Their Wild Sea, page 7
“My mom died shortly after giving birth to me. It’s always been my dad and me.” He watched as sadness clouded her features, turning her blue eyes dark and making her smile fade.
Reaching out and taking her hand, he brought her fingers to his lips. “Don’t be sad. Dad made sure I knew everything about her. I did miss not having a mom, but when the war started and the females died, I was glad I didn’t have to grieve the loss of a mom. Now that I said that out loud, it sounds insensitive.”
“I couldn’t imagine not having my mom in my life.” She fell silent.
“Do you miss having her with you here?” That was one thing Quil hadn’t thought of. Then again, he knew the females could contact their families at any time.
Shaylin pushed around her vegetables around her plate. “Not really. I mean I love my parents. They are wonderful, caring people, but that love was suffocating after Craig died.” She took a breath before continuing. “I talk to them via video chat once a week. I look forward to having them come for a visit after the Xaxhin issue is dealt with.”
Quil smirked. Every time she said Xaxhin’s name she almost growled. It was hot and adorable. “We’ll stop him. Until then, we just need to be on alert.”
Taking her plate from her and setting it on the coffee table, he slid closer to her. Then he cupped her nape, bringing her face to his. Need pulsed through him and his cock filled. While he’d lain in the hospital bed recovering, he’d felt her there. She’d talked to him, updating him on what was going on. Sometimes it was random stuff as if she had to keep talking. Even though it was only a couple of days, it had felt like a lifetime.
He was thankful the others were staying away to give him time with her, and her time with him.
“I missed your mouth,” he said before closing that mouth in a raw, unforgiving kiss.
She reacted by pushing into him while straddling his lap, deepening the kiss. Hunger like he never felt burned through him, fueling the rush of desire in his blood.
Fisting his hand in her hair, he pulled, drawing a moan from her. She twined her tongue around his and sucked. Tingles of desire skittered over his skin and a need to be deep inside her burned from within.
Picking her up, he moved them to the bedroom and laid her on the mattress. He broke the kiss and stared down on her, drinking in the erotic sight. Her lips were slightly swollen, and her cheeks flushed. Desire lit up her irises. Fuck, she was beautiful. Straightening, he removed his clothes.
She watched him greedily. Then, before he could return to the bed with her, she rolled to her hands and knees and moved to the edge of the bed. Then she reached for him but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist. One corner of her sensual lips lifted and she playfully slapped his hand away. “I want to play.”
Raising her brows, she dared him to challenge her. His lips twitched and he brushed the hair from her face and cupped her cheek. “So beautiful.”
She wrapped her fingers around his impossibly hard cock and his body jerked in response. Good gods. Meeting her desire-drunken gaze, she slowly stroked then licked the head of his penis, teasing. Fire flared inside him, turning his insides into liquid. He let out a groan, rolling his hips forward, an invitation for her to taste him.
She took him into her mouth and sucked. “Fuck,” he growled out while sinking his fingers into her hair, holding it away from her face so he could watch her suck him.
Sensations flooded him as he moved his hips, sliding his cock in and out of her mouth. It felt too fucking good to have her lips wrapped around his dick, sucking while her tongue seemed to stroke it. It wasn’t long before his balls tightened, and his climax peaked. He tried to pull out, but she held on, lifting her lashes to stare into his eyes.
That was all it took to make him fall. His body jerked and he came, and she savored every drop of him.
Quil gripped her arms and pulled her up to him, capturing her mouth and pushing his tongue inside. Breaking the kiss, he pulled her shirt off, then worked on removing every stitch of clothing blocking him from seeing all of her.
She gave him a wicked smiled and crawled backward onto the bed to lie against the pillows. Then she spread her legs and ran a hand over her breast, down her stomach, and slipped her fingers into her sleek folds. A low growl escaped him and all he could do was watch her pleasure herself. Desire filled him once more, making him harder than ever.
Starting at her knee, he kissed his way up the inside of her thigh, nipping the skin along the way. Small moans came from her as he lightly bit her skin, teasing her with his mouth and teeth as he traveled farther up until his mouth replaced her hand, covering her.
She let out a cry of pleasure, lifting her hips to grind against his face. He moved with her, intensifying the pleasure until she shook violently as an orgasm slammed into her.
He rose onto his knees and tapped her leg. “Roll over and get on your hands and knees.”
A flash of magic lit up her eyes and a smirk formed as she complied to his command.
He positioned himself behind her, admiring her perfection. No matter what angle he looked at her, she was breathtaking and all his. Of course, he had to share her, but that didn’t change how he felt or that she was still his mate.
He guided himself inside her and groaned at the feel of how tight she was. She let out a moan and lowered her head onto the mattress, making him go deeper. He gripped her hips as he thrust in and out, over and over, going deeper and deeper. Wave after wave crashed over him.
He leaned down and nipped at her ear. “You’re mine.”
“Yes.” Her words were choked out with another cry of pleasure.
He gripped her hips, his fingers biting into her flesh and pounded into her over and over. Every thrust building the pleasure that would send both of them over the edge of bliss.
Her climax tore through her and she screamed as she came moments before his own release coursed through him.
CHAPTER NINE
Shaylin sat with her legs folded like a pretzel, her hands resting on her knees, her breathing slow and steady. In, one, two, three, four… and out.
Surrounded by the women in the surrogate program, Shaylin soaked in the calm energy flowing in the air along with their own powers that were a constant hum around each of them, nipping at her skin.
It’d been a stressful couple of days. Days she spent at Quil’s bedside waiting for him to recover from the hyti poison.
After a blissful night with her wolf, she was ordered to relax. What better way to do it than with yoga? She and the other women in the surrogate program she’d become fast friends with worked out together. With Xaxhin lurking in the shadows like a coward, it was important they kept their physical, mental, and magical strengths tip top.
Together, the women stretched their hands over their heads, reaching for the sky. They were outside the training center located on the Nightflame royal estate on the lush green yard near the river. The sound of the water rushing by was a calming balm over her raw nerves.
Their yoga instructor was Nigel—the dragon who managed the surrogate program. His voice was a soft rumble as he guided them with each new movement.
Shaylin didn’t really need to hear his words because he had a way of sending out an image to them of what the next motion would be.
After another ten minutes, he dismissed the class. Shaylin waited for Kindle, Tabitha, and Jinelle to join her for holo-sim training inside the center. Adrienne usually joined them, but she had a date with her mates.
“Feeling better?” Jinelle asked as she walked with Shaylin to the training center.
“Much, especially with Quil back to a hundred percent.”
Tabitha pounced up beside them and opened the door. “I was going to ask how he was.”
Shaylin rolled her eyes. “He’s well enough to order me to go train. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t at work today. Stubborn male.”
“Oh, I know all about stubborn males,” Kindle said, following Shaylin inside the center.
She stopped when she noticed Storm and Nash standing at the computer panel for the holo-sim program. Desire flared to life, heating her insides. They wore black pants made from the flexible, breathable fabric her workout clothes were made from and black tank tops that showed off their muscular arms and broad shoulders.
“What are hottie one and two doing here?” Jinelle pressed her shoulder to Shaylin, making her laugh. Shaylin knew all too well Jinelle had her sights on four males from Wintervale but avoided them as much as possible for some reason.
“Looks like they will be training with us.” Shaylin walked over to them, noting the other ladies followed. “You come to get your asses kicked?”
Nash raised his brows and smirked wickedly. “Save your dirty talk for the bedroom.”
The girls giggled and Shaylin tried to keep a straight face but failed. Storm grabbed her by the waist and drew her into his body. “How was yoga?”
“Relaxing. Why are you two here?”
After kissing her cheek, Storm said, “I uploaded a new program that includes creatures for each of you. Ones that would be directly related to the god each of you are descended from. It will help you to be better prepared.”
Nash nodded. “It would be a good idea to do some research and study all the ways Xaxhin could come at us. Plus, I need to work out. I don’t keep this fabulous figure by sitting around, you know.”
Laughing, Shaylin pushed at him. “It’s in your alien DNA to look gorgeous.”
“Aw, you hear that, Storm, she thinks we’re gorgeous.” Nash smiled wide.
Just then the doors of the training center opened, and Shade and Kian entered. Amusement lit up from within as Shaylin watched them cross the room. Shade usually trained with them because he had the ability to fade into a shadow. It helped her and the other women hone their senses. Plus, the dragon had some magic. Kindle loved that they could conjure fire like she could.
“I see you brought back-up,” Shaylin said, stepping out of Storm’s arms.
Shade shook his head. “I needed a witness so Daven would stop calling me weak because I let a girl beat me.”
“Oh, so you let me beat you?”
Shade pointed at Shaylin then the rest of the women. “Not just Shaylin. All of you.”
Nash threw an arm around Shaylin’s shoulders. “Scared of a group of females?”
Shade shook his head. “Have you sparred with your mate? She kicks ass.”
Turning his attention to her, Nash raised a brow. “Who taught you to fight?”
“I have two brothers who made sure I could protect myself, plus, I took self-defense and boxing classes after Craig was killed.” An ache formed in Shaylin’s chest at the thought of Craig, but it wasn’t as crippling as it once was. Was she finally healing?
A little bit at a time. She had her alien shifters to thank for that.
Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned to Storm and Nash. “You ready?”
The guys looked at each other like they had a plan to bring the women down. Well, not literally. It was no doubt they planned to give Shaylin and her friends a hard workout. She was so ready.
Storm motioned everyone to the center of the large gymnasium. “The new program is harder with more monsters. The purpose is to push you outside your comfort zone and increase your reaction time. You may need to work together to take one or a group of them down. If you get in a position where the monster could deliver a death strike, the program will shut off. Then we start again.”
Shaylin stared at Storm. Her hot geek was even hotter when he talked about killing monsters. “Let’s do this.”
Shade came forward. “Because you also need to learn hand to hand, one or two of us will come at you at different times throughout.”
After the women nodded, Storm started the program. The inside of the gym changed into an open field with a river and a forest nearby.
Within moments, about six creatures materialized, then charged at them. Shaylin instantly reached out for the water, lifted a large amount of it out of the river and directed it with her hands toward the creatures.
These monsters were easily ten feet tall and had a mix of scales and fur. Their facial features reminded her of a cat. They were odd looking, but then again, every creature she’d seen so far on Daeria was odd and some were creepy.
The stream of water she called from the river wrapped around the creature’s neck, then continued down his body. She closed her fist to make the water squeeze around the monster. He growled and hissed at her, then absorbed the water. What the hell?
After a brief moment of hesitation, she rushed forward calling to the water once more and blasted him from the right, then the left, and then the front. He stumbled and fell forward. Shaylin pushed her legs to go faster.
“Shaylin!”
Looking in the direction her name came from, she saw Jinelle throwing a sword at her. Being the goddess of chaos, Jinelle could conjure weapons.
Shaylin caught the sword, then drove it into its back. The creature disappeared.
Just then an invisible force slammed into her. Fucking Shade! They hit the floor and rolled a couple of times before she hit him in the jaw and threw him off. Then she sprang to her feet, and blasted him with water.
Another monster materialized beside Shade. This one was all scaly with the body of a water dragon and a head shaped like a seahorse. The creature zeroed on her. “Of course, you come right at me. Why not attack the dragon next to you?”
As if understanding her words, the creature hesitated, tilted its head to one side then the other. Suddenly, its eyes flashed with acknowledgment and it whirled on Shade and attacked.
The program shut off.
Shaylin stood stunned. “What…”
Shade doubled over with laughter. Nash and Storm stared at her with lust in their eyes. Jinelle, Kindle, and Tabitha gathered around Shaylin. Tabitha said, “It followed your order.”
“But I didn’t give it an order.” Shaylin frowned, then asked, “What was that thing anyway?”
“A brykol,” Kian answered, pushing off the wall where he observed. “They are deadly, but loyal to those they like. A clan of them guards the island the Graxecon live on.”
Nash prowled to her, heat in his gray depths. “They can also be vicious creatures. But it recognized you as the sea goddess and did as you told it to.”
She considered it for a few. “Would all sea creatures do the same?”
“Not sure,” Storm answered. “It’s possible. You did win over the hytirian.”
Someone's comm went off. Shaylin glanced at Jinelle who pulled hers out of the side pocket of her leggings. She made a face and put it back. “I’m out. See you later.”
Shaylin watched her rush out the door. Even though Jinelle tried to look annoyed, Shaylin sensed a spark of excitement coming from the other woman.
Soon after Tabitha and Kindle said their goodbyes and thanked everyone for the workout. Then Shade and Kian left.
Eyeing her two mates, she grinned at them. “What do you want to do?”
She had a few ideas of her own that didn’t involve clothes. Storm closed the space between them and drew her into him. But before he spoke, the gym doors opened and Brazen entered. “Storm, can I pick your brain for the hyti project?”
Storm nodded then gave Shaylin a lingering kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Nash shook his head. “Tomorrow is my day with her.”
Storm sent his friend a crooked smirk. “I still might see you tomorrow.”
As he left, Nash draped an arm over her shoulders and walked her to the door. “What do you want to do?”
“I was thinking of going to the main house to do some research. I can get my baby fix while I’m there.” Shaylin glanced up at him to see his features soften.
“Oh, that’s right. I haven’t met the princess and prince yet.” Nash linked his fingers with hers and tugged her out of the training center and across the yard to the main house.
Shaylin knocked on the mansion’s door and waited. Nash nuzzled her neck. “You kicked ass in training. It was so hot.”
She giggled as the door opened to a man…well, dragon, she didn’t know. Smiling and figuring it was one of the house staff, she said, “I’m Shaylin.”
He did a little bow. “Yes, miss, the queen is expecting you.”
The queen. It threw her for a brief moment, making her wonder who the queen was. Oh yeah, Gianna. The butler—if that was his title—stepped aside and Shaylin entered the foyer with Nash behind her.
Gianna entered a few seconds later and pulled her into a hug. “How was your workout?”
“Good. They always give me a boost of energy.” Shaylin motioned to Nash. “You met Nash, right?”
Gianna smiled brightly. “Yes, at the welcome party.” She shook hands with Nash then started toward the great room. “Most of the archives are in the electronic database so I had the staff bring down the ones that weren’t, so we can work in here. It’ll be easier for me to listen for the twins when they wake up from their nap.”
Shaylin took a seat on the floor in front of the coffee table. Nash sat on the sofa behind her.
While Gianna darted out of the room, Shaylin looked over the stacks of books and files on the table as well as a couple tablets. It looked like Gianna was going to help her with research, which was cool with Shaylin.
Gianna returned with the butler guy who was carrying a tray with snacks and drinks. After sitting on the floor next to Shaylin, Gianna picked up one of the tablets. “What do you want to research?”
“Everything.” Shaylin laughed then said, “But today, I was wondering if there is anything on Xaxhin, the gods, the hytirian, and any other creatures. I’m hoping to get an idea on how Xaxhin thinks. But he may be too crazy to try to predict what his next steps would be.”
Gianna typed on the tablet before handing it over to Shaylin. “I did my own research since Xaxhin made his appearance and there isn’t much in our archives about him. Blake had gotten what the Graxecon had on him, but it doesn’t help to get behind the psychology of his motives.” Gianna shrugged. “I even picked Katrina’s brain about a criminal’s thought process. She said there are patterns to look for, but not all will follow what is typical behavior.”
