Raven Moon (25 page)

Rave quivered. “Yes.”

Maddox paused as a wave of jealous madness swept over him. Ravenna had the reputation as being the scantily clad sexually promiscuous princess. Many even called her, cloaca, the bird equivalent of slut. He couldn’t continue without knowing how much of her reputation was factual and how much was gossip. He glowered at her. “How many?”

Rave licked his neck and bit him. She paused and gazed at him. “How many what?”

“How many lovers?”

She shifted her finger into a wing tip and twirled it around his aroused nipple. “What do you want? A resume? Don’t I already have your heart?”

He gasped at the tantalizing feel of her light feather touch, reined in his lust, and snarled, “Answer!” He released her and stood.

She rose to meet his gaze. “Why should I?” Her tone turned haughty, like the spoiled princess she was.

Could he live with not knowing the extent of her promiscuity? But had she agreed to give him her permission to claim her? Did she not imply their destiny as mates by sharing her desires for him and her dreams? Or was he just another one of her sexual conquests? She was in for a rude awakening, and he couldn’t do that to her. There was no worse sin than forcing another shifter or human as a mate. He gazed at her deep purple eyes, inhaled her perfumed essence, and enjoyed the confident tone of her voice and the touch of her silk skin and light feathers. His soul mate. Would his sin be any worse than Lazarus who took human women to his chambers?

Maddox lifted her and pinned her to the wall, in hope of a confession about her previous lovers. His wolf grew protective and snarled back at the soul of the jealous man. Maddox dropped his head. “I’m sorry, you are right. It’s not my place.”

“Three.”

“Huh?”

“One werewolf, a human and my former fiancé.”

“But, I thought…really?” The rumors were just that. He should have trusted his wolf. He wasn’t her first, but at least he would not be one of a dozen or more. He would damn well be her last.

Rave stiffened and hurt shadowed her face. “Surprised I’m not a raven slut? There was gossip but point in fact, I’m raven royalty and if my rep was true, I would have been grounded for life.”

Maddox released a huge breath. “The Benandanti accused you of seducing dozens of werewolves. You purposively even appeared naked in the dreams of members of my pack.”

“It figures they would add succubus to my bloodstone thieving record.”

The fact she slept with three men still bothered him but not as much. He sniffed her floral scent. No trace of any male remained. His beast howled, demanding he take her. Instead, he released her and stepped back.

Rave crossed her arms over her sweet ripe perky breasts. “Maybe we should take mental cold showers.” She sighed and glanced at the piano. “Why don’t you perform another concert?”

The act of her modesty teased his aroused wolfish cock. “The only concert I plan to play is one with you as my instrument.”

Rave uncrossed her arms and thrust her flushed magnificent breasts forward in offering. Her voice softened. “No one but you will ever conduct my concerts.” She glanced at his eager bulge and beamed. “Looks like your horned instrument is ready to play.”

“Enough talking.” He backed her onto a sofa and drew her legs wide. His face nuzzled her downy mound. Her fragrant moisture beckoned him to plunge into her but he didn’t want to come as fast as his wolf did. He lapped her apex and she arched.

Her feathered wings mantled his scalp. A tingle rippled down his spine and nearly undid him. “Oh…Maddox…oh, yes.” So responsive. The rumor that raven shifters easily peaked proved damn true.

The sight of the most beautiful woman on God’s earth wreathing in climax had his wolf howling, not caring that beast and man would forever burn in damnation. A force greater than his faith engulfed him into the wolf madness of claiming his mate. He inhaled the aroma of her sweet juices and his clawed hand parted her satin soft skin thighs.

Rave offered no resistance and spread her legs wider. “Please, I need you.”

That was all the encouragement Maddox needed. He hastily climbed out of his pants, releasing his engorged cock.

Her eyes widened. “Holy shit, you are bigger and more beautiful than I ever imagined.”

He growled as he pushed her down from the sofa to the rug. They rolled, knocking down light furniture from their lust filled path. He lowered himself onto her, “Ravenna.” He plunged into her succulent sheath. There was no doubt. His wolf took possession of his soul. “Mine!” Repeating it with each thrust, he leaned in licking and nibbling her sweet throat.

“Yesss. Harder,” she rasped.

Maddox plunged into her core, longing to bite her succulent throat. Marking her as his mate. Yet, the protective wolf retained his sanity and considered the placement of the bite. If they were to survive, they must keep their mating hidden. Better he mark her behind the neck where her hair would hide his bite. As difficult as it was not to explode inside her, he slowly pulled out and kissed the smooth salty skin of her flat belly.

Rave rose on her elbows, her tone uncertain, “What?”

He lifted her, his alpha tone uncompromising, “Bend over the piano.”

She threw him a wicked smile. “Ooh, yeah. How did you know I love it wolfie style?”

Rave bent and mooned him. His breath hitched, mesmerized by the glorious raven wings above her arse dents, his erection bobbed.
Mine.
To hell with their doctrine, she was his mate. He knew it from the bottom of his soul.

Rave wiggled her enticing bum. Like the rising moon. He growled and splayed his clawed hand over its round velvet soft skin. She quivered, exciting his wolf. “Woman, you are the best thing in my life, but dear all mighty the worse thing in my life.” As if in warning from the heavens, a bolt of lightning illuminated the room and the roll of thunder rocked the floor.

“And you, Benandanti Templar, will be my undoing.” She cooed, “Which makes it so hot.”

Maddox was tempted to spank her and watch her arse redden, but his cock was too impatient. He positioned himself between her legs and splayed his clawed hands over her hips. “Mine!” She sighed in pleasure as his hot breath warmed her and he nibbled her sweet earlobe. He plunged his cock into her and she took every inch of him in with a purr. She was almost as tight as a virgin, but as moist as morning dew. Maddox sank deeper again and again. He swept her hair away from her neck. He licked his fanged mouth up from the small of her back to her exquisite neck. He slammed into her hard and snarled. “Tell me there’ll be no others.”

“Please, don’t stop…oh…yes…only you,” she rasped.

Maddox tried to suppress his need to claim her but his wolf won the battle of wills. He sank his fangs into the back of her sweet neck. Hard enough to mark but not a fatal bite, not an easy task on a bird’s delicate neck.

Rave gasped. She gripped the piano and submitted to his fierce wolf. His bite deepened and his werewolf saliva released chemicals that protected her against the pain of the bite, and enhanced her pleasure. The taste of her blood was like nectar and he gently suckled her wound, and she convulsed in a chain of spasms.

Rave panted in rapid breaths, “Maddox…oh, yes!” She squeezed his cock, milking him and he groaned with each pump. She moaned in bliss and he joined her in waves of pure ecstasy. He threw his head back, his fangs dripping with her honeyed blood. He bayed at the moon.

Spent, he eased out and gently kissed her wound. He licked her sweet bird blood. If he were a vampire, she would be his meal. Rave quivered and sighed in deep contentment. She pleased his lusty wolf and filled his heart with joy.

Rave turned and kissed his chin. She skimmed a finger along his jaw line and looked up. Her eyes radiant from lovemaking’s afterglow. “Maddox, what have we done?”

His chest tightened. What raven clan would allow her to rule after seeing his silvery claiming mark? “I’m sorry.”

Perhaps too enamored or naïve to understand the consequences of their controversial mating, she chuckled. She reached the back of her neck and fingered the puncture wound. Most mating marks covered the front of the throat but though he kept it low on her neck, if she moved her hair, the bite would be obvious. Rave teased. “This means I’m more than a fiancé?”

“It means we are more than screwed.”

“But I thought being screwed was a good thing?”

Behind the curtains, as the storm clouds moved by, he gazed at the nearly full moon. The beast had won and now their future lives were ruined. He sighed. “Don’t worry, we’ll sort this out.” For now, he would cherish their time together without all the complications their mating would entail.

Ravenna batted her luscious eyelashes at him. “Maddox, it was no mistake. I wanted you to claim me.” She chuckled. “Probably since I saw you glare at me last year at the consortium gathering.”

He offered his hand. “I’ll take you to your room.”

Her eyes widened and hurt shadowed her earlier joy. “Won’t you join me?”

“I, the beast…needs to hunt.” In the deep recesses of his wolf’s soul, he wanted to hunt and bring back a large prey for his mate to feast on. A lupine tradition his Benandanti faith failed to restrain. Shame overwhelmed him. He’d allowed the devil’s beast to take his soul. His fangs remained and his furred arms and clawed hands relished his blood lust. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed, illuminating the wolf. He groused, “I must present you with a meal offering.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. In this weather?”

“I know your kind hates storms.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve hunted in blizzards.”

“I guess I would love fresh game that is, while I’m in raven form.”

Maddox lifted her. “Come, my feathered pet, off to sleep.” He carried her to the first floor guest room, set her down and pulled back the comforter and silk sheets. “I’ll join you shortly.”

Ravenna crawled into the bed and covered herself up to her breasts with the sheets. “I’ll keep the nest warm for you.”

His tone darkened, “And only me.”

“Don’t worry, Templar. I’m imprinted on you and you alone.”

He bent down and kissed her forehead. “If anything threatens you, shift and caw. I won’t be far.” He flared his nostrils. “My prey is nearby.”

She patted the bed in invitation. “Your prey is right here, big bad wolf.”

“You, I will keep to satiate my desires, but my hoofed prey will satisfy my stomach.”

“Wait. You’re not going to hunt horses are you?”

“No. I caught the scent of a stag.” He chuckled. “I would never eat horsemeat.” Werewolves had never developed a taste for horse.

“Good to know, I’d hate to have to make horse pie for you.”

“Princess Ravenna, I had no idea you were so domestic.”

“Trust me. I’m not.”

****

Rave woke, smiled and stretched. She basked in the memory of her feathers brushing against the steely contours of his alpha male musculature.

She inadvertently swatted Maddox on his face and he grumbled, “Are you going to be an abusive mate?”

Rave kissed his cheek and he smiled. “Not unless you check out chicks, and I don’t mean birds, but women.”

Maddox drew her in and ravished her swollen lips. Rave whimpered with pleasure. She found his aroused erection and curled her fingers around it. Holy hell. After he’d returned from the hunt, he took her again. And again. His penis must run on full moon power battery, because it only took him twenty minutes or less before he was ready to rumble under the sheets. Sex would never be boring. She must have only slept for a few hours, not a good thing for a day bird.

He released her and fingered a strand of hair from her face. “Whenever I heard a raven, I stared above, hoping, praying it was you, my raven princess.”

Rave’s heart hummed. She wanted to do aerial aerobatics in euphoric joy. “Ditto. Every time I heard a wolf howl in the dead of night, I hoped it was you. Since I was young, I knew my mate would be a werewolf with thick white fur.”

He kissed her forehead. “Let’s eat and then figure out where I can keep you safe.”

She nestled in his muscular arms. “I’m safe enough.”

“Ravenna, for good or for bad, you are my mate. I must protect you above all else.”

“Feeling’s mutual.” She lifted her head and wrinkled her brow. “Wait. What do you mean above all else?”

“If I suspect Jaeger is heading north to attack our Benandanti enclave, I can’t allow you to come with me.”

He’d better get it through his thick wolf skull she was no damsel in distress but a fellow warrior. “Excuse me?” She sat and raked back her hair. “I’m part of the Wolf Guard and in charge of Avian Intel, so don’t think you’re going to order me to stand down.”

“Jaeger doesn’t hunt raven shifters but if he knows you’re my mate, he’ll harm or murder you to get to me. Then there’s Lazarus. If he gets a hold of you, I may not be able to protect you from the entire Benandanti pack.”

“True enough.” She scoffed. “I doubt my Benandanti in-laws will invite me for Thanksgiving. Unless they celebrate by roasting ravens.”

He quirked a smile. “Don’t worry, the Benandanti compound is the last place I’ll ever let you go.”

“So you’re switching teams.”

He sat and squeezed his hands over his head. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. But after seeing how the people at Stonefield trafficked women, it reminded me of Lazarus’s camp. I must stop him from doing the same.”

“But I thought Benandanti were not allowed to mate with humans and other shifters, with the exception of their top hunter?” She smiled.

“When I returned from England I learned Lazarus converted hundreds of human survivors as subservient followers of our religion. The human men are trained to kill zombies and enemy werewolves. The females, some only girls, have been given to our kind in order to impregnate and repopulate the earth. Lazarus claims God told him to continue humans created in God’s image but with the wolf’s strength.”

“And here I thought you couldn’t get as bad as the tankers.”

“Some of the humans have become fanatics but the rest are scared. Eventually they will turn against their masters and rebel.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t already.” She bit her lip. “Although, with the pack they are safe from the zombie hordes and tankers.”