Bear the Burden: McMahon Clan 3 (Fated Mates Book 6)

by Paige, Rochelle

  “What’s your connection to the coven we’re meeting today?” I barked out my question, possessiveness thundering through my veins at the possibility Damien knew my mate. Had seen her before I did. Might have touched her.

  “I wouldn’t say I have a connection to them exactly,” he drawled. “Since I serve as a council enforcer, I’ve had dealings with several covens before. I’ve met a few members of this one a time or two in the past. It’s why they reached out to me when they learned about the threat to your family. I was the best option for them since they didn’t feel comfortable reaching out to you on their own.”

  Fur rippled along my arms as I struggled to keep my bear at bay. I didn’t like the idea of my mate distrusting me and turning to Damien instead, even as unfair as it was. She didn’t know me and her coven was risking a lot to help my family. “The witches you’ve met, does one have strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, and curves that go on forever?”

  “Two of them do,” he confirmed. “The high priestess and her daughter. Both are gorgeous and currently unattached.”

  My bear growled at the word ‘daughter’, telling me which woman was mine. Then the hint of lust in his tone hit my ears and I stormed toward him, wrapping both hands around his collar and yanking him toward me. “No, only one of them is unattached, because the daughter is mine. She came to me in my dreams last night and left her mark on my arm for the world to see. She’s the mate I’ll claim as my own the first moment I can.”

  The dragon shifter could have taken me in a fight, but he held his hands up as a sign of surrender instead. “You won’t have to wait long for your opportunity. They will both be here today.”

  “Fuck,” my dad hissed, his displeasure clear in his tone.

  I let go of Damien’s collar and turned to face my dad. “You have two hours to get over it, Dad. Our prejudice against Finley’s dad almost ruined Alasdair’s mating with her. I thought you’d learned your lesson, just like I had, because you were as quick as me to accept Tahlia into the family even though she’s a lioness.”

  “That’s completely different. Nobody will accept your mating if it’s with a witch.”

  “Prove them all wrong then,” I challenged him. “Show them the head of our clan, a member of the council, has given us his approval. Help us instead of making it harder for us.”

  “Camden,” he sighed, “you don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

  “But you know exactly what you’re asking of me. If I walk away from her, witch or not, I’ll spend the rest of my days without my fated mate. Is that really what you want for me?” It was a bit of a low blow considering his past with Annora’s mom, but sometimes the truth—as hurtful as it could be—was the only way to make someone see reason, and I didn’t have time to waste. I meant it when I said I was going to claim her at the first possible chance, which meant my teeth were going to be sunk into her shoulder shortly after she walked through the door of my home.

  Chapter 4

  Selene

  “You’ve been staring at your wrist the entire flight,” my mom whispered in my ear as she joined me inside the limo that had been waiting for us after we landed. The coven’s maiden wasn’t far behind her, hence her hushed tone. I jerked my sleeve back down. We weren’t ready for any of the coveners to know I might be the witch mentioned in a prophecy to bring witches and shifters together. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready, but announcing this news to my coven right before we met with a clan of bear shifters would have been enormously stupid. Fear of the unknown would have caused them to distrust the shifters more than they already did, if that were possible. I should have been just as hesitant about the meeting, probably more so due to my potential role in the prophecy, but I felt a measure of excitement too.

  Butterflies swirled in my stomach as I thought about what my mom had suggested. One of the bear shifters we were meeting today could be my consort, and if he were, it would be further proof I was the witch from the prophecy. Now that I was a short car ride away from my possible future, my heart raced and my hands trembled. When my mom told me about the prophecy last night, I couldn’t believe I was the witch mentioned, but now, I found myself hoping it was true and prayed to the Goddess that I’d walk through that door and find the man from my vision. Shifter or not, I wanted him. Wanted the connection I’d felt when I’d seen him while I’d been meditating. Even with all the challenges I knew we’d face as a couple, I yearned for him.

  I was silent during the drive, half listening to my mom and her second talk about how to handle the meeting while I traced the bear imprinted on my wrist. I felt my mom’s gaze as it landed on me. I knew she was worried, but she gave me the space I needed without pressuring me to add to the conversation. Not that I had much to offer. If what I was hoping for came to pass, any plans they made would be blown out of the water. If one of the shifters at the meeting truly was my consort, his clan would be my family. As such, I would offer him all my support in his upcoming battle with the dark practitioners. I fully expected my mom to do the same, which meant his clan would have the backing of my entire coven.

  After what seemed like hours, but was only about twenty minutes, the limo turned into a driveway. I took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm my nerves while the driver parked the car and walked around to open the door, but it didn’t help. By the time it was my turn to climb out of the car, my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

  As my hand grasped the chauffeur’s, I slowly straightened until I could see over his shoulder to the front door of the house. It swung open and three men stepped out. The first was a dragon shifter I recognized. Damien, a behemoth of a man in his human form, was the council enforcer my mom called to set up this meeting. The next man was slightly shorter, much less built, and looked older than the dragon, with a hint of silver in his dark hair. But he was only slightly less imposing as his gaze swept over my mom, her second, and finally rested on me. I wasn’t sure what to make of the look he gave me, but I didn’t spend long wondering about it because my gaze locked with the third man as he joined the other two on the porch.

  The setting might have been entirely different, but the arc of lightning that raced from my fingertips to his chest was the same. So was the shocked recognition in his whiskey-colored eyes as he looked at me. The mark on my wrist heated, the wind started to whip around us, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his. It felt like we were the only two people in the world; everything else fell away. And then, I didn’t see anything but the ground as a current of air lifted me off my feet and dropped me down on the porch next to him.

  “Mate,” he growled.

  “Consort.” My response was a startled gasp as he tossed me over his shoulder, stormed into the house, and raced up the stairs. A door slammed shut as he threw me onto the mattress, following me down until he braced over me.

  “What’s your name?” His question was a husky demand, startling me. I hadn’t even thought to ask for his.

  “Selene.”

  “Selene,” he repeated softly, a huge grin splitting his face as joy filled his eyes. “I’m Camden.”

  “Camden McMahon?”

  He nodded in agreement, his fingers tracing my lips before moving to cup my cheek as he leaned closer. I licked my lips in response, drawing his gaze down to them. I watched helplessly as his eyes lit with hunger, the same desire I felt rising within myself. My magic swirled around us, wrapping us in a cocoon of safety as I discovered my other half—a missing puzzle piece I would have searched for endlessly if only I’d known how much I needed it—needed him. Camden, my consort. I reached out and traced the mark around his bicep in wonder. The unmistakable evidence that he was the man the Goddess intended for me. But even without it, I felt like I would have still known he was mine.

  Camden lowered his head those final couple inches, until our lips were almost touching. “Tell me you want this as much as I do.”

  My answer was pulled from a place deep within me. As crazy as it w
as, since we’d only just met, no other response was possible. “Yes. You already bear the mark of my consort, making you mine. Now, make me yours.”

  “You’ve always been mine,” he whispered against my lips before his mouth crashed into mine for a deep kiss. The feel of his lips against mine and his warm body pressing me into the mattress had me throbbing with need.

  He broke the kiss to lift my shirt over my head. Nibbling his way across my skin, Camden held me down against the bed as his lips drifted down my collarbone and stopped to toy with my nipples through my bra before moving along my stomach. I didn’t offer any resistance when his hands swept farther down and gripped my legs to part them. Spreading them wide, he moved between them and I felt his heated breath through my pants. My hips jerked, but his hands tightened on my thighs.

  “Up,” he ordered as he tugged my pants down my legs, taking my panties with them.

  His hands were hot as they gripped my upper thighs, his fingers spreading me open. He blew against my lips before running his tongue up and down my clit. My eyes clenched tight as my body went taut at the feel of his mouth on me.

  “Watch me as I taste you for the first time, Selene.”

  My eyes popped open at his command, but it was difficult to keep them that way when his tongue flicked out and stroked my clit. I plunged my hands into his hair, trying to bring his face even closer to me. Stiffening his tongue, he buried it deep inside me, tongue-fucking me until I was writhing with need before he replaced it with two fingers. His fingers were so large, they stretched me wide as he rubbed against my G-spot.

  “So close,” I muttered, feeling my climax starting to build. My legs tightened against his head as I tried to gain the added pressure I needed to set me off.

  Then he wrapped his lips around my clit and sucked hard before gently biting down. The combination of pain and pleasure was enough to throw me over the edge. I screamed as my climax hit my body and held his head to me so I could grind my hips against his mouth.

  Camden gave me a few last licks before rubbing his mouth along my thigh. “My mate has the sweetest pussy.” When he sat up, he had a satisfied smirk on his face and a lustful gleam in his eye. My pussy fluttered, feeling empty at the loss of his tongue and fingers.

  “I need you,” I pleaded with him.

  “I know you deserve the chance to get to know me before we do this, but I can’t wait a second longer to make you mine,” he rasped.

  “Then don’t wait,” I urged, reaching for the hem of his shirt and practically ripping it off his body. “I’m not asking you to anyway.”

  He forced his jeans down his legs and kicked them off. His cock strained against his boxer briefs and I watched as he peeled them off his body, his erection bobbing.

  “You’re so wet for me,” he murmured before positioning himself between my legs.

  “Want you so much,” I breathed out, pulling his head down for a kiss.

  “Mine,” he growled as he sank into me, stretching me wide.

  All my thoughts scattered as I felt a pleasure unlike any I’d ever experienced before. His cock and the sound of his sexy voice growling in my ear had me so turned on, the bite of pain from his size didn’t take away from the experience. I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him close so he’d hold still for a moment.

  “So fucking tight. You okay?” he asked.

  “Mmm,” I murmured, “better than okay. I’m fan-fucking-tastic.”

  His hips surged forward slightly, sending him deeper inside. “A perfect fit. You were made to take me.”

  Camden pulsed inside me and my walls clenched around him. He circled his hips and nudged my G-spot, sending a rush of pleasure through my body. The responding gush of fluid eased his way until he slipped even deeper and bumped against my cervix. I loosened my legs from his hips, dug my fingers into his ass, and swiveled my hips, moaning low.

  He kept up the tempo of painstakingly slow withdrawals followed by fast lunges that filled me. My back slammed against the soft mattress as Camden’s hips pumped, sending his cock hard and deep into me. He grabbed my hips in a punishing grip I knew would leave marks later as sweat dripped from his face onto my chest. I writhed underneath him, desperate for the climax quickly building within me, and slammed my hips upward, meeting him for each and every thrust.

  "Tá mo chroí istigh ionat,” he whispered the unfamiliar words into my ear, his hot breath sending another wave of shivers down my spine.

  “Harder,” I begged, nearly delirious with pleasure.

  He slid his hands under my back and lifted so he could reach my breasts. Lowering his mouth, he wrapped his lips around a nipple and sucked deep. My pussy fluttered and he held still for a moment, planted firmly inside me.

  “Brace yourself,” he commanded before moving his mouth to my shoulder and biting down hard.

  As soon as I cried out at the sting, he began to thrust wildly. He gave me exactly what I’d asked for, his cock slamming against my cervix with each buck of his hips.

  “Camden!” I screamed as my pussy walls began tightening around him. My head fell back and my eyes closed as my climax hit me.

  “Eyes on me.”

  I was barely able to keep my head up, but I managed to keep my gaze on him. His eyes flared as they locked with mine and he grabbed my hips tight, lifting me to meet him with each stroke. His balls slapped against my ass and another climax rolled through me. The tightening of my pussy must have sent him over the edge too. His cock jerked inside me before his semen splashed against my pussy walls.

  It was done. He’d taken me as his mate, his body laying claim to my own. It was entirely possible his dad and my mom were both still downstairs, but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered except this moment between us. It wasn’t important that he was a shifter and I a witch, or that his family was in danger from dark practitioners. The fact that we’d face obstacles from our own communities was insignificant. I didn’t even care that we were part of a prophecy destined to change both our worlds. Camden was the only thing that mattered to me now. I would protect him and what we’d found together at all costs. At that thought, there was a thundering roar outside as the earth trembled beneath us. I felt power surge through me and realized the day had finally come—I’d found my elemental affinity. My earth magic had snapped into place in a big way.

  Chapter 5

  Camden

  I cradled Selene against me, compelled to protect her as the bed rattled beneath us. If my house came crashing down around us because of the unprecedented earthquake raging outside, I’d do my best to shield her body with my own. Nothing bad would ever happen to her again, not if I could help it.

  “Camden!” The sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs followed my dad’s roar. Determined nobody else would see my mate like this, I grabbed the comforter and barely got us covered before the door to my bedroom crashed open.

  “Get out!” I bellowed.

  “Shit,” he swore and turned away until he was facing the door he’d just thrown open. “I’m sorry, son, but I needed to make sure you were okay. That her magic hadn’t hurt you.”

  Selene stiffened beneath me, the only sign of how much his words had hurt her. I slid my hands down her arms soothingly, offering my reassurance while glaring at my father’s back. “Wait for us downstairs. We’ll be down in a minute.”

  She waited until the door closed behind him to speak. “I’d never do anything to hurt you. You have to know that, Camden. I know I’m a witch and shifters don’t trust us, but please tell me you know I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “If anyone had told me to place my trust in a witch a couple of days ago, I would have told them they were crazy.” Her eyes filled with tears and I rushed to finish before they spilled down her cheeks. “But you aren’t just a witch, Selene. You’re my mate and as such, I trust you with my life.”

  I kissed her lips softly before speaking again. “My heart.”

  Then I deepened the kiss, pouring all my passion into claiming her
mouth. My next words tore from my chest. “My very soul.”

  “And you aren’t just a shifter,” she replied, any trace of sadness wiped from her expression as she looked up at me. “You’re my consort. As such, I trust you with all that I am. And I promise to protect your life, heart, and soul with all the powers the Goddess has granted me.”

  “If there’s any protecting to be done around here, it’s going to be done by me.”

  She giggled, the sound light and airy around us. “Unless my magic can save us, then you’ll just have to deal with it.”

  “You’ll have to be patient with me. I’m not used to magic and what it can do.”

  She nodded hesitantly. “As long as you accept that it’s a part of who I am, I can be patient.”

  “You’re perfect for me, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you.” It was impossible to believe, but it was true.

  “And your family?”

  “They’ll come around.” I knew they would, but I also worried how long it would take before they could see past Selene being a witch to the mate fate had given me. “The same way your mom will learn to trust me with you even though I’m a shifter.”

  She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I think you’ll find that happening sooner rather than later. The prophecy gave you an edge with her.”

  “You know about the prophecy?”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You do, too?”

  “Damien explained it to my father and me this morning. How long have you known?” My question held a hint of accusation at the idea that she had known I was out there waiting for her and hadn’t come looking for her consort because I was a shifter.

  “My mom told me about it yesterday.” Her soft reply soothed the beast within me.

  “And here you are.” I pulled her up against my body, my cock lengthening at the feel of her skin rubbing mine.

  She slapped at my chest, giggling again. I vowed to make her laugh every single day from now on, relishing the sound of her happiness. “We better get our clothes on before we both forget you just told your father we’d be downstairs in a minute.”