He had his own version of praise and command, and it tightened everything in my lower half as I cried out. He thrust up roughly and we came together this time, our breaths mingling in kisses and sobs and praise until we were both spent and exhausted.
Only a few hours ago Kellan and I had both been on the edge of death, mine from sharing my energy and his from magic. Which just made this moment so much more poignant. We collapsed on the bed, sated, mated, and covered in sweat. Along with joy. A purity of joy that I had been unaware was possible to achieve.
And I had no regrets.
As promised, Kellan was near insatiable, taking me every which way. We went from hard doggystyle fucking, where I held on to his headboard and he slammed into me from behind with enough force that hisequally as impressiveballs slapped my assand I felt like I was getting spanked and fucked at the same time, to devouring me and edging me for an hour until I exploded with an orgasm so intense that we had to change the sheets after.
By the time he finally dozed off, wrapped around me, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to walk again. Could you dehydrate from losing fluids via the vagina? Or did the overload of his release inside of me balance it out somehow. Thank the goddess I wasn’t in my fertile period any longer, because there was no way I wouldn’t be pregnant by now. Probably have a damn litter at the rate he liked to fuck.
Not that I was complaining.Nope. My good boy knew exactly what he was doing.
After a few hours nap, restless energy had me slipping out from under Kellan’s hold to head for the bathroom. My skin was a gunky, dried-out mess from our hours of sealing the mate bond, and while that should have felt gross, it didn’t bother me. I enjoyed smelling Kellan all over me, and if it wasn’t literally in my eyebrows, I wouldn’t have even showered.
When I was finished, I dried myself and threw on one of his hoodies, before kissing both his cheeks and thanking the goddess once more that she brought him back to us.
Kellan slept deeply, no magic tainting his scent now, and I almost crawled back into bed, until my stomach growled harshly, reminding me I needed to eat after hours of sharing energy and being fucked into oblivion.
I wasn’t sure yet if the energy I’d shared would return fully to my essence, but I felt fine and so did my wolf, so I figured it was regenerating. Judging from Mom and the years with her pack, it took more than one moment of sharing to make a permanent mark.
The test now was how Kellan dealt with that power, and if it corrupted him into wanting more. During sex would have been a prime opportunity to ask, or attempt to exchange, but hehadn’t even mentioned it. I expected the others would have some questions though.
Mate, my wolf howled, strong and satisfied. She wasn’t exactly present during the sex, remaining deeper in my subconscious, but she was happy with the deepening of the bond.
Of the connection that we felt in the bite we’d wear permanently now.
When I reached the first floor, I’d just turned toward the kitchen when I heard a curse and shout from the opposite side of the house. Worried it was a call for help, I changed directions and hurried toward the disturbance. When another crash rang out, I realized it was coming from the garage.
Even though I was only dressed in a hoodie, with no underwear or shoes, I didn’t hesitate to race down the stairs. At the base of the staircase the heavy door was closed, and when I pushed on it, it took a bit of extra effort to open. Not only had I shared my essence, but I’d been horribly neglecting my food intake lately, which was never good for shifters. Now that Kellan was safe, I could focus on building my muscles up again.
The door eventually opened, and I stepped into my favorite area of the house. Another clank rang out as I moved into the dark room, and with a quick—sad—glance at the bikes, I headed toward the back of the garage, where the older cars and trucks were parked.
The smooth, stone flooring was cool under my feet as I padded along. It was climate-controlled here to protect the babies, but there was no underfloor heating. When I passed Finley’s TRX, I wondered if he was home. Like the others, he had more than one car, but I hadn’t bothered to learn which were his. Okay, not totally true, but I didn’t knowallof them.
The next clank and curse were louder, and I froze at the familiar deep rasp.
Shit.I backed up a step, already huffing in the faint whiff of vanilla and cherries. It was too late though, as Finley rounded the back of an old Chevy, his glare prepped and ready. “Is Kellan okay?” he asked, his gaze dragging briefly down the length of my exposed legs, before he returned his focus to my face.
I nodded, feeling stupidly tongue-tied around the bear. His reaction to my presence was unpredictable, and I wasn’t really in the mood to destroy my post-fucking-glow with sharp, mean jabs. I might have softened slightly toward him over the past few days as I watched his love for Kellan, but it wasn’t enough to erase everything that happenedbefore.
“He’s fine,” I replied, relieved to sound somewhat normal. “I just heard banging and cursing and came to check that no one was in trouble.”
Shadows flashed in his eyes, which looked darker than usual. “And what if it had been another pack breaking in, or a threat? You’d think you’d have learned by now not to wander around alone, unless you’re trying to get another one of usalmostkilled to protect you.” His glare deepened, and weirdly he kind of looked concerned.
“It briefly crossed my mind,” I admitted, “but what are the odds anyone could get in here without Slade or one of you knowing? I calculated the risk and decided that it was worth it to make sure none of you were hurt.”
That momentarily stopped him, before he shook his head. “Maybe you wanted one of us to be hurt. Do you need to be forced into the claiming, Ice Queen? Can’t admit you actually want us?”
My hand shot up to rest against Kellan’s bite, and instead of following that movement, Finley’s gaze dropped to where the hoodie had lifted enough to flash my vagina to the world.
Whoops.
Releasing my shoulder, I cleared my throat. “No, I don’t want any of you to ever step between me and danger again. Almost losing Kellan is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, including my mom’s death. And not that I owe you any explanation, but the fact that I would bond with Kellan when every part of me fears the consequences should reassure you that I’m not here to hurt any of you. I never wanted to hurt you. It was pure self-preservation.”
Finley watched me in a way I wasn’t sure he ever had before, a consuming, drowning sort of stare that tightened my center. It was odd being down here without all the big industrial lighting to light up the place. Almost eerie. “What changed?” he finally asked, in a low, confused tone. “Why did you give up on putting yourself first?”
That was the easiest question to answer. “I didn’t want to live if Kellan didn’t. I guess… there was nothing more important than making sure he survived.”
The conversation was getting too heavy between me and a bear shifter I did not trust with my darkest secrets, so I searched for a distraction. Finley wore grease-smeared jeans and a red and white checkered flannel; there were a few spots of black on his cheeks too. Add in a backwards baseball cap holding his glorious hair off his face, and it was easy to forget he hated me. Or at least to wish that he didn’t. “What are you working on?” I asked, genuinely interested in this new topic. “I didn’t know you tinkered with cars.”
