M&L03 - SS (15 page)

“Why didn’t you come to me
about this Renee? We’ve talked about mating bonds before and I’ve told you
there’s nothing I want more than a mate and a family.”

“You have beautiful women
falling at your feet everywhere you go Solomon. Why would you want to give them
all up for me?”

“Because I want to be with
someone whose beauty radiates from within, not someone who’s beauty is poured
from a bottle or smeared on with a sponge. I’m not saying they’re bad people,
some of them are very kind and caring, and most of them are energetic and
fun-loving, but they are all pale substitutes for you.

I love every part of you
Renee, from your slender body to the tiny little freckles on your nose, to your
kind heart and your sharp intellect. You are the perfect woman for me and if
I’d had any sense at all, I would have known the fates had already chosen my
mate even though I couldn’t sense the bond without my fox. I’m so sorry that
I’ve made you feel like you’re somehow unworthy of being my mate because the
truth is; I am unworthy of being yours.”

He kissed the top of my head
and his arms tightened around me for a moment. It felt so good to be held in
his arms after the months of being here alone.

“I’m sorry Solomon. You’ve
told me from the very beginning that I’m beautiful but I just don’t see myself
that way. It’s so much easier to believe you only say those things to be nice,
especially when I’ve seen the women you’re drawn to physically.”

“That’s just it Renee. With
them, the attraction was purely physical, but with you, the physical attraction
is only the beginning. A few moments of hot, sweaty sex was all I wanted from
them. With you...” he shook his head then pulled back so I could see his face.
“I want to make love to you for hours, days even, because when I touch you I
feel truly alive, as if just being near you makes my heart beat stronger, my
lungs breathe deeper. You bring joy to my life, and a sense of peace that I
can’t even begin to explain. And all that was true without the help of the
mating bond. All that was why I never pushed you to take that final step with
me. I couldn’t risk it knowing it could all be ripped apart by a twist of fate
neither of us would have any control over.”

It was everything I’d ever
dreamed of hearing him say, but could I believe him? If I gave him my heart and
he broke it, the pain would be devastating, something I might not be able to
survive.

“You don’t have to make any
decisions today Renee,” he whispered, and I realized all my doubts must have
been painted across my face like a billboard for him to read.

I opened my mouth to speak
but before anything came out he claimed my lips, his tongue sliding past them
to tangle with mine as he devoured me with his kiss. His arms tightened,
crushing me against his hard muscular body, the rigid length between his legs.
Desire burned through me like wildfire and I clutched at him, trying to bring
him even closer. Only when I was dizzy from the lack of oxygen did he finally
end the kiss with a satisfied grin curling his slightly swollen lips.

“We’re only at first base,
remember.” He winked at me. He actually
winked
at me and all I could do
was lay there gasping while my body went up in flames. “And since neither of us
are allowed to steal home plate, I’m going to leave you here alone to get ready
for the tournament.”

He rolled off the bed and
started reciting the incantations to open a portal. When the shimmering rainbow
of colors appeared, he stepped towards the translucent barrier but stopped when
I called his name. He turned towards me and I crawled off the bed making sure
the sheet I’d been wearing stayed behind, so that when I stood before him I was
completely nude.

No way was I letting him
leave with that smug expression on his face. I might not have the sexiest body
in the world, but I knew how to move like I did.

I closed the distance between
us slowly, making sure my hips swayed with every step I took. He swallowed
hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down while other parts of his anatomy
swiftly came to attention.

“I’d like to go to the
tournament together. Would you wait for me in your suite? Maybe even leave this
portal open until I get there?”

He nodded and his eyes
skimmed down my body then back up again. I’d never seen his eyes burn so hot,
the three colors of his soul forming rings of fire that seared my flesh
everywhere they touched.

I reached out and lightly
scraped my nails down his bare arm. He shivered where he stood and closed his
eyes with a groan. When he opened them again I added, “And Solomon, I think
it’s time everyone knows who you belong to. You know, just so the droves of
women have fair warning before they get their throats ripped out.”

Now I winked at him and he
let a slow grin curl his lips.

“You’re playing with fire
Renee, but I’ll play along. After all, a promise is a promise. When you’re
ready we’ll move on to second base but no matter how hot you make me burn I
won’t let anything else happen between us.”

My nipples tightened with a
wave of desire that sent a rush of damp heat to the needy place between my
thighs. Solomon inhaled deeply and smiled like the Cheshire cat. “This is going
to be so much fun.”

He turned and stepped through
the portal leaving me very wet and very horny. Why had I thought toying with
him was such a good idea? The man has been leading women around by their libidos
for centuries. Clearly, I was out of my league, but as usual that only meant I
needed to step up my game. Surrender was never an option once I set my mind to
something. Then again, there wouldn’t be a game to play if I hadn’t insisted on
taking things slow.

For a brief moment, I wished
I had just let the mating frenzy have its way with me. Then I remembered the
look in Solomon’s eyes as I walked across the room naked and I had to agree
with him. This really was going to be so much fun.

Smiling to myself, I headed
to the bathroom for what would surely be only the first of many cold showers to
be taken before Solom
on found his way to home plate.

~ Solomon ~

After a very long, very cold
shower, I pulled on a pair of black leather pants, a tank top of the same color
and a pair of boots. It was what we typically wore to the annual tournament or
any other supernatural venue where fights might break out in the blink of an
eye. Since the leather and boots offered some protection from claws and knives,
a lot of people also wore leather vests. I didn’t bother because nightshifters
could heal most damage within moments and anything we couldn’t shake off that
fast, leather wouldn’t protect us from anyway. I only wore the pants and boots
for the same reason I wore the jacket and slacks to the banquet - it was what
the occasion called for.

When Renee came through the
portal her short auburn curls were pulled back from her face with barrettes and
her attire was similar to mine, but nothing about her clothing made me think it
was designed for protection. She wore low rise pants that looked like leather
but had to be some kind of stretchy synthetic material because they were simply
too tight to be anything else. Her black top was conservative by supernatural
standards but still managed to leave her midriff and arms bare while lifting
her breasts up as if they were on display. The final touch was a pair of knee
high boots with spiked silver heels that gave the entire outfit a dangerously
sexy appeal and had my blood pumping harder to lower regions of my body as I
devoured her with my eyes.

“I ah...” She cleared her
throat and tried again, shifting from one foot to the other. “I thought it best
to keep the tattoo on my back covered.”

I forced myself to look up
from her breasts and meet her worried green eyes. “That’s probably for the
best. I don’t plan to remove my shirt in public right now either. We wouldn’t
want anyone thinking my mate is already dead.”

Her face fell. “I’m so sorry
Solomon.”

I crossed the room and
wrapped my arms around her. “Don’t be sorry Renee. Now that we’re together it’s
only a matter of time before that eye is open and another one appears on your
back.”

She laid her cheek against my
chest and squeezed her arms around me. “When you say that, I almost believe
it.”

“That’s because you know I’m
a man of my word. If I say I will make something happen, I will.” It felt so
good to hold her that I was reluctant to let go, but it was almost time for the
opening ceremonies. “Are you sure you don’t want to cover the mating marks?”

“Yes. I know there’s going to
be a lot of talk but the sooner we get this over with the better. Waiting would
only give me more time to worry about how everyone is going to react.”

I kissed the top of her head
and hugged her tight one more time before letting her go. “I’m not so sure
everyone will be as shocked as you expect them to be. According to Katerina our
eventual mating has always been a forgone conclusion in everyone’s minds but
ours.”

Renee snorted. “Yeah, that’s
why all those women have been lining up to sleep with you night after night. I
thought shapeshifters steered clear of mated shifters.”

I gestured towards the door.
“Usually they do, but we weren’t really mated yet. Now that we’re marked they
should back off, which will honestly be a huge relief.”

“But not nearly as
entertaining,” she laughed as I opened the door for her to pass through. “It
was actually kind of funny watching you turn down that parade of women at the
bar last night.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You saw
that?” I asked, closing the door behind us. We were heading towards the
elevator now.

“Yeah, and it was a good
thing you didn’t touch any of them because I’m sure my fox would’ve reacted
just like she did in that dream all those months ago. I have a little more
control over her now, but nowhere near what an adult shapeshifter should have.”

“You might be an adult, but
your fox is only six months old. Most of us who were born shifters didn’t have
good control of our beasts until we were at least twenty years old. It
shouldn’t take you that long to learn control because you’re not a child, but
no one would hold it against you if your fox slipped its leash now and then -
especially not if someone was trying to steal your mate.”

I pressed the button to call
the elevator.

“I would hold it against me,”
Renee pouted.

I growled and pulled her
close, unable to resist the temptation of that lower lip being pushed out. I
nipped at it then covered her lips with mine for a long, hungry kiss with
roaming hands and gasping breaths.

When the elevator dinged,
Renee pulled back from the kiss and smiled up at me. She was so damn sexy with
her lips damp and swollen from my kisses.  

The elevator doors slid open
and inside was a disaster waiting to happen. I had less than a second to react
but thankfully I read Rachel’s mind just in time to stop the scathing remark
she was about to deliver. Deciding it was best if she left the area, I gave her
a mental push sending her on her way after erasing her memories of seeing us in
the hall. That should have been the end of it but unfortunately Jasper had
other ideas.

“You don’t have any right to
screw with her mind,” he growled, striding towards me and Renee with murder in
his eyes.

I barely had time to set
Renee aside before his fist swung out and connected with the side of my head.
The lights dimmed for a second but I shook it off. The next time he came for me
I caught his arm and twisted it behind his back at the same time that I shoved
him face first into the wall. He was briefly stunned but quickly recovered and
tried to get free from my hold. I twisted his arm harder and jerked it upwards
until he howled in pain, then I eased off and tried to reason with him.

“I’ll let you slide this one
time Jasper because I know how much you care about Rachel and I know you’re
only looking out for her.”

“You don’t know shit about my
feelings for Rachel...”

I jerked his arm up again and
he closed his mouth.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,
but what I do know is this; you just attacked a clan leader. Lucky for you, I’m
not going to kill you, but try that again and I won’t have any choice. Now I
want you to think long and hard about what would happen to Rachel if she
mouthed off to the wrong person here. If you care as much as you say you do,
then you should stop that before it happens. I don’t like tampering with her
mind any more than you like me doing it, but we can’t have her running around
inviting challenges that she won’t be able to meet. Do you understand what I’m
telling you?”

His eyes flicked to Renee and
the unfinished mating marks, then he closed them and nodded his head. Renee was
usually pretty level headed but mating could make even the sanest of us a
little crazy at times. Anyone who saw the unfinished mating marks on our bodies
would know they should tread carefully or risk having us blow up in their
faces. Well, anyone but Rachel. She still hadn’t grasped just how dangerous our
world could be.

“Good. I’m going to let you
go now and I think you should catch up to Rachel before she finds any more
trouble to get into.”

Slowly, I released my hold on
Jasper. When he was free, he glared at me but kept his comments to himself and
left to find Rachel.

“So that was Rachel huh?”
Renee asked once Jasper was gone. I nodded. “And Jasper is what? Her love
slave?”

I smiled and pushed the
button for the elevator again. The doors opened immediately and we stepped
inside. “I’m not sure that’s what I’d call him but he’s definitely been
whipped.”

Renee laughed and we both
leaned against the back wall in comfortable silence. When the elevator stopped
at the first floor, she pushed off from the wall and squared her shoulders.

I reached out and took her
hand, bringing it to my lips for a kiss, then I held it there until she met my
eyes. “You are a strong, vibrant woman and any man would be proud to have you
at his side.”

She smiled at me and for the
first time I got the sense that she truly believed what I was telling her. It
made me want to kiss her, to lift her up in my arms and never let go, but I
didn’t do either of those things because the elevator doors opened and
Scarlett, a tall bear shifter with fiery red hair, stepped inside. Scarlett was
an entertainment manager who worked under me at Myths and Legends so her and
Renee knew each other well but weren’t exactly the best of friends - not that
they were enemies; it was just hard for anyone to be close friends with
Scarlett. At least that had been true before she recently found her mate.

Scarlett’s eyes went wide.
“Oh. My. God. I can’t believe you two are mated. Well, yes I can, you totally
belong together, but I never thought anything would make Solomon settle down.”

She pulled Renee in for a hug
and her mate, Noah, stepped up behind her. He was big like Doyle and from what
I’d heard; he was wicked fast and deadly with a blade. Scarlett met him right
before the curse was lifted and though they got off to a rocky start; their
mating bond was now complete.

Noah extended his hand to me.
“Congratulations on your mating.”

We shook hands then he
stepped back just as Scarlett finally released Renee. Scarlett was beaming with
happiness but Renee just seemed a little shell-shocked. Scarlett had never been
this warm and friendly before she met Noah and it looked like Renee wasn’t sure
what to make of it.

“Thanks, and I guess I should
say the same to you,” I said nodding toward the mating marks on his arms. “And
if I’m not mistaken you’ve taken the plunge to become a nightshifter - bear I’m
assuming.”

“Ah yeah... Thanks.” He
replied rubbing the back of his neck.

There was a moment of awkward
silence that dimmed Scarlett’s hundred-watt smile then we said our goodbyes and
exited the elevator.

Once the doors were closed
Renee asked, “Was that really Scarlett, or has she been possessed by aliens
since the last time I saw her?”

I laughed as we started
heading towards the lobby. “I don’t think it was aliens but she’s certainly not
behaving like her old self.” I shrugged my shoulder. “Mating has that effect on
some people I suppose.”

“Who is that guy she’s mated
to anyway and where did he come from?” Renee asked taking my hand in hers as we
walked down the dimly lit corridor.

“I don’t really know a lot
about him, we’ve only met once or twice before but he seems to be very good for
her.”

“I wonder how Gunther is
taking their mating. Everyone knows he wanted Scarlett to be his life partner
but she wouldn’t have anything to do with him. Not that I blame her at all,
Gunther is an overbearing asshole, but he’s also their clan leader and someone
who doesn’t like to be crossed.”

“I’m sure he’s giving both of
them a hard time but you know Scarlett, she’ll find a way to push back and
since fate chose him to be her mate, Noah can likely hold his own as well.”

We continued talking as we
walked and it felt just like old times. She told me about the projects she’d
been working on and I filled her in on the renovations of The Gateway. The
grand reopening was set for the end of next month and I’d been worried Renee
would miss it. Now she said she wouldn’t miss it for the world and we discussed
what type of show we should put on for the big night.

As we strolled casually
through the lobby and out the main entrance, I noticed a variety of reactions
on the faces of the people we passed. Renee did her best to ignore them but
whenever someone else whipped out a smartphone to spread the latest gossip her
shoulders tensed and I gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.

When we finally reached the
arena, we found Katerina sitting with a bunch of our friends near the front
row. The group consisted mostly of women because the first event was a
free-for-all elimination match to narrow the playing field for the hand-to-hand
competition.

Katerina looked up at us and
smiled. “I thought you might be on your way so I saved these seats for you.”
She indicated the empty seats to her left. I sat down beside her with Renee on
my other side.

Something about the gleam in
her eyes made me think there was more going on than the obvious. “How did you
know we were coming?”

“News of your mating has
already been retweeted more times than you’ve had sex in your very long lifetime.”
I doubted that was possible as she continued, “They’re discussing every move
you make on probably every form of social media known to man.”

Renee leaned forward so she
could look around me at Katerina. “How is that even possible? You’d think cell
service in alternate dimensions wouldn’t be that great.”

Katerina laughed. “Thank your
boyfriend. He’s the one who rigged up the magical equivalent of a cell tower.
Before that we couldn’t use cell phones here at all.”

Renee glared at me and I held
my hands up in surrender. “It sounded like a good idea at the time. I didn’t
know it would come back to bite me in the ass someday.”

Renee sat back muttering
something under her breath that sounded like, “I’ll bite you in the ass.”