Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
~ Shade ~
We fly out of the portal, and I immediately recognize Knox’s secluded dell in the academy forest. Oh, thank god.
Thane is off Rinoc’s back in an instant, and then he’s at my side, pulling me from my phoenix.
His hands and shadows run over my body, and Knox joins him, the pair of them determined to inspect every part of me.
When they’re satisfied that I’m in one piece, Thane grabs my face, and then his lips are on mine.
His warmth envelopes me, and tears well in my eyes.
Knox kisses me next, and it’s so much better than when he visited me in my dreams. The man smells of citrus and steel, and I breathe in deeply, still hardly able to believe that we’ve escaped.
Kazer, Galen, and Arizak come through the portal after us. The giant lion rubs against my side as Bonfang nuzzles my neck. Arizak snorts in my hair, and Rinoc grunts, puffing air into my face.
My phoenix is the only one who avoids the huddle, and she stands regal as she watches over us protectively. Kazer stalks toward her, rubbing against her feathers, and she gives him a haughty look, ruffling her wings before tucking them in tighter.
Raith’s monster is the last of my mates to come through the portal, and a Xalgrith warrior follows him just before the portal closes. Snarling, my monster tears the warrior apart with his clawed hands and tosses what’s left into the forest.
After what I’ve just experienced, I don’t have it in me to be grossed out.
No, I’m too busy staring at the raw lust in the monster’s eyes.
No, it’s not just lust. There’s love there, too, and relief.
The tension drains from his heaving shoulders as he stares at me, and it’s like his penetrating dark eyes can see straight to my soul.
“Well, he looks happy to see you,” Elgen jokes in my head.
“Tiny mate, we found you,” Raith growls, and just those words nearly make my knees buckle.
Thane quickly creates a large shadow dome around us, and my heart thunders.
It’s only then that I see how wrecked my mates are. Their clothes are torn and covered in blood, and they all look like they haven’t slept in days. And then there’s Knox… I cry out as I notice the healing burns on his skin, and the dark circles around his eyes.
“You’re hurt,” I choke out, moving closer to him and scanning his body. “This is all my fault.”
He sways on his feet. “No, mate. This isn’t on you.”
But even though he says that, I can’t help but feel responsible. I should have been stronger. My heart stutters when I think of how Knox had visited me in my dreams and saved me. “Is this because you visited me?”
“No, my love,” he replies. “But even if it was, I would risk death a thousand times if it meant bringing you home. Don’t worry. I’ll heal.”
A tear slips down my cheek, and he reaches up to brush it away. “Are you well, mate?”
Pain blooms in my stomach, like the need to bond is stronger now that my mates are all around me.
“Not really. I need…” My words trail off, and my gaze goes back to where Raith’s monster is standing, staring at me intently.
Knox’s lips quirk up, and he presses a kiss to my shoulder. “I’ll wait beyond the dome. The four of us can’t be here or we risk bonding, and I could use the rest.”
Before I can protest, Knox disappears into shadow, and the animali leave as well, melting through the dome and giving us privacy.
My monster’s nostrils flare, and despite everything we’ve been through, just the sight of him has desire swirling inside me.
Raith lets out a guttural roar, shadows twisting around his horns, and he thunders toward me. His muscular arms wrap around my body, and he carries me into the small lake, walking until the dark water reaches up to his stomach.
I want to ask about the king. To ask about everything that they’ve been through, but I’m overwhelmed with emotion, and the urge to bond increases, the pain growing stronger in my stomach.
Galen and Thane follow us, and aside from a low warning growl, Raith’s monster doesn’t try to stop them as they watch from close by.
Our clothes disappear, and Raith’s monster kisses me hard, his fangs dragging against my lips.
Desire consumes me, and I wrap my arms around his neck as I straddle him.
Our touches are fevered and desperate, and I whimper as he pushes his cock inside me, stretching me and making me take all of him.
My body tingles as it shifts to accommodate his massive size, and I gasp as he starts to thrust faster, moving slowly at first before picking up speed.
He grips my ass, his claws pressing against my skin as he forces his way in again and again.
“My tiny mate. Mine,” he growls possessively, and despite his gruffness, there’s a tenderness in his eyes as he stares at me. That crippling relief is still there in his gaze.
“Thank you,” I rasp, my throat so clogged with emotion I can hardly speak. “For coming to save me.”
He thrusts harder, and I gasp as pleasure ripples through me.
“No one takes my mate,” the monster replies. “My love.”
Tears spill down my cheeks, and he continues pleasuring me. His shadows lick along my skin, and I cry out when we tip over the edge together.
He continues stuffing me for a while until Galen pulls me away.
Galen kisses me softly, and his movements are gentle as he pushes inside me. Thane comes up from behind, and he kisses the side of my face as he spreads my cheeks and enters me as well. I whimper at the sensation of both of them inside me.
They match their movements, finding a steady rhythm, and it doesn’t take long before I’m shattering again, crying out my mates’ names, and wondering how I survived a single second without them.
Galen finds his release next, spilling inside me, and Thane’s not far behind. Before long, all three of us are shuddering, and I sag against my mates, my body relaxing for the first time in days.
“Never do that to us again,” Thane growls as he nips my ear.
“Yes, daddy,” I whisper, because it’s not like I wanted to be kidnapped in the first place.
Galen kisses me deeply, and I moan into his mouth. He pulls back, and his turquoise eyes are sparkling again. “It’s good to have you back, treasure.”