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CHAPTER 15

MAHK

I snuck another glance at Tanner from the corner of my eye. It had to be the hundredth time, but I could not stop myself. His words ran on repeat in my mind, and until I made what he asked for a reality, I wouldn’t be able to stop staring at him.

We were in Forest Glen on the way to Sumner Cave. It had been Tanner’s suggestion. Privacy was not easy to come by, so why not make our mating official in the very place that separated our worlds.

“Bite me, claim me, make it official.” My jaw ached with the desire to do just that. I would have taken him then and there in the truck if it were possible. But Tanner deserved more. He deserved something special, and while this would never be what I’d imagined, there was a certain significance to it that made it feel right.

I looked at Tanner again, but this time he caught me and flashed me a cute smile. “You keep staring at me. I promise I won’t change my mind, Mahk. This is what I want.”

I hadn’t even been thinking that. I’d heard the sincerity in his tone when he’d uttered my favorite words I’d ever heard. Of course, now he put that fear in my head.

My expression must have shifted because Tanner stopped walking, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed my head. “I swear I would never toy with you that way. I already put you through hell these last few weeks, but I meant what I said, sweetheart. I love you. I want you in every way possible, and that includes as a magical mate.”

I snorted, but secretly I was relieved. Tanner had so many responsibilities, I was afraid they would get the better of him.

But after another kiss to my hair, he entangled his fingers with mine, and we walked the rest of the way to the cave in comfortable silence.

We stopped at the entrance, staring inside. “The barrier is in there?” Tanner asked with a hint of hesitance in his tone, but I could not tell if it was because of what we were about to do or entering the cave.

“Yes,” I replied gently, trying to feel him out.

“It’s so funny. I’ve heard the rumors about this place my whole life. We’ve all heard about hikers disappearing. I always figured it was partially parents scaring us out of exploring and the usual disappearances of hikers from wildlife or dehydration. It’s so wild that the stories were kinda true.”

I kissed his shoulder. “But remember, the people who disappeared through here had a happy ending. It meant they met their fated mate.”

“Right,” Tanner muttered to himself. “And your brothers, their mates also disappeared through here?”

“Yes, Rainn and Kai.”

“Oh yeah, I know them a little. They’d stop by the shop before hiking. That’s . . . They were cool. I’m glad they found their forevers.”

I was still confused where he was going with this, so I answered his question honestly, “I am too. I cannot wait to get to know them.”

He nodded but didn’t continue right away. “And there’s enough room in there, right?” He gestured toward the cave, “I never considered myself claustrophobic, but suddenly I’m questioning that.”

“Yes, lulekai . It is quite spacious. I promise. But if you’d rather, we can find a secluded area out here?—”

“No,” Tanner cut me off. “No. Let’s do it there. Everything began for us in that cave, and I want this moment there too.”

I kissed him. “If at any time you change your mind, we can leave.”

“Okay, thanks. But I’m ready.”

He straightened his shoulders much like he’d done before confronting those people at the store, then marched in. I followed after him, smiling.

Once we were inside, Tanner let me lead.

“You’ve never come in here?” I asked him.

“Nah. I know I grew up here, but hiking or anything outdoorsy besides football was always low on my list. Kenzie keeps asking to come though, so I gotta find time one weekend to get her here. I think all the girls would enjoy it.”

“That sounds fun. I want to fish.”

Tanner wrinkled his nose. “Eww, why?”

I shrugged. “It sounds entertaining.”

“You have a weird definition of entertaining, baby.” But I didn’t think so because many humans liked fishing. I looked it up.

After a few turns and splits, we were at the barrier. Well, a solid cave wall, but I knew my homeland lay right beyond that. I felt it.

“This is it?” Tanner whispered, like the moment was too momentous to use his full voice.

“Yes. This leads to my home.”

Tanner turned to me, his expression soft. “Are you ready for this?”

“I have been ready for this moment since I first saw you, my beautiful mate.”

Tanner’s cheeks flushed bright red. He rocked back on his heels and seemed a little uncomfortable. Then he took off the backpack he had been wearing and knelt by it.

“Let me see you, baby.” The bangle. I took it off and once again was fully in my orc form.

Tanner’s eyes scanned my body, lingering on the bulge that was growing in my pants. “Fuck.” He swallowed, then focused all his attention on the bag.

First, he pulled out the thick blanket that was normally on his bed and laid it out over the cold ground. I was glad that he’d thought of that detail. I did not want him to be uncomfortable. Next came the large bottle of lube.

I frowned at it, nerves wracking me. “I wish we had pleasure oil.”

Tanner smiled up at me reassuringly. “It’s okay, baby. You’ve been stretching me for a while now, getting me ready for that cock. I’ll be good. I promise.”

I swallowed, my fingers shaking with eagerness to touch him, when he added, “Just make sure to get some when you cross over.”

Of course. It was the first thing on my list.

Once Tanner had the blanket set up in the way he liked, he stood, a hungry gaze in his eyes as he once again focused on my bulge.

“Is that all for me?” he asked, voice rough.

Hands reaching for my waistband, I groaned. “Yes. Only for you.”

Tanner’s eyes darkened with possessive need. He loved that. He closed the distance between us and knocked my hands out of the way before pushing my pants down and exposing my cock. I couldn’t get used to human underwear, so I wore none. Every time Tanner remembered that fact, he went wild, which pleased me to no end.

“Clothes off,” he ordered even as he started to toss his shirt off and to the side. For a moment, I was frozen, focused solely on my mate’s naked body. He was so beautiful. He had admitted to me that he was a little self-conscious, since he no longer had his football body, but to me he was perfect. I loved that I could grip his hips and ass, and I could worship those thighs for days.

I must’ve taken too long because then Tanner was on me, removing my clothes in between kisses and love bites. I helped as much as I could, but it was hard to concentrate on anything but Tanner’s hands, and mouth, and scent, and, well . . . him.

He licked his lips and reached for my cock. “Baby . . .”He moaned, deep and gritty. “I love that you don’t wear underwear. So fucking naughty keeping this monster cock all out and ready for me.” I’d already been hard, and Tanner’s rough touch wasn’t helping matters.

I couldn’t help it. I bucked into his touch. “Tanner.” It was breathless and more whiny than I liked, but I couldn’t care too much because then Tanner was leading me to the blanket, using my cock as a handle.

He maneuvered us so that I was flat on my back on the blanket and then he crawled on top of me. He sucked on my nipple, one of his favorite places to toy with me, while I squeezed his hips, my fingers digging into his back mainly to give me something to focus on so I didn’t get completely lost.

“I swear one of these days, I’m gonna get you to come just from nipple play.” It wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but it had not happened yet.

After one last, searing kiss, Tanner reached over and grabbed the lube. He handed it to me and then positioned himself on all fours with his ass to me. “Get me ready, baby.”

I barely heard the words because I was completely focused on the black plug nestled in between his cheeks. I had seen it before, the day Tanner had sheepishly admitted to buying it to help prepare himself for me. He’d explained it to me, and while most of ours were glass, I was familiar with the concept. He hadn’t used it, or at least I hadn’t realized he had, but seeing it now conjured all kinds of dirty fantasies.

I reached out, lightly grazing my fingers along the black rubber. “ Lulekai ,” I whispered almost reverently. After he’d declared he was ready, we had stopped by his house to bathe ourselves and check on his mother. He had also texted both Jake and his sisters’ babysitter to let them know he was going to be a little late. He must’ve put this in after his shower, but I had no idea.

Tanner turned his head so he could look at me. “Like your surprise?”

“Yes.” I knelt behind him and licked across one ass cheek. “It’s amazing.” I gripped the base and pulled.

The sound Tanner made was obscene, and I was internally preening that I finally had the opportunity to make my mate come undone as he had for me so many times.

I wanted to play, but we had a goal, and I would do nothing that would delay that. I went slow so I didn’t hurt Tanner, but still did not delay when taking out the sex toy. Once it was out, I tossed it to the side, completely focused on Tanner’s pulsing hole.

I suddenly had the urge to taste it, like Tanner had done for me. I don’t want to waste time, but any extra moisture had to be beneficial, right?

I must have been staring for long because my Tanner started to twist around to look at me again, but before he could speak, I buried my face between his cheeks.

“Oh! Fucking fuck! Warn a guy, will ya?” Tanner collapsed onto his elbows, back arched sexily, and then he keened. I scraped my tusks along the sensitive skin while licking around the rim.

“Mahk! Oh shit. Oh shit, baby. So good. Oh fuck, don’t stop, don’t stop.”

Tanner’s hand snaked between his legs to play with his cock, which had been leaking freely. Whenever I’d tried to do that, I’d been chastised that my cock was Tanner’s to play with. I considered saying the same thing, but I liked watching Tanner pleasure himself, so I kept to my task.

Soon, Tanner was begging for more, and I couldn’t bear the thought of teasing him. So I reluctantly pulled back, picked up the lube, and squeezed out a generous amount.

Tanner was stretched and loose enough, so I started with two fingers. My digits were thick, but it didn’t take too long to be buried to my second knuckle.

“Holy hell, your fingers are so big. So full,” I would’ve been worried, but he continued with, “So good. Fuck me with those thick fingers, sweetheart.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice.

It didn’t take long for me to want to add a third. Just to be extra cautious, of course.

Tanner cursed as I pulled out, leaving him empty. I knew from experience how awful that was so I hastily reapplied more lube before working three fingers inside him.

“Fuck. Fuck. Mahk, oh my god. What are you doing to me? Ahhh!” Tanner continued to blabber nonsense. He was no longer making any effort to hold himself up, his face smashed against the blanket while his hand rapidly pleasured himself.

“Don’t orgasm yet, lulekai . I want you to find your release locked on my knot with my teeth in your neck.”

Tanner sucked in a breath. “Yeah, well, maybe don’t say shit like that if you don’t want me to shoot my load early.”

I smiled, proud. I was pleasuring my mate so well he could barely control himself.

It wasn’t long before Tanner was begging for my cock. “I’m ready, Mahk. Please. Please. I need your dick. Now! Please, Mahk, now.”

Leaning over his body, I kissed the nape of his neck where my bite would go, then removed my fingers.

Tanner was immediately whining, but he wouldn’t be soon. I added even more lube to my cock, you could never be too careful, and then lined it up with Tanner’s hole. Even with all the stretching and prep we had done, I still hesitated. I was very large, and while Tanner was not small or fragile for a human, he was still a human. We didn’t even have the pleasure oil to ease me in. I did not want to hurt him.

Tanner seemed to understand without even looking at me. He had stopped masturbating and said softly, lovingly, “I’m ready, sweetheart. You won’t hurt me.”

Still, I didn’t move. “You’ll tell me if I do, right? Promise.”

“Yeah, I promise I’ll tell you. But Mahk, I trust you. Fill me up, baby. Let me finally feel that fucking knot exactly where it was meant to be.”

“You amaze me, Tanner. I love you.” Then I entered him.

I was being cautious, terrified of hurting him as I slowly rocked my hips, fucking him more and more open until, finally, I was fully seated.

Tanner was panting, his hands fisted in the blanket, tangling up the fabric in his grip. “Tanner?” I asked hesitantly, afraid to move. “Are you okay?”

His head jerked rapidly. “Y-yes. Just really full. Stretched but it doesn’t hurt. But I’m gonna need you to move. Please.”

“Okay.” I adjusted myself, holding his hips tightly as I started to move. I was probably being too wary, but until Tanner no longer had his eyes squeezed shut like that, I was going to go slow.

Finally, it seemed he’d stretched and his body relaxed. I felt the tension leave him, then it was time.

Normally, I liked when Tanner was in charge. I loved him being inside me, controlling my orgasms, even how and when I moved while he fucked me. I would happily submit to Tanner’s ministrations every day.

However, I could not deny how good it felt to give Tanner even an inkling of the pleasure he had been giving me. I wanted to own him, if only for this brief moment in time.

Once I was confident I was not hurting my Tanner, I began to fuck him in earnest. Each thrust hit him deep, letting him feel every inch of my cock both on the way out and in.

While I had been prepping Tanner this past week, he’d taught me how to find his prostate, the pleasure gland inside biological human men, and I made sure to hit it now. It wasn’t the same as finding it with my fingers, but I kept adjusting myself until Tanner cried out, his head jerking off the blanket and his cock leaking profusely. I grinned to myself. I’d done it.

I hit it again. And again. Tanner was crying and cursing me out and was jerking his cock so roughly it had to hurt. “Baby, I need to come! Now.”

“I’m close.” I panted. “Hang on for me, lulekai . We come together.”

“Ugh, yeah, Yeah . . . okay.” He was struggling and wouldn’t last much longer.

My knot ached as my orgasm built. “I’m almost there, Tanner. Are you still sure you’re ready for this?”

My heart pounded and it was not purely from adrenaline. The bite would only take if he truly wanted it, and I still feared that he had doubts that would prevent us from taking this step.

“Yes. Bite me, Mahk.”

Those were the magic words. I could not hold off for another second. “I love you, lulekai . Come with me.”

“Fuuuck.” Tanner’s body tensed, and then he reached his peak. Tanner milked my cock, and I was soon following behind him, my knot growing as I came. “I love you,” I told him one more time and sunk my teeth into the nape of his neck.

Tanner cried out and, to my shock, started to come again.

“Mahk, oh my god. I fucking love you.”

My chest heaved as my knot swelled and I fell to my side on the blanket, bringing Tanner’s back to my chest.

He twisted his head to look at me through hooded eyes, a tired but happy smile on his face. “Holy fuck, Mahk. That was . . . I don’t think I have words for it.”

I did not either. I kissed his neck where my bite now lay.

For a while, I basked in the feeling. I was mated. I’d found my mate. The one person who was perfect for me, that I would spend the rest of my life with. I was so focused on Tanner and the love that was thrumming through my chest that I almost forgot the whole reason we’d chosen to do this in the cave. That was, until there was a humming sound, and where there’d once been a cave wall was now an opening that I could just peek the sunlight through.

“Mahk, is that . . . ?”

“Yes,” I replied quietly. “The barrier opened.”

Tanner tried to turn to me and then winced when he remembered he was still locked on my knot. “We did it?” He sounded kind of surprised, which made me chuckle.

“It looks like it.”

We both stayed quiet after that, until my knot went down and we could separate. Even then, we did not say anything as we cleaned up. Tanner had packed some water and granola bars in the backpack, and I gathered them and handed one of each to him. Tanner smiled gratefully and downed half the water in one gulp. We both dressed, and then it was time. We could not avoid it any longer.

We stood watching the opening, holding hands. “I won’t be long.”

Tanner stayed quiet, but his fingers shook in mine. “I promise, Tanner, I will be back.”

This time, he squeezed my hand. “I know you will. Doesn’t make it any easier. I wish I could go.”

I wished he could too. I wanted to suggest that he come through just so he could see my home and then immediately come back, but that would likely be harder. It was best to wait until I could be sure Tanner could easily access his family.

“Come to my place as soon as you get back please. I will be waiting.”

I cupped Tanner’s chin and kissed him quietly. “I will. I’ll bring the pleasure oil.”

Tanner snorted. “I might need a little recovery time, but I can’t wait.”

I looked back at the barrier. I had to go now or I never would.

“Come back to me,” Tanner whispered.

“I will. I swear it.”

“I love you, Mahk.”

“I love you too.” I finally forced myself to disentangle my fingers from his. I took a step forward. I couldn’t look back. I knew we wouldn’t be apart for long, but it still ached. Especially so soon after mating. But I would quickly update Nash, write a letter for Axum, get some supplies, and come back. A couple of hours and I would be in Tanner’s arms.