Page 25 of Blades of Ice

“Not even your mother?”

Beck hesitated to tell Lydia the truth, but they were mates. He should be able to be honest. “I love Amara, but our relationship isn’t like what you have with your parents. Even if she weren’t my Queen, it would be the same. Because I’m a male, I’m disposable. When I move to Atlanta, or wherever we end up, she won’t miss me.”

Lydia raised her head. “You’d move to the South?”

“I would with no hesitation. My bear won’t care for the heat, but it’s not like there isn’t winter there. Besides, you said your mission is to find other shifters, so I figured we’d be traveling a bit, and maybe during our travels we’ll visit some colder climates.”

“Gods, you really are perfect.”

“Nah. Far from it, but maybe I’m perfect for you.”

“That you are, or the fates wouldn’t have put us together.”

Beck’s phone rang again. Lydia scooted off the bed and retrieved it from his jeans. “You check this while I pee.”

Beck took the phone, but instead of answering, he admired his mate’s body while she strolled to the bathroom. Lydia didn’t close the door, but Beck rolled to his back, offering her a bit of privacy. The number was unlisted, and whoever it was didn’t leave a voicemail, so he turned the ringer off and placed it on the nightstand. When his mate returned, she straddled his waist, placing her hands on his chest. The ever-present bracelets jangled against her skin.

Beck touched the ones on her right wrist. “Do you ever take these off?”

“I can if they bother you, but I’d rather not.”

“Were they a gift or something?”

Lydia bit her bottom lip, staring into his eyes. “Or something.” She leaned back, held out her arm, and after muttering something under her breath, a dagger appeared in her hand.

“Holy shit.” Beck blinked, not believing his eyes. “How did you do that?”

“Magic.” She whispered again, and the dagger was no longer there, but the bracelets were back. “Luna and Solara, those witches I know? Their mother, Lilly, hid her wand as a bracelet, and she taught the twins how to do the same. Luna took it a step further since we can’t very well walk around with swords strapped to our backs without someone questioning us. I mentioned the male Gargoyles having impenetrable skin. The only way to kill them is decapitation or some rare poisons. We grew up around swords and trained with them from a young age. While I can wield a sword, I prefer smaller, less cumbersome weapons.” She whispered a strange word, and she held a sai. Lydia twirled it around her fingers, flipped it in the air, and caught it without looking. In the next instant, it was gone.

Beck surged forward and twisted, pinning Lydia beneath him. He feathered a kiss against her lips. “You’re amazing.” And for the third time, he showed her exactly how amazing he found her.

Chapter 11

Lydia jerked awake,the nightmare still haunting the edges of her mind.

“You okay?” a sleepy voice asked.Beck.

Beck rubbed circles on her back, reminding her she was safe in Alaska, not fighting the wolves in West Virginia. She tucked her face against his neck. She had never slept with anyone other than her cousins, and that was when they were younger. When his hand stilled, Lydia assumed he’d fallen back to sleep, but within seconds, he was on top of her, and a few seconds after that, he was inside her. Lydia was thankful for being on birth control to ease the pain of her periods because that made spontaneous sex a thing of beauty instead of waiting for Beck to roll on a condom.

Beck took her slowly, as he had the last couple of times after their mating frenzy. When they both found their release, he kissed her nose, then climbed off the bed. He turned on the faucet in the bathroom, and she waited patiently.

Even after another nightmare, Lydia was at ease for the first time in three weeks. She ran her fingertips over her neck where Beck gave her his mating bite. She had always dreaded doing the biting because she didn’t want a mouthful of blood, but when it came time, the thought didn’t even cross her mind. Now she understood the allure of vampires. And when Beck impaled her with his fangs? Damn. She had heard the bite enhanced the sexual experience, and boy had it. The water shut off, and Beck returned with a washcloth. She admired his wide chest and thickthighs. Her mate didn’t have a six pack. His stomach wasn’t flat, and she thought it was sexy as hell. He tenderly cleaned their mixed release from between her legs, then tossed the cloth on the floor. After stretching out next to her, he twirled a fingertip around her navel. Her stomach rumbled with hunger, and Beck pressed his forehead there.

“I never fed you last night.”

Lydia scraped her nails across his scalp. “We were kind of busy.”

“What do you want to eat? If you don’t want what’s here, we can go out and get something.”

You.Lydia had never given a blowjob, but she wanted to with Beck. She wanted to please him in every way possible. She knew the mechanics and had even practiced on a glass dildo because silicone tasted gross. “Whatever you have here is fine with me as long as it’s normal food.”

“Normal? What kind of food do you think I keep on hand?”

“Rudolph? Or Bambi?”

Beck leaned over and blew a raspberry on her stomach. “You’re ridiculous. While I have eaten Rudolph a few times, it’s not something I buy. I prefer possum and groundhog.”

Lydia smacked his bicep. “Hard limit, My Bear. Hard. Limit.”

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