Love Never-Ending (3 page)

Mystic Valley on the trail from Dai’s Retreat to Lost
Market

As he stubbed his toe on a tree root, Merlyn was reminded
that dark came in many shades. At the moment, the woods surrounding him and his
bond mate, Jade, were
very
dark…at least for him. Jade had lost her
sight in an accident many years ago so dark was a constant state of being for
her. He wasn’t sure who was more handicapped as they trod down the path in the
fitful light of a failing light stone. For that matter, he wasn’t even sure why
they were walking home from Dai’s Retreat in the middle of the night.

Jade had poked him out of a dead sleep and announced they
had to leave for Lost Market immediately. None of his sensible objections made
a dent in her determination to go home so he was leading his weary pregnant
bond mate through the woods in the hours just before dawn. His mouth stretched
in a huge yawn and Jade chuckled.

“What?”

“You. You look like a black-haired lion when you yawn.”

“How would you know?” he demanded as he guided her around an
enormous
malzhal
tree root that jutted into the path.

“I retain quite vivid memories, Merlyn. And sometimes Dai
allows me use his mind to peek.”

“Really?” Merlyn stopped dead on the trail. “You can do
that?”

“Not often.” Suddenly, she yawned. “But once in a while when
I’m really missing my sight, he’ll show me you or the children. They’re growing
up so fast.”

Merlyn pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.
“Tell me about it. Each child seems to grow up faster than the one before. The
way I figure it, Cougar and Gazelle will go directly from seven to fifteen. And
the new babies will just start at fifteen to begin with. That way, we’ll
eliminate the whole diaper and feeding process.”

She snuffled against his chest. “Don’t you wish. It won’t
happen that way, you know. I think they seem to mature faster because the young
ones learn from the older ones. And the younger they are in the group the more
older siblings they have to learn from. Llynx and Panther…”

“Were born con men. They take after our half brother
Nikolas. I shudder to think what they’ll be like when they hit their teens.”
Merlyn took a deep breath. “We need to move on. It will be dawn in a little
while. You said we needed to be there by dawn.”

“Uh-hmm. But before then, you’ll have to find us a place
with some privacy.”

Through their bond, he felt the first tremors of
schalzina
as her womb tightened with small contractions. “Now? Jade, my love, have I ever
mentioned that you can be extremely inconvenient?”

“Frequently but I’ve noticed that you easily cope with the
inconvenience when my
schela
has your cock locked snugly inside me. I
suspect it will be the same this time.” Her arms tightened around his waist.
“If you don’t want to deal with the fire of
schalzah
instead, I
recommend we find shelter immediately.”

Merlyn shuddered.
Schalzina
, a woman’s uncontrollable
need for her mate, was a frequent pleasurable occurrence during pregnancy but
schalzah
—
schalzah
was
schalzina
magnified tenfold. During
schalzina
, though
physically locked together, they were capable of enjoying all the sensual
possibilities between a man and woman.
Schalzah
stole the senses,
leaving the bond mates conscious of nothing except their drive to join
repeatedly, time after time after time until they passed out from exhaustion.
He always thought it was like being on fire with no possibility of
extinguishing the flames.

“I’ll find us a place.”

“Have we crossed Creek Three?”

“It’s coming up.” Merlyn’s voice was muffled as he turned
away, his attention captured by a pale beige dome shape. “Why would someone set
up a
hurka
out here?”

“Dai just mentioned that he sent Wolfe and Hawke out here
earlier today to set it up.” Jade’s voice was rich with barely suppressed
amusement. “He said he thought we might find a use for it.”

“Oh, he did, eh? Dai is getting too big for his
sharda
.”
Merlyn led Jade off the path to the
hurka
, set up in a pretty little
grassy glade. He unfastened the ties that secured the door flap and poked his light
stone inside to make sure it was empty of small critters. There were no critter
visitors in sight but he was pleased to note the blankets that were spread on a
soft comfortable mat plus a basket filled with spare light stones, clean
clothing and finger foods.

“I believe it was Arano’s doing actually. Apparently, he
told Dai that we would be needing shelter.”

“Nice to have a Master Seer as a son. Duck your head.”
Merlyn gently guided Jade through the low door and helped her settle on her
knees on the pallet before following her.

While he fastened the
hurka
ties, she removed her
meerlim
and sturdy sandals before slipping her arms around his waist, searching for the
tabs that secured his
sharda
. Surely it was a complete accident that her
hands just happened to find his rigid cock instead.

“Ummm. Your
kzusha
is so hard.” Her fingers brushed
the heavy folds of the kiltlike garment out of her way so she could cradle the
warm, thick length in her hands. “Hurry, Merlyn. I need you.”

“We’ve been mated for nearly twenty-five years, Jade. In all
that time, the second you began
schalzina
, my cock was harder than
stone. Why would it be different this time? If you want me inside you, release
my cock and stretch out on the pallet while I finish undressing.” Merlyn
inhaled deeply and held his breath while she moved around behind him. Then he
ripped open the tabs on his
sharda
and shoved the soft fabric to the
side. Seconds later he tossed his silky white
shera
on top of the
sharda
,
kicked off his own sandals and eagerly lay down beside her. No matter how many
times they made love, he was always burning for her kiss, her touch, the
abiding sense of home he felt every time they joined.

When his warm, lightly furred chest brushed against her
tight nipples she whimpered and arched into him. “Merlyn? Now?”

“I’m here, sweetheart.” Knowing how sensitive she was once
schalzina
began, he cupped her gently, stroking the hot, wet folds.
Schalzina
actually denoted the way a woman’s body prepared for joining with her mate.
He’d never known a time that her pussy wasn’t ready for his cock but Merlyn
always made sure, always checked because he couldn’t bear the thought of
hurting her.

Her slick petals pulsed as another rush of fluid coated his
fingers.
Essence of Jade
, he thought. Her scent was embedded in his
brain. It would be with him when he was an old, old man. He shifted, moving
over her until they were fitted together, creating a perfect whole. With one
thrust, he filled her pussy, groaning as he felt her
schela
firm and
grasp just below his cock head in a tight ring.

Jade wrapped her legs around his hips and squeezed, pulling him
closer. “Yessss,” she hissed. “I love the way you fill me, the way you feel
inside me.”

He didn’t know how it was possible but his cock was getting
harder. “You’re just horny because you’re pregnant,” he grunted as he shoved
his cock even deeper. “And because you’re in
schalzina
all the time, you
drive me crazy. I walk around with a hard cock poking out the front of my
sharda
.
No amount of pleats can hide that, believe me.”

“You’re complaining?” she teased as she planted little
nipping kisses along his stubbly jaw.

“Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is at my age?” He
slid his hands beneath her and rolled until she was on top.

“You don’t know how to be embarrassed. And what is this?”
she demanded as she sat up, squirming on his cock until she felt him slide as
high inside her as possible. She sighed in pleasure. “Oh, that’s better. I love
fucking top-saddle when I’m in
schalzina
. You fill me so much deeper.”

Merlyn thought his eyes might be crossing. Jade’s
schela
was squeezing his penis tighter than any cock ring. He groaned and a sheen of
moisture coated his pale blue skin.

“Are you in pain?” She braced her arms above his shoulders
and leaned forward so she could brush her nipples across his lips.

“I’m in exquisite pain. Don’t stop,” he commanded as he
latched on to one tightly furled nipple and sucked enthusiastically.

She rocked on his cock, her pussy tugging with heavenly
pressure because of the
schela
lock. When she thought about all the ways
her body had changed after they arrived in the valley, she was the most
thankful for the
schela
, the ring of muscle high in her pussy that
gripped his cock, locking them together during
schalzina
. One time in
the height of passion she’d confessed that
schalzina
almost made
pregnancy worth the morning sickness and backaches.

Appalled, Merlyn had declared that thirteen children were
certainly enough! Apparently, that wasn’t quite so as she was pregnant
again—with numbers fifteen and sixteen—but something told her these would be
the last ones so she was determined to enjoy all the benefits of
schalzina
while she had them.

Merlyn bit down gently, careful not to pierce her tender
nipple with his fangs, while he reached up and lightly ran his fingers over the
rims of her pointed ears. A rush of feminine moisture bathed his cock as she
shuddered with the flash of heat. “Again!”

He was quite well aware that her ears were incredibly
sensitive erogenous zones—far more so than her breasts. Releasing her nipple
with a faint pop, he urged her to lie flat against his chest. “Come closer,
sweetheart, and I’ll nibble on your ears. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

When she stretched out in his arms, he rolled again with her
until he was cradled between her thighs. He slid his arms beneath her shoulders
so he could support the weight of her head in his big hands. And then his
wicked tongue slithered around the velvety rim of her right ear.

Her legs squeezed his butt like a vise, her
schela
clamped down on his cock and she came with a banshee howl that could likely be
heard all the way in Lost Market. He didn’t worry about holding back his own
orgasm. As long as she was in
schalzina
, he would remain hard and ready
to serve her needs, whether that was ten minutes or two hours. Thrusting as
deeply as possible he spurted his seed in her depths, lured to new heights by
the frantic milking of her
mhital
nibbling at the broad head of his
cock.

They dozed for a while, still locked together. Then Merlyn
rolled them back over so he wouldn’t squash Jade and they slid back into
sleep—a normal occurrence for them when Jade was in
schalzina
. Over the
years, Merlyn figured they slept with his cock locked inside her hot, silky
sheath as much as they slept apart.

In a little bit, they woke and made slow sleepy love. She
nuzzled the soft hair on his chest, rubbing her cheeks against the silky curls
before searching out one of his flat nipples. With a sly nip, she brought it to
attention, then soothed it with a gentle suck before moving to the other
nipple. Her slender fingers continued to toy with them while he captured her
mouth, engaging in a leisurely duel of twisting tongues and nibbling fangs.

When her
schela
clamped down with a particularly
tight grasp on his cock, he chuckled and flicked a naughty lick at her ear.
“Oh, you liked that, eh?”

She shoved at him until they rolled so that he was on the
bottom. Sitting up, she cupped her breasts in her hands, presenting them for
his inspection. When he groaned and bucked his hips, thrusting in deeper, she
gripped her nipples with forefingers and thumbs and pinched before tugging them
to hard points.

Abruptly, he sat up, holding her securely on his lap with
one hand planted on her lush buttocks, and took a breast in his mouth, sucking
avidly while rubbing the tip of the nipple with his tongue.

“Harder,” she urged breathlessly. He allowed her to feel the
edge of his teeth on the tender flesh and she whimpered in response.

“More,” she moaned.

He slipped a finger down in the soft, wet folds that held
his cock captive. Then he found the tight rosette farther back and gently poked
his fingertip inside.

Jade bounced madly in response. He covered her lips with
his, engaging her tongue in a wild thrust and parry even as he added another
finger in the tight grasp of her sensitive anus.

She gasped as her body tightened in climax. While throbbing
contractions played the length of his cock, her nails dug into his hard,
muscular shoulders. Then wrapped in each other’s arms they came together again,
not with sound and fury but with tender sweetness. Very slowly, Jade’s
schela
softened and released Merlyn. Reluctantly, he withdrew and they curled together
just for a few more minutes, acutely aware of the passing of time. At last he
sighed and said, “If we are to reach Lost Market by dawn, we must get dressed
and be on our way.”

“I know.”

“You’re still certain we need to be there?”

She nodded, rubbing her head against his chest. “Yes. I’m
pretty sure Wrenna’s man, Traveller, is going to arrive today but that’s not
why we need to be there.” Jade hesitated a moment. “Merlyn, I think he’s
bringing someone with him.”

Immediately, he reached for the basket of clean clothing and
supplies, placing it at his side. He lifted her from his lap, placing her on
her knees. “Then we need to get a move on.” He found a clean cloth, wet it from
the water bottle and swiftly wiped them both clean.