Page 104 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

“Okay. That settles it. Alaric strip, the sun is about to come up, and I have a mate to finish claiming.” Aurora reaches back and grabs both of our hands, dragging us out of the tent. She proceeds to shift her finger and use her talon to cut Alaric out of his clothing. Alaric is laughing hysterically at Aurora’s antics.

Once naked, Alaric moves away from the now-gathering crowd and shifts into his dragon form. Shit, I didn’t know he was that big. I really feel puny in comparison to Aurora and her other mates. Alaric’s dragon roars then breathes fire harmlessly into the sky. He turns his massive head to look at us. Aurora just laughs, grabs my hand, and starts to run towards Alaric.

I’m a bit hesitant to climb onto the great beast’s back, but Aurora doesn’t exactly give me a choice. She moves us to stand between Alaric’s wings. When she feels we’re ready, she pats his back with her hand, and he takes off, launching us into the sky. I watch Aurora carefully; she’s shifting her eyes to that of herbeast. I can only assume she’s in deep conversation with Alaric as we fly because he keeps changing course according to the direction she’s looking in.

I can tell by the way the winds feel there are good thermals here. Alaric glides effortlessly for long periods of time just by adjusting his wings. “Time to fly, Arnulf.” Aurora lets go of the spines on Alaric’s back before I’m halfway stripped. She goes running for his tail as I get free of my pants.

The next thing I know, my crazy mate runs and jumps off of Alaric’s tail and starts riding the thermals.Fuck.I shift quickly and fly to catch up with her. Gracefully, I swoop and glide along with her completing the aerial dance portion of the mating ritual. I watch Aurora watching me as I maneuver around her.

I honestly think she’s a bit jealous. When every step has been completed properly, I move into position. I strike quickly, sinking my talons into the muscles of her shoulders. We fly like this for several seconds before I lower my beak. I bite her on the back of her neck, just under her hairline. I hold her, tasting her blood. I feel the bond snap into place instantly. The urge now to land is strong; we must finish the bond to make it permanent. I release Aurora and follow where she’s leading me. I’m anxious and can’t wait to land. For being a terrestrial being, Aurora makes a great landing then quickly strips out of her wing suit.

I feel like she’s hunting me after I shift back to my human form. Suddenly, she jumps and tackles me to the ground. Her mouth descends, and she bites into my shoulder again. Aurora is dominating our mating; I feel her trying to line me up with her soaking wet sex. I grip my already leaking cock and tease her wet folds several times. Aurora’s frustrated growls rumble a vibration through my chest. A quick thrust and I drive my length home; her gasp is music to my ears. Aurora may be on top and built heavier than I am, but I’m not about to be entirely dominated by her.

I roll her onto her back with all of my strength and begin to thrust deeply into her. With every stroke, I can feel Aurora’s muscles tightening within her warm, wet depths. Her rhythmic gripping and pulsing around my shaft brings me closer to release. I feel her love, joy, and elation flowing through the bond to me.

It’s times like this that I wish I were more like her species; I want to bite and mark her like this. I lean forward just as she screams her release and bite her shoulder with my human teeth. I can’t break the skin, but it has the effect I was hoping to get. Aurora’s orgasm intensifies and she begins crushing down on my shaft, milking every single inch. I’m fighting to hold on long enough for her to finish, but it’s no use. Aurora bites me again, growling and bucking under me, and I cum harder than I ever have before—filling her womb with my seed.

We pant, trying to slow our breathing. We rock against each other, holding on tightly, riding out the final throbs and pulses of our orgasms. Reluctantly we release the tight grip we have on each other. Aurora begins to lick at her bite marks on my shoulders. Carefully, she cleans both wounds, making sure they will heal properly. I will proudly display her marks for all to see in the future. I raise my head to look down at my beautiful mate.

Aurora looks up at me; a soft smile plays upon her full pouty lips. Her hand slowly raises and caresses my cheek. “Do you know you’re a beautiful man, Arnulf?”

I raise my eyebrows in mock shock. “You don’t say? Hmm, it takes a beauty to know a beauty.” I watch Aurora blush, and I feel a warmth in my chest. And then I’m assaulted by feelings and presences I cannot explain. I whip my head around, looking at my surroundings, trying to figure out what exactly is going on.

Aurora shakes her head gently. “That’s the bond fully snapping into place. You can feel the others; we are all able to feel each other. I’m sorry, I forgot to warn you about that aheadof time.” Aurora looks genuinely upset with herself and lowers her head for a moment.

CHAPTER 87

Arnulf

A dragon’sroar sounds in my head as if he’s overhead. I move away from Aurora quickly and begin to search the surrounding skies for the enraged dragon. Aurora shifts the moment the dragon’s roar sounds; her massive beast locks eyes with me, and in my head I hear her animal’s call. I’m lost in her gaze. In my mind’s eye, I can see Alaric’s dragon calling and Aurora’s beast roaring back up at it.

To be able to watch these two titans in our mate link is insane. Alaric calms down then turns his massive dragon head to face me. He dips his head once in my direction, then fades from view. That was more than just the mate link; I believe I was just pulled into an astral plane—the mental realm that dragons can create to communicate over great distances and see each other. I’ve heard stories of the mythic beasts being able to do this, but to witness it for myself is massively impressive.

Aurora’s beast stalks towards me, and up to this point, I’ve never gotten to appreciate the beauty of her. Several blinks of my eyes and we are back on the mountainside, and her beast is standing before me like in the astral plane. Cautiously, I walk around Aurora’s beast and note its dragon and wolven features. It’s a miracle that the two species produced a child in the firstplace. The delicate scales that adorn her eyes almost act like eyeliner. Her muzzle is thick and strong with bony plates similar to Alaric’s dragon. Her beast has the size of Dimitri’s bear but the Lycan body like Klaus’s. I’m not sure where the twins’ Dire Wolves come into play, but I’m sure it’s just as impressive.

Aurora locks eyes with me again, and I hear her voice clear as day.Let’s hunt.It’s another astonishing development to be able to speak to each other without words.

I nod my head and shift to my eagle quickly. I fly a small circle around Aurora until she raises an armored gauntlet to me. I watch her turn her arm, so the smooth inner scales face up for me to land on safely. Apparently, it’s my turn to be inspected by her.

Once I’m settled on her arm, I watch those dragon slits roam over my feathered form. Hesitantly, she presses her nose to my feathers and inhales deeply, learning my bird’s scent. Soft rumbles resembling a purr sets my animal at ease. We both know she would never harm her mate. Aurora and I look at each other for several moments before I take flight, scanning the hillside, looking for quarries big enough for Aurora’s beast to hunt. All I spot are several roe deer and what looks like other Lycans on the mountainside, heading our way fast.

Panicked, I call to Aurora through the newly-formed bond. I hear Alaric and Dimitri telling me they are on their way with the others. On a good headwind, it will easily take them over an hour to get here. I can’t help but feel so useless. I don’t have the weapons or the size of her other mates.

I watch in horror as the first two large Lycans reach Aurora. Honestly, I think her beast is smirking, looking at the much smaller black Lycans. They come to a sudden stop when they realize how much bigger my mate is than they are. Aurora is biding her time as I update her on how many Lycans in total are on their way up. When half of the rogue pack breaks into theclearing, they go on the offensive and attempt to attack Aurora from all sides. I’m in a state of panic. I screech into the wind, attempting to summon my people. It doesn’t work; we are too far away for my voice to carry far enough to receive aid. So I change tactics and start knocking branches and pieces of trees down onto the attackers.

An odd sensation comes over me as the other mates’ concern floods my system with emotions that are not my own. Alaric demands that I land and focus my eyes on the fight so they can see. How in the ever-loving hell is that supposed to work? I do as I’m told and watch Aurora rip a Lycan in half right before my eyes.

Her great white beast roars as blood sprays, drenching her white fur, painting it crimson. She throws the halves of her previous attacker at its pack mates, covering them in a viscous fluid. The other mates are cheering in my head, and I feel like I’m in the middle of some paranormal gladiator pit. I’m not sure what’s more disturbing: the tingle in the back of my head because I’m basically live broadcasting the fight or the fact I’m able to.

By the time I can focus on everything again, Aurora has two more Lycans decapitated, and the fifth one is giving her a hard time. The guys are easily still thirty minutes out, and there are three more still climbing up the hillside to join their pack mates. The Lycan that was giving Aurora trouble is now headless and on the ground. Aurora tilts her head back and howls her death song into the wind.

I watch her ears swivel, picking up the rest of the rogue Lycans’ footsteps approaching from the south. Aurora’s beast seems to live for moments like this. Leisurely, she lowers her massive frame to the point that her talons dig into the blood-covered soil below her. Aurora’s tail swishes side-to-side, impatiently waiting for the last of the Lycans to arrive.

The final three make it to the battle scene only to find their pack mates in various states of decimation. Aurora’s beast is borderline in a frenzy from all the blood in the air. Its coppery tang hangs heavily in the air to the point I can taste it way up here. Aurora is clearly gearing up for something huge. I can see the frost gathering in her fur; her voice rings out in a roar-howl-like tone.

Aurora rises from her lowered stance, and without warning she throws her taloned hands up into the air. Ice spikes shoot up from the ground under the Lycans—impaling them where they stand. The bodies twitch and are frozen in a state of shock. They kind of remind me of those puppets on the sticks I use to play with as a child. I don’t know if I’m more terrified or impressed with my mate right now.

Aurora’s rage is palatable in the air as her beast throws its head back and howls its death song yet again. My eagle wants to fly and hide even though she’s our mate. The fight-or-flight instinct is almost overwhelming. Alaric’s dragon’s roar answers Aurora’s beast. She throws her head back a second time and lets loose a location call to help Alaric find us easier. In the meantime, Aurora is ripping the heads off of her attackers and piling them up.

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