Shifter's Revenge (Alpha Lineage) (20 page)

Maddox
, she breathed.

He pushed inside her as she spoke. Inch by inch he filled her. Slow tease to her body, an assault on her senses. As soon as he set himself all the way inside of her, he moved just as slowly in retreat. Kera wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to pull him back inside. Her arms threaded in his hair to bring his mouth to her lips.

In only one way he allowed her control. He kissed her hard as he made love to her slowly. The next stroke, Kera tensed and felt her release explode inside of her. It filled her body, scored her heart and soothed her soul. The heat built around her and clogged the air she pulled desperately into her lungs.

Maddox cursed and buried his face in her neck. He pulled out at a snail’s pace before he pushed back inside of her quickly. Kera trembled as sensation built.
She whispered his name as he thrust inside of her as hard as her body could take.

His control snapped and her expectations went with it. He never once let her body have reprieve. She seemed to move from one orgasm to the next. By the time he stilled on top of her
after giving into his own release, she was soaked with sweat.

“Tell me your mine.” Maddox whispered.

Kera struggled to catch her breath. Her heart raced out of control. In the midst of that she felt a tug on her heart that snapped firmly in place. Through the connection, she felt the fear he had that she would leave him, the desperate need he had hidden from her for something tangible in his life and more than that, his love. It fed through the mating bond so strongly that tears formed in her eyes and slid down the sides of her face.

“I’m yours.” She promised him. “Always, Maddox, forever.”

The ice blue entrapment of his eyes hooked her and she let herself drown in the depths. He sucked in a breath, blinking as it hit him too. “The bond.” He whispered reverently. “Christ, Kera, it worked.”

“Now you’ll never be free of me.”

Maddox laughed and buried his face in her neck, “Thank God for that, love.” He pulled out of her and wrapped her in his arms. “Best birthday present yet.”

“What?” Kera shot up, knocking Maddox to the side, and hovered over him in shock. “It’s your birthday?”

His smile stretched his lips. “Yeah, babe.”

“Oh my God!” Kera breathed. “Were you going to tell me?”

Maddox’s lips twitched and humor danced in his eyes. “You never asked.”

She started to freak out about that but paused quickly and studied the emotions that came through the bond they formed. “You’re laughing.” She accused him.

His eyes widened, “No.”

“Yes you are, just not on the outside.” She pushed at his chest and climbed on top of him. “You can’t hide anything from me now, Maddox, I have the inside scoop.”

He twisted his hips and pushed her back to the bed to loom over her. “The inside scoop?”

“Yes!” she continued. “You’re laughing and this could have been a disaster. It’s your birthday and I have to do something special…”

He slanted his mouth on hers and kissed her. “It’s already special.” He murmured against her lips.

“More special.” Kera argued.

“Nothing is more special.” He laughed. “You gave me you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“You already had me,” she frowned, “now I’ve got to find something for you better than the mating bond.”

“Nothing is.” He whispered. “It shouldn’t be. I can feel everything you feel without having to ask. I don’t need to know if what you say is true because I can feel it in every fiber of my being. I knew you loved me but know I know you love me like I love you. You understand love and you feel that for me. Babe. That is a gift.”

Kera mulled over this for a moment before she smiled. “Okay.”

Maddox threaded his hand in her hair and sought her mouth for a possessive celebratory kiss. The kiss grew lazy and wet and Kera felt a contented sigh drift out of her throat. He rubbed his lips against her one more time and pulled her into his arms as he stood.

As soon as her feet hit the floor exhaustion stole over her. She rested her heavy head against his chest for support.

“Okay, my lovely mate,” He murmured, he wound his arm around her back and held her steady as he pulled the covers down. “Slide in the covers and let me hold you.”

Kera smiled and did as he asked. He wrapped his strong arms around her and tangled his legs with hers. With Maddox holding her, his love sliding through her body and his warm skin surrounding hers, Kera fell asleep in the new found silence and satisfaction of her surroundings.

Maddox stared at Kera with a smile on his lips as he ran his fingers lightly over the smooth skin on her back. If someone would have told him a few months ago that he would be lying naked in bed with a beautiful girl he would have laughed bitterly. He had been resigned to a life cut off from humans and cut off from his family.

Nothing could have brought him back to this house, to this room except for this woman before him.

Her smooth skin was just one of the things his fingers itched to touch. He wanted to touch her heart and now he knew he had. He could feel deep inside of her all of the emotions she had for him.

Being with Kera these past few months had caused him more pain, fear, fru
stration, anger, confusion and sorrow than he had ever imagined any being could feel in a lifetime. They each made mistakes. She had left him and he had kept pieces of himself from her.

Immediately after they had bonded, questions to why it hadn’t happened when he’d taken her innocence and given her his had flooded his mind once again. He pushed it away. Thinking on it now he felt that perhaps it had been unfair that his mind settled so firmly on it being her holding back from him. It didn’t matter why it took a few weeks since they spoke the words to each other.

He had her now. Gone were the sting of her death and the mess of unsavory emotions that seemed larger than the love, acceptance, beauty, contentment and future that he knew resided along with the negative. Those feelings were amplified at this moment. He was sure there would be times when they fought and those feelings would amplify again.

For the first time in a very long time Maddox let himself remember his mother. She was beautiful and of Native American decent. Her long black hair and chocolate brown eyes were comforting and
still a color scheme he tended to gravitate towards while in a crowd. He wondered if his subconscious looked for her. He hoped she was still alive and that she had found happiness. The bond between his mother and father couldn’t have been anywhere close to what his was with Kera. There would be no secrets.

“I love you,” he whispered to Kera.

Her eyelashes fluttered and her emerald green eyes looked like jewels. Her lips curled into a smile and joy poured through him.

His breath caught in his throat and his eyes drifted closed.
“Best birthday, ever.” He murmured. Kera giggled and he opened his eyes to watch.

“I know we have to get back to reality eventually,” she whispered, her grin disappearing as she bit her lower lip between her teeth, “
but I’m curious what it will feel like to make love to you
and
be able to feel what you’re feeling.”

Maddox wasn’t able to control the grin that split across his face. Her eyes widened and her breath deepened. “Let’s find out, love.” He pulled her over him and chucked at her squeak of surprise.
Her breasts pressed into his chest and her thighs rested on either side of his waist. “Kiss me, Kera.”

“I don’t…”

“Then make love to me, Kera,” he whispered more roughly.

Pink stained her cheeks and thankfully he felt her curiosity at the prospect of her taking control war with her nervousness. She bit her lower lip again and her eyes drifted from his to his lips.

He ran his hands across her spine and buried them in her hair. He pulled out her hair band and tossed it to the ground. Her beautiful golden hair spilled around them, closing them off from the world. “Kiss me.” He murmured again.

His heart rate speed up right along with hers as she leaned down and took his mouth, her kiss was so sweet it took all of his control not to take over. She coaxed him with her tongue and her teeth nipping and stroking his mouth and lips. He bit back a groan when she pushed herself up on her elbows and cupped his face in her hands. The movement caused her legs to tighten around his waist and her beautiful behind to press up against his now hard groin.

One hand left her hair and trailed across her skin to her breast. She gasped when he pinched her nipple and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. Her hips bucked and she squirmed against him.

“Kera,” He murmured against her lips. “Take me inside.”

She shivered. Her eyes never left his when she sat up. She bit her lower lip again and adjusted her legs to rise up on her knees. The pink in her cheeks darkened. He could feel and hear her heart racing in her chest. Her hand trembled as she trailed it down his chest and stomach. She reached between her legs to take hold of him and position the head of his erection at her entrance.

His hands snapped to her hips as she sunk down around him.
Her eyes closed and her back arched. “Beautiful.” He whispered reverently at her beautiful body on display.

Her hands rested against his chest and she transferred her weight to her palms as she lifted her hips. “You feel so good inside of me.” She whispered.

He knew she was talking about the physical and mental connection because he could feel it too. It was incredible. He let her slowly ride him until her thighs began to shake and he started to lose the thread of control he had left. He uncurled his fingers from her waist and pulled her down before he rolled her to her back.

Her legs immediately went around his waist and her ankles locked. Maddox took her lips and devoured her every way he could. He branded her with his mouth, with his body and with his heart. She gasped and
moaned his name until her orgasm washed over her and she stopped breathing entirely. He watched as waives of pleasure washed over her face before she gasped for oxygen.

He felt the sensation down to his toes. He thrust into her twice more before he let go. She gasped into his mouth as he crushed his lips to hers. He kissed her through his release, the buried his face in her neck. “Beautiful.” He murmured again.

“I love you, Maddox.” She breathed against his ear.

He smiled. Suddenly her body tensed beneath him. His head sprang up. “Kera?”

“Someone’s outside the door.”

He looked over to the door and saw the handle move even though no sound came from the movement. “Your spell.” He reached beneath them and pulled the blanket over her as he jumped out of bed and tagged his sweat pants. Just as he was pulling them over his hips the door popped open and his father glanced around the room, worry etching his features.

Maddox crossed his arms over his chest and blocked Kera’s view of the door with his body. “Jason?”

Surprise lit his father’s features before understanding dawned on him. “
a spell.” He rumbled softly.

“Yes.” Maddox responded shortly.

“Something’s happened,” Jason’s nostrils flared and Maddox tensed and the violation. “I thought you might have been involved.”

“Kera and I will get dressed and meet you in the kitchen.”

“My office.” Jason amended. “Kera should stay…”

“No,” Maddox cut him off immediately. “I can’t keep anything from her anyway and I don’t want to.”

He felt a strong emotion of relief flow through him and he turned and winked at his mate.

Kera bit her lip against a smile as she clutched the comforter tightly against her chest.

“You’re mated?”

Maddox turned back to his father. “Yes.” He gave another short answer, this time his senses picked up shock from his father. He tilted his head and asked, “What did you do?”

Guilt flashed in his father’s eyes. “Now isn’t the time.” He spoke quickly as he spun on his heel. “In the office in five minutes and bring your mate.”

Kera sucked in a breath behind him as the door to their room slammed. “He did something.”

Maddox shook his head as he stamped down the anger that bubbled up at that truth. He turned to his mate and smiled wickedly. “Let’s clean you up.” He stalked to her and uncovered her body so he could scoop her up and carry her to the shower. It took more than five minutes but he could care less what awful thing happened. He had Kera and she was his mate. Nothing could change that and nothing else mattered.

Maddox brought Kera into his father’s office and shut the door tightly. Kera’s hand squeezed his as an overwhelming sense of fear crashed into her.

“What’s happened?” Maddox asked firmly, hoping that they could get this over with and continue
celebrating the few hours left on his birthday.

Jason schooled his features and clasped his hands together as he rested his elbows on his desk. “son.” He spoke, the break in his voice apparent. His eyes flashed over to Kera and Maddox felt sickness crawl into his stomach. He wanted to change his mind immediately and demand that Kera go to the kitchen and wait for him.

That didn’t happen.

Jason spoke softly, full of compassion. “The man that attacked you has started a war. We are behind you one hundred percent. We take care of our own.” He paused for too long. The moment was drawn out unnecessarily.

“Tell me.” Maddox demanded harshly.

Jason closed his eyes. “Sam Conway was found this morning.” He pushed past Kera’s animal whine. “He was killed sometime last night.”

Pain sliced through him. Maddox turned to Kera and caught her around the waist as she fainted.