Sapphire Flame: A Paranormal Romance (The Flame Series Book 7)

by Caris Roane

  Afterward, he left the shower so that she could more easily finish her own hair and soap up as well then rinse off.

  By the time she left the bathroom, he was reclining on his back in the stripped-down bed. Though it was queen-sized, he took up most of the space. His large, muscular frame made the bed look like a twin.

  She had a towel around her head and he’d placed one under his long mass of hair. No sense getting the bed wet or the pillows.

  When she was within a couple feet of the bed, she stopped just to look at him. She allowed herself a moment of pure appreciation.

  The wolves of Savage were beautiful and Grant even more so. Every muscle was defined and exquisite from his shoulders, chest and abs to his heavy, gorgeous thighs and well-shaped calves. His toes were longer than a human’s. Maybe it was a wolf thing.

  Slowly, he rose up enough to turn toward her, one elbow supporting him. “Like what you see?”

  “You’re extraordinary.”

  “Back atcha.” She watched his gaze fall the length of her body then slowly rise back up.

  He moved to the edge of the bed and slung his legs over, spreading them wide. He pulled her to him until her thighs were touching his. He caressed both breasts at the same time but looked up and held her gaze. “Do you like this?”

  “Un-huh. A lot.”

  “How about this?” He leaned in and took her left breast in his mouth and began to suckle.

  She closed her eyes and moaned. Yes, I love it.

  He slid one hand around her waist and pulled her even closer. He took more of her breast in his mouth and sucked harder still.

  This time, her moan sounded like she’d swallowed some sand paper. Oh, God.

  You’re beautiful, Natalie. I love you so much. I love doing this with you, making you feel good.

  He grabbed her waist with both hands and squeezed then ran his thumbs in the direction of her sex. All the while, he kept suckling.

  Her sex clenched, and she cried out. I need more.

  Suddenly, he let go of her breast, lifted her into the air and twirled her. She thought she would land with a bounce on the mattress, but he broke her fall and gentled her down.

  She smiled up at him.

  He kissed her while his right hand massaged her mons. She parted her lips and his tongue drove deep. I’m going to put my tongue inside you, Natalie, and do this to you, over and over until you come.

  When he drew back and looked down at her, she had no words except a breathy, “Please.”

  He kissed his way down her body until he was on his knees, on the floor, and he was gently kissing her abdomen.

  She waited, her mind loose, but every part of her was focused on the path he forged.

  Down he went, lower and lower. Her sex clenched as his lips drew near.

  The first swipe caused her hips to jump and a quick, ‘Oh’, to slide from her mouth.

  He began to lick, long slow swipes that had her moaning with pleasure. Chills kept sweeping up her abdomen then down her thighs. Desire rose in quick waves only to crash over her then to rise again.

  He pushed her thighs farther apart until she felt his tongue at her entrance. Lemons and mint. You taste so good. He swirled light at first, a terrible tease that caused her breath to come in shallow gasps.

  When he drove inside, her entire body undulated with pleasure. He pressed a hand down on her lower abdomen so that with his thumb he stimulated her mons.

  The two sensations combined had her writhing. She would have lost contact with his mouth completely, but he continued to press on her abdomen and to hold her in place.

  Do you like what I’m doing?

  You’re driving me crazy.

  Good.

  His tongue went faster. He pushed in as far as he could reach, pulled out. In and out. Faster and faster.

  When he went wolf-quick, ecstasy rushed toward her, pulsed in her sex then streamed up through her chest. Pleasure cascaded in searing waves until she cried out repeatedly.

  He slowed but didn’t stop.

  “Oh,” she murmured, breathing hard. She grabbed the sheets as he began to tongue-fuck her again, quick and hard.

  Pleasure once more ripped through her as shivers rained down her body. She grew hoarse with shouting.

  Again, he slowed, but didn’t stop. When he began driving his tongue a third time, she arched her neck as a final orgasm pulsed through her sex, bringing with it a wind of pleasure that rushed once more through her abdomen, into her chest to send stars bursting over her mind.

  He drew back leaving her weak and satisfied. She huffed a heavy sigh as though it was almost too much effort to breathe.

  She chuckled at the thought.

  He rose from his kneeling position, then slid his arm beneath her bottom all the way up her back. He was able to lift her to recline farther up the bed. He immediately stretched out next to her, reclining on his side to face her. I love watching you come.

  She turned her lazy head to meet his gaze. It was hard to even lift her hand. Same here.

  It makes me hard.

  She glanced down at his arousal. So, I see. She drifted her hand low to feel the velvety crown. Even though she’d just had three wonderful orgasms, her sex tightened at the thought of having his cock inside her.

  She continued fondling him but met his gaze once more. “What’s involved with wolf-bonding?”

  He massaged her breasts. “You’ll be on all fours.”

  “I like being there.”

  He smiled. “I know you do. I’ll bite down on the back of your neck.”

  “Like you’ve done before.”

  “Yes. But this time, I’ll release the bonding scent. The thing is, I’m not sure how it will go because you’re not an alpha female wolf.”

  Natalie felt her wolf stir within her and she released it. The iridescent wolf lay half on the sheet and half on Natalie’s belly. She yipped.

  Grant reached over and pet the wolf. She lifted her snout and rubbed it against Grant’s hand.

  “What does that feel like?” Natalie asked.

  “Like the softest fur yet more like air. She’s beautiful.”

  “Do you know what I think?” Natalie also pet her wolf. “I think the bonding isn’t going to be a problem. If I’m not an alpha wolf, I’m the next closest thing.”

  Grant chuckled then pushed his cock into her hand. “I’m getting really hard. All this talk about bonding has my hormones firing up again. But are you absolutely sure you want to do this with me?”

  This time she turned toward him, so she could meet his gaze straight on. “I don’t have even the smallest whisper of a doubt. Truly. You’re my man and I want to be your bonded mate, your wife and anything else in-between. But are you sure? I know you were always certain you’d take a female wolf as your alpha-mate.”

  “Any doubts I had disappeared when you helped me drop us both in the sand and I was delivered from Kryder’s dungeon. All I could think was what a fool I’d been. I knew you were the woman for me.

  “You have more courage than any woman I know, more grit. But there’s something more. You have a pure heart. The way you’ve responded to the pack at the barbecue was respectful and loving. I’m in awe of who you are.”

  “I feel the same way about you. I admire you so much. You’ve been a savior to your pack all these years and always put your own comfort and safety above everyone else. Do you know how rare that is?”

  ~ ~ ~

  Grant heard Natalie’s compliment and tears bit his eyes as he recalled the trials of the last six years while working doggedly to remove Kryder from the Meldorin Pack. The first part of the goal had been accomplished. At long last, he’d forced Kryder to break the bond with the pack.

  Now he was here, with the woman who had made it possible, who was even now sharing an invisibility spell with him. He leaned close, loving the very faint freckles across the bridge of her nose, then kissed her. Sliding an arm around her, he drew her against him so that he could fee
l the full length of her.

  The time had come. “Thank you for saying what you did. It means a lot to me.”

  He kissed her again but this time, he began to engage his bonding process.

  She lifted her chin and her nostrils flared. “Grant, I’m smelling your scent, all that lumber. But it’s richer somehow and so erotic. Is that the bonding scent?”

  “Yes.” His voice had dropped an octave.

  He rose onto his knees, which put his fully-erect cock close to her mouth. She lifted up enough to take the head inside and swirl her tongue over the sensitive ridge.

  “Fuck,” he murmured.

  She let go of him then in a quick move, spun around and dropped to all fours so that he had a view of her swollen sex. His jaw quivered, and he leaned down to take several licks. You’re wet again. More lemons and mint.

  I have no doubt of it, because your scent has got me worked up. Take me, Grant. I’m ready.

  He grabbed her hips and positioned his cock at her entrance. Her moisture drew him in and he pushed all the way to the hilt. He groaned long and loud.

  She arched her back and released a soft howl. Her iridescent wolf yipped then paced back and forth through the air.

  He set a steady rhythm. She pulled her long damp hair well over her shoulder revealing her tender nape. He leaned down and began to lick a line across the area he would bite.

  She moaned softly and howled again. Bite me, Grant. Please. I ache for it.

  He opened his maw and let just a little of his wolf come to him so that his jaw elongated slightly, and fur appeared on the lines of his cheeks, his chest and the backs of his hand.

  At the same time, he opened his bonding hormones completely. A mist came from his body.

  “Your scent! It has me on fire.”

  “It’s the bonding mechanism.”

  “I’m feeling waves over my body. They’re warm with a soft vibration.”

  He grunted as he drove into her. Saliva filled his mouth as he lowered his chest to reach the inviting nape. As before, his jaw quivered.

  He switched to telepathy. Once I bite you, I don’t know what’s going to happen. So, hold on.

  Got it. She was panting hard.

  Everything about his alter life coalesced in this moment. He was more wolf than he’d ever been. The iridescent wolf-sign rippling over her body called to him. His balls tightened. He needed release, but not yet.

  The moment his teeth made contact with her skin, Natalie’s wolf took up a place in front of Natalie. Grant stared into the wolf’s eyes, mesmerized. His hips went faster. He bit down hard, but not hard enough to break skin.

  His bonding mechanism flowed in heavy waves.

  Grant, this is amazing. I’m going to come.

  I’m with you all the way.

  As he sped up and went wolf fast, as the bonding reached a pinnacle, he began to release. The sensation was beyond pleasure, beyond anything he had experienced before. The waves of the bonding became an intense river of sensation, of heat and life, of pleasure and the spinning of the universe.

  From a distance, he could hear Natalie’s cries of pleasure. Her wolf howled and howled. He had so much seed that it seemed as though the orgasm would never stop. Still, he held onto her neck.

  Ecstasy became a series of pinnacles that he kept reaching. He would slow just a little and another one would build. She was with him and would cry out in pleasure each time then pant, then cry out again and again.

  Suddenly, the bond locked into place, a miracle of his wolf life, but there it was, as solid as steel.

  Only then did the intense pleasure peak one last time. It then eased down to drift away like a wave coasting in a thin layer of water over the wet sand of a beach.

  He released his hold on her neck but didn’t pull out of her. He didn’t want to end the connection, not yet. Never, if he was honest with himself.

  He was one with her and it was heaven.

  She was breathing hard.

  So was he.

  Supporting himself on one hand, he slid an arm beneath her and offered an on-all-fours embrace. Her arms shook from holding herself upright.

  “That’s nice. Better. I could collapse.” She sounded breathless. “This was beyond amazing. I think I’m in shock.”

  “Me, too.” He meant it. He kissed the side of her head, her hair still damp. His own hung off his back.

  “The bond feels like I’m sharing your body, that your body is now part of mine.”

  “Yes, that’s it. That’s what it feels like.”

  Finally, he reached for the washcloth he’d brought with him from the bathroom then drew himself out of her. He tucked the cloth against her sex, afterward lowering them both down to the bed. She remained on her stomach, but he rolled to recline on his back and slung an arm over his forehead.

  She shifted just enough to drape her arm across his chest. She stroked his shoulder gently, her face turned toward him. It wasn’t long before she switched positions a little more to tuck herself against him.

  “Lift up,” he said. When she obliged, he slid an arm around her and pulled her close.

  He had a wife again, that’s what went through his mind. He smiled up at the ceiling.

  “You’re smiling.”

  “How can you tell?” He chuckled softly.

  “Like I said, I can feel your body. I have the oddest sense of you. Can you feel me?”

  “No, I don’t think I can.”

  “Maybe the sensation will pass. It just seems so odd, but so wonderful.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Natalie allowed herself to savor the moment. She was bonded to the man she loved. She belonged to him body and soul until death separated them.

  “I love you, Natalie, more than I can say. I’m planning on saying it often, so you’ll never be in doubt.”

  She moved slightly to look at him. His eyes were fully gold and so beautiful her breath caught. “I wish you could see how your eye color transforms. It’s spectacular.”

  “I wish you could see what I see, this beautiful fae with a heart of gold.”

  “Aw.” She reached up to kiss him. When she tried to pull back, he drew her to him with the pressure of his arm.

  She moved in closer still and spent some time working his lips. Desire began to rise all over again.

  When at last she drew back, she smiled down at him, her heart so full of love tears bit her eyes. “I think we need a honeymoon. A very long one. Maybe we could lock ourselves in your rooms at the compound and hang a do-not-disturb sign on the door handle for about a month. Maybe two.”

  “I have a better idea. How about we return to Boulder Beach in Cape Town, sustain our invisibility and make love among the penguins.”

  She smiled then laughed. “Well, it’s not the most romantic idea.”

  He laughed as well and rubbed her back. “I suppose not.” He thought for a moment. “We could go to Paris. Or Rome. How about Venice?”

  “I don’t think I even care. I just want to be with you.” As she kissed him, she glided her hand along his abdomen and found his arousal. She’d been right, he was fully erect again.

  She took it as an invitation and slid on top of him. She mounted him easily and once more rode the intense waves of ecstasy.

  Sometime later, after falling asleep in Grant’s arms, Natalie awoke with a warning tug on her mind. She didn’t at first understand what it was.

  Grant was asleep beside her. She looked at him wondering if it was something he was dreaming, but he looked very peaceful.

  She relaxed against the pillow and took several deep breaths. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so she wasn’t worried about falling into a doze.

  Instead, she focused on the small piece of stress that had taken hold of her mind. When nothing happened, she remembered her wolf. Somehow externalizing this new part of her always made a difference.

  Summoning her wolf, she let her out.

  Immediately, the beautiful, iridescent form beg
an to race around the room.

  Natalie sat up. This was unlike her wolf. What is it, girl?

  The wolf returned to sit in the air above Natalie’s chest and to stare down at her.

  Kryder came instantly to mind as though the wolf had placed the thought within her.

  Kryder. Of course. She’d almost forgotten about the madman that had driven her into the safety of the compound in the first place.

  She chose to check the future. She knew the hour was four in the morning. In late September, it was a couple of hours from dawn. Slipping her legs over the side of the bed, she grew very still. She and Grant had chosen to sustain the invisibility spell as a precaution, so the yellow-flowered wallpaper had a soft glow.

  She opened herself to the future and smiled because there was no longer any pain. Apparently, all that suffering had been more about her resistance to dealing with her special fae gift than anything else. Now that she’d accepted it, the pain was gone.

  Focusing on Kryder, she found him ten minutes from now. He was in the torture room and holding the chains that had once kept Grant fixed on the hook.

  She fast-forwarded another ten minutes. He was shooting the fae up with more sapphire flame. “I need to know where they are. Both of them.”

  “Yes, master.” The woman rose unsteadily to her feet. She pushed her hair back and Natalie gasped. She knew the woman. She was her friend, Alexis, the one she’d believed had been killed by wolves. Instead, Kryder had captured her and used her for years as his futurist slave.

  She felt ill that she hadn’t known, hadn’t thought to try to find her in the future. She’d assumed as so many had that Alexis had been killed during the Fae-Wolf Wars then cremated without anyone knowing.

  “Let me make this clear,” Kryder said. “You’re coming with and if you don’t help me find Grant and Natalie, this is your last night in Five Bridges.”

  Natalie saw absolutely no emotional reaction from Alexis. She could only suppose death was preferable to living as Kryder’s slave.

  A plan began to form in Natalie’s mind. First, though, she needed to know more.

  Again, she scrolled forward in the future, but what she saw horrified her. Kryder took a blade and sliced Alexis’s throat open. She fell to the cement floor as blood drained from her.