Chapter Fifteen
There was no question in Numa’s mind that the man making love to her now wasn’t the same one she’d spent the last several hours entangled with. He may have had the same body, but the look in his eyes was different, a little uncertain, but no less determined to prove himself to her. He had the look of one who had very little to lose, but everything to gain by winning her over.
He moved differently too, his body adjusting effortlessly to accommodate her pleasure in a way that spoke of long practice and innate understanding, allowing mind and body to be united in a single purpose.
Zephyrus had used Cade’s body well, much to her delight, but he’d had an air of fascination with the form he’d borrowed that had almost distracted him. He’d acclimated quickly and made love to her with a desperation that betrayed the ages of pent-up longing he’d had for her. It was everything she had hoped, despite knowing he wasn’t quite at home in the borrowed body.
Cade was very much at home, his hips twisting as he slid his cock slowly into her, his shoulder bunching with the slightest pressure of his fingers into her backside. It was all she could do to keep from losing focus to her own pleasure, but she found herself enraptured by the utter ease with which he moved, even as his aura brightened to a nearly blinding cloud around him, the power growing with each long, determined stroke.
Her own energy swelled yet again, and while he’d been determined to make her come under his mouth a moment ago, this time she caught a glimpse of the effort he put into drawing her pleasure out for as long as possible.
“Hold on for me, sweet pea,” he growled. “I want to make this good … show you what you mean to me.” Her ankle rested against his shoulder as he plunged deep, and he turned his head to press a reverent kiss to the side of her foot. In that moment, she was disarmed by the utter lack of self-consciousness this man possessed. His expression was completely bare and open, his adoration of her so complete a warm fluttering filled her chest.
That she could have two such different, yet completely focused men as these two for her mates had never occurred to her. Theron and Bekim she adored, but they felt like two halves of a whole. Zephyrus and Cade, however, were only together for one purpose—her—and they’d both worship her in their own way.
She held on tighter to the bars above her head, arching up as he cupped one breast and squeezed, then lightly pinched her nipple. He slid that hand down her torso and pressed his thumb between her legs, applying pressure to the hardened flesh of her clit. She let out a sharp gasp at the spike of pleasure that shot through her and realized at the same time that he’d pushed a third finger into her ass.
Sweet Mother, his cock was so big he’d rivaled the god who’d come before him. He rivaled full-sized dragons in their true forms. That he promised to use it in other ways was more thrilling to her than she could have expected. But the care he took to prepare her for it spoke of his determination to ensure her pleasure more than his own.
“You can come inside me,” she said. “I want you to.”
His eyes flashed, and she thought she saw a spark of the other being that resided within his body, as though Zephyrus might regret not being the one in control while they shared their final climax. But he’d had his turn and had used it well, proving how true his love was and had always been.
A low growl built inside the big ursa’s chest, the vibration rippling through him until she felt it deep in her core and at the base of her skull. “You’re damn right I’m going to come inside you. I hope you’re ready, because I’ve got a lot to give, sweet pea. I’ve saved every last drop for you.”
“Yes!” She pushed her hips up, meeting his quickening thrusts, the rising pleasure of her own climax swiftly surging to the surface.
Cade’s body glistened with sweat from his hours of exertion, yet he showed no signs of flagging. She should have guessed a Windchaser would possess such stamina. Though she adored her Rainsong lovers, she was often grateful there were two of them because she doubted one would be enough. How this Windchaser had been left behind as a lone bachelor made no sense. He had the skill and power to satisfy a dragon, not to mention any number of ursa females.
His jaw clenched and his torso arched, the hard lines of his abs standing out in the perpetual morning light. He shoved deep into her with a harsh grunt and threw his head back. The fingers inside her ass stilled even as his thick, hard shaft pulsed his hot seed into her.
Cade groaned long and loud, continuing to fuck her hard with each spasm until his thrusts made lewd squelching sounds from the copious essence that filled her. Numa’s entire body lit up from the surge of energy, but it was only a fraction of what she’d been sure he held back. Her heart fell when the waves of power subsided and he pulled out.
“I ain’t finished yet,” he said and gripped her by the hips, flipping her over in one swift movement. He hauled her close and shoved his cock back into her dripping snatch once more, but eased it out again and slid the shaft up along the cleft of her ass instead, coating her opening with their shared juices. He repeated the process, his cock still stone-hard and searing with the heat of his arousal as he stretched her well-used pussy, once again reminding her of his generous girth.
Three fingers slipped into her ass again, pushing the gathered lubricant past her barrier to coat it from the inside. Then his tip was at her rear opening and she braced herself, clinging to the bars of the headboard and mindlessly staring out the window behind the bed into the shimmering distortion of the temporal barrier.
“Tell me to stop if it hurts, sweet pea. But if you trust me, this will blow your mind.”
“I trust you.”
Just as his thick tip breached her barrier and she gasped in pleasure, his hand slipped around her hip and between her thighs. He hooked two fingers into her pussy, pushing them deep and fucking her with them as he eased his enormous cock into her ass. She clung to the pillows, digging her nails in until sharp talons erupted from the tips and downy feathers floated into the air from the rents in the pillowcases.
Every part of her told her to shift, that she couldn’t accommodate a cock that large where he wanted to put it, not in the shape she was in now. Her dragon form could take him easily, but she desperately wanted to feel what he promised her and knew that wouldn’t happen if she cheated. It didn’t hurt; it was just a mind-crushingly full sensation coupled with the stretch of the most sensitive part of her body.
Then his fingers found her clit and began to lightly tease, swirling more of the already overflowing fluids from her pussy until her entire lower body was awash in conflicting sensations.
“Come here, baby,” he growled behind her, sliding his hands up her sides and around her chest, pulling her up and tight against him. The shift in position forced her back and down onto his cock, and she cried out at the sudden and complete invasion of his entire shaft into her backside.
“Cade, please!” she yelled, too lost in pleasure to do more than beg.
He began thrusting deep, arms wrapped tight around her. Numa let her head fall back against his shoulder, surrendering fully to his hold. Cade pressed his lips to the side of her jaw, brushing them along her ear.
“This isn’t the end, sweet pea,” he murmured. “I’m going to fill you up more after this.”
“Yes,” she gasped, reveling in the sensation of his steady thrusts and the warm clasp of his palm at her throat, fingers sliding up her jaw to tilt her head to the side. He grazed his teeth along her neck and bit down lightly on her shoulder, sending a shiver of anticipation through her. He could mark her like this, and she didn’t think she would even object. It was rare for a male ursa to mark his mate, rather than the other way around, but it was done. Sweet Mother, she wished he would do it … take the decision away from her. Force her hand. Because she would love him as much as she loved any of them; she was as sure of that fact as she was of anything.
“Please … bite me, Cade. Mark me …”
He let out a rough groan and his teeth tightened on her shoulder, the pressure painful, but despite her plea, she knew it wouldn’t work. He didn’t have the magic to break her impervious skin.
Rather than try harder, he released her from his bite and shoved another finger deep into her pussy, finger-fucking her in tempo with the fiercer thrusts of his cock. His fingertips hit the inner wall of her pussy, the heel of his palm rubbing perfectly at the swollen bud of her clit.
Her disappointment of her unfulfilled wish dissolved amid the pure, bright pleasure of her orgasm as it rushed through her in a torrent. In her ear, he rumbled words of encouragement and promises of more power to come if she could take what he gave her now.
And give he did. His cock pulsed into her, the heat of the power flooding her body with even more potent energy than before, like he was saving up and doling out increasingly delicious servings to her with each round.
Numa shuddered in his arms as her pleasure abated. He held tight, his embrace warm and protective as he nuzzled at the tender flesh of her shoulder where he’d bit her. With one gentle kiss, he began to pull away, easing out of her with the care of someone well-acquainted with the sensitive nature of the part of her he’d been buried inside.
Before she could process the change in position, he’d scooped her up into his arms and stepped off the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asked, eyes widening.
“I saw a big-ass bath in the other room. Thought we’d finish off our date in there. I mean to feed you the last of what I’ve got, but after being buried in your sweet little ass, I figured we ought to get clean first.”
She couldn’t argue with his logic, and the promise of more of his increasingly potent power made her mouth water, particularly since she realized that was precisely where he intended to deliver it. She bit her lip at the thought, remembering how desperately she’d wanted to taste Dionysus’ essence, but didn’t dare risk allowing herself to become drugged by that immensely powerful magic. She had no such compunctions against tasting Cade, and was suddenly giddy with the prospect of drawing the last of his pent-up power from him with her mouth on his beautiful cock.
He stepped into the cooling water with easy grace and lowered them both until he rested on one of the wide benches with her on his lap. Numa dropped her hands into the water, and it warmed at her command until steam rose up around them, clinging to their skin.
Cade sank lower and sighed as he drifted a wet hand up her naked back and back down. “Wish we’d had dragons in the Sanctuary a long time ago.”
“It wouldn’t take much effort to add hot running water, you know.”
“Oh, we have it at the Windchaser Lodge. Gets too damn cold up there to go without. Rainsong ursa mostly bathe outdoors, so it never seemed necessary. But this is heaven.”
He pulled her against him, and the two of them luxuriated until Cade’s breathing grew slow and even. Numa glanced up to see his head tilted back against the edge of the bath, his eyes closed. Yet despite his relaxed state, his cock was still a hard, thick presence sandwiched between his belly and her hip.
Numa leaned over to the edge to grab the soap and a cloth and began to slowly wash his shoulders, taking care to maintain gentle strokes to avoid waking him yet. Their time together was to end soon, but she didn’t want to rush the final moments. The power he’d granted her so far was not quite enough for what she would need for the ritual, but if his aura was any indication, he still had quite an impressive supply to let go.
She eased off his lap and crouched in the water between his knees. Soaping up both hands, she smoothed the suds across his chest, enjoying the coarseness of his hair beneath her palms and the way his nipples hardened when she passed her fingers across them. Cade let out a soft murmur of pleasure and his aura flared under her touch.
“Zephyrus, you chose your partner well. Thank you for him.”
Cade laughed softly and a warm breeze blew through the room, dissipating the steam and cooling it on her skin. He lifted his head, but the eyes that regarded her were not the ursa’s. Numa’s heartbeat quickened and a smile stretched her lips in recognition of her other lover.
“I had little choice in the matter, but such is the way of Fate,” Zephyrus said. “I don’t doubt your father put the man in my path just to toy with us both.”
Numa gave him a stricken look. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this. I followed the rules. Kept my siblings in line when we were governing the dragons. I was good.”
His expression grew somber and he lifted a wet hand to cup her cheek. His touch eased her agitation. “Sophia would have a better answer for you than I have. She has Fate’s ear and Fate’s trust, but I doubt she can influence Fate any more than we can. Were I to hazard a guess, it is because the dire nature of your mission requires a clear head uninfluenced by outside elements. There are greater powers at work in the universe than the gods who spawned us. Whatever it was that corrupted the creature we are fighting may have Fate backed into a corner.”
Numa frowned up at him and narrowed her eyes. “That explanation is a little too specific for me to believe you don’t have some information. What do you think we are up against? Dionysus wasn’t very forthcoming.”
“Dionysus is too close to the offending party to know. It’s one of his spawn who succumbed to the corruption. My brothers and I only know that an older evil once existed, but was believed dormant: an elemental force that abhors light. We hoped that Meri’s corruption was merely a superficial desire for immortality, but can’t discount the possibility of something more sinister at work. Something cursed since the beginning of time.”
Numa’s skin prickled as an ancient memory shifted beneath the surface of her waking thoughts: The curse her kind had long dreaded coming to fruition, but which had taken a backseat to more pressing perils over the past year since the most recent Ascension.
There was one creature she trusted to tell her the truth, but at the moment, that individual was out of reach. Once she completed the ritual and opened the portal, she may have the chance.
“The Diviner may be able to tell us the answer. She is more attuned to primordial forces than the rest of us.”
The air cooled around her as another, more agitated breeze rippled the surface of the bath. “Would she offer more than riddles in answer to your queries?” Zephyrus asked. “I have never liked that creature. She is too close to those old forces for my taste.”
“She’s my sister. I would trust all my siblings with my life.” There was more to her optimism about getting answers from the Diviner. The ancient creature was also the offspring of a secret union between Dionysus, Gaia, and the Mother Dragon. She possessed immense primal power and was immune to Fate’s influence. If anyone had a clear view of the truth, it would be her. But they had to reach her first.
Cade pressed his lips into a line and his brow twitched. The muscles in his face rippled and shifted, then stilled. He let out a sigh.
“Zephyrus? Or Cade?”
“Cade is insisting I allow him to finish what he started. But before I give him control again, please know that my brothers and I have more resources to help if we find the fight more dire than expected. They will come when the portal opens, regardless of who you choose as your mate.”
“Thank you,” Numa said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He leaned down and kissed her, the press of his lips a soft, sensual farewell. Within seconds, the kiss deepened and his hands tightened at her hips, then slid up to cup her breasts.
A low, rumbling growl rose from Cade’s chest, signaling that the bear was back, and he was hungry. His cock surged against her hip, and she reached between them to wrap her hand around him.
He gripped her thigh with one big hand and she parted for him. He slid his fingers along the inside up to her tender folds and stroked. Pulling away from their kiss, he gave her a wicked look.
“I’m half-tempted to leave you filled with my spunk for those Rainsong boys to have a taste of when they get to you. Think it would give me an advantage?”
Numa shuddered under his deliberate strokes already sending her close to another climax. “That would be rude and mean,” she said, forcing an admonishing tone, yet lacking conviction under his expert touch.
“Mmm.” He nodded. “Then we’d better make sure you’re good and clean.”
He twisted, gripping her by the hips and lifting her out of the water. Her eyes flew open as he set her down on the edge of the tub and pushed her knees wide.
Gazing down at her wet pussy, he shook his head and made a tutting sound. “A real shame to wash that scent off you, but you’re right. Want to keep things fair, after all.”
He shot a grin at her, then reached to the side of the tub for the cloth. His aura flared bright when he dropped to his knees on the bench beneath the water and dipped the cloth in to soak it. First he squeezed the cloth over the top of her cleft, the warm water trickling down into her folds. With his other hand, he gently parted her and held her open while he pressed the cloth between her lips and stroked. He was businesslike in his movements, focusing intently on his task, despite the clear arousal flaring his aura to a bright red-gold that betrayed the generous amount of power he had left to give.
Numa was enthralled watching him carry out what he’d convinced her was a task of utmost importance. It would be unfair to make Bekim and Theron taste the other man on her when their turn came, though the idea made her blood heat. She was well-acquainted with the taste of both ursa males after sharing her bed with them for the past several weeks. They both enjoyed tasting each other on her as well.
“How well do you know them?” she asked, breathless from the slow, steady strokes Cade gave her clit with the soft cloth. He still made a pretense of washing her, periodically dipping the cloth back into the water before squeezing it over her pelvis and then returning to rub it in tight little circles over her clit.
He lifted his blue gaze to her face and raised his eyebrows. “The Rainsong boys? We’ve crossed paths. I used to think they had the right idea, opting to commit to serving the females in the Sanctuary rather than seeking out a permanent arrangement with one, but now I wish they hadn’t. Less competition would be nice, even if I still had to go up against a god to win you.”
“We have a bond already, I should warn you,” she said, the words slipping out amid a haze of pleasure that made her far too comfortable and eager to open up to this man.
He lowered his gaze and seemed to contemplate his steady stroking, then tossed the cloth aside. Before she could react, he’d pushed her knees up, yanked her hips to the edge, and pushed the massive length of his cock deep into her once more.
Numa let out a gasp of surprise that degenerated into a moan as her back arched, and she pushed her hips up into his urgent, pumping thrusts. Cade hovered over her, his blue eyes blazing.
“How much of a bond do you think we’ll have, after I give you all I’ve got?”
She whimpered as he slowed, aching for him to give her the release his touch had promised only moments earlier, but that he seemed intent to withhold from her now.
“One that would last forever, if I chose you,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter, does it?” Her core screamed for release, even as the ache of acute longing took up residence in her chest. She wanted this. Wanted Cade and Zephyrus every bit as much as she ached for a more lasting bond with Bekim and Theron. But she was right; none of it mattered when they were up against a god who she was almost positive had held back his true power. Despite Dion’s lapse and display of a level of honor she didn’t think the gods possessed, she had a sinking feeling that the rest of these tests may be an exercise in futility.
“Then it won’t matter if I leave your sweet little cunt filled with me, will it? Maybe it’ll give them something to fight for if they think they’re in danger of losing, because I sure as shit hope it’s clear how much I want you. And that isn’t breezy boy talking, it’s me. Cade Windchaser.”
He slammed into her harder, each thrust of his cock stretching her and branding her from the inside out. The brutal honesty in his gaze destroyed her, because she was sure she would encounter the same thing from her other lovers. It wasn’t enough that she had to choose between these men who all were skilled and potent lovers, but she had to weigh their potential as true mates as well.
It might have been easier if she’d been able to keep emotional ties out of the equation. Numa had expected her close involvement with the other two ursa males would be the hardest part of her decision, if she wound up having to choose another. But after today, she wasn’t so sure. Dionysus had made a confession that floored her, suggesting that his interest in her was personal and had less to do with having an upper hand on Fate than on his desire for her alone.
Now the ferocity of Cade’s lovemaking drove home how much she meant to him, not just the wind spirit who was ostensibly along for the ride. Both of these men would be bound by her choice as much as the others.
It was all too much. She let out an anguished yell and surrendered to the pleasure, to the desire for a kind of gratification she rarely allowed herself.
“Give it to me!” she called to him. “Show me what you’ve got, if you want to keep me, Cade. Give it all to me. Show me you can own my body with yours and maybe you’ll win. Do you have it in you, ursa? Or are you too beholden to Gaia’s laws?”
He let out a harsh laugh. “Those laws only apply to ursa females, sweet pea. You’re a dragon. You want all of me, you got me.”
His entire body tensed and he grabbed her knees, pushing them wide as he slammed deep and let out a rumbling groan. A torrent of magic rushed into her as his seed filled her once more, but the flood didn’t cease. His aura brightened and shimmered as he pulled out of her, the fluctuation in his energy betraying his next move.
Numa pushed herself up on her hands in time for the next wave of his orgasm to hit, the energy still flooding into her where their bodies touched. He gripped his cock and stroked, more streams of hot, sticky semen shooting onto her torso.
His gaze was bright with fevered intention and he gripped the back of her neck with his free hand. He pulled her forward, holding her head held tight as he pushed her down.
“Not leaving without seeing your lips wrapped around me, baby. I’ve got more, and it’s all going in that sweet mouth of yours.”
She didn’t resist, leaning forward to grip his hips for support at first, then wrapping both hands around his shaft as his fingers tangled in her damp hair. She slipped her lips over his tip, but could go no farther. Still, she eagerly sucked the head of his cock, his seemingly endless orgasm continuing with surprising power.
Sliding one hand between his thighs, she cupped his balls and squeezed, reveling in the way his hands tightened on her head and he let out a roar. Then she urged him on by slipping her tongue out in all its full draconic glory, wrapping it around and around his length and sliding it up until her lips popped off the tip.
Semen still shot from it, hitting her cheeks and chin with hot, tangy wetness that she gathered onto her tongue and swallowed. She savored his flavor and the musky scent that was distinctly him, though it held a note of summer sage that only the West Wind had ever smelled like.
“More still?” she asked, gazing up at him with bright eyes as she kept stroking him with both hands. Hot, sticky fluid dripped off her nipples as the energy finally started to ebb, the spurts of his semen spilling over her fists and slick beneath her palms where she gripped him. Her body buzzed from the inundation of his final dose of magic, her well overflowing.
Cade’s eyelids fluttered, his gaze lazily drifting down over the mess he’d made of her. He grazed a knuckle down her semen-covered breast, swirling the slick fluid around her nipple until she gasped.
“I want one more taste of you, sweet pea. A taste of you covered in me so breezy boy can have a farewell gift before we go.”
He teased a sticky finger down her belly and swirled it around the still flooded channel between her thighs. As he dipped down, she caught the shift in expressions—Cade giving way to Zephyrus, whose hungry eyes flashed with stormy silver light a second before they slid closed and his mouth covered her cream-soaked pussy.
She let out an involuntary cry and gripped at his head, only abstractly conscious of the fact that her hands were still coated in him, and now his silken golden waves would be sticky with his own essence.
Soon nothing mattered but the expert tongue lapping at Numa’s core. When a deft fingertip probed at her backside and fingers sank into both her slick openings, she was no longer sure which of the two men who shared that body were driving her to orgasm. When she looked down her torso at him, his lashes fluttered, and she caught glimpses of multicolored eyes that hinted of summer storms and winter revels all rolled into one.
She surrendered again to the pleasure, arching into his attention and bucking her hips against his mouth as he tormented her to one last mind-shattering climax.
When the echoes of her resonant cries faded, the chiming of the clock in the other room filled her ears. Cade pulled back with a frown, still gently stroking her inner thighs despite the sticky residue he’d left on her skin.
“You have to go,” she said. “We went too long already. They’re due to arrive now.”
“No time to let me finish washing you?” he asked, eyeing the mess he’d made of her.
“Do you really want me clean after that show?” she asked.
His lips twisted in a wry smirk. “Sweet pea, I love how put together you usually are, but seeing you a mess like this because of me has got to be the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. If you choose me and breezy boy gets a body, we’ll take turns making sure you stay filled with us.”
Numa shivered at the promise, knowing that he meant it despite the reverence both he and Zephyrus had displayed while making love to her today.
“Hurry and go. I need time to clean up before they get here,” she said, climbing up and offering him her hand.
Cade clasped it, though he easily stepped out of the bath without trouble. He seemed utterly at ease, even though his wet hair still dripped over his shoulders, half the liquid likely carrying traces of his own essence as well as hers. Numa didn’t bother with a robe, intending to sink back into the bath and rinse as much of him from her skin as she could before the others arrived.
She saw him to the door, but before she could open it for him, she found herself pressed up against it once more and his mouth clasped over hers in a hungry kiss.
When he pulled away and she caught her breath, he said, “I hope that was enough. If it wasn’t, we’ll have to work extra hard in round two. I aim to test your limits.”
She laughed, enjoying his cocksure attitude. He and Zephyrus had given more than necessary, but the day wasn’t over yet.
She opened the door, ready to give him a smack on the ass and send him on his way, but her heart skidded to a stop when she looked into the hallway.
Bekim and Theron stood leaning by the window opposite her door, arms crossed and worried frowns adorning both their handsome faces. Cade let out a soft curse as they took him in, completely naked and no doubt covered in her scent.
Without missing a beat, Cade stepped into the hallway and reached out a hand.
“Good luck, you two. Give her all you’ve got, and then some. I won’t lie and say I wish you luck. I want to win this so bad I can taste it, but hopefully the little taste I left behind for you will give you some incentive, because we need her to win no matter which of us she chooses, and that’s what you guys need to remember before you walk through that door.”
He gave them a nod when they neglected to accept a handshake. Then he turned and winked at Numa before ambling off, a pleasant breeze toying with her hair several moments after he was gone.