by I. T. Lucas
Especially since Jin wasn’t protesting any of it. The rougher he got, the more aroused she became, her short nails digging into the muscles of his back as if she was afraid that he might stop kissing her.
He had no intention of doing that. But when she undulated under him, her hard nipples scraping against his chest and her core rubbing against his shaft, he had to let go of her mouth and take care of that ache for her.
Sliding down her body, he cupped both plump mounds. Pushing them up, he licked one nipple and then the other, going back and forth between the two.
Jin’s hips moved under him in sync to his licking, and as he took one peak between his lips and sucked it into his mouth, she arched up hard, lifting both their bodies off the bed.
The girl was stronger than she looked and just as impatient to consummate their lovemaking as he was.
Except, Arwel was not going to give in to their primal urges.
This was the first of hopefully an eternity of passionate lovemaking, and he was adamant about making it as memorable as he could. If he let go, he would be inside her in a split second, and a moment or two later, his fangs would send her soaring into the clouds. When she came back down, all Jin would remember were those scant moments that had led to the bite.
That wasn’t how he wanted her to remember this.
66
Jin
Jin was burning up.
She had no patience for the slow foreplay that she usually favored. With Arwel, she felt an unstoppable urgency, a deep need to make him hers as quickly as possible.
But he had other ideas, and as much as she wanted him to make them one, she also wanted to learn everything there was about his body, his mouth, his hands, his taste. She wanted to touch him all over and learn every muscle, every bone, every sinew, kissing and licking every inch of his skin.
The hunger and thirst were so overwhelming that she felt lost, unable to decide what she wanted to touch or taste the most, and what to do next. In the end, she’d chosen the easy way, letting Arwel dictate the pace and everything else.
It wasn’t like her. Usually, Jin was as assertive in sex as she was in any other situation, but with Arwel, she felt different. It was okay to let go because she trusted him like she’d never trusted any other man.
Why?
Was it because Mey had vouched for him?
Because he was an immortal male and she needed him to transition?
None of that rang true.
The feeling was inexplicable, and although her rational mind was rebelling against the realization, she had no choice but to concede that their coming together felt fated.
It seemed as if everything that had happened to her since she’d first met Marisol had led to this moment. So maybe the woman wasn’t evil incarnate but the messenger of fate?
Right now, though, Jin didn’t want to think about freaking Marisol. She wanted to concentrate on the moment and commit every detail to memory.
“You have gorgeous breasts that I could spend days worshiping.” Arwel kissed each one in turn as if saying goodbye to them. He then slid further down, wedging his broad shoulders between her spread thighs. “But I need a taste of this too.” He pressed a soft kiss to her folds.
“Oh, God.” Jin arched into his mouth.
He chuckled. “Thank you. But Arwel will suffice.”
She reached for his hair with both hands and grabbed fistfuls of it. “Don’t tease me.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” He treated her to a long lick. “You taste amazing.”
He kept sliding his tongue around her folds, dipping it inside her, and then going back to licking her as if her feminine parts were made from ice cream.
Was he going to take a bite?
That was a scary thought, but then he slipped a finger inside her, and Jin stopped thinking. As her sheath clenched around the penetrating digit, she bit her lip to keep from screaming his name.
Brushing soft kisses against her swollen clit, Arwel was too gentle, teasing her despite his previous claim.
She pulled on his hair. “I need more.”
He added another finger, kissing her lightly as he pumped slowly in and out of her.
She pulled harder. “I need to come.”
He could either bring her to completion or lose fistfuls of hair. She wasn’t giving him another choice.
Reaching up with his hands, he pinched both nipples, and at the same time closed his lips over that most sensitive bundle of nerves that he’d been kissing so softly and sucked.
First, Jin mewed, and as the orgasm washed over her in a tidal wave of excruciating pleasure, her thighs closed around Arwel’s head, locking him in place, and the sound she made as she came was one she’d never heard herself emit before. It was primal, it was loud, and it made her feel free and wild and more authentic than she’d thought possible.
Somehow, Arwel had awakened the tigress that she hadn’t known had been dormant inside her.
“You are magnificent,” he whispered as he slid up her body.
Taking her mouth in a crushing kiss, he surged into her with one swift thrust.
Jin came again, her sheath squeezing around the length that was filling her up so perfectly that it felt as if it had been made for her.
Before she had a chance to come down from her second orgasm, Arwel started moving. Riding her fast and hard, he was going to bring her to the edge once again.
67
Arwel
The feeling was incredible. They fit together as if they were made for each other. With each thrust, Arwel became more consumed with the need to possess Jin, to mark her as his, the wildness overtaking him so intense that it was scaring him.
What if he was too hard on her?
She was still human, and he was supposed to be mindful of her fragility, but she seemed just as wild as he was, meeting him thrust for thrust, as if she couldn’t get enough either.
There was no stopping this, and as he pistoned in and out of her, he felt the bond dancing on the edge of his consciousness. Any moment now, it would snap into place, and they would be mated for life.
Except, the bond refused to obey, shimmering like a mirage and blinking out of existence no matter how frenzied Arwel’s shafting was or how loudly his heart thundered in his ears.
Perhaps to seal the deal, he needed to bite his mate.
Yes, that was it.
Going even harder and faster, he began to orgasm.
Instinctively, Jin turned her head, exposing her neck. And as he bit down, she moaned and climaxed instead of crying out in pain.
He kept pumping into her as he filled her with his venom, and she kept orgasming until he withdrew his fangs and licked the puncture wounds closed.
When it was done, Jin’s body went utterly lax, her head falling back with a euphoric expression spreading over her beautiful face.
Picking the towel up from the floor, Arwel tucked it under Jin’s bottom before pulling out. They hadn’t used a condom, but he was quite sure that Jin was on birth control, so pregnancy wasn’t an issue even if a miracle could have happened. He wouldn’t have minded in the slightest, but Jin would. Coming from the human world, she wasn’t ready to accept him as her mate yet, not after knowing him for such a short time, and she certainly wasn’t ready for a child.
The thing he wasn’t sure about, though, was whether she could enter transition while on the pill. He wanted her to turn immortal as soon as possible, but he hadn’t asked for her consent first.
It was safe to assume that she wanted it, but he still needed to ask.
As he lay next to her, his heart swelled with gratitude. How had he gotten so lucky?
Jin was so perfect in every way.
And yet, for some reason, the bond hadn’t snapped into place, and now that the frenzied lovemaking was over, he couldn’t even feel it dancing in the periphery of his consciousness as he had before.
Maybe it wasn’t common for the bond to solidify during the first lovemaking like it had
for Carol and Lokan. Perhaps other couples had to build it up slowly.
Hell, if he hadn’t been in the next cell when Carol and Lokan had bonded, he wouldn’t have even known that anything was amiss.
“Hey.” Jin lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. “Why are you frowning?”
That was some fast recovery. Usually, after the venom bite, human females were out for hours. It seemed that his girl was unusual in every possible way.
“I was too rough.” That hadn’t been the reason for his frown, but it wasn’t a lie either.
“Let me be the judge of that.” She leaned up and kissed his jaw. “I loved every moment of it. But that bite was something else. Wow.” She closed her eyes and smiled. “The psychedelics they gave us in the program didn’t come anywhere close to that.”
Fighting the sudden flare of anger that her comment had evoked, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his body to hers. “I feel like ripping their throats out for forcing you to do that.”
She sighed. “Don’t. This moment is too precious to spoil with bad thoughts.”
“I agree a hundred percent. How are you feeling?”
“Euphoric. Dreamy. A little loopy.”
“Does anything hurt?”
She brought her hand to where he had bitten her and touched it with her fingertips. “There is no sign of your bite. It’s like it never happened.”
“Both my venom and my saliva have healing properties.”
“That’s a shame. I would have loved having a reminder.” She smiled. “A mark would have served as an instant turn on.”
“I love how strange you are.”
She lifted a pair of smiling eyes to him. “Why am I strange? How is it different for the others?”
He chuckled. “I have no idea. It’s not like the couples share details with the bachelors. But I’ve never heard any of the females lament about not having a mark left on them. Also, the euphoric effect usually lasts for a lot longer than it did for you. You woke up only a few moments later.”
“How long does it last for others?”
“Hours. Sometimes all night.”
“The freak sisters must be different in every way,” she murmured. “I’ll have to ask Mey how long it lasts for her.”
68
Kian
As Kian opened the door to his office on Monday morning, he wasn’t enthused about going back to work.
The vacation, even though it had been a working one, had been fun. He’d enjoyed spending long days with Syssi. He’d even enjoyed hanging out with the rest of the bunch. Cohabiting in the chalet had been more pleasant than he’d expected.
The break from his routine had been refreshing, and they had been more successful in what they had set out to do than they could have hoped for. Not only did they have Jin, but they also had three more possible Dormants.
Or spies.
Despite Edna and Andrew’s tests, he still wasn’t sure about those three. The blessing they supposedly represented in the form of possible mates could be a Trojan horse situation.
That’s why he’d summoned both Turner and Onegus to discuss safety protocol. Turner was just paranoid enough to foresee possible threats from the three that even Kian couldn’t imagine, and Onegus was sufficiently practical and level-headed to offer solutions.
Kian was quite proud of himself for calling this meeting instead of deciding everything on his own. Even at almost two thousand years old, he was still learning, which was good.
Damn, his bimillennial birthday was fast approaching, and knowing Amanda, she was planning a big-ass surprise party for him. He didn’t mind the party, but he didn’t like surprises. Should he tell her that?
“Knock, knock.” Onegus strode into the office with a tall paper cup of steaming coffee. “Turner is on his way up.”
“Good morning.” Kian leaned back in his chair. “How were things here in my absence?”
Onegus shrugged. “Nothing interesting to report from the village, but we have good news from the team in the Bay Area. Magnus told me that he updated you on the latest.”
“He did. Are he and Vivian coming back later today?”
“Most of the team is. I decided to leave Kri and Michael there just to make sure that our guy doesn’t run without us knowing about it.”
Turner walked into the office with his briefcase tucked under his arm and a paper cup with coffee in his hand. “Good morning.”
“What happened to your thermos?”
“It broke. I’ve ordered another one, but it hasn’t arrived yet.”
Kian waited for Turner to get comfortable before getting down to business. “I need to discuss with you what to do about the three paranormal talents we picked up along with Jin. I had Edna test them, and Andrew was there while I questioned them, but I’m still not sure they are not Trojan horses.” He looked at Turner. “What do you think?”
“They could be. But since you have the best spy in the universe, you can keep an eye on them, so to speak, at all times. Have Jin hook into them and let them know that they are under constant surveillance. They wouldn’t dare do anything.”
“She is not going to like that. They are her friends.”
Turner shrugged. “Does it matter if she likes it or not? If she considers them her friends, she probably wants to help them. Lifting the constant cloud of suspicion hovering over their heads would be helpful.”
Kian raked his fingers through his hair. “I need her to spy on Kalugal, and I haven’t asked her yet. The girl is a straight shooter, and spying is not something she is comfortable with. Having the ability is different from wanting to use it. I’d rather force her hand with Kalugal than waste it on our three uninvited guests.”
Turner nodded. “I would like to meet Jin. Do you want me to talk to her?”
“Why? Do you think you can do a better job of convincing her to do it?”
“If she is such a straight shooter, she will appreciate being told things as they are. As the leader of the clan, you are better suited to present the situation to her, but if you are uncomfortable doing so, I have no problem doing it for you.”
“I’ll do it. Jin knows me, and she is not intimidated by me, which says a lot about her character.”
“Do you want to wait until after your talk with Jin to send Guardians in?” Onegus asked. “I’ve given instructions to those on rotation in the keep to stay away from the underground for the time being.”
That was what Kian had instructed the chief to do. He needed to decide on a strategy before the new arrivals met anyone else.
“I haven’t decided yet if I want to leave it up to chance or send those who might be best suited for the two females. We also have the male to think of. How are we going to introduce him to the clan females? Don’t forget that they will need to keep their immortality a secret and pretend to be part of a society of people with paranormal abilities. The problem is that most of them don’t have any.”
“They can make them up,” Turner said. “It can be obscure things like talking to ghosts, like Nathalie’s talent. No one can prove that they can’t actually do that. Or they could claim an uncanny business acumen like yours or a strategic planning one like mine.”
Folding his arms over his chest, Onegus leaned back. “You could ask Amanda to organize a party and invite a select group. She’s a pro at those.”
Turner cast him an amused glance. “How come you are not rushing to the keep to check out the selection?”
Onegus shrugged. “I don’t think my fated one awaits me in the keep. I’m not even curious to check the two out. One is a nineteen-year-old girl, which is way too young for me, and the other is an immune. I’d rather wait patiently for the right one.”
69
Jin
“Hey, sleepyhead, it’s time to wake up.”
Jin smiled and cuddled closer into Arwel’s muscular chest, happy that he hadn’t put a shirt on. “What time is it?”
“Ten in the morning.” He kissed the top of
her head. “Yamanu called asking if you were with me. I told him yes. I hope that’s okay.”
She opened her eyes. “Of course, it is. Otherwise, they would have searched the entire underground for me. Did he ask you anything else?”
“No, and I wouldn’t have told him anything if he did.”
She cupped his cheek and planted a soft kiss on his very kissable lips. “So, what do we tell the others? Are you my boyfriend now?”
“I hope that I’m more than that.”
She thought he was teasing, but he looked dead serious. “Meaning?”
“I hope that I’m your mate.”
“What’s the difference?” she asked, before remembering what Mey had told her.
Damn, he couldn’t be serious.
“A boyfriend is a temporary status. A mate is forever.”
Apparently he was.
Jin stroked Arwel’s cheek with her fingertips, scratching at the stubble. “We’ve known each other for forty-eight hours. I think it’s too early to be talking about forever. Let’s stick to boyfriend for now.”
Arwel seemed disappointed, and she hated that, but as much as she liked him, and as perfect as the sex had been, they weren’t even in love yet. They didn’t know each other well enough for that.
“You are right. As far as the others are concerned, we are dating.” He took her hand and put it over his heart. “But in here, I know that you are my mate.”
She could live with that. “Okay.”
“You need to get up. Kian texted me that he’s coming to talk to you, and he asked that you be ready by eleven.”
“That’s plenty of time.” She stretched her arms and yawned. “I just need to get some clothes from my room and eat something. I’m starving.”
They had made love twice last night, but Arwel hadn’t bitten her the second time. Apparently, immortal males needed almost no recovery time to have sex again, but there was a limit on venom production. The downside of that was that she was a little sore this morning.
