CHAPTER SEVEN
Lero
Nightshade Bear Territory
I rolled onto my back, and a roar of frustration fled my mouth.
I clamped my lips together and ground my teeth to keep the sound from stretching out.
If I raised too much hell every bear in the territory would knock down my door to save me.
There was nothing I could do about Vallis disappearing back into his body and that killed me a little more each time it happened.
I stripped out of my pants and boxers, letting them fall where they may, and took a hold of my own dick.
I wasn’t in the mood to dig around a drawer for my toy. My fist would have to do.
“The next time he comes here draw a spirit circle around him so he can’t escape!” my bear roared from his inner sanctum.
Frustration mingled with the salty taste of Vallis’s cum still on my tongue.
If only my bear’s plan would work I’d be a happy bear right now.
Part of me wondered if I could manage to get to him – wherever he was.
Another part of me knew I’d be knocked out for days afterwards if I tried and there was zero guarantee that I’d even find him.
I did my best to focus on what just happened – the part before he disappeared at least. I breathed in remembering how his mouth felt warm and cushy against mine.
How his hands trailed all over my body, squeezing my ass and playing with my nipples.
They were as hard as my dick – still. I stroked one in circles as I pumped my fist over my hard cock imagining that Vallis was between my legs, his tongue sliding down over my balls before going to the heart of what burnt hottest on me.
His imaginary tongue lapped at the slickness pooling outside my hungry omegahole.
He licked me over and over as my fist pumped in time with him and I didn’t let go of the fantasy as my balls drew up heavy and close to my body.
I squeezed myself, wondering just how firm Vallis’s grip would be.
The single thought along with the pressure brought me over the edge.
How was I still jacking off alone weeks after meeting my true-mate? Someone in the universe must really fucking hate me.
“Blame Sharon Claudis,” my bear sighed. “She fucks up everything.”
***
That was our lives leading up to Yule. Vallis would make it back in hours or a day and we’d try again.
We never made it to actually romping. We never made it close to exchanging that claiming bite.
Still, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
He’d show up and I’d feed him the food snatched away from the spirit offerings.
I’d try astral projection – keeping it brief so I didn’t conk out and then the foreplay would begin.
He’d disappear if he came or if I came. It was like edging was the only thing we were allowed to do without the universe snatching him away from me.
Between having a secret, frustrating matingmoon, I decorated for Yule and did my best to participate in my family’s get together.
I always took Vallis with me if he was around.
We had a few close calls and I was almost positive Mori spotted him once.
Wess, Preston’s new mate, also muttered about me and my true-mate a lot.
Once, Mori even caught us making out outside of Grandpa’s house at the tree trimming party.
Well, he caught me making out with what must’ve looked like empty air to him.
I had to tell him to mind his own business.
It hurt his feelings but what else was I supposed to do?
That night back at the house I was desperate for more of him.
All this making out and foreplay left me feeling like a kid barely old enough to get into Glitter Bomb again.
I needed my mate. Needed him on me and inside me.
I’d been so hard and slick that I’d gone through a whole twelve pack of pheromone blocker spray since meeting Vallis.
Hiding this shit was driving me crazy. Still, it was almost Yule.
Once the holiday came and went this would end for good.
Still, while we were making out behind Grandpa’s house, I decided we had enough foreplay so that we could just skip it this time.
We could just get down to business. I was already slick.
So fucking slick that it was uncomfortable.
The back of my neck and all my joints burnt hot as if another heat was trying to come on.
If I asked for another fast-acting heat shot this soon somebody would catch onto the fact that something was up.
“No dick sucking. No tasting my slick. None of it,” I said as soon as I locked the door behind me.
I hadn’t even bothered stomping the snow off my boots.
I kicked them off and stripped at the door.
Vallis’s eyes grew big and his pants disappeared again.
He could dress and undress his astral form at will.
Then I was on the sofa with him on top of me.
Our gazes met for half a second and then his lips were on mine.
His tongue darted into my mouth and swept around my own.
I sank into the warmth spreading over my body.
We were close. So fucking close. If I had to wait another day for him to sink into me I might declare war on this Pami asshole myself.
Lock her up in a coffin and fuck on top of it.
I growled into the kiss and reaching between our bodies took a hold of Vallis’s hard, smooth shaft.
He growled back at me and everything inside me trembled in the rawest way.
He kissed me again as I gave him a few teasing strokes before leading him home.
Vallis growled his pleasure into the kiss as I rubbed the thick, mushroom-shaped head of his dick against my omegahole.
My slick arousal pooled there and I coated him with it, not wanting anything to stand between us.
I almost asked him about condoms and then mentally laughed the question off.
He was in astral form. Sure, yummy, salty cum came out of him but it couldn’t get me pregnant.
Vallis thrust forward into my body and everything in my brain sang out in sweet relief.
It was finally happening! I was finally with my true-mate and---- Something exploded.
Not my dick or his. Not something metaphorical but something much more substantial and loud.
Vallis disappeared. Only he didn’t fade.
The front door was wide open, and he was running out into the snow butt naked.
I swore under my breath. He might be invisible but I wasn’t.
I swung my hand hard, casting the magic to shut the door.
Moving things around like that never came particularly easy for me.
I grabbed my pants and my boots. Sure, bears weren’t that modest and we had more cold tolerance than most but if this was war, I wasn’t going into battle naked.
Was it Pami? Had she figured out that Vallis was astral projecting here to see me?
Part of me secretly hoped so because then I could eat her and go save my mate.
A Nightshade guard stopped me from going onto the main street.
I blinked at Jeth standing tall and looking slightly apologetic.
Nightshade guards were more warriors than cops.
They weren’t here to arrest us or enforce arbitrary laws.
They guarded the tree line of the village and protected against threats.
Sure, they broke up fights and walked people home at night if they were drunk, but outside of the house where Grandpa practiced his magic, I never had a guard tell me I couldn’t enter anywhere. Was this a coup?
“No!” my bear sounded off into my thoughts. “Someone would’ve said something. Mori would make a scene. There is no peaceful coups with Mori around.”
“There’s been an explosion at Mori and Preston’s house,” Jeth explained.
“No one was harmed but we have reason to suspect Sharon Claudis is around. I’m not telling you to go home.
I’m not even telling you not to walk on the street.
That’s Barry’s orders. If you tune in on the group link, he’ll tell you himself. ”
Others joined us, using Jeth as a gathering point for information.
Those who had worked with guards before or alphas considered combat ready were sent past him.
I chewed my lip wanting to remind him that there was nothing scarier than a bear with cubs.
None of those alphas were ever going to have a belly full of cubs but yet they were sent to make sure my uncles were okay!
“Lero, it’s not about being an alpha or not,” Jeth sighed and ran his hands through his thick black hair. Jeth was sort of cute but like a lot of bears here I made it a point not to hook up with anyone within the group. Even at my loneliest I wasn’t risking that sort of drama.
“Really?” I crossed my arms, looking past him to see if Vallis was still out there running around butt naked in the snow.
“It’s not. It’s about being combat ready.
Believe me, if Sharon Claudis shows up right here in front of us, I’ll let you fight too.
It’ll be all claws at the ready. I’ll even welcome your help but Barry said to not let you through.
Rumor has it she’s looking for a new omega to date or whatever,” he put a lot of weight on the word whatever.
“Some people thinks she wants another kid. So, yeah, we’re all a bit edgy with her running around.
Watch out for the others, but keep that to yourself. ”
I looked around. I stood alone with Jeth. Everyone else had gone home or been allowed through to help look for her.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you could eat her face,” Jeth said, flashing me a flirtatious look.
“Is he flirting with you?” Vallis’s voice cut through the snow as he appeared next to me. “Not very good at guarding if he’s thinking with his dick.”
“I think I’m going home, Jeth. Watch out that Sharon doesn’t get you pregnant,” I said, waving as I walked away.
Jeth laughed at my joke and I made a mental joke that he was probably only a quarter cave-alpha. It was so hard not to hold Vallis’s hand as we walked back to the house.
“It was either a bear or a dragon,” Vallis said as we walked.
I had a million questions but didn’t dare speak to empty air aloud.
“Everyone is okay. Searching for the bear but okay. The baby is fine too. He doesn’t even seem all that shaken up by it. Did you forget to tell me that the Snow Demon can make ice statues?”
I nodded because everyone knew Wess turned Preston’s ex into ice for wanting to take their son to Sharon Claudis as a sacrifice. With everything going on, I’d forgotten to mention that one little detail to him.
With all the excitement, that night we didn’t exchange the claiming vows either.
We lay cuddled up together talking about how Sharon Claudis had slipped through everyone’s fingers again and again.
I hated talking about her because it only drove home the point that there really might not be a single safe space in the world.