Chasing Rose Read online

  She’d scoffed at the idea of ‘mates’ so often in the past… How could it be that one flight had suddenly opened her eyes and heart to what it meant to have a mate, someone with whom she could fly and dance and sing as though they’d done this every day for their entire lives?

  It was late into the night, or maybe early morning already, when Pierre started flying lower and lower. They were above the lake that stretched at the core of Sanctuary, a place where all children learned to swim during the long summer days. He found the small, grassy island in the middle of the lake as though he’d known it would be there and landed with nothing but grace. Still flying in a circle above him, Rose could see him change back to his human form, the white of his shirt reflecting the light of the quarter moon above them.

  He was watching her, and soon reached up a hand toward her. It was an invitation to join him, that much was clear.

  Fear returned in Rose’s heart. Flying with him had felt natural, singing with him even more so, but going down to join him… being human next to him, having to say words, having to think about what came next…

  She pushed that fear away with a strong beat of her wings. She’d been afraid of finding her mate all her life, it seemed. Maybe it was time at last to stop running away. After all, hadn’t he just proved he was ready to give chase and could catch her if she ran?

  Before she could change her mind again, or allow fear to take hold of her once more, she circled the island one last time and flew down to join him, turning to her human form as soon as she touched the ground. Without thinking, she turned her feathers back to the red carpet gown she’d worn so briefly earlier and walked the few steps that separated her from him. He was still holding his hand out toward her. She took it.

  After their long flight, and especially after the song, words seemed superfluous.

  But this… Holding his hand, feeling the warmth of him, seeing the glimmers of fire in his eyes… It was a magical moment, the likes of which Rose had never expected to experience. She’d never even wanted to experience it… and now she could begin to see how wrong she’d been.

  As Pierre drew her closer, she could guess a question in his eye; a request—or maybe a plea. She answered it with a light nod, and took the last step to press her lips to his mouth.

  She’d kissed other men before—boys, really, when she was herself no older than a teen. It had been a few years since she’d had a boyfriend. And here she was, standing on that small island in the middle of the lake, late at night, kissing a man she’d met only hours ago and with whom she’d exchanged only a dozen sentences. And yet, they’d shared a lot more than that, too. And they would share more still before the night was over.

  The kiss felt a little tentative at first as they both held back a little, trying to find their place in this new relationship. But soon, there was no restraining the fire that burned in both of them, the same fire that had lit their phoenixes as they danced together through the sky. All gentleness forgotten, they devoured each other’s lips and allowed their hands to roam free.

  Under Rose’s fingers, Pierre’s clothing felt like what it truly was: phoenix feathers mimicking clothing, just like her own. She slipped her hands under his shirt, intent at getting to his skin, and felt his shirt simply vanish, allowing her full access to his torso and back. He pulled his mouth from hers and, panting slightly, his pupils blown wide, asked, “How did you do that?”

  She had to blink twice before his words made sense, but even then his question confused her.

  “Do what?”

  “My feathers. How did you…”

  But rather than finishing, he set his hand on her waist and looked at it intently. She was about to ask what he was doing when she felt her feathers draw back, leaving a small circle bare under his hand before he drew it back as though burned.

  “Do this,” he finished with the same kind of awe in his voice that she felt herself.

  “I didn’t even know it was possible,” she murmured, and couldn’t help but give it a try.

  She put a conscious thought behind her light touch to his hips, covered by gray slacks. The pants all but melted away at once, leaving Pierre in the nude—and leaving Rose’s cheeks to burn at her own daring.

  Lifting her hands off him, she caressed him instead with her eyes, her gaze traveling over a smooth chest, chiseled abs, and down to where his thick, proudly erect cock jutted from a patch of dark curls. A frisson swirled through her at the sight, and her fingers ached to wrap around the hard flesh.

  Pierre’s deep chuckle jolted her out of that heady thought, and she hurriedly brought her eyes back up. His own were full of mirth as their gazes found each other again.

  “I’m feeling a little underdressed suddenly,” he said, tongue in cheek. “You don’t mind if I rectify the situation, do you?”

  Caught somewhere between embarrassment at how quickly she’d used this newfound power to strip Pierre to the simplest apparel before ogling him shamelessly and the raw excitement that he might do the same to her, she licked her lips before offering a quiet, “Please.”

  Flames of desire consumed his eyes and he once more brought a hand to rest upon her, making her shiver under the gentle weight. But where she’d undressed him in the time of a blink and without much thought, he trailed a single finger against her décolletage, causing it to shrink little by little, so that in a few moments it went from modest to daring to plunging to practically indecent. She was still covered—barely—but she still shivered as his eyes feasted on the view.

  Rather than finishing to expose her breasts, he dropped to his knees in front of her and ran his hands along the sides of her skirt. It, too, shrank under his touch, coming up until it barely covered the apex of her legs.

  “A very… interesting power we now share, isn’t it?”

  His words rose toward her like a primal growl. Her knees felt less than stable all of a sudden.

  “If by interesting you mean you enjoy teasing me,” she offered as a weak protest.

  He laughed again, and the sound was like a caress everywhere her skin was exposed.

  “Teasing? Oh, I haven’t even started teasing you. But if you insist…”

  The same hand that had been resting on her thigh now moved under what remained of her skirt, easily finding the bundle of nerves already pulsing in excitement. He pressed his thumb against it even as one long, agile finger slipped lower, where a heated kiss, a lovely view and a few caresses had been enough to bring forth wetness.

  “Now this,” he whispered, “is teasing.”

  Even as his finger traced her nether lips, he rose up on his knees, stretching until his mouth was brushing against the underside of Rose’s breasts. They were still covered in scraps of fabric, but at the touch of his lips whatever was left of her clothing fully receded until she was as exposed as he was.

  The hunger in his eyes drew her forward—or maybe it was his questing finger, now pushing its way within her, that caused her to lose her balance a little, so that she had to bend forward and lean her hands on his shoulders. Doing so, she presented her full breasts to him, and he lost no time in covering her left nipple with his mouth. His tongue and finger seemed to follow the same intoxicating tempo. Suction and pressure worked together to steal her breath, and her mind, suddenly devoid of all thoughts, seemed to echo once more with the phoenix song he’d sung for her.

  “I can’t…”

  The words passed her lips before she even knew she was speaking. It took her a moment to realize what it was she couldn’t do; she finished with a gasp.

  “I can’t stand anymore.”

  Her knees buckled even as she said as much. She might have stumbled if not for Pierre’s hands drawing her down to him. As he sat back on his heels, he guided her to sit on his thighs. She rested her hands on his shoulders, suddenly hyperaware of how close his cock was, shivering with impatience between their bellies.

  “I know we’ve just met,” he started, and he didn’t sound quite as assu
red as he had a moment ago, “but—”

  She stopped him by laying a trembling finger across his lips.

  “Do you want me?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

  “Do you doubt it?” he asked back, his lips curving against her finger in a gentle kiss.

  Something passed between their locked gazes, a connection Rose couldn’t have imagined before today. They moved as one, she rising up above his lap, he holding his cock in one hand and guiding it to her fold when she lowered herself again. The two of them let out twin sighs as he slid inside her—and shared a quick laugh at their mirrored reaction. The laugh quickly gave way to moans, quiet gasps and grunts as they started moving against each other, easily finding a rhythm that worked for them both.

  After a few moments, Pierre shifted under her, lying down on his back and raising his knees behind her to support her. As the angle changed, the feel of him within her increased just enough that what had been pleasurable until now suddenly seemed like it was almost too much so… but only almost.

  Their rhythm changed, but they continued to move in sync, their hands clasped, their gazes locked.

  This is what it’s like to have a mate, Rose thought distantly, but even as the idea touched her mind she realized that having a mate was much, much more than that. Much more than she’d ever realized when the thought of having a mate at all had felt unbearable.

  This dance might have been quite different than the one they’d shared in the sky, and yet it felt like a perfect continuation, as though every beat of wing, every note of music had been a prelude to their bodies coming together.

  Surrendering to bliss with a cry, Rose collapsed over Pierre’s chest. He gripped her hips tightly and surged within her twice more before coming apart with her. She let out a whimper of loss when he released her, but right away his hands returned, now flat against her back, holding her close.

  She pressed her lips to the hollow of his throat, enjoying the flutter of his pulse. Cradled up against his chest, she could have easily fallen asleep, but she fought back her closing eyelids. She’d have many occasions to fall asleep in his arms, she was sure of this. Tonight, she wanted to savor every second of closeness.

  After a little while, guessing her weight might be becoming a little uncomfortable for him, she rolled to the side. He followed her movement, facing her and remaining close enough that she could feel every inch of his burning skin. His eyes gleamed, and she found herself smiling from simple, sheer joy.

  “May I ask…” He hesitated, but not for long. “Why did you run?”

  The same instinct to take flight tried to push Rose out of his arms, but this time she managed to control herself. It wasn’t fear anymore that made her want to run, but rather embarrassment at having to reveal her inner thoughts to someone—let alone her mate.

  But she had to do it, precisely because he was her mate.

  How often had she mocked those people she called ‘mate-whipped,’ who changed so completely after meeting their mate? And here she was, entranced by a flight, a dance, a song… and what had followed, too.

  She took a deep breath, briefly closed her eyes to center herself, and went straight to the core of the matter, as difficult as it was to admit it aloud.

  “Because I was scared,” she said plainly. “I’ve always been scared of finding my mate.”

  He seemed to take this in for a few seconds, his fingers playing absently in her hair. Finally, he asked the same question again.

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t want it to change me.” She sighed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “To restrain me somehow.”

  “Restrain you?” he repeated, his confused frown carrying into his voice. “Why would you think that?”

  It had always been at the core of who she was, but she’d never put it into words for anyone before. She took a moment to put her thoughts in order. Even if the fear was gone, it felt important for him to understand it—and understand her, too.

  “My dad was phoenix shifter,” she finally said, “but my mom isn’t a shifter. Dad used to tell us how much he loved flying when he was young, but as long as I knew him he rarely ever shifted anymore because mom couldn’t fly with him and he didn’t want to do anything without her. Even when my sister and I were flying, he’d stay on the ground and watch us rather than joining us.”

  It wasn’t something Lily had asked from him. On the contrary, she’d often tried to persuade him to take flight with their daughters. Somehow though, he had resisted her. Privately, Rose had always thought he felt guilty that Lily’s eyesight had been damaged when she looked upon his phoenix form. She’d promised herself none of it would happen to her: not hurting someone’s eyes, and not giving up her phoenix form for them.

  Pierre nodded slowly in understanding, then gave her a small smile.

  “And here you are,” he said softly, “the mate of another phoenix shifter.”

  She chuckled, feeling a little silly for all those years of fears.

  “Here I am, indeed.”

  She should have known. Hindsight made it obvious, but maybe she should have realized it from the start. If she was so scared of hurting her mate or losing the will to fly as a phoenix, what better mate could fate offer her than a phoenix who would fly with her, and never have reason to be wary of looking at her when the fire burned bright in her?

  She moved closer to him, burrowing against his chest, sighing in contentment when his arms closed around her again. They’d met not even twenty-four hours earlier. They were little more than strangers. And yet, she felt more comfortable and safe in his arms than she ever had in her entire life.

  “Should we go back?” he asked after a while, the words like a caress against her forehead.

  “Probably,” she murmured.

  And still, neither of them moved.

  “Your mother will get worried,” he said with just a hint of guilt in his words.

  Rose laughed at that.

  “No, my mother will be relieved. She was half-convinced I’d never find my mate.”

  They were quiet once more. In the distance, song birds were rousing, filling the air with joyful chirps that announced the imminent return of the sun.

  “What about your colleague?” Rose asked. “She’s going to wonder where you’ve gone.”

  She could feel him shake his head gently.

  “I already warned her she’ll have to keep building our version of Sanctuary without me.”

  Startled, Rose pulled back so she could look at him. He seemed utterly serious.

  “You did? But you didn’t even know what name was on my wrist. A bit ahead of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “But I knew, right from when we first shook hands this morning. I don’t know how, I just… felt it. A connection. Something between us. And I was right, wasn’t I?”

  Even as he finished, he gently took hold of her hand and led her wrist to his lips, kissing her mate tattoo gently. In the early morning light, she could see his name on her arm, the proof that they were meant to be together. She kissed him again. She never wanted to stop.

  *

  Violet laughed. And laughed. And kept laughing.

  “Mom, make her stop,” Rose whined, tongue in cheek.

  But she knew already Lily wouldn’t intervene. If she hadn’t made it a point over their childhood to let her daughters resolve their arguments without her intervention, the slight smile she now tried to hide behind her glass of wine made it clear she wasn’t far from laughing with Violet.

  It was Idris who took pity on Rose; she supposed that, having shared her stance about never wanting a mate, he felt some kinship with her change of heart.

  “Come on, love,” he said with a half-smile, “aren’t you happy for your sister?”

  Violet finally calmed down, and wiped the corners of her eyes with her napkin.

  “Happy, sure,” she agreed, her laughter still ringing in her words. “But she spent fifteen years telling u
s all she’d never want a mate, and now she’s saying…” She barely managed to get the last words out. “At least you gave a good attempt at running.”

  Idris snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, and how did that help again?”

  When Violet continued to chuckle, he turned his attention to Rose instead.

  “And when are we meeting the lucky man?”

  Grateful that he was trying to move the conversation along, Rose ignored her sister’s antics and answered with as much dignity as she could muster.

  “He just went home to put his affairs in orders. He’ll be back next week. Are you guys staying in Sanctuary for a while or do you have another mission lined up?”

  At last, Violet quieted down, though she was still smiling as she replied while Idris finished the mouthful of food he’d just taken. Rose had noticed they often answered questions addressed to the other, or finished each other’s sentences. Did she do the same with Pierre already? If she did, it was without realizing as much.

  “We’re taking a couple of weeks off. Millie wants to coordinate something, and she said she’d have time to talk it over next week.”

  “Oh, so she’s forgiven you already?” Lily asked, not bothering to hide her surprise. “I thought it’d take her longer than that.”

  As the conversation continued over good food and good wine, Rose felt a pinch of disappointment that Pierre wasn’t here tonight. After a month spent together, she felt his absence all too keenly. But the knowledge that he’d be there for many other family dinners—for the rest of her life—was worth every bit of gentle teasing her sister inflicted on her.

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