The youngsters at the foot of the table seemed more sullen, and Meadow noticed how the new boys, Lukyan and Donat, were shooting daggers at Adam and Donny. It seemed Rosie’s boys decided to dislike the newcomers and vice versa. Seth watched them with a worried frown on his face.
Meadow pointed the situation out to Brencis, and he watched them for a while. It made Meadow feel good to know he took her observations seriously. By the time dinner was through, he looked concerned as well.
“I'll talk to Grigori about it,” Brencis said. “I can't do much else while I am in Glastonbury with you.”
“If you need to stay here and help out, I can go back alone, or maybe Seth could come with me,” Meadow said.
“No, mate,” Brencis said. “We stay together, whether we live in Glastonbury or here.”
“But if you are needed here, I don't want to get in the way of your duty to the pack.”
“My duty to the pack starts with you as my mate,” Brencis said. “You are my first priority.”
“As it should be,” Tolya said. “A toast to the ladies fated to be our mates. May they be fruitful and multiply.”
“Fruitful and multiply?” Meadow asked.
“That is Tolya's way of saying have lots of babies,” Melisande said.
Meadow glanced at Brencis, and he smiled and shrugged. The other men at the table, even the teenagers, were smiling and talking about pups in the pack. It seemed they were all excited about the possibility. Meadow swallowed hard and fought the wave of panic the thought of having a baby brought her. How could she run the shop and have a baby? Did she want to have a baby on her hip as she worked to make the rent? She wasn't ready to face being a mother. She was learning about being a mate.
Brencis realized Tolya's comment upset Meadow. He didn't realize how much until later that night when they were finally alone in their room and he took her into his arms. She stiffened against him.
“I'm not ready to be a mother, Brencis,” Meadow said. “I'm not on the pill. I guess I should have told you sooner.”
“It wouldn't matter if you were. The pill doesn't work on our mates,” Brencis said.
“Then, how do you manage conception?”
“We don’t. Every child is a blessing to us. In the last ten years only four of our women have become pregnant. All of them had boys, though Dmitry's human mate now has twin girls. Our people are in crisis. We have to search for mates among the human population and hope we can rebuild what once was a strong race.”
“I'm not ready to be a mother. I am just now learning to be a mate.”
“Meadow, it is out of our hands. We go on faith, like finding our mate. We hope she will conceive and bear us children, we have no guarantee. Don’t you see that having a child will be a miracle, a gift to our race? If we are fated to have children, then we will love and cherish them as the gifts they are.”
“I don't think I can do this . . . ” Meadow said.
“Of course you can, Meadow mine. You are my mate. You are strong, smart, loving, and kind. You will make a wonderful mother. And you won't be alone. The whole pack raises the child, loving and teaching them. Melisande and Josephine will help you as will all the males in the pack. We will love and cherish every pregnant female as the bringer of life to our family.”
“I can't work the shop and be a full-time mother. I am already exhausted most of the time.”
“Then, we will hire help with the shop, or we will sell the shop. You’ll have more help with the babies than you'll need. Every pack member will want to babysit. We can do this, Meadow. It really only takes a willing heart on your part.”
“I'm scared, Bren. What if I turn out to be a terrible mother like mine was? I don't even know who my father was.”
“But you won't. You are so kind with your clients, and you accepted my wolf spirit so readily. Do you think you will turn away from your own child? You are being silly. You’ve got to trust yourself. I know I trust you.”
“I almost poisoned you,” Meadow said.
“No, you gave me the best gift of my life, my mate.”
“Well, yes, but what if I had poisoned you?”
“I trusted you, Meadow, even when you were pouring that concoction into my mouth. Do you really think I would have swallowed it if I hadn’t trusted you not to harm me?”
“Your reaction was so bad, and you were so angry.”
“I was scared, Meadow, as you are scared now,” Brencis said. “You took away my control, and for an Alpha male that is a hard thing to endure. You made me face something I didn't want to see, and you did it so easily. Wolves can turn their fear into aggression. It is a safety response. You see a normal male before you, but the wolf is always a part of who I am. I'm sorry I turned that rage against you. I shouldn't have. It wasn't you I was angry at. If anything, I was angry at myself.”
“Why?”
“For not seeing you for who you are, for not recognizing my mate, when she stood right in front of me,” Brencis said. “I had been coming to your store every week for six months. Why did I let a little hair color and colorful clothing stop me from pursuing the feelings I felt growing for you?”
“Feelings?”
“Yes, feelings. I love you, Meadow. I adore you in whatever getup you decide to wear. You are my mate, my love, my life. Will you be my bride?”
Meadow let the truth of his words echo in her heart and felt it fill to overflowing. Before she could think, she threw herself into Brencis' arms, trusting he would catch her.
“I love you, too, Bren. I love you so much. I want to be whatever you need me to be.”
“That's just it, Meadow. You already are,” Brencis said as he held her close and kissed her. Pulling his mother’s ring from his pocket, he reached for Meadow’s hand and placed the square-cut emerald surrounded with small diamonds on her finger.
“It’s the same color as your eyes,” Meadow said.
Chapter Seven
“May I make love to you, Meadow mine? As my soul mate, you are my other half. I need to join with you. To claim what is mine.”
Meadow paused a moment. Did she hear him correctly? This was her dream—to have him make love to her. He was her soul mate. He had asked her to marry him. Surely, he should be her first. She wanted her first time to be with someone who mattered, someone who touched her on a soul level.
Gathering her courage, Meadow reached out and caressed the side of his face. The dark whiskers on his face were surprisingly soft, and she couldn’t resist petting him. He leaned his face into her hand, then turned to kiss her palm.
“Yes, I would like that,” Meadow said, loving the feel of his lips on her skin.
“Are you sure, Meadow? Once we start, I won’t let you go.”
Meadow smiled, but Brencis saw the uncertainty in her eyes. He laid her down gently on the bed, removing her boots before rising to remove his clothes. Meadow didn’t understand the mating bond required he make love to her. Still, he didn’t think he could stop now that she had agreed. She was his, his to care for and love, his to cherish for all time.
Brencis quickly divested himself of his clothes before moving onto the bed. He couldn't get enough of his little mate, her smell, the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips. Pushing her top slowly up and off, he revealed her flat stomach and then her rosy nipples. He leaned down, kissing her stomach and working his way up to her tempting peaks. He pulled the little bud into his mouth, sucking first one nipple, then the other. Rolling his tongue around it, he lightly bit down, causing Meadow to gasp.
She moaned and arched her back to give him better access, encouraging him to suck harder. She responded to each touch and caress, as though she was made for him to pleasure. Then, she buried her hands in his hair and held him to her. He loved the little sounds she made in her desire.
Meadow thought surely she would die of such extreme bliss. Fire was licking at her insides, and she felt a gush of warmth between her thighs. She whimpered and reached for him, needing to touch
him, needing to share the joy filling her soul.
Brencis slipped her soft skirt and underwear down her legs and then off, running his hand lightly over her inner thighs, teasing and tantalizing her. Her skin was so white. The contrast of his suntanned hands on her body was startling. Then, finding her sex wet with her desire for him, he rubbed and circled her sensitive clit, before dipping between her folds to penetrate her channel.
She was so wet and hot. For him. Feeling her body start to shake, he pushed his finger in deeper and then pulled out to circle her clit. She panted and began to writhe on the bed. He continued to tease her. Adding a second finger to the first, he pushed in and stretched her open. She was so tight, and when he did finally enter, he didn’t want to hurt her.
He continued to rub, feeling her clit grow harder and her desire more urgent. She cried out, and he smiled in satisfaction when she came calling his name.
“I like the sound of my name on your lips. Say it again, Meadow. Show me you want me.”
“Brencis. Yes, please. I want you.”
Meadow had never felt such delight. She wanted more. She knew how sex worked, and Brencis had not entered her. If that’s how it felt when he didn’t, what would it be like when he did? Would she survive?
He edged down until his face was between her thighs. She felt him opening her to his view, and she shuddered with excitement. He leaned down and blew across her flesh, and she gasped as his moist breath cooled her hot flesh. Goose bumps appeared on her skin, and she trembled with excitement. Then, he licked her. The shock of sensation had her bucking against his hold. She panted, pushing her hips up into his face.
Brencis chuckled and draped his arm over her thighs, holding her down so he could feast on her. He loved how she responded to his every caress. She tasted like milk and honey, the food of the Gods. He never would have expected her to be so passionate, or so willing to allow him to take control.
Looking down at him, she watched in rapture, as his emerald eyes sparkled with lust. His tongue entered her, pushing into her heat and lapping at her juices like a cat licks up cream. Watching him made her skin burn with desire. More, she wanted more. She could feel the fire within building again. Brencis’ eyes darkened as he continued to watch her. She was trapped by his gaze, unable to escape the feelings overflowing her body, unable to escape the emotional response to his pleasuring her.
He brought her to the brink again, using his mouth, licking and sucking on her clit. She was so wet for him and so tight with just his fingers pushing inside her. He mimicked the act of penetration and then retreated. Her juices wept into his palm, and he leaned down to lick her clean.
He opened his mind to the mating bond, pushing his desire into her thoughts. He let her feel the pleasure her response gave him. She moaned again, her body quivering with need. She returned his feelings with her own. Their combined emotions mixed together, building the connection between them, strengthening the bond so it could never be broken. His need and desire mixed with hers, until the mating bond glowed brilliantly and grew in diameter.
God, he wanted to be inside her, to feel her body gripping his shaft as he took her. Flipping her onto her stomach, he lifted her up onto her knees. Tilting her hips up to meet him, he pushed her shoulders down.
“Brencis?”
“I’ve got you, detka. Let me have you. It’ll be okay.”
Meadow wasn’t ignorant of various sexual positions, even though she was a virgin. She’d read erotic romances and even checked out the Kama Sutra. Still sex surprised her. Book learning couldn’t begin to describe the actual act. So far everything exceeded her expectations. What experience would he give her next? She lay beneath him, shaken from her previous orgasm, and groaned as he pushed the head of his shaft into her entrance.
“Meadow, you are a virgin,” Brencis said, surprised to find a barrier in place.
“Yes, are you mad?”
“Don’t be silly. But this might hurt, lyubov moya. I will try to make it quick.”
She had never given herself to another. Brencis felt a possessive burst of happiness that she waited to give her innocence to her mate. He hated to think that one more time he was going to hurt her. He was glad he had seen to her pleasure first. He sent his thoughts of need to her. How happy he was to be her first. How glad and honored it made him.
He gathered himself and lifted her hips higher to ease his entrance. Then, he thrust through the barrier and buried himself within her. Meadow moaned in pain and tried to move away from his invasion, but he held her still. Kissing her back and murmuring to her, he tried to gentle her, like a frightened deer.
“Give it a moment. Let yourself become used to me,” he said.
Meadow whimpered. Brencis leaned forward and kissed her neck, shoulders, and then down her spine. He licked and teased her. He fed his emotions to her through the mating bond. How pleased he was with having her. How soft her skin felt against his lips, how much he needed her, desired her. He felt her interest stir and her muscles start to relax.
He continued to tease her with his lips and tongue. He rocked forward and back, moving only slightly, waiting to feel her response. Meadow gasped, and didn't shift away, so he tried again. This time he withdrew a little further and then glided back in. It felt so good. She was so tight, gripping him like a fist. Never had he experienced the kind of pleasure she was giving him.
When Meadow leaned into his thrust, he let himself move more freely, building the tension, stroking her heat. He fed his pleasure into the mating bond, building the ecstasy wave by wave. Then, he positioned his hand, around her hip, to find her core. He stroked her clit, urging her higher, until she exploded with her second orgasm.
She came, screaming his name, “Brencis!”
Meadow’s body clamped down around him, pulling him deeper. The exquisite feeling of her body clasping his, bordered on pain. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Brencis thrust once, twice, and then he followed her, his yell sounding almost like a wolf howl.
The mating bond expanded to full size. Every ache, every ecstasy, now doubled and flowed back and forth between them. Brencis felt his heart open and fill with such emotion that tears came to his eyes. She was his.
“Mine, Meadow. This life and the next. You are mine.”
He buried his face in her neck and licked her pulse point. He felt his canines lengthen, and he nipped her, breaking the skin, marking her as his mate. Then, he licked at the wound, easing the sting. When they both stopped shuddering, he carried them down to their sides and spooned her. He loved how her breasts filled his hands.
“Hey, that hurt.” Meadow said as the pain faded to a slight sting. “You bit me.”
“Just a little bite, detka.”
Meadow had presumed he would be controlling in bed, she had loved every minute of it. Turning in his arms, she snuggled closer, her cheek pressed tight to his chest. He smelled so good, like fresh-cut grass and leather. Her first time with a lover had been perfect. She would never regret this stolen moment in time.
Brencis wrapped her in his arms and held on tight, never wanting to let her go. Soon, he could tell from her slow breathing and relaxed limbs that she slept. He climbed from the bed and fetched a wet wash cloth, cleaning the specks of blood left by her innocence. Pulling the covers around her, he kissed her lightly.
He smiled when she sighed and kept sleeping. She was his, and more, she had never belonged to another. Was that what she was hiding from the world, her innocence? If so, he was glad she did.
§
The next morning Brencis stretched and quietly exited the bed. Meadow was sleeping peacefully, and he didn't want to wake her. After keeping her up so late, he figured she needed her sleep.
Brencis slipped on a pair of pants and tiptoed out the door. He knew Grigori would be waiting for him in the sunroom. They had a habit of meeting and discussing pack issues before they started their day officially. Before Grigori had become Alpha, they had met to discuss whatever life was givin
g them, making sure they were both happy and content in their circumstances. When Brencis was very young, they would meet and Grigori would help him with his homework.
They had supported each other ever since they moved in together after their parents were killed. Vikenti, Dmitry's father had been Alpha at the time, and they became his wards. When they asked Vikenti whether they could keep Grigori's house and live there together instead of at the Alpha's house, Vikenti agreed. He and his wife, Yalena, kept an eye on the boys, made sure they had plenty of food, and helped them become self-supporting members of the pack. Brencis had always been glad Vikenti gave them the freedom they needed to be their own family, instead of part of his. Grigori and Brencis grew closer than cousins, more like brothers, and Brencis supported Grigori in all his undertakings.
Grigori smiled in pleasure as Brencis entered the room.
“You made it. I wasn't sure you would, now that you have Meadow,” Grigori said.
“You made it, and you have Melisande. Why should I be any different?”
“Mates can change things, and as you said at dinner, Meadow is your first priority.”
“Yes, but not my only priority. You are my family. I will always be available to you.”
“Thank you for that. How are things between you and your mate?”
“Good, though I don't get to make love to her as much as I would like,” Brencis said. “The shop keeps her very busy, and in the evenings she is often worn out. I think we will need to hire some help for her.”
“Have you given her your mother's ring yet?”
“Last night, before we went to bed. We haven't set a date for the wedding. I would like to make it soon. I will have to discuss it with Meadow, of course.”
“I will have Melisande call her cousin. He can get you a special license. I think Melisande is breeding.”
My Magic Mate Page 9
