Primal Pleasure: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3 Read online

  Her breath lodged in her throat as she watched him emerge and offer a hand.

  “Come.”

  “Where are we going?”

  He only offered a secretive smile and didn’t wait for her agreement before pulling her to her feet. She went to grab her boots, but he swept her up, over his shoulder. Her surprised squeal carried across the lake, but the view of his ass in pants plastered to his skin was more than worth the blood rushing to her head.

  He set her down as quickly as he’d picked her up, and she latched onto him until the dizziness passed.

  “No more carrying me around without some advance warning.”

  Not looking the least bit apologetic, he tugged her across the soft grass and into the trees.

  “Wow.” She stared at the massive tree trunks that stretched toward the vine-covered ceiling. More vines twined around the branches, as if they were part of the tree, the flowers pulsing with vibrant colors that grew brighter at regular intervals.

  Something brushed against her. Something furry. She stumbled back, landing on her ass. The black cat curled around her, his tail snapping the ends of her hair. Unafraid, she swatted it away, watching the cat leap over a fallen log before glancing back at her, waiting.

  Laughing, she got to her feet, looking once more over her shoulder at the lake that was already half concealed by a copse of trees. She could barely keep up, the cat easily staying ahead of her and occasionally doubling back and sneaking up behind her. Each time she’d get close, he’d disappear around a tree.

  He was playing with her. She grinned and changed course the next time he vanished from view, moving in the opposite direction of the cat.

  Two strong arms snared her around the waist, dragging her back against a warm, solid chest. He nuzzled her neck. “Did you think to trick me, mate?”

  Mate? Yes, his. Always his.

  “Crossed my mind.”

  “It’s not wise to tease me.”

  She turned in his arms. “Plan to get even?”

  He ran his fingers down her stomach. “I have so much more in mind than revenge.” He unsnapped her pants. “Much, much more.”

  And then he was beneath her panties, his fingers parting her folds.

  She moaned against his mouth. “Tell me.”

  He nipped her lip. “First I will fill you with my fingers, sinking into your softness until I make you good and wet for me.” He circled her opening. “And then I’ll kiss you. Here,” he growled against her ear as his fingers circled her clit. “You’ll feel my tongue sliding up your sex before I lick the most sensitive part of you.”

  Hot and breathless from the carnal imagery, she clung to him. “And then what?”

  “You’ll feel such pleasure, you’ll move your hips and use your hands to pull me harder against you.” He moved his mouth, speaking low in her other ear. “You’ll be so close to release, you’ll be begging me to let you come.”

  She was so close now, imagining his mouth tasting her long and deep. “Yes.”

  “And right when you’re ready to find your release, your whole body on fire for it…I’ll stop,” he murmured.

  “Yes…no.” She opened her eyes. “You can’t stop.”

  “I can’t?” The wicked glimmer in his eyes said he could do whatever naughty, dirty things he wanted, and that she’d love every second of it.

  She shook her head, knowing it wouldn’t come to that, even if she did beg. “No.”

  He dragged her shirt over her head. “And why is that?” He palmed her breast, his thumb dragging across her nipple.

  She whimpered. “You won’t be able to stop. You’ll need to have me.” Have all of her.

  His sexy grin widened as if he understood her perfectly. “Don’t I have you now?”

  Catching his jaw in her palm, she nodded. “Until the day I die.”

  Chapter Ten

  Cian took possession of her mouth, the way she had his heart, body and immortal soul. Everything in his mind was a blur, except her. Her he knew, recognized when everything around them felt foreign and unfamiliar.

  His mate clung to him, her nails scoring his shoulders as she rose up to meet each wild kiss, taking parts of him he had never imagined sharing with anyone. And still it wasn’t enough.

  As if she caught a glimpse of his thoughts and was just as shaken, she broke away from his mouth, breathing hard. He didn’t stop her when she slowly backed away from him, but he watched her every move. This he knew as well, certain they’d played this game before, and the moment he took a step toward her, he could tell by the expression on her face that she felt it too.

  “You like chasing me.”

  He shook his head. “No. I like catching you.” And he did, moving so fast there was no opportunity for her to escape him. He needn’t have bothered since she waited for him, bracing herself as he swept her up and lowered her to the ground.

  Easing between her legs, he flexed his hips and rubbed against her.

  She arched beneath him, her breasts rising up, and he bent to trap one dark tip between his lips. She cried out, and he flicked his tongue across her nipple before moving on to the other.

  Pinning her wrists to the ground, he hovered over her. She was so smart and beautiful and not afraid to stand up to him. He couldn’t remember how he knew those things, but he felt them with every fiber of his being. She was perfect, and he was going to make her his.

  He scraped his teeth along the edge of her jaw, then moved down her neck. “I need you. Now.” He tugged her pants all the way down before catching her hip and easing her open for him. “I need to be inside you. Need to make you mine.”

  “I already am. Yours.”

  Growling in triumph, he sank inside her in one hard thrust. They both cried out, and he withdrew, holding her gaze as he filled her again. She squeezed her thighs around him, trapping him deep. Her muscles clenched around him, and he ground his jaw to keep from exploding inside her.

  He started to withdraw, the fierce need to plunge into her running hot through his veins, only to hesitate at the vulnerability he glimpsed in her eyes.

  “Be careful,” she murmured, and he knew without asking it wasn’t her body she worried about.

  “Always.”

  She trapped his face between her hands and dragged him down to meet her mouth. He slid his arms beneath her knees, getting as deep as he could. She wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping him close as he pumped his hips faster, lost to the carnal rhythm.

  Her back bowed, her sex clenching him so tight the pleasure of her climax nearly killed him. Buried inside her, he reveled in the feel of her release, her body slowly softening beneath his—until he couldn’t hold back any longer and pounded into her.

  Tension, sweet and hot, raced across his skin. So incredible. So close. So…

  Ecstasy knifed through him, and he bent his head, surrendering to the cat’s instinct to mark her as his forever.

  Warmth nestled against him, and Cian lifted his head to find his mate curled around him. He closed his eyes, torn between falling back asleep and figuring out if everything still worked after they’d exhausted each other.

  Without the sun or a watch, he couldn’t begin to guess how long they’d been asleep. Minutes? Hours?

  One part of his body didn’t seem to care either way, and his mate chose that moment to roll against him, pressing into his arousal. He groaned, the sound stirring the gorgeous female who raised her head to study him.

  A seductive smile curved her lips. “Hi.” She stretched, and when he groaned a second time, she caught on to his problem.

  Before he could pin her beneath him, she curled her fingers around him, pumping slowly. He hissed out a breath, watched her slide down his body. She ran the flat of her tongue up his cock from base to tip.

  He dropped his head back to the ground, drugged by the sensation of her mouth taking him deep. After only a few teasing pulls, he raised his head to watch her again. Gods, she was incredible.

  Her hair
fell over her shoulder, revealing his mark at the curve where her shoulder met her neck, and his animal half roared in satisfaction. She was truly his.

  And then all he could do was dig his fingers into the ground, sliding a little faster between her lips. Her fingers curled around the base of his cock again, matching the feverish rhythm of her mouth.

  Sweet Avalon.

  Straining toward release, he begged her not to stop. She didn’t, and moments later he shouted in pleasure.

  Smiling, she threw her leg over his hip, straddling him as he tried to remember how to breathe. “Morning. Or maybe it’s afternoon.” She looked around them, her gaze suddenly unfocused. “Cian?”

  He knew she was trying to remember something, but he quickly gave up trying to figure out what it might be when she shifted and the head of his cock grazed her sex. Soon he would have her again, and he had every intention of keeping her right where she was, so he could watch her ride him.

  From the corner of his eye he saw something move, and he rolled to shield his mate beneath him.

  “I come only to offer assistance.”

  A petite woman with long black hair pulled back in a braid stepped between the trees. Fae, and an old one at that despite her young appearance. Only the most ancient of the race had ears that were slightly pointed.

  “I believe you two are lost.”

  His mate looked up at him. “Are we?”

  No. At least he didn’t think so. All he knew for certain was the sooner the Fae carried on about her business, the sooner he could be alone with the female drawing a teasing line down his abdomen.

  The Fae wandered closer, cocking her head. “You two didn’t take a swim in the lake by chance, did you?”

  He thought it over, distracted when his mate squirmed beneath him. “I don’t believe there was a lot of swimming involved.”

  “Perfect,” the Fae muttered. “And of all the places in Avalon, you would have to end up here.”

  Something about the Fae struck him as familiar. “Do I know you?”

  “We’ve never been introduced before, no.”

  It wasn’t really an answer, but he didn’t care, not when his mate’s leg brushed against his.

  The Fae nodded in the direction she’d come from. “Best to get far away from the lake before you’re tempted to take another dip.”

  Had that been what he’d been trying to remember earlier? That they needed to take a swim?

  “The longer you’re dried off,” the Fae continued, “the sooner your memories will return.” She turned, then stopped. “Maybe you didn’t understand me?” She crossed her arms. “We’re leaving. Now.”

  “Wait. I know you.” His mate—Emma?—sat up, crossing her arms over her breasts. “I saw you…somewhere.”

  The Fae’s eyes widened. “You marked her?” For a moment he thought she might faint. “I’ll worry about fixing that later.”

  He growled low in his throat.

  She rolled her eyes and glanced at Emma. “And that does something for you, really? I’ve never understood the attraction to gargoyles myself. I prefer my men more…submissive.” She grinned, adjusting the bow strapped to her back. “I really meant it when I said it was time to leave. The lake’s guardian tends to visit every few hours, and you don’t want to tangle with him. He’s six feet plus of mean dragon. The Forgotten,” she added.

  “Why are you helping us?”

  She motioned to Emma. “I’m helping her. You just get to tag along.”

  Wary, he hesitated to let his mate go anywhere with an unfamiliar Fae. “Help us how?”

  “By showing you how to get out of here.”

  Emma glanced at him. “We need to go. I just can’t remember where.”

  “It’ll come back to you.” The Fae motioned to a pair of boots and clothing he had stripped off Emma earlier. “I’m fairly certain you’re going to want to get dressed.” She stared at the ground, then sighed. “You cats and your need to be naked.”

  A pair of pants materialized next to him.

  “Better get a move on. There are others in the catacombs and you’ll want to stay ahead of them.”

  Dragging his gaze away from Emma, who quickly pulled her clothes on, Cian yanked on the pants the Fae provided. “What others?”

  “Less talking. More walking.”

  “If someone wants Emma…” He trailed off, something tugging at his memory.

  “They’ll have to go through you first. Got it.” She glanced at Emma. “He is less chatty when he’s doing his feline impression, right?”

  He reached out and caught Emma’s hand before the Fae got it into her head to try anything.

  “Relax, puss, she’s safe with me.” Her bored expression said, you, on the other hand…

  “My sister.” Emma blurted. “I need to find my sister.” Relieved, she smiled at Cian, and he felt a little dazed by the full intensity of it.

  When they reached the edge of the woods, he stopped, wondering if he and Emma were better off returning the way they’d come.

  The Fae nudged Emma. “Take the next tunnel you come to, then the one on the left. Follow it until the vines start to thin and the blossoms are blue. Take the next right tunnel you come to. Stay in that one all the way out. Even when it looks like the tunnel ends, stay on it.”

  “Thank you…”

  “Amelina.” She stared at Emma a long moment, then held out a charm. “You can use this to summon me, but seeing as it’s a one-shot deal, I’d save it for an emergency.”

  Emma tucked the charm in her pocket, frowning at the Fae.

  “What if—” He stopped. Amelina had vanished, and he was left staring after Emma, who’d started ahead.

  When he caught up to her, she wouldn’t meet his eyes, and panic crept through him. She glanced back the way they’d come, and he stopped her.

  “You’re remembering, aren’t you?”

  “Some. You will too.” She carefully touched his mark, her skin still healing.

  “We don’t have to leave.” If leaving meant losing her smile, he’d stay and fight whatever monster came their way.

  She turned on her heel, following the Fae’s directions. “We can’t. Even if we could, you wouldn’t want to.”

  He picked up his pace, intent on catching up with her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means to forget it.”

  “Forget what?” He caught her arm, jerking her to a stop.

  “This. Everything.” The sadness she tried to mask cut into him.

  Running his fingers across his mark, he shook his head. “Neither of us will forget that.” He flinched as the words left his mouth, as if suddenly uncomfortable in his own mind, and then everything came rushing back.

  His hand dropped away from her, but not his gaze. He was too busy staring at his mark as if seeing it for the first time.

  Fuck.

  “Welcome back.” She shot him a sideways glance and then started into the tunnel.

  He almost didn’t follow. He’d made it official, claimed her as his mate, something no magic could ever take back.

  Losing sight of her, he sprinted to catch up. His muscles, like his brain, felt weighed down, but he didn’t say anything when he caught up with her. Couldn’t.

  “You’re glaring at me.”

  “No.” He was just trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do now. Permanently bonding with her hadn’t been part of his plan at all.

  She snorted. “I can practically feel the daggers digging into my skin.”

  Would he ever understand her? “I’m not even armed.” And if he was, there was a good chance he might have hunted down the Fae who was somehow responsible for his present situation.

  “Well, you’re looking at me like you’re stuck with me forever.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  She stopped and faced him. “What?”

  “I marked you.”

  “So things got a little out of hand. I’ll get over it.”
>
  A little out of hand? “Maybe you will, but I won’t. I marked you. Claimed you as my mate.”

  The blank look on her face finally gave way to understanding. Her lips parted, but it took another few moments for her to respond. “But what happened between us… We were…you and I…”

  “Were acting on instinct.” He didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh, but she flinched anyway. Damn it.

  She turned away from him. “Blue flowers.”

  He followed her gaze as they passed another tunnel branching off from the opposite side. He paused, backtracked. The seductive pulse of magic licked up his spine.

  “Where are you going?”

  A hundred times more potent than before, he couldn’t ignore the pull of it any more than he had been able to ignore his attraction to Emma. “This way.”

  She sidestepped to block him. “That’s not the way out. Look, I get that you’re mad, but if we don’t follow Amelina’s directions, we’re going to end up lost. Again.”

  Not lost. Found. “We need to go this way.”

  “Why?”

  He had no idea, but admitting that would doubtfully earn her cooperation. “You need to trust me, Emma.” He almost missed the narrow passageway that blended right into the vines. “It’s in here.”

  Her grip on his arm stopped him from going any farther. “What is?”

  He frowned, searching the darkness within. “Something we need.”

  “There aren’t any vines in there.” She eyed the walls skeptically. “I wish I could say I had been exaggerating earlier when I mentioned my issue with the dark, but I wasn’t.”

  “You’ll be fine, but if you’re too scared, you can wait out here.” Leaving her alone wasn’t truly an option, but neither was ignoring whatever called to him.

  Emma’s shoulders snapped back, and she preceded him into the tunnel, reaching back at the last second for his hand.

  His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, his gaze drawn toward something twenty feet in that threw off its own glow. More blossoms?

  “Whoa.”

  He paused next to Emma, staring at the weapon lodged in the tunnel wall. The silver hilt of the dagger pulsed brighter with every step he took toward it.