Page 30 of A Surrender Of Hope

“Will understand. I’ll take full blame. He’s already going to be mad at me. You’ll be the least of his problems,” I reassure him, striding over to Hectate, leading a hesitant Meyer along with me. Dipping my head, I brush a hand against her soft fur, carefully avoiding the spines that protrude from her brows as I run my fingers over her wiry black and red mane.

“Nox,” Meyer whispers as Hectate shifts on her paws, bringing her large horse-like body closer to us. Clicking my tongue, I pat her strong neck in greeting, chuckling when she snorts, bright orange eyes flaring as smoke billows in the air around us.

“I missed you too,” I whisper before turning to Meyer and heaving her into my arms.

“No! Nope. I’ll walk,” she practically shrieks, making Creed laugh as he rides up next to us on his horse.

“That will take ages, and we don't have the time,” I tell her, tossing her onto the soft leather saddle and shoving her to the front as I press my foot to the stirrup and mount behind her. Hectate tosses her head, stepping back on her hind legs as I shift my weight onto the saddle.

“Oh, Jesus! I hate you so much right now,” Meyer rasps, her hands gripping my thighs that cradle hers.

“You really need to get better at riding horses, Lemon Drop. You have to do that on Earth, too. Ranger Drakos is about fed up with you not figuring it out by now,” Creed teases.

“Theo can stuff it! And this… thing is not a horse!”

“Mount up!” Andras shouts at the other men who are still talking with Jesthren.

“Wait, where’s Razar?” Meyer gasps, looking around us, worried eyes scanning the trees.

“He’s shifted and will be guarding the convoy,” I tell her as I turn Hectate toward home, more excited than I thought I wouldbe to see it again. Sure, it felt like a cage these last few years that Father had been training me, but I must admit that I missed this realm. The familiar smells and sounds. The boost in magic and lack of lies and concealment on a daily basis.

“Is he okay?” Meyer asks, and Creed nods as Valen rides up next to us.

“I’m keeping track of him, Mi Sol. Try to relax and maybe get some rest on the ride,” he suggests.

“Yeah, like that's going to happen while riding a monster,” she scoffs, melting into me and I grin, leaning down and nipping at her ear.

“You’ve ridden much more terrifying monsters than this one, Little Demon,” I rasp, then grunt when her elbow flies back and hits me in the ribs.

“Knock it off, someone might hear you.” Meyer tips her head back to glare at me, and I can't help but wrap my hand gently around the thin column of her throat, tipping her chin up.

“Good. I want them to hear who I belong to,” I growl as she gapes up at me in surprise. “May I?”

“Yes,” she breaths out before I can finish the question and I slam my lips down on her’s in a possessive and demanding kiss. “You're impossible. You know that right?” she growls against my lips, and I nod, agreeing as my head pounds. “I love the sentiment, but I think asking me for a kiss everytime you want one will get annoying,” she admits and I smile, pressing a kiss to her hair.

“Alright, so how should I handle this?”

“I’ll just kick you in the balls if I don’t want one,” she teases and I laugh, both worried and amused at her words.

“It’s a deal,” I whisper to her, eyes closing for a moment as I enjoy the feel of her in my arms. It's been a long few days, and I can't wait to have a moment to relax. I tuck Meyer close to my chest, her tight little ass pressed against my groin, and I cursemyself for ending up in this position. Now I’ll have to ride all day with a hard cock rubbing against her.

I let my arms band around her as I take Hectate’s reins, grinning when she paws at the ground, ready to run. I feel Meyer shiver slightly, the tiny blonde hairs on her arms standing on end and I smirk, glad I’m not the only one affected by a simple touch. Her reaction only reaffirms my need for her and the relationship starting to grow between us. The timing might be wrong for our mating, but I won't let it fail just because I’m an asshole.

FIFTEEN

Meyer

“That’s a lot more than I was expecting,” I admit, looking up at the massive city that towers in front of us. The sparkling, almost pastel orange stone that the majority of the city is made from sparkles in the gleam of the setting sun. “It looks like it's glowing. It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” Nox agrees, his arms tightening around me as he pulls his monstrous-looking horse to a stop. The beast snorts, its giant hoof pawing at the ground as it shifts back and forth on its feet. “Calm,” Nox whispers, his hand moving to pat the horse's neck like it's a cute little pony and not a nightmare come to life.

Looking behind us, I see that Creed and Valen are only a few feet away, and the Unit of Demons who have escorted us back to the city are keeping a safe distance from us… well, from Nox.

“Creed,” Nox snaps, his hands moving to my hips, fingers digging in hard as Creed rides up next to us. I gasp in surprise when I suddenly feel Nox’s hot mouth on my neck, his lips dusting the smallest of kisses there before he grunts and leans back with a firm nod at Creed, who scoops me off Nox's monster horse and onto his without warning.

“Oh, shit, don’t piss off the monster horses!” I snap at Creed when his tan-colored monster releases an odd sound, its body quivering with a rumble as smoke blooms from its nostrils at my added weight.

“They won't hurt you, Meyer. But they can sense fear. Try to stay calm,” Jesthren says softly from behind Creed, earning a glare from Nox.

---