Taken by my mate; Second Chance

NOVA

I eased myself off of him, shuddering at the loss of sensation, and turned to push him onto the seat behind him. Moving with him, I placed a knee on either side of his legs and sat in his lap. Our eyes locked and I knew exactly what was bothering him.

“Those men aren’t talking?”

He shook his head. “We didn’t tell them about the one Sequoia killed and I’m not sure if it would help anyway. Their pack disowned them the second he word ‘hunter’ was used, but it was almost too quick and they didn’t ask any questions. It felt like this sort of thing had happened before and they knew we wouldn’t give anything away. They even accepted their verdict without argument, though we would have had to insist on their execution anyway or they’d just tell more about you….”

“I could probably make a deal with one of them,” I offered suddenly. “For them to tell the truth in exchange for something. I’m very good at weaving small deals, but with them already knowing what we are, I could have Sequoia with me to make something more complicated.”

He looked at me with so much concern as his hand rest around my neck, gently stroking his mark with his thumb. “I don’t want you to have to see them again let alone make a connection with one.”

I shrugged. “I’d probably agree with you more if I was still healing, but those wounds are literally gone now…”

“Because one of them killed you!”

“Things hurt a lot in the moment Tewpie, but when you’ve lived as long as I have you don’t dwell on the emotions the same. They’re going to die for what they did, but one of them could live slightly longer in exchange for whatever.” I shrugged and I could tell my nonchalance bothered him so I distracted him with light kisses on his neck. “Even without all my power, I’m stronger than to let something like that bother me. Some of my most lucrative deals were madewith revenge in mind.”

He chuckled at that. “Would you take his soul?”

I considered that. “I would need to see who wanted the deal. It would need to be worth it for me.”

I realized after I said it that I sounded cold and crass, but he didn’t seem to mind. To the contrary he cupped my face in his hands and kissed my lips. I moaned into them, melting into the feeling of his love for me. All of the depths of emotions were back now with his mark on me and I could feel his..pridethat I would do such a thing.

He stood up, bringing me with him and wrapping my legs around his hip. Carefully, he got out of the tub and moved to the towel rack. He wrapped one around me as I held myself onto him and when I leaned back I looked in his eyes for some hint of doubt.

“I’m responsible for Pompeii,” I blurted suddenly and his eyes opened wide, confused or shocked. “It was soon after I made a deal of my own with my dad and I made….” I couldn’t specify the deals of others and my voice cut off abruptly as I sputtered before changing my words. “I was offered a big deal in that town… and the deal maker insulted me.” I paused, not proud of the way I acted when I was younger and angry at the world.

“They were rude and I knew the eruption was coming.”

“How did you know?” He asked curiously, a question I didn’t think was important but my face flushed bright pink when I thought and remembered my reason.

“I’m a fire bird so…. I liked to.. Iusedto…. To.. nest near active volcanos,” I rushed out the end of my sentence so fast I hoped he hadn’t heard me.

Nesting.Nesting!Admitting to him that I’d ever done something soanimal. For him the man came first, all of his everything first came from his human needs, but for me my phoenix came first. We mature much faster, and the needs of my phoenix nature always came first. I couldn’t imagine Ambrose caving to Emrys so much as to find a den to spend the night, but my Phoenix didn’t have a name. Iwasa Phoenix, and we are able to take the form of a human.

I wanted to hide my face in my hands but forced myself to watch his face. He smiled, his eyes getting a certain lightness to them I didn’t expect even with my embarrassing truth following the cold fact.

“Adorable,” he whispered, looking into my eyes just as strongly.

“I’ve just admitted to being responsible for a major disaster,” I argued, still waiting for him to change.

“Nova, I know your deals weren’t always for the betterment of everyone all the time. You’ve shared these worries with me before, remember?”

I did not in fact remember. In the years that separated this life with him and the last I had so many more memories without him that even getting some back didn’t mean I would remember everything.

“Like you’ve said, you can’t force the deal. In everyone’s story, someone is always the bad guy but you are acting how is natural for your species. He made a deal and his consequence was equivalent to what he wanted. The world spins, and you help keep the balance.” His smile was kind, and almost forgiving as he realized he remembered more about us before than I did.

“You are too good to me,” I whispered, resting my forehead to his and looking deeply into his eyes.

“I am just the right amount of good for you. I was made for you, and only you. I am yours.”

His eyes showed none of the hesitation I was looking for. I searched harder, holding his gaze and waiting for him to bend to the burning depths of my green eyes. He never looked away, instead bringing the towel up to my head and rubbing my hair gently to dry it. Ambrose, accepting me for everything that I was and what I was in that moment meant the absolute world to me, and I could feel the last of my walls crumble under his touch as the electricity of our bond tingled everywhere we touched.

His smile grew. “You’re beautiful.”

His hand moved to my head without the towel and he twirled a piece of my hair around his finger, bringing it between us. The vibrant red matched the colour of the feather I had saved, a colour I hadn’t let my hair become since losing my ability to shift.

He walked us out of the bathroom and crawled up the bed to lay me down in the middle. He began kissing me again, sprinkling kisses over my skin from my lips, down over his mark, across my chest and down to my hips.

“What are you doing?” I asked groggily, a tired feeling starting to return from the marking.

“I told you my Angel, I want to taste you.” He growled hungrily against my belly before moving his kisses even lower.

I felt his warm tongue trailing down my skin and slipping inside me. My eyes practically rolled up into my head and I felt like I was floating. The mix between high and exhaustion from being claimed, and the new buzz heightening my sensitivity as I approached another climax had me locked in bliss.

My nails were gently raking through his hair, but the closer I got, my hands moved to dig into his shoulders. It wasn’t long before he got his wish and I was soaking the bed lavishly with my release. His lips seemed to suck harder on my skin as he devoured me and I was quaking with over sensitivity.

“Ambrose!”

He hummed into my pussy before pulling away and making a show of licking his lips. “That’s two. Do you want to try for three before a nap my Angel?”

I giggled at the thought of another round when my legs could barely hold themselves up, but he took it as a challenge and crawled up to me. Our eyes met the whole way and then I was tasting myself on him and I’ll be damned if I didn’t love him when he trying for four. By then I was exhausted, baking in post orgasmic bliss like I was sitting on the sun on the edge of a lake containing only serenity. I thought nothing else could ever make me feel so complete, but my fingers brushed the mark on my neck. I looked over to where my mark before hadn’t even left him with a bruise for a day, and a drop of insecurity fell in the lake.