“Such a good pet,” he purred while spreading my legs so wide I winced. Maybe I should try the stupid yoga class Glynda attended on a Monday morning at five a.m. Being more flexible might help in other areas, such as during demon attacks.
But before my mind went off on an unpleasant tangent, Zane had buried his face between my thighs. A long, very flexible tongue licked every bit of me except my clit. Tears of frustration trickled down my cheeks. If he didn’t make me come soon, I might smite him with fire magic.
The amulet burned between my breasts as he pressed a finger deep inside me. It was a poor imitation of what I needed, which I told him. That elicited a faint chuckle before he added a second finger.
I tried rocking my hips, but nothing worked. This was him. I came easily with Maverick, so Zane had to be using his sex magic to block me from coming. It was the only explanation.
“Please,” I sobbed, unable to take any more. He looked up and smirked, his face slick with my arousal.
“Now you’re ready.” In a flash, he was over me, his cock pressing against my entrance. Cool metal met heated flesh as he slid inside. I almost cried with relief as my aching body welcomed him.
“Fuck,” he muttered softly, his face etched with tension. I watched as his pale blue irises darkened until they were almost black. His aura wrapped around me, cloaking us in shadow until the room faded away.
My amulet pulsed and burned along with my magic the deeper he sank inside me, like it craved him even more than I did. Small burning embers floated around us, highlighting the tension on Zane’s face as he stared down at me.
Was this still a dream? It felt more real than a dream. I opened my mouth to ask him, but he swallowed my words with his kiss, and all I could think about was him.
The way he moved inside me. The scent of his skin, smoky with a hint of cherries, and the taste of his mouth on mine.
Like he’d once promised, the metal bar at the base of his cock hit me in just the right spot. I detonated under him, my orgasm so powerful I saw stars. Fire burst into life around us, creating a raging maelstrom of violet flames cloaked in thick shadow.
I almost panicked until I realized Zane remained untouched by the flames. He tensed as he followed me over the edge, groaning as heat bloomed deep inside me.
We lay in a tangled mess of sticky skin and sheets as the fire died away, leaving nothing but a few fiery embers floating in my dreamscape. At least I hoped it was a dream.
When I reached out to brush Zane’s damp chest, I noticed a gold rune glowing on his upper pectoral. I frowned. Where had that come from?
Then I realized. The tether linking us had changed. Instead of a vague, almost-not-there link, a new, solid cord connected the two of us. Whereas the tether between Maverick and me glowed amber, like his bear’s eyes, the tether connecting me with Zane was almost black.
Had we completed the soul-bond?
And if so, how had that happened if this was only a dream?
Zane saw the confused expression on my face as I touched the glowing rune while rubbing my chest with my other hand.
“Time to wake up,” he said in a soft tone I’d not heard from him before. “The bear is…annoyed.”
17
Kai
Ice crystals melted on my skin as I walked upstairs. Nothing stirred in the inn. From what I had gleaned from listening to the others, there were very few guests staying tonight, as winter solstice was when most people went home to their families.
Not me. My mother and her mates had gone on vacation, as they always did this time of year.
I sometimes wondered why she didn’t just abdicate and walk away from her throne. She seemed to care little these days about the onerous responsibilities that came from being a queen. Yes, it was largely a ceremonial role, but she still had a job to do.
Then I remembered that if my mother, the queen, stepped down, I’d have to take her place, and neither of us believed I was ready for that mantle.
I padded down the hall toward the bedroom I shared with the mage. He’d not said much to me other than to ask which bed I wanted. Mostly, he stared at his phone. The damn thinghad pinged a million times since we arrived at this godforsaken town. From the way his lips pursed each time, like he’d swallowed a lemon, I figured it was his father.
When I passed the room the witch, the bear, and the incubus were staying in, I heard a moan. So faint it could have been the wind outside. Only it wasn’t the wind.
My body stiffened.
Another soft moan echoed through the door. I tried to move forward, but my feet remained rooted to the carpet.
The bear shifter must be pleasuring his mate, as any good mate would. Perhaps the incubus had joined him. Or was watching. There’d been dark shadows beneath his eyes when we first arrived, so I knew he’d need to top up his magic somehow. And since he’d barely left the witch’s side when we went out for food, that hadn’t happened.
