He pressed his lips to her palm. "And really lucky."

"I'm lucky, too."

Her smile made his insides warm.

"Do you think your mom will like me?" he asked, taking her hand and standing. They began to walk back through the market.

"I'm sure she will. What's not to like? Besides the fact that you're my truemate, you saved my life."

They stopped at a market stall selling dresses, and he told her to pick out something for when they went to dinner with his father the following evening. As she looked through the dresses of varying lengths and hues, he said, "It seems like it's simpler with your people than mine."

"What...acceptance?" She held up a dress the color of lilacs.

"Yes. Your pack doesn't have social standing the way that my people do. It's refreshing."

She put the purple dress back and pulled a teal one down, which he thought would look amazing with her pretty blue eyes.

"There's a hierarchy within the pack. The males are ranked during rank-fights, which only occur at times when a member leaves the pack for some reason or if a member becomes unable to perform the duties of his rank. The higher the rank, the more responsibilities there are."

He paid for the dress, and they watched as it was wrapped up in colorful fabric and tied with ribbon. "And the females?"

"Before the current alpha, the females were ranked after rank-fights as well. When I came into my shifted form at sixteen, I trained with some of the older females for a while and then fought for my place. At the time, there were a few females who were very good fighters, and I wound up mid-ranked. Those females left for one reason or another, and then for many years there was no female alpha. Cadence took over a couple years ago, but she never held new rank-fights, so the old ranking has stood."

"How many females are there?"

"There are only thirteen active she-wolves in the pack. Males and females will technically 'retire' from the pack as they age and no longer partic.i.p.ate in rankings, so there are a lot of wolves in town, but our pack only has around forty active members. There are a lot of young wolves who haven't shifted yet, too. In the next couple of years there will be a population explosion within the pack, and Cades will have no choice but to hold ranking fights to be fair to everyone."

He held her hand as they walked back to his home. "You'd like to be higher ranked?"

"Not necessarily. What I do regret is that I alienated myself from the pack for such a long time. I became a virtual stranger, just someone who shows up on the full moons and goes hunting with her best friends. I've been working to change that, to change myself into someone I'm proud of. When I was younger, I wanted to fit in, and I thought I could do that by being like my mom. I always thought she was so popular. She dated all the time when I was little; there were always men showing up at the house to talk to her. Then I found myself in that same place, but where she'd embraced it and taken all those failed dates as stepping stones to finding her mate, I just felt used. And then I hated myself for trying to fit in."

He held open the door to his home and ushered her inside. "You fit in with me, Lindy."

She turned to him with a brilliant smile, her eyes dancing with happiness. "You fit in with me, too."

While they'd been out walking, he had an idea for their mating night. Although he had changed the sheets on the bed and the protection spell kept out any unwanted visitors, he felt as if that room had been tainted. He didn't want the first time he and Lindy made love to be in that room, on the bed that Giwyn and countless other women had been naked on. He'd told her that her past didn't matter to him, and that was true. But his own past a the random females, the meaningless s.e.x a filled him with shame. After knowing how powerful their connection already was, he knew he wouldn't trade one of her sweet kisses for all the fae p.u.s.s.y in the realm, and he wished, in some ways, that he'd saved himself for her.

She'd been tired after they spent the morning walking around the realm, so he lay next to her on the couch and stroked her back with his hands until she fell asleep. While she slept, he began to make preparations for their night. He'd told her that he wanted to make her his mate in a ceremony in the traditions of the old ways, which had gotten him to thinking about how he could make their first night together special and unique. He wanted to make love to her for the first time and be able to honestly say that he'd never done anything like it before with anyone else. The ceremonial old ways, referring to the official mating between the fae warriors and their brides, was not about s.e.x but about joining them together in front of the realm. He wanted to do that and would talk to his father the following night about it. But this night a when he and Lindy would mate and mark each other a was going to be a night where he could show her just how special she was to him. She was already the center of his world. He'd never known affection for a female like this before, and he knew he was fast falling in love with her.

After making a portal-call to Riyad, he filled a large satchel with supplies and left his sleeping sweetheart on the couch with a note in case she awoke. He let his wings loose and flew to the place where he and his friends used to play as youngsters, a cavern in the nearby mountains. Inside the cavern was a hot spring. Riyad was waiting for him, a smile on his face.

Riyad clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm happy you've found your mate, Crim, and glad to help."

Crimson appreciated his best friend and thanked him. They ducked inside the low entrance to the cavern, which widened immediately and was tall enough for them to stand up. The entrance spilled out into the rounded cavern, and he inhaled deeply, checking with his wolf's instincts for anything that might not be welcome. Finding the cavern clear of creatures, he pulled a torch from his satchel and willed it to light, setting it in an alcove near the entrance. The cavern had natural vents in the high ceiling that allowed smoke and steam from the hot spring to escape.

Crimson shared his plan with Riyad on how he wanted to alter the cavern for his mating night, and Riyad got to work while Crimson turned his attention to lighting more torches and setting them in alcoves to provide subtle lighting. When the torches had been placed, he moved to the center of the cavern where a ring of stones was filled with purple colaras, also known as fire stones. They were mined on the other side of the realm, and he'd brought them to the cavern when they were children so they would have light and warmth when they played without having to use wood.

Although he, Riyad, and Merik had spent a lot of time in the cavern, exploring the mountainside and tunnels, none of them had ever brought females. He remembered that Riyad's grandfather had told them about the caverns and tunnels dotting the mountainside, sharing how warriors of old had stolen females and hidden them away to be pleasured until they agreed to officially mate the warriors. Riyad's grandfather had stolen his grandmother while she was walking home from a party and kept her in a cavern for a week until she agreed to be his mate. Now, he wasn't kidnapping Lindy but bringing her willingly to a place where no other woman had ever been in his arms and he could worship her and make love to her in the way of his ancestors. And then, later, he would stand up in front of his people and make her his mate, and no one would ever dare try to take her from him.

No one had been in the cavern for years. The fire stones were covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, which disintegrated when he used his power to light them. Although purple in color, once lit, the stones changed colors, some red, some blue, some green. They warmed immediately, and he smiled. Lindy would like them. She thought his fae power was resh.

"Cool," he amended out loud.

"What's cool?" Riyad asked.

"Lindy says 'cool' when she means resh. I was just thinking that she would think the fire stones were cool."

Riyad said, "Help me spread balnk seeds around the pool."

Crimson stood and joined his friend at the hot spring, a pool of steaming water that was five feet deep at the center and fed from a small waterfall along the wall of the cavern. He and Riyad spread dark green balnk seeds around the perimeter of the pool, and then they stepped back and Riyad lifted his hands, calling the seeds to life. Dark green blades of gra.s.s sprang from the seeds, spreading across the cavern floor. Riyad stopped the flow of gra.s.s when it had covered half of the cavern in thick, silky gra.s.s. The gra.s.s was hardy and could take root in stone, which is why Riyad had suggested it when Crimson laid out his idea. He couldn't give Lindy a carpeted cavern, but he could make a carpet of gra.s.s for her.

"What do you think of the mattress?" Riyad asked, and Crimson turned to look at the task his friend had completed. Crimson hadn't been able to carry an entire bed up the mountain, and he didn't want to just lay his mate on the hard stone. Riyad had caused moss seeds to grow, shaping them into a thick mattress. Sitting down on the moss, Crimson was amazed that it felt exactly like his comfortable mattress at home.

He ran his hands over the soft moss. "This is amazing."

"Aw, thanks. I'm glad you like it. At least you're not going to be lying on blankets on the stone floor. Even with the balnk gra.s.s, it would still be uncomfortable." Riyad took four small tree limbs and moved around the mattress, sticking one into the moss at each corner. As Crimson watched, Riyad used his power to make the limbs grow. Each limb had been no thicker than the width of his finger, but the tiny branches on the limbs twisted and grew, forming a thick braid of branches that rose several feet in the air at each corner of the moss bed. With a push of power from Riyad, who grunted slightly with exertion, the limbs connected overhead in the center of the bed, leaves and branches forming a canopy overtop of the mattress.

Riyad reached up and placed a little green vine on one branch and filled it with power. The vine grew quickly, twining between the branches and then sprouting tiny pink flowers, covering the entire underside of the canopy.

Leaning back on his elbows, Crimson looked up, admiring his friend's handiwork. "Wow." Raising a brow at Riyad, he said, "You're pretty romantic. I had no idea."

Riyad blushed and scuffed at the cavern floor with the toe of his boot. "Just don't go telling everyone. I'll have every male in the glen wanting me to help them impress their mate."

Getting up, Crimson laid a soft sheet across the moss then placed two pillows at the head of the bed and folded a blanket at the foot of the bed. He left the food and drink in the satchel and tucked it against one wall then surveyed their work. Riyad's power had turned the stark, manly cavern into a beautiful oasis. Crimson knew that he could bring Lindy here and what they would share would be the start of their new life together.

He clapped his best friend on the back and thanked him for his help. Sealing the cavern door with a protection spell, Crimson flew off toward home and Riyad headed off in another direction. He would have to remember to send Riyad a proper thank you for his a.s.sistance.

As he walked into his home, he saw that Lindy was still asleep. He crumpled up the note and joined her on the couch, curling her warm body against him and breathing in the sweet scent of his mate.

Chapter 13.

After Lindy woke from her nap, Crimson told her he was taking her for an overnight trip to a very special place. She'd wanted to ask for more details, but judging from the heated look in his green eyes, she knew that no matter where it was, they were going to be mated by morning.

He'd promised to seduce her, and he had. When he'd first said he would seduce her, she'd expected a full-blown physical a.s.sault meant to weaken her emotional defenses. Crimson had done the opposite. He'd seduced her mentally and emotionally, and not in the way she'd antic.i.p.ated. Simply by accepting her and taking his time with her, he'd proven himself to be much different than any other male she'd known. And more than the seduction was the fact that he'd saved her life. He'd come through the portal and brought her back without hesitation and offered her everything he had.

She was quickly falling in love with her handsome wulfen, and it was both the most terrifying and freeing things she'd ever done.

He had packed a small bag for her, and after she changed into shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and tennis shoes, he took her hand and walked out of the house. He hooked the bag over his shoulder, tightening it so it lay flush to his bare chest.

He turned and exhaled, his wings slipping from his back silently. He stretched them out and then picked up her hand. "Ready for a ride?"

"Really?" She looked up at the blue sky and then at his wings.

"It would be a long walk to get to our destination, but we can get there in less than an hour by flight."

He turned and went down on one knee in front of her, looking over his shoulder at her expectantly.

"Are you sure you can carry me that far?"

He rolled his eyes with a smile. "You're my mate. I wouldn't risk your safety if I didn't know for a fact that it will be no burden to carry you."

She climbed onto his back. He hooked her knees with his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He asked if she was ready, and she said that she was, nerves skating through her as his wings flapped, and they lifted off the ground. The air rushed around them, and she glanced down then closed her eyes with a shaky breath, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He squeezed her legs with his arms. "You okay, ch.e.l.le?"

She opened her eyes and looked out at the blue sky. She felt the muscles in his back working as his wings moved. She exhaled slowly and felt her body relax against him. She trusted him more than she'd ever trusted anyone.

Kissing the back of his neck, she said, "I'm great."

While they flew, he told her about the glens, which were the fae-realms' version of cities. It surprised her to learn how similar the glens were to her realms' cities, separated by cla.s.s, which for fae was attributed to their power. There were blue-collar powers and white-collar powers, ruling cla.s.s and working cla.s.s.

"What are warriors?" she asked, watching the homes pa.s.s by below them as they soared through the air.

"Upper cla.s.s, but not elite. The elite are the ruling cla.s.s. The upper cla.s.s includes warriors and fae with powers like my friend Riyad who controls plant life, and his brother, Merik, who can control water."

"They're brothers but don't have the same powers?"

"Riyad takes after his mother, and Merik after his father. My mom can control fire, which is a n.o.ble power."

"n.o.ble?"

He paused for a moment and said, "Respected, I guess is the term to use. There are powers that are necessary but not respected, workers that use their hands along with their powers. Such as lockinfae, like the fairy female in your pack. Her ability to manipulate metals is not considered a n.o.ble power."

"I don't understand why one power is better than another. I think any kind of power is pretty cool."

"I guess when everyone has powers, it's natural to segregate according to those powers. Elemental powers a air, earth, fire, water a are n.o.ble and respected powers. Other powers are non-n.o.ble and those who wield them are considered lower cla.s.s."

"So the popular kids in your school were the ones like you who could control the elements?"

"Pretty much."

"And your mom wants you to mate with a female fairy that can also control an element."

He snorted in annoyance. "Yes. But that doesn't matter. In time she'll accept our mating, especially when she gets to know you and sees how wonderful you are and how right we are for each other."

She appreciated his vote of confidence, but she wasn't so sure. His mom sounded like she wouldn't be accepting of anyone other than a n.o.ble fae female as a mate for her son.

"Hey," Crimson said, squeezing one knee as he began to take them lower in the sky, "don't get down on yourself, Lindy. You're beautiful and sweet and kind. And you're mine, and that's all that matters to me."

"It's all that matters to me, too."

A mountain range stretched beneath them, and Crimson flew in lazy circles, bringing them lower and lower. She saw caves interspersed along the face of the mountain and was surprised when Crimson landed on a ledge in front of one cavern. He spoke a few words she didn't know, and the air in front of the entrance to the cave seemed to shimmer then clear. She recognized it as a protection spell like the one he used around his home.

He went to one knee, and she climbed off, turning to look back at the glens they had pa.s.sed over on their way to the mountains. Crimson dropped his pack to the ground and moved behind her, putting his arms around her. He explained that the mountains were known as Hades Ridge.

Underneath their feet, a small trail was carved into the rock and headed down the mountainside. She didn't know how far up they were, but she was fairly sure that a fall from this height would ruin her day. Woods and gra.s.sy fields spread out in front of them, and the glen that Crimson said was called the Winnower Glen was visible.

He scooped her up in his arms, snagged the bag from the ground, and carried her inside the cavern. Once inside, he straightened and spoke a spell, and the entrance of the cave shimmered again then cleared. He had told her back at his home that no one could get through the protection spell, not even animals or birds. They could leave while the protection spell was up, but although Crimson could enter without removing the spell, she couldn't. She thought the protection spell seemed like the best security system ever, but Crimson told her it required power to call the spell, and it would be impossible for even the most powerful fae to keep the protection spell up forever.

He kissed her, and when the kiss broke, she was aware of flickering light around them. Looking over her shoulder, she gasped in shock at the cavern. The walls of the cave were smooth stone, and the high ceiling had what appeared to be vents in it. Along the dark walls were torches she knew Crimson had lit. In the center of the room was a pile of colorful, glowing stones that flickered as if flames were captured inside.

She could see what looked like green carpet in front of a giant steaming pool against one wall. Crimson carried her across the stone floor to an enormous canopy bed that appeared to be made out of woven branches. He sat her down on the end of the bed, bent, and placed a kiss on her forehead. Wordlessly, he left her and carried the bag to a corner where he pulled another, larger bag out and began to rummage inside. She leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the woven canopy above her. Delicate pink flowers on a narrow green vine wove through the interlaced branches. They smelled sweet and looked amazing, like little pink stars in a green sky.

Crimson appeared in front of her with two wooden cups. He sat next to her, and they turned to face each other as he handed her one cup. She sniffed at the dark liquid inside the cup and thought it smelled faintly like peach wine she'd had once.

"Centuries ago," he said as he looked down at the cup, "a warrior fae would see a female that he wanted to mate with, and he would capture her and bring her up to a cavern. He would pleasure her until she agreed to mate with him, and then he would take her home, and they would join in front of their family and friends." He lifted his eyes and smiled at her. "I know I don't have to kidnap you, Lindy, because you know that you're mine and I'm yours, but I want to do everything the way that my ancestors did. One of the things they did with their intended was share a drink of nasale, a wine made of goju berries and citri flowers. It's said to encourage a long and happy mating."

He touched their cups together and said, "To us. I'm so glad you're my mate."

She said, "I'm so glad you're mine, too."

Lifting the cup to her lips, she drank the sweet liquid, relishing the knowledge that she and Crimson would be mated by morning and that nothing would keep them apart.

With their cups drained, Crimson took them and set them on the floor and then cupped her face with his warm hands. He pressed his lips to hers, just once, and pulled away slightly.

"Say you're mine," he growled lightly, and she answered, "Always," before he crashed against her mouth with a throaty growl and wrapped his arms around her. His tongue slid against hers. The taste of the wine and the heady, masculine flavor of him filled her. Her hands gripped his shoulders as he slid his tongue against hers in a dance that so closely mimicked s.e.x she felt as if she was on the verge of coming from that alone. His lips moved sensually, softly, a counterpoint to the aggressive thrust of his tongue, driving her wild.

He left her mouth, and she gasped for air as he tipped her face up, nipping at her chin and throat. Her fingers slipped down the front of his chest, her thumbs rubbing his nipples before tracing the ridges of his abdomen. Peeling her top off, he cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and lifted them, nuzzling his lips against the lace-covered mounds.

With some effort, she abandoned her exploration of his body and undid her bra. He tugged it off, and she stretched out on her back, lifting her arms and beckoning him forward. He stretched out on his side next to her and kissed her as his hand touched her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, stroking and teasing her nipples. Her hands fisted in his hair as he left her mouth and plumped her breast, sucking her nipple deeply into his mouth. Her back arched as pleasure shot through her. He sucked and licked her nipples, alternating between them until they were tight, hot peaks and her body was humming with pleasure.

The b.u.t.ton of her shorts opened, and the zipper slipped down as Crimson moved down the bed, tugging her shorts and panties down her hips. After discarding her shoes and socks, he stripped her completely then divested himself of his own clothes before kneeling between her legs. He pushed her thighs apart and gazed down at her p.u.s.s.y. She lay before him, stripped bare both physically and emotionally, and felt herself fall in love with him a little bit more. He leaned forward and inhaled over her p.u.s.s.y. A possessive growl trickled from his throat. He gazed up at her, his eyes bleeding from green to red. "Mine."

It had never felt so right to be claimed. "Yours."

He licked his lips and seemed to wrestle with his control for a moment. His eyes bled back to green, but his voice retained a harsh edge. "Once I taste you, ch.e.l.le, I'm not going to stop until you're wearing my marks on your neck and my come has filled your sweet p.u.s.s.y. I want you forever, and I won't take anything less."

She cast the last of her worries away and nodded. "I'm yours forever, Crimson, and I want you to be mine, too."

"I was yours the moment I picked you up into my arms in your realm, Lindy. Heart, soul, life. Everything I am or ever will be is yours."

He stared at her for a heartbeat longer and then stroked the flat of his tongue across her c.l.i.t. Pleasure trembled through her at the simple movement. He licked her again, his tongue twirling around her c.l.i.t with slow, deliberate movements. Then he cupped her bottom and lifted her lower body off the bed. He tilted his head to the side and speared her p.u.s.s.y with his tongue, growling as he stroked inside her. The growls made his tongue vibrate, and she gasped as he licked her deeply, his tongue stroking and vibrating with his hungry growls. He circled the entrance of her p.u.s.s.y and then flicked his tongue rapidly over her c.l.i.t. Her legs trembled, and her stomach clenched as she gripped the blanket underneath her.

He sucked her c.l.i.t into his mouth, his lips closing around the sensitive bud as his tongue swirled around it, and she reached for him, fisting his hair and pulling him hard to her body. Heat filled her, and she cried out his name as she came, grinding her p.u.s.s.y against his mouth as he left her c.l.i.t and f.u.c.ked her with his tongue, lapping at her cream like a contented cat.

He growled as he laid her body gently on the mattress. His fingers slipped over her hips, and he seemed to be wrestling with something. She looked down the length of her body and saw his c.o.c.k twitching. His body was tense, and his muscles were tight and straining.

"Crimson?" she whispered.

"Want to," his voice was low and laced with need, "face you but need to take you."

It took only a second for her to figure out the meaning of his growled words. His beast wanted to dominate her, but his fae side wanted to make love to her, face to face. She wiggled out of his hold and rolled onto her stomach. She went to her knees and spread her legs apart. She gathered her hair to one side to bare her neck to him, and it was all the invitation he needed. He covered her body with his, his hard c.o.c.k thrusting into her as he held her with one arm banded around her waist. His other hand was planted next to hers, his fingers digging into the blanket as he pulled out of her and shoved back in. He held her so tight she couldn't move, taking her hard and fast.