And just as he explained, a calmness and warmth swept over her as she stared at the beautiful garden. No. It was more than that. It was a feeling of coming home, of belonging to something greater. Whether again her Empathic abilities were growing or perhaps even evolving into what they should have been all along, she felt almost complete. She could feel the mate bond in the back of her mind, not yet forging the permanent link that would join her soul to Ryan’s. Soon. Soon.
As her gaze skittered across the amazing chamber, a small part of her wondered what exactly Ryan was doing. She could see him doing something to the statuary out of the corner of her eye and it made her lips quirk up in amusement. Did she even want to know what he was doing to the marble statue?
Flowers, more gorgeous and exotic than she ever could have imagined, hung from every available surface. The ceiling had what looked like buttresses built beneath it. Vines and flowers were wrapped around the framework, spreading down the walls in a blanket of vibrant blooms. Having lived on Chantrea for over five years now, she knew quite a bit about the native flora on her adopted planet. Out of the corner of one eye, she caught a flash deep purple, a Tupa—one of her favorite colors for that particular plant. Her eyes widened yet again when she spotted a gorgeous bright pink Aseda, the Chantrean bloom for fertility. She let out a surprised squeal. The flowers were similar to Earth’s daisies, except the color was all wrong. Yet the Aseda was the one flower that always brought a smile to her lips and made her heart feel lighter, at peace. She could honestly believe the Chantrean flora excreted a mood-enhancing chemical because she always felt better when messing around with her window garden in her suite.
Allowing the sense of calm to wash through her, Liana’s gaze settled on her mate. His slow amble caught her attention, kept her focused on the one part of him she was dying to feel stretching her. And of course, as she stared, his cock grew thick and long in front of her eyes. She was so focused on the one part of him, she didn’t even notice what was in his hands until he threaded his fingers with hers just before one end of the silken material wrapped around her wrist seemingly of its own accord. How did it do that?
Heart pounding, her eyes widened even further when she watched the other end of the material slide over their clasped fingers and wrap itself around Ryan’s wrist. If that hadn’t been bizarre enough, the material tightened then began to shimmer, before it started to sink into her skin. It didn’t hurt, in fact it she only felt a warm, tingling hum, like mild electric current, as the material bonded with her own flesh, becoming one with her. Then, a roaring wave of emotion rolled over and through her, overwhelming the barriers she’d built to protect herself, as lifelong Empath from other’s emotions overwriting her own.
She felt so inadequate in comparison to what she could feel coming from his soul. What she wouldn’t give for something sexy to wear right now, something to make her feel beautiful enough to deserve to be with him.
Baby, you’re perfect just the way you are.
What? “How are you doing that?”
That’s the Manruvian Mate Bond at work. Not only can we communicate with each other. Just think what you want to say and I’ll hear you unless I’m unconscious, then you might have to keep trying. The material is sentient and blends with our DNA, building a bridge between our souls and our minds, joining us on a much deeper level than humans develop even after decades of living together. What one knows and feels, so does the other. I’ve been told that those who share a true mate bond—the sentient material wouldn’t have reacted at all had we not already been soul mates—find it impossible to cheat on their spouses or to do anything purposely to cause harm to their mate.
Liana nodded, then reached forward and cupped his cheek in her palm. His stubble scraped the inside of her palm sending shivers of awareness surging through her body again. Goddess, if she didn’t fuck him soon, she might just implode.
“You don’t need to convince me. Remember, I wanted to become your mate before the freaky dissolving material bound us together.”
Liana’s skin began to itch, her nipples were so hard and sensitive she could probably come just by breathing on them. What the hell was happening to her? She’d never been this aroused, this needy for a deep, long fuck in her life. As she stood there, one hand still clasped with Ryan’s, her palm cradling his jaw, she couldn’t help but imagine using her tongue to stroke along the length of his cock, swirling around the crown, until he was so hard for her that one swallow of his length down her throat would have him flooding her mouth with his seed.
With constant thoughts of sex running through her mind like a bad porno, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d finally lost her mind as well as control over her gifts. Had she finally slipped over the edge of sanity? She didn’t think so, but if he didn’t take her soon or do whatever it is they needed to do to become mates officially, she might just have to attack him herself. She’d never attempted that before, and she didn’t want to have to do that this time. She wanted—no, needed—him to take charge.
Nervous now, because duh, she just realized he could hear every thought she’d been thinking and how embarrassing is that, she nibbled her bottom lip unsure of what to do, what to say, and most of all how to proceed, having never actually made love with another before.
When he grew tenser, she became even more nervous. Almost simultaneously, their breathing rhythm changed, became grunting pants. Sweat pooled on their foreheads and their eyes began to dilate as the tension in the room grew so think you could probably cut it with a medical grade laser scalpel.
Before her eyes, his cock grew even thicker, longer beneath his pants. How would he ever manage to fit that inside her and holy hell, she gulped, wouldn’t it hurt?
Ryan gave a pained chuckle. Yes, it hurts and yes, it will fit. We were made for each other, so don’t let that worry you. Now come here…I’ve been waiting for you all my life and don’t want to wait a moment longer to be yours and make you mine.
Chapter Nine
Beneath the confines of his pants, Ryan’s cock grew thicker and longer than he ever thought possible. Shards of frustrated pain tore down through his shaft and seemed to wrap around his balls. Goddess, he wanted to mount his mate so bad, he practically shook from it. But beyond even the pain of sexual frustration was the desperate need he had to show Liana that he cared for her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and just comfort her. More than the sex, he wanted to protect her from everything and everyone that ever thought about harming her, because he didn’t back down either. And no one would ever harm his mate and live. No one.
Although less than a foot separated them, he knew that if he got any closer, they’d be making love right here, right now, and the ceremony they had their hearts set on wouldn’t happen. So, taking a deep breath and gathering up his remaining control, he stepped back, allowing more breathing room between them. By the Goddess, he needed to get inside her and he needed to do it soon.
Shuddering, Ryan took another step back. Instincts as old time urged him to retreat further, but this time he held out his hand for her—and only his hand, because if he pressed against her in any way he’d lose what little control he had. It didn’t help that because of the bond between them, he could feel and hear everything she did. How did she cope, listening to everyone else’s emotions every day? How did she cope without getting completely overwhelmed?
When she smiled at him, his whole world lit up. He wanted to crush her to his chest, and cradle her next to his heart. At least now that he’d finally found her, now that they would finally be bound, he wouldn’t ever have to give her up, even if one of them moved from this life to the next, they’d be together forever. One soul, reunited.
As gently as he could, he traced the side of her face with the sweep of his thumb. If he lost her now, he’d never survive the loss, nor would he want to. That he knew absolutely. There were so many fantasies he wanted to fulfill with Liana, so many ways he wanted to love her, to touch her, but for here in this roo
m, only one would do. Stepping back, he held out his hand.
“Will you be my mate, Liana? Will you claim me as I claim you?”
Without hesitating, she placed her hands in his. “I will. Forever and Always. I’ll spend forever and always with you, Ryan.”
Letting out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d held in anticipation of her answer, he laced their fingers together and led her through the flora, deeper into the Mating Chamber, and toward the one place they needed to be to get what they both wanted—each other.
Looking his mate in the eye, he spoke of the ritual they’d soon perform. All the mating rituals that take place on the Vengeance take place here in the center of the conservatory, a place of worship and peace that it’s said the Goddess Alana herself has blessed. Turning his head, he spotted the bathing pool where impurities would be washed from the body. The basin filled with Alana’s tears sat on a pedestal near the bathing pool. It’s said that to drink the Mother Goddess of Chantrea’s tears purifies the Lionese soul. And finally, the flowering Garden where they’d make love represented their people’s respect for nature and all living things.
It’s said that the couples that speak their vows in this clearing, to lie in it with your lover the first time you come together as mates, is the highest honor you can bestow upon the Mother Goddess of Chantrea, Alana, and that in return she’ll bless your mating herself. Whether that last part was truth or not didn’t factor into it. The Lionese of Chantrea had taken him in, their Goddess had whispered to him, giving him the strength he’d needed to escape the Black Rose’s clutches. He’d honor his new people, his Goddess, and his mate by taking the most solemn of his vows here where so many had chosen to complete their mating before.
Swallowing past his fears, and gathering his courage around him, Ryan dropped Liana’s hand and stepped back, praying to the Goddess that his mate would begin the claiming, that she’d need and want him as much as he did her.
* * * *
Although she didn’t know many details of the Chantrea Mating Ritual, she did know that the woman must be the one to initiate it thanks to some comments Amy had let slip over the years, so when Ryan stepped back, she didn’t assume he was rejecting her. She did have to admit, the location the Chantreans used to complete their ceremonies was breathtaking. She couldn’t stop looking this way and that, trying to take it all in, so when she took this memory out over the years none of the details would have faded.
She quickly took in everything around her from the tiny pond to the benches and statuary placed casually around the center. Flowers sprang up from the grass like a mystical meadow, and such a feeling of peace and serenity emanated from here that she knew the Goddess Alana herself must have blessed this ceremonial lea. She could think of no greater place or time to claim her mate than here, than now.
Again, the shimmering pool of turquoise water dominating the center of the meadow drew Liana’s gaze. Following her instincts, something Amy had stressed to do if she ever had a chance to claim her mate, Liana stopped at the edge of the water, then looking over her shoulder, she called out to her mate. “Ryan, will you join me in the water? I’d like to bathe you, please.”
A moment of panic raced through her when Ryan didn’t immediately answer, but a quick glance over her shoulder showed him stripping out of his clothes so fast one would think they were on fire. While she waited for Ryan to join her, she glanced around the meadow again, enjoying the whimsy of the flowering bushes and the classical beauty of the statues, as well as the practicality of the benches. It all came together to make a beautiful whole.
“Will you allow me to take care of you tonight?” Liana asked, her heart suddenly beating too fast, as though her body just now realized how much was at stake, how much she could lose if this didn’t work out the way she wanted it to. Not waiting for his answer—she’d drag him into the water if she had to—she lifted her top over her head and tossed it onto the nearest marble bench. After turning to face her mate, she undid the front clasp of her bra and let it gape open, hoping to entice him, perhaps tease him just a little. Hell, tease them both.
”Of course I will, moya, my love.”
With his warm gaze locked with hers, she swallowed the lump in her throat as she waited for him to come to her. She was stunned as more and more of his body was revealed to her. When Ryan’s pants joined the pile containing his shirt and shoes, she had to gulp. Holy Mother, she’d never seen a better body on a man! And that would be all hers? Thank the Goddess she hadn’t known what he’d looked like naked. She might have screwed everything up and jumped him early, had she known.
She would have enjoyed seeing the shiny material fall to the ground in a heap, but she couldn’t say the view of his chest wasn’t just as mouth-watering as the rest of him. Following her instincts, Liana stepped forward and took Ryan by the hand, leading him into the inviting turquoise water. She wanted—no, needed—to bathe him with her own hands, to wash him clean while exploring his rippling muscles. She wanted to feel them flex beneath her fingertips and know that his strength would be there to protect and shelter her, as she would shelter and protect him. She also wanted to see the water run down his hard body in rivulets, and chase them down with the tip of her tongue.
So, what was stopping her from doing what she needed, what her instincts were telling her to do? Amy said to follow her instincts if she ever mated and that’s exactly what she planned to do—starting right now.
She’d never made love before. Being an Empath had made it nearly impossible to be physically close to a person, and being an Omega meant no one respected her. She could never be with someone who wouldn’t respect her. Instead, she’d chosen to remain alone, but now, she’d chosen to claim her mate. Lack of experience didn’t mean she couldn’t figure out how to go about it, did it? How hard could it be?
She’d seen enough women with seduction on their minds to know that his cock wouldn’t be standing at attention if he didn’t want her as badly as she wanted him. Besides, she could feel how much he wanted her, desired her, which desire was only overshadowed by the desperate way he adored her. He was everything she’d dared not hope she’d ever have for herself.
By the time Liana kicked off her pants, Ryan stood just in front of her gloriously nude, all golden skin glowing with perspiration, and almost as desperate to be touched as she was to touch and explore him. Again, their needs built off one another, feeding off each other, creating an unending loop of hunger and need, desperation and wanton desire. It only took a few steps for her to reach his side, and when she did, she took his hand in hers and led him to the water.
As she led him into the pool, she allowed her instincts to take over completely. This wasn’t just about her, or about him, but what they were going to build together, the life they’d share together from this day forward. She knew just what she had to do next. First, she would lead him to the center of the pool and after she made sure to wet his skin thoroughly, she’d trace every droplet with her tongue. By the time she finished, she hoped his every nerve shrieked with intense sensation and he wouldn’t notice any of the uncertainty and downright panic she’d no doubt feel at doing something she’d never done before, or even researched how to do. She just had to keep reminding herself that women had been pleasuring men for as long as people roamed the earth, and vice versa. She could—no, would — figure it out, too.
Chapter Ten
Elation. Excitement. Heady desire. They all warred inside him as his mate prepared to start the Mating. Even though he’d heard that a human raised Chantrean did have the instincts necessary to claim a mate, he wasn’t positive, not until she actually started listening to the needs warring inside her and screaming to be heard. He still could not believe that the Goddess Alana had felt him worthy of Liana. Hell, he’d never understood why she’d chosen him to speak to while the Black Rose had kept him prisoner.
Do you not know? Truly? There is a pure heart inside you, Ryan. A soul so precious and rare that to leave you wand
ering alone, always searching yet never finding, would be a sacrilege. You deserve this and every happiness that comes your way.
Ryan’s eyes widened when he realized the Mother Goddess had chosen now to speak to him after so many years of silence. Her voice had not filled his mind since his escape from the Black Rose five years prior. I may not think I deserve Liana but I won’t turn away from her either. She needs me almost as much as I know I need her and together we’ll do great things for your people, my Goddess. This is our vow to you, Mother Goddess. Once we rid the world of the Black Rose, we’ll turn our sights to discovering our true enemy, so that we can give your people back the gift of life.
I know you will. You and Liana were always destined to be. You two are the catalysts that will lead to my children’s salvation. Liana’s Empathic abilities are what you need to truly heal, and your love and loyalty are all the magic your mate needs to be what she’s always been destined to be. Embrace your future, your destinies, together, as it was always meant.
As Liana made good on her promise to bathe him with first her hands and then her tongue, Ryan clenched his hands at his sides, doing naught to interrupt the delicious torture. When her small hand fisted around the length of his cock, Ryan’s thoughts scattered. Her scent, rich and intoxicating, surrounded him, making more blood pool in his groin and yet more. Precum wept from the head of his cock but he made no move to hide it. Let her see exactly what her touch, her scent, did to him. Closing his eyes, he let the water lap at his waist, let her tongue lap at his body, and submerged himself in the experience, let himself be seduced.
Inhaling her rich scent, he opened his eyes to find her looking up at him through half lowered lashes. When she nibbled her lower lip in a totally provocative move, his breath hitched and blood surged through his shaft, making it bob against his stomach.
Worlds Apart 4: Ryan's Hope Page 6
