Tempting Ecstasy (The Guardians of the Realms Book 4) Page 19

  She’d based her acceptance of the mating on more than just her animal’s needs; she just hadn’t realized that he’d been assessing her too. He’d known he would accept her as a mate, but that he’d gauged her on more, on her behavior and intelligence, her kindness and strength beyond anything fated, was a revelation that thrilled her. He saw it as a gift that she was his alone, wanted to cherish everything about her, reward her for being… her. She loved his mind almost as much as his delicious body.

  “What’s that smile for?” he asked, walking from the house with a cup of tea. She’d been waiting on the wraparound patio, lost in thought as she stared into the forest beyond. It was a stunning view. Peaceful until she was distracted by how gorgeous he was. She loved his tattoos and the small black balls piercing his eyebrows. A little danger to go with his playful grins and teasing ways. She listened to the river flowing not far from the patio. It surprised her that she hadn’t heard it when he’d carried her in; she’d been completely lost in her first taste of pleasure.

  She smiled again. “Just thinking.” She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. She still needed to talk to him. She hoped it wouldn’t ruin the beauty of what was happening between them, and it really was beautiful.

  “I have to tell you something,” she said, and he leaned a hip against the wood railing, completely nude and comfortable with it. She’d slipped on his flannel to ward against the morning chill, but just being near his body warmed her more than the fabric.

  He watched her. Waiting. He didn’t seem concerned, more curious.

  “I have more brothers.”

  He grinned and nodded as she cringed.

  “I assumed with the time frame there might be more, Dacia.”

  “You’re not angry I didn’t tell you?” She furrowed her brow.

  “No. You didn’t know anything about me, and it wasn’t only your secret, it was your family’s. There are things I haven’t told you yet. Things that as my mate you’ll know, but your siblings can’t.”

  She’d assumed he wasn’t telling her everything. The Guardians and their mates seemed forthcoming, but what wouldn’t she be able to share with her sisters? She got a sinking feeling.

  “If, say, Zoe finds a mate, he would know everything she did. There are things that just can’t be known by others in the Realm. It’s a matter of safety for others.”

  They just stood like that for a while. Her processing the fact that they had a ways to go in trusting each other, and though it made sense in a logical way, it didn’t sit well with her beast, who wanted everything from him.

  “You think I would tell my sisters Guardian secrets?” she said the words quietly. Would she? She wasn’t sure if there were circumstances that would test her loyalty. She couldn’t be sure.

  He looked at her, really looked at her. “I would hope not, but you’ve only known me days. Your sisters have cared for you your entire life, and whether I believe them trustworthy or not, I’m hoping they find mates. I want them to be happy. I have no intention of asking you to hide things from them, yet.”

  His words gave her an out, but it made her heart ache thinking she was failing as a mate.

  “It’s been days, Dacia. There’s still time to think. We’re both new to this. I won’t lie to you, but you need to understand that I can’t tell you everything until you accept the responsibility, which means the mating ceremony will have to wait until you think you can do that.” He leaned in and kissed her. No judgment, patience.

  He drank from his cup. Coffee.

  “So more Gunns are running around.” He shook his head with a look of mock resignation.

  “Worse,” she said, commiserating, and he laughed. “My eldest brother is way worse. The other three aren’t so bad.”

  “Four more?” He growled in irritation. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Well, at least I don’t need to worry so much about your sisters finding mates. If they don’t, your asshole brothers will watch out for them.” He looked off for a second. “My hesitation in introducing them to the Lykos clans is that they still need to get used to things here. I don’t want them overwhelmed with Lykos male attention. The bastards will be all over your sisters and not just the Lykos.” He groaned, and Dacia almost choked on her tea. He really looked concerned. “I’ve never had sisters that actually needed my protection. My Guardian sisters are fucking ruthless and scare the shit out of any male with half a brain.”

  “They’re not weak,” Dacia said, narrowing her eyes at him. Her sisters were strong, maybe not Guardian strong, but she wouldn’t have him discounting their abilities and strength.

  “No, they aren’t, but things are different here, and your sisters have only seen human interactions. That’s not the way Immortals work. Unless you’re mated, it’s a sexual free-for-all with no attachments on either side. Even some mates share for pleasure. Not all the races are possessive.” He didn’t even let her speak before he growled, “I am possessive and won’t share. But in general, pleasure is given freely here. There’s no shame. No real taboos as long as everyone gets what they want and need out of it.”

  “That might be a good thing. Mia’s beast is still fixated on Jax. Maybe finding another male or some other interaction would help.” She frowned with worry for her sister. “You’re right, though, we haven’t seen anything but humans. I don’t know if my sisters would be that free. Well, Zoe might be willing to give it a good try.” She grinned. Anything had to be better than the way Mia’s beast wanted Jax. “If Mia even sees staff members looking at Jax, it gets worrisome. I think the sooner they meet the other Lykos, the better…”

  “I’ll ask Sirena again if we should worry about Mia’s beast. I figured it was Jax’s power, but maybe it’s something else.”

  Dacia’s lips curled at the mention of the healer, and he laughed. “She’s like some elfin angel or something. It sets my wolf off.” She breathed out in frustration. She hated the jealousy. “I really hope it stops at some point. The healer in the city would have been regenerating a limb if she’d given you the slightest show of interest. Then it was almost like my beast was offended when she didn’t. It’s like I just can’t win,” she ground out.

  He laughed out loud before using his power to move the drinks to the table. When he lifted her into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist automatically, trapping his hard cock between them, the flannel the only barrier. His eyes were bright with amusement, but there was also smug satisfaction and desire.

  “I prefer dark hair and golden eyes. My beast fucking loves how possessive you are, but the jealousy might mellow when the mating is complete. I fucking hope it doesn’t go away completely.” His grin widened. “When my chest is marked, you’ll probably lose some of the bloodlust,” he said and nipped her lower lip before kissing her until she was breathless and needy all over again.

  “Marked?” she asked when the kiss broke.

  “My chest will be marked as your mate during the mating ceremony.”

  Her mouth gaped, and she couldn’t put to words how she felt about that.

  “Will mine?”

  He growled. “It’s tradition only for the male to be marked, but some of the Guardians’ mates have asked for one.” He didn’t say that he wanted her to, but it was in the heat of his body and the fire in his eyes. He wanted her marked, and she wanted one as much as it excited her that he would have one.

  Her fingers slid into his hair, and she took his mouth and reveled in the slide of his tongue against hers as he carried her inside.

  Chapter 28

  Conn’s Home, Tetartos Realm

  “Shit,” Dacia groaned. They had just stepped out of the shower and were going to see her siblings.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Conn, FYI, I just played taxi to another brother-in-law. He’s having family time down by the ring with the others, Jax said through the link. Good luck with that one. Jax snorted.

  We’ll be right there, he growled.

  “I heard that,” sh
e said, knitting her brow.

  “Mates seem to get the Guardian link in the frenzy. That’s the way it worked for my brothers.”

  “But you didn’t hear Hagen just now?”

  “No. Family links are different. Sirena said it’s because the Guardian link is an ability. What did he say?” Conn growled. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to be happy with what she told him.

  “He’s here, pissed, and I have no clothes but yours, which are going to be huge.” She groaned.

  “You have clothes,” he said and led her to a big closet.

  “You brought clothes here for me?”

  “When I packed your bags, I planned ahead,” he said, winking at her.

  “I have no words for how happy that makes me right now. I won’t even say anything about it being arrogant because I left my robe in your room at the manor.” She pulled him down for a quick kiss, not meant to get him fucking hot, but it didn’t matter, his dick pulsed. She turned back to the few things he’d brought for her. Jeans, low and sexy, yoga pants that would hug her ass and feel comfortable when it was cold at night. A couple of sweaters, tee shirts and some boots. He’d bought some other things in her size too. He grinned, pleased that he’d made that detour when checking a lead on Cynthia in Earth. She had a drawer of sexy shit he wanted to see her wearing with nothing else.

  “Bra?” she asked him hopefully, and he grinned back, all teeth, before opening her drawer.

  She cocked a brow at the lacy items in black, red and frilly virginal white. He groaned at what she put on under her jeans and clenched his teeth at the thought of ripping them off. Fuck, she was killing him. He needed to lose the hard-on. The teleport would make them insane without the added heat.

  When they finally made it over to her family, time seemed to stop and their bodies lost the heat when they saw what the fuck was happening. It was a whirling tornado of snarling wolves, fucking claws and teeth snapping at each other. He heard the growls mixed with feminine yells of fury. He didn’t give a shit that her brothers were fighting. That would have amused him if he hadn’t seen Mia shaking and yelling at her brothers one second and transforming into a charging red wolf the next. She jumped into the fray with the much bigger, frenzied males. Before he could stop it, Dacia and her sisters were growling and in the pile of claws. He heard a feminine yelp and lost his fucking mind.

  “Enough!” he snarled with enough power infused into his voice that it would have brought down every fucking wolf within a fifty-mile radius. Fury, harsh and blinding, set everything at a tense standstill as he grabbed both males by the necks and slammed them to the ground with his power. He hadn’t tempered it, too furious to give a shit if he cracked bones. The males were trapped on their sides, held down as he stalked over to them. “Your sisters get in the fray, you fucking stop or I fucking tear you apart. You understand?” Power rippled through him, over him. He turned to the females and checked them. Mia was bleeding on her arm, and he saw fucking red. She was fucking tiny, bloodied, and his damned responsibility.

  “What the fuck happened?” he demanded from Jax, who teleported in next to them. Dacia was staring at him. He clenched his teeth that she might be scared of him. They were still in the early stages of their bonding, and he didn’t want shit going backwards because he’d lost his fucking temper. He went to Mia and healed the claw mark down her arm. She was still shaking, upset. He forced himself to get his shit together, but it was fucking harder than it should have been.

  “I don’t know. I left them some space to chat,” Jax said through a snarl.

  “Is anyone else hurt?” Conn asked, growling and still not allowing the males to move or change. He wasn’t finished with them. The females shook their heads, and he pulled Dacia into his arms to check her. He didn’t smell any other blood. Fuck. His heart was still beating fucking hard, and rage rode him as he cuddled her.

  “Congratulations, assholes, I haven’t seen Conn go big bad wolf in centuries.” Jax shook his head at the downed wolves. Fury was riding the cat too.

  What are you going to do to them? Dacia asked in the link.

  We’re going to have a little talk, Dacia. They need to know the rules, and I’m going to give them a lesson. That shit doesn’t fly here. He looked her in the eye. They’ll be bloody, but I won’t kill them.

  She gave a tense nod and blew out a breath. I’m pissed Mia got hurt, but I still love my brothers enough to not want them dead. Emotions are all over the place right now. Mia knows better than to get in the mix when they’re fighting like idiots, but she’s not herself right now. She’s really embarrassed and upset.

  He nodded and turned to see Mia in Zoe’s and Isa’s arms. He went over and hugged them to him, Dacia getting pulled into the mix. His heart nearly broke when he felt Mia’s small shoulders shake. Her brothers were about to get a lesson on fucking restraint. He didn’t give a shit how it happened.

  Females getting hurt was a trigger for him, courtesy of Apollo’s fucking labs. Getting their animal halves and being forced to act like rutting beasts left them all fucked up for a long time. It was so long ago it felt like a blip in his memories, but shit still set him off. Conn had to remember that these males hadn’t been in the labs. They didn’t have a fucking clue what Immortal females suffered while the males were forced to breed them like animals. They didn’t know what it was like to see the females suffer. The need for atonement so many of the older Immortals felt. Failing to protect the females and the young from the many horrors was a nearly soul-crushing experience. Never again. As a Guardian he held enough power that no female under his protection should be harmed. Dacia’s brothers would learn or bleed.

  Rage still ate at him. Seeing his mate jump into a fucking pile of claws and teeth unleashed something they wouldn’t understand. He took a couple of deep breaths. There’d been a time when the two wolves would have been a broken mess at his feet.

  He inhaled again, and calm finally settled in. Mia relaxed, and he saw Isa give him a look of gratitude. He pulled back and turned to his brothers. Jax and now Bastian stood with their arms crossed, having come after Conn’s arrival. He lifted his power from the two wolves on the ground and demanded in a harsh voice filled with more power, “Shift.” Best they learn just how low on the power scale they really were, at least with him and the other Guardians.

  He stood there and watched as the two reformed. Gunn stood with no expression on his face. He kept darting glances at his sisters. Good. He should feel guilty.

  Hagen stood there in his loafers and designer jeans. Conn shook his head. The asshole stood there defiantly, his dark hair perfectly gelled like he’d been at a business lunch before his arrival. He had power; it might fly in the Lykos clans but not at the manor.

  Conn blew out an irritated breath. Anger still tensing his muscles, he looked forward to a fight. He turned back to Dacia. “We’re going to chat at the ring.” He watched as she bit her lip, and Isa came to her side and nodded. He knew Dacia wasn’t sure she should trust him with her brothers, who were smart enough to stay fucking quiet.

  “We’ll be in the courtyard when you’re done talking,” Isa said with a glare at Hagen. She obviously wasn’t concerned with their brothers’ safety. Conn grinned a little at that.

  Chapter 29

  Guardian Manor, Tetartos Realm

  “I need a drink,” Isa said as she headed for the patio bar the minute they moved through the walkway that led into the courtyard.

  “I do too.” Dacia was torn but more worried for Mia’s need to get away. She trusted Conn, but loyalty to her family was leaving her split. She was grateful to Isa for making the decision simple. Her sister’s guidance and understanding had been helping her through everything since they arrived. She loved her and hoped that she could return the favor one day.

  She couldn’t believe things had escalated to that level before she and Conn had gotten there. Hagen had been pissed when he called to her on the family link.

  “Sorry. We told Gunn you were o
ut talking to the females when he came in this morning, and then we managed to keep him distracted thinking you were with Rain and Alyssa. We didn’t even realize Hagen was setting himself up to be taken until Jax brought him here. We couldn’t keep him from contacting you, and things escalated. Gunn got blamed for fucking around. I could have killed Hagen for his high-handed asshole attitude. As if he knows what’s best and we should check with him on everything,” Zoe said in irritation, before adding, “I love him, when he’s an ocean away and I see him on vacation.”

  The four of them chuckled, but Mia’s was strained. Isa opened wine and was pouring them all some.

  “He thinks he understands what’s going on, but he doesn’t. He went crazy when he assumed you were somehow getting taken advantage of by Conn. That Conn had somehow used his power to force you into doing what he wanted… I think it was more than that. I think he’s realized he’s not the biggest fish in this sea, and it’s a hard pill to swallow.”

  Dacia shivered. Conn had been Godlike. She was still in awe of what he’d done out there. Her body was achy and needy again. The pure power in his voice was enough to set her on fire, and he hadn’t even had to touch her brothers. They’d all instantly obeyed his command. Even she had, and that should have scared her, but it hadn’t; her beast loved it. It was more than respect or awe. When his power slammed them down on the ground and left them there submissive to him, she’d been struck by how truly incredible he was. He hadn’t hurt them, even in all that rage. She imagined Hagen hated being pinned. Gunn too, but the show of power only made her beast push to be at his side.