Claimed Mate by Roxie Ray
Cal
Iwas already in bed by the time Liv got back, but I wasn’t asleep. Even if I had been, the woman wasn’t exactly stealthy. She lifted the sheets and slid in behind me. When I didn’t move, feigning exhaustion, she slipped her slim arm around my middle and wiggled up close against my back, her nose pressed into my nape. She felt warm and comfortable, and for a moment, I thought she might fall asleep.
Just as I was starting to doze, I felt her wiggle. Felt the whisper of her lips against my back, against my shoulder blades, against my collarbones. She wriggled again as she spread her fingers against my belly; I was almost tired enough to wish I had worn more than just a pair of boxers to bed.
Almost.
I cracked open one eye when she wiggled for a third time.
“Are you awake?” she whispered against my skin.
“I am now,” I rumbled, not yet willing to open my eyes any further. She was being cute and all, but I was tired. I’d spent so long being angry at her father and her family and at her, and I’d been given so much information to chew on in the past seventy-two hours, I hardly knew how to process it all. Part of me just wanted to sleep it off like it was a hangover.
Thankfully, Liv must have just assumed I was groggy, because she hadn’t stopped dropping little kisses to my skin. My chest tightened. I could have spared her so much hurt. So many things could have been different.
But they weren’t.
Finally, Liv’s insistence and my wolf’s impatience won out and I rolled over, pressing our bodies together. Chest to chest, hips to hips, thighs to thighs. She gave a soft, sleepy giggle and leaned in, tangling her fingers in my hair to drag me into a sweet, gentle kiss. Liv had stirred a fire in my belly, though, and I wasn’t content with simple sweetness. I swept my tongue against her mouth and nipped at her lower lip. When she gasped, I licked into her mouth, groaning as my cock thickened.
The kisses were arousing in their own way, but having Liv plastered against me had me fully awake. I trailed one hand up her ribcage to find a breast, squeezing the soft flesh. After a moment, I pinched her nipple as it pebbled, grinning against her mouth when she gasped again. I shifted my attention to her other breast, kneading and pinching as she wriggled and whined against me.
By the time I slipped my hand between our bellies, sliding my fingers beneath the hem of her panties, she was soaked. I swept my middle finger between her lower lips and couldn’t help my groan. “All this for me?” I cooed, pressing the finger inside of her. After a few probing thrusts, I withdrew and grabbed her by the hip, ignoring her weak protest as I rolled her over. She pushed her panties down to her thighs as I fumbled my underwear off and I took my cock in hand, giving myself a single stroke before lining up and pressing in.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “You’re so tight, babe.”
She squeezed her thighs together and my hips stuttered. If she was going to play that way…
I grabbed her shoulder with one hand, forcing her further down onto my stiff dick. I wrapped my other arm around her neck, holding rather than squeezing; a whine escaped her kiss-slick lips and I froze for just a moment. I’d never been this rough with her before.
“Don’t stop,” Liv panted, rocking her hips back against me again. “Don’t you dare stop.”
That was all the encouragement I needed. I thrust into her and gripped at her skin, pressing her firmly against my body. Fuck, but she was wet. The tight heat against me was absolutely exquisite, my cock already throbbing. We couldn’t find a rhythm, her rocking back and me rutting forward, but somehow that just made it even better. She couldn’t get enough. Neither could I.
I bit her shoulder and that was all the warning she got before I came; I slid my hand down her belly as I groaned, pressing the heel of my palm against her clit as she squirmed, making breathy little noises as she spasmed and came writhing on my dick. If I hadn’t just gotten off, that was practically hot enough to get me hard again.
We both fell quiet, the only sound in the room our uneven breaths. After what felt like an eternity, I pulled away, grimacing as I slid free from her pussy. Liv exhaled and curled into the sheets, so I pushed the sheets aside, stumbling to the bathroom to clean myself up. When I returned with a damp washcloth for her, she was already passed out, her blonde hair splayed around her like a halo.
I smiled softly and tossed the cloth back towards the bathroom, sliding back into bed alongside her. At least one of us had an easy time falling asleep. After pressing one last kiss to her shoulder, I tucked my head against my pillow and let sleep wash over me.
Liv rolledout of bed long before I did. I hadn’t slept in since I was a freaking kid, except for maybe one or two days in my early twenties, and I was relishing in it. Someone had warned me once about sleep debt, that burning both ends of the candle would catch up with me someday. Now, I wouldn’t say they were right, but I wasn’t going to rob myself of a few extra hours when I didn’t have to.
I don’t think I’d gotten more than an hour when the front door opened back up. I cracked open my eyes and sniffed. “Liv…?” Wasn’t she supposed to be training her fae powers, or something?
The blonde appeared in the bedroom door, looking way too awake for how I felt. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”
I squinted, trying to fight down the urge to smile. “No way you’ve had a whole training session.”
She shook her head, ponytail swinging back and forth. She closed the distance between us and reached for the sheet, pulling it back. I hissed. “Nope. The prince thought it would be good for us to meet the guards. Did you know Corin was one?”
I scowled at the mention of Malachi. The prince. Unfortunately, trying to drag a pillow over my head only served to encourage Liv a little further. “For fuck’s sake, fine, fine, I’m up!” I muttered, fending off her prods and pokes as I finally got to my feet. I squinted and began to gather up pieces of clothing, pulling a shirt and socks on haphazardly. I had no idea how she was so chipper. She’d gotten to bed after I did and woke up beforehand.
…well. She did fall asleep right after…
My lip curled up a little at the memory of last night’s bonding experience and I finished pulling my clothes on with a few less complaints. I stretched my arms over my head. “You know where the guards are?” I asked, allowing Liv to lead me out of the bedroom and towards the door.
She shrugged. “I got directions. Oh! And I grabbed you something to eat.”
I hadn’t even realized she been holding a muffin in one hand. “Thanks,” I murmured, accepting the baked good. “Blueberry?” She nodded. “Nice.” I didn’t miss her smile at my (admittedly limited) sense of approval, so I paused to kiss her cheek before I started eating, alternating between taking bites and trying to get my shoes on.
“I didn’t think you were a chocolate chip for breakfast kind of person.”
“Nope,” I agreed around a mouthful. On the rare occasions my mother made pancake breakfasts, I preferred mine with berries, or nothing at all. My heart stuttered at the memory, the muffin suddenly tasting ashy. I hadn’t heard from Danny since I’d called him; he said he’d let me know if anything changed, but if the call had to go through the prince’s office, would he tell me? I’d fucking hope so…but maybe I’d make another phone call after this training session just to make sure.
I forced the rest of breakfast down in silence, grateful Liv was more focused on remembering the directions she’d been given than making small talk. It didn’t take us long to find the group; even if Liv hadn’t successfully navigated, the sound of combat and the stink of sweat surely would have led us in the right direction.
To my surprise, I scented wolves among the fae there. I straightened my shoulders out and sniffed again. At least two individuals, a little more. It was hard to make out; I was so unused to fae, I struggled to pick out the individual qualities of different species. Corin, I was starting to recognize. She had a sharp, almost vegetal scent, leaves that had been ripped up. If green could smell like something, it would smell like Corin. Green, and iron. I wasn’t sure if other witches smelled similarly, or if that was all her.
I had to stop trying to pick apart the cacophony of different scents, or I was going to give myself a headache. I glanced over at Liv and frowned; she seemed similarly dazed. I gave her a gentle nudge and she shook her head, still staring straight ahead; I followed her gaze. A pair of fae were sparring together. One of them had what looked like a spear, and the other held nothing. I frowned, trying to decide how on earth that was fair when the unarmed one lunged forward with incredible speed; a moment later, the spearholder yelped, crashing backwards. I could smell the fading crackle of electricity.
“Whoa,” I murmured under my breath, brows bouncing up. Maybe this guard was a little more serious than I had initially given them credit for. My chest tightened and I glanced back at Liv. What had we signed up for that this was even necessary?
She leaned in, about to comment, when a massive redhead lumbered towards us. My spine stiffened immediately; I didn’t even need to scent the lug to recognize that sort of posturing when I saw it.
“So you’re supposed to be an alpha, huh?” he growled, folding his bulky arms across his chest. “You’re wicked small.” I could almost see his wolf’s ears pinned in his expression alone. My own wolf, who’d been delighted and horribly curious about everything going on, keyed in on him almost immediately. I could feel the hairs on the back of my spine start to prickle, and I didn’t even have hackles to raise in this body. Who the fuck did he think he was, talking to Liv like that?
Liv blinked at him, seemingly shocked that someone would talk to her like that. Even back in Bridgehaven, the wolves respected her; insulting Olivia Burns was insulting Jeff Burns…and after her father was dead, it was like insulting her brother instead.
I took a step forward, inserting myself between the stranger and my mate. “You got a problem, Boston?” I growled, matching his posture with my own. The man had at least two or three inches on me — he was a fucking giant, actually — but that much bulk would make a wolf slow.
He barked out a mirthless laugh. “Boston? Oh, betcha think you’re real clever, pretty boy,” he snarled back, accent becoming even thicker. His top lip curled up.
I was three seconds from slugging the guy in his front teeth when Corin appeared between the two of us with a scowl equally as fierce as the nastiest wolf. “Enough!” she barked, looking from me to Big Red and back again. “We are training with each other; there will be no fighting among any of you!”
I hesitated for a moment and felt a small, mental tug. I took a step back, glancing at Liv. Her face was bright red and my brow furrowed a little more; I could tell she was embarrassed, but… Something niggled at the back of my mind. Had I just proved this asshole’s point, trying to defend her? But she was my mate! What kind of partner would I be, standing idly by while someone insulted her?
Corin was still staring the big red wolf down. “You heard me, Erik. Go back to training with your partner.” She pointed at a tiny fae who looked more exasperated than anything. So Erik was an all-around asshole, then. Good to know.
He wasn’t the only wolf here, though, and it dawned on me that while this might not be a proper pack, there was probably some sort of hierarchy among the others, and some of those others might not be very happy to have a sudden change in dynamic. Erik might have been the first, but he wouldn’t be the last. We’d have to be careful.
Once Erik trundled back and resumed whatever it was he’d been doing, the rest of the fae lost interest when it became clear there’d be no brawl. Corin sighed and shook her head, expression becoming something much more exasperated as she eyed Liv and me both. “Well, good morning, lovebirds,” she said, one brow lifting. I mirrored her expression. “C’mon. One of the instructors is Unseelie.”
That meant jack shit to me, but I could see Liv brighten considerably, so I followed along after them both. He wasn’t far; observing a different pair of fae as they traded blows. He turned as we approached; his graying hair was tied behind his head in a knot. His beard was just as full as Erik’s, but this man clearly had a sense of grooming; even I felt slightly shaggy by comparison. I touched my three-day beard and scowled. I really needed to find a razor soon, or I was going to need a machete instead. I sniffed cautiously; his scent was faint, almost human-like, but one who’d stood outside all winter long. He was almost nonexistent. Weird.
“Leith.” Corin greeted him with a small nod. He returned the gesture. “These are the two I was telling you about.”
Brown eyes skipped over me in the briefest of glances before all his attention settled on Liv. It was obvious the man was sizing her up, though he lacked the same animosity Erik had worn across his shoulders like a cape. “Good to meet you,” he rumbled, voice so low I almost felt it more than I heard it. “Prince Malachi said you’d shown some inkling of shadow smoke, miss…?”
“Liv. Just Liv is fine,” my mate chuckled, shaking her head. “And yes!”
“Show me,” he said, beckoning her with one hand as he led her towards an open space in the sparring grounds. I felt several gazes follow her and my skin prickled.
Corin gave me a heavy pat on the shoulder. “Down, boy,” she snorted. “Leith is very professional.”
When I looked back, Liv was, to my astonishment, glowing. It was startling enough that I immediately forgot about my reservations, having to squint to keep watching. Sure enough, smoke was starting to trickle from her fingertips. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, or how, but when she started to move towards Leith, I noticed the air around us get a little colder.
The fight lasted less than a minute. Leith had Liv frozen in place before she’d gotten within five feet of him. My wolf snarled and bunched up, about to storm over when the fae walked over and released her; she was laughing. It was a happy noise, full of wonder and surprise.
Leith clapped a hand against her elbow, nodding as much to her as himself. “That was only the second time? Very good, very good.” I strained to listen, but his voice was hard to pick up over the others, even as they walked back over to us. “There are many things a fae can do with shadow smoke. Conjure up a familiar, like a witch. Wear it over yourself, like a disguise. Use it to hide yourself, or blind your opponent. I have even known some to make weapons from it. I will be curious to see how far you can take it, Liv.”
She was beaming as he spoke. “There’s only one way to find out!”
I hated the feeling of dread that curled up in my stomach. Yeah, I thought begrudgingly. Only one way.
