Reaching between her legs, I pressed the heel of my palm against that nub of pleasure which drove her wild, and she thrust backward with a keening wail. When I next slid along her cunny, I felt her folds quivering, as desperate for me as I was for her.
So, I brushed the pad of my thumb against her pearl,lowered my mouth to her shoulder, and bit her gently. The Mating bite, the claiming mark.
Lillian threw her head back andscreamedas her orgasm overtook her. I could feel her cunny pulsing over my cock and I was amazed to discover each of my ridges were so sensitive to her. Her taste, her touch, the energy flowing from her to my lips, to my cock?—
With a quiet grunt, I came, spilling my seed between her thighs and into the water before her.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, still jerking slightly against me. “Oh my God.”
I grinned against her skin, my tongue flicking out to soothe the bite, pleased I didn’t draw blood.
“That was, indeed, akin to a holy experience.”
“Oh my God,” she repeated, and I began to chuckle.
Because gods below, her cunny was still twitching, and although my cock was finally drained, myKteerwas nowhere near satisfied.
I pulled from between her thighs—each ridge sliding along her folds sending a jolt through my body—and reached for her waist. When I lifted her from the water and turned her to sit on the ledge before me, her blue eyes were hooded, dazed, and her hands went to my shoulders.
“Oh my God,” she whispered a fourth—or hundredth—time, and I began to chuckle.
Plenty of the humans in our village still believed in their singular god, and plenty had accepted Malla the Beginner and Torvor the Warrior and Palton the Hunter and all the others into their pantheon. I wondered what my Mate—who seemed particularly devout—would believe in the coming years.
What would she teach our kitlings?
My gaze dropped to her stomach.
“Mate,” I whispered reverently, for the first time realizing exactly what my claiming her would mean.
The reason a chief’s claiming was witnessed by everyone was to ensure the clan that the bloodline would continue. When Lillian’s womb carried our miracle, the Bloodfire clan would know their safety and security would be assured.
Unable to help myself, I surged forward, wrapping my arms around her and pressing my cheek against her stomach. She hugged my head, her breasts resting against my hair, and I couldn’t seem to make my voice work.
Lillian was my Mate. She would be the mother of our kitlings, the mother of the next Bloodfire chief. When I claimed her, our future would be secure.
Wouldn’t it?
Why was there a tiny part of me that nagged concern? The part that reminded me I was no longer whole, thanks to her father? The part that reminded me of her father’s status as my enemy.
Tarbert was allied with the Bladesedge clan, thanks to the Matings of his other daughters. Would our enemies see Lillian’s new place in our clan as a reason for another war?
My arms tightened around her. I’d lost so much in the last war—my freedom, my eye, months of my life…but another war might cost meher.
Deep in my chest, myKteerthrummed, reminding me of the need to claim Lillian as my own. The two goals could align, aye? If I claimed her as my Mate, I would secure her future, protecting her from her father, at least.
Those Bladesedge bastards would take a different sort of handling.
With my plan suddenly clear in front of me, I turned my head to press my mouth against her stomach. Lillian stirred.
“Kragorn, that was…”
But myKteerstill rumbled, urging me totaste claim take tasteagain.
My tongue slid along her skin, and I shifted lower as her fingers curled through my hair.
“Kragorn, what are you doing?”
“I’m no’ done tasting ye, love.” I settled between her thighs, my nose brushing against her curls. “I dinnae think I’ll ever be done tasting my Mate.”
