Mate for a King

Chapter Five

Lexi watched Raed close and lock his bedroom door behind them. After he had returned from his talk with Algar, he'd taken her by the hand and led her upstairs to his room. Now that they were alone together, her heart started to beat faster. Especially when Raed came to stand in front of her with a look of hunger on his face.

She licked her lips. "You and Algar didn't talk for very long. Why didn't you just call him from my flat?"

Raed put his arms around her waist and slowly pulled her flush against his body. "I could have, but it was a conversation I wanted to have face to face with him.

Coming here also gave me an excuse to get you into my bed."

Lexi took a quick look behind her at the king-sized bed. "It's huge; much bigger than mine."

"Then I guess I made the right decision to bring you here. I'll have more room to work," he said huskily.

She took her bottom lip between her teeth as Raed pressed his erection harder against her. An ache built between her legs. Wetness pooled. With her body already primed from what they had done at her flat, she became quickly aroused. The feel of his hard length against her belly made her ache to have his cock buried deep inside her.

Deciding she wanted her turn to lick and kiss Raed's body as he had done to her, Lexi took hold of the bottom of his shirt and pulled the garment over his head. She went up on her tip-toes and nipped at his bottom lip before she angled her mouth over his.

Raed shoved his hands up the back of her shirt and unhooked her bra as she kissed him hungrily.

Raed gathered the hem of her shirt in his hands and lifted. Lexi released his mouth only long enough for him to yank her top over her head, taking off her bra at the same time. She sucked on his tongue as she ran her hands across his muscular chest.

She bit his bottom lip gently before she made a path with her lips and tongue along his jaw to his ear. Raed shivered as she swirled her tongue inside.

Letting her hands drift down to the waistband of his jeans, Lexi kissed a path down his neck to his chest. She undid his button and zipper as she pressed her lips across his wide chest. His cock sprang free when she pulled the front of his jeans apart, and she wrapped her hand around his hardness. Raed's hips jerked as she pumped up and down his length. He made a low moaning sound, animalistic in nature. The sound heated her body even more.

Lexi continued to stroke Raed's cock as she inched her way down his chest to his washboard abs. She dragged her tongue across them, going down on her knees. Now level with the treasure she held in her hand, she gazed at Raed's cock. He was big there just like the rest of him.

She shifted her hold so she could grip him at the base of his shaft. She bent her head and licked the bead of pre-cum sitting on the very tip. She swirled her tongue around the flared end, making sure to stroke the sensitive spot under the head. Raed groaned loudly as he rocked his hips against her. Wetness leaked into her panties as Lexi opened her mouth and sucked on the tip of his cock. She kept a tight hold on the base as she slowly took more of him inside, sucking hard.

Lexi looked up at Raed as she sucked. His eyes were heavy lidded as he watched her pleasure him. His hands were fisted at his side. When their gazes met, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back. He pumped his hips as his large chest rapidly rose and fell.

All too soon, Raed pulled out of her grasp and brought her to her feet. He claimed her mouth, kissing her like a starved man. He undid her jeans and shoved them down her legs. Her panties quickly followed. Raed picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her in the center of the mattress then stripped out of his jeans.

Lexi gazed at his hard body. Raed didn't have an inch of fat on him anywhere.

His long legs were well padded with muscle. She ran her gaze over his cock, which stood out straight from his body. His erection jerked under her regard.

Raed got on the bed and came down on top of her. Lexi wrapped her arms around his back as he settled between her spread legs. The tip of his cock brushed up against her pussy. He rested most of his weight on his bent arms and buried his face in the side of her neck. He nibbled at the sensitive flesh beneath her ear, making her shiver.

"I can't wait any longer, Lexi. I need to be inside you," Raed said in a husky voice.

Lexi lifted her hips in invitation. "I'm more than ready."

With one thrust, Raed buried himself inside her pussy to the hilt. They both moaned as he pulled out then pushed back inside. Lexi wrapped her legs around his waist and he set a slow pace. The feel of him stretching her, filling her, caused her body to coil tighter. He pumped his hips between her legs, moving in and out, and she squeezed her inner muscles around his hard length. It had been so long since she'd last let a man inside her body, she knew it wouldn't take much to push her into an orgasm.

She ran her nails down Raed's back as he pumped into her faster. He made that strange noise again, a mixture of a moan and a growl, against her neck. Lexi vaguely heard a sound that sounded like sharp nails being dragged across the sheets on either side of her head. Too lost in the pleasurable sensations running through her, she ignored the sounds as she matched Raed's strokes.

Lexi clutched at his back as he angled his thrusts. His thick shaft rubbed her clit with each stroke. She squeezed her inner muscles harder around his cock and her body coiled tight. He pumped faster, entering her with hard strokes. With a keening moan, she held onto Raed as her orgasm washed over her. Her inner walls squeezed his cock in a tight fist, milking him as she came.

Raed rode her faster. When he started to come, he bit her where her shoulder and neck met. He held onto her with his teeth as his cock pulsed deep inside her pussy.

She gasped. Even though he had come, Raed's cock swelled even more. She rocked her hips against his. His cock seemed to be locked inside her. She gasped again as she felt another splash of warm liquid fill her.

Raed released her neck as he rolled to his side, taking her with him. He draped her leg over his hip and tucked her head under his chin as he held her against his chest.

The feel of him still buried thick and deep caused little tremors to rock her body. Lexi fought to catch her breath. Her eyes started to drift shut as Raed ran the palm of his hand up and down her back in caressing strokes. Satiated, and drowsy from lack of sleep, Lexi fell asleep in Raed's arms.

Raed looked down at Lexi as she slept. Making love to her had been incredible, but their coupling hadn't gone exactly as he had expected either. He had managed to hide his eyes when they had gone wolf, and his claws when he hadn't been able to hold them back any longer, but what had happened after he had climaxed had been unexpected to say the least. His cock had swelled to the point where he had been unable to pull out of Lexi's body. He'd also come longer than he had ever done in the past.

He'd felt his sperm continue to shoot out of him in half minute intervals even after Lexi had fallen asleep.

Now, fifteen minutes later, his cock had finally softened enough for him to pull free. If he didn't know any better, he would swear his body had acted like a wolf's when mating. He had seen more than his fair share of documentaries about wild wolves to know the male's erection swelled, locking him to the female, during intercourse. Raed had no idea if he was capable of that when taking his wolf form, but he didn't think it should have happened while making love in his human one. What the hell was going on?

Lexi mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep as she snuggled closer against his chest. Raed held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. Unlike the other times he had taken a woman to bed, Raed's hunger had only increased, despite his recent release. He wanted to have her again, but he was more than a bit worried about how she'd react if he were ready for again so soon. And maybe she hadn't noticed the first time, but she would notice eventually if he continued to swell each time they slept together. The swelling wasn't exactly normal.

Even though Raed felt somewhat reluctant to make love to Lexi again, he knew he would. He yearned for her touch. He was quickly becoming addicted to her scent and the taste of her. The feel of her body against his as her welcoming heat surrounded his cock had given him more pleasure than he had ever experienced in a woman's arms.

They fit perfectly together. It was almost as if Lexi had been made for him and him alone. He didn't know if he wanted, or could, let her go in the end.

This left only one option—he would have to tell her what he was. If he could bring himself to reveal the truth. He'd never told a mortal about his being a werewolf, or what he did during the night. None of them had. Tiw hadn't told them they couldn't, but they had all agreed to keep what they were a secret from those they had been charged to protect. Plus there really hadn't been any need to tell. He and his men mostly kept to themselves. They made no mortal friends as a human's short life span made lasting relationships an impossibility. Raed had already watched those who had been close to him grow old and die while he had stayed virile and strong. The hardest had been watching his wife and sons all grow old and leave him. He'd made a vow to himself never to have feelings for another mortal again.

Now Lexi had come into his life.

Raed had no idea what he wanted to do about her, or what seemed to be happening to him. He gently eased away, climbed out of bed and stared down at her.

He hadn't woken her so he gently covered her with the sheet and quickly pulled on his discarded jeans. He had promised to make her supper. The food wouldn't get made any faster if he stayed up his bedroom making love to her for the rest of the day.

He quietly opened the bedroom door and slipped out into the hall. Before he closed it behind him, Raed looked over at Lexi. The sight of her asleep on his bed with her long, light brown hair spread across his pillows made him long to go back and join her. Instead, he pulled the door closed. There would be plenty of time to make love to Lexi again.

Downstairs in the kitchen, he found Algar sitting alone at the table drinking coffee as he read the newspaper. Raed headed for the fridge.

"I didn't hear Lexi screaming with terror, so I guess things went okay?" Algar said as Raed walked by.

Raed opened the refrigerator door and looked inside. "Well enough, I suppose."

He started to pull out ingredients to make a stir fry.

"You suppose? From the red marks on your back, I would say things went better than 'well enough'."

He looked over his shoulder at Algar. "That part exceeded all my expectations."

"But?"

"I couldn't keep my wolf at bay. I hid the changes from Lexi. I may have shredded the sheets with my claws a bit, but she didn't notice. I just hope she doesn't remember how I became locked inside her afterward."

Algar came to stand beside Raed. "Locked? How?"

Raed reached inside the freezer and took out a package of chicken breasts. He turned and gave Algar a hard stare. "Let's put it this way—I went too much wolf at the very end."

Algar's eyes widened for a split second before he shook his head. "That isn't normal."

Raed grunted. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"I think you should tell Tiw what's going on. He made us the way we are. Maybe he has the answer as to why you can't control your wolf around Lexi." Algar looked at the food on the counter and the package of chicken Raed held. "What's with the food?"

"I promised Lexi I would cook for her."

"What about the rest of us?"

"You can fend for yourselves," Raed said with a grin.

"Gee, thanks."

As Raed turned back to the counter, he decided he would do as Algar suggested and talk to Tiw. Surely his god would be able to explain what was happening to him.

Lexi woke up alone in Raed's bed. She stretched then looked around the room.

She'd been too busy before to notice anything but the king-sized bed. The walls had been painted a deep, royal blue. The rest of the furnishings were solid pieces made out of dark wood, just as the bed's headboard. The floor was also dark hardwood. Very much a man's bedroom; there wasn't anything feminine about it.

She rolled over onto her side and stuck her face in Raed's pillow. She smiled as she drew in his musky scent. Her smile didn't disappear as she thought of what had taken place in his bed. Not that Lexi had that much experience, but Raed had managed to blow her socks off. He'd given her more pleasure than she had ever found in another man's bed. The others she'd slept with just didn't compare.

Lexi ran her hand along the mattress where Raed had lain beside her. Strange.

Pulling back the sheet, she looked at the four straight lines that had been ripped into the fitted sheet. They almost looked like claw marks. She ran her fingers down them. The royal blue sheets didn't appear that old. They didn't have a soft, been-washed-over-and-over-again feel to them. Lexie shrugged and rolled onto her back.

When the minutes ticked by and Raed didn't return, Lexi decided to search for him. She didn't want to lie around naked without Raed being with her. Also there was the off-chance one of his men would walk in looking for Raed. She would rather be fully dressed if that happened.

Dressed once again, Lexi poked her head out the door. She didn't see anyone in the long hallway. Where had Raed gone? She walked down the curved staircase and headed for the living room. She only found Wulfric and Dolf, playing a video game.

They didn't seem to notice her as they took turns cursing at each other.

Lexi moved farther down the hall. Raed had to be inside this large house somewhere. As she neared a closed door at the end of the hall, she sniffed the air. Her nose crinkled at the smell of something burning. She pushed opened the door and stopped short just inside. Lexi had to bite her bottom lip not to laugh.

Raed stood by the sink with a baking sheet held in an oven-mitted hand. Two pieces of something blackened and charred beyond recognition sat smoking on the sheet. Algar, wearing an expression of disgust, waved a tea towel at the open oven door, dispersing the smoke.

"I told you not to set the oven so hot," Algar said as he waved the towel furiously. "Open the kitchen window wider or we'll never get the smoke out of here."

Raed threw the baking sheet into the sink with a clang then pushed the window over the sink. "It's open all the way now. The chicken was frozen. I didn't think the meat would burn so quickly. I just wanted it to thaw out a bit at the higher temperature before I turned it down."

"It may have worked if you had only left it that way for a couple of minutes not for almost a half hour."

Lexi loudly cleared her throat to get Raed and Algar's attention. When they turned to look in her direction, she asked, "Problems?"

"You could say that," Algar said as he threw Raed another disgusted look.

Raed glared at Algar.

Lexi's lips twitched as she fought back a smile. "Let me guess, that was to be supper?"

Raed threw the oven mitt on the counter. "Yes. Part of it anyway."

Lexi crossed to Raed's side and studied the charred remains of the chicken in the sink. "I thought you said you could cook?"

"I can. That's what I get for trying to take shortcuts. At least the stir fry is still good."

"Only because you haven't started cooking it yet," Algar said drolly.

She then noticed the pile of chopped vegetables on a cutting board on the counter. She looked over at Raed. "Would you like me to take over?"

He shook his head. "No. I promised to cook for you, and cook for you I shall."

Raed went over to the freezer and pulled out a package of frozen burgers. "We'll just have to settle for these instead of the chicken. I'll cook them on the barbeque out back."

"I can help if you want."

Raed put the package of burgers on the counter, then led Lexi over to the table.

"Sit." He pushed her down onto one of the chairs. "I can handle this myself. I want to do this for you."

"Okay, if you insist."

Raed picked up the burgers and walked through the double doors that led to an immaculately landscaped back yard.

Algar stopped his towel waving and shut the oven door. He sat next to Lexi.

"Raed does know how to cook. We all do. He just doesn't get his turn very often."

"You guys should make him cook more often if he needs the practice."

"It's not like that. We feel it's beneath . . . it's just that old habits are hard to break."

Lexi wondered what old habits Algar referred to, but she let the subject go. "So you guys always eat together? I would have thought mealtime would be a free-for-all here."

Algar smiled. "It can be at times for the midday meal. Supper is another story.

Long ago, Raed commanded we have the evening meal together. It's a good time to talk and make plans."

Commanded? "I see. If all of you guys can cook, then who is the best?"

"Brand."

Lexi blinked. "Brand?"

"Yes, Brand," Algar said with a laugh. "I know. You would never guess to look at him, but he can cook up a storm. I think it's partly because he likes to eat, and eat well.

It took us a while to learn, but it wasn't as if we had any choice in the matter. We all had flown the coop, so to speak, and we had to fend for ourselves." Algar shuddered dramatically. "Our first attempts make the chicken over there look like a master chef cooked it."

Lexi laughed. "Food Poisoning R Us?

He chuckled. "No, but if we weren't imm—"

"Algar," Raed interrupted in a stern voice as he stepped back into the kitchen.

Algar stood. "I guess I'll leave you two alone." He turned to Raed. "Shall I tell the others we'll get together later as usual?"

Lexi didn't miss the meaningful glance Algar shot her way before he looked back at Raed.

Raed nodded. "It may be a little later than normal, but I'll make the meeting once I take Lexi back to her flat."

"Alright." Algar turned to face Lexi. "I hope to see you again soon. Enjoy your meal."

Once Algar left, Lexi watched Raed move over to one of the cupboards and take out a large frying pan. He put the pan on the stovetop and turned on the burner. She hadn't noticed until now that he only wore a pair of jeans. As he put oil and the cut-up vegetables into the frying pan, her gaze ran over his bare back where the muscles bunched. Lexi flushed slightly at the sight of faint red marks running down the wide expanse. She'd been the one to put them there.

When he finished starting the stir fry, he leaned back against the counter, crossed his arms over his broad chest and gazed at her. The stance caused his large biceps to bulge. Lexi still found it hard to believe she had made love to a man like Raed. Staring at him only half-clothed made her body heat.

"If you don't stop looking as if you'd like to eat me I'll burn the food again."

Lexi licked her lips. Raed groaned.

"You can't expect me not to when you're dressed like that. Or not dressed." She ran her gaze up his left arm to his shoulder. With his arms crossed, she could clearly see his tattoo. In black, the image of two stylized wolves stood on either side of a figure of an equally stylized man. The design seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen it before. "Nice tattoo."

"Thanks."

She went to stand before him and ran her hand up his arm to the tattoo, trailing her fingers over the mark. "Is there a story behind why you picked this design?"

Raed pulled her hand away and brought her fingers to his mouth. He swirled his tongue around her index finger before he sucked it into his mouth. By the time he released her finger, Lexi's knees had gone weak while her body had liquefied. "No."

He slowly lowered his head, about to kiss her, when the sound of a wolf's howl echoed outside from the back of the manor. Raed stiffened. Lexi looked around him and through the window, but she couldn't see anything outside. "Was that a wolf? I thought there weren't any more wild wolves in England?"

"There aren't." Raed stepped around her and yelled, "Algar!"

Algar quickly ran into the kitchen. "We heard. This is new. Darkness hasn't even fallen yet."

"I don't like this," Raed said. "Tell the others to split up. I'll join you in a minute."

With a nod, Algar left. Raed turned and took Lexi by the shoulders. "I'll be back.

Stay here."

Why had the sound of a wolf's howl caused this kind of anxiety? Even if there really had been a wolf out there, the men's reactions seemed a bit extreme. She nodded and watched Raed run out of the room.