Page 35 of Hoof It
Thirty Five
Chapter 34
Darcy
H and in hand once again, Zu and I walk. My heart is beating so hard that I’m worried it’ll pound out of my chest. Zu continually pushes love and calm through the bond, but my anxiety is screaming at me to turn and run away. I refuse to be scared of Mat ever again, so I grip my mate’s hand and keep walking towards the cave. Each step brings us closer and closer to whatever my ex has planned.
I feel Zu stiffen and hesitate to take a step. “I can hear him mumbling to himself. He’s close, off to the side of the entrance. I also smell Lexi, Frankie, and all of the other men. They’re all quiet, but close.”
“I love you, Jimazu. No matter what happens.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are, bitch?” Mat’s angry roar rips through the silent forest. Zu and I both stop walking, and I look out the corner of my eyes to see if Mat has stepped out of the shadows yet. I don’t see him, but even I can feel him nearby. My mate squeezes my hand four times in succession.
A twig snapping is the only warning I get before Zu shoves me ahead of him towards the cave. “Run!”
I don’t question him, instead I take off at a full sprint. I hear a gun cock, and I trip over a loose rock right before I make it into the entrance of the cave. Just as I fall to my knees, I hear a grunt and what sounds like someone being hit. Pushing myself up off the dirt, I spin around, hoping that Zu is okay.
I’m speechless as I take in the scene in front of me. Mat is sprawled out, face down on the ground and a growing pool of blood surrounds his head. There’s a large rock covered in blood next to him. Lexi stands a foot away from him, her arm still outstretched. Her face has a look of disbelief on it. I finally spot my mate, standing near where I left him. His eyes are locked on me, taking in every inch of me. We both begin running towards one another, when we’re close enough, he pulls me against him and lifts me up. My arms wind around his neck and I bury my face in his shoulder. The panic is replaced with relief and the tears start immediately.
I can feel him probing the bond to ensure that I’m actually okay. I pull away long enough for him to see my face. “I’m alright Zu. I promise.”
I feel and hear his sigh of relief. “Thank Pan.” He buries his face in my hair and inhales my scent for the first time in days. His entire body relaxes, but still he holds me. Not that I’m complaining, there’s nowhere I’d rather be right now than in his arms.
“Lexi, Frankie, and a man are approaching.”
I lift my head from his shoulder and turn it the best I’m able. My friends are flanked by Mister Reed. A quick glance behind them shows me that Mat is being lifted onto someone’s shoulder, his head still bleeding profusely. I return my gaze to my mate and kiss his cheek.
“Let me stand, please.”
His arms loosen enough that I’m able to slide down until my feet hit the ground, then I turn. Zu pulls my back to his chest and his arms drape over my shoulders. Lexi’s father is the first to speak once the three of them stop walking.
“Miss Newl, it’s been far too long since you last came and had dinner with us as a family.” One of his gray eyebrows raises as he chastises me as though I’m a child again. “I trust that once you and your…” He pauses, unsure of how to address Zu.
“Mister Reed, this is Jimazu. He’s my mate. Zu, this is Lexi’s dad, Mister Reed.” I tilt my head and glance back at Zu, who nods his head to Lexi’s father. “Sir, I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am that you came to our aid today. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost Darcy.”
Mister Reed waves Zu off. “Truly, it isn’t me that you need to thank. It’s my daughter. She’s the one that thought to use a rock to disarm him. He was able to get past my men somehow.” He throws a withering glare behind himself. “Luckily for all of us, Alexiana was able to take him out.”
I gasp as his words fully sink in. “He’s dead, then?”
Lexi finally speaks. “Yes. I hit him pretty fucking hard in the head. I swung for the fences for once.” Her grin is wide.
I can’t stop the snort. “Jesus, Lex.”
Frankie swats her girlfriend’s arm and she shakes her head at her, a light smirk on her lips.
“That was…crass, but still accurate. It seems those kickboxing classes have paid off.” Her father chuckles under her breath. “Take care of yourselves, Darcy. You and Jimazu are welcome in my home anytime, for any reason. Don’t worry about what happened here. My men are taking care of it.” He spins on his heel and gives Lexi a brief nod before walking away from us.
My best friend pulls me away from my mate and wraps her arms around me. My tears start all over again. Between sobs, I’m able to get out a, “Thank you”.
Lex pulls away just a bit and narrows her eyes at me. “Nope. You never need to thank me for making sure you’re safe, Darce. You’re my best friend, and my soul-sister. I’ll always be there for you, helping you in any way I can.”
“So will I.” Frankie steps next to us and wraps her arms around both Lexi and I. The three of us hold each other for several long moments before we finally separate.
Zu pulls me against his chest once more, and pushes even more love through our bond. He strokes a finger along my shoulder, and even through my coat and hoodie, I’m able to feel as it moves over my mark. I shoot him a look over my shoulder, and he laughs. I shake my head at my mate, then look back at my friends.
As my mate and my friends talk to one another, I stand quietly observing. I take it all in. For the first time, I feel more safe, loved, and happy than I have in the past three years. I owe it to the three people standing with me. If it wasn’t for them, I’d still be lost in the stormy sea that was my life. Lexi and Frankie pulled me out, and Zu helped me heal.
They finally notice I’m not participating in their conversation, and they all fall silent. All of their eyes are on me in question. I grin at my friends, and reach up to squeeze Zu’s hands three times.
“Lex, I love you and Frankie. And I’ll owe you forever for what you did today. But right now, I’m crashing from the adrenaline, and I need my mate. What do you say you two go back to your hotel for the day, then tomorrow we all head to the cabin together?”
Lexi and Frankie share a look, then both smirk while nodding. They walk away hand in hand, and we stand watching them until they’re out of sight. The other men are already gone. I turn in my mate’s arms, and I already feel his desire. I lift my arms and he picks me up easily. Bringing my face to his, I take his lips in mine.
“Take me inside and use me until I pass out again?”
Zu growl-bleats and is moving before my next breath. We make it inside the cave, leaving a trail of my clothes and backpack along the way. He throws me onto the bed as I’m pulling my bra up and over my head. He drops his body on top of mine.
“Hold on tight, little mate. It’s going to be a long night for you.”
With a smile on my face, I open my legs for him. “Have at me, my beast.”
He fucks me for hours, in every position he can think of. I pass out around my sixth orgasm. When I come to later, he has me laying flat on my stomach. Two fingers are in my ass, and his cock is so deeply inside my pussy that I can feel his cock pocket against the lips of my pussy. His second hand is wrapped around my neck, his thumb on my pulse point, so he feels the moment I wake up.
“So good, little mate. So much better than I thought it would be, having you at my mercy like this.”
The hand on my neck shifts and tightens and he fucks into me harder. I can feel every inch of him like this, and it has me on the verge of another orgasm.
“Don’t stop. Give it all to me, Jimazu.”
Together we fall over the edge, my walls clenching around his cock as it empties into me. Wave after wave of cum fills me, and still he doesn’t stop thrusting. He continues moving in and out of me, triggering another mini-orgasm within me.
“Yes, my beast!” The words leave me in a shout, and Zu’s body shudders as he nears the end of his release. He pulls out of me then falls onto the bed beside me. I crawl to his side and drop my head onto his chest, his arms wrap around me. Somehow, he manages to pull a blanket up over us. Thoroughly spent, we drift off together, secure in the knowledge that we have one another for a long time.