Chapter 4: Ajax

4

AJAX

I wasn't sure where the baby endearments were coming from. Umbras, as a rule, were highly sexual creatures. The animal instinct in us wanted to fuck and claim. Humans would likely think we were too animalistic in our pleasures. Yet, Mazie had been honest about her wants and needs. That pleased me immensely. However, there was something so precious and fragile about Mazie that I wanted to cuddle her. She needed someone to protect her from the scarier parts of life, and I was the best person to do it.

And calling me Daddy, I never would have thought that would turn me on. But my dick was more rigid than a stake post, and I was a helluva lot closer to blowing my load than I had ever been. And I wasn't even inside of her yet.

She tasted amazing, like woman and sex, and mine. My umbra was laying claim to Mazie with every stroke of my tongue against her sweet pussy. She'd cupped her hands over her full breasts, pulling at the nipples. But I wanted to see them without the T-shirt in the way.

I pushed the t-shirt hem up, and Mazie quickly yanked it over her head. While she paused for a moment, clearly starting to worry that she was buck ass naked on my counter. I flicked my tongue rapidly over her clit and watched as her eyes rolled back in her head and her hands came immediately back to her nipples.

The woman was so damn responsive.

I kissed her inner thighs, teasing little whimpers out of her before running my tongue once again around her sweet pussy. Her finger speared my hair, and she shoved my face closer to her heat.

"Mine!" The beast inside me roared, and I couldn't have agreed more.

I settled in, licking and sucking her like a man possessed. It was all I could do to keep her thighs from smashing my head as she climbed closer and closer to her climax. I was storing up the little erotic noises that she was making, knowing that I would be using them for my spank bank for a long time.

"Please, Daddy," she begged, her head thrashing from side to side.

That fucking nickname was enough to make my cock strain against the zipper of my jeans. I wasn't going to last. Pleasing Mazie was officially my new favorite game.

My mouth watered as I tasted the sweetness of Mazie's pussy juices, and her tangy musky scent filled my nostrils. I moved my tongue in circles around her clit, teasing it gently at first, then more fiercely as she begged for more. With each moan and plea that escaped her lips, I found myself more and more entranced. I couldn't believe how responsive she was and how easily she gave in to my ministrations. I licked and sucked, lapping up her nectar like a starved man at a feast, savoring the taste of her on my tongue.

Her legs shook under my assault, her fingers digging into my hair as if trying to hold onto me. I used one hand to cup her plump ass cheek, squeezing gently before trailing it up her back, over the soft skin of her stomach, and playing with her nipple. She arched into the touch, making a needy little sound that had me growling low in my throat.

"Please, Daddy," she whimpered again, begging me to take her over the edge. And I was more than willing to oblige .

Mazie arched her hips into my face, and so I took that moment to suck on her clit—hard.

A strangled scream accompanied her release, and then she was coming. The contractions rocked her curvy frame as wave after wave of passion rolled over her. Never in my life had I ever seen anything more arousing than watching my mate find her pleasure.

She shuddered and shied away from my mouth, her fingers pushing my head away. Knowing she'd reached her limit, I gathered her into my arms.

"I didn't know," she whispered against my chest. Her fingers idly played in the dark smattering of chest hair that covered my pecks. It was so effortlessly intimate. How could one small woman slip herself so thoroughly into my life?

"What didn't you know?" I encouraged, trying to ignore the way that her pink-tinged flush from her pleasure went from her cheeks to her breasts and further. She was just so damned beautiful.

"I didn't realize how good it would feel. But I know that wasn't everything. You must; shouldn't I take care of you?"

Her wide eyes looked both terrified and curious. The last thing I wanted was to move too quickly with her.

"How about you trust your Daddy?" I asked. "I think we need to get you something to eat, and then we ought to talk about what happened yesterday."

Her emotional retreat was palpable.

"Hey, I know things are pretty crazy for you right now," I assured her. "As much as I want you physically, I want to ensure you are cared for in every way. Does that make sense?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"I promise you, Mazie girl. I will protect you. Do you trust me?"

I half expected her to tell me no—hell, I wouldn't have blamed her—but she answered quietly, "Yes, Daddy."

I kissed the top of her head. "That's my girl."

And I meant it.

Mazie was sitting on the couch across from me two hours later, laughing as we watched some of her old TikTok videos.

"So this is what a plus-size fashion influencer does," I said with a grin.

She shook her head. "It's only part of what I do. I make shorter videos on Instagram and TikTok, but on YouTube, I upload longer videos ranging from plus-size fashion to beauty and lifestyle tips. Working to build my platform has been a challenge."

"I can't even imagine the work you've put into your career. Has that always been your dream?"

Mazie tucked one of her knees underneath her and then cradled the other. With her face freshly washed and her hair pulled up into a messy bun, she looked far different than the glammed-up fashion model from her social media channels.

Either way, she was stunning. But I hoped she knew that and didn't believe she needed the makeup or the lashes to be pretty.

"I suppose,"she said slowly. "I guess that for me, it was a matter of knowing that I had to make a living, but I also didn't do very well in public spaces with many people.I'msure you've noticed I am very anxious."

I had noticed, but I didn't want her to feel shame over something she couldn't help. "You aren't nervous now,"I said instead. You may need to get to know the people you're around. Besides your family, there aren't that many who fit into that category.

Mazie wrinkled her face."Well, I don't have a family or even close friends. Oh, I have loads of people who talk to me online or ask questions about my platform. I'm not lonely, not really. I have my therapist, Dr. Baker. She's always trying to get me to meet people in the 'real world,' as she calls it. She doesn't understand how scary that is for me."

Understanding filled my mind. Suddenly, her intense reaction yesterday made sense. Not only had she awakened in a strange place, but encountering two strange men in the process was likely more than her system could take.

I nodded, trying to convey empathy through my gaze. "It makes sense. The online world feels safer and more in your control. Meeting new people in person can be daunting."

Mazie looked down, tracing her finger along the grain of the wood table. "Yeah. I guess that's why I freaked out yesterday—waking up here with you two strangers around. It was too much. I'm sorry I caused such a scene."

"You have nothing to apologize for,"I said firmly. "I can't imagine how frightening that must have been. But know this - you are safe here. We would never harm you."

She glanced up, eyes glistening. "But why? Why do you care about me at all?"

I sighed, unsure how to explain our instant connection. The bond of true mates connected two individuals on a level that the average human couldn't understand. However, beyond that, there was something about her that even Kyle felt. How do I express it? "Sometimes you just meet someone and know they're meant to be in your life. From the moment I first saw you unconscious in the snow, I felt drawn to you. I want to help you, to see you flourish. And I sense you need that, too."

A single tear escaped down her cheek. She brushed it away hastily. "I'm sorry. No one's ever said anything like that to me."

My heart ached, and I wished she could see herself as I saw her—a woman of courage, beauty, and immeasurable worth.

"And I grew up in the system,"she said quickly. "I know that's usually the next question. No, I never knew my parents. I spent most of my growing up in one foster home or another. There were a couple of stints in a group home when an individual placement couldn't be found. I aged out at eighteen."

"Where did you go?"I asked, praying that she didn't say the street.

"A woman at the homeless shelter would save a place for me in her office. She said that I was too pretty to allow me to sleep with the other displaced individuals. She knew a lot about the system and helped to get me into therapy and government housing."

"Do you see her very often anymore?"I couldn't help but ask.

Mazie shook her head. "Keisha passed away about six years ago. She always said how proud she was of me for making money on the Internet. Then she would get real serious and make me swear that I wasn't taking naked pictures or worse. Keisha was the closest thing to family that I'd ever known."

"I bet she adored you,"I said honestly.

Mazie looked up at me with a yearning so plain and honest in her expression that it caused my heart to squeeze painfully. "Do you think so?"

I nodded. "God's truth, Mazie. I know so."

"You know what you said earlier?"she began hesitantly. "When you were talking about the Umbra shifters."

"Yeah,"I replied. "What would you like to know?"

"Is it possible for two regular people to have a umbra baby?"

I shook my head. "No, Mazie. You have to have at least one Umbra parent to have an Umbra baby, and that's not even guaranteed. Usually, it takes two Umbra parents to create an umbra baby."

She swallowed, nodding slightly. "Right, I see."

I knew she was trying to make sense of this wild new world. I couldn't imagine how strange this had to be to her. It made the most sense to me to remain quiet and answer the questions as they came up for her.

"You said that most Umbra's shift before they can walk?"

I nodded once again. "That is usually how it works, but I've seen someone as late as fourteen."

"But not twenty-seven?"she confirmed.

"No, not that late, no. But umbra parents raise most umbrae cubs, so it's a natural part of life. You didn't have any of those privileges. It's a completely different scenario."

She nodded, trying to pretend like she understood. But I could see that something was holding her back .

"What is it, Baby?"I asked. "Tell your Daddy what's troubling you?"

She dipped her head down, and momentarily, I feared I had pushed her too far. But after a short while, she spoke, "You know how you explained that we can hear our umbra's thoughts inside our minds? Mine said something to me when I looked at you."

My heart kicked inside my chest as I lifted her chin so our eyes could meet again. Her dark eyes illuminated as her lips parted, and we spoke simultaneously.

"Mate."