Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Finally breaking the kiss, Micah rested his forehead against hers and panted for breath. He tried to think of something profound to say to his mate, but nothing came to mind.
“Hi.”
Admittedly, he totally fucking failed.
Jackie let out a little laugh. “Hello. Sorry about attacking you like that. Actually, I guess I have two things to apologize for,” she said, reaching up to play with the neckline of his T-shirt in a nervous gesture. “I mean for freezing you in the winter garden and kidnapping you and bringing you back here to my bedroom. I’m not usually so…umm…so forward.”
He flashed her a wide grin. “Attack me all you want, sweetness. I’m all yours. I’m Micah Volt, by the way.”
“And I am Princess Jaqueline Frost of the Winter Palace, but most people just call me Jackie.”
He sighed. “I know.”
“Uh oh. Why does my name make you sound so forlorn?”
“Because I just realized that I am now the most hated supernatural in the Winter Kingdom.”
“You aren’t,” she countered automatically. Then, she paused and considered it for a moment. “Actually, my mother and father are going to despise you,” she corrected, bluntly, retracting her previous denial. “But it won’t be personal. It is just because you aren’t fae.”
“And that’s not personal?” Micah chuckled, not bothered at all by that declaration. He was used to being feared and hated, so that would be nothing new to him. It could make life difficult for his mate, though.
“Don’t worry. They hate me and my siblings most of the time, as well,” she hurried to say.
He really didn’t like the sound of that. He could ignore what they thought about him, but he wouldn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting his mate. Even her own parents. It didn’t surprise him to hear they were assholes since he’d heard all the fae royal houses were a little messed up.
Hell, his friend Ramsey had to constantly watch his back for fear that one of his own brothers was going to kill him in the Summer Palace. It had been that way for years. Truthfully, Micah wasn’t sure why he didn’t just kill the bastards and free himself from all the drama. Perhaps family loyalty ran strong through the royal lines of the fae, or maybe Rams just didn’t want to deal with the fallout if he killed his brothers.
At least Micah had gotten to see Jackie beat the hell out of Elyon. He wished she would have let him pop that little fucker’s head off earlier, but he knew that would have caused a lot of problems for all of them. He would have done it anyway, and his crazy family would have backed his decision…even if it meant war.
He pushed that thought aside for now. They could speak about their pasts and trade horror stories about their families later. He didn’t want to focus on anything but his mate at the moment. That wasn’t hard to do since staring at her had just become his new favorite pastime. Jackie really did have the most beautiful eyes. They were an astonishing shade of pale blue that reminded him of shards of ice, which was ironic since he felt himself melting under her heated gaze.
He loved her cute little pointed ears and her full, lush lips. Focusing on them, he couldn’t stop himself from leaning in and kissing her softly again.
“As long as I have you, I don’t care about anything else.”
“You do have me,” she promised, then let out a long sigh. “Micah?”
By the gods, he loved the sound of his name coming from her lips. “Hmm?”
“As much as I would like to continue getting to know you, I think that will have to wait. I’m in a mating thrall. I thought it was getting better, but…”
Suddenly her surprising behavior made sense.
Those in the Hell Realm called it a mating frenzy, but he’d also heard it referred to as a bonding haze. Regardless of what it was called, it was essentially the same thing as a mating thrall. Some mates had an overwhelming emotional reaction that drove them to bond with their mate as soon as they met. He’d heard of it happening before but didn’t know exactly how it was triggered.
Micah wasn’t mad about her frantic need for him, though. He was ready and willing to jump in and join her in the frenzy. Hell, he didn’t even need an excuse. He just wanted her any way he could have her. And since her thrall would only ease once they were fully bonded, there was no need to wait.
“Don’t worry, princess. I’ve got you now. Everything will be okay now that we’re together.”
He felt victorious as she relaxed against him. Then he barely held back a groan when she started nuzzling against the side of his neck. Need surged hot and heavy when he felt the tip of her tongue stroke against his heated skin.
Pulling away from the wall, he carried her toward the enormous bed in the center of the room. He’d never seen a bed in the middle of a room before, but there it was, highlighted on a circular raised platform surrounded by a gossamer silver canopy.
Like the winter wonderland near the back of the academy, Jackie’s bedroom was decorated with silver, white, and various shades of blue. It was so large it was hard to believe they were still on campus. There were two silver chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that looked like dripping icicles of dim light.
The elegant room was obviously fit for a princess. The delicate furnishings and pretty trinkets displayed on tables and shelves made him worry that he might accidentally run into something and break it with his hulking form. It should have made him uncomfortable being in that room, but there was an unexpected warmth to the space that made him feel at home.
Or maybe that was just her.
Meeting Jackie meant that his home was now wherever she was.
That thought made him smile as he laid her down on the center of the bed. He followed her down to the mattress, covering her body completely with his own. He was careful not to put his full weight on her since he didn’t want to crush her, but as he shifted away, she pulled him down on top of her. Startled, his gaze flew back to her face, and he stared down at her in wonder.
It was hard to believe that such perfection truly belonged to him now.
Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose. He trailed his lips to each of her cheeks before claiming her mouth once more. He kept it light, gently brushing his lips against hers over and over again until she was squirming beneath him. When he pulled back, he blinked in surprise when he saw her eyes were shut tight as if she were in pain.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
She let out a slow breath before opening her eyes again. “I’m trying to hold back my magic. I’ve never felt so out of control before. Not even when I was a child. It is…uncomfortable for me.”
Understanding how difficult that admission must have been for her, Micah stroked her hair to calm her. The mating thrall was pushing her to bond with him, compelling her magical instinct to ensure their claim on one another was complete. He was sure she was trying not to hurt him with her magic, but she didn’t have to worry about that.
She could just let go.
He leaned down and claimed her mouth in a hot, hard kiss. He wasn’t sure how much the thrall was influencing her at the moment, but he was ready and willing. Still kissing her passionately, he used his magic to remove their clothing. She let out a startled gasp, then moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around him.
When Micah felt her trembling against him, he pulled back and tried to ignore the sight of her pale skin and perfect breasts. With her long white-blonde hair fanning out on the blue blanket, she looked like a light angel, a perfect match to his darkness. Grabbing her hand, he placed it on his chest directly over his heart.
“Bond with me, mate. Let go,” he demanded. “Don’t think, just feel.”
Staring into his eyes, Jackie let go.
As her magic began to flow through her hand and into him, the relief she felt was immense. When he placed his own large hand over her heart, she welcomed his magic into her. The burning sensation of their bond solidifying gave her a euphoric rush of pleasure. Pride filled her as she stared at the ancient symbol pulsing with silvery iridescent light that was now engraved into his skin right over his heart.
That magical brand proved to the world that he belonged to her…now and forever.
As his own mark etched itself onto her skin, she felt him there in her mind and in her heart. She might not know him well yet, but she had access to everything she would ever need to know through their bond.
Thoughts. Memories. Every feeling and emotion.
There would be no secrets from one another.
No deception between them.
They were mates, bonded together through a sharing of magic that was far more intimate than any other exchange.
But she needed more.
Grabbing his neck, she jerked his head back down and kissed him passionately as she rolled them over on the bed. She lamented the fact she couldn’t keep kissing him and explore his body at the same time. Sitting up on his thighs, she hummed in pleasure as she glanced down at him. He had a glorious form built of corded muscle and bronzed skin. As her gaze strayed lower, she saw that his long, thick cock was straining away from his hard stomach as it pulsed and throbbed with need.
Looking at him made her mouth water and her hands ache to touch him. Giving into that need, she trailed her hands over his muscular pecs, starting somewhere safe until she built up more courage to move lower. The dips and ridges of his well-defined abs were clearly distinct, and she used her fingertips to trace a path over each one. She imagined tracing that same path with her tongue down to his thick shaft but didn’t get the chance since he grabbed her and flipped them over again.
“I can see what you are thinking through our bond,” he said, his voice harsh with lust. “If you do that, I won’t be able to hold back.”
“Then don’t. Don’t hold back,” she whispered before she pulled him down to fuse their mouths together again.
Right now, her body was demanding release, but not like the previous one. She wanted to be fully connected with her mate this time. That need was pounding through her veins like a compelling drumbeat. She hummed with pleasure when he met her kiss with equal fervor. As their tongues tangled together, her hands roamed over his strong back. His hard muscles moved and flexed beneath her seeking palms, then she touched the two hard patches of skin where his wings sprouted from and felt him shiver.
“Not sprouted,” he corrected, speaking directly into her mind through their bond. “I am no fairy.”
The fact that he felt offended by that notion made her want to laugh. “What? Is there some sort of winged hierarchy that I don’t know about?”
“Yes. And dark angels are at the top.”
“What about dragons?” she teased.
His only response was an angry growl as he kissed her harder. She smiled against his lips as she continued to stroke his back. It had been fun to rile him, but she hadn’t meant it. Her dark angel was at the top of all her lists.
She felt his hard cock jerk against her core each time she touched those hard patches on his back, but when she tried to spread her legs wider, he held them together with his own. In retaliation, she lifted her hips to press tighter against him, trapping his thick shaft between their bodies.
Micah grunted as he pressed more of his weight against her to still her movements. It didn’t work. The increased pressure just made his cock throb harder. He wanted to take his time, to love her slowly, but he was quickly losing control.
He growled again as he changed the angle of their kiss. He wanted to breathe her in, to utterly consume her until they were fully merged. His tongue continued to stroke against hers in an erotic duel, giving and taking in equal measure. The taste of her was like spun sugar, wickedly sweet and just as addicting.
By the gods, he would never get enough of her.
Shoving her hands above her head, he held them still with one of his own as he pressed hot, wet kisses down her neck, adding little nips with his teeth to tease her senses. He shifted lower until he reached her full breasts, teasing her taut nipple with the tip of his tongue. When she whispered his name, he sucked the hard nub into his mouth as a reward. Her back arched off the bed as she moaned in pleasure at the sweet torment, then he switched to her other breast to give it the same treatment.
As he continued to lick and suck at her breasts, he moved his other hand between her legs to stroke along the seam of her pussy. She squirmed against him as he slid a thick finger into her, relieved when he found her wet and ready for him. He stroked his finger in and out of her slick hole, then added a second finger to stretch her tight muscles open for him.
As his fingers continued to thrust into her liquid heat, her hips began rocking against him, driving them even deeper. He loved that she wasn’t shy about her pleasure, and he rubbed the palm of his hand against her clit, pushing her closer and closer to another orgasm.
Each time he slid his fingers into her, he felt like a phantom hand was stroking his cock. His body was on fire with need, and her pleasure only heightened his own. He’d wanted to spread her thighs wide and taste her sweet nectar, making her come on his tongue a few times before he finally took her, but he couldn’t wait any longer. Pulling his fingers out of her, he moved back up to cover her body with his and kissed her again.
No, this time it wasn’t just a kiss.
It was a claiming.
Lips crushed together, and mouths mated as he spread her legs and rubbed his thick cock against the entrance of her slick pussy. He drank down her cry of pleasure as he began pushing the bulbous head inside of her. He tried to go slow, but she wrapped her legs around his waist and forcefully pulled him down on top of her.
They groaned in unison as he sank all the way inside of her. Thankfully, he felt only pleasure and no pain coming from her through their bond. That was enough to destroy the last remnants of his control. Driven by pure need now, he began to thrust inside of her, slow and deep at first, then with more force.
Her arms wound around his neck as he pounded into her over and over again. He felt the pressure building inside of her and changed the angle of his hips to increase her pleasure. When she came, her pussy clench around the throbbing length of his cock so tight he could barely move. The ripples of her orgasm triggered his own, surprising him with the intensity of his release as he filled her with pulse after pulse of his hot release.
“Fuck, that was too fast,” he growled. “It’s not enough. I need you again.”
“Take what you need, mate,” she panted. “And give me all you’ve got.”
He took her mouth in another scorching kiss as he began thrusting inside her again with fast, hard strokes. When she flipped them over and began to ride him without missing a beat, he grabbed her hips and helped her impale herself on his thick shaft over and over again. Bracing his feet on the mattress, he shoved into her from below. The battle for supremacy added another level to their love play, but he didn’t care about who came out on top since they both won in the end.
He wanted to close his eyes and bask in the raw sensations careening through his system, but he couldn’t bear to tear his gaze away from her. She looked like a goddess with her long white-blonde hair raining down her back, and her lush lips swollen from his kisses. Her eyes had darkened with pleasure, her pupils blown out so they almost completely blocked out the pale blue of her irises.
They were both driven to madness by the burning need flaring between them. Her nails clawed at his chest as she fell forward and tried to brace herself, but her hands kept slipping on his sweat-soaked skin. That small bite of pain just made his pleasure that much more intense. Rolling her beneath him again, he shoved her knees back and pounded into her in a punishing rhythm.
“Come again,” he growled, unsure if he was demanding or pleading. “Come again and take me with you.”
Jackie screamed his name as she came again, the force of her climax making her entire body shake and shudder. He continued to thrust inside her with short, fast movements, drawing out her release until it collided with the next. This time, she didn’t even have the energy to breathe when she came. The pleasure radiated out of her core, expanding until it felt like she was shattering into a million tiny pieces.
And when he roared her name as he found his own release and spilled his seed deep inside of her, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. With the mating thrall finally sated, she closed her eyes and basked in the glow of their new bond.