Page 53 of Magic Hunted
My body burned from the inside out when he groaned. The sound was pure sin and ignited the same need within me. His arm enveloped my shoulders, crushing me against him as he swept his tongue into my mouth. I laved my tongue against his, taking all he gave and meeting him for more.
Rightness settled on my shoulders, as though the world tilted on the correct axis for the first time. I clutched his biceps, his shoulder, winding my thigh around his hip, Crushing his rigid length between us. He groaned again when hot wetness smeared against my belly as his tip leaked with his desire. My core throbbed, needing to be filled. I plowed my fingers through his hair, my body throbbing, coming alive.
The hand on my thigh tensed enough to dent my flesh. I broke away from the kiss to see Ashir’s burning gaze over us. His lips twitched into a heart-tripping smile. “That’s how I like to see you wake up.”
Fingers banded along my waist. My naked waist, only now realizing I’d slept through them undressing me, and they were as naked as me.
“That makes two of us, brother.” I turned my head to see Dias rising on his elbow. “I like you sleepy, especially when I know the danger that lies just below your skin.” He kissed my shoulder, branding me. His breath washed over my skin when he kept his lips pressed against me. “When you wake up you’re all ruffled, little kitten. It’s cute.”
My nose crinkled as I stared at him in disbelief. “No one has ever said I’m cute before.”
“I doubt you’ve let anyone close enough to see it before. This look is only for us and I’ll gladly take whatever you give,” Dias said.
The languid heat rose like a wave inside me. My gaze dropped to Dias’ lips, tingling with the urge to kiss him. Then Ashir. Then I wanted all of their mouths on me at once. Their mouths, their hands, their cocks…
I clambered across their bodies and launched myself from the nice warm place between them. A part of me wanted to stay, but thankfully a stronger part enabled me to divert my eyes from their glorious male flesh. “Where are my clothes?”
I needed something between me and them because the larger part of me saw nothing wrong with retracing my steps, settling between them and giving myself over to those urges. Even more so when I realized my panther was completely silent. So silent I felt like I did before she’d appeared.
“On the chair,” Ashir said.
I saw them neatly folded. I leapt on them, struggling to lace my shirt with shaking fingers, because that behavior before was all me. Not the bond. Or soul-lights. Or my panther. There were no excuses for my actions other than a deep urge I couldn’t hold back from.
“Come here, Haera. Let me help.” Ashir laced the shirt with sure fingers. My gaze strayed over the smooth skin and acres of defined flesh, my skin tingling knowing he was naked and completely unconcerned by it. I kept my eyes on his face, knowing if I gave in where my gaze would land. His scent washed over me, making me wonder why I wasn’t shoving him back to bed and following him onto the mattress.
“I can finish,” I said, pulling away and jerking on my pants.
He tucked his knuckle under my chin, giving me no opportunity to look away when I fell into his serious gaze. “We’re only going to help you. We meant what we said. This is all your pace. Your choice.”
“What if I don’t choose you?” I croaked. I ignored the hit of desperate wrongness, so complete that if I could take those words back, I’d stuff them down my throat in a second, but Ashir’s lips merely tugged into a smile.
“Then we let you do that too,” he said.
Savvas leapt from the bed, an easy grin on his face. He made no move to cover himself as he picked a pile of clothing off the floor and stepped into his pants. His smile curved more when he tucked himself into his pants and laced the sides together. Then I realized I was staring and the smirk on Dias’ face told me they all felt the lust racing through me. I threw my leather vest on, turning away and tucking in the shirt to hide the heat burning my cheeks.
“Come on, magic. Let’s get you fed,” Dias said, taking my hand once he’d shucked on his clothes.
I turned to find them all dressed. Shanyirra was nowhere to be found, but at some point she’d filled the table with breakfast food. Savvas helped me into a seat and then the three of them sat down, enclosing me as usual.
“Eat, Haera,” Ashir said, sliding a freshly baked roll onto my plate. The small gesture was thoughtful and I was equal parts destroyed and delighted. It meant he listened and remembered, but also no one had treated me like this for most of my life. I took the roll and slathered it with butter, not knowing how to respond to the riot of contradictory thoughts bombarding me.
Push and pull. Give and take. Desire and rejection. Swinging from one to another on a giant pendulum.
“Now that we seem to have no babysitters, I don’t see why we can’t take a better look at this place,” Dias said.
“Are you up to it?” Ashir turned to me, giving me a choice. Always giving me a choice.
I was rested. My belly was full and getting out of a space that was much too small with the three alphas was a good idea. I nodded, rising from the table. Savvas followed and took my hand as we stepped through the door. He glanced upwards. “Tell me what you think of the eternal midnight sun.”
I followed his gaze to the ceiling, where the blue moss cast both light and shadows overhead. “I miss the sun. And the heat of the jungle. Not the humidity,” I said, considering. “Especially in the summer after a rainfall.” More often than not, that was oppressive.
“That’s the best time,” Savvas said.
“Best time for what?” I asked. I’d always ended up trying to find the coolest place in the stronghold for some relief.
“The best time to shift and swim,” Dias said, moving to my other side. We walked along the pathway between the huts. The blue light cast his features in a play of deep shadow that accentuated his cutting cheekbones and jawline. He was as lethal in human form as he was in panther form.
There was a deep pool in a twist in the river where shifters congregated to play. Humans never went there. At least the smart ones didn’t. The dumb ones usually trespassed on a dare. Most didn’t entertain the thought of going; the panthers were so far beneath them. Something I found ironic because most humans were immoral scum.
