Origins (15 page)
“Depends. What’s it mean?” Joy looked sceptical.
“My warrior.” Zareb winked. He was enjoying teasing his mate. It made his heart light.
“Much better.” Joy stood up taller and walked out of the door.
“Ek het jou life met my hart en siel. My lewe is verbeur met uit om jou,” he whispered.
“What? More princess bull?”
Zareb stopped Joy in the hallway and pulled her in close. He whispered in her ear, “I love you with my heart and soul. My life is forfeit without you.” He nipped at her lobe and suckled it into his mouth.
She groaned and wrapped her leg around his, trying to climb up his body.
A throat cleared to Zareb’s left. He eased Joy away from him.
“I think they are holding dinner for you.” Kir spoke the words hesitantly, like he didn’t want to interrupt.
One of the other pack members walked by and looked Kir up and down before going into the dining room. Kir didn’t even notice.
“We will be in. Give us a moment?”
Kir nodded at Zareb’s words. Joy was his alone once again.
“I want you, not dinner,” Joy complained.
“Soon, vegter. Soon.”
“Did you see that woman give Kir the eye?”
“Naomi? I did. Do you think—”
“Look at you playing matchmaker.” Joy pinched his arm and preceded him into the room filled with his family.
He wanted Kir happy. Did that make him a matchmaker? Maybe, but his friend should be as happy as he was. He’d see if he could talk to Naomi tomorrow, or maybe the next day. He was all for his family’s happiness, but he had a mate to satisfy. And he’d remembered something she’d requested of him. He was planning on making the moment as special as possible after dinner. He just hoped he could get through the meal.
Chapter Ten
Joy hadn’t thought dinner would ever end. Russ had given a speech and introduced the new members of the pack. It looked like Grey would be joining them, though
Zareb stopped in front of her. She wanted to jump his bones, but something had been bugging her for a while.
“What has you thinking so hard over there, my siel?”
He took his shirt off and she almost forgot the question.
“Why is it that you and Kir speak so formally and Dji doesn’t? It just strikes me as odd.”
Zareb allowed his pants to pool at his feet, stepping out of them. Joy licked her lips. Her mate was so beautiful, every inch of him hard.
“—living among—”
She must have looked confused because Zareb paused.
“What?”
“You were not listening to a word I said, were you?”
“I’m expected to pay attention when you’re getting all naked?”
“I said I think it has to do with Dji living among Dmitri’s minions.”
Joy took her shirt off. It was Zareb’s turn to pause.
“You were saying? It’s hard isn’t it?”
Her bra went next, followed by her shoes, socks and pants. She stood naked in front of him.
“Hard?” Zareb looked confused.
He was too far away. She crooked a finger and motioned him over. He almost raced to get to her and a tackle had her on the bed under him in seconds.
“Is that really a question?” Joy asked as Zareb’s hard cock rubbed against her stomach. “I’d say—yes.” Joy giggled.
Zareb growled and tickled her sides.
“Laugh, will you?” He continued the torture.
Joy couldn’t breathe she laughed so much.
“Stop. Please. Stop.”
Zareb collapsed on top of her and rolled them over.
“Thank you.” Zareb looked into her eyes.
Joy couldn’t look away.
“For what?”
“Bringing me to life again. I was just existing before you came into my world. Ek is life vir jou. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Joy buried her face in his neck, taking in his scent.
“It is time.”
Joy looked confused.
“Again, for what?”
“To mate you properly.”
A shiver coursed through her body. Technically they were already bonded, but ceremony meant a lot to Joy and her heart filled with happiness.
Zareb rolled them over again. Joy was starting to get dizzy, but kept her mouth shut. She wouldn’t ruin this one time experience. She would take it all in and savour every moment so she could bring it forth again and again.
He rested his weight on his arms, hovering over her body, but not touching her anywhere. Zareb sniffed at her neck—finding the mark he’d already left. It still lingered on her throat.
Zareb pierced the flesh with his canines. Joy’s body arched up, connecting their skin. His hot cock bumped her clit, forcing a moan from her.
“Jy is myne, in gedagte.”
Zareb forced her hips back to the mattress. He moved down until he was above her chest. His lips brushed her breast, back and forth, lulling her until he bit down, right where her heart lay in her chest.
“Jy is myne, in dir hart.”
Joy writhed under him, her body needed more. She was so turned on; every mark brought her closer to the edge. She’d never been this turned on in her life. The words had a magic to them that wrapped her up tight.
Zareb licked his way down her body, his fingers following almost like they had a mind of their own. He stopped to kiss her belly button. Even now he made her laugh, breaking some of the tension, which was a good thing because she was on the verge of exploding and he was just using his tongue and fingers. He reached her thigh, right where her leg met her pelvis and gave her another bite. She bucked uncontrollably.
“Jy is myne, in dir liggaam.”
Joy didn’t know how much more she could take. Zareb slithered back up her body and stared into her eyes. Hs slowly sank his cock into her pussy , he rushed nothing. Once he was all the way inside her he spoke again.
“Jy is nou myne, in gedaget, hart en liggaam vir ewig meer.”
The room vibrated with power—it flowed in and around them. Joy wrapped her legs around Zareb’s body. As he rested his forehead on hers, neither moved. The only sound in the room was their ragged breathing. She started to twitch. She couldn’t take it anymore.
“Please.”
Her words broke the spell. Zareb pumped his hips, slamming her body into the mattress. Joy held on for the ride, rocking her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust, again and again. Her breasts crushed against his hard chest. Joy scratched her hands up his back, leaving her own marks of possession. She dug her feet into the mattress, lifting herself up. The position moved Zareb in deeper. He hissed, clenching his teeth, the tendons in his neck stood out. He threw his head back and shouted her name out into the night. She echoed him, both of them coming at the same time in perfect union, symbolic in so many ways.
Zareb rolled off her and she appreciated it. She was having a hard enough time breathing, the experience so intense—more than anything she’d felt before. Magic still crackled around the room.
When she could speak again, Joy asked Zareb about the words of the binding spell.
“What did all of that mean?”
He took a moment to answer, the look on his face peaceful.
“First I told you that you were mine in mind, then mine in heart, after that mine in body then at the end I said that you are now mine in mind, heart and body for evermore.”
“For evermore. I do like those words.”
They let the silence wash over them, content to listen to the sounds of the evening. Joy started to drift to sleep when Zareb moved from the bed.
“Shh. I’m going to start the bath.” Zareb soothed her when she tried to follow him.
Joy didn’t answer. She didn’t think she could speak anymore anyway, much less move. There was no way she was leaving the bed until morning.
The next thing she knew she was being picked up. Joy snuggled into Zareb, letting him take care of her—her trust in him full and true. The warm water felt wonderful on her sore muscles—parts of her hurt that had never hurt before.
“The water will help with the aches.”
“Can you read my mind now?”
“No.” Zareb looked down at her. “Why?”
“Then how do you know I’m sore?”
“The mating will do that. You are getting binding fluid through the bites. We just tightened the bond we already had and your body is adjusting. Usually it would be preparing you for a shift, but you have already finished that. Maybe tomorrow we can go running through the woods in shifted form.” Zareb sank into the bath. Joy took the opportunity to curl into him, letting his strength keep her above the water.
She should have grabbed a clip for her hair. As if anticipating her need, Zareb held it out to her.
“Are you sure you can’t see inside my head?”
Zareb chuckled. “No, my siel. I have just seen how you are about your hair.”
Piling the strands on top of her head, she settled back against Zareb, enjoying the water and peace. No running away from people trying to kill them. No outdoors to take away from the moment. And no interrup—
A knock sounded through the house. She knew it was too good to be true—she’d jinxed them.
“Ignore them.” Joy closed her eyes.
The sound persisted. Zareb shifted to get out of the tub.
“I cannot, my siel. I told Kir and Dji that they could stop by any time. They might have need of me.”
“Let me—”
“No. Stay. I’ll be back shortly.”
Joy wasn’t going to argue. She was tired and she had no idea who might be at the door. Unless it was V she really didn’t care. A raised voice reached her in her bubble of peace.
“—gone!”
That doesn’t sound good.
Joy resigned herself to see what was happening. This was her new family and she should help. She reached for Zareb’s robe and wrapped it around her. It was warm and smelt of her mate.
When she reached the living room it was to see Ive and that other shifter from dinner. N-something. Norma, Natalie. No. Naomi. Yes. That was it.
“What’s going on?” Joy looked between the three.
Of course, Ive took over the conversation. It really shouldn’t surprise her, but this time she looked as if she’d been crying. Something had broken her, that didn’t bode well.
“Baakir and Djimon are gone.”
“Gone? Where?” Joy was confused. They were grown men. “For how long?”
Naomi broke in, taking over for Ive. “I was with Kir, talking to him after dinner. Djimon and Ive were leaving the room. Kir said something about not being able to do this. To—be here. Or, talk to me, I guess.” Naomi cleared her throat before continuing. “Djimon said he agreed with Kir. That’s when they both took off.”