Why doesn’t it sound as appalling as I know it should?
“Hold on,” Ian interjects with an impressed smile on his face that has me reassessing. “So if you’re structuring everything so it’s laid out the same, that forces humans to trade with the mages, or else they’ll starve to death. The cities aren’t built to grow food.”
Rheyas’ thumb starts stroking over my stomach as he muses aloud. “And the mages will need to remain on good terms with the shifters for the same reason. It forces them to be civil and respectful to one another whether they like it or not. How does that not put shifters at the top of the food chain, even if they don’t govern the others? They’ll still hold the largest amount of power, and humans the least.”
Hawk raises a finger, looking thrilled about the topic. “Not quite. Even you had to venture into town on occasion, correct?” Rheyas nods. “Which means even the most live-off-the-land, badass alpha male cannot survive simply on his own. The humans get to retain control of production of certain items that shifters and mages can’t live without, but they require supplies from either of our territories to produce it so that they can’t lord it over us. And if one of our factions withholds their supply, then they’ll just suffer the fallout as well, so it wouldn’t benefit them. I can’t tell you how many layers upon layers there are to ensure this can work, dozens of people were part of the plan’s creation, and then vetted through other people to catch any potential plot holes that might be missed by being too close to the project.”
My mind is whirling, and I’m not completely sure where I stand on the subject. But what I do know? Whether or not I’m ready for the world to change, it already is.
Twenty-Four
Esmerelda
Drying off my face, I step out of the bathroom, only to find Hawk leaning against the wall. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were waiting, you should have knocked.”
Uncrossing his arms, he doesn’t step any closer. “Only thing I was waiting for is you, love, no worries.”
Warily, I start walking past him, feeling like it’s a trap. “Need me to check for monsters under the bed before you can sleep?”
Grinning, he falls into step beside me. “You know me so well.”
The bedrooms we found were stripped of their bedding, just bare mattresses on frames. Still beats the frozen ground, and our coats make fine makeshift blankets in addition to the heat the guys naturally seem to throw off. The only problem? Hard to huddle up with people that aren’t here.
“Others grabbing another mattress so we can push a couple beds together? Even playing human Jenga, I don’t think we’re all cramming onto that bed.”
His hand settles on my hip, resting his chin on my shoulder. “I sent them to scavenge the other houses for food and supplies.”
Heat flares to life in my belly, catching on to where he’s going with this. “And Ian went along with that?”
Turning his head, he kisses the side of my throat, my jaw. “I insisted.” He slides one hand across my stomach before pivoting me around, both hands cupping the sides of my face as he stares down at me, far more serious than I’ve yet to see the man. “All this time, and I still haven’t gotten the chance to be alone with my mate. Not fair to play favorites, love, or I might start getting jealous.”
I grip the front of his shirt, unconsciously licking my lips. My magic starts writhing with volatile demand, responding to my shift in mood. “I didn’t think you got jealous; you’ve got such a hard on for being a team player.”
Smirking, he leans in, kissing me slowly, almost reverently. “I can hear your heart beating as fast as a hummingbird’s. No need to worry, I’m not pushing for anything you’re not ready for. Doesn’t mean I can’t want to have you to myself for a bit, though.”
Releasing my death grip on his shirt, I slide my hand beneath it, over the taut muscles that twitch beneath my feather light touch. “No, I… I want you to mark me. It’s not fear that has my heart hammering.”
A low rumble vibrates my fingers as they reach his chest. “Beautiful, you're getting my mark either way. No sex necessary, but that? I’m not budging. Do you have any idea how maddening it’s been? Watching you, knowing you were mine, and no one else being able to tell? To see them look at you, knowing what they were thinking?”
One of his hands trails down my side until circling around to the small of my back, pressing me into him. “You think I'm going to drag you home and parade your gorgeous, unclaimed self in front of those assholes? I’d hate to have to kill ‘em, but I would in a heartbeat. The other two are pack; I respect their claims on you. But if we get home and someone thinks you’re free game to make a move on?” He runs a single finger up my spine and I shiver. “I can’t be held responsible for what will happen.”
Breath catching in my chest, I capture his mouth. His fingers tangle in my hair, stepping into me until my back crashes against the wall. Slipping my hand between us, I work a finger into the waistband of his pants, gently tugging them down.
He pulls away slightly, just enough to scan my face for a long moment. Content with whatever he sees, he reaches behind him to grab the back of his shirt before whipping it off, and I use the moment to step out of my pants, kicking them to the side. Hand slipping into his pocket before following my lead, he withdraws a small, foil square that has me chuckling.
“Pretty confident how this was going to go, huh?”
Smiling, he rips it open, rolling the condom on. “Better to have it and not need it. Can’t blame a guy for being optimistic.”
Shedding my shirt, his mouth is on me a moment later, cutting off the conversation. As I wrap an arm around the back of his neck, he slides a hand down my side and under my thigh before lifting me up. Leaning against the wall for support, I tear my mouth from his, licking my palm and snaking it between us.
Once, twice, I stroke over him before guiding his cock, hissing in a sharp breath as he starts pressing into me, stretching me. Gently withdrawing, he uses shallow thrusts, driving deeper with each stroke. When he’s finally worked his way to the hilt, I wrap a leg around his back, head falling back to rest against the wall with a soft moan.
“Fuck,” he breathes, flexing his hips again. “What did I ever do without you?”
My response catches in my throat as he slams into me rougher than before. “Hard to believe you can miss someone you didn’t even know existed.”
I try to reword it so the statement makes sense, but as I swivel my hips and he hits the perfect spot, logical thought seems to drain away. I mean it though; now that he’s here, it’s like I just realized that he’s been missing from my life for all of these years. It hits hard all of the time I’ve wasted with people that didn’t matter, like everything’s just been a blur of passing time, waiting for him to come back to me. I didn’t even know what I was missing that left me feeling so incomplete until now.
