Phoenix (Bears of Kodiak Book 3) (8 page)

“Thank you,” Phe gritted out and Madi suffered the urge to giggle.

Not that her mother was hurting Phoenix—only her mom could dare to do so and not suffer Madi’s wrath—but because Phe must love her enough to let himself suffer the abuse in silence.

Yanking him in just a little, Alora’s grin looked more like a snarl as she said, “Hurt my daughter, grizzly, and I’ll happily make you lunch.”

Phoenix cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Alora snorted.

“Okay, mom, I think we’ve measured dicks long enough haven’t we?” Madi said sweetly.

Alora, at three hundred years of age, didn’t look a day older than her early-thirties. She was a handsome woman with exotic features. But when she smiled, really smiled from deep in her heart, she looked almost like Madi’s younger sister. Her entire face transformed into a thing of hypnotic beauty.

“Yes, my love, I do believe we have. Now, if you’re decided to keep this bag of fur as yours—”

“Mom,” Madi drawled.

Rolling her eyes, Alora wrapped one arm around Madison’s middle, and the other around Phoenix, guiding them both toward the mansion’s front doors.

“I’m just saying, sweetheart, it’s probably time to consider calling your granddaddy to work his binding charm. Don’t you think?”

Madison felt Phoenix’s anxious gaze. They’d come to her folks for this reason exactly, but no doubt meeting her parents was a nightmare-inducing headache.

She might have laughed, except for the fact that her mate looked like he’d just swallowed a hedgehog. Patting his hand, she nodded.

“Yes. Yes. I do.”

Phoenix

A
swirl of nerves settled into Phoenix’s gut as he looked around the forest. The winds were gentle, balmy even for early spring in Alaska. The fields had been cut, leaving only a deliberate patchwork of wild flowers to sway in the breeze.

There were hundreds in attendance today.

Crows. Dragons. Grizzlies. Sirens. Hell, there were even a few naiads in the river, partying it up. And countless other Breed folk they’d made passing acquaintances with throughout the years. Everyone was trying to be on their best behavior, but that wasn’t easy to do when you stuck a bunch of hotheaded dragons and pesky crows into any mix.

Still, it was his and Madison’s wedding day. Along with Chance’s, and Auggie’s. So everyone had felt honor bound to show up.

He and his three brothers stood at the head of the crowd, giving each other knowing glances. Three confirmed bachelors, now all of them about to take the plunge in a very public fashion.

Of course, after nearly a year of domestic bonded bliss, none of them really minded.

Still, that knowledge did nothing to ease the nest of razor tipped butterflies swarming through Phoenix’s gut at the thought of seeing his mate finally walk down the aisle toward him.

Chance was the first to lean in, and whisper between them, “What are the odds your dragons don’t eat my crows by the end of the night?”

August snorted. “Considering we’ve got grizzlies in the mix too, I’d say we’re in for some carnage once the booze starts flowing, don’t you, Phe?”

Phoenix patted down his gold vest. He felt a might stupid in this penguin suit, but considering both his brothers were in one too, he was in good company. Their tuxes were all identical, except for their vests and bowties, which matched their mates’ colors.

Gold for him.

Aqua for August.

And deepest ebony for Chance.

August, being the surrogate father figure to them both, stepped forward and adjusted Phoenix’s bowtie, straightening it up just so before sliding over to Chance and doing the same to him.

It was weird for Phoenix, knowing that he and his brothers would be going their separate ways now. Not that they hadn’t already been living apart for a while, but they’d all still been in Alaska.

Recently though, Jackson had gotten herself a job in Arizona and August was following his bride. He’d already sold off the Junk Yard to Chance, who was the only one of the three brothers going to stay in the Kodiak. They’d probably never leave because of Bronwyn’s family roots. Not to mention the fact that they now had another cub, a boy this time called Dalton with the same dark eyes of his mother, and dark skin of his father. The crows would probably bring a war down on their asses if they tried taking those kids away now.

Phoenix and Madison were leaving too. They didn’t know for how long, or even where. Only that Madi needed to stretch her wings and go and Phoenix wasn’t letting his woman anywhere out of his sight ever again.

Madison had missed out on a lot being grounded as she’d been. In her teenage years she should have been flying the skies, exploring the vast world, before settling down.

They’d eventually return to the Kodiak: all Draconians did. But she and Urich were long overdue to experience life, and like it or not, their mates were coming along for the ride.

Thankfully, Urich no longer wanted to eviscerate Phoenix. Now it was mostly just the occasional head slap when he wasn’t looking. Progress so far as he was concerned.

“Well?” August held his arms open. “How do I look? Everything in order?”

Phoenix stepped forward. There really wasn’t anything to adjust on August, he was as perfectly put together as he always was, but he pretended to adjust his bowtie, figuring his brother might actually need the rare show of affection from him.

“Yeah,” he gently slapped his brother’s clean shaven cheek, “you look good, Auggie.”

All three brothers, as if having the very same thought at the very same time, hugged one another, forming a tight circle.

Feeling strangely choked up but determined to speak his mind, Phoenix cleared his throat and said, “Gonna miss you bastards.”

Chance snorted. “Guess that mating ritual didn’t suck total ass after all, eh?”

And though it wasn’t really funny, for some reason all three of them started laughing heartily. Phoenix even had to wipe a few tears from his eyes.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then a noise caught all their attention. A crow—which one, he had no idea, since they all looked the same in Breed form—was pecking at the eyeball of a massive fire breather.

The black skinned dragon was vibrating, growling deep in his throat, and starting to light up with striated bands of fire glow across his scales.

“Well, shit,” Phoenix muttered, “guess we won’t have to wait till the booze flows after all.”

August stepped forward, holding up his hand, and no doubt ready to calm what could become a powder keg situation, but then the music started.

Flowing in from wooden pan flutes played by woodland sprites still hidden within the large boughs of trees. And like someone had just doused a fire with flame, peace settled over the crowd and all eyes turned toward the back.

Phoenix lost his words and thoughts, consumed by desire and overwhelming love for his bride.

The three women stood side-by-side and wearing dresses completely opposite one from the other.

Bronwyn, with her auburn mane hanging low and threaded through with tiny white flowers was dressed in a diaphanous white gown that was shredded at the legs, but moved almost like a cloud as she walked.

Beside her stood Jackson, who wore a form fitting mermaid style dress that flared out around her ankles. It was strappy and covered in glinting white diamonds; her dark hair was caught up in a loose bun, and her eyes were only for August.

But neither of them could hold a candle to his dragon.

Madison’s dress wasn’t a traditional gown. It was short, coming only to mid-thigh and showing off the white, lacy garter strap on her left thigh. Her heart shaped bodice fit like second skin, and when she walked a slit on her right thigh revealed the very lacy edge of her white panties. Her hair was wild around her head, like she’d just been sexed good, and Phoenix suddenly suffered the violent urge to shove a red-hot poker through every male’s eyes looking at her.

“Holy shit,” Phoenix muttered, and got an elbow in his ribs from Chance.

“I’ll say,” August murmured, then ran his hand across his jaw.

The women were beside them a few notes later, and Phoenix swayed into Madison’s side. Wrapping an arm around her middle and squeezing tight, inhaling her spicy scent of lightning and softer note of flowers.

“You look fucking hot, Madi,” he whispered in her ear and she trembled, recognizing the huskiness in his voice as a promise of something carnal later, she dug her claws into his side. Letting him know without words that she was definitely down for some hot, heavy, and rough action later.

Looking up into his face, her golden eyes melted for him. “You do too, grizzly.”

Phoenix had bound not only his heart to his woman, but his soul too. Her granddaddy had used dark, arcane magick to do it. Taking the thread of his life and hers and creating a type of glowing braid, one deepest amber color and the other a glowing gold, once he’d wrapped their lives one to the other he’d shoved the now shared soul into both their bodies. So that he could now feel every emotion that ran through Madi’s body, as she could feel his.

And right now his woman was madly, and incandescently happy. Nuzzling the top of her head, he breathed her in. Loving her more and more everyday.

It was also her granddaddy—Pylot—who would be officiating their ceremony.

The elder dragon, who still looked good for being over a thousand years old, walked regally toward them. He had a few wrinkles, and a head full of silver hair now, but his green eyes were sharp, bright and keen as he glanced between the three couples.

Then lifting his arms he spoke to the crowd.

“We are gathered her today to witness the union of these three ugly grizzlies to these three gorgeous females.”

The crowd laughed. And even the brothers did too. Because ugly or not, the females were theirs now. Nothing else mattered.

Grinning proudly at his joke, Pylot then turned his attention to them.

“Do you Chance, August, and Phoenix Hawthorne take Bronwyn Crow, Jackson Rose, and Madison Draconian to be your lawfully wedded wives?”

Looking down at the face of his woman, Phoenix said the only thing he could in that moment. “With all my heart.”

Madison’s lashes fluttered and a gorgeous smile cut across her features. Pylot asked the same of the females, and the answers were returned in kind.

“Then by the power vested in me,” Pylot tapped his chest, “I now pronounce you, Breed and wife. You may now kiss your brides.”

With a whoop Phoenix bent Madison over his arm and slammed his lips down on hers. No, it wasn’t their first time, or even their thousandth time, but each time only got better.

She was just as hungry back, dragging her nails through his head, until he hissed from the pain and pleasure.

There was teeth, tongue, and a whole lot of swearing going on between them. And only once he started to hear laughter booming through the fields did he realize they weren’t actually alone and still very much had an audience.

“Don’t break her yet!” Someone yelled, and Phoenix was pretty sure that gruff voice belonged to Urich, but he couldn’t be sure.

Burying his face in her neck, he whispered, “We stay an hour, and then, I take you far away from here and have my wicked, wicked way with you dragon.”

She giggled, patting his shoulder. “Half an hour and we’ve got a deal.”

With a groan and a raging hard on visible to God and country, he straightened her out to the applause, cheers, and jeers of those around them.

His brothers clapped him on the shoulders. Congratulated them, and then hugged her. He did the same to them.

His family had grown by leaps and bounds since last year and Phoenix knew he’d never again regret the day he’d intruded on Madison’s bonding ritual. Without it, he’d never have her now, and he could never imagine his life without her.

Once all the congratulations and hugs were over, and they’d said thank-yous to one and all, and were just about to run off for some much needed hardcore, triple X kind of sex, Madison looked at him.

All soft and sweet and tender and his heart it felt like it might just burst in his chest.

“I knew the day I saw that boy up on that ridge with those two toned eyes that there’d never be another for me. I love you, Phoenix Hawthorne, with all my soul.”

Then leaning up on tiptoe, she tugged him down by the bow tie and gave him a slow, lingering kiss.

His lips curled. “I love you too, dragon. Always.”

“Good.” She patted his chest. “That’s real good. Now about that sex—”

She didn’t need to say another word. Taking her hand, he ran, yanking her out of there. Everyone knew what they were doing, but he didn’t dare stop. He was headed to his cabin and he was gonna lay claim to his woman again and again and again.

And that’s just what he did...

~*~

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Mating Fever Bears

V. Vaughn—
Andre
2/24

Elle Thorne—
Cross
3/4

Kenzie Cox—
Cyrus
3/14

Mating Fever Dragons

Saranna DeWylde—
Ondrej
3/2

Ronin Winters—
Mica
3/7

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3/11

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Tempted Series

Forbidden
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Reckless
, Book 2

Possessed
, Book 3

Mating Fever Series

Chance, Book 1

August
, Book 2

Phoenix
, Book 3