“You asked for my help.”
“And now I’m telling you to stop. Princess?” I opened my eyes to see Slade lying beneath me, his eyes wide. “There she is, my beautiful girl. Look at you, you make me so fucking hard.” I kissed the palm of his hand when it came to rest on my cheek, half delirious with desire. Maybe that’s why I didn’t see what came next. “I said I’d never bullshit you or keep the truth from you, and I won’t. We’re not supposed to say anything yet, not supposed to influence your decision, but...”
“Slade...” Brandon growled.
Slade swallowed hard, my vision clearing when I saw the shine in his eyes. “Whether I make it in your pack or not, you’re it for me. I love you, beautiful girl. No matter what happens, it’ll always be you for me.”
He didn’t let me answer or respond, rearing up to cover my mouth with his, slamming his hips up into mine at the same time. I knew I should stop, react, reciprocate, something, but it became a mess of sensory information. His mouth, teeth, fingers, cock, the weight of Brandon’s body, the fingers sneaking down between us and working at my clit, the thud of Slade’s hips against mine in counterpoint to Brandon’s much more gentle movements. I wasn’t a body anymore, just an endless string of sensation, frightening in its intensity.
My Tirian—who usually stayed pretty dormant during sex—shifted inside me, stretching and pacing within me, whining like an animal trapped. I frowned, started to rasp out something, but all I could do was grunt gutturally. I was close to coming, that much was sure, but it was less a pleasurable climb towards a lovely apex and more running helplessly before a massive wave. My cunt snapped down tight around Slade, but he pistoned on. Brandon’s hand bit down hard on my other hip. Saliva filled my mouth, dropping small spots on the perfect expanse of Slade’s chest, as a corresponding ache began in my teeth. I tossed my head back, eyes closed against the dizzying sights, and felt my Tirian do the same. She howled as I screamed, and we got closer and closer and closer.
Even now, I’m not sure how it happened.
r /> I was coming, my body jerking like a fish on a line as the waves of pleasure jolted through me, but that wasn’t it. My jaws opened, my howl came, and I heard Brandon shout, “Jules, no!”
That was like pissing in the wind. What came next was inevitable, carried by the weight of mountains moving. Slade’s eyes went wide and his body limp as my mouth fastened on the point where his neck met his shoulder. It wasn’t my teeth that bit down on his flesh—it was my fangs. He thrust inside of me, unable to stop himself, his cries growing more frenzied and then, as my saliva dropped onto his skin, I felt it. He shoved himself deeper, all of a sudden feeling much, much bigger, and my body struggled, spasming weakly as if to keep him out. But in he went, and there he stayed. My whines were muffled by his skin, then I pulled myself away, the coppery taste of blood in my mouth.
“Oh my God, yes!” I shouted.
I came again, really hard, but what happened went way beyond that. Slade shifted, so I was straddling his legs, his arms around me as we moved together. Tiny little movements, more like spasms, and my body jerked along with his as he came and came and came. But that didn’t matter. His neck was covered in blood—some trickling down his chest—and his hair was wild, but it was his look that did me in. There was none of my cheeky, smart arse boy in his eyes, not right now. He’d said he’d be honest with me. Well, I’d had no idea what that really meant. My eyes studied his, and for a moment, I felt like I could see all the way into him, past every layer and defence to the throbbing core of the man. When I touched his lips, I was almost stunned to actually feel the rasp of his stubble, the softness of his mouth.
He is pack.
We both started at that, and his expression made it clear he heard my Tirian as well.
I don’t really know how to describe how this felt. It was like coming home to someone you’ve always loved, but not seen for ages. That intense heart pain that comes from finally being back in their arms and feeling them next to you again. It was like long, lazy Sundays spent lying in bed under the blankets and ignoring the world. It was that skin hunger, when your hands and lips are drawn to the other’s, meaning to pull away but always finding their way back to each other. It was the familiar sights, sounds, smells of home surrounding you, anchoring you to a place. He pulled me closer to him as his cock finally softened, wrapping his arms around me.
“Fuck!”
My head jerked around to see a distraught Brandon yanking on his clothes. I went to pull away from Slade, to see how he was, but felt a yank when I tried to. Not physically, more like stepping on something gross or touching something really hot or cold. You can do it, but you really don’t want to.
“Brandon, what’s wrong?”
He stopped just next to the bed, his breath coming in and out in rapid pants. Those grey eyes of his looked completely gutted, like I’d somehow ripped out his heart and stomped on it.
“You’re mated.”
“What?”
Slade rubbed small, reassuring circles on my shoulder.
“You’re mated. What’s the human term for it...? Married, yeah, that’s it. You’re married now.”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Except this...” he pointed from Slade to me. “This lasts for life.”
I was left with my mouth hanging open as he slammed the door.
2
“Hello, love,” Finn said as he opened the sliding door, Buddy bounding in after him. The dog loved Finn—almost more than me—and would go and sit outside around the time the man knocked off to wait for him. He scanned the dining room when no one responded, taking in my stony expression and Slade’s wide grin, along with the blood smeared across his neck and shoulders.
“Finn, mate, take a load off and have a beer,” Slade said, gesturing expansively. He got to his feet. “Anything for you, my love?” I shook my head, so he went into the kitchen and began digging through the fridge.
Finn sat down, eyes wide and unfocused. Buddy barked at his knee, and he gave the dog an absent-minded pat. “My love,” he said, staring at the table, then his eyes darted to Slade who came waltzing back, a cigarette hanging out one side of his mouth and several beers in hand. He shook his head, raking back a stray strand of hair that had escaped his ponytail. “Fucking hell, I was only gone for three hours.”
“That’s all it takes, mate,” Slade said, twisting off the lid of the beer and handing it to me. “I’m gonna get on the phone, get the families up here, see if the mob in the kitchens can throw together something for us. Gotta ring Stores and see if they can send up some beer. Fuck it, that can be our mating presents.”