Episode Twelve The Matebond

E ldar

Fuck the naga, fuck the medic, fuck them all. I still don't want to do this. This is like walking through the gates of hell. I know as surely as the sky is blue that this will change everything. Nothing will be the same between my mate and me. Ever.

"Fuck off," I say to the naga and griffon, motioning them with my chin to leave. What's going to happen next will be bad enough without an audience. "You too," I tell Reese.

I know he's a good male. They all are. It's just that if they weren't here, Zoron and I would be on our way back to the Works to finish what we started. We wouldn't be about to tear our bond asunder. There are other ways to be good people without throwing away everything we have.

"Wait," I say before the medic leaves. "Got anything that doesn't smell like shit we can use to get the job done?"

He takes a moment to get my meaning, then he rummages in one of his pouches and hands me a small stoppered jar with yellowish cream in it. It smells like the woods after a rain. I wonder what it's for. Certainly he had no reason to carry a lotion that facilitates mating into a battlefield.

"I'll shout for you when the matebonds are complete." My tone is petulant and angry. Although I'm furious, I'm going to go through with this.

"It's only because I'd want someone to do this for us," I say through gritted teeth after Reese shuts the door behind him. "Fuck them, though. Fuck that they guilted us into this."

"Aye," my mate's voice is only inches from my ears as he surrounds my waist with his thick, muscled arms. "But it's the right thing to do."

At least he wasn't the one trying to sway me. He's not a manipulator, never strong-arms me, and never uses my emotions against me. We're perfect for each other.

I turn in his arms and kiss him, determined to make this the sweetest kiss we've had since the first kiss we shared when we were in our teens and he finally admitted his feelings for me. Gods, that was the best moment of my life. At least I thought so. But things have gotten even better since then.

I give him one last kiss, then slide my gaze to the pair in the furs. We'd better hurry. Neither of them has much time.

Our kiss got us both hard. I'd hoped it would because there's nothing sexy in what we're about to do. He eases down behind the proudborn, takes a swipe of the cream, and works it up and down his shaft until it glistens.

He's beautiful to look at, and my gaze doesn't leave his body as I lay behind the female, taking care to barely move her. I think all her limbs are broken, but I could be wrong. I nearly empty the jar of lotion as I scoop it and slather it onto her folds.

We all agreed to do this. I keep reminding myself they are desperate and it's the right thing to do. I hate this.

Zoron and I do our business while we keep our gazes locked on each other. I'm chanting in my head, talking to myself, swearing to the gods and any other entity who is listening that this will change nothing between my mate and me.

These matemarks are bullshit. Sure, they brought Zoron and me closer together, but that's because we were already bonded, body and soul. What we're doing here with these two comatose people? How could that change anything?

I release before Zoron, then bite the female on the shoulder that doesn't bear the proudborn's mark. The two of them obviously have feelings for each other. I don't want to make a mockery of that.

Just hearing my mate come makes my balls tingle, and I release one more spurt into her as I watch him bite the proudborn's furry shoulder.

"I love you," I say when he's done. "Reese! Come do this."