Page 32 of Fated Protector

Jack leans over me, his body a solid force against mine, though he holds himself up on his elbows so as not to crush me with his weight. My hipbones cradle his, fitting together perfectly. He bends my right leg, kissing the curve of my knee as his fingers trace the contours of my thigh. When he reaches my ass, he squeezes it, a sweet pleasure-pain that has me jolting against him. He eases that leg to the side before moving to my left leg, granting it the same gentle ministrations before spreading my thighs apart. He gazes at my swollen center, slick with desire and already clenching around an aching emptiness. I need him. I need him inside me. Nothing else matters until that happens.

Electricity sparks through my veins, a slow, curling sensation languid in its ability to ramp up my senses while allowing me to savor every bit of this wonderful moment. Jack presses a soft kiss to the crease between my hip and groin before licking at my clit. I gasp, but he keeps the pace slow, the licks simple and teasing. His eyes are on me, except for the moments when he groans against my core, eyes closed in ecstasy.

He rubs and presses against me with the heel of his palm, an action that is quickly becoming one of my favorite moves in his sexual arsenal. When I start thrusting against his hand, seeking that wonderful pressure, he takes his hand away. I whimper at its absence, at a loss though I know something even better is coming.

He works his way back up my body before taking my mouth in a soft kiss. He licks at the seam of my lips, and when I grant him entrance, he growls against my mouth. I can feel the sound rumble through his chest, and I can’t help but rub myself against his tree-trunk thigh. As I force myself to stop, he snarls, grabbing my ass and guiding me back to his leg.

“Use me,” he says. “Take what you need.”

The way he offers himself has me grinding his leg in a frenzy, and within moments, colors dance behind my eyes as I come from the friction. He bites at the hollow between my neck and shoulder. “That’s right. See this here? I’m gonna bite you right here. I’m gonna make you mine. It’s gonna hurt, but then it will hurt so good, I swear.”

“Do it,” I pant, “Do it now.”

He slides his hand down to my entrance, and his eyes roll back as he dips his fingers into wetness. “Is this all for me? You’re fucking soaked, cher.”

“Yes, yes, all for you,” I chant, and he rewards me by replacing his fingers with the head of his cock, nudging at my slick opening. He rotates his hips so that his dick comes close to pressing inside but instead rubs and teases my already swollen flesh. I claw at his back, the great need inside me becoming more and more violent. The bastard is grinning down at me; he knows that he is making me crazy.

I grab his bicep and pull him close enough that I can whisper into his ear. “Fuck me now,” I hiss, “or I’ll throw you in a garbage dumpster.”

He lets out a surprised laugh, a sound that is somehow sexy even in this moment. Then, at last, he relieves me of my agony and thrusts into me in one, single movement.

“Fuck, princess,” he groans, stilling inside me, his forearms shaking with the effort. “You’re so tight. How do you feel so fucking perfect?” He draws himself out and then pushes back in again, his face twisting in pleasure. I tilt my hips upward so that I can feel every inch of him deep within me.

Every move is faster and rougher than the last, and I rock my hips to meet every one of his thrusts. I cry out with every motion, feeling full and perfect. Feeling like this is all meant to be, which it is.

He slows his pistoning movements for a moment, dipping his hands between us and finding my swollen clit. He swirls his thumb along it, pressing hard as he grunts, “Come for me.”

And I do. My back arches upward, and I shout as pleasure twists through me. At the peak of my orgasm, my muscles clenching around his dick, he bites down hard on my shoulder. The pain skyrockets the pleasure, and I scream as more waves seize my body. He thrusts as his teeth pierce my skin, and then he is coming too, roaring out his possessive pleasure against my slick skin.

And then, he’s here inside me. The bond snaps into place, and joy and comfort and love, and a pounding pulse ofmine mine minesings through my chest and center of my heart. Tears roll down my cheek at the sheer immensity of emotion. Jack kisses each salty drop away, but it doesn’t matter because a few roll down his face as well.

“I love you,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around him. “So much. It almost hurts how much.”

“It won’t always be this intense,” he whispers, but his voice is tight. “It’s the Mate bond. It’ll be much more manageable.” He runs a hand down my cheek. “But I promise you, even if the way it presents changes over time, it will never change how much I love you.”

And then, he kisses me, simple and pure. The kiss is filled with gratitude for what has happened and anticipation for what is yet to come. We are each other’s Mates, and we will stand together from this point on until the end of it all.

CHAPTER18

This time, the dream is not quiet.

All around me, houses explode into shards of glass and charred wooden beams. The screams fill my ears, deafening me to anything other than pain and destruction. My skin burns and blisters from the heat, while all around me, Rougarous, both shifted and unshifted, run in the chaos. Someone male is shouting orders, barking commands that pierce through the haze of panic, but his voice cuts off with a sharp gasp. I whirl my head back and forth, but I can't find Will or his parents.

And I can't find Jack.

I run from house to house, banging on the doors, calling to see if anyone is still inside. I look for my new family at every residence, but I don't see them anywhere. The flames have calmed, and the screams have quieted into sobs. Then, as rain begins to fall, causing the flames to flutter and spit before extinguishing completely someone howls.

It's the most heartbreaking sound I've ever heard, and dozens more join. This low keening wail rises in intensity until it becomes a chorus — a chorus of pain, sorrow, and loss.

A chorus of death.

I sit up with a jolt, my heart beating so rapidly that my chest aches. I clutch at Jack's arm, shaking him awake. "We have to go," I say, numb from shock. "We have to gonow."

Jack is awake in an instant, sitting up and tugging me to him in a protective embrace. "What is it?" he asks. "What did you see?"

"Your village, it's in the Bayou, right?" I say. He nods. "We have to go. It's going to be destroyed. People will die."

"Tonight?” he asks in a rough voice. “Is it tonight?"

---