Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

brIAR

A fter I step through the portal, Xander and Bastian walk through next. I wince when I see that I got blood and Patrick matter on them too. At least our hotel living room has hard floors, so I'm not messing up expensive carpet with the crimson liquid dripping off me. With how gross I am, I need a scalding shower. Stat.

As I wait for Malachi, I unlace my black boots and slip them off. At least the leather is hardy so I can just hose them off. If they weren't my mom's old boots, I'd consider throwing them away with how grime-covered they are.

Malachi walks through next, and Saint lets the portal snap closed after. When I look up at Malachi's scarily blank face, I swallow uneasily. I was surprised he didn't yell at me in the alley, but I thought I was in the clear when he hugged me without saying anything. I guess I was wrong, if the burning rage in his navy gaze is anything to go by.

"Xander, Bastian, leave," Malachi orders softly, his tone edged with danger. I take an involuntary step back at the warning in his tone, which his sharp eyes pick up immediately.

Both Xander and Bastian look between Malachi and me in concern. Bastian shifts from foot to foot, and Xander runs a hand through his hair before cautiously saying, "Kai, I think you need to cool off before you're alone with Briar."

Malachi is silent for a moment before roaring, "Leave. Now!" The weight of the alpha command is enough to steal the breath from my lungs, and I'm much less affected by it than his brothers are. Xander and Bastian stumble as the order slams into them.

While they both try to fight the alpha command, it's a losing battle. They're already taking small steps backward toward the room door. "I'll be fine," I try to reassure the twins. Even though I seem to piss Malachi off like no one else, I know he'd never hurt me, no matter how angry he is. "Don't worry about me."

The tendons in Xander's neck stand out starkly as he tries to stop his feet from moving. "Are you sure?" he grits out.

"I'm positive, Xander. Go." He stares at me for a heartbeat before giving in to the order. I watch Xander and Bastian until they reluctantly leave the hotel room. Then I stay facing the door for a moment longer, wanting to avoid the confrontation I know I'm going to have with Malachi.

Exhaling a ragged breath, I turn around to find him right behind me. I bump into him and stumble back. His hands whip out lightning fast to steady me and pull me against him. His iron hold on my waist locks me in place as he glares down at me. "What the fuck were you thinking? I can't believe you would be that stupid!"

I rear back like he slapped me. I know I messed up, but I was doing what I thought was right at the time. The hurt burning through my veins like acid quickly turns to anger. "I was trying to fucking protect everyone! Now let go of me!" Whatever productive conversation I thought we might have obviously won't be happening, so I push at his chest, trying to get free. He doesn't budge, his pecs feeling like solid slabs of granite under my hands.

"No," he snarls, leaning in until our faces almost touch. "You clearly can't fucking be trusted to make the right decision."

"I can't be trusted? For what reason? I was doing my fucking best, Malachi!" My voice breaks, and I drop eye contact with him. He removes one hand from my waist and threads his fingers through my hair. When he pulls my head back to force me to look at him, I expect the same pain I felt from Patrick earlier. But even when he's furious, Malachi isn't Patrick. His hold is gentle, and he's careful not to pull back too far.

"You will keep your eyes on me while I talk to you," he orders.

I would close my eyes out of spite—super mature, I know—but it's weird to have an argument with someone without looking at them. "You're not talking to me. You're yelling at me!"

"I would be able to be calm if you ever thought about how your actions would affect the people around you!" he shouts in exasperation, his fingers flexing and digging into my waist.

I suck in a reflexive breath at his audacity. "How fucking dare you! All I ever think about is everyone else! I've been willing to sacrifice myself over and over to keep everyone I care about safe. You know what? You can go fuck yourself, Malachi! Now let me go!" I shove at him and try to knee him to get him to move. He grunts as he blocks my knee to his groin.

When his grip loosens on me, I briefly think I won. Before I can even back up, Malachi's bending down, shoving his shoulder in my stomach, and hoisting me up like a sack of potatoes. I growl at him and wiggle around, trying to get down, as he stomps toward the bathroom.

He pushes through the white door and strides across the cream and gold tiled bathroom, his shoes clacking as he goes. When he reaches the matching cream tile vanity, Malachi sets me down on the floor facing him. Placing his hands on my waist, he hauls me into his hard body.

"That's the problem! Don't you fucking get it? Goddammit, Briar!" He breaks off abruptly, his voice sounding choked up. Malachi briefly looks up at the ceiling, trying to collect himself, before staring me down again. "I don't care about my life if you're not in it. I don't give a fuck about being safe if you aren't. I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me. All I want is you safe and happy, but you seem determined to put yourself in danger at every turn!"

By the time he's finished, I'm staring at him open-mouthed, but I don't get a chance to formulate a response because he's lifting me up to sit on the counter and swooping in for a hard kiss. I wrap my legs around him, holding him to my center.

His lips crash into mine with bruising force, but I give back as good as I get. When I refuse to part my mouth for him, still angry at him for what he said and wanting to be difficult, Malachi bites my bottom lip, causing me to gasp. His tongue plunges in, dueling with mine.

One of his hands cups the back of my head, keeping me where he wants me. His other hand slips under my shirt, his warm palm moving up to cup my left breast, kneading it hard. He pinches my nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. I arch into his hand at the sensation, the bite of pain heightening the arousal pooling low in my belly.

Taking a page from his book, I fist his shirt with both hands and try to drag it up. His shirt won't budge since it's trapped between him and the counter. I make a distressed noise, and Malachi pulls back. He shrugs off his coat and reaches behind him to whip off his stained olive green shirt with one hand. I greedily rove my gaze over his defined pecs, abs, and adonis belt before he steps back up to me. His lips slam back onto mine as I run my hands over every bump and ridge of his ripped torso.

After a few moments of frantic kissing, Malachi pulls back to stare down at me, hunger in his navy eyes. His breath is sawing in and out of his lungs roughly as he watches me. "How far are you comfortable taking this?"

"How far do you want to take it?" I ask, trying to catch my breath after the kiss.

"I want it all, baby girl. I want my cock buried so deep in your pussy you'll feel me for days, and I want my mating mark on your shoulder, showing everyone who you belong to. But I'll happily take whatever you want to give me."

The adrenaline from the confrontation earlier is turning to pure lust in my system. While I'm on board for the first part, I'm shaking my head at the second part. "I don't belong to anyone."

"Like fuck you don't." His growly voice sounds even deeper when he's this close to me. It rumbles through my chest and seems to arrow right down between my legs. "You belong to us, but, more importantly, we belong to you."

I raise my brows skeptically. "So you'd be fine with letting me mark you to show everyone who you belong to?"

"I'd be more than fine. I'd be so fucking proud to wear your mark, you'd have to stop me from showing it off to everyone." His tone is overflowing with sincerity, and it does something funny to my heart, which feels all warm and mushy in my chest.

Voicing my last objection, I tell him, "I'm gross."

He huffs, kicks off his shoes, and bands an arm around my waist. Lifting me up, Malachi supports my ass with his other arm as he walks us over to the excessively large shower that's the same gold and cream tile as the rest of the bathroom. Inside its three glass walls are multiple showerheads and a control panel.

Stepping inside, he reaches for the gold handle and turns the spray on. I yelp at the shock of the cold water pelting down at me. I look at Malachi with wide eyes. He just walked us both into the shower in our clothes.

Within seconds, the water warms up and starts washing the blood and gore off both of us. I avoid looking at the drain, not wanting the reminder of everything earlier right now.

Malachi doesn't bother brushing his soaking wet hair out of his eyes. He stares down at me with something that looks an awful lot like love in his gaze, but there's no way in hell I'm ready to deal with that right now. "Do you want this or not, baby girl? That's really the only answer I need right now."

I close my eyes for a moment. Even though I know it probably isn't the smart move, I'm nodding before I even open my lids. "Yes," I breathe.

"Thank fuck."

I snort at the relief in his voice. He lowers me to the ground. Once I'm steady on my feet, he grabs both sides of my teal sweater and rips it right down the middle.

I gasp at the move. "Malachi!"

He gives me a wolfish grin. "It was ruined anyway. This is the fastest way to get it off you." His deft fingers unhook my bra next, letting it fall in a sodden heap on the shower floor. "If you don't want me to rip your jeans, take them off. Now."

My fingers go to the waistband of my dark wash jeans and hover there uncertainly. I glance up through my lashes at Malachi. He's watching me intently but not making any move to rush me. This is the first time I'm going to sleep with someone I actually care about, so I feel more unsure of myself than usual. It also feels like there's no coming back from the line we're about to cross, which one part of me is scared of and another is excited about.

Shaking off my worries because I need Malachi probably as much as he needs me right now, I unfasten my jeans and peel them off my legs, the waterlogged denim making it difficult to do so. Hopping awkwardly from foot to foot, I try to get the soggy fabric off.

Malachi lets out a quiet laugh at my struggles. I glare at him, but he doesn't notice as he's already lowering to his knees. He makes quite the picture kneeling shirtless, water dripping down his chest, and his navy gaze staring at me with so much hunger it makes my thighs clench.

Placing his hand on my stomach, he pushes back until my upper half is leaning against the cool shower glass. He then lifts each foot to pull off my jeans. Making eye contact with me the whole time, he hooks his fingers in the waistband of my panties before dragging them down my legs. I grip Malachi's shoulders for balance as I step out of my plain blue undies.

When I try to straighten up and remove my hands from his shoulders, Malachi barks, "No." I look at him in surprise. "Keep your hands on my shoulders, or I stop. Understand?"

"Yeah." I flex my fingers on his shoulders, digging my nails in slightly in retaliation for him ordering me around. It doesn't faze him. If anything, it only causes his self-satisfied smirk to widen.

He leans down so his hot breath is fanning over my center. He then sucks my clit into his mouth and shoves a finger into me. "Fuck!" I shout as I throw my head back. Even overwhelmed by the sensations, I'm able to remember to keep my hands on his shoulders. The last thing I want right now is for him to stop.

After a few pumps, he adds a second finger and mercilessly drives me to the edge. As his skilled tongue flicks over the sensitive bud and he thrusts his fingers in and out of me, pleasure coils tighter and tighter in my core. All at once, everything crashes over me, my climax so intense it causes stars to light up behind my lids.

He slowly pumps his fingers for a few long moments as I come down from the high. I ride out the waves of pleasure until I slump boneless against the shower wall. The only thing keeping me upright is his firm palm against my stomach.

When I open my eyes, I see Malachi staring at me and licking his lips, like I'm the best thing he's ever tasted. I duck my head to hide the heat creeping up my cheeks. He pushes to his feet, and I let my hands fall from his shoulders. Hoisting me up again, he brings us both under the shower spray briefly to get any remaining gunk off us.

Malachi then turns off the water and steps out of the shower. He sets me down on the massive square tub's tile ledge. Stepping away for a moment, he comes back with a fluffy white towel and gently dries me off. Once he's done with me, he turns away and shoves down his soaked pants and underwear. He roughly dries himself before wrapping another towel around his waist and picking me back up.

Marching into the bedroom, Malachi tosses me onto the bed. I bounce a few times. When I glance up, he lets his towel fall to the ground. His thick erection springs free, and I swallow uneasily. His dick is by far the longest and thickest I've ever seen. I don't even know how that thing is going to fit in me.

No fucking wonder he hasn't had a girlfriend. They probably all ran off terrified when he whipped out that monster.

I'm seriously questioning my life choices when Malachi laughs. "You're staring at my cock like you've never seen one before."

"I've seen dicks before, just never one that big! I don't even know if it'll fit." My wide eyes meet his navy ones dancing with mirth. I narrow mine at him for finding this whole thing funny.

"I'll fit, baby girl. You'll be fine. Trust me." He climbs on the bed and knee walks until he's between my spread legs.

"Real fucking easy for you to say," I grumble.

He snorts. "I'm negative since supernaturals don't really get diseases like humans. Do you want me to use a condom?"

I give him a small shake of my head, knowing I'm negative too. I've never been with anyone without a condom before, but I want to feel all of him.

Nodding, Malachi flips me onto my hands and knees in one quick move and grips my hips with both hands. I'm disoriented from the position change when I feel him against my entrance, slowly starting to press in. I'm soaked from my earlier orgasm, so he's gliding in easier than I would've thought. "Wait." I gasp, and he instantly stills. "Aren't you going to ask if I'm on birth control?" I am, for the record. I didn't want to take any chances in the past. Apparently human birth control won't work now that I have my magic and wolf, so Nan gave me a potion that should last for a few months.

He chuckles, the sound dark and full of promise. "That's why I asked if you needed me to use a condom. I would love nothing more than to fuck you full of my babies. You said you don't need it, so you're either on board with that or on birth control."

I turn to look at him over my shoulder incredulously, my mouth opening and closing like a fish as I try to find words to respond to that. What is it with my mates and mentioning kids out of the blue? I need a freaking warning before they start talking about having babies, because I am so not ready for that right now.

He grins at making me speechless before he resumes thrusting slowly into me. The stretch burns, and I feel fuller than I ever have. I let my head hang down, as I'm incapable of doing anything other than feeling. A small whimper escapes my lips at the pain that's drowning out most of the pleasure right now. Malachi smooths one hand over my back. "You're taking me so well, baby girl. Just a few more inches."

Oh God. There's more?

Jesus . I thought he was already all the way in. I'm not sure how much more I can take.

I don't have time to worry about it because, with one hard snap of his hips, he pushes all the way in. We both groan. He gives me a moment to adjust to him before he starts driving into me in hard and fast strokes. Soon, the pain fades away, and I get lost in how good it feels. Reaching around, Malachi rubs my clit with his thumb as he pounds into me. Before I know it, my orgasm is crashing into me, drowning me in sensation and stealing my breath with how abrupt it is.

While I'm trying to recover from coming again, Malachi wraps his hand around my throat and pulls me upright, holding me to his sweat-slicked chest. With the change in the angle, it feels like he's going even deeper, which I didn't think was possible. I clutch onto his arm around my shoulders to ground myself. He doesn't let up with the fast circles on my clit. "Give me one more."

I shake my head slightly, his hand around my throat constraining my movement. "I can't come again."

"You can, and you will. Give it to me, baby girl. Now," he rasps in my ear, warm breath feathering across my cheek.

At his order, I hurtle over the edge for the third time with a hoarse shout, clenching around him. My eyes roll back into my head as it feels like I've been struck by a lightning bolt, intense pleasure coursing through me as unpredictable and overwhelming as electricity. I can't do anything but ride out wave after wave of my orgasm.

When I come back to myself, Malachi's smooth thrusts become erratic. I feel hot jets of his cum fill me up. He buries his head in my shoulder with a groan as he comes. His teeth clamp around the crook of my neck but don't actually break skin. I shudder at the brief flash of pain, and my wolf perks up at the almost mate bite.

We collapse in a sweaty pile on the bed, Malachi making sure to move to the side to avoid crushing me. He cradles me in his arms as we both come down from what was, by far, the best fucking of my life.

My eyes are drifting closed as I'm lulled to sleep by the safety of his arms when the door to the bedroom crashes open.