Chapter 9

Luna

When I'd agreed to go to the Highlands with Banner, it hadn't been an irrational decision. Yes, it had been a spur of the moment, but when I'd told him yes it was because I truly wanted this.

I'd wanted an adventure of a lifetime. Wasn't this it?

When I'd told Adryan my plans, his controlling side had once again made itself known. But I was going to do this, and there was nothing he could say or do to stop me. And although he'd conceded to my wishes, I knew Adryan followed us. I felt him at times. He was good at that, being stealthy, a tracker. He knew how to stay hidden, even from the Otherworld, even from Lycans, who could scent their enemies miles away.

We'd been traveling for the last several days, and I knew they were going at a snail's pace for me. I had no doubt they would have made much better time if Banner didn't insist on stopping every few hours to rest. But Cian and Odhran didn't complain. They did whatever Banner wanted, and apparently my big and burly protective mate knew that traveling was wearing me down, even if I refused to complain.

My bottom was numb, my thighs sore from straddling a horse for hours at a time all night, but I wouldn't have changed anything.

We'd just stopped at the end of the evening, right before the sun rose, and Banner helped me off his steed. I winced as my thigh muscles screamed temporarily. Banner was right beside me, his hand wrapped around my waist.

"Ahhh, sweet lass." He pulled me close, and I let him, loving the feel of his body, his heat, and the smell of him drowning out everything else. "I'm sorry. The trip is a brutish one. We should be home by tomorrow before dawn."

The other two wolves traveling with us—his soldiers in a Lycan group called the Guard—had been silent companions. And I was thankful, because being chatty was the last thing I wanted right now in this brand-new experience.

I supposed if you were as old as Banner, you had to form bonds with those closest to you, ones you can trust with your very life. And it was very clear he felt that way toward these two males.

We were on the last leg of our journey and had stopped for the day before we finished the remaining trip as soon as the sun set. We'd eaten, Odhran and Cian hunting a handful of rabbits. I'd sat with shocked eyes and a hand over my mouth as I watched them skin and roast the carcasses over a fire. They'd spoken amongst themselves about how "the hunting was better in the Highlands," but all I could do was sit silently next to Banner and let him comfort me with a big hand smoothing up and down my back.

I felt weak, especially compared to these three massively strong males, but the truth was I'd been sheltered much of my life. I'd never seen gore and survival and death.

But I'd pushed it all aside and shown my respect to the males who'd gotten us dinner. After we'd eaten, they'dbuilt me an enclosure from their blankets to protect me from the sun. Which was where I was currently.

I wasn't surprised by Banner's protectiveness over me, how he'd all but demanded all available blankets and anything that could be used to block out the sun be used to protect his "wee lass." We were mates, after all, and instinctively, he would be driven to make sure I was safe at all costs.

I had been surprised when Cian and Odhran had seemed just as intent on making sure I was safeguarded, not just against the sun, but also being guards for our surroundings.

I was currently on my back and staring above me at the dark wool blankets that made my temporary shelter. Banner had fussed incessantly about finding a cavern for me because it would provide even more adequate shelter, but I'd assured him this was fine. Besides, I knew they'd already taken more time than normal during this trip with me in tow.

Besides, I'd never felt safer than when I was with Banner, which was saying something since I had a hulking, overprotective brother.

I could hear the low rumble of Cian and Odhran speaking in Gaelic just on the other side of the blankets.

I could hear footsteps, twigs breaking, and leaves crunching under heavy boots and knew Banner was back from whatever recognizance he'd been doing of the perimeter. A few deep words were exchanged, more retreating footsteps, and then there was silence aside from the intermittent sound of Banner breathing on the other side of the "door."

Banner had assured me—as he did every time we stopped for the day—that he'd be right outside the entrance to stand guard. I didn't think he'd slept in days, yet he never seemed winded, and when I caught him staring at me, there was this almost dazed, wonder-filled look on his face.

The more I thought about Banner, the more days that passed, and the more time we spent together, had my arousal growing even higher. It seemed like my body had a mind of its own where this alpha Lycan was concerned.

I wanted Banner, and I wanted him now no matter what.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip, trying to hold in the moan that would've spilled from my lips at the image of Banner today riding all strong and proud on his steed. I'd looked over my shoulder at him, seen how he'd been slightly sweaty, his dark hair sticking to his temples, his profile so masculine I'd felt it in every part of my body. And he'd smelled so good, spicy and dark, all clean male sweat.

I thought about how it had felt to be pressed against him, my back to his chest as we rode atop his massive black steed. My body had been pressed so tightly against his that I had felt every single muscle that made up his arms and torso. He'd kept one hand on the reins and had the other one pressed to my abdomen, his palm so big I swore it spanned me from hip bone to hip bone.

I felt my pulse between my thighs, and although I shouldn't have done it, I slipped my hand underneath the blanket that covered me, pulled up my skirting, and let my fingers slide between my legs.

As soon as I touched my pussy a small, strangled sound left me.

I was soaked, my inner muscles clenching from that tiny touch. And all I could think about was Banner spreading my thighs and feasting on me, using that big body to dominate me, to take what he wanted because he was the one who was in control.

I bit my lip harder, feeling my elongated fangs break the skin of my bottom lip. But the pleasure felt too intense to stop. I ran my finger down my center, circling my entrance before moving back up to my clit.

This was the first time I'd touched myself, the first time I'd ever felt the need to do so. And the fact that Banner was right outside the blankets, knowing that if I called him in here he'd come in an instant, would give me whatever I wanted, had another moan slipping from my mouth before I could stop it.

The sound of deep growling had my eyes snapping open, and I stilled my hand between my thighs. I held my breath and darted my focus to the entrance of my little hut.

"Lass?" Banner said in a voice that was distorted, low, and very inhuman. "Are ye okay?"

I started breathing harder at his question. I had no doubt in my mind that he'd heard me moaning, that he could probably smell how wet I was. I should've been embarrassed, so humiliated that I snatched my hand up and out of the blankets. I should have told him I was fine, that nothing was wrong. But I said nothing, denied nothing.

"Luna darlin'?" Banner's voice was deeper this time, more primal. His voice made me feel so good I started touching myself again.

I slid my fingers through my slit, continuously biting on my lip until I felt the blood from a small nick fill my mouth. It had me groaning all over again, louder this time, not caring that he heard... wanting him to.

All I could think about was him touching me, what his blood would taste like on my tongue, down my throat.

"Banner." I whispered his name before I realized I was doing it and glanced at the entrance of the blankets, where the two halves could be parted open.

And then he was entering, and I couldn"t think straight as pleasure slammed into me. He made sure to be careful as he only parted the blanket enough to push his big body inside, trying to keep the sunlight out. The interior was so small that it barely fit me, let alone both of us. But I liked it that way, loved that it was so cramped we'd practically be on top of each other.

… on top of each other.

All I could feel, smell, see, and hear was Banner. And when the blanket fell back into place, sealing us in together, all that could be heard was our panting, erratic breathing.

I still shamelessly had my fingers between my thighs, the digits soaked from how wet I was. And I kept getting even more soaked the longer he stared at me.

I could see how blown his pupils were, his eyes glowing blue and illuminating the entire interior. His lips were parted, his canines so long it reminded me of how sharp and ready my fangs were.

And then my mouth watered at the image that thought conjured up of sinking my teeth into his thickly corded, muscular neck and drinking my fill, not because I was hungry, but because I wanted Banner so much.

He leaned in closer, crowding me, but I wanted that. I wanted him over me, his arms caging me in, his broad shoulders blocking everything else out. I wanted him to be forceful with me, to show me physically how much he wanted me.

I wanted to explore more of what we'd started back in the cave. I knew I didn't have to say the words. I didn't verbally have to tell him all the things I wanted… needed him to do to me. I could see the way his eyes flared, glowing so brightly that it was almost blinding. I could hear the rhythmic sound of the growls leaving his chest, creating this auditory orgasm.

And as I held his gaze with mine, I moved my finger up to my clit, circling the digit around the swollen, sensitive bud. A gasp left me, not only at how good it felt, but how brazen I was being right now. And in turn, that made the pleasure even more heightened.

I slid my finger back down my cleft and teased the opening, my inner muscles clenching. But I was too nervous and unsure to actually slip the digit inside, even though I yearned for something substantial to be pushed into me.

"Luna," he growled. "Show me." His nostrils flared, and I felt my heart rate pick up.

I could've asked him what he meant, what he wanted me to show him. But I knew what he wanted. It was lewd and erotic, kind of filthy. And it turned me on even more.

I slowly moved my hand out from between my thighs, and just as I cleared the blanket—and quicker than I could anticipate—Banner reached out, curled his big fingers around my wrist, and gently pulled my arm toward him.

He kept his gaze locked on mine, and all I could hear was that sexy as sin growling that came from him. His warm breath bathed my palm, and I felt my own breathing become frantic.

And then he slowly leaned in and dragged his tongue along the center of my palm from the wrist to the top of my index finger.

My entire body shivered at the feeling of his tongue sensually, slowly sliding along my skin. And when he sucked on my fingers that I'd been rubbing through my slit, lapping at all of my juices, my lips parted even more, and a soft sound escaped me.

He let go of the digits with a resounding pop that seemed overly loud. I should've been humiliated, assuming the other two Lycans were close enough that they would be able to hear—and smell—what was going on.

But frankly I didn't care.

Banner didn't let go of my hand after he was done sucking on my flesh, just rubbed his thumb along my pulse point as he stared into my eyes.

My chest was pumping up and down, and I knew what was going to happen. I felt the electricity move between us, static in the air.

I wouldn't stop this. No matter how far it went.

And then time seemed to slow down, to pause until there was nothing else that mattered except being with Banner and what we were doing right here and now. The air became warmer, and I felt beads of sweat slowly trickle down the length of my spine, forming on my temples, between my breasts.

I found myself leaning in closer, bracing my free hand on the ground, letting my gaze dip down to his full lips before looking back into his glowing blue eyes. He leaned in, and I thought he'd kiss me again, but instead, he ran his tongue along a bead of perspiration that trailed down my temple. He dragged his tongue from cheek to hairline, and my eyes closed at how good that felt.

My inner muscles clenched, I became unbearably wet, and all I could feel was my pussy lips slipping together for how slick I was.

I found myself straddling his lap suddenly, my legs spread on either side of his thickly muscled thighs. A startled gasp left me at the feel of the massive erection tenting his trews.

He had his hand tunneled in my hair behind my head, the other one pressed tightly against my lower back. Neither one of us breathed as we just looked at each other. And when I lowered myself fully, started grinding myself against his hard cock, that's when everything exploded.

We were kissing each other before I realized what was happening, lips and teeth clashing together, tongues moving against each other. It was sloppy and rough, almost primal in its intensity.

I tunneled my hands in his dark hair, tugging at the strands until he hissed and then moaned. When he gripped each side of my waist, digging his nails into me, his claws pricking through the material of my clothing, I let out a lusty moan.

He pushed me down hard against his raging cock and then started moving me back and forth, working my pussy over his erection in the lewdest way.

I felt sparks of pleasure I'd never experienced before break off inside of me and splinter into a million pieces.

He gently pulled out my bottom lip with his teeth, and the feel of one of his canines scraping along my sensitive flesh had a moan spilling from me. My mouth watered, and I forced myself to break the kiss, letting my gaze travel down to the thickly corded side of his throat.

He was still moving me back and forth against his length, the material of my clothing having shifted out of the way partially so that only a small layer of cotton covered my pussy from his straining trew-covered erection.

Banner groaned deeply, and I snapped my gaze to his face, seeing how intense his expression was, knowing he was aware of where my thoughts were going. I was aroused and in the throes of wanting to bite him, to take a piece of him into me. And although I wasn't in the full throes of bloodlust, I knew this wasn't about nourishment. It was all about sexuality.

"Do ye need me, lass? Do ye need all of me?" I swore I felt his cock jerk and grow even harder between us, as if the very thought of me piercing his neck and drinking from him turned him on.

I knew it did for me.

And as I inhaled deeply, when I could smell his arousal for me, a little whimper left me at how easily it would be to take what Banner had offered.

But I didn't want our first time—not just sex but the very intimate act of blood sharing—to be done in the middle of the forest with our only shelter being blankets haphazardly strung over branches and secured with rope.

Maybe I was being romantic, but I wanted an atmosphere a little bit more special, far more intimate for when we did all the things mates did.

And as if he knew that, his expression softened, and he slid his hand up at the length of my spine and curled it gently, yet very possessively, around the back of my neck.

He leaned in and kissed me softly, at first just a brush of his lips against mine, a tease of his tongue along the seam of my mouth. But with each passing second, things became heated all over again. And now I was the one rocking against his hard cock, feeling the very definition of him brush against my clit every time I slid forward.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, clutching my fingers against his linen shirt, keeping him as close as he kept me.

"Darlin'," he groaned against my mouth and kissed me all over again.

And for long minutes that's all we did, a slow, sensual fucking with our mouths and tongues. "Let me taste ye." My heart jackknifed in my chest at those words. "Ye tasted so fucking good that I need more."

I was making inaudible sounds, murmuring incoherent things. In my head, I was screaming yes, yes, yes!. But I didn't know if that transferred out of my mouth. Banner started kissing along my jawline, trailing under my chin, and skating his lips down my neck. I let him take control. I let my head fall back on my neck, closed my eyes, and just let my mate light me up from the inside out.

Before I knew what was happening, I was on my back, Banner's big body over mine exactly how I envisioned, fantasized.

He was kissing my throat over and over again, dragging his tongue along my pulse point and then following that trail with his canines. I felt the twinge of pain from those twin teeth, and it had my nipples tightening even further.

All I could imagine was how it would feel to have him pierce my flesh at the same time I did that to him, both of us locked in this erotic tangle that only mates could experience.

What would he think if he knew I'd never actually consumed human blood but had instead survived off of animals, content to sate my hunger that way? Because the truth was the very idea of taking another person"s blood into my body was repulsive.

But when I thought about doing it to Banner, I wanted it desperately, my mouth so dry, my throat filled with sand.

"Are you going tae let me, my wee darlin'?"

I could barely understand him, his voice so husky and distorted from his wolf that he didn't sound anything like the male I'd spoken with thus far.

"Are you going tae let me taste all that sweetness, bury my face between yer thighs and lap at that honey?"

Oh gods, his words were so dirty, yet they turned me on fiercely.

I didn't know if I agreed, but I was fully aware of my legs parting even more, allowing the lower half of his body to sink fully against mine, that hard rod of his cock pressed right between my legs.He was huge. I swore he was as thick as my wrist, nearly half the length of my forearm. Logically I wanted to wonder how he'd fit. Realistically I wanted to see how much I could take.

"I need tae hear ye say it, darlin'. I need tae hear ye tell me how much ye want my mouth sucking at that sweet cunt and drinking up all of the liquid honey that spills from ye. It's all I can smell, Luna darlin'. It's driving me fucking insane with lust."

He moved down my body, his big hands sliding along my shoulders, down my arms and slowly crept toward my chest, each hand stopping right below my breasts as if he were waiting for my permission. I gave him my silent confirmation by arching my back. He growled low, his massive hands cupping my breasts, his palms so big that I felt so tiny in comparison.

And then I opened my eyes, and a shocked sound came from me when I felt the warm wetness of his mouth right over my nipple. I looked down, seeing his dark head hovering over my chest, feeling the suctioning of his mouth against that sensitive peak.

The material was becoming soaked, and when he gently bit on the tip of the mound, I made my own inhuman sound. I had my hands curled around the blankets, needing something to stabilize myself.

And when he let go of my breasts, I let out a little whimper of disappointment. His deep, low groan was sexy and satisfied and told me how desperate he was for me. I didn't realize my hands were on his shoulders until I felt myself start to push him down. I should've been humiliated that I was being so brazen and forward, silently asking him for all the obscene things.

But when he grunted and lowered himself until he was between my thighs, we just stared at each other, both of us panting, a silent communication of what we both needed ricocheting all around us.

He didn't make a move, and I knew once again he was being respectful, letting me take the lead, at least right now. But I didn't want to be the one in control, if I were being honest. It had nothing to do with inexperience and everything to do with wanting Banner to lead the way.

So when I held his gaze with mine and reached down to grab the end of my skirting, pulling it up to my waist, I was holding my breath. My hands shook, my heart raced, and my mouth watered. He inhaled deeply, a rumbling sound leaving him a second before he lowered his glowing blue eyes down to the area of my body I had just revealed. I had no undergarments on, completely bared, embarrassingly soaked. And it was all for him. Only for him.

"Banner." I found myself moaning out his name.

"Ah, fucking hell, Luna. I'm about to come in my trews."

I felt my eyes widen marginally as I saw the very subtle, obvious motion at his waist. He was thrusting gently against the blankets, the very sexual act causing my inner muscles to clench because all I could think about was how it would feel for him to be doing that inside of me.

"I need…" The words stalled in my throat, and I swallowed roughly. I didn't know how to put into words what was waging inside of me. "You," I finally said. That one word was the be-all, the explanation that would douse this fire, sate this burning in me.

And Banner didn't make me beg, didn't make me ask again. His big hands clamped down on my inner thighs, pushing my legs so wide the muscles protested, and then his warm breath was bathing my cleft.

I let my upper body fall back completely on the blankets, closed my eyes, and lifted my hands to tangle my fingers in my hair. And then I let him do his thing.

He licked me, dragging his tongue from my pussy hole all the way up to my clit before circling that bundle of nerves and drawing the muscle back down. He did this over and over again, adding more pressure, becoming more frantic as the seconds passed.

I was so sensitive that instinctively I tried to close my legs, but Banner growled like a feral beast whose prize was being taken away. He curled his fingers harder into my inner thighs, his claws prickling my flesh. I knew I'd have marks, crescent-shaped broken skin, purple and blue finger-sized bruises marring my pale flesh.

And gods, I wanted that. I wanted his mark on me, proof of his claiming, proof that I'd given a part of myself to Banner.

And then he was eating me out like he'd been starved his entire life. The wet, almost sloppy sounds of his mouth on my pussy mixing with the primal growls of his wolf and the rumbled noises of his pleasure brought me closer and closer to the brink of experiencing my first orgasm.

"Ye'll give it tae me, Luna." The vibrations from his voice had me moaning louder.

I tangled my hands in my hair even tighter, pulling at the strands, the pain making the pleasure grow higher.

"That's it. I can feel how wet yer getting for me, all that nectar sliding down my throat." He suctioned his mouth over my opening and hummed again just as I felt his tongue penetrate me.

I was so close already just from hearing that demand and those Lycan growls. His control and dominance that came from his alpha side made me want to submit wholly. I was panting, begging, and I didn't care. I wanted him to hear. I wanted him to know what he did to me on a cellular level.

He flattened his tongue and licked up one side of my pussy, moving that muscle along my clit before drawing that bundle into his mouth and humming in pleasure. Sparks of pleasure slammed into me like cracks of lightning arcing through the sky.

And then he dragged his tongue back down the other side, nipping at my pussy lips and sucking at the flesh before letting it go with an audible pop.

He pulled back enough I felt his gaze on me. I opened my eyes and looked down the length of my body, staring into his glowing blue eyes, about to protest, about to push him back down so he'd finish what he started.

But the words died in my throat when I felt his finger smooth along my inner thigh, closer and closer to where I needed him the most. And then he teased my pussy hole with those thick and callused digits. I held my breath and silently begged him to push them inside.

And gods, did he ever.

He slid inside of me, and immediately I tightened around him, drawing it deeper, wanting something thicker, longer. "I need ye tae come for me, lass."

I was panting, unable to form or think a coherent thought.

"I need tae feel this tight little cunt clenching around my finger. I need tae feel all that honey soaking my hand and sliding down my forearm because ye came so hard."

I arched my back, closed my eyes, and felt my entire body clench painfully. And all the while, he thrust that thick digit in and out of me.

"Such a good lass." His words were muttered right over my clit, and then he was sucking the bundle of nerves into the hot recess of his mouth and pushing me over the edge.

I came so hard I saw stars behind my closed lids, felt like I was weightless, like I couldn"t breathe.

The pleasure was never-ending, and not once did he stop finger-fucking me or sucking on my clit. I felt so much wetness coming from me, and I should have been embarrassed because it felt like a geyser, soaking my inner thighs, his hand, even the blankets beneath me.

"Sweet Jesus, darlin'. Yeah… that's it. Fooking soaking everything because I'm making ye come so hard."

His voice set me over the edge again, this orgasm smaller but still a fire in me, still causing my body to seize and more arousal to slip from me. And the entire time he never stopped thrusting that thick finger in and out of me, never stopped those deliciously alpha growls that had my entire body vibrating.

And when I came down from my high and sagged against the blankets, gasping, sucking in lungfuls of air, feeling dizzy and weightless and so sated, I was floating like I'd never find purchase, never touch ground again.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but I was very aware that my legs were still open, Banner's palms flat on my inner legs, keeping them spread.

I tried to open my eyes once, twice, and finally managed to lift the seemingly lead-covered lids a third time. Despite the shadowy light filtering through the heavy blankets, I could see well enough that when I glanced down at where Banner was still posed between my legs, I could see his focus was transfixed, almost mesmerized as he stared at my pussy.

"Tae see all this glistening honey covering ye… tae know I'm the reason, the cause of it, pleases me like ye'd never understand, darlin'."

I held my breath as I watched him lean in, his gaze locked on my eyes as he let his tongue slip out from between his lips and drag along the entire length of my over-sensitized pussy.

"I've never tasted anything as sweet and addicting as the nectar that spills from my mate's cunt after I've made her come."

With one more long, slow, savoring lick to my pussy, Banner rose and lay down beside me.

"Ahhh, my sweet lass. Ye please me tae no end." He pulled me close so my cheek was now resting on his chest, one big hand cupping the back of my head as if to keep me there and his other resting possessively at the small of my back.

I could feel how hard he still was, that huge cock like a third arm between us. I pulled back and tipped my head so I could stare into his face. He wore the most satisfied expression, as if he were the one that had just come hard enough to have an out-of-body experience.

"What about?—"

He shook his head slowly and gave me a sweet smile. "This was about ye, Luna." He smoothed a big hand along the side of my face. "It'll always be about ye." He pulled me back so I was once again resting against his chest. "Yer pleasure brings me immense joy. Just let me hold ye."

I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, a sweet yet spicy, wild and clean sweat aroma that made me feel like I was truly… home.

"I'll do anything tae keep ye. I'd battle every human and Otherworld, destroy every village and city." He smoothed his hand up and down my back, a slow touch that felt like a brand despite the gentle motions. "I'd give up my life tae ensure ye were safe."

I squeezed my eyes shut at his words.

"And I'll prove that tae ye for the rest of my days, darlin'." His arms wrapped around me fully and pulled me closer so my upper body was partially draped over his chest.

And as I listened to the steady thump-thump of his heart and the even in and out of his breathing, that's how I fell asleep… knowing I had never been safer than right here in Banner's arms.