Warden (Elemental Paladins Book 1) (19 page)

“So tight.” He groaned through bared teeth.

Max gasped, “So big,” and then proceeded to squeeze her internal muscles. Apparently that was all it took for the knights control to finally snap for he hooked his hands under her knees, pushing them back and spreading her wide, before pounding her into the mattress. So … fucking … good! Max was forced to brace her hands against the headboard to stop her head from smashing against the wooden frame. The position angled her hips slightly higher, allowing her to feel Ryker deeper with every stroke. It felt incredible.

Her orgasm, when it finally peaked, felt like a series of mini detonations cascading throughout her entire body and coalescing in her womb. A need she couldn’t deny, and with such agonising pleasure roaring through her body, she didn’t
want
to deny, revealed a hidden agenda in the very core of her being. With nothing but instinct guiding her she raised her right hand and placed her palm on Ryker’s left forearm, directly over the faded tattoo there. The room seemed to explode around her much like her orgasm had with a series of small explosions sounding in the small space. The light bulb above their heads pulsed brilliantly before it imploded and rained a kaleidoscope of sparks and glass over the bed; the bedside lamp seemed to suffer a similar fate and it burst into a colourful rainbow of energy; the French doors burst outward as the wind shrieked into the room, also somehow bringing a rush of multi-coloured mist with it. Her confusion grew as she suddenly felt a rush of emotions that were not her own. She had grown used to her empath abilities over the years but this was something different, something …
more
. It was completely overwhelming and her moans of pleasure now transformed into whimpers of fear.

“What the hell! What have you done? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” The frantic words barely registered through the wind tunnel in her head.

TWENTY

So lost in his own suffocating pleasure, it took a few seconds for Ryker to register the chaos in the room. The moment he sunk his hard shaft into the giving, searing heat of Max’s body, Ryker had been lost. He had set a furious pace, only dimly concerned that he was being too rough. But the erotic whimpers and moans leaving Max’s throat attested to the fact that she had been right there with him. And when Max had orgasmed? Holy fuck! Ryker thought he might just have a heart attack right there. Her grip on him was so strong he could barely move and the rhythmic milking along his cock had his eyes rolling into the back of his head. His own peak was just as harsh and he released a long, low groan as he felt his pleasure jet from his body in a seemingly endless stream. Presently, a strange tingling heat seared his arm and Ryker glanced down to find Max’s eyes opaque with brilliant colours. Her hand was wrapped around his sweaty forearm.

And just like that, his pleasure turned to dread.

“What the hell! What have you done? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” He shouted as he practically flew from the bed. He was too busy being horrified to notice the fear and shock on Max’s face. Ignoring the chaos in the room he looked down at his arm and almost staggered from what he saw. There, over his washed-out coat of arms was the beginnings of a new pattern, too pale to yet make out.

“Fuck!” He pulled sharply at his hair hard enough to feel the sting. This was a complete disaster! This is what he got for thinking with his dick. A fear-filled whimper returned his attention to the room. Max was in the centre of the bed, knees drawn up, rocking back and forth in an attempt to soothe herself from the self-induced mayhem she couldn’t possibly comprehend. He approached the bed carefully, making no sudden movements as if she were a wild horse in need of currying.

“It’s okay baby, everything is going to be okay. Easy now.” His voice was ragged even to his own ears as he attempted to calm the warden … and likely his new liege.

His liege! Fuck!

She looked up at him with wide, terrified turquoise eyes that were still a little glassy and she clutched at the sheet like a lifeline. The hand she reached out to him shook and those dazed eyes of hers began to take on the suspicious sheen of tears. “Wha ...? I ... I ... I don’t understand. What is this? Why do I feel like this?”

Ryker accepted the offered hand and clasped it between his own to still its convulsive movements. He was now driven by a soul deep need to try to relieve her fears and make everything better. “It’s okay. We both just got more than we bargained for, that’s all.”

“I don’t understand.” Max answered, a silent plea in her eyes that tore at Ryker’s gut.

“I know you don’t.” And he did know. After all, he could feel it couldn’t he? She was a mass of conflicting emotions from fear to confusion to pain and even anger. Seemed she didn’t much like feeling out of control. Well, her and him both. The small hand in his own felt like the only anchor keeping him grounded right now. Just what the hell were they going to do?

He watched as Max’s eyes focused on the shadowy imprint on his forearm. Seemingly as if unable to control herself, she raised her right hand and tentatively placed it over the outline. He couldn’t help flinching as the connection between them flared to life once more and shared emotions, desires and needs churned like a live thing in their midst.

Max flung herself away from him and cringed against the headboard shaking her head. “What
is
that?”

“You just bonded us … or at least tried to. The imprint isn’t dark enough for a complete binding … I hope.”

“Bonded us? Wha? I … I … no idea …”

Sighing, Ryker ran his hands over her shoulders and arms comfortingly and was relieved when the room began to stop its little light show. There was nothing he could do about the broken lamp and lightbulb at the moment but at least it didn’t sound like they were in the midst of a storm anymore. Although he was absolutely horrified at the thought of being the warden’s bonded paladin, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud that his touch alone was enough to soothe her. It was his privilege and his right, his sole goal in life was now to ensure her wellbeing and safety.

And, hell no!
Ryker shook his head vigorously, that was the bond talking, not the paladin. Jeez, the bond was potent, he thought. He had forgotten its intensity over the years. The binding of paladins was an ancient sacred custom and was a great honour, a great privilege … and forged a soul-deep connection. It was always two-sided – a paladin had to be willing to be bound. So how the fuck had this happened? Ryker raged internally, he did
not
want to be bound to Max. He only hoped the connection Max had ignorantly forged had not been long enough to seal the bond into their souls. If that were to happen, he would be able to feel and even hear her in his mind in order for him to better serve as her personal knight. The pang he felt in his chest made a mockery of that last thought but he stubbornly ignored it. He never wanted to be bound into an Order again and even if by some miracle he were to change his mind, it sure as shit wouldn’t be for some stray mini warden with no control, no clue and no real future in their society.

A small gasp had him raising his eyes and refocusing on Max. Her flat eyes held a dark knowledge and he knew she had heard or at least felt the last part of his internal monologue; she knew he had rejected her.

Pain that wasn’t his own flared bright and sharp in his heart before the connection went black, as if it had never been there. He didn’t know how but apparently he just got his wish – Max had managed to sever the binding in its infancy. Now he just had to tell his fool heart to be relieved rather than dismayed.

TWENTY-ONE

Max couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because of the nightmares or seizures that usually plagued her either. No, it was the
intercourse
that was the cause of her most recent bout of insomnia. It had been the singular, most spectacular sex she ever had, and she was by no means a monk. Clearly Ryker had used his past time between the sheets to fine tune his technique. It was like he knew just where to touch and with just the right amount of pressure to keep her teetering on the edge of ecstasy. It had been maddening but had also resulted in the most intense orgasm of her life. The whole thing should have been nothing more than two consenting adults sharing a mutually satisfying romp between the sheets. But, no! Max had to go and ruin it, didn’t she?

She sighed and grabbed the pillow from behind her head, placing it over her face. Maybe death by suffocation would put her – and the rest of the world – out of their shared misery. She was always fucking up where her powers were concerned. She had too much juice and not enough skill. All this power streaming through her veins and yet she was useless to wield it; she leaked energy all over the place and couldn’t revive like a normal warden would. She was a complete failure when it came to being a warden, even after the weeks of tutelage by the paladins. And to top it all off she then went and almost bonded her and Ryker together. In her defence she didn’t have any idea how she had done it but her ignorance was a weak, pathetic excuse this time. One couldn’t go around messing with other people’s souls. That was
so
not cool! She didn’t want to be bound to the Sasquatch two doors down anyway! But fuck if it didn’t cut her to the bone when she had felt Ryker’s fear and disgust at the thought of being connected to her. Surely she wasn’t that bad! She thought she would make a damn good liege actually and to finally have a family to call her own … well, that would be a kind of magic she really couldn’t afford to dwell on.

Giving up on the whole sleep deal, Max dragged the cover off the bed and made her way downstairs in her ratty tee shirt, bare feet, and Joy. She sighed as she eyed her Japanese short sword; she was back to carrying the thing around like a teddy bear again. Max found herself in the cavern-like kitchen digging through the cupboards like a rabid racoon.
Give me the precious!
Hissing in victory, she pulled out her bounty and retrieved a spoon from the cutlery draw. Wrapping the doona more firmly around her shoulders she went outside and walked the few metres to the edge of the sand. Opening the jar of Nutella, she dipped her spoon in and moaned when the delicious brown nectar of the gods hit her tongue. She would have to buy Cali another jar because this one was history!

She was about a quarter of the way through the jar when she felt a disturbance in the air. It was subtle and wasn’t filled with danger but had her glancing around the dark beach for clues as to what was going on. Max drew in a startled breath when her eyes made out a shadowy figure heading her way. The subtle swaying movements from the hip region suggested female even as the form seemed to blend with the shadows, merging with them as if she was a part of the dark itself. Max gripped her sword under her covers even though she didn’t feel threatened in any way. That was strange in and of itself but it hit her that this immediate feeling of security had only ever happened once before; with the paladins sleeping in the house behind her. This then, must be the missing paladin of death.

The woman strolled casually to her carrying an expensive looking large bag in one hand and flat, strappy shoes in the other. She was dressed in comfortable-looking linen pants, a silk blouse with a scooped neckline and a soft cardigan. She looked classy,
really
classy. Max continued her appraisal and noticed a lean waist, a decent sized rack and a face that could start a war. She was typically gorgeous with a pointy chin, high cheekbones and dark intense eyes. What sealed the deal for Max though was all that hair! It was dark and the corkscrew curls fell around her face and shoulders in complete disregard for gravity. Max’s fingers twitched with the urge to pull on one. She looked like an elegant gypsy.

“You must be Diana.” Max figured she should probably vocalise rather than continue to sit there staring.

The woman nodded, sending the springs on her head flying. “And you must be Max.”

She shrugged. “Guilty as charged ... you’re just as beautiful as the rest of them.” She blurted and sounded grumpy even to her own ears.

Diana laughed and Max felt her own lips twitch. There was nothing feminine or subtle about that laugh, it was loud and robust and Max bet she even snorted sometimes. She was petty enough to be happy about that.

“Is that Nutella?” She pointed to the jar.

Max hugged her comfort food protectively to her chest for a moment before she loosened her hold and held it out to the other woman. “Yes. You want?”

Diana smiled, revealing one crooked tooth on the top row, “You don’t mind if I join you?”

“You look a little too put together for beach-sitting and for someone who has just flown twenty four hours.” She was still sulky … and she really didn’t want to share her chocolate.

Diana shrugged delicately, “I like to look ‘put together’.”

“Well, I’m not wearing any pants. So …”

“Oh, now you’re just trying to tease me.” She winked and parked her no doubt perfect butt on the cool sand.

Max couldn’t help laughing. Diana was obviously not the snob she looked like. She offered the jar and watched in fascination as the other woman forewent the spoon and dipped her finger in instead before passing it back. “So, you’re here to fix me, huh?”

Diana’s eyebrows raised in question, “Are you broken?”

“Apparently.” Max tried not to sound bitter at the admission.

“She’s not broken.” The voice was soft and husky and seemed to blend with the sound of the lapping waves. Cali plonked herself down in the sand on the other side of her. “Are we having a slumber party?” She asked and leaned over to hug the other woman, “Hey girl. Did you get your sicko?”

“Nailed his butt to the wall!” Diana replied.

“Awesome!”

“I am so too broken. Damaged goods, on the fritz, useless, pitiful excuse for a warden.” Max ranted pathetically to herself, shovelling Nutella into her mouth with every self-flagellation. “Things keep exploding and I keep leaking and I go around branding people all the time …” She trailed off when her mouth got too full.

“Wait, what? Branding?” Diana asked. “Who did you brand?”