Forever Burning (2 page)

Scarlet led and Archer followed her, his chase an intense battle of wills. Scarlet was beginning to think he had something in mind far more serious than a romp through the forest, but her thoughts wouldn’t let her dwell on it. She lived and breathed second to second, her beast in complete control, and Scarlet didn’t fight the creature.

She had been told that a made Lycan and their inner wolf had to find a truce. She’d assumed from the way it was worded that it was far more difficult for a made Lycan to reach that truce than it was for a born Lycan to gain an accord. A made Lycan wasn’t as natural after all, but rather, a sudden mesh of two identities, and it had to be more like multiple identity disorder than not.

Scarlet and her creature were an exception. The second the thought entered her mind, her wolf gave a warm rumble of approval. They had been through the proverbial trial of fire, and they’d made it through the other side. Now, fire was part of them both, as if an extension of their beings, and they both knew fire was what bound them to each other, a power no ordinary Lycan had.

But we aren’t Lycan

The thought was not Scarlet’s.

No, we aren’t. We are Phœnix. I always thought phoenixes were birds.

Apparently, that was not the case. Scarlet and her Lycan let a wolfy grin touch their muzzle before veering off the path.

Scarlet’s animal had had her fill of moon and night. She was ready to let her human form take control again.

“I have an idea.” It came out as a yip and growl through her wolf mouth, but Scarlet ran faster, losing Archer for a moment.

She found an old oak tree she liked, one where she would wait for Archer to catch up. Scarlet transformed, her wolf form bursting to flames, then changing into her human shape. She concentrated on what she wanted from the fire, cursing a little when she couldn’t get it the way she wanted. She tried something else, then smiled when it worked. When she took her human form again, she had it right.

Wearing an outfit that resembled a summer sundress, spaghetti straps, and a deep red color, Scarlet leaned against the bark of the oak tree.

“Oh, this is a good trick.” Scarlet grinned, having avoided the whole naked-after-transformation thing.

“I’m going to disagree.” Archer’s voice came from behind a tree, and she strained her night vision to see, but she couldn’t see him.

“Why are you disagreeing?” Scarlet asked, her voice a little breathy. He’d sounded like a predator, his voice a bass growl, and it made the fine hairs on her arms stand up, and her beast uncurl to rumble in anticipation.

Archer stepped out behind the tree, his human form naked, his step proud as he walked toward her in the small clearing, and with every step he took, he watched her with that predatory hunger.

Scarlet couldn’t help herself. She let her eyes travel his body, so proudly naked, and she felt her body respond.

His broad shoulders, tapering down to his narrow waist, all that cut flesh, all the hard planes of his muscles, this man was majestic.

Her eyes moved lower and widened as she saw his erection growing as she looked at it.

“Because, now, I have to get you naked, and it’s extra work.”

Velvet—Scarlet was sure his voice had become velvet as it brushed all along her skin with a decadence that made her want to writhe in pleasure.

He reached her in two long strides and pushed her up against the oak tree. Scarlet felt the rough bark of the tree on her back, and the hardness of his body pushed against her breasts, and her breath grew ragged. Would this be it?

“You always eat me with your eyes. It makes me want you more, and I didn’t think I could want you any more than I already do.” He locked his gaze on her mouth, and without realizing she was doing it, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

He dropped his head, his lips grazing hers. Scarlet laid her hands on his chest and splayed her fingers across it, wanting to feel as much of his hard body as she could.

He deepened the kiss, and she moaned into it.

His mouth was fire, the best kind of heat, eating her from the inside out. She couldn’t get enough, and breathing was becoming an issue, but one she would ignore as long as he kept kissing her with this mind numbing intensity.

He pushed his hard length against her body and Scarlet couldn’t help but roll her hips against him. Archer’s groan of pleasure was an aphrodisiac to her senses, and she wanted to make him make sounds like that all night long.

He broke the kiss to caress his lips along her neck, his hair tickling her face as he traced a path to her ear with soft licks and nips of his even white teeth.

“Did you know you are mine?”

He didn’t give her chance to answer before he dropped his hands, hooking them behind her thighs to hoist them up and push her hot core against his throbbing cock. The long slits in her dress accommodated the movement.

“What?” She was breathless and confused and he wasn’t helping matters when he rocked his hips into hers, sending a delicious thrill up her body.

“I won’t lose you again.” His voice husky, he slid the straps of her dress down and leaned back a little, looking at the breasts he’d revealed.

“So perfect.” He cupped one breast with his warm, callused hand, pinching the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, making Scarlet groan his name in reaction.

She reached up and tangled her hands through his dark hair. If he carried on like this, she was going to burn up, and not in her new phoenix way.

“Archer… I need more.”

“Anything,” he growled as he stepped away from her, and for a moment, she almost cried out from the loss of his hard body pressed to hers, but her cry turned to a gasp as he went to his knees in front of her.

He gave her a wicked grin as he hooked her knee over his shoulders and spread her thighs. His grin turned to an expression of wonder. “So wet for me.”

His rumbled compliment made frissons of pleasure race up Scarlet’s spine.

He moved his hand between her thighs, making Scarlet arch her back against the bark of the tree as he ran a finger down her slit, stroking her and collecting her moisture before rolling his thumb over her clitoris. She hissed in pleasure.

He dipped his head forward, and with the first slow, long lick, Scarlet could have sworn she saw starbursts.

Her hands clamped around his head and she had to force herself not to pull it in closer.

“More,” she said between gasps.

“Your wish—my command.” He licked her, then another slow lick had her jacking her hips forward.

He delved his tongue deep, kissing her as if she’d never been kissed before, and she realized no previous man could compare to Archer.

Archer’s not a man, he is an immortal male
.

The thought and the wicked things he was doing with his tongue sent Scarlet over the edge, and she cried his name as the climax hit her—and hit her hard. Waves upon waves of it coursed through her, a sea of pleasure she couldn’t deny.

Her body went limp as she finally ended her orgasm, and Archer lifted his arms to cradle her and pull her down to the forest floor with him, his mouth finding hers for another searing kiss.

The male was masterful, and he was nowhere near done with her yet. The thought made Scarlet smile into the kiss.

He had her on her back, half his weight on her as he kissed her deeply.

Scarlet let her hands roam over his body—every inch of strength, and all the plains and hollows that fit her curves so well.

She let her hand travel to his hips and curled her fist around his large erection.

He hissed in a breath, and she stifled the urge to worry. He wasn’t small by any means, and it had been a very long time for her.

As if Archer could sense the train of her thought, he broke the kiss to murmur. “Don’t worry,
belan
.”

* * * *

As he spoke, Archer wasn’t sure he could keep the implicit promise in his voice. His body trembled with need for his
She
, and he didn’t know how gentle he could be.

He lifted a trembling finger to her cheek, stroking down the length and tried to give her a soft smile.

“I won’t hurt you.”

She swallowed and nodded. “I know.”

Such trust in such a beautiful woman, and she was his—he had her back.

Archer wanted to throw his head back and howl to the moon. He had his
She
.

She shifted slightly under him, was just enough to make him snap his eyes down to her.  He let out a low growl as he lowered his head down so he could lick her taut nipple.

Scarlet moaned, and when Archer latched on to one hard bud and pinched the other, she wiggled under him in a way that made him shift his weight to settle between her legs.

He dropped a hand between them and stroked the folds of her heat with one finger.

As he sucked her nipple between his teeth, he slid the finger into her as deep as he could.

Scarlet gasped and curved under him, her body begging for more.

The urge to mark her was becoming undeniable and it was all Archer could do not to respond to it. He fought off the mating imperative. There would be time for that later.

Archer switched his mouth to her other breast, and Scarlet dug her little nails into his scalp. It made him growl in pleasure.

“That’s it, baby, show me how much you want me.”

“Please, don’t make me beg.” Her words were husky.

He accompanied his warm chuckle with a nip at her breast as he slid another finger inside her.

“God, you are so tight.”

She arched into his hand as he slowly started to move his fingers in and out, fucking her with them.

“Damn it, Archer.” She scratched down his back, then reached between them to grab his cock.

Archer hissed out as her small fist clenched him and pumped down his length. He felt semen bead at the head.

“Stop teasing,” she warned, giving him another long stroke.

He grinned and lowered his head to kiss her. Archer continued to make her moan until she went over the edge again. Only then did he remove his fingers and brace his weight around her.

He gave her one soft kiss before the head of his erection found her heat and they both moaned.

Scarlet rolled her hips, trying to force Archer in deeper.

He managed to get the head of his erection into her.

“Deeper,” she moaned.

His whole body was shaking, his arms straight while he held his weight up over her. “Give me a second,
belan
.”

He pushed, and gained a little more depth, then closed his eyes, praying for the strength not to shove into Scarlet and tear her.

Scarlet was having none of it. She slid down and grabbed on to him as she bucked her hips, forcing him in deeper.

“Fuck,” he hissed, her motion nearly making him come like a virgin with his first woman.

“Have some mercy,” he groaned out. “There is something I have to do first.”

She was mindless, leaning up to rain kisses along his jaw and towards his mouth. “Want you now,” she murmured.

She rolled her hips again, and he couldn’t help but meet her thrust. He settled deep inside her and they both groaned in pleasure. “Stop—wait.”

He forced her shoulder down to the ground with one hand. “One second.”

Scarlet looked up at him with passion, hooded eyes, a rosy tint on her cheeks and swollen lips from his kissing, and he nearly gave in and started thrusting.

He shook his head, trying to clear it.

Gotta do this.

Keeping himself balanced with his left arm, Archer put his right palm over Scarlet’s left breast, just under her collar bone.

“Scarlet.” He spoke, but she wasn’t listening. She tried to rock her hips again. “Listen to me, this is important.” Her eyes focused on his face, and he smiled at her.

Archer concentrated on his hand and his
She
lying on the forest floor under him. Then, he spoke the ritual words in Lycan.

“Scarlet, bestaidan nortolige gant morshe
.”

Our beasts entwined, you are forever, my She,
he translated in his mind at the same moment.

Archer felt the burn in his hand as his name appeared under his palm on Scarlet’s skin. The sign was a Lycan rune that others would recognize as his mark on her. Scarlet would be his forever more.

Her eyes opened wider. “What did that mean?”

He didn’t answer. He leaned in to kiss her as he pulled out and thrust into her heat, even harder.

Scarlet moaned and pulled herself up to kiss him.

Archer welcomed the kiss and deepened it as he thrust into her again.

Her nails scored his back as he increased his speed until their groans of passion drowned out the night sounds of the forest. He was close, and Archer was fighting it for all his worth. He would not disgrace himself. His
She
would climax before he did.

The muscles on his shoulders stood out in cords as he continued to pound into Scarlet until, with his name a scream on her lips, she came.

Archer thrust into her forcefully, then stiffened, his whole body becoming taut as he came.

The pleasure was so intense, he felt weak and shaky from it, and when it eased, he collapsed onto the ground, pulling her on to his chest.

Chapter Three

Scarlet was tempted to fall asleep in Archer’s arms, right there on the forest floor—she really was.

She was exhausted. Being burned alive only to be resurrected took it out of a person. With a small grin, she admitted that epic, phenomenal sex did, too, but as she was dozing off in his strong warm arms, he’d roused her.

“Come, I want to take you back to the cabin and have my way with you in a soft bed.”

She leaned up on an elbow and looked down at him.

“Oh, you do, do you?” The grin from earlier still played on her lips. “You are that sure I’m a sure thing?”

With a groan, he rolled her over, pinning her to the forest floor, her arms stretched above her head. “I
know
I’ll have my way with you, ‘cause you can’t resist me.”