Chapter Twenty #2
Nix panted. Our heat is close. I don’t think we will make it through the night.
We have to. I called back. We are supposed to attack the rogues tomorrow night.
“She is just a kid.” Rowan’s words snapped me back.
I nodded. “I know, but the Goddess has a plan.” Heat rose to my face. “All I can do is support her when the time comes, and do the task that the Goddess has given to me. I’ll help you save our kind. And give her the time to grow into the strong woman I am going to raise her to be.”
“Like your mom did for you?” He looked down at me with such intensity that I felt myself grow damp.
“Fuck.”
“What?” He tilted his head down and I shivered. “What’s wrong?”
“The heat is coming faster than I thought it would.” I forced myself to take a step back. “I think we will have to postpone the attack.”
Rowan followed my step. “I don’t think we can.”
I growled low. “Well, I’m about to be out of commission for a week or so. So we will have to fucking figure it out.”
He rumbled deep in his chest again. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you get angry?” He stepped closer again and I felt myself take a deep breath.
And there was nothing. I growled again. “You need to leave.”
He smirked as he pressed his chest against me. “Why would I go and do that?” He looked down at me, and I watched his eyes flash to the ice blue I had grown to crave, but I shook my head.
“You know what is about to happen.” I shook myself and turned away.
“I know. And I don’t care this time. Erubus chose Nix, he chose Megan.
And mate or not, I have chosen you.” I sucked in a breath, but still there was no scent that I could catch.
Another growl ripped from my chest. “Now the question is…will you choose me?” His tone was as even as he could manage, but I heard the catch, the worry, that he tried to mask.
“You don’t want me.” I shook my head. “Not really. You have said it time and time again. I smelled wrong. I wasn’t your mate. I wasn’t enough.” I growled out.
He pressed against my back, and I felt him. His long, hard length was pressed against my back. “Does that feel like I don’t want you? And don’t tell me it is because of your heat. I can’t even smell you.” He leaned down until his lips were against the shell of my ear.
I felt myself purr. My eyelids fluttered as his lips grazed my ear with every word. “Rowan…” My words were soft, and I tried to move away from him, but he followed with a taunting growl.
“Amy.” His teeth grazed me. “Listen to my words.” I shivered again. He rumbled, making my eyes flutter again and my breathing hitch. “I choose you. Mate or not. It’s you. It has always been you.”
Do it Amy. Nix panted.
Yeah Amy. Mate or not. We need to be truthful, not just for him, but for ourselves.
I squeezed my eyes tight. “I don’t know…” I whispered.
“Do you love me?” His question was so quiet I almost missed it.
“What?”
“Do you love me?” His hands trailed up my sides. “Because I love you. May the Goddess forgive me, but I love you with everything I am. I would give up being king to be by your side and I wouldn’t lose a night of sleep. So do you love me?”
I took one ragged breath before I cut the magic that was hiding my scent.
My scent flooded my room, and Rowan froze. He pulled in deep breath after deep breath. My heat was burning my skin, and I could smell my arousal that pooled in between my legs. “Rowan.” I couldn’t face him. I couldn’t see his disappointed face when he realized I wasn’t his mate.
“So fucking stupid.” His words hit me in the chest.
I closed my eyes and felt the burn of tears.
Not again. I took a deep breath in and stepped away.
“I told you.” I shook my head and pinched myself to stop the tears from falling.
“Can you please leave now?” I felt a tear escape anyway, and I sniffled.
I staggered and then pulled in another deep breath. I spun around to face Rowan.
“You smell like strawberry shortcake.” His eyes were blown, the color gone.
I drew in another breath, his scent filling my lungs, my mind, my soul. “You smell like vanilla and cinnamon.” I took a step towards him. I felt my stomach quiver as his scent surrounded me. “Like cinnamon rolls.”
He grabbed me and lifted me up. “Mate.” His eyes shifted and his ice-blue eyes flashed at me and I knew Erubus was fronting.
When I first found out I was Brandon’s mate, I felt the rush from Megan, who I assumed was Nix, but I was disappointed because I had spent my life hating him.
But with Rowan, he was different. He was everything I had ever wanted.
My wolves loved him, and if I was honest, I had never stopped loving him.
I felt my fangs descend, and my eyes flash gold. “Mate.” Nix’s word fell from my lips and it was the first time I had ever felt the rush of excitement I longed for the first time around. His lips crashed into mine and my heat crashed into us full force.
Rowan growled and bit the bottom of my lip as he pulled back. “I am holding on by a thread here, but I will ask you this once.” His eyes glowed, but I knew Rowan was fighting Erubus for control. “Do you want me?”
Nix and Megan were panting, but they also pulled back. You make this choice, Amy. Megan’s voice was a pained whisper.
We won’t force this on you. We promised you to make this choice, and we meant it.
I trembled with the heat licking my skin, and I was quickly losing the ability to think. But I knew with certainty that I wanted this. I wanted him.
“Yes.” I barely finished the word before Rowan smashed his lips back to mine. His groan was intoxicating as he lifted me back into his arms. He walked back towards my bed.
“I have thought about this moment for…years.” He pulled back to look into my eyes.
“I want to tell you that this will last all night. And it will. Believe me, that it will. But this first time will be fast, rough, and probably not very satisfying.” I wanted to chuckle, but I barely had a second to breathe before he slammed his mouth back on mine.
My heat was back in full force, the tiny respite that my wolves gave me, a forgotten dream.
Rowan threw me onto the bed, and I bounced with a small shriek.
His smirk was delicious as he climbed over me. “Take a breath.”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
“Take a breath.” He said it again and I felt a little command in his words.
I smiled as I took in a deep breath. Rowan leaned down and gripped my shirt, pulling the cloth tight, causing it to bite into my skin as he ripped it from my body, my bra going with it.
His rumble of appreciation as he watched my tits bounce had me dripping.
“Goddess, you are fucking perfect.” He moved to my pants and pulled them from my body, leaving me naked under him.
“Fuck.” He wasted no time undressing himself, I watched with greedy eyes.
“Do you like what you see, rabbit?” His voice had somehow dropped lower with his need.
“Yes.” My eyes refused to move from his hands as he stripped his shirt from his chest. I licked my lips as his hands dropped to his belt.
“Tell me what you want.” His words were low as his eyes feasted on my naked body.
“Take off your pants.” My command had sprung to my lips, and he smiled as he followed my words. His belt slipped from the buckle and he swept it from the loops in such a way that I moaned. His chuckle was dark as he unbuckled his button.
“Is that all?” He lifted an eyebrow as his hand pulled down his zipper slowly, causing me to growl.
“I want your lips on me, your tongue trialing my skin.” I pushed up from the bed and crawled to where he was at the side of the bed.
“I want you inside of me, over and over, until my heat breaks, and then I want to do it all over again.” His needy rumble echoed around my room as I popped up to my knees and trailed my hands up my sides until I cupped my breasts. “Now come claim me, mate.”