20. Gage
Gage
With my right hand, I scroll through the webpage, reading yet another article on the mysterious phoenix. They are so rare and thought to be entirely mythical, so it’s hard to know what information is real and what’s been fabricated.
The one thing that is extremely unclear is how to kill them. Which bothers me for multiple reasons. First off, I have no idea how to keep Cherry safe if I don’t know what can kill her, and secondly, I need to know how to kill Blaze.
Since we know he resurrected at the facility, it’s safe to assume that what he told Cherry was true, that he has been infused with some of her power.
Which is why I’m currently researching phoenixes, trying to find a way to kill them.
It’s unclear if beheading them and burning the head will actually work.
I glance down where my left hand is gently stroking her soft, red hair, pushing it back so I can see her beautiful face. She snuggles closer into my side, and I sigh, loving having her this close.
When we woke up this morning, I grabbed my laptop and brought it back to the room to continue my research. Once the others had woken up, they slowly left until it was only Maddox and me here with Cherry.
I moved to sit against the headboard on the other side of her, and when she rolled over, hugging my hip, Maddox just smirked and left the room.
I let my hand trail down her arm as I try to push down the anxiety I’ve been feeling from the lack of bond. Even though I know it will snap back in place as soon as I knot and bite her again, there is still that nagging worry of what if it doesn’t work.
Cherry rubs her face against my bare thigh, and my dick twitches at her closeness. I took off my boxers when Maddox was sealing the bond with her, eager for my chance, but when I saw the exhaustion on her face, I knew it wasn’t going to happen last night. And that’s fine.
It will happen when it happens.
I let out a hiss of surprise when Cherry’s soft little fingers suddenly grab my cock.
“Good morning,” she whispers.
“Uh huh,” I say, pulling the blanket down so I can see what she’s doing. She tilts her head and inspects my cock, making me ask, “What are you looking at?”
“Just making sure your cherry tattoo is still here.”
A small laugh escapes me. “Think it was a rub on or something?”
She shrugs. “Something like that.”
I slam my laptop shut and toss it to the end of the bed before grabbing her armpits and dragging her across my lap so she’s straddling me.
She slaps a hand over her mouth, and I cock an eyebrow at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”
“I don’t mind. I love your scent,” I reassure her as I try to pull her hand away, but she shakes her head. I release her and nod toward the bathroom as my eyes trail down her naked body. “Go on then. But be quick.”
She nods eagerly and crawls out of my lap. I give her ass a little slap, making her squeak in surprise, which makes me grin.
She makes quick work of using the washroom, and within a couple of minutes, she’s climbing back in my lap, biting her lip as she looks up at me through her lashes.
I let my hands roam up her sides, then down her back as I speak.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“Good.”
“Just good?”
“Very good.”
“Are you sore?”
She shakes her head as her hands find their way to my chest, her fingers tracing the patterns of my tattoos. She bites her lips and I squeeze her hips. “What are you thinking, little omega?”
Her eyes flash with heat as they snap to mine.
“I’m thinking that I want my alpha.” She swallows, leaning a little closer as she whispers, “I need you, Gage. I need to feel you inside me.” Her cheeks heat as she quickly adds, “I meant the bond.” Her eyes glance down to where my cock is standing up straight between us, and I slowly pull her closer, making it press right against her core.
She gasps.
“You want to feel me, omega? You want to feel me inside of you?” She nods, her eyes glued to my cock. I slowly move my hips, soaking myself on her wet cunt as my hands slide up her soft skin to land on her breasts.
I start to play with her nipples, and she arches her back, pressing them more firmly against my touch.
“Kiss me,” I command, tilting my chin toward her. She obeys instantly, leaning forward and sealing her lips to mine.
We exchange a few tender touches before we both let our passion overtake us. My tongue dives in, taking control as her arms wrap tightly around my neck, dragging her body even closer as she rubs herself against me.
I groan as her wet pussy slides up and down my length, and I know if I don’t get inside her soon, I’m going to blow my load all over her stomach. And though the thought of her covered in my jizz is an erotic one, the need to knot her is more important right now.
“Gage, please!” she begs, pulling her mouth from mine and trailing kisses down to where her mate mark is on my neck. She sucks the skin there, making me moan as my hands snap to her hips and start lifting her.
As soon as she’s high enough, I angle my hips, easily finding her entrance with the wet tip of my cock. Slowly, I lower her as I press inside and she cries out, her hot breath skating over my shoulder as she clings to me.
“That’s it, my little omega. Such a good girl for me, aren’t you?” I hiss out as I lower her all the way down my cock until she’s sitting in my lap with me fully inside her. “Fuck, baby. You’re so good, taking me like this,” I tell her, unable to keep the praise from spewing from my lips.
“Yes!” she hisses as I lift her up a little, then pull her back down as I thrust up into her. I do it again, and again, growling as I try to move faster than I’m capable of in this position.
I let out a grunt of frustration as I wrap both arms around her and flip us so she’s on her back with me hovering over her. She gasps, her fingers digging into my shoulders as she stares at me with wide eyes.
“Hold tight,” I tell her before I grab one of her legs and wrap it around my back, giving me a deeper angle inside her.
Placing my hand beside her head, I stare into her beautiful blue eyes as I start to thrust. Hard.
Her eyes widen even further, and her head tilts back, a silent scream escaping her as she instantly starts to convulse around me, her pussy squeezing me tightly.
As she starts to whimper, I shake my head, my thrusts only ramping up in speed. “We’re not done yet. I want another one from you, omega.”
She shakes her head, but by the sounds coming from her, I know she’s already climbing to another release.
“That’s it,” I hiss, thrusting harder and faster than I’ve ever done before. “Come for me, mate.”
She throws her head back and screams through her release. I grab her hand and yank it to my mouth, sinking my teeth into her wrist as my knot swells inside of her, locking us together.
My release shoots deep inside her as the bond snaps back into place. The rush of emotions coming from her is almost enough to knock me over as my hips jerk from the overwhelming feelings coursing through every part of my body.
I remove my teeth, licking her wrist gently before finding her lips once more.
“Mmm,” she moans, her mouth pliant as I kiss her slowly, showing her how I feel. When I pull back and open my eyes, I see hers filled with tears.
As a few break free, I use my thumbs to wipe them away as I search inside her. It’s not sadness I feel there. No, it’s overwhelming joy and love.
“I love you too,” I whisper before kissing her again. Our arms find their way around each other as I roll us to our side, holding her tight as I bury my face in her hair, not wanting this moment between us to end.
After lying in silence for a while, she sighs.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask as I push a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“How good it feels, to finally be connected to you all.” My hand stalls on her cheek a moment before it starts to move again.
“I hadn’t even thought about the fact that you weren’t just reforming your bond with me, you were reforming it with your final mate.
” I hook my finger under her chin and tilt her head up to mine as I search her eyes for any sign of pain or pressure.
Then I remember I can literally feel her emotions.
She’s happy, happier than she ever felt when we were previously bonded, which is extremely gratifying to know. And I sense no power fluctuations. She seems… stable.
“I feel more grounded now,” she says, confirming what I feel. “Almost as if before, I was tense and full of worry. And now, it’s like I can finally take a full breath for the first time… ever.”
I feel my knot start to deflate and I slowly pull it from her. She lets out a small whine of displeasure, and I grin as I scoop her up into my arms and stand. “Don’t worry, little omega. I’m not done with you yet.”
I head into the bathroom with her and kick the door shut behind us. After that, I spend the next forty-five minutes making sure Cherry is very clean, that is, after dirtying her up a little more first.
“Finn brought that over for you,” Hunter tells Cherry, pointing to a book on the living room table. “He said it’s from Lexi.” Cherry gasps as my own curiosity piques.
“A book?” I ask, trying to play it cool. “What kind of book?”
Chase snorts, shaking his head as he tosses a bottle of water in my direction.
I swipe it out of the air and step up to Cherry, holding it to her lips.
She looks at me in surprise, but when I tell her to “Open up,” she does so without question, tilting her head and letting me pour some of the water into her mouth.
Pulling it away, her eyes boring into mine, I tell her, “Swallow,” and when she does so again, obeying me so easily, a barrage of ideas suddenly comes to mind on what else I could command her to do.
Suddenly, Bain snatches her up, dropping to the couch and pulling her sideways into his lap as he nuzzles into her neck, making her giggle. The sound and sight soften me as I smile at her.
“What’s the book about?” Bain asks, reminding me of the book she’s currently clutching to her chest.