by Danica Avet
“Grant, I want you inside me.”
His eyes flickered up to her face and his nostrils gave that telltale flare before he shook his head. “You’re too hurt.”
She shivered at the rough sound of his voice. “You’ll be gentle with me. Please?”
He studied her for several seconds as the vibrator buzzed at the entrance of her pussy. It sent pulses of arousal through her and her body responded with eager moisture. But it wasn’t enough. Brilliant white teeth sank into his bottom lip as though he was undecided.
“Please?”
BOB went sailing across the room and Izzy wanted to cheer. Instead, she watched with hungry eyes as Grant slipped off the bed and started undressing. Would she ever get enough of seeing his gorgeous body? Probably not. It still made her breath hitch in her chest, her heart pound, and her body ready itself for his touch. His skin gleamed like antique gold in the weak light from the window, the bulges of his muscular form casting intriguing shadows she wanted to investigate. When his pants fell to the ground she thought her heart might explode. He was fully aroused, his flesh thick and ready. More moisture pooled between her legs.
“Come to me, minotaur,” she demanded in a husky voice that sounded completely unlike her.
He moved to the bed, his muscles flexing and relaxing with his every step. As smooth as water, he flowed over her, covering her from head to toes, yet not giving her any of his weight. Tears burned in the back of her eyes. He was so worried for her. Idiot bull.
“I love you, you stupid man,” she mumbled as she lifted her mouth to his.
His laugh was soft and intimate. “That’s good, otherwise I might have felt insulted.”
Their lips met in a gentle, searching kiss that quickly grew out of control. Izzy couldn’t help herself. She always needed more where he was concerned. Maybe in a few centuries she might be able to live on little doses of Grant, but for now, she planned to overindulge.
His erection pressed against her thigh like a brand and she needed it inside her. Now. Squirming as much as she could, Izzy tried to tell Grant what she wanted without words. He was a fucking genius, she decided with a sigh of relief, because he shifted his hips. The head of his cock nudged at the mouth of her pussy. But he didn’t enter her. In fact, he pulled back, lifting himself to his arms to hover over her.
“Grant,” she growled.
“You can’t move a muscle, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.”
The seriousness in his face told her he would stop if he thought for one moment she was in pain. “I’m a fucking Amazon, bull boy, pain is for pussies. Now give me my cock!”
A spark of amusement flamed to life in his black eyes, but quickly died. “You only get it if you promise to keep still.”
“Fine, but get to work already!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a mock salute.
And boy did he! With exaggerated gentleness, he positioned her body the way he wanted, spreading her thighs wide before he settled between them. Braced above her, his eyes met hers as he guided his cock to the tight entrance of her body.
She sucked in a deep breath as she felt herself stretch around him. Inch by slow, tortuous inch, he slid into her, gently forcing his way past the tight muscles of her channel. Her eyes rolled back in her head when he nudged the mouth of her womb. He was balls deep and nothing had ever felt so perfect.
Then he leaned over until his mouth touched the shell of her ear. “I love you.”
Just like that, her body went up in flames as her orgasm roared to life. Her pussy clenched around his unmoving cock. She tried to rock her hips on him for more, but he held her fast, keeping her immobile. He ground his pubic bone against her clit, prolonging her orgasm until she nearly fainted from the pleasure.
When she came to herself again, he was poised above her, his muscles trembling with the effort of holding himself still. Blurry-eyed, she blinked several times until she focused on his face.
“Now that that’s out of the way, I can pleasure you.”
“P–Pleasure me?” she stammered. “But—”
He shook his head, flinging his hair out of his eyes. “That was just the appetizer, baby.”
She only had a moment to think oh fuck before he started moving. Slow and easy, he shuttled his cock along her sensitized passage. Her nerve endings sparked back to life and the tension built again. She bit her lip to hold back her moans and pleas for mercy until Grant withdrew completely.
Her eyes flew open. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. “What—”
“Just wanted to make sure you were still with me, baby,” Grant assured her as he sank into her again.
Her eyes crossed, her toes curled as pleasure swept through her. Her mate was relentless, teasing her to the peak over and over again until she was soaked with sweat and begging him for release. Just when she couldn’t take it anymore, one of his hands slipped between them, his thumb strumming her clit.
“I love you,” she screamed at her hovering mate as the most powerful, crippling orgasm of her life slammed into her with all of the tenderness of a freight train.
Grant shouted, his body convulsing as her inner muscles massaged his cock with tight, relentless pulls. He bucked against her, again nudging her womb a split second before his seed jetted out of him and into her. The scalding hot splash of his release sent Izzy off into another mini-orgasm that caused tears to pour down her face.
For long minutes they ceased to exist, floating in the satisfaction they’d give each other. It was with regret that Izzy came back to herself, but she looked up to see Grant had returned as well.
His blue eyes glowed with love, desire, and contentment. “My mate,” he purred as he kissed her.
Humming with happiness, Izzy returned her mate’s kiss, immersing herself in his taste. One day, hopefully soon, she’d totally rock his world in return. She had a feeling their lives would be spent trying to one-up each other in bed and damn, what a way to go!
Grant pulled back to look at her again. “I just realized something.”
“Mm, what’s that?” she asked, not really interested. She felt so perfectly content, she wasn’t sure anything could fuck up her roll.
“You lost our bet.”
Her eyes snapped open. “No I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. I seduced you.”
“You did not. If you remember right, I seduced you first and then you seduced me. So I won the bet.”
He frowned down at her, but a smile lurked in his eyes. “I think we both won, what do you think?”
Izzy sniffed. “I’ll concede that it was a draw. So we’ll have to make another bet.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Epilogue
Three months later…
It looked like a battle was about to break out. The opposing sides stood far apart with a wide expanse of rich, green grass between them. It was completely silent as not a single being moved.
Izzy’s heart pounded as adrenaline rushed through her veins. This was fucking it! The moment she’d been anticipating for months! It was finally going to happen. Eventually.
She frowned at the cloudless sky and shrugged, trying to ease the tension from her shoulders. Her sisters held their heads high as they stared at the people across the field. Izzy followed their gazes and swallowed against the tightness in her throat.
There were hundreds of shifters staring back at her, their animal eyes assessing. Her heart fluttered before she forcibly calmed it down again. She was not a coward. She could do this.
Right?
Sudden movement from the direction of the Black Dog Camp interrupted her moment of self-doubt and she turned to watch. Grant, his hair shining like gold in the bright sunlight, marched behind Queen Albreda and her elite guards. His arms were at his sides, his face grim. He should’ve looked vulnerable striding behind the Amazons without his shirt, but to Izzy, he looked like a pagan god. She was mesmerized by the bunching of his muscles and the gleam of his sun-kiss
ed skin.
Someone elbowed her, dragging her attention back to what was happening. Rosetta frowned and shook her head. Reading the disapproval in her friend’s face, Izzy composed her face and stared back at the shifters across the field. They had glanced at Grant as well, and their faces were just as grim and unwelcoming as his.
Her palms started to sweat. She wasn’t sure she could do this. Gods, she had shitty timing! She should’ve spoken up weeks ago, but she’d been too focused on Grant and how he made her feel to actually think like a rational person. And now it was too late. Or was it? Her eyes searched for an escape route and she encountered Fallon’s steady gaze.
He winked slightly before he arranged his face into solemn lines. Okay, she could do this. Her friends had faith in her.
She sucked in a deep breath as Grant approached the center of the neutral ground between both groups. Without looking in either direction, he knelt on the grass and lifted his head to Izzy’s queen.
Queen Albreda stared at him for a moment before she swept her eyes over both groups focused on her. She held her hand out to Saga. A sharp tool was slapped in her palm. Her other hand went to Ocean, who placed a small pot in it.
The queen sought out Izzy and nodded. This was it. She stepped forward and marched to meet the group. She stared straight ahead, not sure she could keep her shit together if she happened to see doubt in any of her sisters’ or friends’ eyes.
She passed Fallon, Malachi and Lani, Ruby and Lucian, Connor and Piper, Shikoba, Tia, and several of her other close friends without meeting their eyes. Her throat was dry and threatened to tighten on her by the time she reached the queen, but she followed protocol and bowed her head.
“Isola Malone, you have requested that this minotaur be accepted as member of the Blood Maiden Tribe by right of mating.” Queen Albreda’s voice carried over the silent field. “Is it still your wish to bond with this male for the rest of your days?”
It took every ounce of willpower she had not to look at Grant. It wasn’t allowed, not yet. Instead, she met her queen’s calm blue eyes. She licked her lips, or tried to because her fucking mouth was still dry! Gah! Izzy cleared her throat. “Yes, my queen, I humbly request that Grant Strickland is accepted as my mate and welcomed to my sisters’ tribe.”
Albreda’s eyes went behind Izzy to the group behind her. “Do the Blood Maidens accept this request?”
There was a heartbeat of silence, and Izzy thought she was going to die. Then the field was crashed by the sound of hundreds of fists thumping on shields. The thumps were in absolute unison as every Amazon marked their acceptance of Grant into their lives.
Tears burned her eyes. Gods, she loved her sisters. She peeked down at Grant’s upturned face. And she loved this male with all of her being. If they hadn’t accepted him, she would have gone loner again to stay with him. Now, that wasn’t necessary. They would both be welcome in the Blood Maiden Tribe.
Albreda’s gaze swept over Grant. “Minotaur, you accept this Amazon’s claim?”
“I do.” His voice was steady and confident. The bastard. He could’ve at least sounded as freaked out as she felt!
“Then let the marking begin,” the queen announced.
* * * *
Grant held completely still as his mate’s symbol was tattooed on his chest. He’d thought his heart was going to stop when he’d seen how scared Isola looked. She’d looked like she was on the verge of bolting and only knowing he had to act docile had kept him from tackling her.
The Amazon mating ceremony was bizarre to his way of thinking, but considering the Amazons didn’t really have mating instincts, he supposed he could understand it. Unlike shifters, who had bonds that could be felt and seen upon a mating, the Amazons could only pray their hearts led them in the right direction.
He heard a woman sniffle and bit back his smile. His mother hadn’t been happy about the location or style of the mating ceremony, but she’d come around when she realized she had free rein over the food. None of the Amazons cared what they ate and would’ve gone hunting if it hadn’t been for his family’s vegetarian tendencies. Bella had rallied Paul’s former harem and all of Grant’s sisters for cooking duties.
He’d wanted to kiss his new in-laws’ feet for giving his female relatives something to do besides bother the hell out of him. The last three months had been spent trying to organize security for the Veilerian Ball, help his mate settle into the Black Dog Camp, fuck her blind every night, and deal with his family.
The tapping of the needle into his chest finally stopped and Grant blinked. It was over so soon? The thought had no sooner crossed his mind than dyed salt water was poured onto the marking. They’d told him the dye would sink into his skin while the salt water would keep his body from healing the wound. Sharp pain radiated from the spot, but he held his groan back. Damn!
Just when he thought he might pass out from the burn, something soft and smelling of roses tackled him. Automatically wrapping his arms around his mate, Grant let himself fall, landing on his back with Isola perched on him.
Their lips met and all pain was forgotten as she seemed determined to devour him in front of their friends and families. Grant was strangely okay with that idea and matched her tongue stroke for stroke.
A roar caught his attention and he pulled back to see that they were surrounded by Amazons, cow-swans, bear shifters, and other races. Family had interfered again. Dammit. He glanced at Isola to see her pupils blown wide with desire. Unable to help himself, he kissed her again before he allowed her to be pulled away by her sisters.
Someone gripped his hand and yanked him to his feet. It was his father, who slapped his back with a broad smile. “That was a fine ceremony, boy. You did good pickin’ her.”
Bella frowned at her mate before she dabbed at Grant’s tattoo. “It was barbaric,” she muttered in a soft tone to avoid being heard by the Amazons celebrating a few feet away. “Look at your chest!”
“That’s some tattoo, cuz,” Ricky drawled as he slapped Grant’s back. “And that was some kiss.”
But his cousin wasn’t paying attention to him, his eyes sweeping the crowd of guests for one Amazon in particular. Grant had told his cousin that Saga was not going to be receptive to him, but the bear was determined to get at her. He and Isola suspected the two would end up mating before the year was out.
Isola had been granted permission to reopen the Black Dog Camp as a training facility which meant Eustis was about to become a mecca for nomadic Amazons. The VPA, High Council, and Council of Amazons had all agreed that a camp run by a third party would aid the Amazons as well as others who wanted specialized skills. With Saga, Isola, Rosetta, and Ravanna as instructors, the camp already had over two hundred trainees. It meant a revival of the tithe laws, which had every Veilerian male within two hundred miles of the camp sweating with anticipation and fear.
Ricky had already told Grant that he planned to offer to pay his tithe to Saga at the first quarter. He only hoped his cousin realized what he was asking for. Grant had a feeling Saga would twist the bear inside out and sideways without a thought. Problem was, Ricky would love every minute of it.
He glanced at his mate, who was surrounded by her friends and sisters. She glowed with health and love. She was so beautiful to him, so utterly perfect, he’d spent the last three months thinking how lucky he was to have her as a mate.
She must’ve sensed his gaze because she looked over at him. The love and trust shining in her dark eyes left him breathless. Gods, he loved this woman!
Someone slapped his shoulder. He turned to see Fallon, Lucian, Connor, and Malachi standing next to him. They were all grinning like idiots, and that was when he realized he was as well.
“Great ceremony,” Lucian said with a hungry look at his mate. He was slightly sunburned, but it seemed that the potion one of his vampire friends had concocted was working.
“Ma fouine looks very happy, taureau,” Fallon told him with a solemn nod. “As long as you keep her t
hat way, we will not have problems, yes?”
He would’ve scoffed at the thought of fighting the incubus again, but realized it was Fallon’s way of saying he approved of their mating and wished the best for them. “Thanks, and yeah, you can kick my ass if I make her unhappy.”
“Unless she kicks it first,” Malachi inserted with a wicked smile. “That girl has some serious skills of the kick-ass variety.”
“Mm, man candy,” a deep voice purred.
They all whirled around to see Rosetta eyeing them like a hungry wolf. She was on the arm of a much shorter man with a round belly and glasses, but there was obvious affection between the two of them.
The round man cleared his throat and Rosetta blinked. “Sorry, baby. Y’all, this is my date, Bruce. Bruce, these gorgeous slabs of man meat are mates of my friends.”
Bruce nodded, but didn’t look in the least bit put out by Rosetta’s words. In fact, he looked downright indulgent as though he had a secret. From the smile on Rosetta’s face, it was a secret she shared.
Grant cleared his throat. “Thanks for coming, Bruce.”
Rosetta snickered and he felt a blush burn his face. That’s when he noticed that Rosetta’s lipstick was smeared, her hair was disheveled, and Bruce’s glasses were lopsided. Yeah, uncomfortable much?
“Are you tormenting my mate, Rosetta?” Isola growled as she appeared next to him. “Oh, hey Bruce.” She turned to Rosetta, her body tense. “You gonna make me kick your ass on my mating day, slut?”
The drag queen rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me windmill your ass like the dirty whore you are.”
Just when it looked as though the friends would scuffle, there was a loud crack that caught everyone’s attention. Heads swiveled as they searched for the origin of the noise until they noticed Ricky’s broad grin.
Saga was walking away from the bear, her body stiff with anger. The handprint on Ricky’s face was all the evidence anyone needed that the bear had pissed the Amazon off.
