Chapter 6: The Mating (ii)
AYLA
"Take your clothes off."
I jolted at the sound of Damon’s voice.
We were in the mating chamber now.
The room was larger than I expected, lit by dozens of candles that cast flickering gold across stone walls draped in crimson banners embroidered with silver moons.
A raised platform sat at the center of the room and upon it rested a bed covered in ivory sheets.
Around the edges of the chamber stood the Elders and the priestess.
My stomach twisted.
They were going to watch.
My fingers trembled as I reached for the straps of my dress, but Cassian stepped forward, stopping me.
My cheeks turned red as I turned to give him my back.
I felt his fingers brush my naked spine and a shiver raced through me. I was afraid but I could feel myself leaning into his touch.
The dress fell away from my body so I was standing there, naked.
I wrapped my arms around myself instinctively.
Cassian moved closer behind me... close enough that I could feel the warmth of him at my back. His breath brushed the sensitive skin beneath my ear and his hands settled lightly at my waist.
I knew he could hear the way my heart was slamming against my ribs like a trapped animal.
His nose traced the sensitive skin just below my ear, and a shiver rolled down my spine so hard I thought my knees might buckle.
"You are trembling," he said softly.
Of course I was.
I was terrified.
A low sound rumbled from somewhere to my right.
"My turn."
Damon stalked towards me so he stood directly in front of me.
Gone was some of the anger that had twisted his features earlier. In its place was something that made my pulse skip.
His amber eyes swept over me slowly, intensely as though he was seeing me for the first time.
For a moment, he looked almost conflicted then his hand lifted slowly, his fingertips brushed against my arm, tracing a path down to my wrist.
His touch sent another wave of awareness through me.
Behind me, Cassian’s hands remained at my waist, his thumbs moving in slow circles against my skin.
The combined sensation left my thoughts scattered.
I did not know what to do with my hands. They hung at my sides, trembling. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to pull him closer. I did not know which was worse.
Every nerve ending in my body felt exposed and alive.
Then Damon inclined his head and took my breast into his mouth.
I gasped.
The sound escaped me before I could stop it. My hand flew to his shoulder, grabbing the fabric of his shirt as his tongue circled my nipple. Heat shot through me, pooling low in my belly.
Cassian’s fingers were tracing slow patterns up and down my spine from behind. Each brush sent another ripple of sensation through me. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against his chest so I was trapped between them.
Damon’s mouth was still on me, pulling and sucking.
My eyes closed of their own accord and my head fell back against Cassian’s shoulder. A small sound escaped my throat. I could not help or stop it.
Damon switched to my other breast, his tongue circling the peak before he pulled it into his mouth. His hand came up to cup the one he had abandoned, his thumb grazing the wet peak.
I was burning.
Cassian’s lips found my shoulder, pressing soft kisses along the bone. His hands tightened around my waist, holding me steady because I was not sure I could stand on my own anymore.
Damon pulled back, his breath heavy.
"Well?" he said. "Are you just going to stand there?"
My eyes snapped open, my mind hazy.
He was looking past me. At Ares.
"We all have to mate with her tonight, brother," Damon said, his voice rough.
I turned my head.
Ares was standing against the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He had not moved but his eyes were fixed on me like I was the only thing in the room.
They were dark and hungry as his gaze swept over my body slowly.
My pulse leapt into my throat when he pushed off the wall and began striding in my direction.
Damon and Cassian stepped back, creating a path between us.
He moved like a predator who knew his prey had nowhere to run.
My entire body tensed as Ares stopped directly in front of me.
He hooked his fingers under my chin and tilted my face up.
His green eyes searched mine. I could not breathe .I was drowning in the color of his irises, the intensity of his gaze.
My lips parted and his eyes flicked down to them briefly before returning to mine.
Then his lips crashed unto mine.
His hand slid from my chin to the back of my neck, his fingers threading into my hair, tilting my head to deepen the kiss.
I made a sound. I did not know what it was. A whimper. A sigh. Something caught between fear and want.
His other hand dropped to my thighs. He grabbed them, lifting me off the ground. I gasped against his mouth, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively as he carried me toward the bed.
He lowered me gently onto the sheets.
Then he followed me down, his body covering mine. His mouth found my lips again, his hand trailed down my side, over my hip, and along my inner thigh until his fingers found the heat between my legs.
I jerked away as his fingers brushed against my wetness.
Ares stilled.
He pulled his mouth from mine and looked down at me, his green eyes searching my face.
"Have you done this before?" he asked.
I slowly shook my head.
I watched the realization enter his eyes and his jaw tighten.
He turned his head toward the elders in the room and the priestess.
"Get out," he said. "All of you."