Nikolas (31 page)

“You were in Egypt?” he asked Sheila, only he was looking at Stella. She had silky, straight black hair with dark eyes to match. She reminded him of an Egyptian queen. “You could pass for Nefertari,” he whispered. She lowered her eyes, blushing.

“Sir, you’re holding up the line,” an airport worker chastised him. He made it through customs and waited on the other side for Sheila and Stella to come through. Thankfully, Stella was first and she walked to where he was waiting.

“Your dad must have really been something. My mother still talks about him after all this time.”

Zeke hated lying to her. If she was his mate, he’d eventually have to be honest with her, but until he knew for certain she could be his mate, he was going to avoid the topic. “Where are you off to?” he asked.

“Like mother said, we just got home from Egypt. I love her, but I need to put a little distance between us, if you know what I mean.”

He sure did. “Stella, I’d love to see you again. After you get settled and jet lag has worn off, if you are interested, give me a call.” He prayed she didn’t have a boyfriend, or worse, a husband waiting on her at home.

“I think I’d like that,” she said. “What’s your phone number?”

Zeke told her his number, and she programmed it into her phone. His phone buzzed in his pocket. As he pulled it out, she said, “There, now you have mine, too. Ezekiel Seymour, why do you seem so familiar to me?”

He couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet. He wanted to spend time together and be one hundred percent sure she could be his mate. “Sometimes the fates have a funny way about them.”

She started to say something, but Sheila joined them. “Ezekiel, it was good meeting you. Please tell your father I said hello. Come on Stella, I’m ready to be home.”

Stella held out her hand again. Was she a glutton for punishment, or was she trying to see if there really was a strange connection between them? Zeke placed his hand in hers, and her eyes widened. Instead of letting go, he brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. “I’ll be waiting,” he said. Stella squeezed his hand before taking off after her mother.

Zeke knew they would more than likely be going to the same baggage carousel he was, but he didn’t want to seem like a stalker. He ducked into one of the restaurants and ordered a drink. He sipped his whisky as he thought about the first time he saw Stella. He’d gone to pick Sheila up for their date. When she wasn’t ready, he waited for her in the living room. The babysitter was already there, and a little girl waddled into the room. He remembered dark eyes staring up at him as she held onto his leg to steady herself. The little girl was babbling incoherently, and he’d been mesmerized. Zeke and Sheila had barely pulled out of the driveway when he felt sick to his stomach. He still took her out to eat, but he didn’t gain his appetite back. A few days after their date, Ezekiel transitioned for the first time.

Zeke enjoyed two more glasses of whisky before paying his tab and retrieving his luggage. On the way home he called Jonas. His father answered the phone, frantic. “Zeke? Where are you? Is Sam okay? Did you find them? How’s Sophia?”

“Slow down, Father. Everyone’s good. I’m back in the States, but I left everyone else in Egypt. They were having a family reunion of sorts. Xenia knows the truth.”

“Huh. Listen, I’m glad you called. Your mother and I have something we’d like you to take care of.”

“Huh? All you can say is huh?” It was just like Jonas to focus on his own needs.

“The truth is out, and Samuel will take care of it. It’s out of my hands. Now, about that favor.”

“I need to ask you something first. Is it possible to mate with a small child?”

“Are you crazy? Why would you even ask that?” Jonas hissed.

“Not that way! Gods, you really think I’d do that? What I meant was could being around a child cause the transition?”

“I suppose if the fates are willing to put someone through a test of sorts it could be possible. Why are you asking?”

“I ran into someone I haven’t seen since they were really young. I met her when I dated her mother. Soon after, I went through my transition. Back then we didn’t know the cause, but since we now do, I’m thinking she is the reason. I felt the mate pull strongly in her presence just now.”

“Wait a second. How do you know the cause?” Jonas snapped.

“How we know isn’t important. The fact you hid it from us is. If you hadn’t kept it a secret, I might be with my mate right now. All of your offspring have transitioned with the exception of Cyrus. I am on my way to Montana to rectify the situation. Back to my original question; is it possible?”

Jonas was silent for a moment, and if Zeke hadn’t heard breathing on the other end of the line, he would’ve thought his father had hung up. Finally, Jonas responded, “It isn’t something I’ve ever heard of, Son, but I would say it is possible. Now, about that favor…”

Zeke listened to his father drone on and on about some experiment he was currently working on. Since Tessa and Sam were out of the country, he wanted Zeke to help him. Zeke declined, reminding his father he was going to see Cyrus. He wouldn’t put off the trip because Jonas had a wild hair up his ass. Maybe by the time he returned from Montana, Stella would be ready to see him.

He left the airport and headed toward his beach house. He had a feeling that one day very soon he would no longer need the soothing sound of the waves as a balm to his spirit.

Sixx set up a live video feed as promised, and they all watched as Frey and Abbi exchanged vows by the lake on Frey’s property. Nik had to promise to take Sophia there as soon as they got settled.

The dig had been a success, even if it took longer to get the permits than expected. It was interesting to see both Xenia and Monica working side by side. The others moved rocks and brushed stones, but more often than not, they watched the two women at work. Once the burial tomb of Antony and Cleopatra was unearthed, Xenia had her hands full with government and antiquities officials. They all agreed that Mercer would receive full credit since it was his notes that led them to the find. Keene was right there with her, making sure she kept her fangs in check.

Sophia’s parents stayed in Egypt for a short vacation. Monica had been in her element, and she was considering going back into archaeology now that both her daughters had mates of their own.

Nikolas had never been so glad to see his house. Before he left for Egypt, it was a large, empty space filled with books and a hidden room where the Stone Society archives were located. As he carried Sophia over the threshold, it became a home. “Welcome home, Baby.” He didn’t stop to let her look around. Nik carried her straight to the bedroom and set her on her feet. “Clothes, off, now,” he instructed as he pulled his shirt over his head. His cock was straining against his zipper, and he wasn’t going to wait to slide into his mate’s core.

Sophia was obviously in as much of a hurry since she was naked before he was. Nik stuck his thumbs between his jeans and his skin and pushed the material down his legs. Sophia didn’t wait for him to get them all the way off before she was on her knees with his dick in her mouth. “Soph, Baby…”

“Mmm?” she asked, never slowing her mouth. He loved the fact she was so eager to please him, but he had waited long enough to get his mouth on her.

He pulled her up by the armpits. “I have an idea.” Nik got on his back, his cock jutting straight up in the air. “Give me your legs,” he instructed. He positioned her so her pussy was over his face, and right as she slid his cock back into her mouth, he licked her clit.

When she released him, she said, “Oh, gods, do that again.”

Gladly. Sophia was getting really good at blowjobs. She was able to take him farther each time, but today she was having a hard time concentrating. Nik didn’t care though. He knew her pussy would taste like heaven if he ever had the chance to get his mouth down there. He was right.

Her breasts were tapping his stomach as she bobbed up and down. Her enthusiasm at exploring his body grew each time they shed their clothes. She wasn’t shy about exploring, and she was open to each and every naughty suggestion Nik whispered in her ear while he was pounding her pussy. He stuck his finger between her folds, hitting that spongy spot just inside that would make her come apart if he hit it hard enough. He tucked that thought away for another time. Right now he was enjoying the taste of her mixed with the delicious way she smelled.

Nik concentrated on her clit, alternating between licking and sucking. Each time he pulled the bud between his teeth, she moaned. He bit her clit and smacked her ass at the same time. His bunny enjoyed her spankings. Sophia wiggled, her way of saying
thank you, sir, may I have another?
with her mouth full. He gladly obliged and smacked the other cheek. His fingers that were plunging into her core were already wet. He wanted her dripping before she came. He sucked her juices off his fingers, the taste better than the finest Scotch ever invented. “Gods, Baby, you taste so fucking good,” he groaned.

Her hand was helping her mouth now, a sign she was getting tired. Instead of going back to finger-fucking her pussy, he teased her pucker. She pushed against his hand, and he took that as permission to breach her entrance. He slid his thumb into her pussy getting it slick before sliding it into her tight hole. He didn’t push far since it was her first time. It didn’t take more than that, because she pulled her mouth off his dick and started rocking against his face. “Nik, please…” She was ready. Nik flicked his tongue over her clit as he pulsed his thumb in her ass and his fingers in her pussy. Her core gripped his fingers as she screamed out his name.

When her pussy was no longer throbbing, he flipped her over onto her back and drove his cock deep. He crashed their mouths together, hoping her fangs weren’t out. He enjoyed the taste of her juices on his tongue, and wanted her to see how fucking good it was. Sophia wrapped her legs around his waist and licked at his lips. “Mmm, I taste good,” she said as she plunged her tongue in for more.

Godsdamn his female was amazing. “I could fuck you forever,” he husked when she stopped plundering his mouth.

“Then don’t stop,” she said as she grabbed onto his shoulders. Sophia dug her human nails into his skin. He barely felt it, but he knew the claws would be out soon. That tingling sensation started at the base of his spine. By the time it reached the top, his wings were out. His mate’s fangs dropped and she latched onto his neck. With a roar, he shot his load into her already soaked pussy. The feel of her fangs breaching his skin was his undoing every time.

After they showered, Nik brought in the luggage from their trip. They were both tired of sand, and ready for the crisp air that December was offering New Atlanta. Nik took Sophia on a grand tour of her new home. Her favorite room in the house was, of course, the library. “I feel like Belle in Beauty and the Beast,” she joked.

“Ah, so I’m a beast, huh?” he growled in her ear as he spun her around the middle of the floor. Sophia giggled loudly, and he vowed to make her laugh every day of her life. “I’ve had dirty ideas about this hot librarian climbing the ladder over there with nothing on under her skirt.”

“Is that so?”

Nik grinned and wagged his eyebrows. “Is this library large enough for you to quit your job?” he asked as he put her down on her feet.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t you think I’ll get bored, sitting here all day with nothing else to do?”

“What I think is you’ll be busy rearranging the house when we bring all your things from your place. After that, I think you will be busy choosing which room will be the first nursery and picking the right color. I think, Sophia Brooks, that you are going to be so busy with little shifters running around this house, you won’t have time to be bored.”

“You want kids now?” she asked with an eyebrow cocked. “But who will paint my toenails when I get fat?”

He swung her around again. “I will. Gladly,” he added before he kissed her on the nose.

“Well, allrighty then,” she responded with one of his favorite sayings.

Ready to see his big brother, Nik loaded Sophia in the Audi and headed over to Frey’s. Julian was supposed to stop by as well. When they pulled up to the gate, Nik spoke Sophia’s name into the security box. The gate swung open, and he drove on through. “Your passcode here is my name, too?”

Nik hadn’t explained that the boxes were programmed with each of their voices, not specific words. “Actually, they’re all voice activated. I could say Abracadabra and it would open. I just like saying your name,” he said as they pulled up in front of the house. Frey and a teenage boy were shooting hoops. “That must be Matthew.”

When they climbed out of the car, Frey came over and pulled Nik in for a big bear hug. “I missed you, Brother. I’m so glad you’re home safe.” Frey turned to Sophia, fisted his heart, and bowed his head. “Sophia, on my honor. I
t’s a pleasure to meet you. Nik, Sophia, this is my son, Matthew.” They were shaking hands with the teen when a dark haired
little girl wearing a pink tutu ran out the door toward Frey.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” she yelled as she launched herself at the tall Goyle. It was obviously something she did often, because he was ready for her.

“Yes, Amelia?” he replied. Frey’s face softened as did his voice.

“We have company!” she exclaimed. Everyone laughed including a very pretty woman. Abbi. At first glance, she didn’t look like a woman who had been abused, raped, and nearly murdered. Nik didn’t want to look too closely, but there was a sadness floating right below the surface. She ruffled Matthew’s hair before stepping into Frey’s side. His arm circled her waist, and he introduced his mate.

Nik greeted her in the same way Frey had Sophia. They were vowing to honor and protect the other’s mate at all cost. Amelia wiggled in Frey’s grip and held her arms out to Nik. “You’re my Uncle Nikky,” she said matter-of-factly. Nik didn’t hesitate to take her. He loved kids and couldn’t wait until Sophia’s belly was round with one. Amelia placed her hands on Nik’s face and said, “She’s really pretty. Is she your wife?”