Eight

Eight

Ezra

Three weeks ago, when I stepped into Wish For It, I’d been planning to ask my coworker out on Valentine’s Day. Instead, I met a djinn, found out he was my mate, and fell in love with him.

I hadn’t told him that yet, but I planned to. After the party tonight, I’d tell him just how much he meant to me. I’d tell him I was glad I was his mate.

I glanced down at the suit I wore, the one I’d bought from Kezan’s shop for the party. I ran my palm down the fabric, appreciating the perfect fit. It was crazy how such a simple act had led me to discover a whole new world I’d known nothing about.

Glancing at my reflection one last time, I took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom. Russ was asleep in his bed, so I quietly grabbed my phone and keys before heading out. I drove to Kezan’s place, my heart full of excitement. I wasn’t worried about my confession because I knew Kezan loved me too. He hadn’t said the words either, but I felt it in every kiss and every touch we shared.

I parked in front of his place and grabbed the flowers I’d brought him. I hurried up the stairs and knocked on his apartment door, hoping he wasn’t in his bottle where he wouldn’t hear the knock at all.

The door opened before I could start worrying, and I smiled at Kezan. God, was he beautiful. He wore a deep red silk suit, his hair styled back and his lips glittering with his favorite lip gloss.

I pulled him into a kiss without a word, and he laughed as he kissed me softly, his sticky lips sweet and warm against mine. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” I murmured against his lips, and felt them curve into a smile.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Ezra.”

Pulling back, I offered him the flowers, and my chest warmed at the bright smile on his face. “Let me put these in a vase, and we’ll go. I’ll take it to my bottle later," he said happily.

I followed him into the apartment as he hurried around the kitchen. I could spend hours just watching him do normal, everyday things. I’d never imagined I’d feel this way about anyone, but now I couldn’t think of a world without Kezan in it.

“All set! Let’s go!” Kezan turned to me with a grin, and I grabbed his hand as I led him outside. I waited for him to lock the door before taking his hand again.

Kezan smiled when I opened the car door for him, and butterflies fluttered in my belly like they did every time he smiled at me. I had something planned for after the party, and though a part of me was nervous about it, I was mostly excited. Three weeks had been more than enough to make me realize I needed Kezan in my life for a long, long time. There was no way I couldn’t feel what was between us, which meant it was time I claimed him as my mate.

The drive to Hawthorne Infotech was filled with anecdotes from Kezan’s day at his shop. He’d had it open for half a day, and panicked people had shown up to get gifts for their partners. I shook my head at some of the demands that even his magic would’ve had no way to fulfill. Some people were plain crazy.

By the time we arrived at my workplace one town over—the drive itself was only thirty minutes on a busy day but the building was just inside a neighboring town—any lingering nerves I’d had about tonight were long gone.

I parked the car and helped Kezan out of his seat, clasping his hand in mine. “You ready?”

Kezan bit his lip before nodding, and I smiled as I tugged him closer and kissed his cheek. “Come on, gorgeous.”

Kezan’s cheeks darkened, and I squeezed his hand before leading him to the elevators.

After a short ride to the sixth floor, we stepped out into the office. Music was playing, and my coworkers were spread out across the floor, drinks in hand, some alone, some with partners. The room was awash in Valentine’s Day decor with heart-shaped balloons touching the ceiling and heart-shaped confetti scattered across every available surface. It was over-the-top and so…bright. I wondered if the boss’s kid had been involved in the decorating process.

I spotted Brittany with her arms around a familiar looking woman who she was obviously in love with and smiled softly. I was glad I hadn’t known she was in a relationship because if I hadn’t wanted to impress her, I wouldn’t have visited Kezan’s shop.

Kezan followed my gaze and smiled widely. “Oh! I didn’t know Iris was going to be here.”

“Iris?” I asked, brows furrowed. I felt like I’d met Brittany’s girlfriend before, and her name sounded familiar, but I just couldn’t place her.

“That beautiful woman in the blue dress. She’s the witch baker I told you about,” Kezan explained, and my eyes widened. That’s where I knew her from. Brittany had brought me some pastries from her shop and told me all about her. Did Brittany know about the supes as well, or were they not mates and just dating?

“That’s a wonderful coincidence. The woman she’s with…she’s the one I originally planned to ask out when I came to buy this,” I said with a grin as I waved at my clothes. “I’m glad that didn’t turn out the way I’d wanted it to.”

“You are?” Kezan asked somewhat cautiously, and I smiled at him.

“Of course. I’m glad I found you, Kezan.”

“Me too,” he murmured, a sweet smile on his face.

“Aww, look at the lovebirds! Looks like your matchmaking worked out perfectly, A,” someone said, their voice brimming with glee, and I turned to look at the two men who stood just a few steps away.

“Hey, Aeron.” I greeted my coworker, then turned to the person who had spoken. He had brown curls that hung to his shoulders, blue eyes that sparkled with mischief, and a wide grin on his lips. “And you must be Niall.”

“Oh, I’m famous. Yes, that’s me. I’m his husband.” He didn’t offer a handshake, so I smiled at him before glancing back at Aeron.

“What do you mean, matchmaking?” I asked as Kezan leaned into me, his eyes curious as he stared at the two. What could he possibly be seeing?

Aeron’s cheeks turned pink, and Niall’s grin widened. “Oh, just that my husband here conspired with Micah to get you to go back to the shop so Kezan could ask you out.”

My brows shot up as I remembered the errand I’d run for Aeron. Wait. Did that mean…

“You’re a supe?” I demanded, making sure to keep my voice low. I knew better than to reveal their secret to anyone else.

Aeron nodded before looking around cautiously. “Let’s not talk about that here, though, okay? William will be annoyed if any of his human employees heard something they shouldn’t.”

My boss was a supe too? What the hell was going on?

“Okay, we’ll talk later then,” I agreed reluctantly. As much as I wanted to know more, I understood this wasn’t the best place for it.

“Come on. Let’s party!” Niall said as he tugged Aeron away, and I turned to Kezan.

“Shall we?” I asked, squeezing his hand. He grinned as he nodded, and I led him toward the drinks table.

Kezan

“Enjoying the party?” someone said, and I turned in Ezra’s arms to look at the newcomers.

“William! Yes, yes, I am. This is my partner, Kezan. Kezan, this is my boss, William Hawthorne and his husband, Raiden Hawthorne,” Ezra said, and I smiled at William as I shook his hand before turning to Raiden. And then I froze.

The man’s aura was…beautiful. It was powerful and seemed to demand respect, even though I could see he wasn’t trying to use it. Damn, to have an aura that strong…

I gave him a bow, and felt Ezra stiffen beside me. “What are you doing, sweetie?”

I knew I shouldn’t have bowed. I needed to act human. But his aura! It was so bright and beautiful, it practically demanded respect. I knew he was Micah’s future father-in-law, and I’d known he was a dragon when I’d met Cam and he told me his story, but I hadn’t expected him to be so powerful.

“Your boss’s mate is a dragon,” I explained, and Ezra gave me a confused look.

“So?”

My eyes widened. “So? He’s the oldest dragon I’ve ever met!”

“So?” Ezra asked again, and my eyes just about fell out of my skull. My cheeks darkened when Raiden chuckled softly, and my eyes shot to the blond-haired dragon.

“I’m so sorry about—”

“Oh no, don’t apologize. And you don’t need to treat me any different either. Right now, I’m just William’s husband, okay?”

“You’re my husband all the time,” William corrected him, and Raiden smiled at his mate.

“Well, that’s true. Kezan, it’s nice to meet you. You’re all Cam and Micah have talked about the past few weeks. I’m glad their scheming came to fruition,” Raiden said with a chuckle.

Ezra laughed at that, and I smiled sheepishly. The kids really had helped me a lot.

“They were a great help,” I admitted, and the three laughed again. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning either, and Ezra’s hold tightened around me as he gave me a wide smile.

“Dance time!” someone called out, and the lights dimmed as the song changed to something slow and romantic. Ezra turned to me, his smile softer now.

“May I have this dance?”

“Yes!” I agreed with a grin, and Ezra tugged me toward the middle of the room where the makeshift dance floor was, his chestnut eyes never leaving mine.

I didn’t know how long we danced, how long Ezra held me pressed tight against him before he murmured in my ear, “Wanna head home?”

After having his body touching mine for so long, I didn’t need to think at all before I answered with a “Fuck yes!” I felt like I was drunk. Drunk on happiness.

Ezra laughed softly before tugging me toward the elevators. The moment the door closed and the elevator started moving, Ezra pressed me against the wall and slotted his lips against mine.

The metal was cool at my back, but Ezra was all warmth as his tongue slipped into my mouth, tasting me, taking what he wanted as I gave everything to him. My fingers tightened in his hair as I pressed myself closer to him, my groin rubbing against his thigh just right.

The elevator pinged as it opened, and even though I didn’t want to stop, I wanted to be home even more, so I reluctantly pulled back, untangling my fingers from his hair.

“I’m going to claim you tonight,” Ezra said, sounding almost casual as he tugged me toward his car, his steps quick. We’d talked more about the mate bond and claiming each other, but I hadn’t expected Ezra to want it so soon, not that I was complaining.

“What?” I asked as he opened the car door. It didn’t look like he planned to answer, so I got inside.

The moment he got in on the driver’s side, I asked again, “Are you sure you want me forever?”

Ezra turned to me, his eyes dark, and he grabbed my hands. “Yes, I do. I love you, Kezan Dominique, and I will claim you as mine tonight.”

“It’s actually Demonique,” I mumbled, then blushed. That wasn’t what I’d meant to say! “I mean, I love you too, Ezra. I really do.”

“Wait, hold on. Your last name is Demonique? Why am I only now finding out about this?”

I groaned at the slip before glancing at him. “How about you start driving and I’ll tell you. Can we go to my place, please? I want it to happen in my bottle.”

Ezra nodded as he started driving, and I blew out a breath.

“Djinns are believed to be descendants of demons, though there’s no actual record of that. If there was, it’s long gone by now. Anyway, all djinns come from one of the original six djinn families. I’m from the Demonique line. I changed it to Dominique when I started living among the humans so it wouldn’t sound too weird.”

“That makes sense. Are there a lot of djinns?”

I shook my head. “Not anymore. We can’t survive too long without a keeper for our bottles. A decade, maybe a bit longer. Unlike what you read in stories, a djinn’s bottle can only be owned by someone good of heart. And if a djinn doesn’t find a good keeper, they slowly start losing their magic. In a decade or so, they barely have any left, and then they’re just…gone.”

Ezra blew out a breath. “How long have you been without a keeper?”

“Four years, but I have you now, so I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” I assured him.

“And you won’t ever lose me, so we’re set,” Ezra said, voice firm, and I smiled.

“Yeah, we’re set.”

“Fuck, you look gorgeous,” Ezra murmured as he pulled my shirt off, throwing it in the sand as he pulled me closer. I knew we needed to get into bed before we got sand in all the wrong places, but I couldn’t find the brain power to do it.

Ezra trailed kisses down my neck, and I moaned as he bit me, the sharp pain reaching straight to my cock.

“Inside. Sand.” I groaned as he ran his tongue over my nipple, my thoughts turning to mush as he blew over the wet skin.

I followed him as he tugged me into the tent. Somehow our clothes disappeared, or maybe it was Ezra who removed them. Next thing I knew, I was on my back with Ezra hovering over me, his thick cock pressed against my stomach.

“Fuck, babe. You look so good with my marks on you. What do you want? Want me to claim you? Make sure everyone knows you’re mine?”

“Yes,” I mumbled, pushing up into him. I raised my arms above my head and crossed my wrists as I gazed at him. “I’m yours, Ezra. All yours.”

He glanced up at my arms, his eyes darkening as they met mine. “You want me to tie you up? Want me to make sure you take it all, huh?”

“Fuck yes. Please, Ezra,” I said with a moan. We’d played with bondage before, and more than ever I wanted to feel the silk tight around my wrists, holding me hostage as Ezra claimed me.

“Your wish, my command,” Ezra said with a wink, and an unbidden chuckle slipped past my lips.

“Djinn jokes? Is that what I have to look forward to?” I asked, and Ezra smiled as he grabbed the silk straps tied to the headboard from last time.

As he tied my wrists with careful precision, he hummed. “Yep, all the djinn jokes. Date nights watching Aladdin. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a flying carpet, would you?”

I laughed again, and Ezra grinned as he crawled back over me. My laughter disappeared when he grabbed my nipple with his mouth and tugged hard. I moaned as I strained my arms, a shiver running through me as the restraint stopped me from sinking my fingers into his hair like I wanted to.

Ezra moved down my body slowly like he had all the time in the world. His lips drove me crazy, his tongue warm and wet against my skin. Just when I started relaxing into the touch, he’d nip at me, sending a bolt of pleasure-pain straight to my cock.

I was hard and leaking copious amounts of precum when he finally, finally wrapped his mouth around my cock. He licked the head, sucking off the precum as he moaned deep in his throat. The vibrations almost had me coming, but he pulled away before I could.

He grabbed lube from the nightstand before moving back between my legs. “Fuck, you look so good, Kezan. I don’t think I can wait anymore.”

“Take me now, Ezra. Please,” I moaned, thrusting up. We’d had fun in this bed before, quite a few times, but this…this was special. I’d never had Ezra inside me before, but more than that, Ezra was ready to claim me now. I’d be his forever.

Ezra shook his head as he poured some lube into his palm. “I need to prep you first. I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“Fuck!” I gasped as his finger pressed at my hole, the lube cold against my skin. After a second, I relaxed into the touch, and Ezra prepped me for the next excruciating five minutes before he decided I was ready.

“Thank fuck,” I huffed as he lined himself up with my hole, and Ezra chuckled.

I moaned as he slid inside in one deep thrust, the tip of his cock pressing against my prostate just right. “Move, please,” I begged, and Ezra leaned over me, pushing my hair away from my face as he placed light kisses on my cheeks.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” he murmured, and I hummed as he rolled his hips, pushing so fucking deep into me before pulling back.

He fucked me like that, deep and slow and so fucking good. It was then I realized he wasn’t fucking me, he was making love to me.

I wrapped my legs around him, pressing my heels into his ass to get him even deeper inside. I felt my orgasm approaching, and Ezra wrapped his palm around my cock, and I knew it wouldn’t take long.

“Gonna come,” I gasped, my arms straining as I pulled against the restraints. Fuck, why was that so hot?

“Me too, babe. Gonna mark you from the inside,” Ezra said, his voice deep, and I moaned loudly as I came, my hole squeezing around his cock.

“Fuck!” Ezra gasped as I felt his warm cum filling me up. It felt so good to have him inside me like that, and I pressed up into him so none of it would leak out.

I felt the faint tingle of magic around us, between us, and I opened my eyes. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them.

I smiled when I spotted it. Right over Ezra’s heart was my mate mark.

Ezra followed my gaze to his chest, and his eyes widened. “Is that…”

“My bottle. My mate mark,” I agreed, and Ezra ran his fingers over it, a small smile on his face.

Then he glanced at me and frowned. “Why don’t you have one?”

“My bottle can never be owned by anyone else,” I explained. Giving my bottle to my mate was the symbol of the fact that I was mated, and I looked forward to doing it.

“But I want my mark on you,” he said, and I could almost see a pout on his lips.

“Well, then, you’ll just have to make sure you give me one every day, won’t you?” I teased, and he smirked.

“That won’t be a hardship. At all.”

I gazed up at him as he untied my arms and smiled when he met my eyes. “I love you, Ezra Owens.”

“I love you too, my mate,” Ezra replied, and my smile widened. Forever would be too short with him. I just knew it.

Thank you, Fate. Thank you for making my wish come true.