Page 42 of Gifted Destiny

A gasp escapes him when my hips rock against his. “Fuck no, princess. Goddamn, my dick is even harder and more sensitive this time around. I didn’t know I could feel so fucking good.” The curse words inundate every sentence, and I almost imagine our old caretaker’s stern look of disapproval before I push the image away. Hers is high on the list of faces I don’t want to see during sex.

The wondrous look on his face as he rocks with me makes me giggle, but my laugh turns into a moan when he begins another slow slide. My eyes roll back in my head, especially when he reaches up to tease my nipple.

This is everything I’ve longed for over the past few years, but the craving for my other three guardians still exists. The greedy need to have them all is so hedonistic that I can understand why some people might consider this act sinful. They might not fear the pleasure but the drive to want more and more.

Kodi swiftly regains his erection and starts to move again. I cast my thoughts aside as my body surrenders to lust and pure sensation. We don’t speak as I concentrate on the connection between us that feels both physical and magical.

After several thrusts, Kodi lowers his torso, supporting his upper half on his arms. “Is this alright for your legs?” His voice cracks and he adds a faster thrust. The movement rubs my aching clit against his pelvis and my pebbled nipples against his chest. I can only nod when my increased need for breath makes words impossible. Right now, I’m not feeling any pain.

My lover alternates between kissing my neck and my mouth. The friction on my clit is the momentum I need, and the multiple sensations are what my body craves. My fingertips explore his shoulders, his back, and the tight muscles of his ass. I love how they flex with each thrust and a tighter grip gives me more control. I pull him deeper inside me, offering the correct pressure and pace to my most sensitive parts.

My chest heaves and sounds escape me as my pleasure builds. The first contractions of my impending orgasm squeeze him tightly, and his arms start to shake. He’s close, just like me, although I don’t know which cue tells me this. It could be the swell of him inside me, the tension in his muscles, the increased pace of his thrusts, or the fire in his eyes.

“Fuck. I’m going to come again, Zo. Come with me.”

My body obeys, my vision blackening as fireworks explode behind my eyes. Blood roars in my head. The sensation is all-consuming and indescribable, and it’s made even better when Kodi tumbles over the edge with me. Sharing an orgasm creates a special kind of magic. My muscles continue to jerk and spasm even after my desire is spent.

Kodi’s torso radiates heat, but he doesn’t appear to sweat. After several minutes, he pulls out of me with a hiss and a full-body shudder. I roll toward him, subtly stretching the aches from my lower body. My legs and hips aren’t used to this sort of activity. Surprisingly, I’m not in pain.

“That was so fucking amazing,” Kodi whispers as he rolls on his side to face me. An expression of awed wonder and satisfaction lights his expression as he brushes wispy strands of hair from my face. I am not a ghost, so I sweat like a normal human.

“Thank you, Zo.” The intensity of his gaze makes me squirm with discomfort now that my afterglow is fading. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. I see you as amazing,resilient, and beautiful. I love you and I’d stay with you for an eternity even if I couldn’t touch and kiss you, but I’d always want you. Do you believe me?” His voice quavers with a combination of sincerity and vulnerability – two emotions he rarely displays.

When I blot out my self-sabotaging thoughts, I hear the honesty in his voice. “I believe you because I feel the same.” Overwhelmed with emotion, I distract myself by counting the freckles on his jaw. He doesn’t have stubble like Bren or Garrett, and I wonder if he’ll look this way until he fades; he hasn’t aged in the time I’ve known him. I can’t be a wrinkled old woman with a partner who still looks like a teenager, though. That’s just … wrong. We might have to employ one of those spells that modify appearances.

He flicks a glance downward. “Do you need help cleaning up?”

My brows furrow. “I don’t think you … came.” The last word emerges as an embarrassing squeak now that I’m not drowning in lust. I might grow up one day.

Kodi chuckles. “Oh, I definitely came – twice. I thought there might have been a lack of anything substantial, but I consider that a good thing. We don’t want ghost babies.”

Although he’s joking, my imagination latches onto the idea and runs with it. A baby that can appear and disappear at will? It sounds horrifying, but it’s also a shame that Kodi and I will never see the product of our combined genetics.

I snuggle into his warmth, relishing the comfort and sheer novelty of his solid body. I want to absorb every second because I’m uncertain how long the magic will last or when we’ll get another chance.

This is why I don’t protest when Kodi’s lips and hands wander over me again. I also don’t spare a thought for how my legs might appear to him. I focus on enjoying him because I’m aware that he could slip away at any moment. Just like him, Ilong for eternity, but I settle for treasuring every precious second in between.

Chapter 20

Avery

The bond forms the moment Zosia relaxes in her best friend’s nonjudgmental presence. It’s completed before they have sex, which isn’t surprising. They already loved one another. Zosia just needed reassurance and Kodi needed the possibility of a future. Bren’s magic made both possible.

When the ghost’s emotions become part of the bond, they’re muted and more difficult to decipher. I don’t need to worry about my mate, however. Kodi’s love for the sphinx is so great that he refuses to let his soul rest, preferring to stay at her side.

Less than ten minutes after the bond is secured, Zosia’s climax rocks the building … and me. It shakes me to my foundation as I struggle to contain my pleasure. The brothers don’t feel her pleasure as a powerful wave of energy, but they still sense it. Garrett’s aura darkens with frustrated irritation while Bren’s pulses with delight.

My fellow guardians joined me on the rooftop after Garrett finished yelling at Bren. Although it’s been a tedious day, none of us felt like retreating into sleep or solitude.

The shifter has barely spoken. His anger was primarily driven by worry and fear, but he hadn’t realized Bren’s circumstances. He couldn’t see the volatile magic swirling in hisbrother’s aura and only saw his sibling’s actions as reckless and dangerous.

Garrett was also shocked by Kodi’s solidity. Although the plan was agreed upon, I don’t think he realized what the magic would do for Kodi. Is he still jealous? He and Zosia shared a brief connection during their therapy session, but I’m worried that everything has reset.

I feel a duty to broach the difficult conversation with the shifter. I want to strengthen our relationship and uncover whether I should be worried about his jealousy’s negative effects on our mate.

My words are typically articulate and precise, but I struggle with the beginning question. “Your energy is more chaotic than usual,” I observe aloud as I turn toward him. Even without sight, I’m not worried about falling off the roof. The library won’t allow it.

“Are they bonded now?” Garrett’s inquiry is terse and not an answer to my implied subject.

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