Tempting Ecstasy (The Guardians of the Realms Book 4) (18 page)

Shadows.
She whimpered into the link.

Are you close, princess?

Yes.

Show me how wet. Rub your fingers through all your juices and hold them to the mirror.

She moaned low and did it, sliding some over her clit, and she played in it and showed him just how wet they were.

Now lick it off and tell me how good you taste. I want to bury my mouth between your thighs, breathe you in and force you over the edge. I want it all over me, marking me, all over my chest and lips, down my fucking throat.

She stuck her fingers on her tongue and sent him her image.

So damned sexy.
He growled, and the vibrations hit her harder than before.

Tell me what you taste like.

Sweeter then I imagined.

Suck it off your finger because that’s the last taste I want you to have until I’ve spread you wide and had my turn.
He growled again.

She was panting. Loving the harsh sound to his voice. His control was shredding, and that sound alone was taking her closer to the end. She was a few small circles from climax.

I need to come.

He growled,
Come for me.

She groaned, and within two strokes she was pulsing and throbbing.

Let me see.

She lifted up so he could see the smooth sticky evidence between her thighs. She was relaxed and completely shameless.

Fuck, yeah,
he groaned, and she saw images of him coming onto his chest, his hand taking slow pulls as more seeped from the head and over his fingers. Beautiful.

Chapter 18

Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm

“Sirena!” Drake bellowed at her. They’d been at each other’s throats continuously.

She blew out a frustrated breath as she finished her tests. She’d just gotten back from meeting everyone in Vane and Brianne’s room. They had a fine layer of fur on their human forms now. She just didn’t know what that meant. Griffins were lost to a combined beast form, nothing human looking was left. She needed to do more tests. Conn had been checking on Brianne with her when they’d discovered the change and called the others in. She didn’t know if this was good or bad news. Conn had tried to convince her it was good. He was convinced any show of the human form had to be a positive. Creators, she hoped he was right.

“Not now!” she snapped at Drake. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him.

“Enough!” He blew out a smoke-filled breath. “I apologize.” He bit the last word off like it tasted vile. She was sure, for him, it did. He did not apologize for anything. Ever. He made his decisions. Ones he felt served the cause and his people best, and didn’t care what anyone thought.

He had every reason to apologize for not knowing that his female Guardians lacked for acceptable males and that they didn’t even need sexual release like male Immortals to stay at optimum levels.

She slowly turned from her work. He stood large and imposing, his power flowing in waves as he glared at her. No, that apology hadn’t tasted good.

“Not good enough,” she said and turned back to her samples. “It hurt. Not just me. Sacha and Brianne deserve better as well.”

She was being a bitch, and she didn’t care anymore. She was exhausted and not ready to forgive. He was more than her leader, he was her cousin by blood; she thought they’d been close through the years. That he truly gave a shit, at least in his own way.

“You’re right. I should have known,” he growled. He rubbed a hand over his face when she didn’t respond. Several seconds went by before he asked, “Is anything else showing in Brianne’s and Vane’s blood work?”

“Other than it being a mutated mating between two different races? I still have no idea if the ofioeidis poison was what made the connection, but his biting her, claiming her, finished it.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Nothing in the poison should have done more than knock them out. The problem is, I have no idea what’s going to happen when they wake up, or even if they’ll wake up. The blood work shows the equivalent of about a three-month mating. If it continues to progress at the current rate, their powers will be completely melded in about two or two and a half months. That they now have fur over their human forms could be good or bad, like I said when I called everyone to their room. I know Conn’s hopeful anything about them keeping to human form is a good thing. I just don’t know if it’ll change at some point and the two beasts will take over.” Immortals had never been able to house two beasts without losing their human form. That was the fear that kept her up at night. Losing them. Losing her sister to the beasts that could take her from them all.

Chapter 19

Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm

Conn wanted Dacia all to himself, but he needed to get to know his new sisters, ease them into their new life. They’d spent hours in the mountains, running through the trees and down by the river. His presence alone made even the largest of beasts scamper off. He imagined with their power it would be the same.

They tracked with him, seemed to follow his lead, their wolves doing well. They were all fast and beautiful. If he hadn’t been so aware of the heat coming off his mate, he would have spent more time with them.

As it was, he was strung tight, pushing his animal back. It had been a little better being outside instead of in a confined fucking space, but he still wanted to finish it, claim what was his.

Her sisters trotted off to the door leading inside the manor, leaving him and Dacia circling. The heat and wild need driving them was strong; the scent was likely uncomfortable for his new little sisters. He would have grinned, but his sights were fully fixed on his mate, who’d been tempting him the entire time. She’d paced nose to nose with him, not running from him or daring to race ahead, knowing that would have baited him into taking her.

Jax ported by the trees. Far enough away not to get into the mix, but enough that Conn’s wolf snarled and snapped at him.

“Hey, man, if you need a minute, I can wait.” The bastard grinned as Conn -growled. His beast wasn’t happy about the interruption. “I have something you need to check out.”

Conn transformed out of wolf form with a snarl still on his lips.

Jax gave a sly grin and lifted his hands. Bastard didn’t give a shit that he’d walked in at the wrong fucking time. In a way he’d saved Conn’s ass. The urges were getting worse, stronger. It had only been a damned day and it already felt like a lifetime.

“What?” he snapped.

“You need to see something.”

Dacia transformed next to him. Her heat and the wild look in her eyes proved they were both losing it.

“I’m heading in,” she said, and her voice sounded strained as she walked toward the door her sisters had taken. Distance and a fucking cold shower would do him good. His beast was still in the forefront.

He watched her tight ass swaying as she moved to the door. He growled. He needed to jack off bad. Both hands came up and his fingers dug into his hair and pulled. They stayed there as he tried to get it together.

“What the hell is it?”

“Her brother,” Jax said.

Chapter 20

Earth Realm

“It’s about fucking time,” Dacia’s brother drawled from a chair in the living room. Jax had already gone through the protection spells on his earlier visit, and the brother hadn’t reinstated them. There was no need; the bastard was obviously waiting for him, a black duffel casually sitting next to the chair. Conn was still tense, but he’d forced his dick down before teleporting, not wanting to meet his mate’s brother with a hard-on. He blew out a breath. He wished he could have stayed there, circling his mate, seeing if he could get her to play. He shook off those thoughts and focused on his upcoming pissing match.

“I see you packed a bag,” Conn said as he leaned in the kitchen doorway and crossed his arms. He assessed the other male. He had power. His thick arms and shoulders were pulled tight over a black tee with a motorcycle on it similar to the one Jax said he’d found in the garage. The bike Jax had a hard-on for. “I can’t imagine you’re that ready to leave everything?” Conn cocked a brow at Dacia’s brother. The male’s dark hair was buzzed short, and he had some ink peeking under his black tee shirt, down his arms in a thick tribal pattern. He was in jeans and motorcycle boots.

“Unless I can take my bike with me?” the male drawled sarcastically.

Conn grinned at that.

“So we gonna do this now, or wait until I get you to your sisters?” Conn asked and waited for the brother to make his decision.

“I have no idea what you mean.” The bastard widened his amber eyes in mock innocence.

“We can do this here and wreck some of the furniture, or you can wait and go a few rounds with me in our sparring ring,” Conn said, looking around. “Anything sentimental in here?” Conn’s lips tilted in a feral grin.

The male really looked at him and knew he was outmatched in power. Not just power, Conn had a few inches of height and muscle on the younger wolf, but that didn’t mean the bastard didn’t have fucking pride. He felt his family was threatened.

“I’m guessing you know I’m Conn. Your name?”

“Gunn,” he drawled and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his legs. “Isn’t this all so civilized, considering you kidnapped my sisters?”

Conn saw a muscle ticking at Gunn’s jaw. “Creators’ edict. You’re not supposed to be here.” Conn shrugged. “I could tell you all the wonders of Tetartos, but I’m guessing you won’t believe me.”

Gunn was up and in front of Conn a second later. Conn allowed the first blow to his jaw. Grinned. A good fight could be a rush. He landed one of his own to the male’s gut. Gunn came up fast, a feral grin on his face too. He knocked the younger wolf into a wall and cracked the plaster. Gunn rammed and slammed him back into a couch, and Conn flipped him. The damned pup landed on the glass and wood coffee table, the crash was loud, but he was up and charging again and again. Fast. He managed one blow Conn hadn’t allowed. Not bad.

The place was getting demolished.

“Fuck, is family time over?” Jax asked from the corner of the now destroyed room.

Gunn shot to his feet and slammed power in Jax’s direction. Jax ported to the other side of the room. “Dude, you know we’re Guardians, right? I appreciate a good brawl, but the power play is never gonna happen.”

“Damn it,” Conn growled as he looked at Gunn’s ripped shirt and the blood on his forehead. At some point he’d landed in glass. “Fun as that was, you’re fucking bleeding.” He was not taking his new brother-in-law to Dacia bloodied.

He had minimal healing ability, but it wasn’t that big a cut. “Hold the fuck still while I fix this shit.”

The male barked out a laugh. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Is this some weird daddy shit?”

Conn knocked the dumbass into a chair with a surge of telekinetic ability. He was amused more than irritated by the pup’s attitude. He pushed power into his voice. “You can call me daddy if you like. I don’t really give a shit.” The male gave Conn another assessing once-over. The power in his voice would make Gunn’s beast twitchy, but best the wolf understood right off the bat that he was no match in any way for a Guardian. Conn wasn’t a dick; he’d make exceptions for the fact that the male had no fucking clue what was going on.

Conn leaned in and healed the cut. The tension was thick, and Gunn’s muscles strained. He wanted to lash out, but his beast wasn’t on board.

“Are you really so worried about playing the good guy?” Gunn taunted.

Conn cocked a brow and looked down. “I’m pretty sure I don’t look like a boy scout. That doesn’t mean I plan to take my damned mate’s brother to her bloody. I’m not stupid; she wasn’t here to see how sweet I was.” He gave the other male a cocky grin as Jax chuckled.

Gunn looked at the cat with narrowed eyes.

“Now, go wash off the blood and change, or I’ll throw your ass in the shower myself,” Conn said with just enough seriousness that the wolf tossed off his shirt and grabbed another from the bag. He went into a bath off the hall, and Conn grabbed the bloody glass to dispose of. He’d need to come back and clean the wreckage and deal with the lease before the end of the month. He rolled his neck, not liking the idea of that shit job. He looked at Jax, who was still standing casually in the doorway.

Jax narrowed his eyes. “This is all you, man.” Their eyes both went to the damage. “It would have been a lot fucking easier if you’d have let him compare dicks in the ring at the manor instead.”

Conn raised his eyebrows. “Funny. Hadn’t thought of that.” He shook his head at his brother as Gunn stalked back into the room, blood gone.

“Good enough,” Conn said and was next to Gunn, grabbing his arm before the male knew what was happening, trusting Jax to check the bag for weapons and bring it. He ported them to the courtyard.

“Fuck!” Gunn growled and hunched over as Conn chuckled. The pup would get used to it.

*****

Dacia and her sisters were sitting on the patio with two females who’d come to their room just after their return from running with Conn. She didn’t need to think about how close she’d been to pouncing on him before Jax interrupted. She blew out a frustrated breath. The tension and arousal had built through the entire run. Her animal wanted him. Bad. Jax had stopped what could have happened with Conn, but the desire was still there, her skin was still heated even with the cool mountain breeze.

She looked at the females across from her. Mates to two Guardians she hadn’t met yet. Bastian stood at a distance, allowing them the illusion of privacy, but she wondered if he was in a way acting as protector to the two mates. Not that Rain and Alyssa needed any; their power was palpable.

They were friendly, Rain the more outgoing of the two, but they had the comfortable quality of family or a long friendship. Dacia studied them. They said they’d grown up in the Realm and were forthcoming about life there. She wasn’t sure if there was an ulterior motive to their friendliness, but she didn’t feel anything off about them. She was just suspicious in general.