Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (30 page)

Phoenix just nodded, his eyes glowing with that inner fire that seemed to burn Rachen alive. He toed off his shoes and stepped out of his pants, ending up completely naked, right there, within Rachen’s reach. Rachen could have easily thrown him down on the carpet and buried himself inside Phoenix’s hot depths in one single thrust. Phoenix would have allowed it. Overlords, Phoenix would have embraced it and enjoyed it like he always did. But now, they both needed something different.

Rachen got up as well and wordlessly took his naked mate into his arms. Phoenix wrapped an arm around Rachen’s neck, resting his head on Rachen’s shoulder. Rachen carried him into the bedroom and slowly placed him on the mattress. He couldn’t help but pause for a few moments, the yearning to admire his mate’s beautiful body too powerful to resist. Phoenix smiled at him, not coy, not seductive, just…loving. There was no other way to explain that unique expression on Phoenix’s face. If someone had asked Rachen to describe his vision of pure love, Rachen would have described Phoenix, in this moment, with that look, so vulnerable, open, welcoming, and yet, impossibly powerful.

Phoenix’s gaze urged him closer, asked him to touch, to kiss, to caress and claim. Rachen decided it was high time that he did so. For crying out loud, he was still dressed, his spunk already drying on his once-elegant clothes. Not that Rachen cared about the garments. Everything was irrelevant right now, except his beautiful mate.

He would have just ripped all of it off, but Phoenix arched an elegant brow at him, and Rachen’s dragon practically purred with the need to give Phoenix a little show. Overlords, at this rate, the damn thing could be morphing into a feline shifter for all Rachen knew. Still, he followed his instincts, and he began to take off his shirt as slowly as he had Phoenix’s. He undid every button patiently, teasing Phoenix with glimpses of his flesh, occasionally brushing his fingers over his skin just enough to tantalize Phoenix.

His mate followed every motion of his hands, biting his lower lip, his fists clenching into the sheets. Phoenix’s cock had hardened again, and now pointed accusingly toward Rachen, practically demanding to be let in on the action. But Phoenix made no move to touch it. He just stared at Rachen, watching his impromptu strip show intently. At one point, he even seemed to stop breathing. By the time Rachen had his shirt off, his eyes were pure, vivid flame and lust poured off of him in waves.

Phoenix’s enraptured expression fed Rachen’s zeal and his knowledge that he was going in the right direction, or rather, at the right pace. He discarded the shirt on the floor and took off his boots. Unfortunately, in the process, he had to do a little dance around that really wasn’t all that sexy, but that didn’t matter, because it still made Phoenix smile. And then Rachen finally reached his pants. Phoenix pinned him with such a hungry glance that Rachen found himself faltering and tearing off the buttons of his slacks. He blinked, a little surprised at his own gesture. Here he was, thinking that he had control over the situation, when in reality, Phoenix could make him lose it with a mere look.

“It goes both ways,” Phoenix said huskily, “believe me.”

At last, Rachen managed to speak, too. “I know,” he answered. “I always believe you.”

He wasn’t only referring to their present circumstances, and both of them knew it. However, Rachen didn’t want to return to serious conversations that would distract them from each other. He’d been doing so well. If he had to speak, he’d stick to saying how fucking beautiful Phoenix was and how much Rachen loved him. Those were topics that could be easily explored for hours without Phoenix or Rachen getting bored. In fact, they could be explored without talking at all.

Following that trail of thought, Rachen dropped his pants and finally stood naked in front of his mate. Phoenix’s breath caught, and he released a low whimper. Now free of his clothing, Rachen joined his mate onto the bed and climbed on top of Phoenix. “Tell me what you want,” he murmured in Phoenix’s ear.

He swirled his tongue over Phoenix’s earlobe as he waited for the reply. His mate didn’t have to vocalize any of it. Imagining it was enough, because Rachen was here to fulfill each and every one’s of Phoenix’s fantasies.

A slideshow of images flashed through Rachen’s mind as Phoenix reviewed every sensual scenario that he could think of. Just catching glimpses of himself and Phoenix in all those erotic positions made Rachen a little more impatient, so he decided to go ahead and start while Phoenix dwelled on his final decision. But first, because he really couldn’t help himself, he stole a kiss from Phoenix’s beautiful lips.

He’d meant it for be a brief kiss, but it turned languorous and extensive. Rachen could never get enough of his mate’s delicious taste, so once he got a sample of it, he couldn’t pull away just like that. He had to delve deeper, like an addict needing his fix. And oh, Phoenix was such a sweet and potent addiction. Some people would have said dangerously potent, and maybe he was. At this point, Phoenix had taken over Rachen in every way. Rachen’s dragon, his body and soul craved him. And it would have been scary, except they were true mates, and like Phoenix had said, it went both ways.

As Rachen swirled his tongue through his lover’s mouth, Phoenix’s arms came around him, his fingers mapping his flesh greedily, yet without rushing. The fantasies rushing through Rachen’s mind’s eye finally began to dissipate, slowly settling into a single one—the two of them kissing gently, tenderly, their bodies entwined on their bed, touching and enjoying each other for hours. It was what Phoenix wanted, to be together, like this, like now. No complicated or elaborated plans, just the two of them, going with the flow, exploring everything their mate bond had to offer, simply loving and existing.

Smiling against his mate’s lips, Rachen started to do just that, all the while enjoying the feel of Phoenix’s hands on him. Wherever they touched, they left trails of fire behind. But he also loved caressing Phoenix in turn, and he did so without reservation. At first, he just swept his palms over Phoenix’s sides, but that quickly grew insufficient. Even if he’d had every intention to take it slow, he couldn’t help but rub against Phoenix’s body. Their cocks brushed against each other, making Rachen groan in delight.

For the longest time, they just lay there like that, exchanging lazy but passionate kisses. On occasion, Rachen would move away from Phoenix’s mouth and brush his lips over Phoenix’s eyelids, his cheeks, his chin, and a little lower, over his collarbone and the hollow of his neck. He didn’t go further than that, instead always returning to his mate’s tempting lips.

It was hard to control the mounting passion between them, but not as hard as Rachen would have once expected. If someone had asked Rachen the day before to put himself in this situation, he’d have likely laughed and said that he didn’t have a chance in holding back where his mate was concerned. Normally, that was completely true, but today, that same intense desire that always flooded all of their encounters had morphed. Instead of being a wild firestorm, it was a rain, soothing them but also stimulating them more and more, perhaps growing fiercer with every second that passed. A summer rain, one of unleashed, vulnerable passions, the only one a fire dragon and a phoenix could understand.

Just like Rachen had known would happen, their caresses grew gradually bolder, more desperate. Phoenix’s talons dug into Rachen’s shoulders but somehow didn’t break the skin. His need for Rachen was like liquid flame, flowing through their mate bond straight into his blood stream. They hovered at the edge of a cliff neither of them was willing to plunge over just yet. But their passion couldn’t be denied for much longer, and the unavoidable couldn’t be stopped.

Finally, Rachen pulled away and faced his lover, breathing hard. “I have to be inside you,” he whispered.

Phoenix closed his eyes in an obvious attempt to focus. He was planning to slick himself up, but Rachen had other plans. “No, don’t. Let me.”

His mate glanced at him again, licking his lips. “All right. I have to admit that it’s far more entertaining that way.”

It occurred to Rachen that his mate sounded much too coherent. If, this far into their foreplay, Phoenix could utter four-syllable words, Rachen wasn’t doing his job right. Well, he could fix that soon enough. Already going over all the things he wanted to do to his mate, he flipped his mate on all fours. Of course, whatever plan he might have tried to make flew straight out the window at the first glimpse of the perfect globes of his lover’s ass. Rachen’s mind went blank, and the only think he could focus on was pure need.

Fortunately, the lingering traces of his reason translated that need into a process, one that would end up heightening the overall sensation, both for himself and for Phoenix. Grinning, Rachen spread his lover’s ass cheeks and licked over Phoenix’s crease. If Phoenix had cried out loudly during the blow job, he practically screamed now. It wasn’t the first time Rachen rimmed Phoenix, but they didn’t do it as often as they should have given Phoenix’s enjoyment of the act.

Now, Rachen made up for all those moments when he might have fast-forwarded through their foreplay in his zeal to claim his mate. He practically feasted on his mate’s ass, stabbing his tongue into Phoenix’s channel, using it like a tiny cock to stretch his lover. At first, Phoenix tried to hold himself in check, but then, he lost control, too, and started to push back against Rachen, fucking Rachen’s face in earnest.

Rachen continued to tongue fuck his mate for the longest time, exploring his lover’s most intimate spot, enjoying the way they shared this taboo experience. As he licked over Phoenix’s hole, he focused on their bond, monitoring each of Phoenix’s reactions. The end result was that every time he pushed his slick muscle into Phoenix’s channel, his mate’s pleasure flowed over him like a wave of lava, the strongest aphrodisiac in existence.

By some miracle, Rachen held on to his resolve and took his time with preparing his mate. When at last he felt that he simply would explode if he didn’t get inside his mate soon, he removed his tongue from his mate’s body and lifted his head. His talons buried into the pillows, Phoenix moaned, “Gods, Rachen…Don’t…Just take me.”

Rachen had every intention to do that. He reached for the nightstand and quickly found a full tube of lubricant. They’d never actually used it, but it had been a tongue-in-cheek gift from Karein when things had started to settle down in Draechenburg. Rachen had to remember to thank his twin again, for that, and for the way he’d always tried to be on Rachen’s side. But not now. Now was for Rachen and Phoenix.

Rachen uncapped the tube, poured a generous amount of liquid on his fingers, and liberally spread it over his lover’s hole. Phoenix writhed under him, the fire of his lust now unquenchable. Rachen slid one digit into his mate, then another. Phoenix’s channel accepted them with ease, having already been stretched by the rimming. However, Rachen still took his time. There was special sensuality in just the act of touching his lover like this. He found Phoenix’s prostate and rubbed it mercilessly, barely able to keep himself from coming just at the sensations he himself was causing.

In the end, he couldn’t hold on for much longer. He removed his fingers from Phoenix’s ass and quickly slicked up his dick. He almost found his peak just at the touch of his own hand, but the need to be inside his mate was stronger. Craving to see Phoenix’s face as he took him, Rachen flipped Phoenix on his back once more. He lifted his lover’s legs on his shoulders and positioned his prick at Phoenix’s opening. Slowly, ever so slowly, he slid inside.

Phoenix held onto him, his hands as hot as brands on Rachen’s skin. For a few moments, Rachen stilled inside his mate, both for his own benefit, and for Phoenix’s. Their gazes locked and held, and Phoenix smiled, a strikingly sweet and shy twist of his lips. In fact, in spite of the passion roaring through Phoenix and Rachen both, they also experienced something more, a togetherness that went beyond the carnal into a nearly transcendental realm.

And then, Phoenix nodded and his muscles clenched around Rachen’s dick. He didn’t speak, at least not out loud. His mind was a litany of
“yes, oh, yes,”
and
“gods, please, Rachen,”
with variations along the same theme. Rachen couldn’t have resisted that plea if he wanted to. He pulled out of his mate and thrust back in, aiming straight for his lover’s prostate.

Ecstasy exploded through him, through them both, as he hit his target. Phoenix arched his back and cried out, exposing the pale column of his throat, tempting Rachen to take what was his. Rachen ached to sink his fangs into his mate’s flesh, but it was too soon, far too soon.

To keep himself from spoiling their lovemaking by rushing, Rachen bit the inside of his cheek. The slight pain did very little to distract him, so Rachen could only let go and surrender to the lust that had been accumulating within him.

As he started to move, they fell into a rhythm that suited them both perfectly. At first, Rachen just rocked in and out of his mate’s body, keeping the pace slow. Gradually, he increased the speed and force of his thrusts, giving and taking more, accepting the full extent of their desire. All the while, he never looked away from his lover’s beautiful face. Their gazes were always locked, and Rachen simply lost himself in the burning heat in Phoenix’s eyes. Impossibly, the fact that they faced each other like this, with their souls open to one another, made the experience even more intense. Rachen didn’t even know where he ended and Phoenix began. They were united in the most profound and intimate way two men could possibly be, and Rachen never wanted it to end.