((Warning - contains material of an adult nature.))
The brownstone was just as Marissa had left it. She rarely stayed there anymore, as it was too full of memories she found painful, even if they were mostly happy ones. All of those who had once called this place home were gone now - some dead, some living lives elsewhere, some simply missing. Not lost, exactly, just elsewhere. It was a place that had once been home, and still served on occasion as a retreat and refuge in the city. Colleen had reminded Marissa once of its existence, suggesting she was welcome to stay there and make the place home, but the call of the woods had proved too strong for one with the heart of a big cat. But there they were, woman and wolf, and Marissa didn't linger too long at the door before finding the key and letting herself in. She took a wary glance around, scenting the air for Zane's presence and only when she deemed it safe, did she usher Emrys inside and lock the door behind him.
The place was filled with scents the wolf did not recognize, but he was not so concerned with the environment as he was with the woman he had followed here. For the first time in his life, he had shifted, fully shifted, from man to wolf, overcoming the barrier of his blood and inbreeding to become far more than he had ever thought he might be. He was finally a real male, and certain parts of him were doing all the thinking. As Marissa turned back to lock the door, Emrys padded a little way along the hall and concentrated, delighted to find that the graceful flow back to human form was just as smooth as it had been into wolf, if a little achy.
Lingering near the door, Marissa moved her hands in a graceful gesture of motion that only another caster might understand, effectively setting a ward upon the place so that no one but those of friendly persuasion would be able to challenge those wards. They would be safe here, for at least what remained of the night. She then turned back to her mate, pleasantly surprised to find he was already human again - and whole, more whole than he had ever been. He had embraced his lupine side, embraced his true nature, and it sent her heart soaring with joy to know he had easily mastered the return to human form.
"Emrys," she whispered, her gaze moving over him, unable to hide the sudden wave of desire that was moving over her like a wave of heat, the scent of him filling her senses.
There were no words from the man who loved her, who had never believed the events of this evening would ever truly happen. There would be plenty of time to analyze and understand what had really happened later. Right now, there was only one thing he wanted to do. Without the need for words, he moved to Marissa, catching her face between his hands as his lips descended to hers, hungry and loving, eager to share himself with her in a way that had always been held back until now. Able to share his exhilaration without fear of harming her.
Marissa shed her cloak, and it fell away like a second skin, drifting to the floor to pool at her feet as she stepped forward to meet her mate halfway, ready to embrace him and all that he was. Her heart soared to know they could now truly be mated, in body and in spirit. There would be no need to lock him away anymore when the moons turned full or accompany him on a hunt for fear he would harm himself or another. No, he had at last embraced all that he was and all that he was capable of being, and Marissa was overjoyed for him and for herself. Now that he was whole, she held back no longer, giving him all of herself and taking all he would give. She surged forward to meet him, eager to take and be taken, no longer fearful that she might lose him or that he might leave her. She had claimed him and marked him for her mate, and at long last, she was no longer alone.
There was freedom in those kisses as they were traded back and forth, a liberating sense of no barriers, no fears, no past hurts to get in their way. Though he did not precisely know quite what happened next or how, Emrys was flying on instinct, his hands confident as his touch skimmed over her warm flesh, touching where he had never dared to touch before. There were no fiddly clasps or frustrating ties to get in their way - just Emrys and Marissa, and nothing more. He breathed her name like a prayer, pulling her ever closer until not even a hair's breadth could be found between his body and hers, forgetting to be a gentleman in his desire to finally give her everything that was his to give.
Other Marissas had known what it was to physically love and be loved - to know the touch of a man, to know that they were one - but not this Marissa. All of this was new to her, and the joy of the discovery was more than she could have ever hoped for. She didn't care that he wasn't a gentleman, for she wasn't a lady either. Though neither was very experienced, it seemed they were learning together - learning each other and learning what it was to love and be loved in every sense of the word.
It was pretty clear they weren't going to make it anywhere near a bed, at least not this time, but Emrys had enough awareness not to want to take this step with her pressed against her own front door. With a strength he rarely displayed, he lifted her up in his arms, lips barely ceasing in their hungry devotion to her lips, her cheek, her neck, relying on other senses to guide him away from the chill by the door into the first room that came to hand. He missed the couch, but was gentle as he laid her down on the soft rug, giving into the urge to explore every inch of her with lips and teeth, tongue and hands, learning what she liked, what she didn't like, what made her react on instinct. He wanted to take his time, despite his own impatience. He didn't just want to take the edge of his desire. He wanted to mate, in every sense of that word.
He was an Alpha male, after all, and though tigers were generally solitary creatures, there was a part of her that was wolf, too. It was that part of her that cleaved to Emrys, that became the Alpha female he needed, whatever form she chose to take. She submitted to him, to his advances and desires, but only so far as she could return the favor, exploring him as deeply as he explored her, reveling in the discovery and savoring him with all of her five senses, imprinting him in her heart and mind for all time, or as long as she endured. And when he took her at long last and they became as one, she laughed with joy until she cried, clinging to him as they soared higher on wings of desire - together forever.
Inexperience counted for nothing when love and instinct led the way. Emrys had no words for how he felt, that liberating, exhilarating climb into ecstasy in the arms of the woman he loved, the woman who wanted and loved him, the woman he was now more certain than ever was his mate for all the years to come. Breathless and alive, every sense alert for every nuance of her being, he soared with her, falling to brace himself on his arms over her, his lips trading grinning kisses with her own.
Though it was their first time together, Marissa knew it would hardly be their last, and for the first time in her life, she, too, felt whole at long last, as Emrys had made her a woman. "I love you," she told him, freely and without hesitation or regret. There was no need for a wedding ceremony or any legalities to bind them. They were already joined in heart, mind, and soul, and now their bodies, knew understood that connection. "You are mine, and I am yours," she told him, teasingly nipping at his neck.
He growled playfully at her, answering that nip with his own as he rolled to his side, drawing her with him until she was the one sprawled on top of him. "Always," he promised her, drawing his fingertips along her spine. "Took us long enough, didn't it?"
"The best things are worth waiting for, love," she told him, her eyes shining with more happiness than she ever thought possible. "Give me a moment," she told him, touching a kiss to his lips before wiggling off him, only long enough to get a fire started in the hearth. It took no more than the press of a button - something else for Emrys to wonder over, no doubt.
He grinned as she kissed him, rolling onto his side to watch as she did something mysterious that resulted in a sudden roar of flame in the hearth. Not that he was paying attention to the hearth; no, his eyes were trained on the lithe, slender form of his mate, allowed to appreciate her now in a way he had been denying himself since they'd first met. "You are so beautiful," he breathed, reaching out to let his fingers curl over her hip, drawing her back to him tenderly.
She would have found them a blanket, but there was little need. It wasn't long before the fire roared to life and was taking the chill off the room, and burning off the smell of disuse. She returned to his arms almost as quickly as she'd departed, sharing her warmth and drawing from his, no more secrets between them and no need to hide. "You're a wolf now, Emrys. An Alpha. It's Zane who should fear you, not the other way around," she told him, tracing his lips with a lazy finger, happy that he still found her beautiful.
The brownstone was just as Marissa had left it. She rarely stayed there anymore, as it was too full of memories she found painful, even if they were mostly happy ones. All of those who had once called this place home were gone now - some dead, some living lives elsewhere, some simply missing. Not lost, exactly, just elsewhere. It was a place that had once been home, and still served on occasion as a retreat and refuge in the city. Colleen had reminded Marissa once of its existence, suggesting she was welcome to stay there and make the place home, but the call of the woods had proved too strong for one with the heart of a big cat. But there they were, woman and wolf, and Marissa didn't linger too long at the door before finding the key and letting herself in. She took a wary glance around, scenting the air for Zane's presence and only when she deemed it safe, did she usher Emrys inside and lock the door behind him.
The place was filled with scents the wolf did not recognize, but he was not so concerned with the environment as he was with the woman he had followed here. For the first time in his life, he had shifted, fully shifted, from man to wolf, overcoming the barrier of his blood and inbreeding to become far more than he had ever thought he might be. He was finally a real male, and certain parts of him were doing all the thinking. As Marissa turned back to lock the door, Emrys padded a little way along the hall and concentrated, delighted to find that the graceful flow back to human form was just as smooth as it had been into wolf, if a little achy.
Lingering near the door, Marissa moved her hands in a graceful gesture of motion that only another caster might understand, effectively setting a ward upon the place so that no one but those of friendly persuasion would be able to challenge those wards. They would be safe here, for at least what remained of the night. She then turned back to her mate, pleasantly surprised to find he was already human again - and whole, more whole than he had ever been. He had embraced his lupine side, embraced his true nature, and it sent her heart soaring with joy to know he had easily mastered the return to human form.
"Emrys," she whispered, her gaze moving over him, unable to hide the sudden wave of desire that was moving over her like a wave of heat, the scent of him filling her senses.
There were no words from the man who loved her, who had never believed the events of this evening would ever truly happen. There would be plenty of time to analyze and understand what had really happened later. Right now, there was only one thing he wanted to do. Without the need for words, he moved to Marissa, catching her face between his hands as his lips descended to hers, hungry and loving, eager to share himself with her in a way that had always been held back until now. Able to share his exhilaration without fear of harming her.
Marissa shed her cloak, and it fell away like a second skin, drifting to the floor to pool at her feet as she stepped forward to meet her mate halfway, ready to embrace him and all that he was. Her heart soared to know they could now truly be mated, in body and in spirit. There would be no need to lock him away anymore when the moons turned full or accompany him on a hunt for fear he would harm himself or another. No, he had at last embraced all that he was and all that he was capable of being, and Marissa was overjoyed for him and for herself. Now that he was whole, she held back no longer, giving him all of herself and taking all he would give. She surged forward to meet him, eager to take and be taken, no longer fearful that she might lose him or that he might leave her. She had claimed him and marked him for her mate, and at long last, she was no longer alone.
There was freedom in those kisses as they were traded back and forth, a liberating sense of no barriers, no fears, no past hurts to get in their way. Though he did not precisely know quite what happened next or how, Emrys was flying on instinct, his hands confident as his touch skimmed over her warm flesh, touching where he had never dared to touch before. There were no fiddly clasps or frustrating ties to get in their way - just Emrys and Marissa, and nothing more. He breathed her name like a prayer, pulling her ever closer until not even a hair's breadth could be found between his body and hers, forgetting to be a gentleman in his desire to finally give her everything that was his to give.
Other Marissas had known what it was to physically love and be loved - to know the touch of a man, to know that they were one - but not this Marissa. All of this was new to her, and the joy of the discovery was more than she could have ever hoped for. She didn't care that he wasn't a gentleman, for she wasn't a lady either. Though neither was very experienced, it seemed they were learning together - learning each other and learning what it was to love and be loved in every sense of the word.
It was pretty clear they weren't going to make it anywhere near a bed, at least not this time, but Emrys had enough awareness not to want to take this step with her pressed against her own front door. With a strength he rarely displayed, he lifted her up in his arms, lips barely ceasing in their hungry devotion to her lips, her cheek, her neck, relying on other senses to guide him away from the chill by the door into the first room that came to hand. He missed the couch, but was gentle as he laid her down on the soft rug, giving into the urge to explore every inch of her with lips and teeth, tongue and hands, learning what she liked, what she didn't like, what made her react on instinct. He wanted to take his time, despite his own impatience. He didn't just want to take the edge of his desire. He wanted to mate, in every sense of that word.
He was an Alpha male, after all, and though tigers were generally solitary creatures, there was a part of her that was wolf, too. It was that part of her that cleaved to Emrys, that became the Alpha female he needed, whatever form she chose to take. She submitted to him, to his advances and desires, but only so far as she could return the favor, exploring him as deeply as he explored her, reveling in the discovery and savoring him with all of her five senses, imprinting him in her heart and mind for all time, or as long as she endured. And when he took her at long last and they became as one, she laughed with joy until she cried, clinging to him as they soared higher on wings of desire - together forever.
Inexperience counted for nothing when love and instinct led the way. Emrys had no words for how he felt, that liberating, exhilarating climb into ecstasy in the arms of the woman he loved, the woman who wanted and loved him, the woman he was now more certain than ever was his mate for all the years to come. Breathless and alive, every sense alert for every nuance of her being, he soared with her, falling to brace himself on his arms over her, his lips trading grinning kisses with her own.
Though it was their first time together, Marissa knew it would hardly be their last, and for the first time in her life, she, too, felt whole at long last, as Emrys had made her a woman. "I love you," she told him, freely and without hesitation or regret. There was no need for a wedding ceremony or any legalities to bind them. They were already joined in heart, mind, and soul, and now their bodies, knew understood that connection. "You are mine, and I am yours," she told him, teasingly nipping at his neck.
He growled playfully at her, answering that nip with his own as he rolled to his side, drawing her with him until she was the one sprawled on top of him. "Always," he promised her, drawing his fingertips along her spine. "Took us long enough, didn't it?"
"The best things are worth waiting for, love," she told him, her eyes shining with more happiness than she ever thought possible. "Give me a moment," she told him, touching a kiss to his lips before wiggling off him, only long enough to get a fire started in the hearth. It took no more than the press of a button - something else for Emrys to wonder over, no doubt.
He grinned as she kissed him, rolling onto his side to watch as she did something mysterious that resulted in a sudden roar of flame in the hearth. Not that he was paying attention to the hearth; no, his eyes were trained on the lithe, slender form of his mate, allowed to appreciate her now in a way he had been denying himself since they'd first met. "You are so beautiful," he breathed, reaching out to let his fingers curl over her hip, drawing her back to him tenderly.
She would have found them a blanket, but there was little need. It wasn't long before the fire roared to life and was taking the chill off the room, and burning off the smell of disuse. She returned to his arms almost as quickly as she'd departed, sharing her warmth and drawing from his, no more secrets between them and no need to hide. "You're a wolf now, Emrys. An Alpha. It's Zane who should fear you, not the other way around," she told him, tracing his lips with a lazy finger, happy that he still found her beautiful.