Phoenix (Bears of Kodiak Book 3) (7 page)

And Phoenix, he was all over her. His hot hands cupping her aching breasts, rolling her nipples hard, then giving them a gentle tug, before slowly easing one hand behind him and the other around her waist.

Putting her flush against his body, he lifted his hips just a bit, and... “Shit!” she hissed, as the pressure intensified.

She felt like she was going to burst apart from the pleasure he elicited in her. Phoenix played her body like a master violinist, making her sing under his tender touch.

Maybe this wasn’t the most experienced mating. She knew there was so much more to learn: what he liked, what she liked. But for now, this wild thrusting of hips, and claiming of lips...it was enough.

Grinding her hips down hard just as he shoved up touched off a fire in her. She exploded. And her skin, it crackled. Her flesh was alive with surges of bright blue lightning.

But rather than harming him as it would anyone else, her bond meant that he’d feel that same delicious spark the way she did. He’d hear the music traveling the winds as their bodies combusted together.

“Madison,” he ground, and went rigid beneath her. She felt the heat of him shoot liquid through her channel.

His massive palm gripped her ass as he jerked and spasmed against her. Groaning deep in his throat, as though in pain, but she knew it wasn’t pain that made him sound so animalistic.

And when his eyelids fluttered open and he looked at her, dazed, and confused, and with his dark brows pinched as though questioning whether this had just happened, she laughed.

Feeling more alive than she had in her entire life.

“So that’s what sex feels like. We’ve
got
to do that again!” Then she slammed her lips down on his, and they did do it again.

Phoenix

T
hey’d not moved from the cave in a solid week. And apart from Madison walking over to the animal pen to choose the day’s meat, they’d not stopped having sex either.

There was something to be said to being a virgin on his wedding night. Or rather, whatever the hell that’d been. He owed Madison a wedding, and she’d get one. But if they could ever stop humping like brainless bunnies for a second, they had bigger things to discuss.

Madison had just finished roasting tonight’s haunch of goat, and was just handing him his steaming portion when he decided now was as good a time as any. His woman was hungry, for much more than meat.

Well...his meat anyway. She was constantly flirting with him, grabbing him, fisting him, sucking on him...his gut clenched. Gods she had a great mouth. But she was a distraction, and right now there was an opening and he was going to take it.

“Baby, it’s time we finally had that talk.”

She lifted a thin brow, her look dubious and even slightly edgy. He loved his dragon’s fire. Loved everything about her really. Madison was as wild, amazing, and perfect as he’d always known she would be. She was also a hot head, like most dragons were.

He rubbed her arms, shaking his head and grinning. Never thought he’d see the day when he—a grizzly, who were never known for their calm disposition—would be the one calming his irrationally cranky mate. But there you had it...stranger things and all that.

“Calm down, cranky woman. This isn’t bad, I promise.”

She stuck out her tongue, looking all sultry and cute because she was completely naked, but with that bedroom tussled hair he loved so much. One thing he’d learned about dragons, they didn’t actually need to bathe to remain clean. She steamed herself and him down every day, it was like taking a shower with ten shower heads on full blast.

Bliss, in other words.

Opening her luscious mouth she took a massive bite out of her roasted leg of meat. Madison could eat him under the table. Normally, seeing a woman attack her food the way she did probably would have turned him off, but there was absolutely nothing he didn’t love about his woman. Except for the fact that she snored like a rusted out band saw at night, but he’d never tell her so.

Snorting, he was content to watch her attack her food for a little while longer thankful that apart from a few hard smacks to his face he’d gotten off pretty easy with her, all things considered. Every so often she’d get a look in her eyes. Sadness and anger, hurt that they’d waited so long because of him. And he let her get it out, because in order to move forward they’d need to confront all aspects of their relationship, or lack thereof until very recently.

He was just grateful that his woman hadn’t made him suffer worse for his misdeeds.

“What exactly did you want to talk about, Phe?” She asked with a lifted brow, slowing down on her masticating now as her foot began to coyly slide along his naked calf.

Her appetite for sex was insatiable. Not that he was complaining.

“What if I told you that there’s a way for me to live nearly as long as you?”

She froze. Then blinked. And then slowly lowered the meat stick in her hand to her lap. Cocking her head, she sniffed the air.

Madison relied heavily on her sense of smell to suss out his emotions. But he was deadly serious.

“You’re not teasing me?” she asked softly, fingers curling tight around the bone.

“Madi”—he leaned forward onto a knee, grabbed that meat out of her hand and set it down, before taking her slightly grease smeared fingers in his and giving them a tight squeeze—“I’d never joke about something like this.”

Her gaze flicked to their joined hands, and she sounded numb as she asked, “A witch?”

Surprised that she’d already figured it out, he shook his head. “How did—”

Golden eyes drilled into his. “I’ve known about this solution since the moment of my bonding.”

Shocked to hear her say it, he couldn’t seem to form words because his mind was a muddled haze of questions.

If she’d known this why hadn’t she ever said anything before? Why had she seemed content to just stay in this cave for so long? Why hadn’t she—

“I never said anything about it because I wasn’t sure how to approach you with an idea so radical.”

Like always, Madison seemed to guess his questions. Releasing his hand, she gently scraped her fingers through the tips of his hair, before rubbing his scalp in soothing circles.

He had to fight not to groan in delight and lay his head in her lap. He was becoming addicted to her touch.

“Of course I want to tie myself to you in every way, Madi. Forever.”

She grinned, but her smile still seemed sad. “Phe, it’s not that easy though.”

“What do you mean? I can’t tie myself to—”

Leaning forward, she stole a quick kiss, silencing him. Then shook her head. “Yes, of course you can tie yourself to me. But it’s more than that. My lifeline and yours, they become entwined, Phoenix.”

He heard what she wasn’t saying. And he trembled. “So if I die young—”

“No,” she shook her head, “if there was one of us bound to die young, it would be the dragon. You know my kind. How aggressive we are. I’ll be stepping into my parents realm soon now that I’ve secured you. How do you think we keep our people in line? We fight.”

“But your parents are still alive.” He knew he was making about as much sense as a rock, but he’d never expected to hear this. Truth be told, he was pretty sure he was a little bit in shock. The thought of losing Madison young, it’d never occurred to him before.

She was too potent and full of life.

She flicked his chest, chuckling softly. “It’s because together they’re powerful. But if you saw them naked you’d see they’re covered in scars that will never go away. That’s simply the way of things with my people. What if I’m not strong enough to—”

Squeezing her fingers tight until she looked at him, he said in earnestness, “You won’t have to do any of it alone.”

Yes, he knew he was only a grizzly. In Breed world he was the housecat compared to the untamed and wild lions of the savannah. Touching her forehead to his, she breathed in his air as he breathed in hers.

“I love you, Phoenix. And I’m bound and determined to keep you with me for however long I have breath. But the sacrifice would be great for you.”

“Or you.” He framed her face, looking into her gorgeous eyes. Feeling all over again like he was drowning in their molten depths. “What if I die young? I don’t want you having to always be my guard, always protecting me to make sure the pathetic grizzly doesn’t accidentally die from a dragon scratch. We’re so mismatched, Madi.”

“No.” She growled, and flame flickered in her eyes. “No, we’re not. We have our issues, but who doesn’t? We’ll figure this out. In the meantime, if you’re really serious about being with me—”

“Always.”

Her lips curled into a graceful smile. “Then I think it’s time we go find that witch. And I just so happen to know a great one.”

“Who?”

“My grandsire.”

His eyes widened. Seemed like the time to greet the in-laws had finally arrived.

~*~

Madison

W
inging into her ancestral home was a mixture of trepidation, nausea, and anxiety for Madison, so she could only imagine how much worse it must feel for Phoenix who was dangling like a carcass of meat from her massive talons.

He roared, obviously spotting the distinct shape of a dragon flying behind a massive gray thundercloud.

Madison recognized the shape, size, and coloration immediately. Urich. And judging by the way electricity crackled and crashed around his big emerald tone form, he was pissed as hell. Probably not really happy with her for disappearing for a week with no word.

With a shrill cry to announce her arrival, Madison dove for the plateau of her parent’s Cliffside mansion. Taking a deep breath, and curling the foot up holding onto Phoenix so that she didn’t accidentally squash him, she dug in her talons to the thick rock, holding out her wings for balance.

She was getting slightly better at landing one legged and couldn’t help but smile proudly, until she saw her parents come out of the house, dressed in their traditional robes, and looking at Phoenix like they meant to eviscerate him.

Calling the switch, she quickly shifted form and maneuvered her body in front of Phe’s to try and block him from their eyes. Which of course helped not at all because in human form Phoenix was as broad as a barn and twice as tall as her.

“It’s okay, Madi,” he rumbled hotly into her ear, then laid a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her aside so that he stood tall and proud before her family.

And in that moment she was sure she’d never loved him more, or been more proud. Phoenix was at a distinct disadvantage up in the clouds, but to look at him, you’d never think it. The grizzly exuded an air of confidence that even had her parents cocking their heads in question.

A second later Urich swan dived, spiraling tight like a speeding bullet toward Phoenix. Only moving to the side at the last possible second, before noisily and clumsily landing, spraying up shards of rock in every direction.

Urich had learned to land years ago. This was an obvious show of antagonism, and Phoenix knew it. Because aside from brushing off the pebbles from his coat—they’d had to make a quick pit-stop for clothes before going to meet her family, wouldn’t do to show up naked. That confrontation probably wouldn’t have ended well—he never flinched.

Urich stalked toward their parents, standing behind them with fire licking through his green eyes. Madison was pretty sure she was going to start throwing up soon if someone didn’t say something, but then her mother shook her head, causing her flame colored curls to tumble heavily around her shoulders.

She sniffed. And Madison knew that clever nose had sussed out the truth of them immediately. Mouth parting, Alora’s eyes flashed to her daughters with a question burning in their bright green depths.

Madison nodded. “Yes, we are.”

Then her father—Uriel—catching onto the silent conversation between mother and daughter, also sniffed. Considering Madison and Phoenix had been going at it like monkies for the past week, she was almost surprised they hadn’t already smelled their mating scent.

Urich crossed his massive arms over his massive chest, eyeing Phoenix hard. Urich wasn’t dumb, no doubt he’d already come to the same realization her parents had, but Urich wasn’t known for being the forgiving type either.

Straightening her shoulders, Madison latched onto Phoenix’s hand and squeezed. Telling her family without words that they were now a mated pair in every sense of the word.

Uriel squeezed his eyes shut. Her father wasn’t the hothead of the family. For a dragon he was pretty tame. But Madison read his disappointment. As far as son-in-laws went Phoenix was a nightmare come to life for her father. Without saying a word to either of them, he turned on his heel and headed back into their home. Urich followed close on his heels, but not before casting Phoenix one last, long dark look.

Only Alora remained. The true monster of the pack stood before them looking as lovely and innocent as she absolutely was not. Alora was cold. Ruthless. And deadly. She had no qualms about gutting a traitor—even if she’d known them all her life. Her only weakness in life was her family.

And it was that weakness that gave her strength to step forward and bridge the gap between them.

“Your father will come around. He loves you, Madison,” she said, her voice a mix of the lyrical and guttural.

Madison got her looks from her mother and her coloration from her father, but her temperament, it was just like her mom’s. So she understood just how difficult this was for Alora.

Keeping her mouth shut, she waited for her mother to say her piece. But Alora surprised her by smiling.

“Well, we’re stuck with the bear now, aren’t we?” Then she sighed long and loud. “Phoenix Hawthorne, welcome to the family.”

Stepping up to them, she held out her hand to him.

Phoenix flicked a nervous glance at Madison, who gave him a subtle nod in return. If mother wanted to kill him, she’d not have needed to trick him to let down his guard to do it.

Phoenix took her proffered hand. And Alora’s smile grew wide as she shook.

It was only the strain of lines around his eyes that let Madison know that Alora was no doubt seconds away from pulverizing every bone in that hand. Her mother might have welcomed the grizzly to her home, but she’d not forgiven him completely yet either.