Chapter 16
Maya
Iwasn’t positive what woke me up, but I opened my eyes and snuggled against Marco’s chest, his breathing a bit too even for him to be sleeping. I looked up and found him offering me an affectionate, but concerned, look.
“Why are you still awake?” I mumbled quietly, feeling a bit put out. Sleepy Marco was far more cuddly and frankly that was exactly what I needed right now. Although to be fair, we were essentially wrapped around one another right now already.
He took a deep breath, his eyes darkened before he pulled me even closer to him so that I was almost nose to nose with the large man. “I feel guilty.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “About what?”
“About how hard I took you.” He mumbled softly, looking at my neck before looking back up. “For possibly marking your neck bad enough that even the guys might get upset. And because I was a total irresponsible dumbass.”
“Marco,” I sat up rubbing the sleep from my eyes and not even paying mind that I was naked.
Although he for sure noticed as a low rumble came from his chest, his eyes flickering across my bare form before I continued to talk, drawing his eyes upward.
I couldn’t deny how happy I was that he seemed so attracted to me.
“Stop talking bad about yourself. You’re not a dumbass.
I loved what we did and I love when you bite me, whatever it is that’s going on, we can handle it. ”
His eyes searched mine as he kissed the top of my hand in a soft brush of the lips, “I love that.”
“Love what?” I whispered blushing at the sweet gesture that contrasted everything else we had been doing.
“Well, you,” he flashed a charming smile but continued, “but that you said ‘we’ can handle it.”
“Well of course,” I snuggled closer peering up at him, “I may be new to all this, but I want to always be there for you, Marco. Just like you’ve been there for me.”
He breathed out, examining my face for a moment before talking, “This is hard as hell, Maya. Because I love what you are saying but I also want to wrap you up in fucking bubble wrap and never let anything negative touch you. I handle everything for the flight and I just worry that I’m going to fuck it up, especially now that you are here. And you are so damn important to us--”
I straightened up slightly and gripped his face, his honesty and slight vulnerability lending me strength.
“Marco, I meant what I said earlier. I love when you take care of me and I can see how much the others appreciate how much you do for the flight. But you need someone to take care of you and I want to do that. I’ve survived this long and in much worse circumstances.
I don’t want you to put all that pressure on yourself.
How about we just focus on taking care of each other? ”
I thought it was a good compromise. Sure.
I couldn’t be as scary as the boys could be, but I felt like I was good at taking care of them in other ways.
For one, I could bake. Who didn’t love baking?
! Plus, I was starting to realize there were certain things that each of the boys needed. I loved being able to be part of that.
For example, I knew Anani liked collecting my things so I left them out for him.
I knew that Ledger, despite not bringing it up to him, had terrible nightmares.
So I always made sure to hold him extra tight when we slept.
Sai, despite sometimes being grumpy, was a total sweetheart and loved when we spent one on one time together.
I think that was important to all the guys but it seemed extra important to him.
Atlas was just…flippin’ perfect. He was like a massive teddy bear that everyone was scared of, except for me.
I wasn’t positive if he needed anything but if he did I would give it.
One hundred percent. Even Henry, who was beyond competent, sometimes needed help dealing with his dragon.
He didn’t realize it but they were extremely intertwined and sometimes pushing him a bit, even though he became growly, made them communicate more than they usually did.
My thoughts strayed to Croy because in some ways he and I were very similar.
We had both been very alone. Mind you, it was a different type of alone, but I loved being the one to make his two hundred something years not feel as lonely.
I loved being his mate. I loved being their mate…
I think I just loved all of them. A lot.
I felt my ears heat because I wasn’t positive how to show them just how much I cared.
His eyes lightened as he nodded, pulling on my bottom lip in a hot kiss. “I love you.”
I blushed, “You keep saying that.”
“I keep meaning it,” he mumbled.
“What were you saying before,” I tried to bring it back, feeling sleepy, “about being irresponsible?”
He grunted, his eyes darkening again, “Yeah. I blame myself because I was so fucking caught up in the moment. When you said you loved me, I just sort of lost it. We didn’t even talk about protection.”
I blinked and it took a moment for me to realize what he was saying. Oh.
“Well,” I nibbled my lip in thought, “how does that work with shifters?”
His eyes examined mine thoughtfully before speaking, “Like humans. But with phoenixes, Croy mentioned that in order to mate fully they have to be in heat and fully bonded to their mates.”
Oh.
“So then we are good?” I arched a brow and then the rambling hit me, “I mean, obviously we are good. This wouldn’t make us not good, just would change things. I know…well, I hope one day that we might have kids. I want to be a much better mother than mine--”
“You will be,” he confirmed softly as his eyes warmed.
“Wait, when did you ask Croy?” I tilted my head.
He rubbed his hair and his ears turned red. “After you fell asleep.”
I blushed as well. “I’m guessing everyone heard?”
His smirk grew. “Yeah, you could say that, although it made them especially asshole-ish because of the meeting going on downstairs. Those FBI assholes won’t leave until they talk to you.”
I sighed, realizing I was going to need to go down there. I climbed onto his lap, feeling how hard he was underneath me again but simply burying my head in his neck. “Let’s go down there so we can go back to bed,” I offered as he rumbled with frustration.
“I don’t want them around you,” he confessed with a low growl.
“But the others deserve some rest,” I pointed out, feeling worried about them.
“So god damn sweet,” he mumbled, looking put out before picking me up and setting me onto the floor.
He tugged a large hoodie over me and then sweatpants, making me smile as he muttered under his breath looking very grumpy.
Then he pulled my hair back, burying his nose against my neck and squeezing me tightly.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, giggling.
“Making sure you smell like me,” he admitted, causing me to shake with laughter.
“Come on.” I whispered as he groaned, standing up and tugging on a shirt with his relaxed athletic pants. Then I continued, “Also we will figure out this protection thing…” I blushed. “I’ve never even had a period, Marco, so I think I function a little differently than you said.”
His eyes searched mine and he inhaled. “Let’s get you an appointment with a doctor who may know a thing or two about what we are dealing with. I don’t like having surprises when it comes to your health.”
“You’re sweet,” I stated softly, thinking about how dangerous and hot he was looming over me only an hour or so ago. Not so sweet then. But I loved both sides.
“Where?” I asked curiously, remembering the element about the appointment he’d mentioned, as we walked down the steps.
“Dreki realm,” he admitted softly.
“You’re taking me there?” I asked eagerly.
“Yes,” he admitted softly, “I think it’s finally time to visit home.”
Before I could respond, I was greeted by the FBI agents and all of my very annoyed looking boys, who seemed relieved upon seeing me. I smiled at that. My sweet mates.
Marco
I couldn’t even describe the odd relief it felt to have talked to her about…
well, all of that. I wanted to provide for her and protect her.
It was an impulse. But having her ear to listen felt like a balm to my occasional overwhelmed feeling towards everything.
I still felt guilty as hell not thinking about protection.
I was a bastard because even more than that I enjoyed the thought of having come inside of her…
marking her completely. My dragon rumbled in agreement and I tried to shut that shit down because this was not the time to be thinking like that.
It didn’t help that I was six years older than the start of mating age.
Technically, most mates would be popping out a little flight of dragons already.
I groaned as my dragon nearly surged forward with excitement at the concept.
Thoughts of how fucking good she felt filled my head as I ran a hand through my messy hair, trying to not think about how tight and wet she’d been.
..Christ. I hadn’t exactly slept around a lot but I was in no means a virgin.
She made me feel like one though. I could barely think straight and any sense of calm, or ability to not take her like a man possessed, flew out the window at those damn noises.
Her soft whimpers and moans had been fucking intoxicating and the idea of being the first man ever inside of her fucking elated me.
It shouldn’t because it wouldn’t have mattered if Maya had been with a million other men…
but knowing she only belonged to my flight, it fucked with my head in the best way possible.
The feeling of her body under my hands and more so how her sweet ass looked pressed up against me as I slid my cock in and out of her was something I would be replaying again…
and again, until I was back inside of her.
“Marco,” Henry hissed quietly enough only I could hear it. I almost smiled at that because I knew he was picking up on my thoughts and I didn’t give a fuck. What I did give a fuck about? These fucking FBI agents who were causing Maya not to be in bed, relaxing and resting.
“I’m not really sure what else you are looking to know,” Maya fielded softly as both of them exchanged frustrating glances, “no one said we couldn’t leave the country, something they’ve explained before, and we ended up coming back after the weekend, so obviously if we were hiding from you… we would be failing terribly.”
Bradley, the newer asshole, grunted, “You can’t just leave the fucking country in the middle of an investigation.”
“You swear at her again and I’ll snap your neck!” Atlas snarled as my eyebrows went up. Atlas was notoriously calm and measured, so the anger was surprising.
“Did you just threaten an FBI--”
“Yes.” Atlas hissed. “You have been here for over three hours.” Had it really been three hours? I knew at least a third of that I’d spent buried in Maya.
I looked over at her sated and relaxed gaze as she relaxed on Sai’s lap, her hand intertwined with Ledgers next to him. She looked completely unfazed by these assholes.
My brother continued, “Get the answers you need and get the fuck out.”
“We could arrest her as a suspect,” Darren, a seasoned veteran, offered, looking amused at his partner's frustration.
“You do that and I’ll be on the phone with the Bureau in seconds,” I responded indifferently, “after 2017, they would pull your asses out of here so fucking fast and you know it.” Darren, who had been part of the Los Angeles incident in 2017 paled.
He knew exactly what I was fucking talking about.
It was also why the FBI and several other government agencies owed me.
It’s probably shocking, but human government agencies were terrible at dealing with supernatural incidents, like rogue vampires and such. My flight? Not as much.
After a second, Darren sighed and stood. “Let’s go. This isn’t over Marco. We are going to get the evidence on how her mother died. I know you're fucking behind it.”
“Good luck,” I responded, gritting my jaw, “now get the fuck out.” Maya let out a small yawn that had the younger agent scowling.
Instead of noticing though, she buried her head against Sai’s neck and let out a relaxing hum-like sound that had my cock hardening.
I think I would always be hard around her. Forever.
“I’ll show them out,” Henry offered as Croy followed, looking way too happy about getting those fuckers alone.
Immediately Anani turned sharply. “What the actual fuck, Marco?”
I let out a warning rumble and arched my brow. He continued, “That was a special type of hell, making us sit through a three hour meeting while having to listen to her upstairs--”
Maya let out a small laugh, she tried and failed to hide, as Anani froze and looked down at her, “Did you actually just laugh about that, peanut?”
Maya’s head popped up as she blushed, “Never.”
“She did,” Atlas grinned, “she totally did.”
“Alright,” Maya shrugged, “I laughed but not because of you.”
“Because of what then?” Ledger questioned.
Maya’s golden eyes shot to mine as her lips broke into an embarrassed smile. “Alright so you mentioned something upstairs and I just had a question, a very valid one in my mind by the way…”
“Which is?” Sai raised a brow as the other two came in.
What Maya said next had all of the guys groaning and breaking away to go upstairs to no doubt jack off to the idea of her in said position.
“Why is it called doggy style? Like who came up-- Sai!” He deposited her on my lap and stormed from the room as I let out a chuckle, Henry groaning and leaving as well. The twins looked like kicked fucking pups and left the room after kissing her briefly, leaving Croy, Atlas, and I with her.
“What did I say?” She asked, still slightly confused. Although I could see the mirth in her gaze and had a feeling she was catching on more than she let on.
“Nothing, angel,” Atlas grinned and winked, “I think it’s a very valid question.”
I didn’t disagree and as she started entertaining a conversation with the other two, I shifted her ass on my lap slightly. I really, really wouldn’t mind showing her exactly why they call it doggy style again…