Chapter 8
MALIK
M y beast’s primal instinct for survival rides me hard, but Leonora’s magic forces my shift, yanking me from the blessed darkness of my panther’s mind.
I’m ashamed that I resist, wanting … needing to have just a little more time in the quiet place inside my beast. But reality crashes into me, ending my too-short recess from my life.
My blunt human teeth lose their purchase in her flesh, and my human nails slip away from her bloodied body. Leonora stands on her good leg, while the other one—almost completely severed—hangs by a few tenacious tendons.
My eyes widen at the damage my beast was able to inflict.
Not even the coordinated attack last year with both my brothers left Leonora so wounded.
I turn this information over in my mind as the deep gouges in Leonora’s flesh slowly start to knit back together.
I want to try again and see just how much damage my beast can do, but Leonora will be ready for me next time and she’ll simply force me to shift back again. But maybe …
She glares at me, though tiny beads of sweat dot her forehead as if …
Is she in pain? And then her eyes sharpen, and I’m confused by what I see in them.
Fear? No, that can’t be right. The hint of emotion is gone in a flash of gold magic illuminating her eyes, and with a grunt, she flicks her hand.
Her power slams into me, sending me flying across the room.
I slam into a bookcase and land on shaky legs as books rain down around me.
Leonora crosses her arms, her leg repairing with sickening slurps and sucks of muscle and bone.
While the edges of her eyes have the small crinkles of a wince, her voice is like honey still in the hive.
Sweet and dangerous. “You think you can use your beast against me? He is even more mine than your human side.”
I wonder about that, because without me, my beast was able to do a considerable amount of damage, more than I’ve ever seen inflicted on Leonora before.
Sluurp. Snap! She hisses as her thigh bones straighten and muscle forms around the jagged mess of her leg. She puts a little weight on her foot, and her shredded, bloody clothes fall away, disappearing before the scraps hit the floor.
I hold her gaze as she smiles at me, but there’s still pain in her eyes, and I want to grin back at her. I don’t, but I want to.
She asks, “Where are they?”
I push my long hair away from my face as I say, “Stop asking. I don’t know.”
I glance down at her reformed leg and almost do a double take.
A white line of flesh draws a jagged line all the way around her thigh. A scar. My beast left a scar on Leonora. She hasn’t noticed it yet, and I’m sure when she does, I’ll pay for that as well, but … My beast grins and licks her blood from his snout inside my head. “Worth it.”
Yes. Yes it is.
As her entrails slurp back into her belly, she struggles to maintain her smile, which makes me want to bark a laugh, but I hold it in as she says, “So loyal, though why that loyalty doesn’t extend to me, your goddess , continues to be a mystery to me.”
I shake my head, sending my long hair waving around my hips. “No, you wouldn’t understand.” I aim my gaze at her and hold eye contact.
She strides towards me, naked but no longer perfect. Another pale line of flesh cuts across her stomach from her belly button to her left hip. And yet another curves around her right breast to touch the edge of her shoulder.
I want to rejoice at this small victory, but after losing myself inside my beast then being ripped back out, my soul feels … raw. Tired.
My beast bares his teeth within me. “I understand your weariness. Hopefully I just proved that you can rely on me more. Let me carry more of our burden. Let me fight for us.”
“How? How did you do that?”
He barks a laugh. “I really don’t know, but don’t forget who I am. You refer to me as beast, but let’s be honest, I’m the monster inside you. I’m your savage animal instinct. To give up is to die, and I am not ready to die. Neither are you.”
I sigh. No, I suppose I’m not.
I flatten my expression and brace myself, ready to endure whatever Leonora throws at me next. That’s what I do. Endure.
Leonora comes so close, the heat of her body caresses the front of mine without her actually touching me. And then her lips press against my mouth. Her magic licks at my skin like silk, and my cock twitches.
So, this is to be my punishment. I almost wish she’d strike me or send me back to the cage, because I don’t want to get hard for her … but I also crave this punishment. I want to get lost in the pleasure she can wring from me as she chases her own.
She kisses me again, and again. Her hand wraps around mine, bringing my fingers to the scar on her belly.
She brushes my touch along her raised flesh, and I brace for her anger, but she smiles against my lips.
“Look how you’ve marked me, Malik.” I jerk against her in horror, but she doesn’t let me pull away.
Leonora trails her lips up my jaw to my ear and whispers, “No one has ever dared mark me.”
I wonder if that’s because no one would dare, or that no one could …
Her body presses against mine, her power surging with pheromones and lust. My cock jerks against her stomach, and an involuntary groan comes from my throat. She uses her hand to press my fingers a little harder against the scar on her belly. My mark.
I hate that she’s implying I’ve claimed her, but I love that my beast is the one who was able to mar her perfection.
Leonora’s hand drags mine down until I skim over her clit.
She sinks our fingers into her wet heat, and our moans collide on a shared exhale.
Her free hand dances up my chest then smooths over my collar as she pumps our fingers in and out of her pussy and says, “I will cherish these marks, Malik.” She kisses my lips again.
“You are so strong.” Her mouth presses to my jaw.
“So powerful.” She kisses my throat right over the collar. “So beautiful. My beautiful alpha.”
As her magic and pheromones fill my nose, body, and mind, I curl my free hand around her lower back, pulling her against me.
This is what I need, to get lost, to escape the futility of my existence …
if only for a few moments. She lifts her gaze, her eyes soft once more, and I look down at her as I trail my fingers up her spine then back down all the way to her ass.
My other hand remains entwined with hers, slicking in and out of her tight heat.
I try to reach my climax, desperately searching for that headspace of pleasure that allows me to let go … but I can’t. It’s just out of reach.
Unbidden, Amri’s muscular, slim body invades my mind, and suddenly I’m picturing her in my arms. It’s her body my fingers curl inside of, touching all those fluttery places.
It’s Amri’s moans of pleasure filling my ears.
It’s Amri’s hands clinging to me as she climbs towards orgasm.
It’s Amri’s teeth scraping my skin. Stars, I want …
I jerk out of the fantasy, realizing I’ve pressed Leonora’s body even closer to mine. I look into my goddess’ eyes, burning gold with her magic, and I desperately wish they were the ice-blue of a certain wolverine.
Leonora’s lips part as she gets close to her release, her hand driving my fingers deeper, curling them to press firmly right where she wants.
She gasps, clutching my collar, pulling my face to hers.
She kisses me with a desperate passion I haven’t felt from her in years.
Her body quivers against mine as she breaks our kiss to hold my gaze through her orgasm.
It’s primal and raw, and I can’t look away.
My cock throbs where it’s pressed between our bodies, and as Leonora comes down from her release, she slips her hand out of her pussy, but my fingers remain curled inside her.
My palm rubs her clit as she grabs my cock, sliding my foreskin down, exposing my barbs.
Precum leaks onto her hand, and she grins as she whispers, “Tell me where your brothers are, Alpha. ”
I growl, driving my fingers deeper inside her. Leonora calling me ‘Alpha’ is heady, but I hate it. I never want to hear it again from those lips.
My beast growls louder inside my head.
Leonora releases my collar to grab my hand, pulling my fingers from her cunt. She trails my wet fingers over the scar that skims her breast. “Tell me, Malik.”
My gaze follows the slick line my touch leaves behind on her skin. I swallow, trying to think past the rush of lust and magic muddling my mind and body. “I … I don’t know, my goddess.”
She grins, letting go of my hand, grabbing my collar once more as she continues stroking my cock. She hums. “It’s okay.” She squeezes my cock harder, dipping her head to spit.
My hips jerk as I thrust into her palm, needing to reach that place of surrender. I’m so so close, but I can’t seem to tip over the edge. I’m on the verge of begging, but for what …?
I screw my eyes shut, grunting with each pump of Leonora’s hand. But what I find in the darkness behind my lids is Amri … her grin, the faint dusting of her freckles, her bravery, her snark, the tattooed skin of her throat under my hand …
I come, my orgasm pulling pleasure from my very soul as a growled grunt rumbles from my chest, my cum painting Leonora’s stomach.
She doesn’t release my cock or my collar as a breathy chuckle punches from her lips. She strokes me again, and it’s like all her power and pheromones gather and pool in my balls. The pleasure is painful, and my head falls back with the ecstasy of it.
Leonora chuckles again as she grips my collar tighter. Her lips brush against mine as she hums. “You know, the humans seem to love the stories where the villain is willing to burn the world down for those they love.” Her thumb flicks my barbs before circling the head of my cock.
Fuck. I just want this to be over. I never want this to end.