Chapter Twelve

Jace had known the moment he'd agreed to spend the night at Ian's what would happen. They'd danced achingly slow around each other, exploring Ian's bedroom at leisure, Jace stalling by questioning Ian's comparison of his house to who he was inside. The pretense of watching a movie neither of them were interested in.

Now Ian's muscled body was pressed into Jace's, his soft but firm lips seizing what the man wanted. There was no hesitation, no holding back.

This was Ian. Wild. Beautiful. Dominant. Staking his claim.

Just as Jace thought he would run out of breath, Ian pulled back, his lips kiss-swollen, gorgeous, moist with Jace's saliva. They both heaved in breaths, their gazes locked.

Then Ian leaned sideways and dug through the closest drawer, yanking a bottle of lube free. His whiskey eyes were dark, filled with utter yearning. He dropped the bottle onto the bed, curling his fingers around the waistband of Jace's boxers. His fingers stroked over Jace's skin, electrifying him as if a live wire had touched him.

As Jace's underwear slid down, so did Ian. His tousled hair grazed along Jace's body, silky wisps trailing downward. Blissful torture, one strand at a time.

Ian scraped his teeth, his tongue over sensitive flesh, causing Jace's stomach muscles to contract and his legs to spread apart. Already he was flying, gripping the bedding in a stranglehold as Ian kissed and licked his way toward Jace's cock.

The slow, tormenting swirl of the man's tongue around Jace's navel caused Jace to moan and Ian to purr. Ian's hands mapped Jace's hips, as if learning his body, his fingertips so light that they created goose bumps.

Jace touched, running his hands over Ian's hair, his sculpted back, broad shoulders, and guns that flexed as if the guy was showing off. Ian's body pinned Jace to the bed as warm heat surrounded his cock.

"Ian." Jace gripped the man's hair, pushing his head downward.

Ian was having none of that. A soft growl rumbled in his throat. He shackled Jace's wrists and pressed them onto the bed in a display of pure dominance, leaving no doubt who was in control.

Jace had never felt so conquered.

Unable to move his arms, Jace cried out, tugging, but Ian refused to let go. His mouth descended on Jace cock. Suction, a tight pull that had Jace rocking his head back and forth. He couldn't even see what Ian was doing. His hair created a dark, layered curtain.

Ian's lips were insatiable, the flat of his tongue an assault on Jace's senses. "I can't see," Jace whined. "Move your hair out of the way."

Instead of using his hand, which would have freed one of Jace's, Ian popped off his cock and tossed his head back His tousled mane obeyed Ian's command, settling to one side to expose his corded neck.

So fucking gorgeous, a bronze, masculine stallion and in control of Jace's body and heart. Ian dipped back down, watching Jace with smoldering eyes as the tip of his tongue circled the head, flicking teasingly.

Ian released Jace's wrist and grabbed the lube, his tongue still a torture device. Jace was dying of pleasurable madness.

Two wet fingers glided along his entrance. They pressed inward. Testing. Then they nudged inside, Ian's gaze never leaving Jace's. His mouth swallowed Jace's cock, and there was no holding back the noises, the desperate cries and mewls.

The fingers inside of Jace thrust deeply, thick fingers that stretched him wide. He couldn't recall if there were still two inside of him or if Ian had added a third. It didn't matter. Jace rode them, completely consumed by Ian.

By his touch.

By his ability to possess Jace with a simple glance of those whiskey eyes.

Tonight, they were going to bind their souls. Ian would be his forever—the only person who was capable of calming his anxieties and the one being who could destroy him from the inside out.

Ian dragged his mouth upward, those sinful fingers scissoring. Jace arched his back with a breathless cry, pulses of rushing heat pounding through his balls. Ian drank every damn drop, feasting on Jace like a hungry beast.

Still dizzy and breathing like he hadn't had air in hours, Jace watched as Ian surged toward him, their mouths a collision of lips and tongues, sharing the taste of his seed.

A purr rumbled like thunder, and Jace greedily devoured the sound. An image of Ian's powerful black panther shot through his mind. A sleek cat with rippling muscles. Fierce. Deadly. Passionate.

Ian used his knees to spread Jace's legs farther apart. His fingers slid free. With one last nip and lick to Jace's bottom lip, Ian pulled back. His cock was heavy and throbbing, beautifully thick. Ian stroked lube over the hard flesh, his ripped abs on full display. His biceps flexed as his hand caressed his length.

He looked down at Jace. This was it. There was no going back.

But Jace had already known there was no going back. Even without the bite, Ian owned his heart.

Heavy-lidded eyes focused on Jace, intense eyes as Ian slid the head of his cock over Jace's hole, teasing him so deliciously. Jace's heart was going crazy, pounding like hooves across the plain.

With a feral expression, Ian drove inside of Jace to the hilt. A strangled cry tore from Jace's throat. He gripped Ian's biceps, fighting to adjust to the cock inside of his body. A very thick cock.

Ian dropped, planting his hands on either side of Jace's head. Their lips fused, Ian's tongue chasing his. Jace slid his legs around his mate's lean waist then locked his ankles.

For damn sure Ian was about to go wild, and Jace needed to hang on for dear life. His hands gripped Ian's hair, the silky, long strands gliding between his fingers.

It might have been Jace's imagination, but he could have sworn he felt the panther close, just out of reach. Like it wanted to break free and take over.

Ian thrust powerfully, his hips moving just as seductively. His lips broke away then traced a sensuous path across Jace's jaw and neck, teeth nipping. Jace felt so damn full, stretched wide, Ian's shaft stamping ownership all over him.

Any shred of doubt Jace had left fell to the wayside when Ian looked down at him. Those whiskey eyes were filled with deep emotions, tenderness and wonder, need and determination.

And love. It burst through his eyes, strong and intense.

Jace was left breathless, the connection they shared stronger and more potent than anything he'd ever felt before.

Ian moaned out loud with an erotic pleasure, burying his cock inside Jace's sweat-slicked body over and over again. It was flesh against flesh, carnal and raw.

"Sweet fucking mercy." Ian purred. "I could stay inside of you forever."

Jace twisted against Ian, his hips lifting for him, taking his mate's cock deeper. "Feels…" Jace's eyes rolled back. "So damn amazing."

Then Ian's arms locked onto Jace as the man rolled, landing on his back, Jace perched on top of him. Ian's hair fanned out over the pillows, making Jace's breath stall in his lungs.

But Jace didn't have time to marvel. Ian gripped his hips and drove upward, yanking Jace down. "Ride my cock, kitten."

Ian pinched Jace's nipple and then pulled him down to suck on the hard nub, his lips stroking. Jace slapped his palms against Ian's chest, thrusting his ass downward, teetering on the edge of his orgasm. He could feel his balls drawing up tight against his body.

With a single, strong hand around Jace's nape, Ian pulled him down even farther. Lips ghosted across Jace's shoulder.

"You're so damned beautiful, baby." Sharp teeth pierced soft flesh.

For a heartbeat, Jace gasped with that millisecond of feeling suspended in midair, caught in the gravity right before you knew something even better was coming. His groin, gut, chest, and limbs blew outward as if ten sticks of dynamite had gone off inside of him.

He couldn't tell the difference between his own heartbeat and Ian's. Jace's pleasure-bursting cries filled the room. A hot flood of cum pulsed from his cock, shooting up Ian's chest as his hole convulsed.

A tight, indescribable feeling vibrated through Jace full force, making his heart stop for just a beat, and then he was freefalling. Ian buried himself, pinning Jace to him, his cock emptying inside Jace's ass.

Ian pulled his teeth free, shouted Jace's name, his neck taut when he clenched his jaw.

Jace had no idea that sex could be that damn astonishing. As he lay across Ian's chest, one word circled through his head.

Mate .

* * * *

Ian's eyes slowly opened. He was lying in bed, his arm curled around Jace. The room was bathed in darkness, his mate stretched half on top of him.

Something was wrong. His panther was snarling a low warning as Ian glanced around the room. The danger wasn't immediate, but he could sense it was close.

As quietly and gently as he could, he extracted himself from Jace and tucked the sheets around him.

He sat there, unsure if he was on edge because of Nolan's earlier visit or if something really was wrong. His panther could just be in overprotective mode right now, thinking any little noise outside was a potential threat.

But his gut told him he hadn't woken for nothing. He still had that uneasy feeling, like something was definitely wrong.

There was only one way to put his mind at ease. Ian moved quietly across the bedroom and opened the panel leading into his closet. Once he was dressed in a pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt, he stepped back into the bedroom.

It wouldn't hurt to do a perimeter check. Luckily, Ian didn't have to leave the house to perform one. There was another secret panel in his room, one that didn't lead to the hallway or his closet.

This panel was located to the left of the bathroom. Ian glanced at his bed to find Jace still asleep. The bed was huge, Jace barely taking up any room. Something inside Ian's chest grew soft at the sight of his mate lying naked with nothing but a sheet covering him.

From the moment they'd met, Jace had Ian tied into a million knots. It wasn't just his mate's shy disposition or how he stumbled over his words and sometimes froze in thought.

It was the way his hazel eyes seemed to hold a universe of wonder as they gazed at Ian through those mirrors at the gym. It was also the sheer aura of innocence radiating from him, like a rare and wondrous gem.

It was the way his scent had transported Ian back to the snowy slopes, crisp, clean air filling his lungs and waking his senses.

But most of all, it was how his mate had selflessly offered to share his family when he'd found out that Ian was an orphan. How the Galanos had welcomed him and made him feel like he belonged.

Ian tore his gaze away from Jace and pressed his hand on the panel to enter his private office. The room lacked windows, but it was generous in size. A large oak desk sat to his left, with only a laptop resting on its surface. Mounted on the right wall were multiple screens displaying images from various locations inside and around his house.

The top two rows of screens—three monitors in each row—showed him the inside of his home. Nothing seemed out of place. The bottom two rows were of the exterior surroundings.

Ian scrutinized them closely, looking for anything that might have given him that uneasy feeling. As he scanned them, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He was looking for anything unusual or out of place, but everything seemed normal. The trees swayed gently in the wind, and the grass rippled like a green ocean under the moonlight.

But something was still off. Ian could feel it in his bones. He had always trusted his instincts, and they had never led him astray.

A flicker of movement caught his attention. He went to his desk and opened his laptop. Once he pulled up the security program, all twelve screens turned into one large one. Ian zoomed in on the backyard and scanned the area, searching for another sign that someone was out there.

When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he rewound the footage back a few minutes then hit Play.

As he watched, his unease grew. The figure in the shadows was definitely not an animal. It was a person, dressed in all black and moving with a stealthy grace that suggested either they'd had training or the trespasser was preternatural.

There were only two people he thought would invade his sanctuary.

Nolan or Owen.

Ian quickly dismissed the thought of Owen being the one out there. There wasn't anything stealthy or graceful about the way the human walked. Having observed Owen enough times at the gym, Ian knew the guy moved more like a trudging rhino than the nimble-footed interloper on his screen.

Which meant Nolan was out there, unless some random stranger had decided to trespass in the dead of night. That was possible, but Ian was willing to bet it was the coyote shifter.

Why, though? Either Nolan was going to give him answers or Ian was going to bury the bastard's body deep in the forest.

Beyond livid, Ian left his office and retrieved his cell phone. He pulled up the security program app before he walked out of his bedroom, making sure the panel was firmly closed.

Whatever Nolan's motive, Ian would make damn sure the shifter wouldn't get anywhere near Jace. He tapped a few buttons and heard the lock engage. The entire bedroom was on lockdown now.

Jaw clenched tight, Ian stripped naked then tossed his clothes onto the couch. Nolan had made a mistake sneaking onto the property, especially since Jace was there. Ian's mate. His future.

Soon enough the coyote would learn the error he'd made. Ian walked out the front door and closed it behind him. Using the app, he locked the front door and then hid his phone under the cushion of the couch on his deck.

When he shifted into his panther, sounds became sharper and the darkness grew clearer. His cat was focused, silent, and assessing the situation before it stalked off the deck and went on the hunt.