On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (42 page)

“Come back soon,” Alina said as they separated.

“We will.” Nicole grinned. “Who could miss this maze of identical hallways? Gin, I’m still impressed that you figured it out.”

Gin shrugged. “It’s just like a wagon wheel.”

Nicole and Brooke locked eyes, then giggled.

“Wagon wheel?” Brooke smirked.

“Yep.” Nicole high fived her. “Gin, congrats, you just came up with our nickname for this place.”

“The wagon wheel?” Gin scrunched her nose.

“Sure,” Brooke said. “It has more personality than ‘Demon Central Two.’”

Kai threw an arm around Brooke’s shoulders. “Yeah, I bet Arawn will love that. Compare his state of the art facility to part of a nineteenth century earth travel method.”

“He doesn’t have to like it.” Nicole wiggled under Gunnar’s arm.

“Are you packed? Said your goodbyes?” Gin asked.

“We didn’t come here with anything,” Brooke said. “And we said good bye to everyone else after breakfast.”

Caine rubbed his abs appreciatively. “That meal rocked.”

“Yeah, Sprite rocks breakfast.” Kai leaned to kiss his mate, and a smirk passed between them.

Alina leaned into Caine, grateful that each of them had found true love.

Gunnar pulled a transportation amulet from his pocket. Caine, Alina, Gin, and Mathias stepped back, away from the big shimmering ring that appeared when Gunnar murmured the words to activate the amulet.

With a final wave, the four of them stepped into the portal. The giant circle shrank down to the size of a fist, then with a pop, it disappeared.

“Want to watch another movie?” Gin asked.

“No.” Alina fought back a yawn. “I want a nap. I’ve never eaten that much for breakfast.”

Gin shrugged. “I’ve had so much coffee, I’m not tired. I feel like dissecting more parts of the lily.”

Only Gin would say that.
Alina smiled. In the aftermath of the battle, the Watchers had captured many of the non-predatory creatures who had been under Elegia’s spell. The nymphs, elves, and sprites had shown the Watchers several of Elegia’s secret locations, and they had found her lab. Gin had practically drooled on the spot.

They had gathered up all of Elegia’s research and every plant, and brought them here to HQ. Whenever Gin had time she was in the new lab, poring over numbers and formulas or peering into her microscope.

“You do that.” Alina grabbed Caine’s hand and waved to Gin and Mathias. “We’re going to bed.”

“I think those may be my favorite words out of your mouth,” Caine growled into her ear as they walked to the elevator.

“Mmm. Bed, bed, bed.” The doors slid open, and before she could take a step, Caine had her pinned against the back wall. The doors closed and the car rocked up, but Alina was lost to the heat of her mate’s body.

“Mine,” he said, a possessive gleam in his eyes. He touched the dark lock of hair that had appeared the day after the battle. At her upper left temple, it mirrored the streak of blond that Caine sported at his right temple.

“Yours,” she whispered, touching his mate lock. She adored how it stood out against his dark hair, a beacon announcing that he belonged to her.

They stayed exactly like that, locked together.
If I move, if you move, it’ll push me over the edge
, Caine warned,
and we’ve already had an audience in this elevator.

Yeah, I don’t need that again.
She gazed into the silver-black glow of his eyes.
Only one more minute. I need to get something when we get to our room.

As long as it doesn’t take longer than ten seconds.

The doors opened and they hurried down the hall to Caine’s room. They hadn’t had time to pick another, larger one, and Alina didn’t see the rush. Neither of them had a lot of extra possessions, and they had plenty of time before the baby came. Though Caine
had
given her a real key. It still made her smirk every time she looked at it.

She opened the door and they tumbled inside, her insides turning molten as his need swamped her. “Just ten seconds,” she gasped, wiggling free of his arms. “You get in bed.”

“A command I will always follow, Boots.”

She heard the swish of jeans hitting the floor as she ducked into the bathroom. Kneeling to reach into a low cabinet, she found what she was looking for.

The boots she had worn the night at Hell’s Gate. Gods, that seemed so long ago.

She tore off her clothes, leaving only her black lace thong, and pulled on the boots. Though he’d teased her about this the first night she was here, somehow they‘d never gotten around to fulfilling this idea.

She opened the door slowly, taking in the intoxicating sight of her huge muscled mate as he lay on their bed. With this arms folded behind his head, and his cock standing tall and proud, he was absolute masculine perfection.

His eyes blazed with ferocious heat as he stared at her, moving from her head to her feet. “Fuck me,” he whispered.

“Oh, I intend to.” She sauntered across the room, putting an extra sway in her steps.

“Get over here,” he growled, pushing up and reaching for her.

Not rushing into his arms was mind numbingly difficult, but she forced herself to savor this moment. Since their mating, they’d been at each other in a frenzy of sex, then fell into exhausted sleep, then more sex. She wasn’t complaining, but today she finally felt in control enough of her libido to really take her time.

She reached the bed and slid her hands along the white cotton sheets. In a heartbeat, Caine grabbed her and pinned her beneath him. “Baby, I want to go slow,” she whispered, tracing a line down his pecs. “I want to taste you.”

He kissed her, silencing her words but not her thoughts.
I want to lick every—

He rubbed his thick shaft along the lace of her thong and she lost track of what she was saying.
You want this?
His words were rumbled in her mind.

She nodded, digging her nails into his biceps, sending him a visual of what she wanted to do to him.

He groaned and flipped their bodies so she lay on top.
You seem so sweet and angelic, no one knows just how dirty you are.

“Me?” She feigned innocence.

“Yeah, you, Look at you. Sexy hair, sexy thong, sexy boots.” He rocked his hips up, sliding his cock against her ass. “In fact…” he sat up and turned her around so she faced away from him and toward the mirror over his dresser.

He nuzzled her neck, meeting her eyes in the surface. “Look at you. So fucking hot.”

She looked and saw herself through his eyes, literally and through their bond. She saw herself as a woman, not a girl thief. A powerful ally, not someone scraping by on the fringes of life. And she saw through to the beating heart and vibrant soul of her mate, saw that through her, he’d found everything he could ever want.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“And I love you.” He spread his hands over her belly, lingering for a second before reaching up to cup her breasts.

His fingers teased and played and she closed her eyes, lost to the sensations. Liquid heat pooled between her thighs and she squirmed, needing more.
I wanted to go slow but…

His cock pressed against her backside, so hard, so close to where she needed it.

“You change your mind, baby?”

“You’re making me crazy.” She squeezed her calves around his thighs, hoping the friction of the laces and buckles would make him do something. Anything.

“What if I decided
I
want to go slow now?”

“You’ll kill me,” she panted. “Please touch me or I’ll do it myself.”

“So bossy,” he murmured against her neck. One hand left her breast to dip down low on her abdomen, tracing lazy circles lower and lower.

She moaned in frustration and dropped her head back against his shoulder.

His hand stopped. “Eyes on the mirror.”

With effort, she raised her head and watched his hand disappear into her thong.
God, yes. Don’t stop.

His fingers teased along her slickness. “Fuck, baby, you’re so wet.” He slid two fingers inside her and she rocked into his hand.

Heat spiraled through her veins, each place that he touched her was like mini lightning bolts firing across her skin. His expert fingers rubbed and tugged at her nipples, one and then the other, until they were aching, hard points.

“Forget slow.” She writhed on his hand. “You make me forget everything when we’re like this. I need your cock.”

“Yeah?” Licking her shoulder, he poured more tease into the word than she would’ve thought possible.

“Yes,” she moaned.

“I still want this mirror.” He shifted back and at the same time lifted her hips. “On your hands and knees. Stay facing this way.”

She complied, watching in the mirror as he knelt behind her. His hands trailed up her legs, over the leather of her boots, to her thighs and hips. In one quick motion he ripped the lace of her thong and tossed it to the floor. “I’m going to have a standing request for you to wear these boots. You need to live up to your nickname.”

A grin tried to tug at the corners of her mouth, but need was riding her too hard. She bit her lip and managed a breathy agreement.

His cock nudged her entrance and she pushed back, dying for more. She looked up into the mirror as he sank deep into her body, amazed at the sexy yet blissful expression on his face. Rapt, she watched his hands grip her hips, watched his eyes drop to their connection, watched his eight-pack abs ripple as he moved in and out.

“I can hear your thoughts,” he said, “it’s like watching a movie and having it narrated at the same time.” He smacked her ass. “By a naughty girl.”

Through their bond, she felt the incredible sensation of relief and wild passion that he got from being buried deep inside her. “Naughty? Me?” She reached back between her legs to cup his balls.

“Gods, baby.” he lowered himself over her, his chest to her back, and dropped one hand over one of hers. He dipped his head and sucked at the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

His hair tumbled around both their shoulders as he sucked and thrust. He was so much bigger than her, his body covered hers. Never before had she felt so loved, so safe, so surrounded by the power of his body and the knowledge that he was hers, forever.

He reached one hand up to play with her breasts, finding one engorged nipple and flicking his thumb back and forth. “Caine,” she whispered, lost to sensation.

He slid his hand down to her thighs, sliding up one and down the other, avoiding the spot where she needed it most. “Stop teasing me,” she moaned.

His hand found her clit, rubbing and circling until she was panting, “Caine!” she screamed as her orgasm exploded through her body. Wave after wave shuddered through her as his cock slid deep, giving her the perfect rhythm, filling her completely.

His hand came down, clamping on top of her other one. Now she was caged completely, his hands covering hers, locked in place for his pleasure, and she had never felt more trusting or more cherished,
Mine,
he growled as he thrust home.

Yours, always.

He began a furious pace, slamming into her so forcefully he may have pushed her off the bed if he hadn’t been holding her down. She felt blinding need crescendo in his groin as he came, felt the urgent desire to mark and claim her, and that pulled her into another screaming orgasm.

Together they knelt, panting, entwined, as their breathing slowly regulated. “We should do this again.” He kissed her shoulder. “The mirror gives me a lot of ideas.”

He rolled them to their sides and she turned to face him. Smoothing his hair away from his eyes, she found the blond mate lock and twirled it. “I’m so glad you found me.”

“I think you ran into me,” he murmured. “In the middle of your heist.”

“So I did.”

“You fell over the side of that gate and gave me something I didn’t know if I’d ever have.” He stroked her bicep. “Not just love, but a new family. I gained three sisters-in-law and a father-in-law.”

Alina smiled broadly. “And a little surprise package,” she said in a sing-sing voice.

He pushed her long bangs off her face. “I can’t wait for the baby to get here. Can’t wait to see which of us it’ll look like.”

Ashina had done some research and discovered that Solsti didn’t give birth to more Solsti; rather, their offspring would be the same species as the father.

“It’ll have great hearing, since it’ll be a Lash.” Alina traced a finger along his jaw. “Bet it will recognize our voices early on.”

“You’ll be an amazing mother.” The certainty in his eyes made her tummy flip. “Let’s have ten kids.”

“What?” She giggled. “Um, let’s just take it one year at a time.”  She traced a line across his broad pecs. “I never thought about the future until you. My life was always about the jobs, about slipping in and out unnoticed. I never planned for anything that wasn’t immediate. Then you brought me here and all I could think about was you. Even when I tried not to.” She gave a wry smile. “Somehow I couldn’t help it.”

He sifted his fingers through her hair. “And somehow I couldn’t stop myself from plucking your hair off that gate. I knew I needed to.”

“You knew you needed me.”

“I did. I realized it on an instinctive level.” His dark eyes shone with love. “And I always will.” 

She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”

His hands wound around her waist, pulling her flush against his skin. “And I love you. Forever.”

THE END

I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading O
N
W
ICKED
G
ROUND
. Please take a moment to leave a
review
. Thank you!

A N
OTE
FROM
S
HARON

As I get ready to publish this last book in the Solsti series, I’m realizing that it was a little over three years ago that the idea for these books burst into my head and wouldn’t let me rest until I wrote everything down. I was new to writing and this has been an incredible journey made even more special by you, my amazing readers. I hope I have been able to improve with each novel and consistently bring you into a world that’s wild and unpredictable, but ultimately satisfying.