Chapter 24
Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm
Alex had known the talk was coming. She and Uri needed to get things straight, but he was taking such sweet care of her, and she could get used to it. Her heart almost stopped at the look in his eyes, as if he’d never seen something he cared for more. She was in redline territory. She swallowed and was forced to close her eyes, not sure if she should trust herself.
He cleared his throat and began, “You’ll see my memories when we finish the mating ceremony; the blood-bonding helps mates know each other fully. But there are things that I’d rather you not see. Things I’m not proud of. My time in the labs wasn’t pretty,” he growled. “I want you to ask me if you see something you don’t understand.”
She was trying to hold a little of her heart back, but he was making it next to impossible to do that.
If she didn’t hold a little back, she couldn’t help but worry what would happen when the newness wore off. They had an eternity together and his race was not known for their devotion to one person. She admitted, she’d never seen a mated Aletheia, so she didn’t know if that changed anything. But if he ever tried to take other lovers, she would be devastated, and she couldn’t guarantee her temper wouldn’t manifest violently. She knew it wouldn’t be good.
“Let’s start with what you’re thinking right now.” His eyes were narrowed on her face. “I’ve been getting your emotions, and so far I could guess what might be going on in your head, but I’d rather you tell me,” he continued.
He was right they needed to talk this out, but when she hesitated, he blew out a breath and went on, “I’m new to this shit. I’ve never been in a relationship before, much less something with the intensity of a mating. I know you have even less to go on than I do because at least I’ve seen matings in the Immortal Realm. This is going to be something we’re just going to have to figure out as we go. There is no precedent for us.” He paced a little.
She cleared her throat. “I agree.”
“I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through. You’ve been uprooted from your home, lost your link to your brothers, and now have a mate you don’t know. I get that this has to be hard for you. If we start out talking about shit as it comes, I think we’ll be better off. I assume when the link completes, it won’t allow for lies, but I want you to always tell me your concerns so we can figure it out as we go.”
She had to admit to being relieved at seeing him flounder like he was. It was also comforting that he was right, their bond shouldn’t allow for lies. “I agree. I know humans play games in their relationships, but I don’t think I could deal with that, so honesty is a must for me.” She gave him a slight smile. He’d wrapped the towel over her shoulders after drying her, and she cuddled more snugly into it. He picked her up before she knew what he was doing, and carried her to the bed. She could get used to being pampered by him.
“With the mated pairs I’ve seen, it always seemed that their powers complemented each other. Each pairing seemed to meld differently, depending on their individual strengths, but there was always something peaceful and right about the match.”
She really was lost, looking at his beautifully pensive face. She was gone for him. Hell, she’d even given him a free pass when he’d taken her brothers’ link away; that had been the first sign that she cared deeply for him.
It wasn’t altogether fair to let him deal with all the uncomfortable stuff. She took in a breath. “In the spirit of honesty, I’ll let you know my main concerns. We don’t know each other, other than what my stalking revealed about you.” She laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood, but it was far too close to the truth.
His lips curved, so she continued, “Since I don’t know you, and obviously had no prior experience, I would feel better knowing if this is something you want. That I’m what you would have chosen.” She shook her head when he went to speak. “I’ll warn you now that I’m a bit bitchy at times and may have a bit of a temper.” She gave him a grin and continued, “I can be opinionated and may or may not have a shoe problem that you’ll need to support wholeheartedly.” She looked into his eyes to glean his thoughts without entering his mind. Was he trying not to laugh?
She needed to get to the heart of it. “I know we need to finish this, whatever that means. Erik needs us, and the added powers will be an asset to the Guardian cause. I think it’s only fair to tell you that I might also be possessive.” She looked down at the soft black comforter and rubbed it between her fingers. Dreading the main part of the confession, she figured it best just to get it over with. She blew out a breath. He waited, watching her with narrowed eyes. “Okay, I’m afraid if we do this and you ever get bored… and you tried to seek other lovers, I would most likely… level something. Probably you.” She hated how insecure that made her sound, but she had agreed to be honest.
To her surprise, he barked out a laugh, bringing her shocked gaze back to his glittering eyes. For a second she reveled in the rich sound, before she realized he was laughing at her. Did he think she was joking?
“I’m really not kidding. I mean, I’ve had centuries full of fantasies that I’m more than happy exploring. Those clubs you like give a girl a lot of ideas, and I would be okay doing things with other people, together, but so help me, if you ever took someone outside of our….” She squeaked when she was suddenly on her back under a very serious and highly aroused Uri. His cock was a hot pulsing weight between her spread thighs.
Swirling mercury eyes held her in their thrall as he pinned her arms to her sides. “First of all, I want this for purely selfish reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with your brother or the other Guardians.” His hips bumped that amazing erection into her sweet spot, making her moan.
“Second, I agree to your terms that neither of us take other lovers. I find I am also feeling possessive tendencies I’ve never before experienced.” He really was lethal. She already wanted him so badly, and he was cutting down all her defenses.
“What would make me want someone other than the fierce, loyal, blindingly beautiful, strong not to mention intelligent mate that was gifted to me? So, just understand that I have no intention of ever letting you go. You’re mine. And I’m not sure how I feel about ever allowing another to touch you, so if that’s in your fantasies, we’ll need to talk about it.” Piercing silver eyes held her in place while he let her feel the truth of what he was saying. Her head spun, and things tightened down low at his possessiveness.
“Third, I will gladly provide you with all the shoes you’d like as long as you always model them for me. Naked.” The devilish grin he sent her was positively roguish as he rotated those amazing hips. They were both nude, and the feel of him against her pussy drove her wild, making her slick and swollen for him.
Her hips had a mind of their own, grinding into him. The movement earned her a tight growl that served only to make her body tighten and her pussy quiver. Why did his more primal responses drive her so insane?
“Fuck, female, you’ll be the death of me. I feel like I’m losing my damned mind. But right now, I have every intention of spanking that ass a nice bright red,” he growled while leaning in to nuzzle her neck. Reflexively, she tilted her head, wanting more.
Wait, spanking? “Why am I getting spanked?”
“You were reckless as shit today, and you got yourself hurt in the process.”
She was flipped over a hard firm thigh before she could even protest that it had only been a flesh wound.
One loud smack issued loudly in the quiet of the room, shocking her into stillness. It stung for only a second then delicious warmth flowed over her skin. She was so focused on the heat leading between her thighs that she was surprised again at the hard strike to the other cheek. He smattered sharp whacks to her bottom and thighs, making her wiggle and moan as he commanded, “Let me inside your mind.”
His voice was so sexy and low it made gooseflesh rise as she opened to him. “Mmm, you liked your punishment?” He moved them so he was half atop her, his warm breath tickling against the sensitive skin of her neck. Her nerves were on end. That wicked tongue laved a loving trail as she let him see some of her fantasies. Each time he entered her mind, it felt more and more right. Her body felt the same, like all her cells were somehow realigning into something better.
Strong hands flipped her up and around to straddle his thighs. She moaned again, her ass was so hot and sensitive against his bare skin. Uri lifted her high to feast on her breasts. He suckled at her swollen mounds ruthlessly. His mouth felt so hot, his tongue so wicked.
He kept her off-kilter. She ended up on her back with him above her, dizzy with sensation. He held her tight to the bed as he rubbed his shaft against her slick opening. The blatant show of strength made her heart beat harder, along with a much more primitive response lower in her body. Before she knew his intent, she was moved again, this time with her back to his front, standing in front of a floor-length mirror. She felt him in her mind, sifting deliciously through her fantasies. He growled low when she allowed him to see it all. She wasn’t sure he was happy with the last.
“Fuck, you want to know what it’s like to have two cocks?” He bit off a curse. “That’s one of your fantasies, little Goddess?” His breathing was ragged and she felt him struggling with her desires, which seemed off for who she knew him to be. And then he whispered into her mind, I don’t know if I can allow anyone else to touch you, Alexandra.
She melted a little. It didn’t stop her from fantasizing; in fact it added something to it.
He pushed her hair to the side and started devouring her ear and neck. Her eyes fell closed on a groan as he nipped her sensitive lobe.
“Open your eyes and watch what I do to you.” The raspy growl took her to another level.
Eyes open, she took in his massive body behind her, all strong lines and dips she wanted to lick. It was erotic, seeing her much smaller frame in front of him as he stroked up her body with one hand to plump a breast and pluck at her nipple. His hair was wet and falling against his forehead as he scraped a distended fang along her collarbone. Those sexy fangs made her crave dirty things. He groaned in response to the visual of him doing just that. “Yes, in the ceremony,” he whispered against her skin. “Now, watch. Will you give me everything, my little Goddess?”
She groaned. Her breathing was ragged and getting more so as she watched his eyes. She almost always masturbated in front of a mirror. She had loved to watch as the toys disappeared inside her body.
“Give me everything… tell me I can have you any way I want.”
She groaned. “Yes.”
“Good. Now, spread your legs and bend forward.”
She hadn’t even realized he’d moved another mirror and a large armchair until he sat behind her. Her body grew flushed, and her pussy ached. Taking in a deep breath, she did what he said and was rewarded with a wet tongue against her lower lips. Alex arched her back to give him better access as she watched in the mirror. Her breasts shook with the movements of her hips.
“Look through my eyes.”
She groaned deep as he pushed the visual of what he was doing inside her head. He had her pink cheeks spread wide, so she saw her back entrance as he licked her slit. Moving up, he stuck two big fingers in her pussy. The digits came out shiny with her desire. Then he licked at her ass, making her writhe with the eroticism of it.
He growled, “I’m going to take you here. I want all of you, Alexandra.” Just as he finished the words, he sent more visuals of what he was doing. It was like watching a video inside her mind, as he used both hands. One fucked her pussy. The other used a single digit slicked with her desire to pump inside her ass. Seconds later the visual was gone and she heard a drawer open; he was using telekinesis to get something. The sounds of a lid unscrewing made her curious. And then his hand was gone, and when the digits came back, they were sliding something cool over her ass.
“Push against my fingers,” he growled.
Oh Gods, it was so hot to be fully possessed by him. He pulled the fingers out of her pussy and back hole and stood. She felt empty and needed him inside her with a desperation that bordered on insanity; she ached for it. He moved them again, to the bed, his chest against her back as he looked at her in the reflection in the mirror. Twining his fingers through hers, he brought her hand to his lips and he sucked the digits as he watched her. She moaned at the wild sensations it wrought. How could it make her so damned wet? She saw him smile before he stopped and moved their twined hands down her body. He slid her slick fingers inside her. “Leave them there.”
She sucked in a breath as he shifted her knees wider, her ass higher. Her cheek rested against the blankets as she faced the mirror and watched him. Her other hand gripped the material in a fist when she felt the head of his big cock pushing into her ass from behind. It was so different and so intense that she almost lost her mind. Her body was stretched, so full of his thick cock that she gasped. The cream had to have something magic in it because she swore it felt far better than it probably should have. She expected pain, but there wasn’t any.
“Arch your back and watch through my eyes as I claim your tight little ass.”
She did and almost came at the sight of how he filled her. At how it felt to have her fingers in her pussy and his cock sliding into her ass.
“That’s it. The cream will let you take my whole cock. Push back, and work yourself slowly onto it.”
So much. So good. She was panting as she pushed.
“Are you wet? Are your fingers slick?” He growled. “Fuck, you’re so tight; you suck me in so good…” They both groaned as she writhed into him.
More visuals of her taking him like that swam in her mind. It was utter torture that he entered her so slowly. She pushed back as forcefully as she could manage, earning a smack to her already heated flesh. It only fed her desire. She gasped and tried again to get him to take her like he’d promised. The sharp sting of another smack made her moan deep. All the sensation was too much for her. She needed him deep. He massaged the cheek he’d spanked and finally gave her what she wanted, thrusting so hard she barely kept her balance with the one hand in the blankets. Even with him holding one hip. He slammed all the way in. Gods, he was so big she was near bursting, and it made her wild.
He circled his hips and pounded deep, taking her with a fierceness that made her ache. She moved her fingers, it felt so good like this, she was so wet, she wanted more. He leaned down over her, caging her as he pushed into her from behind and it was too incredible. His warmth, the way he groaned behind her, it was perfect.
“Come,” he demanded and that was all it took to send waves running through her, she clenched and bucked as they sent her reeling. She felt again as her shield pulsed but didn’t release. And then he shouted and she felt warm come bathing her and it was enough to send her over again.
She lay there panting as he gently eased from her. He was gone a moment, but she’d yet to find the strength to do anything but move the hand that was beneath her when she’d collapsed. Seconds later soft wet material slid between her thighs and the crease of her bottom. Instead of awkwardness, she felt cared for. A moment later he lifted her up only to lay her so that her head was on his chest.
“How do you feel, little Goddess?” His voice was so calming and sweet and she felt warm breath in her hair before he kissed it.
“Incredible.” She’d never imagined this. For her his touch was comfort and a sense of freedom all at once. It was odd, but having never been able to experience touch, this seemed a thousand times more potent than she could have imagined. It was perfect.
She paused for a second before looking up at him. “What does the ceremony entail?”
He eyed her for a moment. “There are several parts to it. First, I’ll take the mark of a mated male. Then we blood-bond. And after that is the consummation ceremony.”
She frowned a little. “A mark? What does that mean? And why would you even do that?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s a tattoo. Sirena uses her healing ability to make the mark permanent on the mated male’s chest.”
Her father had no such marking. “When and why did this start? How do you feel about being branded?”
He barked out a laugh before leaning down to give her a fleeting kiss. “I’m actually happy to have a mark that says I belong to you, Alexandra.” That made her chest clench, more so that she could feel the truth of his words through their growing bond.
“What will it look like?” she asked.
“It’s twin serpents entwined by their tails in the mark of eternity.”
She still felt like it was odd, but she couldn’t deny the appeal of him being marked as hers.
He must have seen or felt her confusion. “Things are different in the Immortal Realm than they are in Earth. Immortals have lived in peace for centuries and matings are so incredibly rare and beautiful. There may only be a few within each century.”
“Why wouldn’t a female take the mark as well?” Curious and intrigued at the thought of marking herself for him.
He groaned and she felt it vibrate from his chest through her body. He seemed to like the idea. His eyes flashed with emotion she couldn’t understand, but she felt it. “It has a lot to do with history…” He didn’t seem happy about what he was about to share, which had her worried for a moment.
“When the Immortals were enslaved by Apollo and Hermes to make up their fucking armies, we were used as breeders.”
She knew that, but when he said “we,” it brought so many other questions. Before she could voice them, he nodded. “Yes, I was a breeder too.”
“Do you have children, then?” They would be thousands of years old if that was the case.
His eyes hardened for a split second. “No. Any young that came from my time were destroyed when Ares and Artemis leveled Apollo’s warrior camps. It happened right before the Creators returned and stopped the bastards from doing any more harm.”
Her heart stopped, saddened by his loss. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her palm. “It was a very long time ago.”
Were they feeling one another’s thoughts now? It almost felt like that.
“Immortals hold animal DNA because of Apollo’s experiments to make us stronger.” She knew that aspect, her brothers’ lion halves were a byproduct of her father’s time in Apollo’s prison. “Immortal males may have always been protective, but I think the animal DNA made those instincts even stronger… Being forced to have sex with the females… Ones who were forced to be used… And then having our children ripped away to warrior camps. We failed our females and our young. So when the first of our kind found mates, they used the ceremonies to… atone. It wasn’t just a vow of protection. The mating ceremonies are in no way like the mortal’s marriage.”
She saw him struggling with finding the right words. “How else is it different?”
“The blood bond will allow us to share our memories. It’s a way to draw the pair closer. To experience our pasts and start new.”
She nodded.
He blew out a breath. “But the biggest difference is the consummation. Before our souls connect, I’ll claim you in every possible way, but it’s all for you, Alex. A mated male, even the most possessive, will usually allow this one night to give their female all her fantasies. All the female’s desires are met before she begins an eternity with her male. That means if you truly want two cocks, love, I will find a way to let you experience it. It’s seen as a huge honor to be chosen to participate in something so sacred, you would have your choice of males.” He actually looked pained when he said the words. She was fully aware that he’d seen her fantasy of being sandwiched between him and Gregoire.
She stared at him, unsure of what she wanted anymore, but it definitely wasn’t to hurt him. She swallowed. “Are you saying that mated pairs, even Aletheia, don’t participate in orgies after they’re mated?”
He took a deep breath before raising an eyebrow at her. “You seem to know my race’s penchant for play all too well. How is that?”
“There were Aletheia in my mother’s army.” She saw his question. “My father was incredibly protective. Males were afraid to get within a foot of me,” she said sardonically. It was very true. And she was focused on becoming a warrior and caring for her brothers when they finally came. She could honestly admit to never having interest in any male other than Uri.
She saw the moment when that fact hit him. His eyes grew softer and he turned her into the bedding. She was half beneath him when he took her lips, his tongue devouring her, making her dizzy. There was so much intensity in the way he held her so gently, in the way he claimed her.