Page 7 of Slake His Thirst

Her panties were the next casualty of their need, and the second she felt his fingers gliding over her clit, a precursor orgasm hit. It was only the first wave, enough that it should have taken the edge off, but it didn’t. She gripped his massive cock, wishing she had time to worship it as it deserved.

“Enough,” he growled. “Guide it.” His eyes were glazed with raw need, the tendons on his neck were tight, and she felt just how hard and hot he was in her hands.

She lifted her hips and slid him in. If she hadn’t been dripping for him, she never would have gotten him to fit. He was stretching her so full that her head fell back, her hands braced on his chiseled waist. Inch by inch, she took him. The scent of sex filled her lungs as she ground down, taking him all the way to the root.

“You’re so damned tight,” he gritted out.

His warm hands gripped her ass, his fingers flexing as if he wanted to wrest control from her and fuck her, but he didn’t. He waited for her to move, shifting his hold until his thumb circled her clit. She groaned and rode him, faster and faster until she was dizzy, her breathing harsh, her body on fire. She came in a long, exquisite wave. She felt like a mass of exposed nerve endings when he crashed over the edge with her. He shouted her name to the ceiling, and she felt the rush of his warm come jetting inside her. She’d never felt anything like it. He throbbed, somehow hurtling her into another climax. When it was over, she collapsed against his chest, trying to breathe.

The magic running in her veins hadn’t eased. She felt as if she could have sex all over again, and it wouldn’t be enough to release the raw energy coursing through her.

Lucius caressed her back as she lay there. He was being so gentle with her. Even when he spoke, it was soft. “It’s not going to be enough, Sage. You can’t hold this kind of power as a mortal. It will kill you. We have tonight. I’ll do everything to make this special for you.”

She sat up so she could look down at him. Focusing was difficult, and she knew he couldn’t be real. Softly she asked, “Why not special for you too? If this is a once-in-an-eternity thing, why not special for you?”

“Every touch is special. Every breath you take is… I know you don’t understand.” The way he smiled and spoke melted her and made it harder to breathe. She noticed that his features had eased into something less dangerous and more fangless. She couldn’t decide if he was more beautiful now or before, when he was barely gripping the last threads of his control. It was tempting to see what it would take to shred that ruthless restraint. She knew he’d been minding his far superior strength, but she’d never felt more indestructible in her life. Unfortunately, it came with downsides like that fullness of power itching for release—and, according to him, potential death.

He traced a finger over her cheek, his gaze seeming to memorize her features as if he’d never seen anything more beautiful. She felt the evidence of their pleasure sliding between them, and she realized he hadn’t really softened inside her.

His grin was wicked. “I could come for you as many times as you want. That will never be a problem.” The smile faded from his lips. “But right now, we have a little time to talk. I won’t risk more than a couple of hours with you like this.” He moved, settling her so she was on her side, facing him.

As she shifted, she looked around, finally comprehending the vast difference in the space. Her heart stopped. “Calista?”

“She’s safe. You were unconscious, and the plants wouldn’t allow anyone but me near you.”

Her pulse raced when she realized another truth. “I’m not controlling any of this. Who is?” The flora had completely transformed the space, and she hadn’t fully understood when he’d come to her. All of the paths were overgrown and had left the two of them in a small clearing in the center. She sent power out to see if she could clear the way. The vines moved, but she felt the reluctance in a more sentient way than she’d ever felt from plants.

“It’s a power the goddess Demeter once had. You can control them. You raised them.”

“I didn’t ‘raise’ anything.”

The look on his face said she had.

“How can I have powers of a goddess?”

“Hers was one of the powers unleashed at the end of the world… I’m not sure what you know about Demeter.” He clenched his jaw as if he hadn’t been a fan of the woman, and that reminded her how old he could be. Most all of his kind were from an era when gods walked among humans.

“You knew her?”

He shook his head. “‘Knew’ is a stretch. I fought battles against her. She raised forests like these during the wars. The woodlands guarded her, fought for her. She filled them with poisonous species strong enough to fell an Immortal. When she went mad like most of the gods, it only became worse. The creations became more dangerous, deadly to humans. When all the gods were finally contained by the creators millennia ago, the sentience in her creations faded away.”

“I can’t create species.” Anxiety twisted in her gut as she thought of the possible horrors in that kind of power.

“Maybe not. You only have a portion of her abilities. If it had all come to you, it would have killed you.” He was holding back.

“But you’re worried? Worried I’ll accidentally create something deadly.” The power that had been so beautiful suddenly seemed scary as hell. Leaves came to slide over her cheek. Was the forest trying to comfort her? What the hell was happening?

“I worry that even a fraction of her magic is a thousand times too much for a mortal, so we need to change that quickly. I don’t know what it will become. But I’ll be with you as we figure it out.”

Her sister had been with her when this happened, and she worried she could have hurt Calista and not even known it.

Her heart thudded in her chest, and he curled a strong hand over her hip and made little circles with his thumb on her skin. Something in her settled from his touch as much as his words. “It’s okay. Your sister’s safe. Tell me what your power was like before?”

She looked around, thinking. “Earth magic, specifically in plants, always called to me. It strengthens me. I can use it to power spells and wards or to make the plants grow faster and stronger. But tonight, in here, I don’t know what happened. The plants were reaching for me, and the power just kept coming until it was if I’d burst into a thousand pieces, and then nothing. I fell into this dreamlike state. It was pure euphoria after I was compelled here.” She glanced at the statue she’d been led to, a stone goddess with a crown of flowers.

He turned to look at the depiction and shook his head. “Not Demeter. More like a generic representation of the goddess. The plants of all four Realms were under her control, so it was set in the center of a sampling from each plane. None of the other gods had her particular power, and even Immortals with elemental Earth power can’t do this. The entire acre of gardens reconfigured after you came here. It moved and guarded you while you were passed out.” He gestured around them. “And this place recognized I was yours before you did.”

She slid her hand against his chest to get more of his comforting warmth. The entire situation was insane, but somehow, she felt more grounded when touching him. They didn’t know each other, but the connection, the chemistry, was undeniable.

He caught her gaze, and the heated possessiveness she found in the depths of his eyes reminded her of what he’d said about them being in each other’s minds. “You can hear my thoughts, but I can’t hear yours. Sometimes, I feel like I can sense your thoughts, but it’s more like I’m feeling your emotions.” She’d felt his needs.

He nodded very slowly. “I’m trying not to overwhelm you with my thoughts.”

“Yet you’re listening to everything I’m thinking?” She narrowed her eyes at him as she tested her mental wards. She couldn’t see a break, but she didn’t like that he was hearing her thoughts while hiding his own.

She felt it when he slipped into her mind and nearly moaned at the eroticism of having him there. He set the block himself and slipped back after showing her how to use it. “You’re right. It wasn’t fair.”

After sucking in a deep breath, she could focus again. He was a man who could admit he was wrong. That was exceedingly rare, in her experience. She raised an eyebrow, still angry and hating that he’d seen her as some damsel he needed to rescue. “Do you bowl over everyone in your life? Or am I special because I’m mortal?” she asked before continuing. “You could have told me how to block you, but you slipped into my mind and did it instead. Or you could have opened your own blocks. That would have been fair play.”

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