Chapter 5
Brierley sat on the bed for a few minutes before deciding to check her reflection in the bathroom. The bedroom was sparsely furnished, with a large bed and nightstand, a TV, and a weight bench. The bed smelled like him, and just sitting on it made her incredibly turned on. She wished he hadn’t needed to go take care of the bodies, but she knew it was smart for him to put them somewhere so they weren’t just hanging out in the open.
The bathroom had a toilet, a sink, and a stand shower with a plain black curtain. She turned on the light, blinking at the brightness, and then gasped at her reflection. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and she had light bruises on her arms from where those assholes had manhandled her. On one side of her neck was a round bruise surrounding a puncture hole, which was healing. Whatever they’d injected her with had knocked her out cold, and she shivered to realize how helpless she’d been.
Axtyn had cleaned her wound and bandaged it with the efficiency of a male who had done it many times before. Because he was working for Wallace, she suspected he was a fighter, and probably got very good at taking care of his injuries. Deciding she could use a shower to get the dried blood off her skin, she turned on the shower and stripped, stepping under the spray. She washed her hair and skin twice, making sure she’d scrubbed every inch of herself, and then dried off and brushed her hair with a brush she found under the cabinet. When her hair was as dry as she could get it, she hung the towel on the rod and picked up her nightie. She could see blood splatters on the fabric, and wrinkled her nose at the thought of putting it back on.
Since they were mates, she hoped that Axtyn wouldn’t mind her finding something to wear in his closet. She pushed the closet door open and pulled out a worn red plaid shirt. After slipping it on, she returned to his bed and climbed in, hoping he would return to her quickly. She wanted to get to know him, and mostly she wanted to make love to him. Her whole life, she’d been told she didn’t have a choice in who she mated. The idea of truemates was foreign to owl shifters. They didn’t believe in fate or true love; they believed in the king’s sovereign right to arrange matings that benefited him and the nest as a whole. She knew she wouldn’t have had a nice life if she’d stayed in the nest, and every day she was thankful that Bliss had set her free. And now, she was particularly thankful to Angel for bringing her to Pennsylvania. Because of her, Brierley had found her truemate – a fearsome, protective minotaur shifter, who’d slaughtered a building full of males to keep her safe.
When she’d dreamed about her future, she’d really only wanted to find her mate. Now that she had him, she could focus on the rest of their lives, securing their happily-ever-after, like she’d always wanted.
* * *
Brierley woke to the sound of the shower. She sat upright, looking around in confusion. Then she remembered where she was – Axtyn’s room in the warehouse. She stretched and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was six a.m., which meant she’d slept for a couple hours. She hadn’t planned to sleep, wanting to be awake when Axtyn came back to the room.
Slipping from the bed, she padded into the bathroom. The room was filled with steam, and her mate was humming under his breath. The heated scent of his skin, all warm vanilla and earthy leather, made her skin prickle in awareness.
She unbuttoned the shirt she’d borrowed and laid it on the counter, then pulled the shower curtain back enough to duck inside. He faced the spray, one hand flat on the tile before him as he scrubbed thick lather through his hair. She rested her hands on his waist and pressed a kiss to the center of his back.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“I kind of like that you did.”
“Oh?”
He finished rinsing off the lather and turned to face her. He cupped her face with his large hands and smiled. “You felt safe enough in my bed to rest. I’m glad for it.”
She wrapped her hands around his wrists and stared up at him. He was by far the sexiest male she’d ever laid eyes on. He was all muscle and strength, but his concern for her shone in his dark gaze. Underneath the muscles, there was a male of worth, and he was all hers. She opened her mouth to tell him that she was so glad to be his mate, when he growled softly and pressed his lips to hers. Their lips parted, and their tongues touched and slid against each other. She chased his tongue, releasing her hold on his wrists and hooking her arms behind his neck. Her back arched, her hips jutting forward as his erection grazed her belly.
He slammed the water off and grasped the backs of her thighs, lifting her easily and wrapping her legs around his waist. His cock probed her entrance, sliding in slowly. She ended the kiss with a gasp, her head falling back as he filled her completely. When their bodies were wed tightly together, her ankles crossed at his lower back and his hands cupping her ass, she smiled at the look of wonder on his face.
“I felt that,” she murmured. “We’re mates.”
He squeezed her cheeks, pulled her off his cock, and then thrust up into her again. “I’ve waited forever for you, sweetheart.”
“No more waiting.”
He grinned sinfully and ripped the shower curtain open. As he carried her into the bedroom, his body rocked against hers as he walked and made her shiver. He laid her down at the edge of the bed and leaned over, planting his fists on either side of her head.
He slowly pumped into her a few times, then kissed her forehead, nose, and lips, before straightening and grasping her knees. She unhooked her ankles, allowing him to push her legs apart as he began to fuck her, spreading her legs wider. She relaxed in his hold and grasped the covers over her head, stretching her body as he took her and reveling in his strength.
He gave her knees a little squeeze and released them, and she reached for them, holding herself open for his claiming. Without pausing in his swift pace, he rested his hand on her abdomen and rubbed her clit with his thumb. Her pussy clenched, and she moaned. Her toes curled as he moved in and out of her pussy, keeping time with his thumb on her clit. Pleasure soared through her, her muscles tightening and her toes curling as heat coiled deep within her.
She shouted as her climax struck, throwing her head back and letting go of her legs as her body sang with pleasure. He roared, and she felt the heat of his come pulsing into her. He surged into her a few more times and then pressed his hands into the bed as he leaned over her, breathing hard. She reached for him, linking her fingers behind his neck and drawing him to her lips.
They kissed, softly and searching, as their bodies drifted down from the heights.
“It was never this good for me,” she whispered against his lips. “I didn’t know it could be like this.”
She’d heard couples having sex over the years as she’d grown up, but she hadn’t ever heard a female cry out in happiness or a male make the sound of raw pleasure that Axtyn had.
He brushed his lips over hers and murmured, “Me either.”
She pressed her hand to his cheek. “There was just one before you. I don’t want you to think I slept around.”
He turned his head and kissed her palm. “It wouldn’t matter to me if you had a dozen lovers, or none, because it’s just you and me for each other now. The past doesn’t matter as much as what our future holds.”
He kissed her collarbone and the center of her chest, then over the swell of her breast until he captured a nipple between his teeth. He tugged ever-so-lightly and she inhaled sharply at the little tug of pleasure that echoed through her. Releasing his hold on her, he kissed the tip, then nibbled on her other nipple before kissing down her body and dropping to his knees. He pushed her thighs wide and then slid two fingers into her pussy as he licked her clit, flicking it and sucking it until she writhed under his attention. As she came for a second time, he lapped at her pussy with a throaty growl as if she were the best thing he’d ever tasted.
He drew her from the bed and settled on his back on the floor, and she rode him to a third climax, until her throat was raw from crying out in pleasure and her bones felt like they’d melted. When they’d caught their breath, he carried her to the bed and settled behind her, curling around her and drawing the covers over them. She’d never felt more content or safe in her life.
He kissed her neck. “I’m glad you’re mine, Brierley.”
She blinked at the sting of tears his sweet words brought and whispered, “I’m glad you’re mine, too.”
* * *
Brierley woke in Axtyn’s arms, her body aching pleasantly. She glanced at the clock to find it was almost six in the evening. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so worn out that she slept through lunch. Then again, she’d never had an insatiable mate before.
He stirred next to her, and she wiggled in his arms until she was facing him.
“Did we sleep Sunday away?” he asked.
“Almost.”
“Are you hungry?”
Her stomach answered for her, rumbling loudly enough that there was no mistaking it.
He kissed her on the nose. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’m being a bad mate already.”
“How?” she asked as he rolled out of bed and walked to the closet.
“Because I should have fed you. When did you eat last?”
She shrugged. “Saturday night. To be fair, I didn’t complain.”
“I still should’ve anticipated your needs.”
He carried a long shirt to her, and she pulled it over her head, as he tugged on a pair of jeans. “I don’t keep anything in here but protein bars and sports drinks, but there’s a small kitchen that Wallace kept stocked.”
He led her out of the room and down the hall. “How many people worked for him?”
“A lot, but there were only about a dozen who lived here. The others were like your friend Ian, only showing up for the fights. There are more who work during the fights too, doing things like watching the doors and cleaning, but we’ll be gone before any of them show up next weekend.”
He led her to a kitchenette, and she peeked in the fridge when he held it open. Removing a paper-wrapped package, he set it on the counter, then pulled out several bottles of water and a sealed container of mashed potatoes.
“If you put these in the microwave,” he said, handing the potatoes to her, “I’ll do the steaks on the indoor grill.”
“Sure,” she said.
They worked in silence, and soon the scent of grilled beef filled the air. After cleaning up, they returned to his room with their plates and silverware, and sat on the bed to eat.
He asked her about her life before she’d come to the campground. Owl shifters lived in secrecy. Her nest had been hidden in the mountains, and although her people had traded with humans in other towns, they kept to themselves.
“In the nest, females aren’t allowed to choose their own mates. I knew that when I was old enough, I’d be given away by the king to a male of his choosing. I thought maybe if I wasn’t a virgin, no one would want me, so I snuck out of the nest, and went to a human city and found a male to take my virginity. It wasn’t…pleasant, but it did the trick. The king was furious when he found out, and no male in the nest would have me. I thought I might be able to leave and strike out on my own.”
“Why didn’t you leave?”
“I didn’t have anything. No birth certificate, no driver’s license. I had a little money stashed away, but without identification, I was pretty much in a bad way. The king found a male to mate me. He was much older than me, and had beaten his first mate to death. The king told me he was punishing me with an old, cruel mate because I’d lost my virginity.
“Every January, the nest has a pleasure sacrifice. The king chooses a male and female to mate in front of the entire nest. The nest gathers around a huge bonfire and the king declares them mates, and then the male takes the female. If the female isn’t willing, like I wasn’t, she’s given an aphrodisiac so that she will climax.”
He snarled. “Why would they do that?”
“Male owls gain pleasure from watching others have sex. They glow when they’re turned on, and their own pleasure is heightened that much more if the couple is willing and fucks all night.”
“It would’ve been rape.”
“The nest doesn’t look at it like that.”
“What about your family? Why would they let you be harmed like that?”
“My father died during a battle with another nest when I was little. It was just me and my mother for a while, and then she asked the king to pick another male for her, and he did. I didn’t mind him, but he never treated me as anything but a housekeeper. My mother was old-fashioned, and like most of the females, a staunch believer in the sovereignty of the king. I don’t think it would’ve ever occurred to her she could stand up for me against the king, or that I should have been allowed to make my own choices. For her – for most of the females – the king is the be-all and end-all of our laws. What he says goes, period. No matter that I probably would’ve died at the hands of the male the king wanted me to mate.”
“You deserved much better than that,” he said gruffly.
Shaking the dark thoughts from her mind, she said, “But in the end, I was saved from that fate by a hyena clan. Angel and I became friends, and she brought me here and decided to stay. Now she’s mated to her own hyena clan. I had a hard go of things, but I didn’t get trapped in a cruel mating, and I’m here now because of all that happened. I wouldn’t trade being here with you right now for anything.”
“I don’t deserve you, but I’m thankful you’re mine.”
“Why don’t you think you deserve me?”
Axtyn didn’t meet her gaze. His shoulders hunched, and his muscles tensed.
She set their plates aside and moved to him, tilting his face until he looked at her. “Tell me, please.”
He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “I’ve killed before.”
“You mean what happened last night?”
“No.” He opened his eyes and she could see the emotion rolling in the depths. “My people grow unstable as we age unless we find our truemate. Once I reached twenty-four, I knew that my time was running out. Every time I shifted, it grew more difficult to return to my human form. When I fought for Wallace, twice I was unable to control my shift and I killed my opponents. He refused to allow me to fight after that, and he wasn’t wrong – I was dangerous.”
“What happens to a minotaur who doesn’t find his mate?”
“Eventually he shifts and can’t change back. I was facing a future as a monster. I had no hope. I was simply existing, praying that I might find you before it was too late, but every day I thought it might be my last as a human.”
“But we did meet. You’re not a monster.”
He pressed his forehead to hers and let out a shuddering sigh. “I know. I’m still not worthy of you.”
“Because of a quirk of your DNA? I don’t believe for a second that you intended to truly harm your opponents, or you wouldn’t feel such guilt. That you do means you have honor. It means you’re a male of worth, and I’m lucky to have you in my life. I don’t doubt that you could put down any threat to our family.”
He wrapped his arms around her and drew her into his lap. He buried his face in her neck, and she brushed her fingers through his hair and hugged him just as tight.
“You’re all I have now, Brierley,” he murmured, his breath hot on her neck. “I still don’t think I deserve you, but I’m never letting you go.”
She leaned back and smiled. “I’ll show you that you’re deserving of every good thing, Axtyn.”
He kissed her, and every cell in her body responded with enthusiasm. The heaviness of their conversation was forgotten as they made love. Nothing had ever been as good as the way he made her feel, held securely in his strong arms.