Primal Bonds (18 page)

“Sean.
Please
.”

His eyes were his wildcat’s, no trace of the human left. But he softened his touch, gently kissing her lips as he slid his way into her wet and open passage.

Andrea’s head went back on the pillow, her thoughts scattering. Sean was hard and hot, heavy on her, and yet, he touched her with such tenderness that her eyes filled with tears.

“Andrea, love.” Sean closed his eyes on a groan as he slid in. He opened them again, the dark blue returning as he looked at her. “I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you.”

Andrea tried to answer, but only a groan came out of her mouth. She lifted herself against him, using her legs to pull him in and
in
.

It didn’t hurt. Not exactly. Kim had told her that the first time for human females could be painful and about the hymen, a barrier that had to be broken. As far as Andrea knew, Shifter women had no such barrier. Shifters had been bred to mate, and anything that kept them from that had been left out of their physiology.

But Sean stretched her, entering a place that had never been touched. Andrea’s heart soared. Sean had rescued her, making sure that her first time was with a male like him—a hard-bodied, protective, beautiful male who cared about her. Who cared about
her
.

“Sean.” She loved saying his name, and this was a heartfelt cry of joy.

He was all the way in. Andrea opened her eyes, stared right back into his.

“Andy-love,” Sean rasped. “I don’t know if I can do this slowly. I don’t want to be hurting you.”

“I’m pretty strong, Sean Morrissey,” she whispered.

“You are, but so am I. Stronger.”

More excitement. “Let’s see what happens.” To emphasize her point, Andrea leaned forward and bit his neck.

Sean growled. His eyes flicked from blue to Shifter, back to dark blue again. “You asked for it, love.”

She had. And she loved it. Sean slid almost all the way out of her and then firmly back in, Andrea’s body opening for the stroke. He stayed all the way in for a few seconds, stretching her wonderfully, then he drew back and did it again. And again.

Andrea lost coherence. She held on to him with both hands, one leg wrapped firmly around his thigh, and gave in to ecstasy as she met his thrusts with her own.

They didn’t hold back. Sean stroked into her again and again, and Andrea cried his name and begged with her body for him to give her more.

The bed scraped against the floor, but it didn’t matter. There was no one downstairs to hear, no one in the world but herself and Sean. He was big, he was hard, and she loved every inch of him.

Sean gave up trying to go slowly. After a while, they were riding each other, bodies arching and moving together in a rhythm so perfect that Andrea knew her entire life had been hurtling her toward this wonderful moment.

When she started to climax, she looked straight at Sean. What she saw looking back at her were Sean’s dark blue eyes, intense under black brows, pupils widening as he rode her.

Andrea couldn’t look away. His dominant gaze held her, pinned her, and yet, it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. He was looking straight into her heart. Something inside Andrea started to sing, like a violin string that had been out of tune suddenly tightened and made right.

The vibration warmed her heart, warmed her entire body. She tingled with it, and it poured out of her mouth in her cries of excitement, threatened to flow from her eyes as tears.

Sean shouted her name. He held her gaze as he started to climax, and Andrea couldn’t look away. Sean was buried deep inside her, his thrusts generating little shocks as they locked together.

Shifters mated for life. He was part of Andrea now, as he scalded her inside, his body loving hers. At last Sean squeezed his eyes shut, breaking the gaze, and threw back his head with a fierce, lionlike snarl.

Mine,
the Shifter in him was saying, and the Shifter in Andrea answered.

Mine. My mate. My love.

The mate bond. It twined around her heart, tightening as Sean opened his eyes and looked down at her again, his face softening in his pleasure.

The mate bond would fetter her far tighter than Sean’s mate-claim or the claim Jared had tried to put on her. It was a bond of Andrea’s own making, and she knew she’d never escape it.

Instead of anger or fear, Andrea’s heart spread warmth through her. She wrapped her arms around Sean and pulled him down to her, burying herself in his heat, feeling joy.

CHAPTER TWELVE

T
he sword was calling to her.

Andrea lay still in the moonlight, listening, wondering whether she were dreaming. Sean’s arm was heavy around her, pinning her in his sleep.

The words weren’t English. They were liquid sounds, flowing like music. Andrea had never learned the language of Faerie, or the Celtic or Gaelic that Shifters from Ireland and Scotland knew. She wasn’t even certain that what she heard was a language at all.

The sword was downstairs still, yet she had no doubt that the whispers that snaked into her mind came from it. The sound was tinged with silver, though practical Andrea knew sound had no color. This one seemed to.

Andrea carefully slid out from under Sean’s arm, shivering as her skin met the cold air. Sean frowned in his sleep as she left the bed, but he didn’t wake.

Andrea moved softly down the stairs, knowing the house was empty. The rooms were dark, no lights to betray her to anyone walking by outside.

The sword was in the living room, lying across a table like a sentinel, an oblong cross in its plain sheath. The runes on the sheath and hilt glowed faintly in the moonlight.

The whispers increased as Andrea approached, the sounds more rapid. Andrea folded her arms across her chest, certain she didn’t want to touch it.

Bring it to me,
the Fae man had said. He’d stood out there under the trees, tall and beautiful in his shimmering armor, his eyes dark gray, almost black.
Bring me the Sword of the Guardian. It is the most important thing you will ever do.

The arrogant Fae had been surprised when Andrea had put her hands on her hips, cocked her head, and said,
And why should I believe you?

For an instant, he’d shown his rage, fury that a mere half-Fae woman would disobey him. Then his look had softened, and he’d said,
Because I gave life to you. Your mother was my only love, and you, Andrea Gray, are my daughter.

The shock of his words had dried her mouth, but Andrea shook her head.
Weak card, Fae-man. Even if I did believe you, it wouldn’t make me give you the sword. My father was a complete bastard who deserted my mother because he didn’t care about anyone but himself.

He’d gazed at her with Fae-dark eyes, black in his pale face.
I had to leave. The time between has been long. And now, you ...

You’ve been coming to me in my dreams, and now you claim to be my father. If you think I’ll fall on my knees and beg to obey you, you’re a complete fool.

To her surprise, the Fae had smiled.
Ah, Andrea. You are so like your mother.
He reached for her.
Her death took the heart out of me, child. Perhaps you could put it back.

Don’t even think about touching me.

The Fae dropped his hand to his side.
No. You must touch me. Touch my skin, and I will prove it to you. I will show you ...

Curious in spite of herself, Andrea had been reaching for him when Sean had barreled into her, and the Fae had blinked out.

Andrea had been angry at Sean for stopping her, but she understood, when she’d calmed, why Sean had done it. Fae were treacherous. They weren’t as strong in the human world as they once were, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t do plenty of damage if they managed to cross over. Just because this Fae knew Andrea’s name and said heart-wrenching things about her mother didn’t mean he told the truth. He could be anybody, could have forced knowledge out of her real father, and for whatever purpose the man wanted the sword, it couldn’t be good for Shifters.

The sword continued its rapid, musical whispers as she approached. The runes glowed and quivered, and Andrea’s sleep-blurred eyes saw a glow rise from the hilt in fine threads, the same as she’d envisioned when she’d healed Ely.

Andrea reached for the hilt. A strange reluctance to touch the sword stole over her, but she let her hand hover just above the metal. The threads of light reached for her, touched her palm, tingled.

She jumped, but this touch was different from the touch of the threads in her nightmares. Those threads tried to bind and suffocate her; these caressed her skin and continued their tingling dance. The feeling was warm, comforting.

Andrea moved her hand down the sword, and the threads followed. The sparks were tiny, barely discernable, and moonlight gleamed hard down the length of the sword.

Sean’s sword. Part of him and now trying to be part of her.

Andrea had to smile. His
other
sword had been part of her tonight too. Sean had truly claimed her, and she’d loved every second of it.

Bring it to me.

The Fae’s remembered command echoed in her head. Andrea pictured herself taking up the sword and carrying it outside into the moonlit clearing to hand it to the tall Fae who would be waiting.

Except there shouldn’t be a moonlit clearing, because it was raining outside. Droplets of rain pattered outside the window and had been this entire time, but Andrea hadn’t noticed them. As soon as she glanced at the window, whatever had passed for moonlight died, though the threads continued to seek her hand.

When she’d healed Ely, she’d cut herself on the blade. She studied the streak across her palm and noted that it had narrowed and dried to a very thin streak.

The sword had touched her blood, and her blood was on the sword.

Did that mean something? Or nothing at all?

“What are you doing, love?”

The floorboards creaked as Sean crossed to her, and then he was behind her, six and a half feet of naked male leaning over Andrea’s equally naked body. His skimmed kisses to her neck, his breath heating her.

“I think your sword likes me,” Andrea said.

Sean’s chuckle sent ripples of warmth into her ear. “Oh, my sword certainly does, love.”

“I meant the one on the table.”

“I didn’t.”

The firm length of him rubbed her buttocks, making her smile. Her thoughts of the Fae, threads, healing, and the Sword of the Guardian dissolved and fled as she turned around and buried herself in Sean’s kiss.

“
I
’m thinking this one needs your touch, Sean,” Liam said the next morning.

Sean’s surprise that Liam wanted him to go solo got buried beneath his memories of waking up next to Andrea. They hadn’t opened their eyes long before he was making love to her again, feeling himself surrounded with all of her. The scent of her filled his thoughts and every breath he took.

Glory had come home while they’d kissed and whispered afterward, and she’d called up the stairs that if they were finished humping each other, she’d make them breakfast. Then Liam had phoned, asking for Sean’s assistance.

“Go talk to them as the Guardian,” Liam said. “Flash your sword. They’ll get the message.”

In other words Sean’s message would be:
If you think I’m scary, wait until you meet my brother.

Sean thought he understood a second reason why Liam was sending him. “Kim doesn’t want you going after them, does she?”

Liam grimaced. “Kim’s not being reasonable about this.”

Sean wanted to laugh. He could imagine
that
argument. “She’s right, though. You need to stay nearby.” A man needed to protect his mate and his unborn cub. “I’ll take Andrea along.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

Sean thought it was a good idea never to stray far from Andrea’s side again. “She’ll be able to point out who was saying what, help me figure out who is the ringleader so I can take him out first. Besides, I’m not leaving her alone here.” Not with Fae men popping into Shiftertown, and Andrea deciding to run off places by herself.

“She’s not alone anymore, Sean.” Liam’s eyes changed to dark blue, as they did when he was deeply contented. “She’s family now.”

“I’m still trying to convince her of that.”

Liam’s knowing look said it all. He’d known damn well when Sean had walked in here this morning that Sean and Andrea had made love most of the night and on into morning. Deep, satisfying love.

Liam pulled Sean into a tight embrace and nuzzled his cheek, one brother congratulating another. “Go explain to some Felines what we’re trying to do here, Sean. We split into factions among ourselves, we’ll never get these Collars off and ourselves out of Shiftertowns. Don’t kill anyone, though. The last thing we’ll be needing is having to explain to the humans why a few Shifters have become dust.”

Sean released Liam and gave him a caressing pat. “No deaths today. Got it.”

“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hold back on the threats, though.”