to set the glass on a side table. “I’m not in any pain,” I declare, not fully convinced that he won’t tell me I’m feelin’ nothin’ but an itch, and then he’ll end the fun I’m havin’. His eyes study mine for a beat, and he shrugs, like he doesn’t care if I take it or not. I relax a little.
“Is Delta okay?” I ask, fightin’ the urge to trace the dips and curves of his body with my tongue.
“She is. She’ll heal quickly, as is our nature, and her mates are making sure she stays in bed and rests.”
“I’m just sure they are,” Flint grumbles as he pushes off the bed and heads for the bathroom.
Alder looks up and shakes his head. “Would we have been any better if we’d found Medley first?” he asks his fellow Guardian. “I know I wouldn’t have come up from feasting and fucking for a while, and they’ve been dealin’ with a hell of a lot on top of that,” Alder calls to Flint, who waves a dismissive hand before disappearin’ through the doorway.
Alder shakes his head and then focuses back on me. “You okay?” he asks softly, and I give him a sweet smile.
“Better than okay,” I tell him, and he nods solemnly.
“Good, because I’m about to ruin you in so many ways,” he says.
Hallelujah.
Once again, he fits his strong hands under my armpits and then tosses me further up on the bed. With a surprised squeal, I land on a cloud of cool silk, things billowin’ up around me as I look around in surprise. “What the…”
The bed is covered in flower petals. Soft, silky lavender petals coat every pillow and surface, the color matchin’ my new wings and hair. I gasp at how gorgeous it is, my fingers spreadin’ over the layers like ripples in a lake.
When I look back over at him in awe, I don’t miss the cocky glint in his eye. “How’s that for tattoos that move?” he asks me, a challengin’ glint in his eye about the comment I made earlier in regards to Echo’s ability.
I chuckle and lie back on the bed, indulgin’ in the feel of the soft petals touchin’ my skin and wings. When I look back up at him, his eyes are hooded, grazin’ over me from bottom to top.
“Let’s see what else you can do,” I demand with a smile, and he gives me a predatory grin before he pounces.
One second, he’s standin’ over me, and the next, his body is on top of mine, trappin’ me against his flower-soft knoll he created. He’s so fast that the breath stutters in my chest as my eyes lock on his.
Slowly, one hand grips my thigh, tuggin’ it over his hip. His face presses against the curve of my shoulder, and a rugged inhale sounds in my ears. “You smell so fucking good.”
“It’s your flowers,” I say, but he shakes his head.
“No. It’s you. You’re the best smelling petal I’ve ever breathed,” he says, skatin’ his mouth down my chest. I’m silent as the grave as he continues on.
“You smell better.” He drags his nose over the curve of my breast, in the barest of touches that sends chills down my body.
“You taste sweeter.” His tongue darts out to lick at my pebbled peak. A long suck on my nipple makes me whimper, my hands diggin’ into his bright yellow hair.
“You feel softer.” His hand kneads at the flesh of my thigh as he drags his dick over my clit and moves his fingers to dig into the skin of my ass cheek. “Skin so fucking silky,” he murmurs, his scratchy jaw scrapin’ over my breasts before comin’ up to nudge against my cheek.
“Look at me.”
I hadn’t even realized my eyes had fluttered closed, but at Alder’s insistent voice, they drag open.
“We’ve been waiting our whole lives for you.”
A lump forms in my throat, emotion draggin’ into me with every ragged pull of breath as he looks straight through my eyes and into my soul, speakin’ the words that I’ve been so desperate to hear.
“You’re here now, and whatever else we figure out or face, that’s all secondary,” he tells me. “You’re first. Always. And what we’re doing? There’s no going back. You understand?” he asks, his candied eyes flickin’ back and forth between mine.
I nod slowly, because I do. With vivid clarity, I realize that I was always gonna end up right here, with them. It was just a matter of time