18. Chapter Eighteen

ROSE

The air in Sanctuary is rich with the aroma of something I helped Theo cook up, a dish that smells like wild herbs and a hint of something sweet that tickles the nose. It's a recipe his mom sent over. Though, let's be real. I mostly sat there, watching as a shirtless Theo made magic with the ingredients. I make an excellent taste tester.

We're all gathered around the large table that serves as the heart of our communal space. The food is delicious, and plates are piled high, yet despite being surrounded by the laughter and chatter, Mekhi seems off.

He shifts in his seat for the umpteenth time, his fingers tapping an erratic rhythm on the edge of the table. Every few seconds, he glances toward the door, as if expecting someone or something to appear. It's not like him to be so distracted, especially not during a meal that Theo has put so much effort into.

He loves all food.

"Mekhi, are you okay?" I ask, setting my fork down. "You've barely touched your meal."

He gives me a strained smile, his eyes darting away before meeting mine again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not very hungry, I guess."

But it's more than that. His leg bounces under the table, and his gaze flicks back to the door. Theo, Chaos, Jax, Kieran, and Deakan exchange glances, their faces breaking into wide grins. There's an inside joke here somewhere, and I'm not in on it.

Mekhi clears his throat, and his voice is a bit too casual. "Rose, could we, uh, maybe go for a walk? Just the two of us?"

At this, the laughter that's been threatening to bubble over from the others spills out. They're trying to stifle it, hands covering mouths, shoulders shaking. I think even Theo has a tear running down his cheek.

"What's so funny?" My voice carries a reprimand. They better not be fucking with him. He's always felt a bit on the outside because he was a witch.

Mekhi looks mortified, his cheeks flushing a deep shade of red.

Theo wipes a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Oh, nothing, Rose. Mekhi here just needs a bit of fresh air, don't you?"

Deakan nods in agreement, still smirking. "Yeah, the poor guy's been cooped up in here too long."

Jax slaps Mekhi on the back, almost sending him tumbling from his chair. "Go on, then. Get some air. And maybe confess why you're really antsy," he teases.

Mekhi stands abruptly, scraping his chair against the stone floor. "Yes, a walk. Let's go, Rose."

I'm puzzled, but intrigued. Standing, I follow him out of the cave, leaving behind the sounds of my mates' continued laughter. Once we step into the cooler air of the evening, Mekhi takes a deep breath, looking like a fae desperate to clear his head.

"What's going on? You're scaring me," I ask once we're a good distance away from the cave, surrounded by the gentle rustle of the Sanctuary's foliage. Everything's in full bloom, and it perfumes the air, but I can hardly concentrate on it. "You've been acting really strange."

That's when it hits me.

Oh gods. He's second guessing everything.

Panic overwhelms me, and my eyes well up with tears. I cower behind my hands, clutching at my hair in desperation. I can't survive this. Waves of dizziness hit me as I struggle to breathe.

Alarm ripples across Mekhi's face, and he grabs my shoulders. "No, Rose … no. Whatever you're thinking right now is the furthest from the truth." His hands come up to cup my cheeks and a slight tremble starts in his fingers. "Fuck, I can feel your panic through our bond way worse as fae. Stop, please, whatever is going through your head."

"Then you'd better tell me what the fuck is going on," I choke out. "Right. Now!" Because this? I feel like I'm dying.

"I don't know!" He throws his hands up. "I'm crawling out of my fucking skin because I need you."

My spiral halts. "You have me."

"No, Rose, I need to bury myself in you as though it's my fucking job. It's all I've been thinking about all evening. All-consuming. I can't think, can't do anything." His confession tumbles out in a rush, wild and desperate, his face flushing red.

I gape at him, my heart pounding in shock. "You … you what?" I stammer, blinking rapidly as I try to process his words. "Why didn't you just say so?"

He runs a hand through his brown tousled hair, his eyes filled with raw longing. "Because you'd been busy helping Theo make that recipe, and then we were eating and I just … I can't do anything but feel like I'm climbing the walls to get to you."

His admission sends a tremor through me, a flood of relief, and then, with a sudden sharpness that leaves my breath hitching, a wave of desire. Everyone started acting strangely in that field on campus. "That's … the grass, isn't it?" I ask, cheeks flushing.

Those fuckers knew.

His eyes flicker in surprise. "That's why they've all been laughing at me." He sighs heavily, a tortured sound that reverberates through his entire frame.

A small grin adorns my face as I saunter closer to him. "Should've fucked me right on that table in front of them. Would serve ‘em right."

His pupils blow wide as the blue glow takes over my skin. "I should," he breathes. "March us right in there," he guides me backwards until I'm pressed against the bark of a palm tree, "and show them what their antics earn them. They can watch, but they can't touch." His hand slides around my waist, pulling me closer, his body a solid wall of heat against mine.

"We have time."

Bennett isn't due home for another few hours. He's with mom and dads on Convectus.

I gasp as his lips find my neck, teeth nipping at the sensitive skin there. Launching myself into his arms, he carries me quickly back towards the house.

The sight of the house draws nearer, all aglow in the silvery moonlight. The laughter and voices of our mates grow louder. Mekhi stiffens a little, but I whisper in his ear, "It's okay. Let them see."

After a moment of hesitation, he pushes through the doorway with renewed determination. Every sound ceases until you could hear a pin drop.

With a wave of his hand, Mekhi sends all the dishes crashing to the ground, splattering the little remaining food everywhere. But he pays no mind to the mess. He gently places me on top of the table, while my mates look on with bewildered—albeit amused—interest.

Cupping the back of my neck, he pulls me in for a heated kiss as I hear the snick of a blade opening. I sense my mates all stiffen as a few growls sound, but I just grin against Mekhi's lips as the blade comes between us.

I feel a gentle tug on my clothes as he runs the blade up my dress, causing them to tighten against my skin before suddenly releasing. My breasts are exposed as the fabric falls away. Mekhi gently guides me down onto my back, applying pressure to my lower back and shoulder.

His eyes take on a feral kind of heat as he shifts between my legs and runs the blade gently up my inner thigh until it rests against my underwear. Without hurting me, he applies just enough pressure for my breath to hitch at the dangerous kind of pleasure he's promising. The room is quiet once more, everyone watching us with wide eyes. But Mekhi and I are in our own world now, the others fading into the background.

His hand is steady on the hilt of the blade, and the sound of our heavy breathing, labored and laced with anticipation, echoes in the silence. He hooks a finger under the gusset of my panties, pulling it away just enough to run the blade under it.

Every nerve ending in my body is on fire, and the cool blade against my heated skin begs for a taste. His eyes are dark with desire, the predator within him rising to the fore.

My heart thuds loudly in my ears as he slices through the dainty fabric, revealing me to his hungry gaze. His eyes never leave my body as he discards the cut-up garment with a casual flick of the wrist.

The blade is replaced by a caress of his fingers, quick to take the place of the cold steel. His touch is electric, causing my skin to tingle and my mind to cloud with lust. When he loses his shirt, I don't know, nor do I care.

A low, feral growl rumbles deep within him, vibrating through the room. His bare chest heaves as he takes in the sight before him, his sharp gaze roving every inch of my exposed body. His eyes are a molten amber, blazing with a lust that promises wicked delights.

Someone moves to touch me before he's met with a sharp reprimand from Mekhi, and they snatch their hand back.

Mekhi's lips find mine again as he begins to explore me, every stroke inflaming my desire.

As his fingers expertly trace the contours of my body, I tremble beneath his touch, my breath hitching as he dips lower, reaching places that send an electrifying jolt straight to my core. His fervor ignites my own and I arch into his touch, wanting to feel more of him.

With a sudden force, Mekhi's arms are around me, pulling me closer. He kisses a path down my neck, each one searing hot against my cool skin. His breath is ragged and heavy as his lips move lower still, leaving burning trails across my trembling body.

"Is this what you wanted?" he murmurs possessively, "To see me snap until I take her right in front of you?"

I hear the sound of a belt buckle being undone and the slick sound of metal sliding against leather. Mekhi's pants fall onto the floor in a fallen heap.

"Fuck," Kieran breathes.

I can feel his hard length pressed against me and the heavy pulse of his desire.

Mekhi's eyes never leave mine, even as he positions himself at my entrance, his gaze holding a promise of pure, unadulterated pleasure. His hands wrap around my waist, anchoring me to him as he begins to push himself inside me. The sensation of him filling me completely is enough to make me cry out, my fingers clawing into his shoulders as he nearly splits me in two.

His palm presses in firm, even strokes against my clit as he holds himself inside me, allowing me to adjust before he begins to move.

With each slow, measured thrust, he drags pleasure from the very depths of my being. The sensation of him moving inside me is indescribably intense, a mix of pleasure and pain that has me gasping for breath. I can hear the change in his breathing, the raw grunt that escapes him as he begins to thrust deeper.

"Watch the way she strangles my giant fae cock," he groans, his voice thick with desire. "She takes it so well."

His praise flutters around me like a thousand tiny butterflies, each one landing softly against my skin and sinking right into my marrow.

"Yes, she does." Deakan leans in to get a better view. "Our good little mate was made just for us."

Feeling the tension coil in my belly, I can't help but whimper in pure pleasure as Mekhi's pace accelerates. His hips grind against mine rhythmically, a pace set on pleasure and marked by the sound of our bodies colliding. The room fills with the scent of our lust; heavy, intoxicating and all-encompassing. My body has become a living tribute to his desire, every nerve, every power of my skin filled with an aching need for him to take me to the peak and beyond.

Fangs, sharp and gleaming, descend from Mekhi's mouth, the beast within him obviously stirred by our bonding. "I can smell your blood," he grunts, a dark glint in his eyes watching the way he thrusts in and out of me. His head comes to rest against the crook of my neck, his tongue darting out to taste my skin.

I quiver beneath him, sensation lighting me up like a bonfire as his tongue traces lines of bliss across my neck. Just as the spiraling tension within me threatens to consume me all at once, Mekhi's fangs graze over the pulse point on my throat.

"Mine," he echoes in a guttural growl, his voice rumbling through me like a wave. His fangs dip into my flesh, and a sharp burst of pain gives way to the most exquisite sensation of pleasure. I whimper, clutching at him as my body convulses in sweet release.

My heart is beating loudly in my ears, the sound echoing thunderously as Mekhi continues to move within me, no sign of him slowing. His grip tightens around my waist, his fangs sinking deeper, drawing out the climax that ripples through me in waves. I'm lost in the blinding pleasure, my mind spinning as our bond tightens, a feeling so right I weep.

His breathing grows ragged as he slams his hips against mine before stilling, his come filling me as he roars out his climax. His fangs retract, leaving a trail of wet kisses on my throat before he lifts his head to meet my gaze. Mekhi's eyes glow, the satisfaction evident in the depths of his irises. His hand moves to cradle my face, thumb wiping a tear that has escaped down my cheek. His face softens as he sees my tears, his rough thumb tenderly wiping them away.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He tone fills with concern. Yet his gaze never strays from mine, watching my reaction closely.

"No," I gasp out between shallow breaths, a blissful smile spreading across my face. "No, you were perfect."

Mekhi's face lights up with a wide, joyful grin, his heart swelling at my words. He leans in and captures my lips in a tender kiss, before stepping back to take in our surroundings.

The tabletop has become dislodged from its thick, sturdy legs, the heavy slab now resting against my other mates' thighs. I sit up abruptly, mouth agape in shock.

"You … you broke the table," I stammer, staring at the now-useless furniture with disbelief.

Sliding to the edge of it, I climb to my feet and a huge gush of come slides down my thighs, drawing Mekhi's attention. He makes a sound of protest before he's crouched in front of me, my leg hitched over his shoulder as he shoves the come back inside me.

"Where it belongs," he grumbles.