Page 42 of Bartender Mate

I tried to keep it cool, gesturing up and down his bloody skin, but my eyes stuck on the massive cock staring me down and easily calling my bluff.

“As you wish.” He bowed. “Lead on, my mate, and we shall follow.”

16

Asteroid

Following my human mate through the silent bar, past the bed we had dragged in only hours before, my heart was practically beating in my throat. Tess took the stairs silently, her hand reaching for Radon, who wound their fingers together.

Behind me, I could feel the longing and regret wafting off Quasar in waves. My mating mark burned with the bitter emotions riding my sweet and sunny mate. I wished I could make it better for him, for both of them, but this was a road he had to navigate alone.

The old building smelled of sweet smoke and hard liquor, with a deep undertone of Tess, and the whisper of her late uncle. A flash of red beat across my vision at the thought of the man who had put my mate and her sole livelihood in the Drakon Hunters hands.

Over my dead body would those filthy witches get their bloody hands on Last Chance Bar.

That was a battle to the death my beast and I would gladly take on.

Inside my skin, my dragon roared in acceptance of the challenge, eager to take my skin and hunt down our prey.

With difficulty, I wrestled the beast back down. It wasn’t sated yet, having been prised from its rightful kill, and the best way to rectify the situation–when no enemy was in sight–was to slake its endless thirst in other ways.

Tess’ apartment was modest. It had to be, as the entire ground floor was taken up with the running of Last Chance Bar, but I liked its unassuming presentation. It held two bedrooms; a tidy–if a little worn–kitchen; and a living room filled with overstuffed couches, books piled on every surface. I ached to have the time to investigate every nook and corner, hunting for clues to the puzzle that was our fourth and final mate, but Tess led me straight through to her modest bedroom.

Behind me, I felt through the bond when Quasar slowed his momentum in the living room. From the creak and groan of overstuffed fabric, I had a feeling he’d flopped dramatically into a chair in the living room and Radon had paused to comfort him.

It was already half-filled with a bed that would only just fit all four of us, if push came to shove, but wouldn't leave much room for any other activities unless we were judicious with space.

“Shower’s in there.” My mate thumbed toward the only door not spilling forth with shoes and clothing and the life of a well-settled, if clearly busy, being. “Towels are in the cupboard and the water takes a minute to get hot, but it’s hot enough to boil an egg once it gets going. So be careful.”

“I can assure you, little mate, that scalding water is the least of my worries.” I leaned in, close enough to watch the mark on her neck pulse in time with her heartbeat for a moment. “When you’re ready, I will introduce you to all the pleasures that can be found under the heated spray.”

“Thanks, big guy, but I’m good,” she muttered, turning away and heading for the living room where Radon and Quasar were waiting. “It's a small space, and shower sex is super uncomfortable and awkward.”

Not wanting to Tess to leave just yet, I quipped, “Then you mustn’t have been with your mates, or with a Drakon male, when you last tried it.” I realized my mistake when her face went pale. “None of us ever meant to hurt or scare you, Tess. Most especially not Quasar. You’ll never meet another male who’ll try harder to meet all of your needs. Even those that might cause himself harm.”

I sent a swell of pride and admiration down the bond to Quasar, feeling his beast stir. It wanted to come to us, to close this unnatural distance, but my mate was still unsure of his welcome.

“I know,” Tess admitted quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she hugged herself, avoiding my eyes. “I just needed a little more time, and I guess a bit of first hand experience with that unholy knot, to know what it would actually feel like when it was inside me.” She took a big breath and squared her shoulders. “Helpless isn’t a feeling I do particularly well with. But I jumped him, just as much as he jumped me, I’ll admit that. It was just too much, too soon.”

I could’ve told her that the reason it hurt was because she fought it. That it would have been absolute bliss if she had relaxed into it, even on her first time, but for now, I would just be grateful that Radon had found the way to soothe her fear when Quasar and I couldn’t.

Part of the reason I was planning on bedding Radon while she and our despondent mate watched was because I needed both of them to see the beauty of battle and submission.

But, if I was really being honest with myself, I’d also missed spending time with my dark mate. Missed the unique give-and-take which we shared. Quasar wasn’t as fond of the hair pulling, and the occasional well-placed slap, but Radon couldn’t get enough of my rougher treatment. And, with my dragon worked up like this, I needed to have a mate beneath me who could take the aggression behind the blood lust, transmuting all of that pent up energy into the passion we both craved.

I took a risk and advanced, crowding her up against the wall. She allowed it, even going so far as to fit her small body up against my imposing one. Her small hands landed on my chest, showing I could come only so far and no further.

I bent low and relished the curl of her scent, the smell of her sweet desire, lifting delicately into the room.

“Promise me that you’ll watch?” I growled against Tess’ ear, enjoying the shiver which traveled down her spine. “Radon was a reluctant mate, too, but for his own reasons. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts. It is true that we have been waiting for you, our fourth, to complete our mating bond. However, we are all whole and worthy on our own as well. Do you understand, Tess?”

“Take your shower, Asteroid,” Tess sighed, giving me a stern look and nodding toward the bathroom. “It smells like a bloody locker room in here.” She nimbly skirted around my bulk in the small room. “I will watch. But I make no promises about my feelings on alien dick. Got it?”

Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and something more. A new spark which was rich and alluring. It conveyed an emotion I couldn't quite pin down. Not yet. But the sight of it summoned my dragon to beat in my chest. I wanted to snatch her up and show her what it was to be a mate.

But I swallowed down the sudden fire in my loins, and nodded, accepting her bold decree.

Patience and loyalty would win more glory than a hasty battle where our fierce human mate was concerned.

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