17. Nicolai

-No matter what—PapaRoach-

This dominant side of Grace is interesting. It’s not the aggressive dominance a Luna sometimes manifests from the increase of power from her Alpha mate. Grace now has three bonded Alphas, and me half bonded. She has more power at her fingertips than all the Lunas in recorded history. Yet she’s still gentle.

I lead her through my house to the bathroom. Looking around, I know it’s nothing impressive and part of me. I’m embarrassed by how simple it is. Grace runs her fingertips over my lower back just above my hips as she moves to the claw-foot tub and starts running the water.

“Why don’t you go grab your robe or whatever you wish to wear after the bath?” Her eyes are still glowing, and her wolf is prowling near the surface.

Reaching back, I close the bathroom door and there hangs my robe, and she smiles. I duck into the closet and pull out a basket of different soaps and oils. My intention is to get her into the tub first, then worry about bathing me afterwards. “Here you go Grace. Figured you might wonder where all this is.”

She takes the basket from me and looks it over and a low growl escapes her lips. “Where’s your soap?” She pushes a little of her power behind the word your and I’m positive she’s read me like a book and knows my intentions.

Reaching under the sink, I pull out my sandalwood soap and my wash mitten that I use and offer it to her. “Shampoo? Conditioner?” She tilts her head, staring at me and makes the give me motion with her hand. Reluctantly, I pull the last of my shower items out. I know I’m pouting, but this is not how I wanted tonight to go.

“Grace, I’m the Alpha. I’m supposed to take care of you. Please let me do it.” I rest a hand on her shoulder, trying to convey my intentions better.

The gold fades from Grace’s eyes as she stares up at me as the tears roll down her cheeks. “You saved mine and my baby’s life and we weren’t even bonded. You knew there was a chance you could die and leave your daughter behind without a father, and you put me and the baby first.” Her bottom lip quivers as I reach out and pull her to me. “We would have died if it weren’t for you, Nic.” She rubs her face against my chest and I hold her as her phone rings. It’s Ethan.

I answer her phone and tell him what’s going on and he settles down and says to call him if he’s needed. Looking down at Grace, I kiss the crown of her head. “I would do it a thousand times if it meant you lived. Nina wouldn’t have been alone because I know you would have become her mother and raised her as your own. She would have had four fathers, your other mates, to help raise her. What’s the life of one when, if you died, five people would be dead?”

Grace steps out of my embrace and turns off the water. “Please let me take care of you, Nicolai. It would make me feel better about everything.” The way Grace’s emotions are so raw and ring with so much truth, I know she needs this on an emotional and spiritual level.

Going against every fiber of my being, I step into the tub and sink into its warm, welcoming depths. A slow smile crosses over Grace’s lips as she sinks a cup into the tub with me. Once it’s filled, she uses her hand to block the water from running down my face as she gets my hair wet. It’s interesting to be on the receiving end of such an intimate interaction. She loads her hands up with the shampoo and starts scrubbing my hair and scalp, sending tingles down my spine. A soft moan escapes my lips as I close my eyes, allowing Grace full control. “That’s right, relax Nic. Let me take care of you.”

She hums a soft tune as she massages my scalp and then carefully rinses my hair. She grabs the conditioner and massages it in as well. My wash cloth is grabbed, and she loads it with a generous amount of soap and washes my shoulders. The gentle motion lulls me into a state of relaxation I haven’t experienced in my life. Her hands leave me and I open my eyes to see Grace removing her clothing and climbing into the tub with me. I’m rock hard in an instant, seeing my mate naked before me. “Are you okay?” I watch her eyes switch between human and wolf. I know she’s battling her wolf for control.

“Um, yes … Nervous for whatever reason.” She forces a smile and returns to washing my chest.

I pull her to sit on my lap and rest my hands on her thighs. A beautiful blush rises in her cheeks and she’s ridiculously adorable. “I give you full control. As an alpha, there is only one person I will ever submit to.” I bare my neck to her. “You are in total and complete control, Grace. Do with me what you will.” Closing my eyes, I lay back in the tub and rest my arms on the sides of the tub. I pop one eye open and look at the shock written all over her face.

“Anything? Are you sure?” Grace threads her fingers through my beard and holds my face in her hands.

“Anything, anything you want.” I stop myself from belting out one of my favorite Danzig songs. She needs to know how much she means to me. I was willing to surrender my life so that she would live. If that’s not what love is, I don’t know is.

Grace leans forward and rests her hands on the rail of the tub on either side of my head as she leans in closer. Her lower stomach rests against my erection. “Anything?” She whispers the words against my lips and I feel my cock pulsing in time with my heartbeat.

“Anything…”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth that she descended on me like a woman starving. Her tongue begged my lips to part and when I opened, she attacked further. Her tongue explored every crevice of my mouth, making me insane with lust. Gripping the tub was becoming almost painful as she started rocking her hips slightly. “Grace…” I finally manage to get out when she moved to kiss my neck. “Precious … I need to be in you…” My pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears and she raises up on her knees then reaches down grabbing my length. I swear I thought I would cum just from her touching me.

Nipping my bottom lip, Grace slowly sinks down on my length almost to my knot. I gasp at the perfect feeling of my mate on my cock. I heard stories of how your mate is made perfect for you. That they fill the void in your heart that you didn’t know that you had until you meet them. The euphoric bliss on her face mirrors my exact feeling. The shocks keep coming when she moves on me. Her muscles milking my length with every move she makes. Her hands grip my neck as she leans forward, changing the angle of penetration.

“Touch me Nic.” Her words spark something in me. I grip her hips and meet her every move.

Her muscles tighten around my length and I know she’s just as close to the precipice as I am. I know what I need to do. One last thrust and I sink my knot deep into my mate, locking us together. Grace screams my name before sinking her teeth into my shoulder over her original mate mark. My teeth elongate and I look at her shoulder, finding a bare spot. I kiss her skin, savoring the taste. Gently I sink my teeth in and the explosion of the copper tang of her blood on my tongue made me cum again.

We stay locked together and our teeth sunk into each other’s flesh. Eventually, she becomes pliant in my arms and sighs as she releases my shoulder. The laving of her tongue over my skin ramps up my desire again. Gently, I stroke my hands down her sides and hold her tightly to me. I clean my mark on her skin and kiss it affectionately. “How are you feeling?” I nuzzle her cheek and kiss it.

“Better. Much better.” She snuggles into me and presses her forehead against my neck as I hold her tight.

My knot deflates and I finally slip free as the water cools. I position myself and stand up with my mate in my arms. Looking around, I see all the water we shot out of the tub from our lovemaking. Carefully, I step onto the rug and walk us down the hall to my room. I lay her down on my bed and crawl up her body and sink into her again. Slowly, I roll my hips, sliding my length in and out of her, making us both moan and nip at each other. We took our time and made love for what seemed like hours.

At some point, we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms and rested like that. Grace eventually awakens and tries to push away. “I need to use the bathroom.” She kisses my cheek. As much as I didn’t want to let her go, she needs to use the facilities.

For the few moments she was gone, I missed her, feeling the void of her absence. Perhaps it’s the fact she has three other alpha mates that has made her this strong. The bond is incredible. I even feel the others in the bond through her. The children being present in the bond was a unique bonus. It explains how she and Ethan tracked our two pups down with relative ease.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t hear her return. “Are you okay? You look confused.” Grace crawls into bed and lies on the pillow facing me.

“I feel everyone. Even the children.” Furrowing my brows, I stare at her and watch the emotions flicker over her face.

She smiles and laughs softly. “It takes some getting used to. I focus more on my baby, and yours too. The guys and now you feel like a warm hand against my skin constantly.” The look on her face I can describe as pure bliss.

“How strong is the bond? I mean, on your side.” I reach out and pull her to me.

Grace closes her eyes and smiles at me. “I know exactly where my daughter is. She’s sleeping on Conrad’s chest at the moment. Barrett is taking care of Ethan, and Griffin is at a town meeting.” She places a hand on my chest and smiles. “Nina is with your mother playing. She’s happy.” Grace opens her eyes and giggles. “As our bond grows, we both will be able to sense more about each other. “

“Can you tell me about yours and Ethan’s bond?” I kiss her lips gently. A bond is a personal thing. But, with all of us together, I need to understand how everything works.

Drawing in a deep breath, she rolls to the side and off the bed to stand. All of her scars are on display as she walks around my room. “From what I understand, even in the poly bonds, there’s always a dominant bond.” She stops and looks at me, making sure I’m keeping up. I offer her a nod and smile before she continues. “There was something about Ethan that drew me to him first. I bit him, breaking his skin with my human teeth because it felt right.” She looks down before going back to pacing.

“You felt a bond with him before you bit him?” That was an interesting little tidbit to learn.

“I remember as a little girl I fell when I was out with the boys.” She comes over and sits on the edge of the bed and shows me a scar on her right knee. “I ended up getting a piece of glass in my knee and I was bleeding everywhere. Griffin ran for help, Barrett was panicking, and Ethan was angry. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I remember him biting his finger, then pressing it to my wound.” She runs her finger over her scar and smiles, looking at it.

“What happened next?” I think I solved the riddle of their bond. She has always had his blood in her. It wasn’t a significant amount, but enough to change her some.

“Oddly, it stopped hurting. By the time Grams got to us, Barrett and Conrad had me cleaned up and Ethan was walking back with push pops for us.” She puts her leg down and smiles at me.

I know from what she described, his blood healed her and probably forged a weak version of a bond with her. It’s rare a human can tolerate shifter blood in their system unless they are a mate. “Did you ever tell anyone this story?” I reach out and take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“No, but the guys should probably know.” I can watch the gears turning in Grace’s mind as the revelation finally hits her.

The sire bond isn’t the only thing bonding her to Ethan. Him healing her when she was little is what sparked the process. It’s food for thought and explains a lot.

“I’ll set up a family dinner next week. Griffin has a lot with the centennial celebration for the town this week. We can approach everyone with our suspicions, then.” Grace smiles as she squeezes my hands. “I also have my doctor’s appointment to check the baby’s health next week, so that would be a perfect day to do the dinner.” She shows me the appointment date on her phone and I plug it into mine. “Oooh, let me add you to the family calendar while I’m at it. Add important birthdays and appointments so everyone knows what’s going on.” Grace grabs my phone and downloads the application and sets it to her family group.

She gives me my phone back and I create my login information. Once I do, I respond to the email it sends out, then I can log into the app. I add all the important dates into the calendar. As I fill it in, a sense of peace and belonging I have never felt before consumes me. This is what a healthy mate bond feels like. Grace is my moon and stars, within her heart is my home.