“I don’t think that was about us,” I mumbled under my breath, glad when Creed nodded. I hissed when I went to stand and decided not to lie when Creed bumped my hand to check on me. “You’re a huge animal. Yes, it hurts when you plow me over. I’ll be fine.”
I was glad I said that because he calmed down when we were in the living room with others. He wouldn’t leave my side, and it was clear he was nervous—on edge for sure, but it wasn’t as bad. He let Monroe give me a tonic, I fed—normal things.
It was nice of Gerald to visit, and he offered to go for another run with Creed when he was ready. Something was going on there, and I was fairly sure it was to teach Creed’s lion that other lions could truly be friends and not threats or problems like he’d been taught for so long.
Once I was feeling better, I jumped into handling as much as possible. No matter how much food I prepared for Creed, he was still all over me, and after a bit I realized he wanted me to go to bed and get more rest. Which was sweet.
Or so I thought.
I woke the next morning to him back in human form, leaning over me with a wild look in his eyes and stroking himself much rougher than I would ever have thought pleasurable.
“The guards can get their own food, Aurora,” he said calmly.
Too calmly.
He gave me a heated kiss before I could even reply. “I know it’s too much but please. We have to have some male guards fornow, so please stop fucking feeding them.” He groaned my name and I felt wetness on me before he kissed me again.
But then he was gone. A warning to not wash that off with soap so others smelled him on me and then he was out of the room.
I blinked out at the mostly dark room and then down at my stomach where his seed was all over my nightgown and had questions. Lots of them.
I probably could guess the answers—or at least some of them maybe—but that was a rather jarring way to wake up.
And it didn’t get any better. Creed kept marking me. I was cooking and suddenly he was pinning me to a cabinet and demanding that I expose skin to him so he could leave his scent on me.
I did what was asked, but then he just left again to do… I wasn’t really sure?
But it hurt my feelings, and after several days of it, I couldn’t take it anymore when it was clear it wasn’t going to stop.
“Look, I’m glad you reached out,” I heard Gerald say when I was searching for Creed. “That’s a great sign that your lion can accept you don’t have to be a loner.”
“More like desperation because I can’t take the grief and pain we sense from my mate anymore,” Creed grumbled, sounding heartbroken. “I don’t know what to do. I just see her and want tofuck her, man. Like… I want to make her scream my name and be rough and—I can’t get a grip. The only way I can like not scare her is just to mark her.”
“Yeah, that’s rough,” Gerald sighed. “Obviously, I don’t know anyone who’s been through what you have, and your lion is crazy powerful and throwing a fit at being caged so long. I can’t even—fuck, you’re going through it. No one denies that.”
“I can’t hurt her,” Creed choked out. “She’s been through so much and the only reason I’m still alive—wantto be alive afterlearning what they did to my lion. She pulled me out of the darkness and told me I had value when everyone kicked me in there and gave up. And I want to hurt her.”
“You don’t want to hurt her,” Gerald corrected, snapping when Creed argued. “Stop. You don’t. You don’t want to break her fucking arm or hit her, Creed. You want rough sex—roughmating sexwhich even I know is like catnip to lions. Especially newly mated lions and clearly you didn’t know.”
“But that would hurt her.”
“Because of her past and the horrors she’s been through. That isdifferentthan saying you’re a psycho who wants to abuse your mate. It just is. I know you’re spinning out, but please hear me that you’re spinning out and there’s such a difference.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I whispered as I showed myself, biting back a smirk when they both jumped like kids being caught doing something wrong. “And it’s actually been hurting me that you didn’t care enough to discuss this with me, tell me what is going on.”
“That was my next point, but I’ll leave you both to it,” Gerald said, dipping his head to me and turning to leave. He paused and then spun back, taking a step to me but freezing when Creed snarled.
“Sorry,” Creed grumbled when we both gave him a look that it was a bit much.
Gerald’s lips twitched, but then he was serious as he focused on me. “Yes, lions like rough sex. I was unaware Creed didn’t realize this. Nor you. I’m very sorry for that. Alexis is furious at me and says I’m a moron for not making a point to let everyone know in this instance.”
I read between the lines. “But it’s not something you tell everyone because it hurts your community as sometimes lions are already characterized as brutes even to other shifters.”
Relief filled his eyes. “Yes. It’s not tohurtanyone. There is a different level of pleasure when you ride that line of pleasure and pain and it’s…” He trailed off when Creed snarled again. “Yeah, that one’s actually fair. Talk to Alexis if you want. I explained it better to her.”
“Thank you, and thank you for being a good friend to my mate,” I accepted graciously. “When he is better in his head, I will make sure to make you some meals and thank you properly.” I sighed when Creed snarled deeply.
“I’ll take the IOU, but it’s going to be a while,” Gerald chuckled before saying goodbye.
