IRIDA

"That was amazing!" I shriek excitedly when we land on my rooftop.

"Never flown on a dragon?" Lykos teases and I roll my eyes.

"You know I haven't," I chuckle.

"So you rip your clothes every time you shift?" I know there's a smirk on my face as I shamelessly check my mate out who's buck naked.

"You get used to it when you're a shifter. That or you get naked before you shift," he answers with a shrug as he walks ahead of me into the penthouse.

"Sooo I can go first," I suggest as I let my clothes fall on the plush carpet of the bedroom floor while Lykos rummages through his duffle.

That gets his attention and he whirls around to face me, his eyes darkening when he realizes I'm naked and I bat my lashes at him with a mischievous smile on my face. Lykos walks to me in two long strides and picks me up with a low growl, depositing me on his shoulder. I squeal at the sudden movement and his palm lands firmly on my ass.

"That's what you get for teasing me," he growls lowly as he puts me down once we're in the shower.

"Then I should tease you more often," I chuckle as I turn the water on.

"Try it and see where it gets you," Lykos growls as he pulls me into him and I can't help the giggle that escapes my lips.

"You sure do growl a lot big boy," I tease him.

Lykos's only response is to wrap his arms around me and bury his face in my neck.

"I thought I lost you," he whispers and the crack in his voice makes my heart clench.

"I'm not going anywhere," I whisper back, weaving my fingers into his wet curls and massaging his scalp.

"Please don't," he whispers again, tightening his hold on me and letting out a heavy sigh.

He doesn't have to say anything for me to know how terrified he was. With the nightmares he's had about me for years and the fact that the monsters who took me are the same ones that killed his family in front of him, his stress is understandable. And with the mate bond completed, I can only imagine how hard it must have been being away from me. We don't say much else. Lykos lets me go only to lather up the washcloth and washes me while he holds me. Like he's afraid I'll disappear. I grab the washcloth he used earlier and lather it up while he scrubs my back slowly. When he's back in front of me I start to wash him to, shutting down his protests with a kiss.

"You don't have to," he whispers, his body shuddering under my touch.

"Shh! I want to. We take care of each other, okay?"

Lykos simply nods and relaxes while I wash him. Once he's all lathered up we stand under the water, our hands exploring each other while we rinse off. Lykos captures my mouth in a hot kiss and I moan when he plunges his tongue into my mouth. My body shakes against him when he drags his mouth to the mark on my neck and palms my full breasts and he lets out a low growl. I slide my hand between us to palm his hard length and his body rocks, his breathing heavy. When I start to go down he stops me and I look up at him in confusion.

"I've got a better idea," he whispers against the shell of my ear and I groan when he runs his tongue along the skin there.

Lykos turns the water off and dries both of us in record speed before carrying me to the bed and gently setting me down.

"Please, big boy. I need to touch you," I hardly recognize my own voice when I speak.

"All in good time. I just need something first," he breaths as he hovers over me, kissing and sucking at my skin from my neck all the way down to the inside of my thighs before his mouth latches onto my heat and my hips buck against him as I cry out.

His tongue flicks my sensitive bud a few times before he plunges it into my wetness and I moan, my hands moving into his hair as I hold him there and start to ride his face. Lykos snarls into my pussy and I feel my walls clench and pulse around his tongue at the sensations from the sound. It doesn't take long for me to tumble over the edge of my climax. Lykos's mouth is still latched onto me while I ride out my high, lapping at me hungrily.

"I'm not done," Lykos growls as he lies down beside me and pulls me onto him, his face snug between my thighs.

I gasp as he licks along my slit and blows on it lightly. I lean forward, slowly kissing down his abs before gripping his swollen shaft at the base. Lykos moans loudly against my wet folds when I dart my tongue out to lick the beads of precum on his swollen head. The salty taste melts in my mouth and I slowly fist his length before sucking the swollen tip into my mouth, making my mate hiss and tilt his hips up.

Something about bringing him pleasure turns me on even more and I take more of him into my mouth, my jaw opening wide to accommodate his size. Inch by inch I suck him in, withdrawing every now and then to run my tongue around his weeping tip before sucking him in again. Lykos hisses, grunts and moans into my dripping heat, bucking into my mouth until he hits the back of my throat. Every time his length starts to twitch I pull back, teasing him until he releases me, growling in frustration.

"I know what you're doing little mate," he snarls, sliding out from under me and I shiver at his tone, biting back the smile that threatens to take over my face. "On your hands and knees baby, I'm gonna give you what you're asking for," he coos and I oblige.

"And what am I asking for Wolfy," I tease as he walks in front of me.

"I'm going to fuck your smart mouth and then I'm going to fill your tight cunt," he growls lowly, his pouty lips pulling into a smirk as he grabs his length by the base.

Just as I open my mouth to respond Lykos pushes his swollen head into my mouth with a groan, fisting my locks in a tight grip.

"Breathe through your nose baby," he grits as he thrusts into my mouth, going deeper with every thrust until he hits the back of my throat.

"Open up and let me in," he groans as he pulls back and a cocktail of my saliva and his precum drips down my lips.

I take a deep breath before he surges forward, pulling me into him as he pushes into my throat with a muffled pop. I clench my thighs together but Lykos pulls back and tuts.

"Fuck no! I need those thighs spread baby," his tone is commanding as he leans over and lands a hard slap on my ass before massaging it.

I take a deep breath and do as he says, moaning as he pushes into my mouth again, thrusting slowly before he surges into my throat until his heavy balls slap against my chin. He quicken his pace, fucking into my throat as he leans forward and spreads my cheeks, dipping a thick long finger into me as he does.

"You're dripping baby. You like it when I fuck your mouth?" He groans, thrusting faster and faster as his cock swells even more when I moan around him.

His movements become erratic, praising me in his native tongue as he fucks hard into my mouth while he fucks my dripping pussy with his finger. He pulls out suddenly and I gasp for air while he gets on the bed behind me. I feel the heat of his stare on my messy folds before he spreads my cheeks and slams into me in one hard thrust, pausing for a moment to let me adjust. His thrusts are long and hard, dragging himself out before he slams into me again while my moans and his grunts fill the room.

He suddenly stops and plants his feet on the mattress, grabbing my locs in his fist and pulling, his other hand gripping my hips tight before he starts slamming into me, going deeper than before. He growls in his native tongue while he slams into me over and over again at piston pace and I feel my walls clamp around him. My mate lands a firm slap on my ass as I clench around him, gushing all over him while I scream my orgasm out. I feel his thick cock swell and twitch violently inside me while he cums but he doesn't stop. He fucks me hard, riding out his orgasm only to keep going and another orgasm crashes through me.

By the time we collapse onto the bed I'm panting and Lykos breaths heavily as he pulls me onto him, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head while we cool down.

"Come on, I'll draw you a bath," he says, sliding off the bed and carrying me into the bathroom.

He holds me in his arms, refusing to let me down until the tub is full. Then and only then does he set me down gently before disappearing out of the bathroom. A few minutes later he comes back with one of the small tables from the living room with two steaming bowls and two glasses of red wine.

"Wolfy! What is this?" I laugh as he sets them down and slides in behind me.

"I thought you'd be hungry and what better time to eat than now?" He says and I feel him shrug behind me.

He insists on feeding me while we sit in the water. By the time we've finished eating and cleaning up after ourselves it's already sunset. Lykos finds me on the terrace on one of my beanbags and lifts me up before plopping onto it with me in his arms.

"So, do you think it's really over?" He asks quietly and I inhale sharply.

He knows I've been thinking about it. I wasn't planning on discussing it this soon but I don't want him to feel like I'm leaving him in the dark. Part of me is warmed that he's asking, that he didn't just read my thoughts through the bond.

"No. I think there are still some disciples of the Skot�di out there. They're going to be looking for us," I say.

"Let them come!" He lets out a menacing growl and tightens his grip on me.

"Should we tell the others?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Let them have tonight. We can always discuss it tomorrow," he says quietly while his thumb traces mindlessly on my belly.

I'm startled awake by the sound of screams in the middle of the night and so is Lykos.

"You heard that too," it's not a question, it's a statement.

Lykos nods, his jaw clenched as we get dressed and rush down the stairs to see what the ruckus is about. We'd decided to let the others have the night to rest and settle in, opting to have the night to ourselves as well. My mate follows the sound to Eryx's room and I follow but when we get there we realize there's another scream coming from downstairs. When Lykos forces Eryx's door open we find him holding his mate who's shaking in his arms, her eyes wide in fear as she stares at the other corner of the room. I follow her gaze to find an open portal and a couple of cloaked figures on the other side of it.

"Fuck!" Lykos growls as he takes a step forward but I hold him back.

"Let me handle it," I whisper, stepping out in front of him and holding out my arms.

Closing the portal is easy but that isn't what worries me. It's how they knew to open the portal here and why they were just standing on the other side like they were waiting for something. I rush down the stairs to the ground floor towards the other scream which is coming from Galen's room to find a similar scene. This time just the portal closes, one of the cloaked figures pulls his hood back and flashes me a malicious smile.

"Found you," he sings just as the portal closes and Lykos catches up to me.

"What the fuck was that?!" He yells in frustration.

"I'm not sure. I need to confirm a hunch," I say as I walk out of Galen's room and bound towards the stairs at high speed with Lykos at my heels.

When I finally get back to the penthouse I grab some charcoal and a few other ingredients before going out to the terrace. I draw a sigil on the ground, waving my hands once it's complete and multiple images appear in front of me.

"What are we looking at?" Lykos asks.

"The people I freed from the box. No portals were opened on their side but there's something else," I say as I step closer to the images. "I think they were marked. The kind of mark that lets you spy on whoever's marked, able to see through their eyes and track them if need be," I add and Lykos curses behind me.

I wave my hand and close my eyes, focusing on getting through the translucent images in front of me. I feel my energy stretch, reaching out to the newly liberated one by one and siphoning the magical marks until they disappear. When I pull back a wave of dizziness washes over me and I stumble but Lykos catches me before I hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" He asks and I nod, catching my breath as I hold on to him.

"Come on, we need to finish this," I mumble, grabbing his hand and walking back down the stairs.

We find Galen and Eryx and their mates as well as the rest of the guys gathered in Galen's living room.

"What's going on, Birdy?" Galen asks the moment he spots me and the chatter dies down as everyone focuses on me.

"I think your mates were marked," I say as I look at Galen and Eryx. "It's the kind of mark that allows whoever put it there to track them, spy on them and even spy through them if they want to," I add and Eryx growls out a flurry of curses.

"Can you remove it?" Galen asks, his face filled with concern as he grips his mate tightly.

"Yeah. But we still have to deal with the guys it came from. They know where we are," I say.

I make quick work of removing the marks from Galen and Eryx's mates, with Lykos standing beside me ready to scoop me up if I get dizzy again.

"What now?" Eryx asks quietly as he holds his mate who's now unconscious in his arms.

"Find them before they find us," this time it's Lykos who answers before I can.

"Not you. You two stay with your mates. Don't wanna scare them," I say when Eryx and Galen move to get up.

"I'll come with you. I can use the shadow signature they used to create the portals to pinpoint their location," Orfeas says as he moves towards Lykos and I.

Orfeas, Daedalus, Lykos and I prepare and meet in the backyard despite the protests of the others who are busy sulking inside. I make sure to shield the compound and the house, putting up defensive wards to keep out any intruders and prying eyes.

"Ready?" Orfeas asks and we all nod.

Safe to say the cloaked figures are a picture of shock when we emerge from the shadows and attack their little gathering. When we first arrived they were too busy deliberating on our demise, specifically mine and my mates. We stayed hidden in the shadows listening to them make their plan before we attacked. Long enough to get the location of the monsters they had locked up awaiting their command. Once they were dealt with the monsters were next. I found their books on opening portals to other realms to bring monsters forth and disposed of them before we left. It was just before dawn when we got back to the mansion, worn out from the fight and the interrupted sleep.