Mist Revealed (7 page)

“Rune.” A demand? Question? She didn’t know which. She closed her eyes and waited on what he’d do.

He curled the tip of his tongue under the crotch of her panties.

Her breath escaped in a shaky rush. “Yes.”

He eased away. Her feet met the floor. She tightened her hold on his hair and opened her mouth to demand relief, but he slid his fingers under the barrier of her panties. She closed her mouth and once more concentrated on his touch.

His knuckles brushed over her wet cleft, and a whipping current raced through her body.

“Rune, please.”

“Well, my Cat?” He fisted the material of her panties and tugged slightly. “Are you still on the menu?”

She nodded, maybe a little too quickly, but having a hot guy eat her out was a damn fine fantasy. Having that hot guy claim he wanted to keep her? Well, for a girl who fumbled in love, it sounded like heaven. Maybe she could find time for a relationship. Hell, maybe she should stop thinking and enjoy the moment.

“Good.” He yanked. The satin ripped, jerking her body. “Then let me take my fill.”

I caused the electricity to go out.

The thought came and went. Rune couldn’t ponder the implications of yet another new power. It took all his control not to strip Cat completely, toss her on his bed and fuck her until she begged him to make her his.

The urge to mate along with his jealousy threatened to undo him. He wrapped his honor around him. The reputation of the children of the mist would not be shamed by him. Above that, his promise to Cat demanded he rein in the possessiveness riding him. She had the final say over which path their unexpected relationship would take.

He pressed a kiss to the soft swell of her stomach and glanced into her eyes. The green in them was more predominant than before. Passion brought the color out. He liked it on her, along with the light flush to her skin. The release of his power had dropped the temperature in the room. She’d reacted to the cold with teeth chattering and tremors wracking her body. His touch had countered it without any effort on his part, another unexplainable occurrence. It benefited her, however. He wouldn’t question it.

Using a single finger, he dragged her torn panties down. A tiny swatch of black curls marked her sex, and the light sheen of arousal around her opening promised to nourish him. His mouth watered for a taste of her. He would’ve bent his head and indulged in his craving, but the inked design on her inner hip drew his eye and captivated him.

Inches from her mound, an eagle soared. The black swirled lines under the bird seemed to buoy the majestic animal in flight.

The guardian of the Wardens.

In their mist form, the bird would join them in their journey across the sky. The eagle acted as a second set of eyes, showing them the world from its perspective. The knowledge it gave proved invaluable. More so, the animal held a magic of its own that it extended to them. Its presence stopped the wind from scattering the pieces of their body too far. It made returning to their solid form easier.

He pressed his cheek to the tattoo. “Beautiful.”

“The design or my body?”

“Both.” He tipped his head back. “But to be fair, I need to see all of you to make an honest assessment.” He pushed her shirt up, exposing more creamy skin. “Strip.”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and nibbled before letting it slip free. “Is this the point where I’m supposed to resist your advances by saying I don’t normally do this sort of thing with strangers?”

“Do you plan on resisting me?”

“No, but I…” She blew out a rough breath. “I don’t want to send you running again.”

He stood, dragging her shirt up with him. She lifted her arms. He tossed the fabric to the side. The simple white bra she wore didn’t match the lacy, black panties he’d ripped off her. He didn’t like either on her. He snapped the straps so she couldn’t don the restricting garment again.

The cotton slipped and revealed the most perfect breasts he’d ever seen. He cupped one. It filled his palm. With strokes of his thumb, he teased her nipple into a hard point. She pushed the firm flesh into his hand. He captured the tip but didn’t tug.

“I’m sorry I walked out on you.” He gazed into her face. Guarded eyes met him. “I hadn’t expected to feel the way I do for you.”

“How do you feel?”

“Hungry. Possessive.” He slid his free hand to her sex and pushed a finger into her core. Her muscles squeezed the small invasion. “I want to keep you locked to my side.”

She swallowed hard. “But you just met me.”

“Exactly. I don’t understand why I feel this way.”

He stroked her core and rolled her nipple as if he had every right to touch her and bring her pleasure. She didn’t stop him. She widened her stance for his exploration. An idea formed that suddenly became imperative he had answered.

“Tell me, Cat. Do you normally let males you barely know strip you?”

“No.” She frowned. “I like sex, but—”

A slight tug to her nipple tore a throaty gasp from her throat. He let the hard bud slip free. “But you need my cock inside you, don’t you?”

She laid her fingertips over his trapped erection. “Yes, Rune. I do. I can’t stop thinking about you. Us.” With her gaze on his, she dragged her nails along the length. “What we can do to each other.” She shook her head. “That’s not like me at all.”

His heart skipped a beat. Cat’s attentions focused on him kicked his desire higher. He wanted everything she could give him. It also confirmed his suspicion, that Cat too felt the unexplainable mating drive. He might not know much about her, but the strong female he’d watched bring order to a group of hysterical humans with little more than her commanding words and aura didn’t strike him as the type to get distracted by her body’s needs.

“To put sex before work.” He didn’t pose it as a question.

“Yeah, look, maybe we can…” She undid the button on his jeans and freed his dick. “You know, scratch this itch, and we’ll both feel better. More focused.”

He frowned. “My cock isn’t itchy. It aches for the wet grip of your body.”

“No.” She chuckled. The throaty sound drew his balls up. “I mean fuck me. Here. Now. No foreplay. No oral sex. I don’t need it.” She gripped him and gave his length a rough stroke. “Just this, Rune. Fill me up.”

“It won’t work. Sex won’t dim your fascination with me.”

He feared their path was set. He’d mate her. There’d be no resisting the urge when he was forced to stay with her, especially when she spoke to him like that. It turned him on. The knowledge in itself surprised him. He dismissed the shock. He liked the result.

She gave a small shrug and wiggled her hips over his single finger. “It’s always worked for me before. A quick fuck to take the edge off. It’s a good way to relieve stress too. God knows I’m feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

He added a second finger to her core and pumped them into her. She moved against his hand. Her head fell back on a moan. Pleased with her response, he thrust faster, adding a rolling twist to his motions. Her groans turned into whimpers. The undulations of her hips changed to writhing. He kept up the pace, not allowing her orgasm to take hold.

“Rune.”

He heard the plea in her voice, but slipped his fingers free. She yanked on his wrist as if she meant to direct his hand herself.

“Why did you stop?”

“Is that what Sam is to you? A cock to use?”

Nose scrunched, she glared at him. “Yes. Jesus, Rune. Can we stop talking? I just want sex.”

A small, bitter laugh escaped. Hadn’t he said the same thing?

“Then sex is what you’ll get—”

“Thank God.” She took his hand and tugged him toward the bedroom.

He spun her back into his arms. She gasped and gripped his shirt.

“We will have sex after I make you come over my tongue.” He peered into her face and let her see the intensity of the hungers riding him. Wide-eyed, she met his stare. “I am not simply a means to an end. I am so much more, and if you’ll let me, I’ll be your life.”

“That’s not what—”

He kissed her before she could deny him. It was too late. He didn’t have the strength to fight the pull to her nor did he want to. After an eternity of being cold, both in body and soul, the warmth she offered was too sweet to turn away from.

He wouldn’t take their mating to the next step until he’d had a chance to talk to her, explain what he was, what she was to him. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t show her the benefits of being his.

Starting now.

He licked the recesses of her mouth. The need to memorize every inch of her was an insatiable desire. Her flavor drugged him. He could kiss her all night and not tire of the sensual show of affection. The spark of it hovered between them. How could he not feel it for the female who’d rushed to help a dying male? He’d seen the terror in her eyes and heard the fear in her voice. She’d donned her protective gear and approached the human when nobody else would. Her worry about the virus’s mutation and how it spread didn’t stop her. In the face of the male’s pain, she’d set it aside.

She was a warrior in her own right, one who battled diseases nobody understood.

Cat embodied courage, compassion and intelligence. The qualities drew him as easily as her beauty. It would be those virtues, along with the hints of her strong personality that would build his fascination with her. He’d lived long enough to recognize the potential of what his obsession would bring.

Love.

It would bloom if he let it. He understood the concept of it, had seen his brothers and friends succumb to it, yet had never experienced it himself. The female worshipping his mouth would be the first to bring it forth.

And the last. Cat will be my eternal mate and lover.

The realization didn’t scare him. It made him yearn. He wanted the emotion and the woman. With the threats looming, he shouldn’t, but he knew that was why he did. He didn’t want to lose her. Somehow, he’d figure out how to be both breeder and warrior. He would give Cat everything.

History would not repeat itself, not if he could help it.

And this time, I’ll have it all. A mate, a lover and a friend.

He eased his hungry kiss to a slow twining of their tongues. Her body grew pliant. She clasped her hands around his neck and accepted his lead. He guided her into a pace that let him explore his consort. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the edges of her teeth, memorizing the uneven spots. He would know every inch of her so he could deliver his worship with his eyes closed.

He slid his hands over her back. The softest he’d ever encountered, her skin could’ve been living silk, so smooth he wanted her wrapped around his body. A slight tug, and he gave in to the craving, pulling her more firmly against him. She sighed. He swallowed the breathy sound and finally broke their kiss.

Dilated eyes met his. Her moist, swollen lips tempted him to dip his head and taste them again. He resisted.

“Cat, there is one thing you must know about me.”

“Please don’t tell me you have a girlfriend.” Her eyes widened. “Or a wife? Dammit, why didn’t I ask before? I should’ve. All the good ones are gone. Not that I want a husband, mind you.” She closed her eyes on a groan and pushed against his chest. “I’m rambling. God, why can’t I keep my mouth shut around you?”

He chuckled. “Why would I tell you I want to keep you if I had another lover?”

A blush tinged her cheeks. She opened her eyes, dropped her gaze to his nose and shrugged.

“There is no other female in my life.” He tipped up her chin. “That is not what I wanted you to understand.”

“What then?”

Her breathy question whipped through him, stirring his needs. It was her voice that affected him. Low and husky, it directed his thoughts to sex. He wanted to hear her demands whispered into his ear while he was lodged deep inside her body. His cock throbbed for the fulfillment of his imagery.

“I keep my promises.”

“What promise did you make?”

“I said I would feed from you.”

He pressed a palm to her upper chest and pushed. She squeaked and tumbled back, right onto the couch where she’d fisted his cock less than an hour ago. Not giving her a chance to scramble away, he dropped to his knees. With his shoulders, he widened the space between her spread thighs.

The scent of her arousal called to him, a lure he no longer wanted to resist. He bent closer and licked. Her taste flooded his senses, leaving him a little unsteady, exactly as he’d felt the first time he’d kissed her.

“Rune.”

His name exclaimed on a gasp made him smile. Wanting to hear it again, he repeated the lick along her cleft.

She squirmed but didn’t offer up the breathy sound he craved.

Unacceptable.
She would yearn for him as much as he did her. He wouldn’t stand for anything less.

He held her still with a hand on her hip and pushed his flattened tongue into her opening.

“Rune.”

A whisper. It held desire and wonder, everything he wanted to hear.

He tugged her bottom to edge of the cushion and kissed her core as deeply as he’d taken her mouth. The thump in his jaw warned him of how close he was to losing control over his primal side. He shoved the instincts to the back of his mind. He harbored other drives, carnal ones. They involved worshipping Cat and making her scream for him. He embraced them.

A growl crawled up his throat. She answered the raw noise with a soft whimper, a sound he loved. He wanted more. She’d give it to him too.

He dragged her closer. She clutched at his hair. The bite tore another rough grunt from his chest. More of her arousal flowed. Her whimpers grew with each thrust. He savored both.

“Rune, need…” She inhaled roughly. “Need more.”

Her plea could’ve meant a number of things. The quivering of her muscles gripping his prodding tongue directed his actions. He breached her sex, over and over. The slight squeezing each time he pierced her encouraged him to quicken his strokes and drive her higher.

“Yes, like that.”

He would’ve grinned at the demand in her voice, but the wash of arousal that met her command distracted him. On a groan, he lapped up her cream, swallowing her pleasure.