Page 120 of Kingdom of Aramis

“Do it,” I beg, wanting everything from this male.

He reaches between us and pinches my clit as he starts to pound into me, giving me exactly what I need to push me over the edge. My muscles seize, and my core ripples around him as an orgasm blasts through me. I scream again as his jaw shifts, and he bites down. The pain and pleasure are so exquisite, another orgasm barrels through me as he howls before licking the wound, and then I feel him fill me with his cum. He groans loudly, and his breathing is ragged as he thrusts through our orgasms before finally slowing. Still buried inside me, he tends to his bite mark, mumbling words of praise as the bond between us solidifies. I can feel his essence sitting next to Liam’s, and it feels right. My eyelids drift closed as I enjoy all the sensations of his tongue on my neck, his hard cock in my pussy, and the wave of love that seems to loop between us.

“My perfect mate, my queen,” he says reverently as he pulls back and kisses me. He tastes like copper, and my blood stains his lips, but I don’t care. All I care about is that he is now forever linked to me and safe.

I’m not sure how long we stay locked in place, but eventually, I become aware of the bark scratching my back, and I wriggle to avoid the discomfort. Brodie swears and pulls me away from the tree, then he gently lowers me to the ground, pulling his cockfree. I feel his hot cum slide down my leg and the cold snow on my feet. I shiver, and he swears and picks me back up, cradling me in his arms.

“Shit, I’m sorry. My wolf took over,” he apologizes, looking around for my clothes. He helps me dress, since I’m still wobbly on my feet, then he takes me into his arms and gently cups my cheek, his bright blue eyes shining with love. “But I’m also glad I can feel you inside my chest. My wolf is content and slumbering, pleased you are now joined to us forever. I love you, Colbie,” he tells me before placing a tender kiss on my lips, and I melt into him. I can feel that he means it, and it makes me breathless with joy. “When I get you to a bed, I’ll worship you like the queen you are.”

I giggle, giddy with the mate bond buzzing inside me. “I’m not sure I can handle much more worship.”

Brodie opens his mouth to answer, but a shout behind us has him instantly tensing before he grimaces. “Well, I’m not really sure you have a choice. Your hydra messed up. There are four other shifters who will want to worship you like a goddess, and it will get harder and harder for them to resist it now that you’ve marked them. The one-sided bond will become painful for all of you.” He winces. “Thankfully they seem to have more self-control than I did.”

He takes my hand and leads me back to the destroyed clearing. There’s a fire burning, and the smell of burnt flesh makes me wrinkle my nose. Hunter is in his dragon form, and his eyes glow as he turns his head to watch us approach. Liam and Micah stand next to him, and Gem and Gryffin are sprawled on the ground at their feet.

I shout and pull my hand out of Brodie’s, rushing toward them, but Hunter’s tail slides in front of me, stopping my forward momentum.

“Are they hurt?” I shout, pushing at his tail, which is kind of like shoving a large boulder—impossible.

Liam grimaces and shakes his head. “No, just unconscious. We had to knock them out to stop them from coming after you.”

“Why aren’t you affected?” Brodie asks Micah before gesturing to Hunter’s dragon. “Or him? I would have thought Hunter would snatch her up and fly away to hoard her.”

“Mer aren’t driven by an inner animal like you are, so it’s easier for us to control our instincts. We also don’t bite to seal the bond.”

“You don’t?” I ask as panic makes my heart beat faster. “Did I do something wrong?” I ask him, but he shakes his head.

“No, you claim with your bite, but I need to shift, pluck one of my scales, and insert it under your skin to finish my part of the claim. I can’t do that unless I am in the water. I will be alright until we can find a body of water for me to shift,” he assures me, and my heartbeat settles.

“And you’re right about Hunter’s dragon. He wants to seal their bond in his hoard, but he knows that Colbie can’t fly away at the moment. He agreed to go to the equine village and see what is going on there before he snatches her away,” Liam says, smirking at my ruffled appearance. “Sounds like you had fun, mate.” He winks, and there’s no sign of any jealousy. “Congrats, my friend. I’m so happy for both of you,” he tells Brodie, who tugs me against him and wraps his arm around me. It seems like he’s going to be as touchy-feely as Liam was, which I absolutely love. My mother wasn’t big on affection, and I’ve been slightly touch starved in the last few years, unable to visit with my grandparents as much as I would have liked while setting up my business.

“What are we going to do about those two?” Brodie nods at my two unconscious mates.

“There is a small hunting cabin a little farther in that direction.” Micah points. “It didn’t seem occupied. I think maybe we should take them there and let them seal their bond with Colbie. We can’t have half the group distracted by the mating bond if we are going to protect her. I don’t think that will be the last attack we’ll see. Whoever wants Colbie dead seems set on succeeding.”

“While they do that, the rest of us can continue on to the equine village and see if we can figure out what happened to all the damn equines,” Liam says, and Hunter’s dragon rumbles his agreement. It seems like they made some plans while Brodie and I were otherwise occupied.

I blush at their suggestion, but my inner creature trills with excitement. She’s all for having these bonds reciprocated as quickly as possible, and I’ve certainly come around to the idea. Seeing Liam dead was the kick in the ass I needed to understand that I can’t survive without these men. They have quickly become the most important part of my life, and I want to make sure they are permanently by my side.

“Fine, I guess Liam and I will carry their heavy asses there, and you and Hunter can go onto the village. A bit of distance might make things easier for the two of you. We will meet you there,” Brodie grumbles, and Micah gives him a quick nod.

“Thank you. We will see you soon, our sweet mate,” he says as he leaps up onto Hunter’s back, and Brodie and I back away from his tail, which is still blocking us.

“Wait. What if you are ambushed there?” I call out before Hunter can jump into the air, putting my hands out as if I could stop the dragon from leaving if he wanted to.

“Don’t worry. Even with the one-sided mating bite, they should have developed your regenerative powers. Sable said you could bite anyone and give them the power—not that I recommend you go around biting people so they won’t die.”Brodie tries to tug me closer, but I’m literally plastered to his side, so it’s more of a comforting squeeze. “I’m not sure we could handle our mate putting her mouth on anyone else.” That last bit is said with a growl, and I feel his claws burst through the tips of his fingers and dig into my side. I squeak, and he loosens his grip a little. Thankfully they didn’t break through the material of my watch uniform.

Hunter takes off into the air, and my stomach leaps into my throat as I watch them fly away. I feel a tear trickle down my face, and my heart aches.

“Shit, baby, it’s okay.” Liam hurries over to me, and the two of them sandwich me between their huge bodies, surrounding me with their warmth. “It’s not forever. We just need to get those two idiots locked down, and then we can meet up with them. Maybe the village has a pond you and Micah can take a swim in, and I know Hunter keeps his hoard somewhere in the rift. A lot of the dragons do. He can whisk you away and take care of his bond too.” Liam strokes a hand over my head, lifting my chin for me to look at him, while Brodie’s heat seeps into me from behind. “Don’t cry. It makes my bear want to break things.”

“I’m okay,” I sob. “It just hurts in here.” I slide my hand between us and push against my chest in the hope it will ease the ache.

“That’s the unfulfilled bond. Come on. Micah pointed in the direction of the hut. Let’s not wait any longer.” Liam pulls away from me and moves back to the two unconscious shifters. He picks up Gem and slings him over his shoulder fireman style.

“Great, that leaves me with lard ass,” Brodie grumbles, giving me a kiss on the cheek and moving to do the same with Gryffin. “Damn tiger weighs a ton.”

Liam starts moving, avoiding the mess of remains that weren’t able to be burnt, and walks deep into the forest on an angle to the way we were heading previously. I follow him, andBrodie brings up the rear. The trees get thicker again, and I hear him curse. When I look back, I notice he stumbled slightly. When I raise an eyebrow in question, he blushes.