Chapter Eleven
My heart sank as August’s face hardened and his eyes shuttered. He went from the gentle guy I was falling for to the powerful warrior I was also falling for. Why did he keep putting up the wall between us?
I wanted to cry, but I refused to show my weakness over a man who kept running from me.
“He’s arrogant, but he’ll come around.” Jazriel wrapped an arm around me, pulling me against his side.
“I don’t think so. He’s forced to be around me right now, but once we get to the lodge, he will be gone.”
Jazriel laughed. “You don’t force a man like August to do anything he doesn’t want to do. He is aware I can protect you as well as he can, but yet he’s still here.”
“I don’t understand why he thinks he has to protect me.” I picked at a loose string on the blanket.
“Maybe because you haven’t told him what you are?” Jazriel suggested, reaching up to ruffle my hair. “He might be less afraid if he knew you were the mother-clucking queen of the phoenixes. See what I did? Cluck? Because you are a bird?”
“Seriously?” I wrinkled my nose. “It’s a good thing you’re cute, because your puns are lame.”
“You think I’m cute?” He slipped his finger under my chin and turned my face up to his.
My cheeks warmed, and I batted his hand away. “That’s an understatement.”
Grabbing the notebook I’d left on the blankets, I flipped it open.
“Will you ever tell him?”
Resting my chin on my palm, I stared into the woods and considered Jazriel’s question. “No. August is a man of honor. If he thought we were fated to be together so he could aid me in battle, he would accept the claim without question. He would risk death for me, he just isn’t willing to risk falling in love with me.”
“But he would fall in love once you two bonded.” Jazriel intertwined his fingers with my free hand.
My throat tightened, and I shook my head, unable to speak.
Jazriel’s thumb stroked in gentle circles on the back of my hand. “But you don’t want him to love you out of duty or because of the mate bond.”
“No,” I whispered. “And I won’t ask him to risk his life for me. It’s hard enough to ask for your help.”
“Technically, all you’ve mentioned needing from me is the energy that comes from the mate bond”—his eyes twinkled—“and I assume from sex. Lots of sex.”
“Jazriel!” I yelped.
“What? I’m more than happy to offer my services.” He bent, brushing a kiss across my lips, then pulled back. “Which reminds me, I’ve been thinking, and I believe I can help. How much do you know about pegasus?”
“Very little.” I motioned toward the notebook in my lap. “And it seems despite how long you were held captive, they didn’t learn much about you either.”
Jazriel’s eyes hardened, then an easy smile spread across his face. “I refused to let them win. My only entertainment was watching how angry I could make them.”
He laid back on the blanket, pulling me down and into his arms. “Now, let me tell you about my idea.”
Curling up against him, I stroked my fingers across his chest.
“Like Icarus, pegasus are drawn to fly as close to the sun as possible. But unlike Icarus, we gain power from it. We are at our weakest during the brief moments of darkness during complete solar eclipses, while solar flares and solar storms supercharge us.”
“That’s amazing!”
Jazriel’s eyes glowed with pride. “Thank you, Flame. There is a solar storm happening now, and in two days’ time, it should be at its peak. If you can replenish your magic by then, I can use those flares to funnel more power through the bond and into you. I don’t know how long until the next storm like this will happen, so this may be our best shot for a while.”
My heart soared with hope. “You can do that? Without harming yourself?”
Jazriel nodded. “I’ve done it many times. In fact, I used it the night I sensed how close you were. That’s when the flares started and I used the burst of energy to burn through most of the drugs in my system and break free.”
“This might work!” Happiness bubbled in my chest, and then I glanced at him through my lashes, feeling suddenly shy. “You were coming to find me?”
Jazriel grimaced. “I was giving it my best shot, but I miscalculated how bad of a condition I was in. When they trapped me on that ledge, I thought it was all over. Then a blue meteor streaked from the sky, turning the tables in an instant. Talk about making an entrance! Your presentation is sharper than a unicorn’s horn.” He rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him.
“I was happy I made it in time, but I wished I would have known sooner.”
“My precious little mate, you came exactly when I needed you.” Catching my face between his palms, Jazriel kissed the breath from my lungs.
When he pulled away, his face was serious. “You died that night, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I was determined to reach you before they started firing, and my fury made it hard to think clearly.” I rested my head against his warm skin.
“Were you planning to die again if August hadn’t shown up?” His chest rumbled against my cheek.
Reluctantly, I admitted, “I was going to cushion your fall.”
“You’re one crazy, brave woman. How’d I get so lucky?” His fingers trailed down my spine. “August believes you survived by pure luck today. But I want the truth. How many times did you die?”
“Twice.” I chuckled. “I regenerated just in time to be there as I tumbled over the falls to my second death. Worst timing ever.”
Jazriel rolled, tucking me beneath his body. His eyes glittered with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “You find that funny? I knew you could regenerate, and I was terrified. But poor August didn’t have a clue, and I thought I was going to end up with giant bird crap on me the whole time I ran below him.”
“I think he was more frustrated at being inconvenienced than concerned about my safety,” I murmured.
“I’m a selfish man, and it’s in my best interest to let you believe that so I can keep you to myself. But you’re wrong. August is terrified of the things you make him feel. He sees himself as your mate, and he thought he’d lost you today.” Jazriel brushed the loose strands of hair from my face.
“How could you know that?” I reached up to trace the curve of his lips, but pulled my hand back at the last second and rested it on my chest.
“It’s a gift, you could say.” Jazriel winked, then caught my hand and brought it to his lips. One by one, he sucked each of my fingertips into his mouth, speaking between kisses. “Now, tell me why you keep holding yourself back from touching me.”
“You’re supernaturally beautiful. I’m new to touching and being touched, and it’s intimidating to initiate it with you.” Biting my lip, I kept from adding, and I can’t believe you are attracted to me.
“Just as you are mine, I am yours.” Jazriel leaned down to brush his lips against mine. “I want to feel your touch as often as you are willing to give it. Nothing is off-limits, and for the record, I love PDA.”
My forehead creased, “PDA?”
“Public Displays of Affection,” Jazriel explained. “I want everyone to know I’m yours and I’m happy to show off—it’s a pegasus thing. We have zero embarrassment.”
“I thought pegasus didn’t like being touched.” This time, when I reached up, I traced the line of his lips.
“That’s true of anyone other than our mate.” Jazriel’s tongue darted out to lick my finger. “You can touch me whenever and wherever you like. But yes, I will kill anyone else who touches me.”
I shivered at his nonchalance. It was easy to forget that behind his beauty was a merciless beast who made even a mountain of a man like August nervous.
“Tell me what you need to recover from regenerating. I imagine it takes a lot of energy, and you’ve done it multiple times.” Jazriel placed soft kisses along my jaw.
Make love to me, I thought, but didn’t say it out loud. “My belly is full. Now I just need to rest.”
“Tell me the truth.” Jazriel’s mouth moved to my neck, sucking and licking.
My laugh was breathy, and my pulse jumped. “With food and sleep, my magic will replenish itself.”
Was it possible there were faster ways to recharge? According to Ryls, yes. But I wasn’t about to ask for that.
He trailed kisses along my collarbone, moving down. His mouth stopped just above the swell of my breast.
As though it had a mind of its own, my back arched, trying to encourage him to move just a little more.
“The truth, Iolani.” His voice lost its characteristic playfulness, becoming commanding. “Tell me what you need from me.”
His warm breath blowing across my skin made it hard to think about anything other than having him fill the ache between my thighs. “Jazriel, I… want you.”
He rumbled with satisfaction. “If we do this, it is likely my beast will claim you.” His hand moved to my throat, angling my face toward him. “I’m not going to be able to stop him because I want the same thing. Are you sure you want me as your mate?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m sure.” Wrapping my legs around his waist, I pulled his hips against mine. “Please, Jazriel. Mark me, mate me, claim me.”
He needed no further encouragement, and his mouth devoured mine. Supporting himself on his elbows, he slipped his right hand under my hips, holding me tight against the searing heat of his erection.
“Jazriel!” Wet heat rushed between my legs and my belly grew heavy with need.
His lips moved to my breast, sucking the hardened nipple into his mouth. Rolling his hips, he used the hand on my butt to slide my aching slit against him.
That wild thing in me began to pace, demanding release. Sinking my fingers into his shoulder-length dark hair, I pulled his mouth from my breast and back to my mouth. The thread binding us together seemed to glow in my mind, and the drive to be claimed by my mate added fuel to the wildfire burning through my chest.
My slick arousal coated him as he continued to stroke against my entrance. As my need grew, it quickly turned painful.
“Flame,” Jazriel hissed my name through clenched teeth. “Your first time should be special, tender. But I’m not going to be able to keep my beast at bay. I swear I’ll make it up to you for the rest of our lives.”
“If you don’t shut up and fill me, I’m going to experience my third death today by burning alive,” I snarled.
One second, I was looking into Jazriel’s glowing blue eyes, and the next, I was on my hands and knees looking down at the blanket.
“Oh!” I breathed, shocked at the dizzying speed with which he’d shifted our positions.
“OOH!” I screamed as his length entered me in one hard thrust.
He tore through the thin barrier and buried himself deep. My fingers curled in the blanket and I tried to squirm away from the searing pain, but his fingers dug into my hips, holding me against him.
“I’m sorry, beautiful. I’m so sorry.” Jazriel leaned over me, murmuring apologies and brushing kisses across my shoulders. “Be still, my love. Give your body a chance to adjust.”
I whimpered, torn between the desperate need still curled tight in my belly and the sharp pain shooting from where he was buried inside me. His right hand slid over my hip and down my belly, stopping when his fingers found where our bodies were joined.
When he found my clit, my muscles trembled, and I gasped. He said nothing as his fingers worked magic on my body. I could do nothing but moan as the pain receded and the feral need began to grow.
I rocked back against him, encouraging him I was ready for more. Jazriel’s hands moved back to my hips, and he pulled himself out inch by inch. I didn’t even have time to miss the fullness before he buried himself inside me again. My eyes crossed at the pleasure-laced pain that rippled through me.
Jazriel’s control must have completely snapped, because I could do nothing but try to remember to breathe as he thrust into me. My knees were lifted from the blanket as he angled my hips to thrust deeper into my tight heat.
Stars sparkled in my vision, and I felt dizzy as my body rushed toward a terrifying release. Jazriel must have sensed how close I was because his rhythm increased until our skin was soaked with sweat.
I lifted my eyes, trying to focus on anything to keep me grounded. What I spotted was August leaning against a tree at the edge of the woods. His eyes glowed as our gazes locked, but his face remained impassive. He looked completely unconcerned that he’d been caught watching.
What worried me was how my body reacted. My lust reached a boiling point, and with my eyes still focused on August, I climaxed, screaming until my voice was hoarse. Wave after wave of erotic bliss slammed into me, stealing my breath and causing my muscles to tighten around Jazriel’s erection. It was more than he could take and he roared my name, his body jerking as my walls continued to milk him.
August turned, storming into the woods, and I couldn’t blame him. Although I knew in my heart if he hadn’t put the wall between us, we would have already claimed each other.
Not wanting to feel the hurt that August’s leaving caused, I glanced at Jazriel over my shoulder. My heart skipped a beat at the raw lust and feral hunger on his face.
He was untamed and wild.
And he was mine… my mate.
Blue tongues of fire licked across my skin as magic swelled in my chest.
“Gorgeous.” Jazriel reached out a hand, holding it just in front of the fire, as though he were asking permission to pet an unfamiliar dog.
My flames responded to his curiosity by rushing across his skin, consuming both of us in a blue column of fire. Setting my knees back down, Jazriel tucked his left arm around my waist and moved the fingers of his right hand to my throat. He gently pulled me toward him until my back was pressed against his chest.
His wings appeared, wrapping me in a feathery cocoon as I tilted my head back against his shoulder and his mouth claimed mine. My leg burned as his magic marked me. Glancing down, I found a trail of hoofprints running up my outer thigh. I was forever his.
Tears blurred my vision, and I wished with all my heart I could mark him like Ryls had marked her mates. I wanted the world to know he was mine, and if they touched a man bearing my mark, they would know to pray that death found them before I did.
To my shock, I watched the column twist and swirl as though caught by a breeze. Jazriel turned me in his arms as we watched it sparkle and dance over our heads. Slowly, a crow-sized bird made of fire emerged. The bird landed on my shoulder, eyeing me for a long moment before giving me a quick nod of its head.
My jaw dropped as it spread its wings and flew directly into Jazriel’s chest. He hissed in pain, but to his credit, he didn’t release me or try to get away.
When my fire slowly faded away, my mouth went dry as I stared wide-eyed at the image of a phoenix emblazoned across his chest.
“So… how do you feel about tattoos?” I asked belatedly.