Ecstasy Claimed (The Guardians Of The Realms Series) Read online

  Damn it. Damn them. She wanted to be chosen, as ridiculously childlike as that was. She was finding it difficult to lose those long-embedded emotions. She just needed to bury them deep and forget them altogether. She was a full-grown female, and she would see to her own pleasure and life just like all the other unmated Immortals did. She needed to forget him, and she refused to feel guilty about meeting her own body’s needs. It wasn’t as if he were stepping up to do it.

  She didn’t even know the male. He’d never earned her loyalty.

  She blew out a breath and walked into the suite. Rain was sitting on the couch with a book in her hand, and she wondered why her friend hadn’t gone out and gotten a little action.

  Rain perked up and put her book aside the minute the door shut.

  “Well? Tell me everything.”

  “I thought you were going out to the bar.”

  Her friend looked sheepish. “After all the spa stuff today, I was too relaxed to leave. That amazing bath in my room, which looks out on the sea, got together with the wine bottle and my book and demanded I loaf instead. Pathetic, I know. I fully intend to remedy that tomorrow night.” Rain’s dimples peeked out as she grinned. “Plus, I wanted to make sure I was here to get all the details when you got in.”

  “Okay, but I’m exhausted, so you’re only getting the CliffsNotes version until I’ve showered and slept.”

  Chapter 6

  Paradeisos Island, Tetartos Realm

  Fuck! It had taken him all fucking night to find the Kairos that had teleported his mate away from Lofodes, and get her to divulge Alyssa’s whereabouts. He wanted to rage as he teleported to the island.

  He was enraged. What was his little mate doing at an island known for sexual excess? He breathed in the cool salty air. Knowing the answer to his own question wasn’t making him any happier. She thought he hadn’t wanted to claim her. Her note had indicated as much. Fucking Adras and Ava. He shook his head as a soft breeze brushed his skin. He entered the area he knew led to Tynan’s suite. Unless something had changed, he should be there. The owner of this particular location was an Aletheia he had known for centuries. He had claimed this island shortly after the Immortals were exiled to Tetartos. Gregoire knocked on the door inside the secluded circular courtyard.

  The door was opened by the irritated Aletheia. He was clad in a pair of silk black pants, and his short dark hair was tousled. An evening’s worth of stubble surrounded a deep scowl that quickly transformed into a welcoming grin, silver eyes shining. “Hello, old friend. To what to I owe the pleasure?” he said as he opened the door wider and held out an arm in invitation to enter.

  Dark plum walls enclosed the room, wainscoted with pale marble. Beautiful artwork depicting all manner of sexual excess lined the room that led to French doors open to a private balcony. He saw through the open bedroom door a trio of females curled in sleep on the large bed. He let out a breath as he assessed that none were his damn mate. He hadn’t smelled his mate’s delectable scent. His friend had no idea how lucky he was that Alyssa was not in his bed. Gregoire could barely contain the roiling possessiveness inside. It was new and uncomfortable. His host led him through to the patio area and sprawled into a chair.

  “Would you like a drink?” He raised an eyebrow in question as he said the words. “Maybe a companion?” His mouth tilted wickedly. “It’s been a while since we’ve shared in our enjoyments.”

  Gregoire shook his head. Tynan was a few inches shorter than Gregoire and much leaner, but they shared much the same appetites. There were many other vacation areas in the cities that would have been less carnally focused. His entire being was offended and enraged that she had gone there.

  His friend eyed him curiously but did not fill the air while Gregoire stood, choosing his wording. The male was comfortable in his life in Tetartos, had made a profitable business and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. He tended to handpick any guest that piqued his interest for whatever pleasures he decided to partake in. The trio of females in his bed indicated that little had changed. Had he sampled Alyssa when she had arrived? He clenched his jaw tight. If he didn’t find her snuggled alone in her own bed, he would likely kill someone.

  “I need a specific female that arrived yesterday with a friend.” At Tynan’s raised brow, Gregoire continued, “Alyssa.” He felt his muscles tighten. He needed to find her now.

  “I’ve been busy for the last forty-eight hours, give or take,” Tynan said, assessing him thoughtfully. He looked far away for a moment, speaking to one of his people. The male’s grin widened. “An innocent, really?” Tynan’s soft voice almost purred.

  His cock stood at attention with the confirmation that she was pure. He thrilled that she would be only his. He hoped to hell she was old enough to deal with the beast inside him. Their coupling would be wild. Violent joinings were common in their race. The whole thing fucked with his head. He’d never in his life been possessive of a female. He had always enjoyed sharing, and he’d never even had her and he couldn’t imagine allowing another to lay a finger on what was his.

  “Where is she?” His voice came out dangerously low. His cock was full and demanding that he find her. He would enjoy her every moan as she fought against him. Fought his hold. Fought to come. He bit back a groan. Could he even take her like that the first time? She was so small, everywhere but those fuckable breasts. He had thought of them every moment since she reached maturity. He pictured running his hands and mouth and cock all over them.

  His friend’s hearty laugh echoed from the patio. “She’s here attempting to rectify that particular situation. She started her training program last evening.”

  His vision hazed with red, and his next words came out as a growl. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Tynan lost his grin and eyed him speculatively. “I set up the course long ago. It’s quite popular. Her beginning lessons would have started with oral skills.”

  Gregoire felt his skin heat, heard the menacing growl that left his lips. The thought of her plump little lips surrounding another male’s cock made him insane. His muscles twitched, and he nearly vibrated with the need to do damage. Tynan looked at him with suspicious concern, then understanding.

  “Gregoire?” Tynan lowered his voice, looking into the living area before returning his attention back to Gregoire. The male sent the visuals into Gregoire’s mind of a room overlooking the sea. He nodded. He needed to claim her before he lost his mind. He took a deep breath, knowing she needed care, but, fuck, he wanted to turn her over his knee for thinking to give away what belonged to him.

  Get all your asses to Lofodes. They’re under attack. City has been breached. Drake’s voice practically roared in Gregoire’s mind. Son of a bitch! He wanted to rage at the fucking interruption.

  “Fuck!” he snarled, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. He forced back his beast’s need to tell his brothers to fucking handle Lofodes themselves. He knew by Drake’s tone that they were all called in. “I have to fucking leave.” Whoever had delayed him claiming his mate would not like what they’d unleashed. Gregoire gave Tynan a harsh look and demanded, “You will watch after her personally until I get back. No one touches her. Not you, not anyone and do not tell her I was here.” He would take the chance of her running from him.

  Tynan got up from his lounging position, serious. “Is there something I should know?”

  “Lofodes is under attack. No details, you may want to up your security just in case.” With that, he was gone.

  Chapter 7

  Guardian Compound, Tetartos Realm

  “Drug him? Woman, are you out of your damned mind?” Vane was obviously as shocked as Sam was at hearing Sirena’s suggestion to drug Erik. It wasn’t like when they’d kept him unconscious. Sirena was talking about an entirely different kind of drugging. Vane’s golden hair hung to the collar of his blue tee shirt, and he had his hands planted on his hips as he faced off against the Guardian healer. His mouth was in a tight line as he stared at the woman in
clear exasperation.

  Sam’s chest hurt as her eyes caught at his jaw line and the other strong features that were so similar to Erik’s. As twins, their build and height was just about identical. They only seemed to differ in hair color and eyes. Erik’s hair was a dark brown, almost black, cut much shorter than Vane’s, and his eyes were a light icy blue, where Vane’s were more of a sapphire. Vane’s matched more to their sister, Alex.

  “I know it sounds rash, but the circumstances are extreme. You and Alex have not been able to change his mind. He refuses to come near Sam because he is afraid to hurt her. Uri borrowed Conn’s villa for him because he won’t risk staying here. It’s commendable that your brother is determined she have time to heal, no matter the pain he’s in.” Sirena took a frustrated breath before continuing. “Vane, the pain is only going to get worse. It will become debilitating, to the point that it’ll affect his mind. Sam will go through it as well, but it should be easier for her since she is still mortal. The effects always seem to be worse for the Immortal.”

  Her heart clenched painfully. This was all her fault. He’d heard her thoughts. Vane had confirmed it. At Sam’s initial confused look, Sirena had explained that Erik would have heard her inner turbulence. Sirena’s eyes looked pained as she had explained that the frenzy should have been too intense for him to process her thoughts. Sam couldn’t even remember exactly what she had been thinking. There were thoughts of insecurity and feeling dirty, that much she remembered. Now that Sirena had explained, she understood what happened, remembered the soft feel of him in her head. Her damned insecurities had caused the situation.

  “But if you drug him, he might not be aware enough to temper his strength. Until they complete the mating ceremony and she becomes Immortal, she’s still breakable. He would fucking hate us all if he harmed her. He’s determined to fight this for as long as he can. I don’t agree with him, but he’s fucking stubborn as shit. That doesn’t mean drugging him is the best option.” Vane ran his hands through his hair while he argued with Sirena.

  She was starting to get used to the new world and all of the information they’d given her, but at some point she really thought she might lose it. Immortality, evolved humans, shape-shifting Demi-Gods and mating for eternity between two people that had never met was a lot to accept. She had odd moments where she thought it was all too much, but she just kept adding it to the compartments in her mind.

  Sirena and Vane both faced her, and she realized they wanted her opinion. “I don’t like the idea of taking his choice from him, but if it’s going to affect his mind, what do we do? It’s been days since he left. I can feel sharp pains that Sirena assured me are coming from Erik. What are our options? He won’t even talk to me so that I can assure him I can handle it.”

  The memory of the first time she’d seen him had been haunting her. He’d been nude and injured as he moved toward her in the hallway where he’d killed the guards who’d kept her imprisoned. He was a lion one moment, then a beautiful, bloodied God the next. He’d touched her cheek. His pained ice-blue eyes drew her in and made her want so much as he spoke the words, “You’re safe now,” right before he’d collapsed. She had been so worried that he would die in her arms. But he hadn’t. His body had warmed her inside and out even though he’d been hurt and unconscious. It hadn’t made sense at the time. Nothing had. She would always remember that as the first time she’d felt safe after her nightmare.

  She took a deep breath and tuned out Vane and Sirena’s arguing. Her skin felt heated, and she ached for him to come to her.

  “Is there anything I can get for you?” Sirena asked as she and Vane readied to leave without having come up with a resolution to the problem.

  “Actually, do you mind sending someone for more clothes? Drake said he would have someone clear my apartment and bring my personal items, but the suitcase that was dropped off had one pair of jeans, club shirts and the contents of my lingerie drawers.”

  Vane frowned fiercely. His normal charming grin was long gone, and dangerous infuriated biker guy was firmly in his place. “What asshole went through her underwear drawer?”

  She was a little surprised at his intensity over a total guy’s idea of packing.

  Sirena shook her head in disgust and then said as she headed out the door, “I’ll personally get you some things and make sure more food is brought up. I’m sorry, Sam. I have to check on the other females, and then I’ll come back after you’ve had time to think about all we went over. I hate to put you in this position, but as his mate, the choice of what we do is yours.”

  Sam heard Vane continue arguing with the healer as the door shut. She blew out another breath. Her skin felt tight, and her breasts were swollen. She’d love to go for a run, but she was told it wasn’t safe, and besides that, she had no running shoes. Cute boots and heels courtesy of the mystery bag packer, but not running shoes.

  She couldn’t believe they were leaving her with the decision to drug him. Shaking her head, she tried to think logically. She couldn’t allow his pain to get worse and affect his mind. If she was feeling a fraction of what he was going through, it could be very bad. Her desire, which even now pulsed at her, was starting to build. There was a discomfiting swirling of something running through her entire body, keeping her on the edge of arousal. Sirena was right. They needed to finish this no matter how much her stomach churned that she might have trouble keeping her nightmares at bay while he touched her. It wasn’t the memories that got to her before. Not really. It was that she felt violated and dirty. The shame they caused from arousing her while they raped her was a big issue for her. Sirena said that the rapists had most likely done it to assuage their own damn guilt, but shit, it was causing her major issues now.

  Everything was so screwed up. She was somewhat calm now, but she felt like it was a matter of time before she snapped. Too many major aspects of her life had changed along with her abduction and violation. She was somehow managing to keep all the new adjustments in different sections of her mind, but the boxes were getting past the full mark. She was losing space fast. Soon it would all be tumbling out around her in a big heap.

  She took a deep breath. Right now she could only focus on one thing, and that was Erik. He was leaving the decision in her hands even though she really doubted he saw it quite the same. He’d saved her life, and he was hurting for no good reason. She appreciated that he had tried to save her from her own suffering.

  She was human, a sad little IT person whose knowledge consisted of small cubicles and people’s abilities to impatiently click their way into computer hell. She wasn’t even close to his league. He was the most magnificent man she’d ever seen. His eyes were a light icy blue that drew her in, and his jaw was hard and strong, making his face a thing of pure masculine beauty. His body was like nothing she’d ever seen in real life. He had to be close to seven feet tall with a sheer muscle mass that was nothing short of tanned, chiseled perfection.

  Her heartbeat stuttered, and she started finding it hard to breathe. She rushed out onto the balcony, and the cool mountain air felt good on her heated skin. She padded in her socks and sat on a cushioned chair, taking deep breaths to clear the spots that dotted her vision while she attempted to get her shit together.

  What’s wrong? The deep, pained voice in her mind warmed her chilled skin. Erik. The sound left a tingling sensation inside her head and body. Crazy, but man, her body responded to him. No matter what had happened to her, everything about Erik called to her. Did she just think an answer at him? Well, hell, she’d try it. I’m fine. Will you come back to the manor so we can talk? She waited, unsure if it worked. She thought she felt something in her mind, a connection. She wasn’t sure how that was possible. Nothing in the last week should have been possible. Her life and world had changed.

  No. Rest. Then, nothing. That was all he was going to say? His voice had sounded strained. She knew he was in pain. She could feel it deep in her stomach at certain moments for the last couple of days.
>
  Okay, will you talk to me like this? Nothing. It was like her message didn’t go through. It hadn’t even felt the same as before. Was he blocking her? Ignoring her? Her face heated in annoyance. That stupid caveman. Had he just ordered her to rest? Was he aware of what century they were in? She sat there with her mouth open and her brows furrowed. Why the hell did any of that turn her on? It had to be those damn messed-up mating hormones. His words had shot deep to her core. She had dated guys that worked in office buildings. She’d never even met a guy like him. Probably because he was a fucking real live Demi-God not some suit in an office building. She tried for steady breaths again as she felt herself starting to panic.

  She paced the living room. She had stayed in Erik’s suite since the moment he’d left her. She slept in his bed every night. She could have gone back to the room the Guardians had given her after she was rescued, but she felt safer in the space they’d given to Erik. His scent was on the bedding, and something about it helped relax her.

  It had to be that white knight thing. He’d found her, saved her. She looked into the bedroom, to the big bed they had shared. He’d woken after days of being unconscious and given her pleasure like she’d never known. Sirena had warned her that he’d wake up aroused and desperate for release. She’d been prepared for that. She hadn’t been prepared for him to go down on her. She expected frenzied sex with no foreplay, but that hadn’t been the case. The touch of his fingers and lips had made every nerve ending stand at attention. She had been getting his thoughts; his intense need filtered into her mind, mingled with her own desire. He’d set his mouth to her aching core, groaning and lapping at her arousal as if he would consume her whole. Erik had been gentle, even in the frenzy. Sending her over the precipice into the hardest climax she had ever experienced.