Page 66 of Unleashed

“You are pushing us forward,” Aduun said, cupping her cheeks and leaning down until he was her entire world. “And you will not give up. Do you understand,hoomin? You are our tribe, our mate, and you will stand with us always, even if we have to hold you up.”

Despite her aching muscles and the dull pain in her shoulder, Nina raised her arms and embraced him, settling her hands over his flattened quills.

“You are all worth it,” she repeated, nuzzling her face against his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off the floor, and drew her close, settling her between his legs so she could lay against his chest. His short fur was soothing against her bare skin.

“As are you,” Aduun replied, running a hand down her back.

When Balir and Vortok moved closer, Aduun opened his arms. All three valos surrounded her, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders, forming a ring of muscle, fur, and scales that protected her from everything and anything outside of it. For a little while, her aches faded, her worries dissolved, and she had the odd, satisfying sensation of beinghome.

Eventually, Balir and Vortok pulled back. Vortok helped Nina drink from the waterskin before he and Balir seated themselves on either side of Aduun, each keeping a hand on Nina. The comfort of their touches, their nearness, soon lulled her back to sleep.

Chapter Fourteen

A bright light shining in the darkness roused Nina from sleep. Her eyes adjusted slowly; the walls of the cave seemed to solidify around her, their details easing into view a little at a time. The light beyond the cave’s opening had that pure, golden quality that usually signified mid-morning.

She stretched, feeling thirsty but strangely rejuvenated. Even her shoulder didn’t hurt as much as it had before she’d slept. Her thighs brushed against fur and scales as she moved. Thebedbeneath her stirred, and she lifted her head to find herself laying face down on Aduun, her legs straddling his, with Balir and Vortok pressed close on either side.

Looking up, she met Aduun’s alert amber eyes and smiled. “Good morning,” she said and winced at the gravelly sound of her voice.

Vortok groaned and shifted his bulk, reaching behind him. After a bit of feeling around, he produced a waterskin and held it to her, all without opening his eyes.

Nina took it with a quiet thank you before removing the stopper and drinking. The water, though warm, felt wonderful to her parched throat. She sealed the container and set it down beside Aduun when a pair of hands grabbed her waist and pulled her off him.

Balir laid her on her side, facing him, and wrapped his limbs and tail around her. His rattling purr vibrated into her, and Nina’s breath hitched as the sensation budded her nipples.

“How do you feel?” he whispered in her ear. His breath teased her hair, sending a delightful shiver straight to her core.

“Good,” she replied huskily.

“May I make you feel even better?” One of his hands brushed over her breast and trailed lower over her abdomen.

Nina’s breath quickened. A sudden, needy ache blossomed between her legs, and warmth flooded her. She parted her thighs, welcoming his touch. “Yes.”

His long fingers continued past the hair covering her mound and slipped between the folds of her sex. She made a small sound when he brushed her clit. He paused, and his lips curled in a slow, mischievous grin, revealing his sharp teeth. His fingers delved farther into her heat to gather her moisture before lazily swirling around her clit. Pleasure bloomed, slow and wonderful, within her. It spread gradually, coaxing her to ease her body into his caress and give in to him.

Panting, she grasped Balir’s arms and squeezed her eyes closed as the sensations steadily grew. Her thighs trembled, and she lingered on the edge, rocking her pelvis into his touch. Balir inhaled deeply and growled.

He suddenly pushed her onto her back. She opened her eyes as he rose over her, teeth bared, and wedged his body between her spread thighs. The head of his cock pressed against her opening. Anxiety and anticipation warred within her; she braced herself for the coming pain.

Balir surged forward, filling her to the hilt.

Nina cried out his name in a gasp, throwing her head back. There was no pain; her moisture and his secretions made his entry smooth, leaving only that fullness that forced her to stretch to accommodate his size and that delicious friction produced by every pump of his hips.

He grabbed her legs and guided them around his waist before dropping his hands to her hips. His hold drew her against him to meet his thrusts, pushing him deeper. The light graze of his claws over her skin and the stroke of the scales at the base of his shaft only added to her pleasure. She dropped her hands to either side of her head and clenched fistfuls of the fabric.

Her lips parted as she panted with every pound of Balir’s cock, and met both Aduun and Vortok’s gazes. They watched her raptly, their gazes filled with hunger, their bodies tense with longing. Vortok sat with his legs stretched out before him, and Aduun was on his knees, giving her a full view of their erections.

Vortok lowered a hand to his shaft and curled his fingers around it. His eyes darkened with lust as he stroked himself, never looking away from her.

Nina met Aduun’s gaze and bit her lip. She covered her breasts with her hands. His gaze followed, and his fists clenched at his sides. He appeared ready to pounce at any moment.

Balir released her hips, though he didn’t slow his pace. He fell over her, one hand dropping to the blanket beside her head while he brought the other to her face. She looked at him. The pad of his thumb brushed over her lips, the tip of a finger traced her brow and swept across her temple to her hairline and back again; he wasfeelingher expression, looking at her through touch.

Nina lifted her hands and cupped the sides of his head, brushing her fingers over the bony ridge atop his skull.

—so warm, so beautiful. She’s mine. Mine—

And you are mine, she projected as she opened herself up to him.

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