A triumphant grin spread across his face and he bellowed out for his father without letting me go. “Dad! Can you come out here? And bring Audra with you.”
“What’s wrong?” Carrick sounded frantic as he raced out of the house, my mom quick on his heels.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Camden answered. “In fact, everything’s right. Selene and I would like to have our claiming ceremony.”
“When?” Carrick asked.
“Right now,” I answered.
Carrick seemed to take my response in stride, but my mom appeared taken aback. Considering she had probably never heard of shifter claiming ceremonies, her being a little flustered as we all gathered in the front yard wasn’t a surprise.
“Are you sure you want to do this so soon?”
I offered her a smile of reassurance as I lifted my wrist for her to see. “Yes, Mom. I’m absolutely certain. He’s my consort, and I already have the reassurance of this mark to show what he means to me.”
“He’s also left his mating mark on your shoulder,” she pointed out.
“In our world, the only thing we need to cement our relationships is the consort’s mark, but it’s different for shifters. The claiming ceremony is important to him, and I want to be everything he needs, just like he’s become everything to me.”
“You’re already everything I need just by being yourself.”
My mom sighed at Camden’s words, tears misting her eyes. “With that response, you’ve just proven you’re everything I could possibly want for my daughter in her consort.”
Camden let go of me to give my mom a hug. “Thanks, Audra.”
“Treat her like gold or else you’ll have me to deal with. You don’t want to get on my bad side. My daughter may end up being a stronger witch than I am, but I’m still powerful and well-versed in all manner of spells that could bite you in the ass,” my mom warned in the barest of whispers, but I was standing just close enough to hear it.
Camden chuckled, unbothered by my mom’s threat. “I’ll never give you a reason to use your magic against me.”
He took each of us by the hand and led us to where his dad, brothers, and their mates were waiting for us, along with Tempest. He released my mom’s hand when we reached the circle our family had formed. She stayed behind as we joined his dad in the middle. Carrick reached for our joined hands and wrapped his own around them.
“I’m a little nervous,” I whispered to Camden.
“Nothing to be nervous about,” Carrick answered for his son. “The ceremony is a simple one, and from the way I’ve heard other shifters describe it, in a short moment, your connection with Camden will be indestructible.”
“Ready?” Camden asked.
“Absolutely,” I answered, turning my attention back to Carrick in anticipation of the ceremony.
“Bless mé an aontas!” he bellowed.
That was it, nothing else. With four short words, I was claimed by my bear and felt a rush of power surge through my body. The bond between Camden and I wasn’t the only thing that seemed indestructible. My magic had grown enough that I wondered if any witch could ever get the better of me.
It should have been the opposite of romantic. Me in the jeans and sweater I’d worn all day instead of a beautiful dress, and not a flower in sight, except the ones in planters on the porch—it was nothing like the weddings most human women dreamed about all their lives. Then again, I wasn’t a mortal woman and witches didn’t have anything like a wedding when they took a consort. It didn’t matter, though. This uncomplicated ceremony was the single most romantic moment of my life because I had the only thing I’d ever need: Camden.
Chapter 9
Camden
From the moment my dad blessed my mating with Selene, I wanted nothing more than to get my mate back to my house so we could be alone, but everybody else had other plans in mind. They wanted to help us celebrate our claiming ceremony, and I found it hard to deny them when Selene seemed delighted to stay, so I suffered through the meal Audra made. I’d been excited about it before the claiming since I’d helped her do all the preparations, but the prospect of providing Selene with one of her favorite dinners paled in comparison to making a meal out of her. My mind was on other appetites that needed satisfying, my hunger for her burning brighter with each passing minute.
As soon as she was finished with her meal, I shoved my chair back and practically yanked Selene to her feet. Before she had a chance to protest, I bundled her into my truck and zoomed out of my dad’s driveway like I raced cars for a living.
“How quickly can you make it back to your place?” she asked, turning in her seat to watch me as I drove. Her eyes traveled up and down my body, lingering on my lap as my cock hardened, hunger evident in her gaze.
My foot stomped on the accelerator. “Faster than I’ve ever done in the past.”
Her cheeks flushed a rosy hue, a sure sign of how aroused she was. “Hurry.”
“Unsnap your jeans,” I rasped, splitting my attention between the road and her fingers as she rushed to comply.
No further instruction was needed. Her hand slid inside her panties, right where I wanted to be. When her legs spread wide and her hand moved more quickly, it was damn near impossible to watch where I was driving. Not with the scent of her arousal filling the cab of my truck and her moans ringing in my ears. “Give me a taste,” I growled.
“So close,” she protested.
“I’m pulling onto my street now. You won’t have long to wait, but I want you to feed me your flavor from your fingers. Now!” I snapped.
She jerked her hand out of her pants, most likely startled by my command. I hadn’t used that tone of voice with her before, but I didn’t have time to worry about her reaction because a few seconds later, I was sucking on her fingers. I moaned at the taste of her desire, slipping my tongue between her fingers as I pulled into my driveway. When I parked the truck, we both jumped out and ran into my house. Clothes were tossed to the ground on our way to my room, until we were both naked and in my bed. Finally, right where I’d wanted us to be from the moment we left this morning.
“Is your body burning for the orgasm I promised you earlier?”
“I'm way past burning, Camden. Please,” she begged.
“Maybe you can understand how hard it was for me to sit beside you during dinner tonight.”
Pinning her to my mattress, I sucked at the skin near the base of her throat where her pulse throbbed. I left a mark there, right above the scar my mating bite left behind. Then, I swirled my tongue around her breasts as I kneaded them with my hands and rolled her nipples between my fingers. When she was trembling beneath me, I nibbled on her softly rounded stomach before moving lower to lick along the top of her pussy as I slowly spread her legs wider. I plunged deep inside and ground my face against her warm flesh, driving my stiffened tongue as far as I could, my nose rubbing against her clit. Her body shuddered in my arms as her climax exploded against my mouth.
“Please,” she sobbed as I thrust two fingers inside her, making her ride her orgasm out on my hand.
When her pussy stopped clenching against me, I climbed up her body. She was drenched, and I drove inside with one powerful stroke. I pounded into her, barely able to maintain any semblance of control. I couldn’t give in to my need for release yet. I needed her to come again, wanted her to be as mindless in her pleasure as I was in my own. I flipped her onto her stomach and pulled her up on her hands and knees, desperate to get her off again. Lining myself up from behind, I thrust back inside.
“Harder,” she begged. Her fingers reached out for the headboard as she ground her hips back against me while I hammered into her.
Flexing my fingers against her hips, I tightened my hold and dug in hard, picturing the bruises I’d leave behind—yet another mark of mine I wanted to leave on her skin. “Hold on.”
Her knuckles whitened as her grip tightened, giving me more leverage. “I’m so close.”
I pounded into her
body at a punishing pace, making sure to swivel my hips to hit her G-spot with each thrust. Her walls clenched tighter and tighter, until I was practically forcing myself inside. Wrapping my hand around her body, I played with her clit, determined to send her over the edge.
“I’m coming,” she cried out, her pussy milking me with every stroke.
Gathering moisture from her pussy onto my fingers, I slid my hand over her hip and down her ass. While she was at the height of her pleasure, I sunk a finger into her dark hole, swirling it around as she screamed out. I added another finger, stretching the tight, virgin flesh to make room for my cock.
“Now, I’m going to claim the last part of you I can, a part of your body that will be mine and only mine.”
When she didn’t offer any protest, I slid out of her pussy and reached for the lube I’d left inside the nightstand. Squirting some into my hand, I slathered my cock before moving into position. When I nudged her puckered opening, I felt her tense as the head of my cock started to push inside.
“Easy now,” I soothed, running a hand down her spine until it rested on the top of her ass.
I slowly worked my way into her tight hole, careful to limit the discomfort she felt. Once I made it past the tight ring of muscles, I pulled her back onto me. Slowly, inch by inch, until I was seated fully inside her ass.
“Fucking perfect,” I groaned as I began to thrust gently. The sight of my cock sliding into her ass was the hottest thing I’d ever seen and had me quickly on edge. I refused to go over without her, so I reached around her body and stroked her clit, making her orgasm again. I stiffened inside her, my hot come filling her ass and marking her with my scent from the inside. I was reluctant to leave her body, but knew I’d cause her pain if I stayed in her ass much longer. I allowed myself a couple more thrusts before I gently pulled out and rolled to the side, gathering her onto my chest.
We lay there panting, my hands wrapped in her hair as we both tried to catch our breath. I was enjoying the closeness of this moment, my heart finally starting to slow, when she suddenly jumped out of bed. “Carrick!”
Her face paled and she swayed, falling to her knees and pulling me out of my stupor. I raced to her side. “What is it?”
Her eyes clouded over and it felt like she was no longer in the room with me even though I was holding onto her. With my mate’s limp body in my arms as she trembled and mumbled under her breath, I’d never been more terrified in my life. By the way she’d just screamed my dad’s name, I knew he had to be in trouble too, but there was no way I was going to let go of her until she came back to her senses.
“Selene, baby,” I whispered, sweeping her hair from her forehead and staring into her eyes, praying she’d snap out of it soon.
She screamed, a torturous sound of pain. A burst of light streamed out of her mouth and scattered in the air. When the last bit flickered away, Selene fell silent. Her lips were blue and dark circles ringed her eyes, a sharp contrast to the paleness of her skin. My heart fell at the sight, fearful she’d died in my arms. I lowered my ear to her chest, desperate for the sound of her heartbeat—praying for a sign of life. For one brief moment, I lost hope and then I heard it, the soft thud of her heart. I cried out in relief and leaned over her mouth to make sure she was breathing. When I felt a puff of air escape her lips, my knees gave out and I pulled her onto my lap as I fell to the ground.
My attention was entirely focused on her, I barely heard the sound of my phone as it blared with my dad’s ringtone. Reaching an arm out to where I’d dropped my pants in my doorway, I was able to snag a leg of my jeans and pull them toward me. My unconscious mate wrapped tightly in one arm, I dug for my phone with my other hand. I wasn't going to get any answers from her until she woke up and I needed to know if there was anything I could do to help her while she was in this state. It was possible whoever was on the other end of the line using my dad’s phone would know what happened and could offer me some advice about what to do for Selene.
“Thank the Goddess you answered,” Audra cried. “Are you both okay? I can’t believe Selene was able to hold that spell to protect us from so far away. I’ve never seen such a magnificent display of magical power before.”
“I’m fine, but Selene’s not.” I couldn’t bear to describe her current state to her mom. Not when I felt like I’d failed my mate and I wasn’t sure if she’d recover from this.
“Does it look like she’s sleeping after being sick for a long time?”
It was an apt description of Selene’s appearance. “Yes.”
“The bigger the spell, the higher the toll a witch usually pays. I’m sure it must be frightening to see her looking like this. Considering how new she is to the strength of her powers, I would expect her body hasn’t had time to adjust to them yet. This will hopefully be the most she’ll suffer from the use of her powers, and the worst you’ll have to see.”
“Fuck,” I gasped. “It’s bad, Audra. For a minute there, I thought she was dead.”
“I’m so sorry, Camden. I should have warned you about the downside to large displays of power, but I never expected she’d have to do something like this so soon.”
“What happened over there?”
“The dark practitioners launched an attack on your father. Tempest and I were barely holding it off when I felt Selene’s presence in my mind. Then, the house was surrounded by a wall of water, wind whipping over the roof. The floor of your dad’s living room opened up and a fence of rocks surrounded him in the blink of an eye. It all happened in less than a minute—water, air, and earth spells in unison. I’ve never seen or even heard of anything like it, not from spells cast by a lone witch.”
“My dad wasn’t hurt?”
“The dark practitioners didn’t stand a chance, not against my daughter,” she assured me, pride evident in her tone. “Do you want me to come over and help with Selene? There isn’t much either of us can do for her. Sleep is the best medicine while her magic recharges.”
“I’ll watch over her,” I promised. “If anything changes, I’ll call.”
I was relieved to know my dad was safe, and proud as hell it was my mate who had protected him, but I couldn’t help but worry about what would happen next, or how I’d be able to keep her safe when she needed it.
Chapter 10
Selene
One minute I was wrapped in Camden’s arms, trying to recover from the most intense orgasm ever, and the next, I was waking up to the sun high in the sky and feeling like I’d drunk an entire bottle of tequila by myself. “Oh my Goddess,” I moaned.
“Thank fuck.” Camden’s growl came from the left of the bed. I turned my head to look in his direction and found him sitting in a chair beside me. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, with wrinkled clothes and a scruffy jaw.
“How long was I out of it?” I’d felt the recoil from using magic before, but never to this extent.
He didn’t look at the alarm clock before answering. “Sixteen hours and twenty-six minutes.”
“You didn’t count the seconds?” It was a lame attempt at a joke; one Camden didn’t seem to appreciate, judging by the glare he sent my way.
“I would have counted them, but I was too busy flipping the fuck out to keep track of the time that precisely,” he snapped. “I spent the first minute thinking you were dead. After I had confirmed your heart was beating and you were breathing, I managed to answer my phone and talk to your mom. She insisted you’d be okay, but she has also called to check on you about a dozen times since then. It didn’t exactly instill a hell of a lot of confidence in me for your well-being.”
“I’m sorry you were worried about me. I know it can be scary. The first time I saw my mom when she was recovering from a difficult spell, I was scared to death,” I admitted softly.
“You’re my mate and there was nothing I could do for you!” he roared.
I held my hand out to him. When his was clasped in mine, I yanked him onto the bed with me. “I beg to differ. I’m
snuggled in your bed because you put me here. I’ve slept undisturbed this whole time while you watched over me. And if I had to guess, I’d bet the bottle of water and ibuprofen on the bedside table is for me and was put there by you so I’d have them as soon as I woke up.”
“It isn’t enough,” he grumbled, reaching over to grab the items from the table and handing them to me.
I popped a couple of the pills into my mouth and chased them down with the water. “It was everything I needed while I was out of it.” My stomach growled loudly. “Unfortunately, there was no way for you to feed me while I slept. Now, I’m starving.”
“Selene,” he groaned, rubbing his hands over his face, “you scared years off my life last night and now all you’re worried about is food.”
“And a shower,” I added. “Because I feel gross.”
“This better not be a regular occurrence with you. If it is, I’m going to have to put my foot down about you using your magic,” he threatened.
He’d been accepting of my powers up until now, and I had to hope he was only speaking out of fear. Either way, I needed to put a stop to this. “If you asked me—and you’ll notice my use of the word ‘ask’ instead of ‘tell’, because it’s my decision, not yours—to stop using my magic, it would be the same as me trying to tell you that you couldn’t shift into your bear anymore.”
“I wouldn’t be able to do it. Not even for you.”
“That’s precisely my point, Camden. Shifters shift and witches cast spells,” I explained. “My being a witch is part of who I am, just as you being a bear is part of who you are. I wouldn’t be able to change for you, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”
“Shit, I’m fucking this up.” He rearranged us on the mattress so his back was against the headboard and I was on his lap. “I’m proud as hell you were able to save my dad from whatever the dark practitioners had in store for him. I know I have your magic to thank for that. You’re my mate and you’re a witch. I wouldn’t change either thing about you, but it was hard as fuck to see what it did to you afterwards. If I’d been able, I would have switched places with you in a heartbeat.”
Bear the Burden: McMahon Clan 3 (Fated Mates Book 6) Page 6
