Mary and the Minotaur by Honey Phillips

Chapter Fourteen

As soon as he broke Chinit’s neck, Sendat threw the male’s body to the ground and turned to Miri. She was staring at him with wide, shocked eyes, but she didn’t appear to be hurt. He gathered her close, running his hands frantically over her skin, checking for damage.

“Did he hurt you?”

“You’re not dead,” she whispered. “You came for me.”

“I told you I always would.”

To his dismay, she burst into tears.

“Please don’t cry, little one.”

He lifted her into his arms and carried her back down the beach, away from the body crumpled in the sand. Moss covered the ground in a shaded area at the end of the cove, and he sat down with her there, his own knees unexpectedly weak.

He was a warrior, he had seen battle, but he had never been as terrified as he had been on his way here. Jabbwa had been the first to report. The third location was empty and didn’t appear to have been disturbed in years.

Kaiyo called in a short time later.

“Chinit isn’t here,” he said, but his voice sounded odd.

“There’s no sign of life?” Sendat asked.

“What you’re looking for is not here.”

Still not satisfied with Kaiyo’s answer, he would have demanded more information, but at that moment the tracker pinged. Thank the gods.

“She’s at the beach house,” he said, tracking the direction of the signal.

“Good.” Another odd hesitation. “Do you need help?”

“No, but thank you.”

“Remember you still owe me that favor,” Kaiyo said and ended the call.

Just before he did, Sendat thought he heard another voice. Kaiyo hadn’t actually said the place was empty, he remembered. But he was far more focused on finding Miri than worrying about the other male’s strange behavior. He increased the speed of the flyer until it was hovering close to its top speed. Even then he crouched forward in his seat, as if he could urge it on by pure force of will.

He’d arrived just in time to see Chinit stalking something—or someone—in the jungle. Fortunately he was so distracted that he didn’t hear the flyer landing or Sendat approaching. He shivered and tightened his grip on Miri again, praising the gods that she appeared unhurt despite her tears.

“I kept telling myself that you weren’t dead,” she hiccupped. “That you would come for me.”

“I should never have allowed you to be taken.” Guilt still weighed heavily on his soul.

She twisted around in his lap to look up at him, her face indignant. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know he was waiting, did you?”

“Of course not, but a warrior—” He went silent as he discovered a long tear in her pants. Her skin was smooth and bare from ankle to hip. “Was I too late? Did he… hurt you?”

“I did that. I was pretending that I was going to bandage his arm—so I could get close enough to hit him with a chair leg.” She wrinkled her nose in an adorable frown. “Unfortunately, his head was a lot harder than I expected.”

“The neck would have been a better target,” he told her. “You could have crushed his windpipe.”

“I never thought of that.”

“You should never have needed to think of such things. I hope you can forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she said firmly, then pulled his head down for a kiss.

The kiss started off slow and gentle, but his hunger was too great. He tangled his hand in her silky blonde curls, holding her in place as he devoured her mouth. He couldn’t get enough of her sweetness, a sweetness he had feared lost forever.

And now that he had her back, he had to tell her how he felt.

“Miri,” he said, raising his head at last.

“Mmm?” Her eyes were heavy, her mouth curled in a lazy smile.

“Do humans mate for life?”

She looked confused by his question, then nodded. “Many of them do. Why?”

“Because Bukharans believe in life mates. And you are mine.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I love you, Miri. I want to be with you always. To protect you. To care for you.” He watched in dismay as her eyes filled with tears again. Was the knowledge of his feelings so painful for her? “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he added stiffly.

“I’m not upset,” she sniffed. “I’m happy. I’ve spent my whole life waiting for someone like you—waiting for you.”

Something flickered across her face, and then she was tugging his head back down. “No more waiting. I want you to make love to me right now.”

“But—”

There was still so much to be said. And then she reached between them and gave his cock a long, firm stroke and all desire to talk vanished.

He kissed her, curving his hand around her silk-covered breast as she arched into his grip, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to feel, to see, all of her. He ripped the garment away, delighting in the warm, softness of her skin against his. Her pants were next, but it was hard to get a grip on them when she was writhing impatiently on his lap. He finally lifted her free, laying her down on the soft moss as he removed the tattered remains of her clothing.

She looked so beautiful, her lush body pale and gleaming against the deep blue of the moss, and for a moment all he could do was stare at her, unable to believe that this gorgeous, delicate creature belonged to him now. But then she wiggled impatiently, reaching for him.

“No more waiting,” she whispered.

“No more,” he agreed, and his cock throbbed an urgent assent. But it would have to wait - he intended to worship every inch of her delectable body first.

He kissed her again, as slowly as if they had all the time in the world, then worked his way down to the bounty of her breasts. He could have lingered there for hours, days, licking and sucking and scraping the delicious peaks, but she was writhing beneath him, urging him on.

He slid his hand between her legs, and she opened for him immediately, arching into his touch. Her delicate folds were already slick and swollen, the sweet scent of her arousal an exquisite torment as he slowly explored. The small pearl of her pleasure throbbed against his thumb as he swept across it, but he only lingered a moment before dipping down to her hot little cunt. Her tiny channel was so drenched that it barely resisted his finger as he slipped inside. A second finger followed as he gently stretched her, preparing her for his cock.

She tugged urgently on his horns. “Now, Sendat. Please.”

He pulled his fingers free, bringing them to his mouth to lap up her delicious essence, before placing the broad head of his cock at her entrance. The contrast in their size made him hesitate, despite the urgent need throbbing through his body.

“You are sure?” he asked, studying her face.

Blue eyes met his without a trace of doubt. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want you inside me now.”

His own doubts vanished, and he obeyed, burying his cock in her impossibly hot, tight little cunt with one thrust.

As soon asMary reassured Sendat she wanted him, he plunged into her in one heavy stroke.

Oh my God.

The world exploded in a fiery mixture of pain and pleasure. Nothing she had read had prepared her for this feeling of being stretched open, impaled on his huge cock. His fingers and tongue had been only the palest imitation of what to expect. She panted for breath, tears springing to her eyes as her body tried to adjust.

“Oh, gods, Miri. I’m sorry.” His face was taut with worry.

“I’m not,” she said truthfully. “Just give me a minute.”

“Let me help you.”

He reached between them and found her clit, fully exposed by the pressure of his shaft inside her, and brushed his finger lightly across the swollen nub. Pleasure seared through her, and her channel fluttered, instinctively trying to clamp down on the massive invader. He muttered a curse, his muscles as tightly strung as high-tension wires, and repeated the gesture.

The pressure inside her didn’t lessen, but it began to morph from a burning stretch to a pleasurable, if still overwhelming, fullness. She made a small, cautious movement and one of his piercings rubbed against a place inside her that sent a fiery streak of pleasure straight to her clit. Oh, that was nice. She moved again.

“Miri,” he groaned. “If you keep doing that I won’t be able to remain still.”

“Then don’t. I want to feel you move.”

He slowly started to withdraw, and this time she felt every undulation, felt the way her body closed over the narrower parts of his shaft and was forced open as it grew wider again, felt those amazing piercings teasing her most sensitive areas. By the time only the head remained inside, she was quivering with excitement.

“Again,” she demanded.

He pushed back inside one slow inch at a time, but it was easier this time, his way eased by her growing arousal as her body adjusted.

“Are you all right?” he asked, pausing when he was once again embedded in her body.

“Oh, yes.” She smiled up at him, loving the look on his face. “I love you, Sendat.”

He shuddered, and then he was moving again, faster and faster as his restraint vanished, but she met every stroke. Her climax started to build, roaring towards her with the speed and power of a freight train, and she would almost have been afraid, but this was Sendat, the male she loved.

Her hands clutched his shoulders, gripping him desperately, as he plunged somehow impossibly deeper, the wide base of his cock stretching her to limits as her body started to convulse in endless rolling waves of ecstasy. She barely heard him crying out her name, but she felt the rush of hot liquid filling her channel as he gathered her close.