Discovery of a Queen by Elizabeth Brown
Chapter Fifteen
After that little bomb goes off, Caleb stomps away, leaving a Council security guard in his place. I’d probably feel sorry for him, but he’s got this archaic outlook on how this whole mate thing works. Which is hysterical because he’s mated to a queen, and he’s a dragon. We’re matriarchal, for crying out loud! Why should a woman give everything up for a man? Especially if that man isn’t willing to give everything up for her? It’s an unfair ask. And he’s been asking about it a lot. No. Not asking, expecting. He’s been expecting me to just drop my life here to go be with him when all this is over. And that’s what stings the most, the expectation that I’ll just drop this community. It goes against everything I am both as an alpha and a queen. He should know that.
If I’m honest with myself, I don’t know how I would react if he offered to leave the Council to be with me. Now that I’ve met him and Connor and Malcolm, they aren’t this faceless threat now. While they may not seem like the boogeyman under my bed anymore, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to give up everything I’ve fought for, especially if it means I won’t have a community around me anymore. The Council may be a community, but they ultimately bow to Caleb, and they’re a pretty broken system. As a queen, it’s in the very foundation of my DNA to want to lead a community of supernaturals. I’m not sure I can do a hell of a lot better than Caleb and the Council, but the thought of losing my community now that I’ve finally gained one sickens me to the core. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.
And Caleb either can’t or won’t leave the Council. So it’s been decided.
“Ma’am?” The guard at my door interrupts my thoughts, and I turn to look at him. “The Rocky Mountain Pack is ready. If it’s alright with you, I’ll let them in ten at a time.”
“That’s fine.” It takes a moment for his words to register. Ten at a time? “Wait. How many are there? We didn’t get a full headcount with all the injured.”
“We’re still not sure, ma’am, but I’ll keep a tally as they come in, and then we can count those still in the infirmary.”
“Look, if you want to keep your balls, you need to stop calling me ma’am.”
“Yes, ma—Yes.” He gulps and turns to let the first wave of ten in.
* * *
Several hours later,I finally finish with the last of the healthy Rocky Mountain Pack members. They’re all clean. Caleb came into my room a few hours ago and has been sitting in bed with me while I’ve looked at each person’s aura. I hadn’t realized how exhausting this would be, then again, I’m not exactly on my A-game right now. Stifling a yawn, I stretch before getting up to go to the bathroom. Caleb stands as if to follow me.
“Caleb, we are so not at the point where you can watch me pee. Stay here.” I point firmly at my bed and only move toward the bathroom once he’s seated again.
A girl needs to be able to pee by herself. Sometimes we want to be able to stare off blankly into space, sometimes we want to play on our phone, sometimes we just want to die internally—either way, we want to be alone while we do it. While I’m in the bathroom, I stare at myself in the mirror, not liking what I see. I have deep black circles around my eyes, making me look like I’ve gone ten rounds in the ring and lost. My hair doesn’t have its usual sheen, and my skin looks paler than usual. Apparently getting memories back does not do the body good. I scrub my face, throw my hair up into a messy bun at the top of my head, brush my teeth, and make my way back into my bedroom.
Caleb is lounging on my bed like he’s the damn king of the world, and in a way, I guess he is. He’s also staring intently at me.
“Creep.”
“But I’m your creep.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t try to be cute, it doesn’t work for you.”
He puts a hand on his chest and looks offended. “Are you saying I’m notcute?”
“Of course you’re not.” I school my features to keep myself from smiling.
“Well, excuse the shit out of you, madam. I’ll have you know I am very cute.” I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to make me feel better, at least emotionally, and get my mind off the insane dumpster fire my life has become. And I hate that it’s working.
“Who told you that? It’s like calling an annoyingly recurring yeast infection cute.” I start digging through my closet, turning my back to Caleb so I can better hide my amusement.
“At least I’m recurring in the vag.” He is dead serious. I groan loudly before I snort back a laugh. Seriously? Coughing slightly to cover up my slip, I pull out a sundress that’s a riot of bright colors, looking almost like a kid’s painting project. I pull out an equally bright bra and thong set, hot pink, just what I need for a pick-me-up. When all else fails, at least have stellar underwear. Finally, I pull out a pair of white wedge sandals. I’m going to dress in bright, happy colors, determined to look fabulous and not like I’m on the verge of death. I’m also going to do my hair and my makeup, because bitches slay like that. I refuse to let everything that’s happened stop me from being a boss-ass bitch.
I get distracted from my excitement over my outfit by a low growl. Turning, I arch my eyebrow at the hungry look in Caleb’s gaze.
“So you want to have some fun sneaky sex, huh?” He gestures to my dress as he wags his eyebrows. “Because I can think of a lot of rooms to flip that skirt up in.” I force myself to roll my eyes as heat courses through my body. I know he can tell I’m horny as hell.
“If that’s the best you’ve got, you better keep it in your pants, Alpha.” I take my outfit into the bathroom and start the shower, quickly stripping out of my nasty old clothes. My mind begins to wander, and I don’t hear the door open or register what it could mean before there’s a warm, large, and very naked male body pressed against mine. Caleb wraps his arms around me and fits my back against his chest. I tilt my head back to lean against his shoulder.
“You need to rest,” he growls.
“Is that an order?” I meet his eyes and smirk.
“Does it need to be?” He doesn’t return my smirk.Oh, so we’re being serious.
I turn in his embrace and wrap my arms around his neck. Keeping my eyes on his, I start to play with his hair. I know I need to tread carefully here because I don’t want him to think that I don’t appreciate his concern, but I also don’t want him to assume he can just steamroll me whenever I so much as sneeze. “I swear. I’m fine. A little tired, but totally fine.”
“Ayla.” He’s got that sexy rumble in his voice again, his brogue getting thicker. “You were clutching your head one moment, and the next you were almost lifeless on the ground. You just went through all the healthy members of the former Rocky Mountain Pack. You need to rest before tackling those who’re still recovering.”
“This is me resting. I’m relaxing in the shower, or I was before I was interrupted.” I lightly poke his chest. “If I drop my walls more and you see for yourself that I’m fine, will you let me finish?”
He remains silent, merely lifting an eyebrow. I groan. It won’t hurt to finish with the others tomorrow, and it would have the added bonus of giving me time to sort through the new memories. I’m afraid to admit I’m scared to close my eyes again and run into Malick, so sorting through my memories may need to take a back seat for a while.
Resting my head against Caleb’s chest, I let the water pour over both of us. I’ll have to face this sooner or later, not that there’s much of a choice. The memories could provide an answer to all of this, or at least give me some insight. Sighing, I close my eyes as I try to organize my thoughts. I’ve never felt this scatterbrained before. I can only hope this is a side effect of regaining some of my memories.
“Come on back to me, Ayla,” Caleb murmurs soothingly, nudging me gently to open my eyes.
I blink them open and tilt my head back to look at Caleb’s face. He smiles, and my heart stutters in my chest. He’s so damn handsome. I hate that I’m so conflicted about him. I hate that he won’t offer to leave the Council for me. I hate that I want him to.
“Let me take care of you for a while.” He leans down to brush his lips against mine, sending shivers down my spine. “What do you say?”
I’m still turned on from earlier. While I know he didn’t mean he’d take care of me in that context, it wouldn’t hurt to have an orgasm or five. Endorphins and all that…right?
“I’ve heard that orgasms help with headaches.” I grin up at him when he chuckles.
“Is that so?”
“Yep! So I think a few might help me feel better. A lot better.” I force myself to sound serious.
“Well, who am I to argue with that?” He nods grimly, equally as serious.
He backs me up until my spine is pressed against the shower wall then kneels in front of me. But because I’m so short, his head comes up to my sternum even when he’s kneeling. He proves resourceful and lifts me up. My legs instantly rest on his shoulders. He inhales deeply and growls low in his throat.
“Good girl.” He gently bites the inside of my thigh, causing my leg to shake. Since he’s doing me a favor, I decide not to push him to move faster. But if he could move a bit faster that would be fantastic.
He chuckles and leans in, flicking his tongue lightly against my clit, causing my head to fall back against the wall. One of his fingers comes up and traces my opening. My hips buck against his mouth, which appears to be the signal he needs to start eating me out with the same enthusiasm as the other night.
“Touch your breasts.”Sir, yes, sir. My hands come up to play with my nipples. His finger continues toying with my opening, and I just want him to sink it into me. He dips the tip of his finger in, ripping a moan from my throat when he removes it.
“Don’t worry, I won’t make you beg, just focus on the feeling.”
And that’s what I do. I concentrate on the waves of pleasure that crash through my body with each flick of his tongue, each dip of his finger in my pussy, each flick of my nipples. My legs start shaking. I’m trying to hold off my orgasm and let it build until it consumes me, but Caleb is having none of that. He slides two fingers into my pussy, expertly rubbing against my G-spot. My orgasm slams through my body, a scream leaving me as I happily welcome the pulsing pleasure that courses through my veins.
He isn’t content with just one orgasm, and soon he’s wringing another from me. I’m mindlessly panting his name by the time he stands, helping me wrap my legs around his waist. Not giving me time to come down from my current high, he slowly eases himself inside me. I become acutely aware of my pussy spasming around him as he sinks himself to the hilt, the aftershocks of my second orgasm still surging through me. My hands wrap around his shoulders, my nails digging into the back of his neck.
“Mark me.” His voice is gruff as he bottoms out, making us both moan. “Scratch me up, show everyone whom I belong to.”
A part of me balks at claiming him in any way, but my dragon rises to the surface. If I won’t allow the bond to fully form, she needs at least this. Some way to make sure that every female here knows that this sex god is ours. My nails sink into the flesh of his shoulders. He hisses and sets a rough pace. The only sounds in the shower are our moans, the slapping of our bodies as he drives his cock in deep and hard, and the smacking of my body against the wall as my greedy little pussy takes all of him with each thrust. I lean in, avoiding his neck, and bite down on his collarbone, my dragon mostly in control now.
“You. Are. Mine,” Caleb snarls, his dragon lacing his tone with power, and each word is punctuated with a firm thrust.
“Yes,” I reply softly, barely audible, but he hears me.
“Look at me, Ayla.” My eyes open, and I lean back to look him in the eye. “Watch me as I make you come again.” A ragged moan leaves me when he pauses. “Watch your sweet little pussy take my cock. Watch me fill you up.”
My eyes drop to where we’re joined, and I observe as he slowly drags himself out of me before he slams back inside. My eyes roll into the back of my head as pleasure floods me, and I fight to return my gaze to our bodies.
“You’re so wet and tight.” He grunts as he starts to pick up his pace again. “Each time I pull out, your pussy clenches so tightly around me like it doesn’t want to let me go.”
I’m not sure I can form actual words at this point. I just want him to make me come again. I want us to come together. I need it. Picking up on my thoughts through the bond, Caleb growls softly. “Do you want me to come in this tight pussy?”
I can only moan my agreement.
“Look me in the eyes, Ayla.” My gaze flies up to his. He leans down and brushes his lips against mine. Our gazes stay locked as my orgasm builds. My legs shake, my nails dig deeper into his shoulders, and my pussy starts to clench tightly around his cock. I’m so close.
“That’s it. Come all over my cock, milk me. Make me come with you.” My scream rings out again as I explode around him. His own roar as he comes has aftershocks rippling through my body. He stays locked inside me for a few moments, breathing heavily, his forehead resting against mine. He’s waiting for me to recover, I realize, my shock dissipating some of the pleasurable lightning bolts zapping my nerves.
He gently nips my neck, causing me to freeze. We’ve agreed we aren’t going to finalize the bond. What the hell is he doing?
“When I mark you here, I want to be buried balls deep inside you, preferably somewhere that isn’t soundproof. The entire fucking pack needs to hear you scream my name as you come on my cock with my teeth buried in your neck.”
“You—” My brain stutters, causing me to pause. “You, uh, sound so sure of yourself.”
He bites a bit harder but doesn’t break the skin, snarling softly against me. “You are mine. It will happen.” His attitude suddenly changes, and he lifts his head. “But we’re not focusing on that right now. Right now, we’re focusing on getting you rested.” He eases out of me and slowly lowers me to the floor, keeping his hands on my hips to make sure I can stand.
“Right. Resting.” I blindly reach out and grab my soap, lathering my hands before starting to scrub his chest.
“As much as I would love for you to wash me, if you do, there won’t be much resting.” He takes the soap from me and washes himself quickly before cleaning me. There’s no teasing touches or kisses, he means business.
Okay then, I’m resting. Once my hair has been washed and is wrapped in a terry cloth towel, we move into my bedroom before snuggling up in bed together. My exhaustion quickly catches up with me, and I’m fighting to keep my eyes open.
* * *
Three Fates pure to keep the gate.
Should one Fate fall the seals will break.
I hear these words chanted repeatedly in my dream. Thunder booms and lightning flashes. There are three women standing on the edge of a cliff while a storm rages. The ocean batters the cliff face violently. Despite the chaos all around them, at the core, the three women create an image of peace, such utter calm.
Darkness. And then voices.
“Nay! Nay, I won’t accept this.”
“Aine, ye know we don’t have a choice. They were chosen.”
“Nay! They are babes, Cillian, babes!”
“My love, we will do aught we can to protect them. But you know as well as I, once the Fates have chosen, there is no going back.”
“I was to be chosen, Cillian. To spare them, I was to be the sacrifice.”