“Smug little elf,” he teased.
“Arrogant, hot-headed siren.”
His grin grew. “I can hear your heart pound, your blood soar…” His black eyes rolled back into his head. “The pleasure I could bring you right now… The places I would take you.” He swayed toward me licking his lips like he could already taste me.
My breath hitched. “Do it.”
Alex’s face turned to stone. “Believe me, the pain wouldn’t be livable.”
“But—” My palms began to sweat as his eyes scoured my body. Slowly, tendrils of heat pulsated between my legs as I clenched my thighs together and then cried out in pain. “Oh!”
“Right.” He cursed.
“Why Mason?” Pain burned me from the inside out, and all because what? Alex had tried to give me an orgasm without even touching me? Two days ago I would have been horrified. Right then? I was disappointed. What had he turned me into? “Why not Cassius, or Ethan?”
With each name I mentioned Alex’s expression darkened more and more. “Werewolves are healers.” He gulped. “The others would hurt you. Cassius would freeze your ass. Ethan would end up sucking you dry because vampires just love blood, and he would lose all control. The last time he killed by accident, it was nearly impossible to live with him.”
“Oh good, so it’s about his conscience.”
“More or less.” He grinned with a wink. “Stephanie would most likely hurt you, she’s horrible with controlling her powers, and I take it you haven’t ever swung that direction. Am I right?”
My cheeks heated. I gave him a jerky nod.
“So that leaves.” He swore violently. “WOLF!”
A pounding sounded on the stairs, and then Mason was in our room, panting, his brown hair wild around his face as he wiped a dirt smudge from his face. “What?”
“Racing a turtle again?” Alex teased.
Mason flipped him off then sniffed the air. “Something is off.”
Alex pointed at me. “Tick-Tock.”
With a growl, Mason clenched his hands. “And you expect me to do what? Lick her neck so she doesn’t die?”
“If you’d be so kind.” Alex crossed his arms. “And try not to enjoy it so much.”
“Wait.” I held up my hands, “I, um, I need a minute.”
“Her heart is fluttering.” Mason eyed me sadly. “She doesn’t want me to lick her, Alex, she wants you.”
“Well, I can’t touch her! I tried kissing her, and she nearly stopped breathing!”
Mason let out a gruff whine. “That sucks those balls of monkeys.”
“I think you mean that sucks monkey balls.” Alex swore again. “And it’s not like she needs actual sex like I do, she just needs… pleasure.”
I jerked my head in Alex’s direction. “Explain.”
“You, uh…” He winced. “Need to orgasm.”
“Oh.” I shrugged. “Aren’t there tools for that sort of thing—?”
Both Alex and Mason burst out laughing.
“What?” My cheeks heated. “What’s so funny?”
“Humans.” They muttered in unison.
Embarrassment flooded my senses. “I don’t get it, if I just need an orgasm, then I can…” I shrugged. “You know?” I mean I wasn’t exactly experienced in that arena, not really, but… what choice did I have?
Death?
Wolf?
Or me?
“That is not an orgasm,” Alex said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. “Humans are imperfect creatures, they are not immortal. They are given a sliver of pleasure whenever they do anything sexual, but the power behind a true orgasm is held from them. Ergo, you could try, and I’m sure it would feel okay, but not compared to what either of us could do with a simple thought. Basically, your pitiful toys and ways to get off—” His expression reflected distaste. “Don’t count. It’s like running a mile versus running a marathon.”
“Humans,” Mason muttered before stepping toward me and giving me a short bow. “It will be my honor to make you happy, Elf.”
“Stop that.” Alex cursed behind him. “You’ll give her a big head. Now, pleasure her so I can go hunt Timber and rip his head off. I can only last a few more days before I die.”
“Serious?” I asked the room.
“As death.” Alex was still smiling, though it was frozen on his face, like he was trying to make me feel better about the fact that if he didn’t’ have sex with me, his mate, he was going to cease to exist.
Mason touched my hand, as an electrical current from Alex slammed into me right along with the thought.
“I’ll kill him for touching her.”
“You’ve given me no choice,” Mason said out loud, right back at him.
Wait. If I could hear Alex’s thoughts when Mason touched me.
That meant… Alex’s power wasn’t blocked.
And I felt no pain.
I glanced between the two of them.
It was either the best idea I’d ever had.
Or the last one I’d ever think.
I gulped and reached for Alex’s hand while still linked to Mason, and reached up on my tiptoes to kiss him.
Alex
MASON LET OUT a guttural moan as he shuddered next to me. Hope’s mouth fused to mine, her free hand winding through strands of my hair, tugging them free.