of his entire shaft into her backside.
“Cade, please!” she yelled, too lost in pleasure to do more than beg.
He began thrusting deep, arms wrapped tight around her. Numa let her head fall back against his shoulder, surrendering fully to his hold. Cade pressed his lips to the side of her jaw, brushing them along her ear.
“This isn’t the end, sweet pea,” he murmured. “I’m going to fill you up more after this.”
“Yes,” she gasped, reveling in the sensation of his steady thrusts and the warm clasp of his palm at her throat, fingers sliding up her jaw to tilt her head to the side. He grazed his teeth along her neck and bit down lightly on her shoulder, sending a shiver of anticipation through her. He could mark her like this, and she didn’t think she would even object. It was rare for a male ursa to mark his mate, rather than the other way around, but it was done. Sweet Mother, she wished he would do it … take the decision away from her. Force her hand. Because she would love him as much as she loved any of them; she was as sure of that fact as she was of anything.
“Please … bite me, Cade. Mark me …”
He let out a rough groan and his teeth tightened on her shoulder, the pressure painful, but despite her plea, she knew it wouldn’t work. He didn’t have the magic to break her impervious skin.
Rather than try harder, he released her from his bite and shoved another finger deep into her pussy, finger-fucking her in tempo with the fiercer thrusts of his cock. His fingertips hit the inner wall of her pussy, the heel of his palm rubbing perfectly at the swollen bud of her clit.
Her disappointment of her unfulfilled wish dissolved amid the pure, bright pleasure of her orgasm as it rushed through her in a torrent. In her ear, he rumbled words of encouragement and promises of more power to come if she could take what he gave her now.
And give he did. His cock pulsed into her, the heat of the power flooding her body with even more potent energy than before, like he was saving up and doling out increasingly delicious servings to her with each round.
Numa shuddered in his arms as her pleasure abated. He held tight, his embrace warm and protective as he nuzzled at the tender flesh of her shoulder where he’d bit her. With one gentle kiss, he began to pull away, easing out of her with the care of someone well-acquainted with the sensitive nature of the part of her he’d been buried inside.
Before she could process the change in position, he’d scooped her up into his arms and stepped off the bed.
“What are you
doing?” she asked, eyes widening.
“I saw a big-ass bath in the other room. Thought we’d finish off our date in there. I mean to feed you the last of what I’ve got, but after being buried in your sweet little ass, I figured we ought to get clean first.”
She couldn’t argue with his logic, and the promise of more of his increasingly potent power made her mouth water, particularly since she realized that was precisely where he intended to deliver it. She bit her lip at the thought, remembering how desperately she’d wanted to taste Dionysus’ essence, but didn’t dare risk allowing herself to become drugged by that immensely powerful magic. She had no such compunctions against tasting Cade, and was suddenly giddy with the prospect of drawing the last of his pent-up power from him with her mouth on his beautiful cock.
He stepped into the cooling water with easy grace and lowered them both until he rested on one of the wide benches with her on his lap. Numa dropped her hands into the water, and it warmed at her command until steam rose up around them, clinging to their skin.
Cade sank lower and sighed as he drifted a wet hand up her naked back and back down. “Wish we’d had dragons in the Sanctuary a long time ago.”
“It wouldn’t take much effort to add hot running water, you know.”
“Oh, we have it at the Windchaser Lodge. Gets too damn cold up there to go without. Rainsong ursa mostly bathe outdoors, so it never seemed necessary. But this is heaven.”
He pulled her against him, and the two of them luxuriated until Cade’s breathing grew slow and even. Numa glanced up to see his head tilted back against the edge of the bath, his eyes closed. Yet despite his relaxed state, his cock was still a hard, thick presence sandwiched between his belly and her hip.
Numa leaned over to the edge to grab the soap and a cloth and began to slowly wash his shoulders, taking care to maintain gentle strokes to avoid waking him yet. Their time together was to end soon, but she didn’t want to rush the final moments. The power he’d granted her so far was not quite enough for what she would need for the ritual, but if his aura was any indication, he still had quite an impressive supply to let go.
She eased off his lap and crouched in the water between his knees. Soaping up both hands, she smoothed the suds across his chest, enjoying the coarseness of his hair beneath her palms and the way his nipples hardened when she passed her fingers across them. Cade let out a soft murmur of pleasure and his aura flared under her touch.
“Zephyrus, you chose your partner well. Thank you for him.”
Cade laughed softly and a warm breeze blew through the room, dissipating the steam and cooling it on her skin. He lifted his head, but the eyes that regarded her were not the ursa’s. Numa’s heartbeat quickened and a smile stretched her lips in recognition of her other lover.
“I had little choice in the matter, but such is the way of Fate,” Zephyrus said. “I don’t doubt your father put the man in my path just to toy with us both.”
Numa gave him a stricken look. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this. I followed the rules. Kept my siblings in line when we were governing the dragons. I was good.”
His expression grew somber and he lifted a wet hand to cup her cheek. His touch eased her agitation. “Sophia would have a better answer for you than I have. She has Fate’s ear and Fate’s trust, but I doubt she can influence Fate any more than we can. Were I to hazard a guess, it is because the dire nature of your mission requires a clear head uninfluenced by outside elements. There are greater powers at work in the universe than the gods who spawned us. Whatever it was that corrupted the creature we are fighting may have Fate backed into a corner.”
Numa frowned up at him and narrowed her eyes. “That explanation is a little too specific for me to believe you don’t have some information. What do you think we are up against? Dionysus wasn’t very forthcoming.”
“Dionysus is too close to the offending party to know. It’s one of his spawn who succumbed to the corruption. My brothers and I only know that an older evil once existed, but was believed dormant: an elemental force that abhors light. We hoped that Meri’s corruption was merely a superficial desire for immortality, but can’t discount the possibility of something more sinister at work. Something cursed since the beginning of time.”
Numa’s skin prickled as an ancient memory shifted beneath the surface of her waking thoughts: The curse her kind had long dreaded coming to fruition, but which had taken a backseat to more pressing perils over the past year since the most recent Ascension.
There was one creature she trusted to tell her the truth, but at the moment, that individual was out of reach. Once she completed the ritual and opened the portal, she may have the chance.
“The Diviner may be able to tell us the answer. She is more attuned to primordial forces than the rest of us.”
The air cooled around her as another, more agitated breeze rippled the surface of the bath. “Would she offer more than riddles in answer to your queries?” Zephyrus asked. “I have never liked that creature. She is too close to those old forces for my taste.”
“She’s my sister. I would trust all my siblings with my life.” There was more to her optimism about getting answers from the Diviner. The ancient creature was also the offspring of a secret union between Dionysus, Gaia, and the Mother Dragon. She possessed immense primal power and was immune to Fate’s influence. If anyone had a clear view of the truth, it would be her. But they had to reach her first.
Cade pressed his lips into a line and his brow twitched. The muscles in his face rippled and shifted, then stilled. He let out a sigh.
“Zephyrus? Or Cade?”
“Cade is insisting I allow him to finish what he started. But before I give him control again, please know that my brothers and I have more resources to help if we find the fight more dire than expected. They will come when the portal opens, regardless of who you choose as your mate.”
“Thank you,” Numa said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He leaned down and kissed her, the press of his lips a soft, sensual farewell. Within seconds, the kiss deepened and his hands tightened at her hips, then slid up to cup her breasts.
A low, rumbling growl rose from Cade’s chest, signaling that the bear was back, and he was hungry. His cock surged against her hip, and she reached between them to wrap her hand around him.
He gripped her thigh with one big hand and she parted for him. He slid his fingers along the inside up to her tender folds and stroked. Pulling away from their kiss, he gave her a wicked look.
“I’m half-tempted to leave you filled with my spunk for those Rainsong boys to have a taste of when they get to you. Think it would give me an advantage?”
Numa shuddered under his deliberate strokes already sending her close to another climax. “That would be rude and mean,” she said, forcing an admonishing tone, yet lacking conviction under his expert touch.
“Mmm.” He nodded. “Then we’d better make sure you’re good and clean.”
He twisted, gripping her by the hips and lifting her out of the water. Her eyes flew open as he set her down on the edge of the tub and pushed her knees wide.
Gazing down at her wet pussy, he shook his head and made a tutting sound. “A real shame to wash that scent off you, but you’re right. Want to keep things fair, after all.”
He shot a grin at her, then reached to the side of the tub for the cloth. His aura flared bright when he dropped to his knees on the bench beneath the water and dipped the cloth in to soak it. First he squeezed the cloth over the top of her cleft, the warm water trickling down into her folds. With his other hand, he gently parted her and held her open while he pressed the cloth between her lips and stroked. He was businesslike in his movements, focusing intently on his task, despite the clear arousal flaring his aura to a bright red-gold that betrayed the generous amount of power he had left to give.
Numa was enthralled watching him carry out what he’d convinced her was a task of utmost importance. It would be unfair to make Bekim and Theron t
aste the other man on her when their turn came, though the idea made her blood heat. She was well-acquainted with the taste of both ursa males after sharing her bed with them for the past several weeks. They both enjoyed tasting each other on her as well.
“How well do you know them?” she asked, breathless from the slow, steady strokes Cade gave her clit with the soft cloth. He still made a pretense of washing her, periodically dipping the cloth back into the water before squeezing it over her pelvis and then returning to rub it in tight little circles over her clit.
He lifted his blue gaze to her face and raised his eyebrows. “The Rainsong boys? We’ve crossed paths. I used to think they had the right idea, opting to commit to serving the females in the Sanctuary rather than seeking out a permanent arrangement with one, but now I wish they hadn’t. Less competition would be nice, even if I still had to go up against a god to win you.”
“We have a bond already, I should warn you,” she said, the words slipping out amid a haze of pleasure that made her far too comfortable and eager to open up to this man.
He lowered his gaze and seemed to contemplate his steady stroking, then tossed the cloth aside. Before she could react, he’d pushed her knees up, yanked her hips to the edge, and pushed the massive length of his cock deep into her once more.
Numa let out a gasp of surprise that degenerated into a moan as her back arched, and she pushed her hips up into his urgent, pumping thrusts. Cade hovered over her, his blue eyes blazing.
“How much of a bond do you think we’ll have, after I give you all I’ve got?”
She whimpered as he slowed, aching for him to give her the release his touch had promised only moments earlier, but that he seemed intent to withhold from her now.
“One that would last forever, if I chose you,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter, does it?” Her core screamed for release, even as the ache of acute longing took up residence in her chest. She wanted this. Wanted Cade and Zephyrus every bit as much as she ached for a more lasting bond with Bekim and Theron. But she was right; none of it mattered when they were up against a god who she was almost positive had held back his true power. Despite Dion’s lapse and display of a level of honor she didn’t think the gods possessed, she had a sinking feeling that the rest of these tests may be an exercise in futility.
