by JL Madore
I make the request and wait, unsure he’ll listen.
He seems to consider it, eyeing up the huge barky tree creature in our midst, and then his muscled shoulders lock tight, and he stops snarling.
I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Thanks, Bear. Okay, how about you all hit the river and get washed up, and then we’ll see what we can about what’s been going on? And does anyone know where my clothes are?”
Keyla rushes them over and I make quick work of pulling pants up my thighs and tugging a sweater over my head. Damn. In three months, I’ve destroyed more underwear than I care to think about.
My four mates haven’t moved, and I look over to Lukas and the FCO guys. “You’ve got us covered, right boys? My mates are okay to step away for two minutes to get less disgusting?”
Lukas tests the bindings holding Sabastian and nods. “Yeah. Go ahead. If he tries anything, I’ll shoot him full of holes. By the time you all get back he’ll be getting up, but you’ll hear the shots and know to come back.”
Hawk smiles. “Good plan. And remember what I said about decapitating him. I think it’s the way to go.”
Lukas’s mouth quirks up at the side. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
Kotah, Brant, and Hawk each pass by me, give me a quick hug and kiss, and head to the river. Jaxx’s jaguar circles my feet growling and lays down on all fours like an Egyptian Sphinx, glaring out at the world.
“I’m okay, puss. If you want to get cleaned up, I promise I won’t get shot or kidnapped while you’re gone.”
Jaxx simply growls louder.
“Okay then,” I say, looking up to everyone else. “I can’t argue with that.”
Hawk
Kotah, Brant, and I wash up quickly in the icy waters of the river and head back. Brant and Kotah fought in their wildling forms, so their clothes aren’t stained with blood. I can’t say the same. I am most comfortable fighting as a man and am regretting not packing a change of clothes for myself.
I don’t want the blood of our kills anywhere near Calli... or our baby.
I sigh. Poor Jaxx. When Calli was taken, he lost himself more than I’ve ever seen. He’s our strong and steady. Our laughter. Our Passion.
I twist the wide, platinum mating band on my finger and my heart aches for him. He thought we lost her... them.
By the time we get back, Calli and the kid are building a fire, The FCO guys are guarding my father where he’s bound to a tree with magic, and Keyla, Doc, and Lukas are working with the Forest Lord, creating a clearing for the portal gate.
The fact that in the five minutes we’ve been gone there’s already a fifty-foot square clearing proves how much power the Rowan possesses. And really… he’s a Forest Lord. It makes sense that he’d have domain over the trees of a forest.
“Well, this will make securing the site and building a gatehouse easier,” Kotah says.
“Much,” I say, pulling my phone from my pocket. “Good afternoon, Jayne. Update time.”
I fill her in on the unfolding events, relay our location, ask for a supply drop of materials and camping gear, and let her know that despite unloading my gun into my father, the spawn of evil still lives.
“I’ve never known you to be a quitter, Barron. If at first you don’t succeed…” she says.
I chuckle. “Oh, I’ll try again real soon, I’m sure.”
“Do you think your mother might have taught him a trick or two to tether his life somehow?”
“Not sure, but I’ll talk to Lukas about it. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out how to put the mangy dog down.”
“Okay, I’m dispatching what you asked for to secure the site. You’ll have reinforcements and supplies in under four hours.”
I check my watch and set a timer. “Good. That’s it for now.” I hang up and tuck my phone away.
“Are we good?” Brant asks.
“We will be in a few hours. Until then, we rough it.”
Yarko looks up as we join him, Calli, and Jaxx by the fire. He smiles and points to the flames. “With her around, we didn’t even need matches.”
Brant’s still shakier than he’s letting on, but he nods. “She’s a marvel our phoenix. There’s no question.”
The three of us make our attempt at appearing nonchalant as we settle next to our mate, but there’s no getting around it. Our animal sides are pacing and need reassurance that Calli is whole. We watched her get shot and then kidnapped and were unable to help her.
Wolf, can you still smell the baby? Is everything okay?
The dip in his chin is almost imperceptible, but that subtle affirmation sears my heart with relief. “Thank fuck.”
Calli blinks up at me and smiles. “Watch out, broody man, we have impressionable ears listening.”
She gestures to Yarko but the kid doesn’t seem the slightest bit put off by my language.
Still, with a baby on the way, I might as well start trying to curb my colorful vocabulary. I want to set a good example.
As the crackle of flames builds in the air, the scent of woodsmoke fills our nostrils. I sit next to Calli and let my mind wander. The future is pregnant with possibilities.
A future that was almost taken from us twice today. I take Calli in my arms and hold her tight against my chest. I love you, Spitfire. Are you fully recovered?
Do you mean am I up for a tryst in the forest to reassure your wildling side?
I chuckle. Something like that.
Other than being highly inappropriate with our current traveling companions, your father as our prisoner, and unresolved destiny issues, I’m totes there.
I press my lips against her neck and breathe her in. And if I figure all that out?
She laughs and flashes me a skeptical grin. If you figure all that out, consider me naked and willing.
Challenge accepted. Never underestimate a male’s need to be inside his mate.
Kotah steps in closer and frowns. “I sense your hunger, Chigua. Are you well? That was a lot of energy to expend.”
She offers him a sweet smile. “I’m okay, but yeah, I could eat. I don’t know why I’ve been so hungry lately.”
Brant heads over to where our backpacks are, and I take a mental inventory of what we’ve each eaten over the day. “I’m not sure what food is left. I packed for an afternoon on the river and a hike, not for an all-day event.”
And at the time, I didn’t know my mate was pregnant.
Kotah shrugs. “We certainly can keep everyone fed. We have a fire to cook and the forest holds everything we need to survive.”
Calli chuckles. “You make it sound like we’re getting ready to camp out. We opened the portal gate. Aren’t we heading back to civilization?”
I shake my head. “Sorry, Spitfire. Not anytime soon, I’m afraid. Opening the rift is only the first step. Now we have to secure this site and ready for the next phase.”
Her gaze narrows on us. “And what’s the next phase?”
“To reestablish the portal gate, we have to build a bridge between the realms.”
“Oh, right. Of course.”
“And then secure it so we can regulate who travels back and forth.”
“And there’s the issue of the Forest Lord,” Kotah says. “Did you find out what your father is holding over him?”
I nod. “When the portal gates closed so suddenly, he was separated from his clan and left behind. The fire dervishes took him in, and he married one of the elders. Part of his pledge was to guard them and their forest until he’s able to return home. About six months ago, my father came here to check the portal gate sites. There were altercations and he and his men took the fire dervish elder council hostage.”
“A real peach, your old man,” Calli says.
“Isn’t he though?”
Kotah toes the dirt and frowns. “So, Rowan feels duty-bound to rescue them. Why can’t he do it himself?”
“He says they’re being held in the middle of a human population and my father
has set up magic dampeners. He’s powerless to glamor himself from the narys or storm the castle and kick ass.”
Calli nods. “People would notice an eight-foot magical tree walking around.”
“Exactly. He needs a team that can blend. At first, he had access to the empowered kids. He was gaining their trust, but then we rescued them and took that option off the table.”
“And now his sights are on us?”
“He knew the phoenix was destined to open the portal gate so he helped us so we’d help him.”
Calli shrugs. “I have no problem getting prisoners back from your father’s clutches. If he knows where they are, I say we do it.”
That’s my girl.
A warrior always ready to take on the big bad wolves of the world. Or, in this case… the big bad hawk. “I told him we’d help him, but I needed to check on you and your state of fitness first.”
Brant jogs back and pulls out half a sandwich. “It’s a little squished but it’ll taste the same.”
The alpha in me hates the fact that my mate is hungry and forced to eat damaged food, but Brant’s right, it’ll serve its purpose until we can get more.
“Hey, Wolf, could run us down a couple of rabbits?”
Kotah’s entire demeanor brightens. “Hunt, to feed my mate? It would be my greatest honor.”
“Oh, count me in,” Keyla says, joining us. “It’s been years since we hunted together and yeah, I could eat.”
Kotah offers his sister a content smile before kissing Calli and jogging off. “Prepare the spit. We’ll be back shortly.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kotah
Keyla and I shift on the fly and race into the trees. Today has been quite a day. I spent hours with my nose to the ground and my claws tearing into the pithy soil of the forest floor. The scents are home to me and the fresh air fills my lungs with every inhale. It’s heaven.
Then, there are all the blessings of the day: the baby, Calli opening the rift between realms, our full powers being unlocked, our new telepathic link, her returning to us unharmed… it’s been a day to remember.
Keyla veers to the right and her full, white coat catches the breeze. Her wolf has always been breathtakingly beautiful, but when she’s on a hunt there is a joy that makes her even more stunning.
I follow her lead and soon catch the scent that set her on her path. The rabbit isn’t far ahead of us and we’ll soon be upon it. I let her take the lead and watch as she navigates the uneven ground. Her joy feeds my soul and I’m thankful, now that I’m back in her everyday life, and that she reconnected to the girl I grew up with.
I think about my mother sitting in her stuffy gown perched stiffly on the edge of her seat at my coronation. What will she do when we get her back? She’s no longer in power. Some people are defined by what they do and how people see them. My mother is one of them.
Without that, she’s a shell of a person.
Keyla is half a body length ahead of me and scares up the rabbit, shifting her footing without missing a beat. We dodge left and I allow the pull of the hunt to draw my wolf to the fore. The moment he’s fully engaged my instincts kick in with a warning.
We are not alone.
Calli
I finish the squished sandwich and am thankful for it. Still, it doesn’t begin to fill the hollow pit that is now my stomach. I feel like Pippin in Lord of the Rings. What about second breakfast? Elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? Man, I’m beginning to sound as bad as Brant.
Brant and Yarko are busy gathering sticks and constructing the spit for the fire. I’m sure it won’t be long until the next meal is served. Maybe the kid could pop out and grab us a dozen pizzas in the meantime.
Spitfire, how about you, Jaxx, and I take a walk to the river. I know how badly my wild side is raging and how much I want you, but Jaxx lost control of his cat when you were taken and he needs you. Despite propriety, I think the two of you need to take a moment.
I meet Hawk’s gaze and smile. And what will you be doing during my moment with Jaxx?
Watching out for you.
Or watching us?
He chuckles. Guilty as charged. That too. He’s suffering though. I feel it.
I hate the idea that any of my mates should suffer for something within my power to fix. And yeah, being with Jaxx is no hardship. When I stand, I try to find a spot on his coat that isn’t gross, so I can touch him. ”Come on, cowboy. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Whether or not he’s worried about the blood and death dried in his coat, my jaguar guardian rises to his paws and follows me across the little area we’ve cleared as our base camp. Walking hand in hand with Hawk, the three of us are just leaving the light of the fire when something massive shifts in the shadows.
“Crap, Rowan,” I say, patting my chest. “You scared me, dude.”
“I’ve been patient. I helped you five for a reason. I need your help in return.”
Hawk nods. “And I haven’t forgotten about you, but Calli must eat after a battle, or her phoenix flames out and she collapses. It’s happened before and we almost lost her. It won’t do anyone any good for us to venture off on the next quest and have her fall unconscious. The wolves are hunting now. We’ll feed her and then be ready.”
The greater fae tree straightens and meets us head-on. “If the boy and I bring food, will you then be able to help me?”
Hawk nods. “Yeah, food is our only issue. Calli needs to eat after a battle and she’s had two today.”
“Consider it done.”
The huge tree stalks off toward the fire and I’m left blinking up at Hawk. “Why do I feel like we’re about to be buried in a mountain of pizza?”
Hawk makes a face and then tugs me toward the river once again. “If that’s the case, we’ve got maybe twenty minutes before he’s back.”
Jaxx
The river is cold when I first step into the flow of the water but not for long. Calli strips off her clothes and wades in, and with her comes a rush of heat. She’s like a living pool heater… a sexy, skinny dipping pool heater.
“That’s it, puss. Let’s get some of this carnage washed off. I like my men authentic and manly but covered in the blood of our enemy is a bit much.”
Her hands feel wonderful as she cups water over my shoulders and scrubs her fingers through my fur. Bent over as she is, I get a lovely eyeful of her tits swaying near my face and Hawk’s not complaining about getting the peeping Tom show of her naked ass.
Okay, yeah. Enough jaguar for one day, I want my mate. Holding off for some delayed gratification, I close my eyes and absorb her touch a little longer.
My willpower doesn’t last long.
Calli gasps when I shift forms and take her in my arms. There’s no time for chit-chat. I need her. Maybe I should’ve shifted sooner. “Sorry, kitten,” I say, lifting her against my chest and splitting her legs, “all the southern gentleman is currently drained out of me.”
I’m nothing but desire. Hunger. Need.
She wraps her arms around my neck and lets off a guttural groan as my cock slides inside her. “You do you, Jaxx.”
And I do. Water laps around our naked bodies as I step deeper into the water and claim her mouth. I nip and play, showing her how delicious I think she is.
Kissing her fuels me. She tastes like smokey passion and I love it when my kisses draw out her wildcat. She hungers… and claws… and takes what she wants without apology.
I grip the back of her neck with one hand, the other trailing down her side to the fleshy round of her breast. My palm skims over the mound, teasing her nipple up to a tight peak.
She moans into my mouth, tangling her tongue around mine, and arching into my touch. There have been play sessions between sex where we’ve made out so hot and heavy one or both of us have orgasmed without even having sex.
Not this time. I’m thick and hard inside her, getting squeezed by her greedy core and there will be sex in this orgasm. I tweak her nipple be
tween my thumb and forefinger, and she shudders, rocking against me.
Her unbridled response sends a shot of hot pleasure straight into my cock. “Hot damn, kitten,” I groan. “I need you so bad.”
Shifting us a few yards upstream, I find a deeper pool and a little ledge where I can play better under the surface. I feel the heat of Hawk’s gaze and wish we were home and had the whole night to ourselves.
Thinking about adding in my mates, sends a thrilling burn radiating through me. “If you’re gonna watch, hotness, come make yourself useful.”
“You sure? This can be a couple’s moment.”
I pull back from Calli’s kiss and the answer shines in her smoldering gaze. “Yeah, get naked and get in here. The water’s fine and so’s our mate.”
“Yes, sir.” The amusement in Hawk’s tone eases my cat a little.
Now that I’m cock deep in my mate and can feel her energy surrounding me, things have shifted from mate anxiety to full hard-on lust. I circle my hips, thrusting and retreating, enjoying the whole hot tub effect of having a horny phoenix on my cock.
A moment later, Hawk is there and he’s gloriously naked. “Damn, hotness. When you look at me with that cocky smirk, it makes me want to do bad things to you.”
“Oh, that we had time. Sadly this is an appetizer, not a feast.”
Right. “Okay then, quick and dirty it is. I claimed first position, but you go ahead and enjoy yourself doing whatever you think we have time to do.” Leaving him with that, I go back to moving inside her.
Calli
Too much. How many times have I thought I could combust from the pleasure of having one or all of these men? Too many. Kissing Jaxx is the sweetest agony, the blissful decadence of his playful kitty while being sized up by the alpha predator to be consumed.
His arms are tight around me and he’s plunged inside me to the hilt. Each time he brushes my clit, my sex throbs with a deeper need. How is that even possible?
I clutch him close, fighting the urge to release my wild side completely, while I buck against him.
