Every kiss.
Every wave of pleasure as her hips bucked off the bed.
And still, he held her hand, like a lifeline.
When I thrust into her, he let out a guttural curse, squeezing his eyes shut as the entire room shook like thunder.
It was over too soon.
I wanted more.
Poor Mason had completely sweat through his clothes.
“Make sure she’s okay,” I whispered as Hope passed out yet again. Even with a wolf as a link — I still hurt her with my power.
Mason rose over her, his eyes roamed over her body and then he licked across her chest, where I could hear her heart beat in a steady cadence.
“She’ll live.”
“And you?” I ran a hand through my sweat-filled hair. “Are you okay?”
“Do you even care?” Mason snapped, squeezing his eyes shut before standing and falling to his knees. His energy was zapped, and the damn guy needed to get laid.
“I can help.” I finally said after a few beats of silence.
“Touch me, and I cut off your hand.” He fired back.
I rolled my eyes. “I prefer women, not wolves.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“Oh, please!” I pulled him to his feet. “Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. It’s the least I can do.”
He shook his head slowly. “Not even a siren as practiced as you can take the hollow ache away.”
“You’re right,” I whispered. “But I can soothe it.”
I exhaled across his face then pulled away while his body went limp and then with a roar he ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
Minutes later, he stomped back into the room. “What the hell was that?”
“Think of it like… a mental sexual experience, only better. It feels real. But it’s not. Takes the ache away. I tried to find a really hairy one for you.”
“You’re a bastard.”
“What? You didn’t like her?”
“She… she mounted me!” He shoved me against the wall.
I burst out laughing. “I thought wolves liked that sort of thing, plus, you still got off… don’t lie, I can smell it on you.”
“I could kill you.”
“But you won’t.”
“But I won’t.” He finally smiled.
“Because beggars can’t be choosers, especially after a hundred years, right?”
He burst out laughing.
It was the first real laugh I’d heard from him.
Since his mate died.
The door to my room burst open revealing Cassius and Ethan.
Ethan’s arm shot out to stop Genesis from entering, his eyes were crazed while Stephanie took one step in and then slowly backed out leaving Cassius glaring at the two of us.
“What were you three doing?”
Hope chose that opportune time to wake up and grumble. “Playing… tag.”
Mason coughed into his hand while I said. “We took turns being it.”
Confusion washed over Cassius’s features before he sniffed the air and then sent a murderous expression in my direction. “We’ll discuss your orgy later. Right now. I need you downtown. Bannik has resurfaced.”
“Did he just say orgy?” Mason asked exactly what I was thinking.
“Genesis is teaching him way too much,” I grumbled and then winked at Hope. “Watch over my mate for me, Mason?”
“Yeah, yeah.” He huffed and then joined her on the bed.
She scooted away and eyed him skeptically. “Did we kiss?”
He flushed and then shrugged. “So, you like baseball?”
Hope
“TELL ME ABOUT the elves,” I asked after the third Disney movie. Mason was relentless. All he wanted to do was watch Lion King.
I finally convinced him to watch something that wasn’t a cartoon and ended up regretting it immediately when he started howling at the screen.
I covered my ears. “What are you doing?”
“It’s a car chase.” Ethan slipped into the room, his tone bored.
“He wants to chase the car.”
“Go to—” Howl. “Hell, Ethan!”
I quickly fast forwarded through that specific scene of Furious Seven and winced as Mason jumped up onto the couch with his feet and started panting.
“Okay, so no action films for you. Check.”
Ethan was back in the room laughing before disappearing again.
“What’s he doing?” I elbowed Mason.
“Research.” Mason didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “Cassius and Ethan have been pouring over ancient texts for weeks now. Nothing seems to be helpful, and Cassius is only allowed to see so much of the future, and when the future is tied to us, it is quite often blocked.”
I frowned as a chill spread over my body. “So, he’s not all-knowing?”
Mason tilted his head thoughtfully. “He knows what he needs to know. Beyond that, he can’t use any of his powers to force a human’s hand. At least not anymore.”
My thoughts drifted back to the day Cassius passed me in the compound and told me about my promotion.
Promotion my ass!
Had I known I was going to become a mate to a sex-crazed maniac and end up getting wolf spit on me, I think I would have said “pass.”
I chewed my lip. Maybe.
Images of Alex surged to the forefront of my mind.
I wanted him.
Again.
Seconds after Alex left me with Mason, Mason had gotten a text and then with jerky movements, had re-set the clock on the nightstand.