OmegaMine (20 page)

He went still, absorbing what she told him, and his memory
drifted to her odd behavior following the second mark. He’d expected her to be
upset, to demand answers, but instead she’d acted as if she’d already known
them…

Fuck, she
had
known them
.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she whispered and refused to
meet his eyes. “I know it was wrong but I was so excited I didn’t stop and
think. I realized how you felt about me and…”

She shook her head and lowered her hand.

“And?”

At first he thought she hesitated because she was worried
for some reason. Then he recognized the shyness that wouldn’t allow her to look
him in the eye. “No one has ever felt that way about me. Not since my mother
and father were alive.”

His heart felt as if it had folded upon hearing the words,
and he caught her chin between his thumb and forefingers—something that was
becoming a habit—and forced her to look at him.

“Can you read me now, Ava mine?”

“No, I stopped as soon as I realized you wouldn’t appreciate
the intrusion.”

“Don’t stop,” he told her softly. “I want you to know me.
That’s the way it should be. A part of what I am allows me to sense you, to
know what you want and need. It’s only fair that you can do the same. Read me.
Tell me what you find.”

Her eyes started to shimmer with tears and he smiled,
wrapping a hand around her nape. The love shifters experienced was much the
same as humans, only it was magnified by the bonds of mating. Over time those
ties would become stronger. While a mated male or female could, and often did,
survive the loss of their mate, those who had been together longest usually
followed soon after. Bloodbonding, however, was something else entirely. A
whole new level of connection and closeness. Among his kind there was no
stronger link, nothing more revered or respected.

Moving closer, he placed his lips in front of hers. “Come
here.”

Their lips met, parted, and their tongues tenderly touched,
soft and gentle. She moaned as she backed off and he followed, darting inside
the warm, moist cavern of her mouth. This kiss was special, meaningful. It
wasn’t the heated mating of tongues but the acknowledgement and acceptance of
something far more that would encompass sweet and wild.

You taste so good
.

He didn’t stop kissing her until he realized Ava’s mouth was
locked on to his, making speech impossible. When he pulled away she was
smiling.

“You can speak to me telepathically?”

“I wasn’t sure before now.” She leaned forward to trail her
lips along his cheek, making a path to his ear. “I was always able to with my
parents, although they warned me not to try with anyone else.”

Alarm caused him to force her away from his throat until she
gazed at him in confusion.

“Can you read other shifters?” When she nodded he asked,
“Can you communicate with them as well?”

“I’m not sure.” She appeared legitimately puzzled. “Why?”

He wasn’t sure if she was listening to his thoughts but if
not, he wanted to clarify. Her ability, while amazing, had to remain hidden. No
one could know that she could listen in or converse telepathically with a
shifter. Humans, yes. Preternatural beings? Never.

It was too dangerous.

“I don’t want you doing this with anyone but me. If you
listen in that’s one thing but never allow anyone to know what you can do. Do
you understand?“

She must have read the danger in his mind because she didn’t
argue. “Yes,” she exhaled breathlessly. “I understand.”

Suddenly her arousal swamped him, as if she’d unlocked a
door that he wasn’t aware existed. He gained what she was thinking through
feelings and could glimpse—if not necessarily spoken thoughts—something far
more. She found his display sexy and thrilling. Knowing he wanted to protect
her didn’t turn her off. If anything he made her hotter. She loved knowing he
was possessive, wanted him to always care for her so much that he put her
protection first.

“Diskant.” Her lips moved, so she was speaking, yet it was
impossible to hear with the blood rushing through his veins, creating an
excessive pounding in his head. “Make love to me.”

He stood and lifted her in his arms. It was as if they
merged, mind and soul. She felt his desire, magnified it and fueled it with her
own. She rose onto her knees before him and helped him slide free of his
clothes before she removed her jeans, leaving him entirely nude and her barely
clad in a skimpy bra and panties. Reaching out, he explored the delicate
indention along her collarbone and she brought her small fingers up to his,
mirroring the motion. Each place he touched her skin he was aware of the
pleasure it brought and strangely was aware that it was the same for her.

“This is amazing.” Her tone was one of awe. “It’s like I’m
under your skin but I’m still inside mine. I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”

He grinned and lowered his head to nip at her shoulder.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not going to make you wait.”

He wanted to take his time, make love to her and show her
how fantastic slow and deliberate could be. Unfortunately now wasn’t the time.
He had to get back downstairs and get things situated. After the shit was
settled with Emory, however, he intended to do just that.

“We’ll go to the cabin,” Ava said, following his line of
thinking, grinning impishly. “It’s isolated and a there’s a stream that runs
along the back of the property into a lake. We can do whatever we want. You’ll
love it there.”

Flashes of the two of them in the water—with her legs
wrapped around his waist and her hands twined around his neck—came to mind. He
could almost feel the lapping of the waves against his skin, feel the warmth of
her cunt gripping him tight as the water cooled their legs and the sun heated
their torsos.

“I’ll love being anywhere you are.”

After removing her bra, he pressed her into the pillows and
slid her panties down her thighs, baring the sleek, glistening flesh between.
Though visibly wet, her pussy was swollen, the lips slightly puffy and reddened
from their last pairing. He could still scent his seed on her, the heavy tang
of their mating a stark reminder of just how often he was satisfying his needs
despite her human nature. Shame at his rough handling and treatment was quickly
erased when Ava spread herself wider for him, meeting his eyes.

“I like it when I’m a bit sore after. It’s like you’ve left
your brand on me.”

Shockingly, he felt the contentment she experienced as she
focused on the dull throb between her legs, recalling how much she loved the
sensation as she brought him into her head to share her thoughts. When they
were at the bar, she’d relished feeling the aftereffects. There wasn’t any
embarrassment. It made her feel cherished and desirable and she loved knowing
that if she keyed him up he’d make her ache just like that all over again.

“You’re killing me.” He tested her with a gentle exploration
of his fingers. They slid easily into her snug depths, surrounded in hot, wet
softness that welcomed him as he plunged deeper.

Please
, she whispered in his mind.
I need you
.

He fisted the meaty portion of his cock just below the
crown, fed the tip inside and entered her. She was tight, her vaginal walls
forced to stretch to accommodate him. She gasped and arched her back when he
watched his length disappear inside her warm sheath, the lips parting as he
slid deep. It was the most extraordinary sensation as he felt the slick,
suctioning warmth of her cunt and was also aware of the thick, heavy fullness
that his cock created inside of her. She whimpered and he had to force himself
to stretch out the pleasure for as long as possible, remembering she too was
aware of exactly how she felt to him.

“See, Ava. You feel like fucking heaven.”

Bending down, he sought the hard nipple in the center of her
pebbled areola. The sensation sent ripples through his chest, traveling down to
his balls, causing his scrotum to draw tight. He didn’t stop, biting down
gently and flicking his tongue along the tiny nub as he brought his hand down
to massage the tiny bead at the top of her sex. She rotated her hips and ground
her clit against his fingers. The spasms in her vagina created pulsations all
around him.

He was about to warn her he couldn’t hold off when she
shattered, the pure and raw ecstasy of her orgasm rolling through him. A ball
of fire seemed to explode from his stomach and spread through his body,
extending to his limbs. It wasn’t the same as his own climax but felt amazing
nonetheless. Heedless of anything else, he released her clit and started
thrusting, going deeper, using his arms to create leverage. She took all of
him, eyes closed and chin trembling, her hands forming fists as she clenched
the pillows and moaned into the billowy material.

As his climax neared she opened her eyes and looked at him,
panting softly. He knew what she was waiting for but he couldn’t help but tease
her, curious to know how she reacted when he talked dirty.

“Do you want to know exactly what that tight little pussy of
yours does to me? Do you want to know what it feels like when I come?”

“Yes.” She met his thrusts, driving her hips up as he
plunged down.

“Then tell me. I want to hear it. As you’re probably aware,
I enjoy talking dirty and appreciate when it’s reciprocated.”

She did as he asked without a second’s pause. “I want to
feel you come.”

“How does my cock feel inside of you? Does it feel good?”

“You know it does,” she groaned. “God, you know.”

“You’re right, I do.” He ran his tongue along her
collarbone. “But I want you to tell me. I want to hear you say it. How does it feel?”

“Hard, long and thick, filling and stretching me so that I
can’t feel anything else but you, inside and out.” She flexed her ass and
gyrated against him. “Please. I want to feel what it’s like when you come deep
inside me.”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

He increased the pace and pounded into her, faster and then
faster, and roared as he achieved release. Arching his back, he stared at the
ceiling as wave after wave of semen jetted from his cock and bathed her womb,
dimly aware that her own cries were drowning him out. Her pussy began milking
him, the tight, velvety walls clenching like a fist before releasing, and he
realized she was caught in the throes of another orgasm. The delicious heat
spreading throughout her body extended his own climax, so his cock continued
jerking even when there was no seed to spend. Combined with her feelings, it
was the ultimate pinnacle of sex, so fucking good his eyes crossed and his
entire body felt the impact.

Taking care to keep his weight off her body, he blanketed
her with his torso as the final shudders passed, the beads of perspiration on
his chest merging with hers as their sweat-slicked skin touched. Both of them
were struggling for breath, their frantic, racing heartbeats in sync. Their
thoughts were hazy but the relief and satiation was perfect, so damn good he
never wanted to leave her side or their bed.

“Amazing,” she managed to huff, breathing hard.

As he pressed his lips into the sweaty curve of her neck, he
smiled. The afterglow of sex wasn’t something he used to enjoy but now, sensing
the obvious adoration and affection radiating from his mate, he was certain
that was about to change. When she wrapped her arms around his waist and held
him tight he knew there was one more thing he could do to make her happy.

For humans it was too soon. For shifters it could literally
occur overnight.

“I love you, Ava mine.”

He didn’t realize just how much he wanted to hear the
endearment in return—hadn’t thought that it really mattered—until she sighed
into his chest, hugged him tighter and whispered back, “I love you too.”

* * * * *

Sadie Dumus stood across the street from Dougan’s Bar with
her back resting against the glass wall of the Presto Laundromat that proudly
touted its convenient twenty-four hour, round-the-clock customer service. A few
shifters lingered on the sidewalks but they couldn’t see her, passing by
without so much as a curious notice.

Although it sapped her strength like a son of a bitch,
veiling was a nifty talent she was glad she’d inherited. It was a rare gift
among vampires, gained only by those with a mage in their lineage who were
born—or chose—to grace the lighter side of the vampiric family spectrum.

Which, thank the stars, her father had been. Otherwise she’d
be in the kind of trouble no magic could protect her from.

The fear that surfaced from the thought settled like dead
weight in her gut, causing the liquid meal from a few hours previous to roll
and churn in her stomach. Fighting the rising nausea, she quickly got a grip
and took a deep, calming breath.

Goddess, she shouldn’t have come here. The last time she’d
come sniffing around Trey Veznor she’d nearly done herself in.

She trembled at the memory.

She’d almost revealed her presence in Central Park the night
Trey and his crazed brother had faced off, unable to stand aside when she saw
him stumble to his knee as she phased to his side. If it hadn’t been for the
violent brawl, the heat of the battle with Emory and the blood lust, Trey could
have seen her, glimpsed past her magic and understood the attraction that drew
her to him like a moth to a flame.

Like a moth to a flame
, she thought bitterly.
Sizzle
and combust
.

Closing her eyes, she recalled the fated night that had
occurred just weeks after she’d arrived in her new home in New York. What was
supposed to be an important mission for the coven had become something else,
and one chance encounter at Liminality was all it had taken to raise the
stakes.

She’d felt the same pull Trey had the moment their eyes met
from across the cloudy floor of the club, the air laden with tendrils of
swirling cigarette smoke. It wasn’t often that a shifter and blood drinker
mated, and there was a good fucking reason—with starvation or a slow, agonizing
death being one of outcomes. That was why vampires refused to consider it and
ran at the first sign of a connection.