Mark of the Bear

Chapter Nine

Marko was torn between honor and need. No, not need. That was too tame a word for what was flooding through his veins. He had to have Kellsie. More than he needed air or food or water, he needed her. No other woman could sate him, satisfy the craving deep in his soul.

That worried him.

Was she really his savior or would she be his downfall? There was no room in his life for a mortal woman. Nothing was more important than fulfilling his duty. He had to keep them both alive for the next twenty or so hours. He had to find a way to try to free his remaining brothers-in-arms. And he had to find out what happened to Roric. When that was done, he had to attempt to rescue his Lady from Hell.

He really had no time for sex with Kellsie.

But what was between them went far beyond sexual desire. He recognized that even if she didn’t. Frustration ate at Marko at her continued belief that what was happening wasn’t real. He knew she thought she was dreaming. They’d met in a dream only days before. He remembered it now and knew it had been a foretelling of her arrival.

This woman, this fragile human female had reached deep inside him and touched his soul. There was no other way for him to describe it. Like most animals, he trusted his instincts, and he’d known immediately that she was meant for him. But the human side of his nature feared it was much more than that.

Kellsie was his mate. She belonged to him.

And that could never happen. Even if they survived the battle with Hades and his demons in the coming hours—which was iffy at best—she was human and he was immortal. He would love her only to lose her in the blink of an eye. It would be better to walk away now before he was pulled deeper under her spell.

The bear inside him growled and roared in anger at the thought. He agreed with the animal half of himself and would take what was she was offering. It was an unexpected reward after years and years of torment. He’d be a fool not to make love to Kellsie. And Marko was nobody’s fool. Bears might seem slow and lumbering to those who did not know any better, but they were intelligent creatures. He would not turn down the gift before him.

He stared down into her stunning blue eyes. He could see the heat, the lust reflected there. But he could see something more. Uncertainty and need mixed together, as though she expected to be rejected, didn’t quite trust him not to hurt her in some way.

His warrior woman had been emotionally injured in her life. The last thing he wanted to do was add to those wounds. But he would. There was no turning back for either of them. She was a pawn in this game between the gods just as he was. His fate was hers. No matter what happened, they were tied together for the rest of her life.

Resolve hardened within him. Kellsie Morris belonged to him. She had been given to him, a prize worth fighting for, an offering of redemption and he would not fail her. He would protect her at all costs and, if it came to it, he would give his life for hers.

In the meantime, he would give her pleasure, the kind of which she’d never known. Leaning down, he laid his lips against hers and felt her slight hesitation before she gave herself fully to the kiss.

He was in awe of her bravery. Whether she believed him a dream or not, it didn’t really matter. He knew what was happening between them was real and so would she soon enough. He would give her this interlude of pleasure. It was the least he could do, and it was something they both deserved.

He teased her tongue with his, encouraging her to play, to take whatever she needed. She tasted fresh and tart and warm. The hunger burning in his belly was nothing compared to the hunger flaming in his soul. He needed her touch, her hands on his body. Anywhere. Everywhere.

Her legs wrapped around his flanks, gripping him and keeping her close to his body. The heat from her pussy enveloped his dick even through all their clothing. Her full breasts were plastered against his chest, her puckered nipples nudging his flesh. Even with her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips returning his avid kiss, it wasn’t enough.

He had to get closer.

He tore his lips away from hers, gasping for breath when she began to nibble on the taut cords of his neck. He needed a bed. Marko didn’t want their first time together to be in the dirt on the hard ground, but he didn’t have much choice. There weren’t any feather mattresses close by. But there was something he could do to make things nicer for Kellsie.

“Stop.” He grabbed her wrists from the back of his neck and tried to peel her away. “Kellsie, wait.” She squeezed her thighs around his waist and ignored him. She peppered his face and neck with butterfly kisses.

Growling, Marko shook her lightly. “Not yet.”

His words finally seemed to penetrate the sensual haze she was lost in. He was sorry he had to distract her. By the Lady, he was being stupid. He should just take her hard and fast against the cave wall and be done with it.

No. She could get hurt that way. Her skin was soft and fragile and would be torn by the jagged rock.

Tension filled her now where moments before she’d been lost in passion. Marko wanted to roar with frustration. Her limbs were no longer trying to cling to him but pushing him away.

He released her and she took a step back. She crossed her arms over her bare chest and glanced at the ground in search of her top. “Kellsie.” He cupped her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. “The ground is too hard. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She relaxed almost imperceptibly, but he saw it and it gave him hope that all was not lost. “You can be on the bottom.”

Her words had his cock jerking, trying to find a way out of his pants. It was all too easy to picture himself stretched out on the ground with Kellsie on top of him. Her breasts would sway with each stroke as he buried his thick cock deep into her warm, welcoming heat. Her hair would brush against her shoulders and back, a cascade of sunshine to help warm him after his years of cold imprisonment.

She frowned and looked around. “Why did I dream a cave and not a four-star hotel? That sucks.” She closed her eyes and scrunched them tight, muttering under her breath for a moment before opening them again.

“What are you doing?” Everything about her fascinated him, including her thought processes.

“Trying to change location.” She sounded so disgruntled by her failure he drew her into his arms and hugged her, rocking her gently from side to side.

“I can’t give you a hotel.” The image of a decadent room with a huge mattress and acres of silk popped into his brain. He’d caught a glimpse of such a place about two thousand years ago in the Orient when the demons had moved them into an emperor’s palace for a short while.

They’d kept them mostly in caves, especially in the early years, but sometimes they’d left them in better places for a decade or two at a time. He’d liked those times best of all because that’s where he’d managed to learn about the evolution of mankind and the changes in the world. They’d been kept in palaces, in museums and even in a dusty warehouse in New York at the turn of the last century. Everywhere they’d been kept, he’d soaked up all he could about the world. Bears were naturally curious and it had helped keep him sane.

He’d love to see the emperor’s palace again someday. Better yet, he’d love to take Kellsie to such a place and spend days making love to her. He shoved the thought aside. He had here and now and she was looking at him expectantly. “But I can make things a little nicer. Wait here.”

He released her and hurried outside, anxious to find what he needed. He heard her call his name and it occurred to him that she might be afraid of being alone in the dark. “I won’t go far,” he called over his shoulder.

He stopped a few feet from the cave and examined the trees. There were plenty for him to choose from. He stared at his hand and willed it to change. The hand morphed into a hair-covered paw tipped with long, lethal claws. “As good as an axe,” he muttered as he sliced through branches of a pine tree. He didn’t stop until he had a nice sized pile at his feet. That would do it. Marko allowed the paw to shift back to a hand and quickly hefted the pile into his arms.

Kellsie was pacing when he returned. She whirled to watch him as he entered and he could see her eyes widen. His vision was much keener than hers and he could see her as clearly as if they were standing in the midday sun.

“What’s that?” She came to his side and reached out her hand to touch one of the branches.

“Your bed.” He dumped them on the floor just inside the door so the moonlight would shine upon them. He positioned the thick, soft branches on the ground. When he was satisfied with the arrangement, he grabbed her long-sleeved top and laid it over the pile. He frowned and quickly skinned out of his pants and added them. He wished he could conjure something better, but clothing and weapons were as far as his powers went at the moment. He hoped in time they would return full force. Until then, he would have to make do.

Kellsie gasped and he glanced over his shoulder. She was looking at his ass. He smiled at the way her hand was reaching out, as if she wanted to touch him. When she saw him watching her, she yanked her hand back by her side, curling her fingers against her palm.

Marko straightened and went to her. Her eyes widened as she studied his erection. She could have no doubts as to how much he wanted her.

She swallowed hard as he picked up the tail of her braid and slowly undid it, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders. “We need to add your pants to the top of the branches. That should just about do it.”

She nodded and didn’t stop him as he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled down the zipper. It was strange to see such things in person. He knew what zippers were and how to work them, but he was amazed by such a creation. And he knew the world was filled with such wonders. But the greatest wonder in the world was standing in front of him, allowing him to remove her clothing, making herself vulnerable to him.

His heart swelled as he went down on one knee in front of her and urged her right foot up. He tugged off her sneaker and sock before skimming the thicker material of her pants off. Then he did the same with the left foot. The only thing left was the tiny fragment of material that covered her mound. Panties. He knew from absorbing the information from the world around him that they were called panties and were designed not so much to cover a woman but to drive a man insane. He wanted to touch the treasure they hid from his view, to stroke his finger over her heated folds to see if she was damp with arousal.

Marko traced the thin band that ran over her flat tummy just below her belly button. Her skin was warm and her muscles quivered beneath his touch. He leaned inward and inhaled deeply, drawing her womanly scent into his nostrils. She was just as sweet and spicy as he remembered from his dream. This time he would do more than just smell her. This time he would taste and savor every part of her body.

“Beautiful.” He ran his finger down the front of the thin fabric. He easily felt the springy curls hidden beneath. He smiled as she tilted her hips forward ever so slightly, silently asking for more of his touch.

“Marko.” His name was little more than a puff of air on the night breeze, but he heard it all the same. The desperation and need in that single word set his blood pumping and his muscles rippling. How he wanted this woman.

In answer to her plea, he slid his finger along the satiny crotch of her panties. It was wet and hot. He brushed her clit and she moaned. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.

He looked up, needing to see her face. Kellsie’s head was tilted back, her lips parted on a soundless cry. Her chest was moving rapidly as her breathing increased. She was as beautiful as any goddess he’d ever seen. And he’d seen more than his share. The difference between them was that Kellsie held nothing back, giving freely of herself. She expected nothing from him but an exchange of pleasure.

She shivered and goose bumps raced down her legs. He frowned, wishing it was warmer. He didn’t notice the chill, but Kellsie was only human. “Come.” He rose to his feet, grabbed her pants and spread them over their makeshift bed. When he reached out his hand she took it without hesitation.

He closed his fingers around hers, reveling in her trust. The only thing that marred the moment was her inability to see it as anything but a dream. Maybe that was for the best. Reality would intrude soon enough. Marko counted his blessings that they were alone. He’d know if anyone intruded in the woods. The animals, along with his own heightened senses, would warn him.

He led her to the clothes-covered mound of branches and held her hand as she settled gracefully onto the pile. The sharp scent of pine filled the air as she settled back, letting her fingers slip from his. Masculine possession rose up within him as she sprawled across the bed he’d provided, wearing nothing but her sexy underwear and her necklace.

Marko fell to his knees at her slender, shapely feet. Even the dirt on her soles couldn’t detract from their attractiveness. They were so feminine. His feet were large and functional. He loved the differences between the male and female bodies. And Kellsie had an exceptional one.

One meant to be worshiped in the most basic of ways.

He captured her ankles with his hands and pushed her legs open until there was enough room for him between them. Her breath hitched as he stroked up her calves all the way to her knees. She let out a little gasp when his hands went higher to her milky white thighs. He wanted them clasped around the sides of his head as he pleasured her with his mouth and tongue and lips.

He growled low and long. Fluid was leaking from the tip of his cock. He was running out of time. But he had to taste her first.

Marko slid his fingers beneath the band of her panties and slowly peeled them down her legs. He had to move in order to get them off, but he was back in position the moment he tugged them away. He set her panties carefully aside.

Kellsie watched him, her eyes half-closed, her lips moist as though she’d been licking them. He leaned forward and cupped her face with his hands. The motion pushed his cock against her sex, sliding it over her slick, pink folds. They both groaned as she squirmed, trying to get him closer.

Marko had to suck air into his lungs and remind himself to breathe. Neither of them spoke. The moment was too charged, both of them sensing the vulnerability of the other. It was as if they knew no words would be enough, all would fall short of what was happening between them.

He stroked her slender neck, her delicate collarbone and down her arms. He could feel the muscle there and knew she wasn’t weak, but neither was she anywhere near as strong as he was. He marveled at her ability to trust, to give herself to him so completely. He vowed not to disappoint her.

Her breasts were incredible—full and crowned with large pink nipples. The tips were puckered and taut. He cupped the mounds in his hands and traced his thumbs around the edges of her nipples, never quite touching them.

Kellsie moved restlessly beneath him, grinding her pelvis against his, searching for release. The first time would be quick for her. He could sense it. Wanted it.

Marko leaned forward and took one sweet nipple into his mouth, using his fingers to tease the other. A whimper of need broke from her lips. He curled his tongue around the hard nub before sucking on it.

She bucked beneath him, her body hot and alive with growing desire. He reluctantly released her breast and kissed a path down her ribs. Her waist was small but her hips flared out in a womanly form. He’d take more time to examine every inch of her later. If there was a later, a voice in the back of his mind reminded him. He ignored the taunt and pushed his hands beneath her firm ass, lifting her closer.

She cried out, the passionate sound echoing off the walls as he brought his mouth to her pussy. His tongue rasped up one side and down the other. Ambrosia couldn’t taste better than Kellsie did. Sweet like honey. Spicy like cinnamon. All woman. Marko consumed her with a hunger he didn’t think he’d ever sate.

He probed and licked and sucked at her outer lips. Her clit was peeking out from its protective hood and he captured it gently between his lips, flicking his tongue over it. Kellsie’s fingers tugged at his hair, holding him to her. Her heels dug into his back as she arched into him.

Marko felt drunk on her essence. Her little cries of pleasure threatened to make his cock explode. He had to finish this now.

Cupping her ass with one hand, he inserted the other between her thighs. He eased one finger into her and had to grit his teeth to keep from coming. Her inner muscles sucked him into her heated channel. He withdrew and inserted two fingers this time, stretching her, preparing her to take his cock.

She rocked against him, fast and furious now, reaching for the orgasm hovering just out of reach. Marko started to work a third finger into her pussy. She stiffened and he sucked hard on her clit.

Kellsie screamed. It split the night around them. She jerked in his arms, her hips bucking so hard she almost pushed him aside. Marko worked her with his mouth and fingers until he sensed she’d had enough. Carefully, he eased away, sat back on his heels and stared down at her. Kellsie’s hair was plastered to her scalp and shoulders, a bead of sweat trickled between her breasts. He leaned down and licked away the salty drop.

She moaned and laughed at the same time. It was an odd sound, a happy sound. She licked her lips and stared up at him. “That was…that was…” She shook her head. He understood her dilemma. There weren’t words to describe the strength of the bond already forged between them.

Marko should have been worried. Instead, he couldn’t wait to get inside her. He leaned forward, bracing one hand beside her shoulder. Using his other hand, he guided the head of his cock toward her and brushed her slick folds. She gasped and he moaned. If he didn’t get inside her soon he was going to come on top of her.

“Kellsie?” It had to be her choice, her decision.

She reached out her hand and cupped the side of his face, brushing her thumb over his cheek. She let her fingers slip down his jaw and neck until her palm covered his heart. His chest tightened. His cock roared for release but he ignored it.

She nodded.

The final restraint broken, he drove his cock into her.