Jupiter (Were Zoo Book 2) (9 page)

He paused and turned to face her. “We
don’t have to do this tonight. If you’re not ready…”

“
Whoa, I didn’t say that. I
was just thinking that this is like a wedding, but I don’t have my
family here. I can’t tell them anything about you or about what our
life will be like together. I’m glad that Adriana is with the
gorilla shifter so I have someone from my old life to talk to
sometimes, but…it feels kind of lonely, and I feel bad for feeling
that way.”

Setting the bowl down on the ground,
he kissed her. “We can get married by human standards so you can
have a wedding your parents can come to.”

“
Oh, really? I’d love
that.”

“
Of course. Whatever you
want or need, I’ll go to the moon to get it for you.”

“
I really do think I just
need you,” she said as she went onto her toes and brushed her lips
across his, “but a wedding would be nice.”

“
You can start planning it
in a few days. There’s a lot to do first.”

She hummed. “Like quit my
job.”

“
We can deal with that
later. Right now, there’s a bonfire calling our names.”

“
I can’t believe we’ve only
been together for two days. It feels like longer. Like I’ve known
you my whole life.”

“
I feel the same
way.”

They resumed their walk and reached
the bonfire a few minutes later. The pride was there, with his dad
presiding over the ceremony. He and Celeste knelt on the fur before
the fire, facing each other. His dad picked up the bracelets and
lifted them to his nose, inhaling quietly.

“
The impala lilies come
from Africa, the place of our shifter ancestors. Some of us will
never go there, spending the entire span of our lives in places
like this – veiled in secrecy from humans. It’s important that we
hold tight to the traditions so that we never forget what we are or
where we came from. The fierce beasts that prowled in the darkest
nights cherished their mates above all else. It is because of these
fierce protective instincts, that our beasts must mark our mates, a
visible claim that not only permanently imprints the male’s scent
on his mate, but also scars the skin.

“
Celeste, do you accept
your place at Jupiter’s side as his beloved mate? Do you welcome
the marking that his beast will give to you tonight, knowing in
your heart that this is the first night of the rest of your mated
life?”

As Jupiter had told her to do, she
lifted her hands to his dad and said, “I accept Jupiter, his beast,
and his marks.”

His dad settled the bracelets on her
wrists, and she pushed them up past her elbows, trailing the
lilies’ essence on her skin. The sweet scent made his beast prowl,
anxious to have her alone.

Jupiter lifted the bowl of sweet
prickly pear, which he’d cut into bite-sized pieces.

“
Jupiter,” his dad said,
“do you swear yourself and your lion to Celeste? Do you promise to
be with only her for as long as your heart beats? Do you promise to
make her life as sweet as the prickly pear fruit, as lovely as the
lilies, and to protect her with claw and fang as long as you
live?”

“
I swear,” Jupiter said,
feeding a bite of prickly pear to Celeste. She made a sound of
pleasure as she bit and swallowed the fruit, and it made his cock
jump.

Celeste fed some fruit to him and they
took turns until all of it was gone. The sweet juice sloshed in the
empty bowl as he set it on the ground beside the fur. His dad
rested a hand on each of their heads. The pride drew closer, their
soft growls of agreement growing louder.

“
I welcome you, Celeste, to
the pride, and I declare this night that when Jupiter has marked
and mated you; you will be as a lioness in the pride, honored and
adored. The pride will stand with you and for you against any who
would harm you. May the cubs you bear grow up to be as strong and
fierce as their parents.”

The lions all roared in approval, and
Celeste shivered. The pride filed by them one by one, each dropping
a lily on the ground next to the rug, a token of their approval and
a blessing on the mating. They disappeared quickly into the
darkness, but Jupiter waited until he heard the soft clang of the
secret door in the storage shed before he hauled his sweetheart
close.

“
I guess we’re alone,” she
said with a chuckle.

“
We are now,” he said,
lowering his head to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck
with a moan as their tongues touched. He slid his hands down to the
hem of his shirt, and drew it up over her lush curves. She was
naked underneath, and as he bared her skin to his questing fingers,
he reined in his cat, needing to ensure that she had her pleasure
first so she would be lost to the world and wouldn’t feel the
marking.

The shirt tightened over her breasts,
and he growled softly at the hindrance. His claws came out to shred
it, but she laughed and pulled away from the kiss. “It’s totally
sexy that you want to rip my shirt off, but I don’t want to walk
back to the shed naked, so give me two seconds.”

His claws receded, and he was glad she
had her wits about her so that he didn’t do something they’d both
regret. The firelight danced on her skin as she wriggled her way
out of the shirt, pushing it over her breasts and hips until it
pooled at her feet. He stood and shoved his leather trousers down
his legs, tossing them to the ground and falling back to his knees
at her feet. He grasped her legs just above her knees, rubbing his
fingers up the sensitive backs.

She cupped her breasts and said, “I
love how you look at me.”

“
How?” he asked, his voice
rough.

“
Like you could devour me
and make me love every second.”

“
I could. I will,” he said.
He kissed her navel and inhaled the sweet scent of her arousal, and
then he offered her his hands as she moved back to the center of
the fur. She went to her knees closer to the fire so that she
wouldn’t be affected by the cool night. Moving behind her, he
gathered her hair in his hands and twisted it, pushing it over one
shoulder to bare her neck. Trailing his fingers over her shoulders
and down her arms, he placed a kiss between her shoulder
blades.

He cupped her chin with one hand and
tilted her head until he could kiss her as he slid his other hand
slowly down her stomach. She wrapped one arm around his neck and
buried her fingers in his hair as their tongues slid together and
the sweet taste of her filled him. She laid her other hand on top
of his as he delved between her thighs. Parting her legs farther,
she canted her hips as he rubbed her clit a few times before
lightly stroking his fingers between her pussy lips. With each pass
he pushed them a little deeper, sweeping them over her clit and
back down to circle her entrance. He felt her tremble as he moved
his fingers faster, never staying long enough in one place to drive
her over the edge. Her fingers tightened in his hair and she pulled
her mouth from his, panting hard.

“
Is this what you want,
little love?” he purred into her ear, flicking his finger over her
clit rapidly. “Or this?” he asked, sinking two fingers into her
pussy.

“
I want it all,” she said,
tilting her head to expose more of her neck to him. He growled as
he pulsed his fingers into her pussy and bit her neck gently. He
rubbed his palm against her clit, her pussy clutching his fingers
as he worked her to the pinnacle of pleasure. When he growled, the
vibrations sank into her flesh. Untangling her fingers from his
hair, she moaned and cupped the back of his head to hold him
against her. He pulled his wet fingers from her pussy and pressed
them against her clit, rubbing hard and fast, tossing her over the
edge into pleasure. She moaned his name, shuddering in his arms.
Releasing his hold on her neck, he purred as she dropped forward
onto her hands and then lowered her upper body down to the fur,
spreading her thighs even farther to bare herself to him. He’d
never seen anything sexier.

His cat pushed at him, anxious to
complete their mating with the scent of the lilies and her arousal
in the air. Grasping his dick, he rubbed the tip along her wet
center and then pushed into her. He groaned at how hot she was; a
searing inferno that gripped him so tightly he almost came on the
spot. He settled his hands on her hips and pushed the cat back so
he could make her come again.

Then he felt her cup her pussy with
one hand, spreading her fingers to surround his cock. She teased
his balls with a sexy chuckle and then her pussy clenched; he could
tell she was rubbing her clit. Wanting to prolong her pleasure, he
angled her hips slightly and began to move, drawing himself out of
her almost entirely and then plunging back in. She rubbed herself
swiftly, letting out short gasps and moans that drove him
wild.

His cat pushed at him harder, anxious
to mark her, and he held it back by the scruff until Celeste reared
up with a scream of pleasure and he caught her, wrapping his arms
around her and flicking her clit rapidly as they both came. He kept
her climax going until she groaned loudly and slumped back against
him.

His cat rushed forward as he gently
settled her back on her stomach. Pulling from her pussy, he settled
his hands on her hips, watching as his shift morphed his body
slowly, starting with his hands. Thick black claws erupted from his
fingertips as they merged into paws. As the golden fur flowed up
his arms, he placed his paws over her hips, piercing the skin. She
gasped and panted for breath. He left his claws in long enough to
allow his scent to penetrate her skin, and then he pulled them away
and let his shift take over.

Falling onto all fours, he shifted
completely. With a loud roar, he claimed his mate – marked, mated,
and all his. She rolled to her side, moaning softly, and he settled
on his belly and nuzzled her neck.

“
I’m so crazy about you,”
she whispered in a rough voice. “You’re a freaking lion. You’re not
supposed to exist, but you do. I can’t explain how I feel about
you, but I’m so glad I’m yours.”

He purred as she cuddled against him,
resting her head on his outstretched paws. Her eyes closed, and she
let out a deep sigh. For just a little while they could stay like
this, he decided. He would take her back home when she was ready,
and not a moment before. He couldn’t think of anyplace he’d rather
be than under the stars with his mate.

Chapter 8

Celeste was thrilled to see Adriana.
It felt like she hadn’t seen her bestie in years, even though it
had only been two days.

“
Can I unpack this box,
little love?” Jupiter called from the closet.

“
Shoes or clothes?” she
asked as she finished buttoning her top.

“
Shoes.”

“
Yeah, that’s fine,” she
said as she walked into the closet and found him elbow-deep in a
box of her shoes. “You hate the boxes, don’t you?”

“
I don’t hate them, but I
keep kicking this one every time I come in here.”

“
Thank you for doing
that.”

He gave her a suspicious look. “Was
that all part of your diabolical plan? To have me stub my toe
repeatedly so that I would put them away myself instead of waiting
for you?”

She laughed. “I’ve never had anyone
call me diabolical before. I think I need a mask and a cape so I
can be a true villain.”

He snorted, lifting two pairs of heels
and setting them on a low shelf. “You’re too sweet to be a
villain.”

“
Aw. You didn’t happen to
see a pair of red canvas sneakers, did you? I can’t find
them.”

He looked in the box, digging around a
bit, and said, “Sorry. There are blue striped ones and black
ones.”

“
But not red. I guess I’ll
take the black ones.”

He handed them to her. She slipped
them on and then knelt next to him and helped him finish unpacking
the box of shoes. “I’m ready when you are,” she said as they both
stood and he flattened the box.

“
I’m looking forward to
meeting your friend.”

“
I did tell you that I want
to see her twice a week, right?”

He nodded as he opened the front door
for her. “Yes, dear.”

“
I know you think it’s
silly, but she’s my bestie.”

“
I don’t think it’s silly.
She’s important to you and that makes her important to
me.”

They walked to the security door that
led to the stairwell in the employee cafeteria. “Do you know Zane
very well?”

“
No. The gorilla band is
about the same size as the pride, but shifter groups keep to their
own kind for the most part.”

When they stepped out of the employee
cafeteria, she shielded her eyes against the bright afternoon
sunshine as Jupiter took her hand. “I have an idea,” she
said.

“
Oh? Does it involve no
clothes or sleep?”

She laughed. “Maybe later.
I was actually thinking that we should call each other husband and
wife when we’re topside. The
mate
term isn’t one that my people use,
traditionally.”