Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) by Brenda Davies (free e books to read .TXT) 📕

that should frighten her. However, when hisfingers skimmed her belly and the tips of his claws grazed herskin, she felt no fear of him.

He’d been lost to a nightmare earlier—no, nota nightmare, he was trapped in a memory when she tried to wake him.He was with her completely now. And he would never physically harmher while awake.

He might end up breaking her heart, but thatwould be her fault as much as his. She’d walked into this knowingwhat he was, yet she was still here.

“You should have run, Lexi,” he said in agravelly voice distorted by his fangs.

She probably should have run, but she hadn’t,and she was glad. There was nowhere else she’d rather be.

Gripping her legs, he shifted until he kneltbetween them. When he leaned over her, the thick wall of his muscleand the heat of his body encompassed her. He propped his handsbeside her head as he held himself over her.

His silver eyes flickered, and for a second,she was staring into their Persian blue depths again. There wassomething so open and honest about that gaze, something sovulnerable it dug its way into her heart, and though her heartmight end up shattered, she would never run from him.

And then the blue was gone and the silver wasback. She ran her fingers over his high cheekbones as he lifted onehand and grasped his shaft to guide it into her. The head of itparted her and pushed inside.

Biting her lip, she kept her attentionfocused on him as sweat dampened his skin and the powerful musclessurrounding her vibrated with his barely leashed restraint. As hemoved deeper into her, she tried to ignore the discomfort theirjoining created.

And just when she believed he was going tobury himself inside her, he stopped moving and put his hand besideher head again. They stared at each other before he bent andreclaimed her lips.

The tender caress of his tongue was sodifferent than his demanding kisses earlier that she didn’t knowhow to respond at first, but when his tongue entwined with hers,Lexi relaxed beneath him.

Her arms slid up to wrap around hisshoulders, and she pulled him closer. She marveled at thedifferences between them. He was so unyielding and massive.

He made her feel small and fragile but alsocherished and safe as his thumb rubbed her cheek and the tendernessof his kiss dug its way deeper into her heart.

Her fingers bit into his back, and as sheadjusted to having him partially inside her, she lifted her hipsinvitingly toward him. She wouldn’t accept anything less than allof him.

CHAPTER 46

When she relaxed beneath him, Cole pushed past thebarrier of her virginity and buried himself deep inside her. Shestiffened as her fingers bit into his back.

He continued to kiss her and tried to get herto relax again by stroking her flesh while her tight sheath grippedhis shaft. The lycan part of him demanded to take possession ofher, claim her, and own her.

It craved her with a savagery he could neverunleash. If it broke free, he would hurt her, and he could never dothat again.

However, the demand of the lycan was sostrong that the ravenous, dark fae part of him ceded control to thelycan, something it had never done before.

And that cessation of control caused thelycan’s need to grow. It wanted to mark every part of her as itclaimed her completely.

He labored to control his more savage urgesas he remained unmoving within her. If he did to her what hisinstincts screamed at him to do, not only might he possibly destroyher, but he would also terrify her.

He couldn’t let himself go, but he couldrelish every second of their time together, and he planned to doexactly that as he slid a hand under her ass and lifted it to givehim better access. Her fingers entwined in his hair as he startedmoving within her.

Her body yielded to his as she relaxedfurther and gave herself completely over to him. She was so supple,so beautiful, and so amazingly right in his arms.

Yes, she was his, and no matter whathappened, he was never going to let her go.

His cock swelled as he resisted sinking hisfangs into his mate.

Mate!

The realization didn’t hit him over the headlike a hammer. In fact, it wasn’t as astounding as it should havebeen. Because the dark fae part of him had always been the moredominant one, he’d never expected to encounter his mate.

Yet, here she was in his arms, and the lycanhad taken control for the first time in his life. And it felt asnatural as the rain beating against the windows. She belonged inhis arms, and he would do everything in his power to keep herthere.

Growling, he thrust into her. He kept theworst of his impulses leashed as the wolf savored the exquisitepleasure of its mate.

• • •

Once the pain faded, all Lexi felt was the joy oftheir joining and the awe of being with him. She’d never known lifecould offer such an amazing experience as this, and she couldn’tget enough of it.

He enveloped her in his arms, and lifting heroff the bed, he braced his knees apart as he kept her embedded onhim. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she cleaved to him whilehe guided her up and down his shaft.

Something started to build within her. Sherecognized the pressure, the excitement, and need of abuilding orgasm, but this was so much more intense than anythingshe’d experienced before.

She clung to him as the scent of allspice andsomething musky enveloped her. She buried her face in his neck asthe pressure building within her released. Her back bowed as wavesof ecstasy crashed through her.

She stifled her cries against his neck as thevery fabric of her splintered apart until she was only pieces ofthe woman she once was. And as those pieces started to reformthemselves, she realized she would never be the same again.

• • •

When her sheath clenched around his shaft and shecried out against his flesh, Cole wrapped his hand around her neck.A tingle ran down his spine, and he came with a shout that thestorm drowned out.

He held her as she went limp in his armswhile more lightning illuminated the