Page 35 of Into the Grasslands

“I’ve never been with anyone,” she explained quietly. “I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing, considering I’m 20-years-old, but I wanted to wait for my mate.”

“I can’t say the same, but you should know that none of my previous partners - and there were only three - live among the pack. I’m almost 30, and didn’t think I had a mate.” I offered her the last bit as an explanation for why I didn’t wait.

Nika nodded and glanced away, as if embarrassed. She might have been thinking about ripping those females apart the same way I had been with her imaginary partners moments ago.

“I guess that is to be expected since you’re a bit older than me.”

“Are you angry?” I asked somewhat reluctantly.

Thankfully, she shook her head. “Not at all. That doesn’t mean I’m not jealous. If we ever cross paths with any of the women you have been with, I would appreciate a head’s up before they say something that might trigger me to react.”

I laughed then. “Sounds like you pictured doing to those women the same thing I wanted to do to any men who had been with you.”

She bobbed her shoulders up and down again. “I guess that’s the nature of our kind. We’re possessive.”

“For good reason, my Luna. What we will have between us when we are officially mated will remain sacred. I can promise you that.”

“That’s good because I would accept no less. You have the same promise from me. There will only ever be two of us in this relationship.”

“I want to hold you so badly.”

“Unfortunately, that would end poorly for both of us. We have less than a month to go, Thorin. I am looking forward to getting to know you better while we torture one another with our inability to offer more than the briefest touches.”

Her playful tone and the little wink she threw in at the end made me grin at her even though I wished like hell my mate had never asked for the courtship period. Truth be told, I would have thrown her down to the ground and mated and claimed her right then and there if it was possible. She was everything I ever dreamed of in a mate and then she blew those expectations away too.

Chapter 20

The Evil Eye

NIKA

I satalong the bank of the pond, on the pack’s land, and soaked up what little sun managed to peek through the clouds. There were no others there with me. It should have made me wary, especially considering all the nasty looks that came my way from some of the pack when Thorin wasn’t with me.

Still, I felt at peace. Everything was falling into place and soon, Thorin would be my mate. Despite the few odd occurrences with some of his pack, I had not seen a reason to be cautious of the man himself.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes to give thanks to the goddess who had brought us together. Before I could register his familiar woodsy scent, Thorin lowered himself in front of me. I leaned back until I was laid out beneath him like a gift.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment.” His voice was a growl as he pushed closer. It was only then that I noticed neither of us wore a stitch of clothing.

“How?” I asked, knowing I had been wearing something before he showed up.

“We are favored by the gods themselves, Nika. That is the only thing we need to know.” He leaned in again and nippedmy bottom lip quickly before he pulled back and smiled down at me. “Always so sweet and willing for me. We’re done doing time, my Luna.”

“Done doing time?” I questioned before he ran his finger down the middle of my chest, between my breasts and then continued down the center of my body until he reached the apex of my thighs.

“I can smell how much you want me.” His words made me grow wetter than his mere presence did and the smirk on his face told me he knew it. “That’s it, my darling Nika.” I whimpered as his finger pushed inside me. It was a foreign feeling, as nothing had ever been there before, but not unwelcome.

“Thor-”

His name ended abruptly as he curled that finger and ran it across a spot inside me that promised pure pleasure. “Mmm,” He groaned into my ear as he leaned down further and continued to rub back and forth over that magical spot. He pulled his finger in and out and added pressure at just the right moment before removing it again in a teasing dance that kept me on the edge waiting for more.

“That’s it love, give it all over to me.” His voice stroked my brain in much the same way his finger stroked my insides. It made me putty in his hands as he leaned in and took my mouth fully for the first time. Our lips meshed together only for a moment before his tongue traced the seam of mine and demanded entrance. I wasn’t about to deny him any longer. We had waited long enough.

“Beautiful and delicious,” Thorin complimented as he pulled back from a searing hot kiss. He pulled his finger out of me, and I watched with rapt attention as he stuck it into his mouth, closed his eyes, and moaned while he savored the flavor of me.

When his eyes popped open again they were swallowed in black. I couldn’t see any of the warm brown that made me feel so at home. “You are so fucking tasty, my Luna. I could eat you up.”

“Yes, please.” I wasn’t even sure what I asked for, but Thorin wasted no time in showing me. He slid down my body and threw my legs over his shoulders. He made himself comfortable between my legs and then dipped his head down and swiped his tongue up my center.

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