CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Kayla
The world-shattering orgasm goes on and on as Shadow’s massive knot fills me, the sensation the most intense of my life.
I hover on my toes, tingling warmth burning through my entire body, trembling and taut as a plucked string that keeps vibrating, the sweet, piercing note of pleasure refusing to fade.
“My dirty girl. You feel so amazing around my knot,” Shadow growls. The hand in my hair tightens, pulling my head to the side so he can run his fangs down my neck in a shiver of sensation. “Look at you, coming so sweetly on my cock.”
He pulls almost all the way out, then thrusts forward so strongly my whole body lifts until I wobble on my toes.
I brace my hands against the tree as best I can, pushing back into him, craving everything he’ll give me.
Over and over he pounds into me, until there’s nothing but the sound of his growls, the feel of fur as his hips slap against my butt, the massive hand gripping my stomach, the claws buried in my hair.
Shadow, Shadow, Shadow, I chant in my head, unable to speak. No knotty romance book or toy could prepare me for the reality of him and his amazing knot.
“Goddess, Kayla, what you do to me.” He speeds up. “Taking my knot so well. My dirty girl. My wife.”
He jerks backward, roaring my name, the hot splash of his come fountaining down my thighs.
Shadow continues to move in and out of me in shallower thrusts that bounce me against his knot, his much, much larger knot.
My thighs clench, trying to feel it for themselves, but it’s impossible for my legs to close with him between them. I reach down, gulping when I touch the swollen base of his cock, which feels twice as big as before. Oh, god. That monster is supposed to fit inside me?
I should be scared, but all I feel is want.
“I’m going to eat you now, my dirty girl.
Need your taste all over my tongue.” Shadow pulls out and spins me around until my back hits the smooth bark of the birch tree.
Then he’s on his knees, his green eyes shining in the reflected light of my phone.
He looks so wild in his werepanther form, so forbidden and naughty all covered in fur, that my legs go weak. I guess I really am a dirty girl.
He nips at my inner thighs to get me to open wider, his fangs scraping my skin and making goosebumps break out all over my body.
The first flick of his tongue sends tingles racing through me, and I moan, clutching at the fur on his head. His werepanther tongue is sinfully long and slightly textured, and my clit throws a damned parade every time he licks it.
Shadow lifts one of my thighs over his shoulder to open me even wider. Then he licks and sucks at my entrance, teasing his tongue inside and lapping with wet smacking noises that sound so dirty I get even hotter.
After the mind-altering orgasm I just had, I thought it would be impossible to come again. I was wrong, really flipping wrong. Thank god.
Using only his tongue, he strokes me to the quivering edge of release, holding me there until I writhe above him, making mewing animal noises of need. Then he growls, low and deep, and the sound travels through his tongue to vibrate over my clit like the very best toy.
Lightning flashes through me, setting every nerve on fire as I scream, my entire body shaking and storm-tossed. My legs give out, and Shadow props me higher on his shoulder, his long arms cradling my back as he continues to lick.
Pleasure rolls through me in swells of sweet sensation that go on and on until I can’t breathe and pass out.
I come to cradled in Shadow’s arms as he carries me across the clearing and into the pond. I give a pleased hum and nuzzle against his shoulder, too dazed to speak.
He sinks enough to cover us up to our shoulders and lets the warm water wash us clean, then carries me over to the softest bed of moss. I curl up against his side as the cool night breeze slowly dries my skin, huddling close to his warmer body as he starts to purr.
The sound thrums through me, relaxing me more than I ever thought possible. I must doze off, because it feels like I only close my eyes for an instant, but when I open them, his fur is completely dry.
“Hello,” he whispers as his purr fades.
“Hi.” Then I ask something that’s been niggling at the back of my mind ever since I saw how much he enjoyed playing with the kittens: “Was it hard to be home? Do you miss it?” Does it make him want to move back? When he’s done playing with all the new, fun things on Earth, will he return here?
Will he leave me?
“I miss home. Of course, I do. But it’s more complicated than that.” His voice sounds soft and sincere, with none of his usual bravado, and I feel like I’m getting a glimpse into the real Shadow. “Because I also don’t miss it, and I feel guilty about that.”
Huh. Interesting. “You’re gonna have to spell that out for me.”
“Home is the den and family. It’s exploring the realm of Alarria.
It’s everything I knew for the first twenty-six years of my life.
It was enough… because it had to be.” He runs a hand down my back and pulls me closer.
“I’ve never admitted this to anyone, most especially not to my family.
When I met Naomi and learned of Earth, the thought of traveling to other places became something more than the myths of how the cat sith used to walk the realms. It woke a hunger in me, a restless curiosity I could barely contain.
I joined Naomi and helped her open the doors of Faerie not only because she’s my friend but also so I could finally live like my people were always meant to live: able to shift, able to travel the realms.”
He picks up my hand, squeezing my fingers before pressing a kiss to my palm.
“I had all of Alarria to explore, and it wasn’t enough.
I needed more. My work as a messenger isn’t simply about gold—though don’t get me wrong, I love the creature comforts gold can buy—it’s about visiting new places, meeting new people, seeing new sights. I need it.”
“You need to be free.” I nod. “I get that.”
“Do you?” His voice sounds so hopeful. “Do you really understand?”
“Do you know why I love video games so much?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Tell me.”
“The thing about my father… it wasn’t just that he didn’t like video games. It was more than that.” I swallow and force out the words. “He controlled every aspect of my life, of my mom’s life. What we ate, how we dressed, who we got to talk to when we went out in public.”
Shadow’s arms tighten around me.
“It’s a big reason I fell in love with video games.
I got to make all the decisions when I played.
If a cavewight jumps out at me, I can shoot a Fireball Spell or duck into a different cave—I get to choose, not him.
” I rub my cheek against his shoulder. “So I understand. I really do. Designing video games feels like the ultimate freedom. I get to be exactly who I want to be. Creating worlds and magic systems and adventures is more than a job. It’s the first thing that ever allowed me to be me. ”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “But I’m also glad you understand.”
We lie together in comfortable silence, but his earlier words still haunt me. “You said you feel guilty about leaving home. Is there anything that will help with that?”
“You saw them.” He sighs. “They’re still living at the den as panthers unable to shift, when all of Faerie should be their playground.”
“You want more for them.”
“I do.”
I say, “You’ll figure out something that helps them.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because it’s something you want.” I huff in amusement. “And after the way you followed me around for a year, I’m pretty sure ‘giving up’ isn’t in your vocabulary.”
“What can I say? I play to win.” His rich chuckle rolls through me.
There he goes, talking about his pursuit of me in terms of winning again. But we’ve also shared a feeling of mutual understanding, and he clearly loves his family. I sigh internally. I’m not going to solve the puzzle that is Shadow tonight.
But I also don’t have to. Shadow’s rubbing off on me in several ways.
I’m trying to embrace his ability to live in the present and have fun.
As Violeta and Jasmine said, even if this turns out to be a fling, it’s something I should enjoy instead of spiraling into a ball of anxiety all the time.
So when he pulls me closer, I snuggle against his chest.
After a while, the night air grows even cooler, and a stronger gust makes me shiver.
“Let’s get you home.” Shadow stands and gathers our things. He dresses me in his shirt, the only piece of clothing to survive the night, and hands me our phones. Cradling me in his arms, he runs the shadow roads, not stopping until we emerge into Victoria’s entryway.
Dewdrop gives a sleepy chirp of hello from the living room as Shadow sets me on my feet.
The light flickers overhead, and Victoria writes, “Where have you been? I couldn’t feel you at all.”
My idea worked—she has no idea we consummated. I share a triumphant smile with Shadow, then say, “Shadow took me to meet his family in Faerie.”
“I also asked them to attend the wedding this weekend,” he adds.
“And you didn’t do anything else?”
The house might not have eyes, but I can feel her staring at us, judging his nakedness and my improvised mini dress. A blush heats my cheeks, and I get ready to stammer out some kind of denial. God, I hate that I’m always such a sucky liar.
Shadow beats me to it, grinning his facade grin as he lies. “Nothing else.”
“I don’t believe you.”
The sound of locks clicking into place echoes throughout the house.
Here we go again.