Stretching his wings back, he was careful not to lean too far forward as he kept his shoulders out of reach. Lifting her leg, he brought her ankle to his lips, kissing a hot, wet trail along her calf. Ari pulled on his shirt, tugging at the laces over his chest. When she couldn’t work them free, but instead merely loosened them, she reached lower to his breeches.
Rurik dropped her leg, angling his body between her thighs. Pulling her down so her legs were bent over his, he caressed her hips and stomach, rubbing in slow circles up toward her glorious breasts. They were soft, pliable mounds in his palms, so big they overflowed in his hands. The gown she wore had hid their true size from him and he relished the discovery of her large nipples. The erect peaks begged for his lips, but he held back, fearful she might discover his wings if he leaned forward.
Her fingers skimmed over his clothed arousal, the touch so hesitant yet unyielding that his cock couldn’t help but fill to the point of explosion. By law, he knew she had only three lovers at most to minimize the risk of jealousy over her position, so it was possible she was nervous.
When she didn’t free his erection, he reached for his own waistband and unfastened it. He pushed his breeches down just far enough to free his arousal for action. Her fingers glanced over the turgid flesh and he nearly came.
Rurik grabbed her wrists, holding her arms to her sides as he finally leaned down. Worshiping her with his tongue and mouth, he licked and kissed her stomach and breasts, moaning softly just to taste her. Ari wiggled beneath him, her body so warm and eager. Not letting go of her arms as he dragged his tongue down to the apex of her thighs, he moaned louder as he tasted the sweet cream of her sex.
“Ah,” she gasped. Rurik closed his mouth around her, licking and nibbling along her folds, only to suck her clit. “Oh!”
When the sound of her voice turned into incoherent pleas and her body was thrusting in rhythm to his tongue, he knew it was time. Crawling on top of her, he slid her arms up, keeping her hands from exploring.
Leaning over, he pressed his mouth to hers. She jolted in surprise and he used the chance to kiss her deeply. Her hands slipped from under his hold, reaching up to capture his neck. She kept him to her mouth as he spread her legs wider in invitation. In all his wildest dreams, he never imagined that Ari would be in his bed.
He hesitated, feeling a wave of guilt. The uncertainty was as unfamiliar to him as losing and he didn’t know what to do. Rurik started to pull back. With a few words, he could drive her away forever. She wasn’t his. He knew that. They came from different worlds, were born into different worlds. She was born to rule, he was born to fight.
“Nae,” she whispered. “Stay.”
Ari ran her hand down to his cock, rubbing it as she drew the tip forward to her sex. She offered her body to him, so sweet, so soft. He was powerless against her. She seized a part of him, a part that she’d always held, a part that kept him from all others throughout the many years. Rurik hadn’t wanted to admit it his whole life. Once, he’d dared to hope, but he now knew how foolish hope was.
Once, he thought, taking what she offered. He thrust forward, sliding in her cream as he pried her body open to his. The tight feel of her squeezed him and he groaned in pleasure. His wings beat slowly, as he thrust, their subtle yet strong movement propelling him steadily in and out.
He couldn’t take it. She jerked, tensing as she came. Grunting, he joined her in the blissful surrender of release, letting his seed spill within her, claiming her as his, marking her. Without thought, he collapsed forward, sure he’d never felt so scared or so happy in all his life. He tried to cling to the moment, knowing that it couldn’t last, no matter how badly he wanted it to.
Chapter Three
Ari couldn’t believe how blessed she was. Her body sung with the intensity with which she came. The pleasure she’d given herself in the silent hours were nothing compared to the feel of live, confident flesh. The Chalice had indeed chosen wisely for her. Her mate was strong and fit. By his girth, she knew that it wasn’t Lynus, or Ger, or any number of the men she’d considered over the last year. Nae, this nobleman was most likely a stranger to her. His voice held a trace of the familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
She stretched her arms, feeling her loose hair about her shoulders. The crown had disappeared when she was brought to the bed. All that hard work for just a few moments in the hall. Such was the life of a ruler. She could spend hours getting ready for a ceremony that only lasted a few minutes.
Her heart pounded with the knowledge of what she’d done. She’d had sex with a man and didn’t even know his name. Nae, not just a man, her mate. It was right that she was with him. The Chalice would not choose wrong for her. She had faith in that.
Ari didn’t like how he held her hands down during sex, but maybe he was nervous. Perhaps he had a scar he didn’t want her to feel, or maybe he wasn’t the best looking of men. It didn’t matter. With a body that moved like his did, she could well get past an ugly face. Things like faces didn’t matter to her. All she cared about was that he was kind and faithful and of a good noble family.
Lightly, she ran her hands over his shoulders, curious to know more about him. He was breathing hard and she smiled in giddy pleasure. “Mm, the Chalice chose…” Just then, her hand struck a protrusion along his back.
What…? A wing?
Jerking back, she pushed at his chest to get him off her. “What are you? A soldier?”
Suddenly, light flickered. Ari screamed in protest, knowing that light would reveal them to the world as a married couple. She blinked as her eyes adjusted. Dark eyes met hers.
Nae, it can’t be…
“Rurik?” she squeaked.
“Princess.” Rurik tilted his head. His clothing was still on, only slightly disheveled. Though he looked directly at her, she couldn’t read his closed expression.
Ari sprang into action, backing away from him. This was one man she didn’t want to be in closed quarters with, let alone in the mating bed—her mating bed! She would’ve fallen, but the magical boundary held her up. Her back pressed against air.
“It’s been awhile,” he said.
“How…? What do you want with me? Why did you do this?” She couldn’t get far enough away from him.
His eyes traveled down her body and he looked amused. How could he look amused? Ari wanted to cry. He was mocking her. She could see it in the familiar smirk on his face. His body might have changed but that look was the same. It mocked her. He’d always mocked her.
“I didn’t do anything,” he assured her, looking very pleased with himself, “that you didn’t beg to have done to you.”
“I hate you,” she whispered, for lack of anything better to say. “You haven’t changed at all, have you? You’re just a mean—”
“And yet you lay naked before me, like an offering ready to be fucked again.”
Ari glanced down in horror, scrambling to pull the ripped pieces of her gown together to hide her body. The metal bodice helped hold them into place. “You haven’t changed, have you?”
“Neither have you.”
“Commander Rurik, leader of the great Fifth.” She shook her head, still pressed against the invisible barrier. He kneeled before her, just as handsome as she remembered him being. “How dare you—ah!”
The barrier gave way and she fell backward off the bed. Screaming, she flailed briefly in the air. Rurik’s hand wrapped around her wrist, catching her. She bumped along the bed’s hard side.
Suddenly, a stunted pounding started from below. Horrified, Ari looked down. Beneath her, a crowd stood tapping their feet in applause. Thankfully, she was turned toward the bed and her torn gown was hidden from view.
“That was fast,” she heard someone comment from behind. “The mating went well. I’ve never seen a couple come out so quickly.”
“Pull me up,” Ari whispered.
“What?” Rurik asked, smiling down at her.
“We’ll bring a ladder, princess,” s
omeone offered. “No need to come down that way.”
“Pull me up,” she ordered, glaring at Rurik. “Now.”
“Ask nicely,” he grinned, holding her as if he could let her hang there all day without straining himself.
“Please,” she said through gritted teeth. Something about this situation reminded her all too well of her childhood. Would the man never cease to embarrass her publicly?
Slowly, he pulled her up onto the bed, barely breaking a sweat. When she was safe, she jerked her arm away from him. It was a little too soon and she nearly tumbled over the side again. This time, she caught herself, swatting at his hand as he tried to grab her.
“You haven’t changed. Even as a child you had to torment me,” she said. “This is just like that time you knocked wet cement on my head.”
“We were using the buckets in training. You shouldn’t have been on the field,” he protested, just like when they were younger.
“You didn’t have to aim it at me,” she ground out. Then, holding up her hands, she said, “There’s no point in this. It’s a mistake. We both know it’s a mistake. We can’t be mated. You’re a soldier and soldiers can’t rule. My true mate will be king.”
“So soon you forget?” His grin was sinfully wicked and she shivered at his meaning. The last thing she needed was a reminder of her wanton behavior. “The Chalice chose me.”
“Come down, Ari,” her father called. “Join the celebration.”
Ari looked over, seeing the ladder. She reached around the bed to find one of the sleeveless robes that would have been left there for them.
“I can fly us,” he offered. “It’ll be faster.”
“Nae,” she said, too quickly as she tugged on the robe to hide her torn dress. The idea of his hands touching her made her skin tingle. She needed time to sort this out. “I’ll climb.”
His intense eyes bore into hers for a moment and she had to look away first. He didn’t say another word. Rurik’s arms didn’t move as his wings stretched to the side. They flapped, lifting his body up. He’d fixed his breeches when she wasn’t looking and before she could speak, he was over the side, gliding to the floor.
“Oh,” she sighed, shaking horribly. She was all too aware of the water wall arching overhead. They might not have heard her below, but they could see. She took a deep breath and then another. It would seem time had not changed much. Rurik could still thoroughly disarm her.
“Ari?” her father called. “Do you need assistance?”
“Nae,” she yelled back. Tugging at the annoying coils fitted to her arms, she took them off. “I’m coming.”
* * * *
“Ari, I know it’s strange to be mated to the commander, but the Chalice’s magic has ultimate authority over our laws,” the king said. Ari couldn’t look at her father’s eyes as she sat on a low, armless couch. They were in her father’s chambers, near the library. Her father’s belongings were being moved to a private room on the other end of the royal courtyard. By nightfall, this section of the palace would belong to her, as the new queen.
How could he agree to this? To Rurik? Ari shook her head in denial. “But he’s a warrior, a pure shifter.”
“Yea,” the king agreed, nodding. “And pure bloods did rule the land at one time.”
“And look what that brought us,” she argued. “We almost lost the planet to a bunch of overgrown, warmongering slugs.”
“Gryger looked at the laws. There were none made saying pure bloods couldn’t rule. It was just agreed that they shouldn’t for a time and left at that. No one ever thought to look, because for the last several centuries the question never came up. However, he did come across a prophecy stating that one day, after the sins of the past could be forgotten, a pure blood would take the throne, combining the planet’s strengths. Perhaps the time has come for them to reclaim part of the throne. Commander Rurik will make you a fine mate, and you will still have ultimate power over the planet.”
“We both know Falconian prophecy is just a way for old men to ramble about what could happen and look smart.” Ari shook her head. “Four thousand years ago they said a fiery ship would fall from the sky and alien men would steal away the daughters of noblemen.”
“It could happen,” the king protested.
“And yet it hasn’t and we still have the law banning noblewomen from walking alone at night because of such nonsense.”
“Ari,” her father sighed heavily. “You must resign yourself to your fate. You chose to walk the path of the Chalice. You did not have to drink. If you would have poured the liquid on the floor, you would’ve remained unmated for the rest of your days. You knew the risk and you accepted it.”
“Right,” she drawled. “I’m sure everyone would have loved that. There goes our family line, right onto the floor with the magic.”
“It was your choice, whatever reasons you used to make it.”
Ari frowned.
“Now, why don’t you get dressed.” Her father motioned toward the long tunic she wore. It was plain and white and not at all fitting for a princess about to become queen. “The hall is probably far into their cups and I’d like to pass this crown to you so that I may join them.”
* * * *
Ari paced her chambers, doing her best not to look at the high bed. It did no good, for she couldn’t stop her gaze from following the water wall up toward the ceiling, to where the site of her most unmentionable shame was reflected back to her.
Holy Comet, she’d wanted him. She still wanted him.
“Ari?” Vara spoke softly, her purple gaze shining with concern. Her friend held her coronation gown. It was much more concealing than the mating dress with the metal band.
“I was thinking about him, that’s why the Chalice chose him,” Ari said. “I’m being punished because I wanted revenge.”
“It doesn’t work like that and you know it.” Vara laid the dark-red dress down on a low couch and joined Ari by the water wall. “The Chalice doesn’t make mistakes.”
“It did this time,” Ari exclaimed.
“I’ll admit it’s strange.” Vara sighed. “You should’ve seen the crowd when you two disappeared. First you, then suddenly those two women who were on…” Vara’s eyes rounded in horror and she covered her mouth.
“On Rurik’s lap,” Ari finished dryly.
“It just means he’s virile,” Vara offered.
“Great.” Ari shook her head. “Not only am I mated to a commander who mocks me, he’ll be sleeping with everything that comes within wingspan of him.”
“Rurik isn’t like that. He’s not one of those. If anything, he does have honor. There isn’t so much a blemish on his reputation.”
“But why him?” Ari whispered. Taking her friend’s hands, she held them tight.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“When we were younger and I thought Mikael gave me that love note.”
“Yes?”
Ari took a deep breath. “You remember I told you how Rurik delivered it, or saw it, or I can’t remember exactly how it happened that he was there when I discovered it because I was in such shock, but at first I thought it was from him. You know how I laugh when I’m nervous? Well I laughed because I thought it was from him. I wanted it to be. But, he was just so mean about it and that’s when he told me it was from Mikael and I…”
“You never forgave him,” Vara finished.
“He was always so mean to me,” Ari said, her shoulders slumping by small degrees.
“And you hated him for it because you liked him.”
Ari didn’t want to delve into her buried emotions. She should’ve never started this conversation.
“That would explain why you’ve pined for him over the years. And why the Fifth gets all the dangerous missions.”
“Nae, I don’t—” Ari began, ready to deny that she sent Rurik and his men out on all the dangerous assignments. “Oh, blessed stars, I do, don’t I?”
Vara nodded. “Half the noble
court believes you want to have him killed.”
“And the other half?” she asked, cringing.
“Think you want to have him maimed.” Vara laughed softly. “That’s why all the young boys pretend to be in the Fifth.”
Ari rolled her eyes heavenward and gave a small laugh.
“So, now that we’re talking about it, why do you send his men on the most dangerous missions?” Vara touched her shoulder, forcing Ari to look at her.
“The night before he flew out,” Ari closed her eyes, remembering, “I heard him say he wanted nothing more than to have a long career filled with dangerous missions.”
“I see.” Vara grinned knowingly.
“What?” Ari lifted her hand. “Nae, never mind, I don’t want to hear it. So, tell me, what happened in the hall. The two women did what?”
“Oh, yea, they screamed as they were both dropped on their asses. The crowd exploded into a frenzy when they discovered one of the soldiers had been chosen. Really, what could they do about it? Though, Lord Cyril did demand a reading of the laws and strangely Gryger was able to produce the book with little effort.”
“What do you mean, strange?”
“He turned right to a prophecy that said—”
“Let me guess,” Ari interrupted. “One day, after the sins of the past could be forgotten, a pure blood would once again take the throne, combining the planet’s strengths.”
“Yea, that is it.” Vara nodded. “And that this day was the day that the prophecy said it would happen. When Lord Cyril heard that, he couldn’t deny the validity of the marriage. In his irritation, he grabbed Lynus and together they left the palace.”
Ari giggled. Then, as what her friend said sunk in, she scowled. “What did you say? My father and Gryger knew that today this would happen?”
“Appeared that way to me.”
Ari crossed over to her gown and sat on it. “How could they not have warned me that I was to mate with Rurik? Do you think they told him?”
Shifter Fated Mates: Boxed Set Page 3
