Page 4 of Fated to the Phoenix
Her response was as incredible as it was unexpected. Instead of trying to get away from me, as her words just moments ago declared she was desperate to do, her arms wound around my neck and frantically pulled me closer. My heart sang as she tunneled her fingers through the length of my hair, her touch inflaming me.
The pull of the mating bond was overwhelming as it bloomed, then pulsed along every surface where our bodies were pressed together.
Lost in my frantic need to touch, lick, and devour every inch of her flesh, I shifted so we were pressed chest to breasts. Closing my eyes, I savored the moment. Savored her full lips. I savored being able to touch, skin to skin, my female. My mate.
She shifted her legs higher, and my phoenix screamed in anticipation of having them wrapped around us. Instead, she planted her feet on my thighs, launched herself away from me as her arms dropped, then she pushed my shoulders back.
Landing on her plump backside, she quickly scrambled to her knees before gaining her feet, and then ran full-out toward the locked doors.
All I could do was grin as I watched her struggle to lift the wooden beam. Her hair flying about her shoulders. She was glorious. She pushed back several strands that had fallen over her eyes, screamed in frustration, then whirled around toward me, shaking a dainty finger at me. Her whole body vibrated, but no words came out as she attempted to speak.
“She’s a spitfire, isn’t she, my son? You can thank me later.” The question, that voice, had me swearing as I turned around to face my mother—Athena.
I should have known she had something to do with this. But why had she waited so long to bring my mate and me together? And how long had she been observing us? She’d never been known for her timing or consideration for privacy.
CHAPTER THREE
BEX
Two thoughts hit me at once, and I wasn’t ready to address either of them. But the fact remained that a woman had just appeared before my eyes. I knew there were “others” in our world: more than human. Monsters and shifters, demons, and possibly aliens, even though I’d yet to come across irrefutable proof of those.
Was this a bad dream? And was the woman who’d appeared out of freaking thin air, dressed like a Greek goddess, an actual goddess?
But that kiss.
More than good.
More than hot and orgasm inducing. And yeah, if it had kept going, my panties would have ignited.
Because that kiss? It was life-changing.
It still seemed unbelievable that I had just been rescued by a flying man! And that man was most definitely not fully human with his freaking wings and chiseled body resembling a sculpted god. He had to be at least seven-feet tall. At barley five-two, my neck already ached from looking up at him.
Then there were the aftereffects of that kiss. It was still causing chaos within my system. The minute he touched me, all my pleasure points lit up. I was drawn to him even as my fight-or-flight response remained on high alert. My aunt hadn’t warned me that a sexy giant would be guarding the castle ruins. I was just here to retrieve an ancient spell book.
Why the eff do I ever listen to crazy Aunt Betty?
“Mother, you’re frightening my mate. Maybe lose the spear?”
“Trace, first, thank you for emerging from your hidey-hole. And second, you know better than to suggest I leave the safety of the heavenly realm without protection. Besides, this lovely girl seems to be adjusting to my presence just fine. Isn’t that right, Bexley?”
Two sets of eyes turned toward me and yeah, I was not handling this situation well. Because what they didn’t know was, my heart was threatening to jump out of my body and I was sweating as if I’d just finished a session of hot yoga.
The woman’s gaze didn’t give anything away, but Trace’s was full of impatience and something that suspiciously looked like lust. I didn’t like being the center of attention, ever, and right now, I was the main attraction.
“It’s Bex, and you know, I think this is all a misunderstanding. I’m not quite sure how I ended up here because I was looking for an old ruin, and now I’m beginning to think this is all a wild goose chase or some kind of acid trip, except I’ve never used acid, so maybe that weird bartender last night spiked my drink with some delayed-release mickey, and really there’s no reason to show me out, I’ll just be going, ’kay?” Dragging in a big breath of air, I spun around to do just that before my brain kicked back into gear, reminding me I’d already tried the door.
Releasing a frustrated groan, I hung my head. Think Bex. You need a distraction spell. Except my bag with all my things was on the other side of the freaking gigantic double doors. My spell enhancements. I never left home without emergency supplies, but a lot of good they did when I couldn’t reach them.
On the edge of a panic attack from the constant and intense scrutiny, I sucked in a deep breath, which did nothing to calm me. Releasing it faster than I should have, I turned, wobbling a bit. “So, um…if either one of you could unlock this door…please and thank you, then I will be on my way.”
“Nonsense, we’ve just met.” With a flourish, the statuesque woman turned to the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on. “Trace, get the poor girl a drink. Make it a double, she looks a bit peaked.”
I felt anything but, and alcohol was not what I needed. “No, I’m uh, fine. Thank you.” I directed my response to his mother. Athena. What the actual hell? I needed to keep my gaze off him because the urge to run to him and have his arms around me became overwhelming. What was happening to me?
“So, if my distracted son hasn’t made his intentions known?—”
“Athena, this isn’t about you. I was handling things just fine before you popped in.”
