Jadee couldn’t think when Lavos started to move inside her in deep, fast thrusts. He pressed his fingers against her clit, rubbing furiously. She cried out, reeling from the overload on her senses. She clawed the bed and braced her arms because otherwise her upper body would have collapsed. His arm around her helped keep her in place as he hammered her from behind.
The world fell away and there was only Lavos. He started to kiss her shoulder with his hot, wet mouth. He bit down but it didn’t hurt. It was just a nip. It sent a jolt through her already overstimulated body.
He was all around her, with his body curled over hers, his cock pounding in and out of her pussy at a rapid pace, and his fingers playing hell with her clit. It was too much but she wouldn’t do anything to slow it down. She moaned louder, feeling the climax building.
“Oh God!” she yelled, right before her entire body seized and she started coming so hard she worried she might die from the sheer magnitude of it. A white haze of heat and ecstasy slammed through her. She did manage to frantically make a grab for his wrist with one of her hands, latching on to him.
Lavos snarled and bit her. It wasn’t exactly painful at that moment, but noticeable. She did feel his fangs sink into her skin, and the strong clamp of his jaws as he locked on to her shoulder. He released her clit and jerked his arm upward to flatten his palm right above her breasts. He cradled her that way so she didn’t fall forward onto her face.
He took her with him when he sat back on his legs. His cock was buried even deeper inside her in that position, Jadee almost sitting on his lap, her legs trapped between his. He violently jerked, shaking both of them with the force of it. Lavos whimpered, almost crushing her when his arm around her tightened and his other one wrapped fully around her waist. He held her in a near bear hug from behind. He shook again, making another pained sound.
It alarmed her. She released his wrist and grabbed hold of his arms, worried about him. She tried to turn her head but she couldn’t with his face buried against her shoulder, his fangs still locked in her flesh. It was starting to hurt, and he eased his hold with his mouth—but then locked it down again. She gasped.
The other sensation she became aware of was Lavos’s cock felt bigger inside her, and rock hard. He whimpered louder but eased his hold on her just slightly.
“Lavos?” Her voice was a little raspy. “Are you okay?”
He suddenly stopped biting her. The feeling of his fangs pulling out of her skin wasn’t the most pleasant sensation. He licked her, keeping his head tucked. He ran his tongue over her skin a few times, and then lifted his head.
His eyes startled her when she got a look at them. They weren’t bright blue anymore. They had turned pitch black. There was no variation between his pupils and irises. He had more facial hair too. Dark hairs had grown along his jawline and up his checks.
Shock held her still, or she might have fought to get away from him, despite the fact that she was on his lap and he had her trapped in his arms. The urge was there but she just couldn’t move.
He released her around her chest and yanked his arm up, opening his mouth. He savagely bit into his forearm. The sight of that, then the blood when he stopped, had her mouth falling open. A scream wanted to rise but she couldn’t get it out.
Lavos shoved his bleeding arm over her lips. The taste of blood was instant, flowing into her mouth.
“Drink!” he snarled. “Swallow. You’re mine!”
Oh shit! She tried to turn her head, panicked. He hadn’t told her to expect his eyes to go all evil looking or that he’d make her drink his blood. She’d agreed to let him taste hers, not the other way around.
He used his head and shoulder to prevent her from moving away from his arm. His blood totally filled her mouth, and she had to swallow or choke on it when it started to go down her throat anyway. Some of it seeped out the sides of her mouth, dripping down her chin and landing on her breasts.
His hand around her waist adjusted and he caressed her. Some of the neon blue bled back into his eyes. “Drink, baby,” he urged, his speech a bit more understandable and less ferocious. “It will bond us. You’re my mate. I’m yours.”
She wanted a time out but he wasn’t having any of it. His arm was bleeding into her mouth and she couldn’t move her head with the way he held her. His arm was wedged between her lips so her jaw was forced open. She breathed through her nose and swallowed again. The coppery taste barely registered over the adrenaline and fear she experienced. The whole situation was surreal.
He rubbed her stomach. “That’s it, Jadee. Bond to me. Relax. We’re sharing blood.” He used his face to nuzzle against her cheek, his breath warm. “I’ve got you. It’s okay. Take a few more swallows. I want our bond to be strong.”
She desperately tried to relax. It was tough to do. She swallowed, almost choking since it sank in again that it was blood. I’m drinking blood. Oh fuck, what did I get myself into?
“It’s okay.” Lavos’s eyes became neon, the black now contained to his pupils. “I’m sorry. I see your fear. Never be afraid of me. I just lost my mind when I tasted you. You have no idea how it feels. I’m so sorry…”
The regret was clear in his tormented tone. She would have told him she was calming down a bit and that she’d be okay, but that would have meant he needed to move his arm away for her mouth.
Tears filled his eyes. It stunned her since she couldn’t imagine someone as strong and tough as him crying. He didn’t even try to hide it from her or blink them away. “I’m so sorry, Jadee. Forgive me.” He lowered his arm from her mouth, dropping his gaze to her chin and then her breasts. “Oh fuck.”
She glanced down. Blood had spilled onto her chest. It wasn’t a lot but enough that it ran over his hand on her stomach and even to her thighs. The bright red was a drastic contrast against her pale skin.
She looked back at him and licked her lips. They were coated with blood. “I’m okay.”
One tear fell, sliding down his cheek. “I planned how to bond to a mate most of my life. I worked it out in my head so it would be sexy and not traumatic. Then I just totally lost control and my Lycan side took over. It was this overpowering desire I couldn’t suppress to make you accept my blood. I fucked this up so bad! Please don’t hate me.”
“It’s okay, Lavos.” She was more worried about him than about what had just happened. She reached up, cupping the side of his face she could reach. “I’m fine.”
He closed his eyes.
“Hey, look at me.”
He opened them back up. The neon had faded but the tears remained.
“It’s just a little blood. It washes off.” She forced a smile, trying to use her sense of humor. It always came in handy in tough situations. “I could never hate you. I knew what you were before we did this, and while a heads-up about the sharing blood would have been nice beforehand, nobody died.” She actually laughed. “That’s a bonus, right?”
“You’re amazing.” He rested his forehead against hers. “You forgive me?”
“We’re good.” Then it hit her. “We’re mated, aren’t we?”
All the tension eased from his face and he smiled. “Yes. You’re my mate, Jadee. No doubt about it.”
“Okay.” She glanced down her front. She was mated to a guy who was part Vampire and Werewolf. Some blood being spilled should have been expected. “We should probably take a shower, and then you can tell me all about mates.”
He leaned in and brushed his mouth over hers. It was probably the weirdest kiss she’d ever received, since his lips were bloody too. “I’m going to make you happy. This will be great.”
“I hope so. You said we can’t get divorced.”
He suddenly tensed and anger narrowed his eyes. “We won’t.”
“I was teasing.”
“It’s not that. It just hit me that a nest of Vampires wants you dead. They’re after my mate.” He growled. “I’ll kill them all.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Feeling a little overprotective?”
“You have no idea. Nobody is ever going to hurt you.”
“Okay. Take a deep breath. We’re in Alaska. I think I’m safe.”
“I have to tell my brother we’re mated.” His voice deepened into a snarl. “This clan will accept you or we’ll leave tonight. I won’t permit you to be in danger. I’ll kill anyone who even thinks about doing you harm.”
She wiggled in his arms and he released her. She sat up, carefully unlinking their bodies where they were still intimately joined. She turned, facing him on her knees. “This is new to us both. Come on.” She extended her hand. “We need a shower. Maybe some food too. Lots of deep breaths for us both.”
He took her hand but he tugged her back when she tried to climb off the bed, drawing her full attention. His expression appeared grave.
“I’m going to be the best mate to you, Jadee. You’re everything to me. I want you to know that. No one is more important to me than you are. Nothing is.”
She stared into his eyes and realized he meant every word. Her life had changed forever. She tried to judge how she felt about that. Staring at Lavos helped. She was with him and they were going to face whatever their future held together. She decided to be brutally honest.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He grinned. “I’ve already fallen for you. I’ll help you catch up.”
Her gaze traveled down his body, ignoring the blood. He still looked super-hot. “I don’t think you’ll have to try too hard. You’re irresistible.”
“So are you.”
“Let’s shower. You’re hot. Blood is not.”
“We’re going to share blood often.”
“That’s not a selling point.”
He grinned. “I won’t mess it up next time. You’ll enjoy it.”
“I think you could make me like anything if you set your mind to it.”
“I’m motivated.”
Lavos led Jadee into his bathroom and turned on the water. Regret over losing his mind surfaced again but the gorgeous woman who stepped under the hot water in front of him had accepted his apology.
He’d been warned how his instincts would burst to life when he found his mate. He’d thought he’d be prepared for it but when he’d gotten a taste of Jadee’s blood, he hadn’t been able to think. The Lycan side of him had taken over completely. Mine! Bond us now! Then he’d realized what he’d done when he calmed enough after she’d drank some of his blood.
After he’d forced her to.
He would make it up to his mate. He grabbed body wash and squeezed some into his hands, gently washing the blood off her chest and throat as she ducked her face under the spray to rinse off her chin and lips. He just wanted to touch her all over and his dick hardened. He could fuck her for days, weeks, and want nothing but her. Forget food and everything else. It was part of finding his mate. She was human though. He needed to remember that.
She needed food and rest between bouts of sex. He ran his hands over her breasts again, loving how her nipples hardened. He lowered his fingers to her stomach, imagining when she would be ovulating. He’d fuck her until his seed took. He wanted to see her pregnant with his child. He hadn’t ever had a desire to become a father but that changed the moment he knew Jadee was his. He closed his eyes and just held her, trying to get a handle on his raging emotions.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“You look ready to kill something. Still upset about the Vampires?”
He opened his eyes. “I’m having Lycan issues right now.”
She turned in his arms, her hands bracing his shoulders. She glanced down at his stiff cock pressed against her belly, then lifted her chin. She smiled. “A constant hard-on doesn’t seem like an issue.”
“All these instincts are hitting me. I’m trying to be rational.”
“What kind of instincts?”
There was so much she didn’t understand about him. He spotted no fear though as he studied her face. His Jadee wasn’t like any human he’d ever met. “You know, making our bond stronger by getting you pregnant. Wanting to make you mine in every way possible.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“The urge will pass soon. I hope it’s normal. I don’t think you’re ovulating yet. I can’t smell or taste it on you. I’m going a little crazy inside but I know it’s hormones. I’m amped up on them right now.”
She massaged him. “Okay. So you’re saying it’s like a really bad case of PMS, only the Werewolf version that involves knocking me up instead of being bitchy and bloated?”
He chuckled. “That’s a unique way to put it but yes.”
“What can I do to help?”
Vivid, erotic images of all the things he’d like to do with her streamed through his mind. “Let me take you back to bed for a good week.”
She pressed tighter against his body. “Sold.”
He understood now they had started to bond together the night they’d met. He’d liked her already, and had wished he could keep her in his life. He’d suffered regret after she had driven away. She’d remained in his thoughts, even haunting his dreams. He’d been too damn happy to see her again, despite his shock at the time, and now he realized why. Some bonds snapped into place quickly for his kind. He already loved Jadee.
He just hoped she could love him as deeply as he did her. Her human side might resist the fast, intense bond. They didn’t listen to their instincts, instead tending to ignore them in favor of rationalization. He backed away from her.
“Let me wash off the blood.”
Her smile faded. “You’re not regretting what we did, are you?”
“No.” He cupped her face and leaned down to put them closer together. “I won’t let you, either. Lycan PMS, remember?” He used her own words to make her understand he was on an emotional roller coaster. “Never regret. Don’t question my commitment to you and making our mating work, Jadee. I’m going to be sane within a few hours.” He hoped.
“You just look angry.”
“Vampires want you dead. I don’t know how this clan is going to react to you being human. I’ve got to keep you safe, yet all I can think about is fucking you for days. That’s the anger you’re seeing. It’s not directed at you. I’m pissed that I can’t just lock us inside our home and spend every second showing you how much you mean to me.”
“Okay.”
“Nobody is going to hurt you, and I’m so glad you’re my mate.”
Her smile returned. “I’m glad too. Wash up. You mentioned food. I’m actually a good cook. Do you mind if I find your kitchen?”
“What’s mine is yours. This is our home.” At least for the time being. He didn’t mention that again. They might be moving soon. He let her go. “That’s a good idea. Otherwise I’ll fuck you where you stand.”
“You’re horrible at threatening me, if that’s what you were aiming for.”
He laughed. “I want to take you on the bed, slower this time. After we eat.” She was human, not used to spending hours having sex. Her body would ache and she’d pay for it if he didn’t take it easy on her. Of course, he could have her drink more of his blood. It would heal her. “Go. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
She rinsed off once more and then stepped around him, leaving the shower. She dried off fast. He couldn’t take his eyes off her until she left the bathroom, going out of his sight. He grabbed the body wash again and quickly showered.
Jadee wasn’t in his bedroom when he stepped out there. He located his phone and dialed. Lorn wasn’t going to be happy but it didn’t matter. He had a mate.
“What now?” His brother sounded frustrated.
“Can you speak freely?”
“Not yet. You did see signs of a Vampire?” His brother cleared his throat. “Let me go take a look at that map.” Seconds ticked by. Lorn closed a door. “So what kind of trouble is she in? Is it heading our way?”
“A nest of Vampires attacked her. She killed one of them. They followed her home and she came to me to find out where it would be safe for her to go.”
“Damn. She isn’t our problem, Lavos.”
He took a deep breath. “Remember when you told me to fuck her?”
“Yes.”
“I did.”
“Good. Now she’ll be out of your system.”
“Never. She’s my mate. We shared blood.”
Lorn didn’t say a word but Lavos could hear him breathing.
“Did you hear me? Jadee is my mate, Lorn. I got the overwhelming urge to bite and she agreed to let me test her blood. One taste and it was a done deal. We’ve already exchanged blood.”
Lorn remained silent.
“Do you want me out of your territory?” Lavos braced for the answer. “I’ll understand. I know how much trouble this will cause you. I can have us out of here by sunrise. Tell everyone at the lodge that I’m tracking Vampires, and I’ll even wait a few days before approaching another clan to ask them to take us in. I’ll make it seem as though I ran into her outside of our territory. That way, no one from another clan will know she was ever here. I thought Velder might be receptive since both his sons mated mostly human women.”
“Don’t you dare go anywhere,” Lorn barked. “We’ll work this out. You’re my brother and my lead enforcer. This is your clan too.”
“There will be challenges if I stay. They’ll question your leadership.”
“Then you’d better be prepared to fight at my side. You aren’t leaving. You swore to help me keep the clan together and I’m holding you to it. That’s an order from your clan leader and your brother…but I’m also your best friend, Lavos. Congratulations on finding your mate.”
Lavos relaxed. “Thank you.”
“We wanted changes and to bring our clan into more modern times. This just means getting them onboard faster. How is she accepting it?”
“She’s amazing. Jadee just takes things in stride and rolls with it. It probably helps that she was raised by a human who believed in the existence of Vampires and Lycans. Less shocking to her.”
“Good. Keep her at your house until the delegates are out of town. Shit, speaking of, that Mya is becoming a pain. She asked me where you’d gone to.”
“You encouraged that shit, not me. I wasn’t interested. Could I have been any clearer?”
“I just wanted you as happy as I am. A mate is everything.”
“All I could think about was Jadee. I told you that.”
“I didn’t understand you were that drawn to her.”
“Now we know why.”
“This Mya is damn persistent. The news might upset her, since she made it clear she was interested and believed you were single.”
“Too bad for her. Volti’s an enforcer, and he’d love to test out a mating. Kar wasn’t looking for a mate but he’s definitely horny. Both of them are good options. Gar wanted a mate but he’s doing territory patrol.”
“I’ll shove them at her.”
“Thanks.”
“I need you here when the main meal is served. Can you drop your mate off with mine? They’ll be safe together and Kira would appreciate the company. We discussed it and I don’t want her there. I trust the other clans not to attack my mate but it would be a perfect time while we’re distracted for any Decker sympathizers to go after her. The other clan leaders agreed with me.”
“Kira was okay with that?”
“Yes. She understands.”
“Can do, but you know everyone is going to smell Jadee on me.”
“I realize, but it’s important my lead enforcer be at my side, Lavos. Human mate or not. We’ll say you mated Jadee and brought her home when you checked out that report of a Vampire sighting. Maybe she could be the one who saw the Vamp, and you interviewed her. There is such a thing as instant bonding. Be vague with the details. You’re good at that.”
“Understood. An hour?”
“Make it an hour and a half so it’s believable. Appetizers are just being served. Davis figured passing around trays of them would help relax everyone and ease us into conversations before we’re seated. He called it ‘mingling.’ You supposedly left our territory, so you’d need time to return. I’ll try to pull our enforcers aside so they don’t seem shocked when you arrive, scenting like you’ve just mated a human.”
“Can you send Davis to your home? I know Kira can defend herself but Jadee can’t.”
“You’re a pain the ass, but yeah, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Lorn. You took it better than I thought you would. You’re a good brother.”
“You’re an idiot if you thought I’d accept your offer to leave. I’d rather not have a clan than lose my brother. We’ve always stood together. See you soon.” Lorn disconnected the call.
Lavos grinned.