Slate's Mistake Page 9

  “Baby-Kate,” Slate’s voice was low with a growl, but it wasn’t angry. It was more like he was trying to reassure her. “I need you to put the knife down.” He slowly walked towards her with his arms up. “Please, give me the knife.” Katie let him walk up to her, and he wrapped his hands around her wrist with the knife and put slight pressure on it, then took the knife as she let go. She hadn’t realized she had been holding the knife so tightly that her hand had a hard time letting it go. Slate placed it on the counter, then drew her into his arms.

  “It’s all right, Baby-Kate. I’ve got you. Everything will be all right.” He kissed her on her temple and rubbed her back. His heat and scent went along with his soothing tenor, bringing her breathing back under control, and her mind further focused.

  Still secure in his arms, she looked over her shoulder at the giant winged thing. Lettuce still stuck to parts of his chest, and on the floor behind him was the plastic jar of mayonnaise. If it had been glass, it would have most definitely been broken.

  “Don’t you see them, too?” she whispered.

  “See what?” He leaned back and looked in her eyes and turned in the direction she was staring. His brows rose high on his head. “Do you mean the gargoyles?”

  “You mean it isn’t a demon?”

  Slate laughed out loud. It didn’t make her feel good about herself. She soured her face and tried to pull back, but Slate wouldn’t let her go. After the extreme shock, she still didn’t have complete control on her emotions, and it hurt to have her mate laugh at her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she struggled against him.

  “Stop! I’m sorry, love, I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings.” She didn’t have the heart to keep struggling, so she stilled in his arms as he introduced her. “Honey, this is Dultyn, and the other is Bogdon. They are gargoyles. There is another one around here somewhere, and I’ll introduce you to him later.”

  “We did not mean to frighten you.” Dultyn’s low voice was a rumble that was actually very pleasant to hear.

  Now she felt mortified. No one wanted to be looked at like they were a monster. “I’m sorry for my reaction. I didn’t know there were gargoyles. I only knew about shifters and vampires.”

  Enzo snickered. “I don’t know which side of you to fear more, the angry side or the frightened to death part.”

  She turned around to see a smug look painted across Enzo’s face. Katie raised a brow and narrowed her eyes. “Oh that should be an easy one if you remember what I said in the van.” The comment wiped the smirk off his face.

  “All right, that’s enough, Baby-Kate,” Slate gently admonished. He brushed her cheeks, “Are you ok now?”

  She noticed the way he moved. He was most definitely in pain. Her nurturing nature kicked in. “What are you doing out of bed?” She wrapped an arm around his waist and started to lead him out of the kitchen.

  Dultyn moved out of the way as they passed. “Would you like for me to bring your food up to you?” he asked.

  She looked over her shoulder at the gargoyle. Now that she wasn’t afraid, she could appreciate how positively interesting he looked. “That would be nice of you, thank you, Dultyn.” She made sure to give him a grateful smile before returning to her task.

  “Seriously, what are you doing out of bed?” she asked, returning her focus her to her injured mate.

  She could tell by his breathing that he was out of breath and in pain. “I woke up to an empty bed. I was almost all the way down the stairs when you screamed.”

  Well, that would explain why he got there so soon. She was hoping it wasn’t a long stretch of time because she didn’t want to think she was that far gone into her panicked state. “Well, don’t do it again without someone to spot you until I say your injuries are healed enough.”

  Slate stopped their progress up the stairs to lean over and kiss her. It was placed on her temple, but the feeling it elicited had her cheeks pinking. After all, they weren’t alone.

  After she helped him into bed, she grabbed the plates from Dultyn. “Thank you, and again, I am truly sorry for my outburst. There is no excuse for my actions.”

  Dultyn simply nodded then turned and left. She closed the door behind him and returned to her mate. Cuddling up next to him with her sandwich she inquired, “So, gargoyles huh? Are there any other paranormals that I need to know about?”

  Slate already had a mouthful. She took a bite while waiting for him to respond. Swallowing, he answered, “None here, yet, but Alphy wants the pack open to all paranormals. There are many without protection of a pack, herd, clutch, coven, or whatever. He himself had no place to go for a long time until he recently came here. This is the first place he ever felt settled and at home, and he wants that for others.”

  “Are there really that many bad alphas out there?”

  Slate shrugged. “Paranormals live a lot longer than humans, so they tend to change slower because they were raised when everything was different. Many don’t believe in mixed matings, especially to humans, and others, like the gargoyles, just don’t have the bigger numbers.”

  “How many other kinds of paranormals are there?”

  Slate gave another shrug and gave a non-descriptive, “Some.”

  They finished in silence, and after they were done, Katie put the plates on a dresser. She turned back around to see Slate trying to get up again. “What are you doing?”

  “I need to use the bathroom.” At seeing her, his grin turned feral, and the heated look in his eyes had her blood quickening and her belly fluttering.

  They didn’t have a bathroom in their room, so she grabbed clean cloths and some medical waterproof tape to put over his bandages, and followed behind her mate. When she entered the large room she saw the toilet was behind a little nook in the corner. While Slate made his way to it, she set the cloths on the earth-toned small tiled counter, next to the raised sink bowls. Looking around at the giant tile shower and the huge tub that could easily fit more than one person, she had to ask, “Do you want a bath or shower?”

  “As much as I want a shower, I’m afraid I have to settle for the tub.”

  “Well, you just never had a proper bath before. Don’t worry, I’ll give you an experience that is sure to make the next time too difficult for you have to choose,” she promised.

  “Oh really?”

  She had adjusted the nozzles for the right temperature and was just standing up when his arm snaked around her waist. His breath puffed against the nape of her neck. Goosebumps prickled down her spine and along her arms. She shivered with the sensation.

  Pushing back and rubbing against the steel hard rod poking her butt, she nodded. “Mm, oh yes, you’ll enjoy baths so much, you’ll want to take them more than once a day. I am going to give you a proper feline bath, and if you’re good, I’ll let you give me one.”

  She felt his lips graze over the skin on her shoulder and the vibration of his hum of approval. “Oh fuck, you’re going to kill me, mate, but what a way to go.”

  His feral growl quaked her core, and her muscles in her channel fluttered in a pleasure filled spasm. One of his hands flattened against her belly and slowly slid down until it reached her pubic line. He threaded his fingers in her tight curls and lightly tugged.

  Never one to be quiet, she let out a pleasure filled yelp. His fingers slid lower, and his hips continued to grind his heavy length against her backside. Her heart flipped as his fingers pushed into the crease of her slit.

  His finger rubbed tiny circles around her nub while the warm, moist softness of his tongue slid over the skin of her shoulder and worked its way up to behind her ear. His tongue rimmed her ear, and he placed sensually sucking kisses against the small patch of skin right behind her earlobe.

  “S-s-nnggah, stop,” she panted. “I need to turn the water off.” Slate whimpered as if it hurt to stop. She quickly turned off the water and turned to watch him undress. All that glorious hairless skin caused her mouth to pool with drool. After she applied clear medical
waterproof tape over his bandages, she urged her mate into the tub. He looked as if he were in a great deal of pain, and Katie couldn’t help but worry that much of it was actually from his injuries. He hissed as he stepped in and the water lapped at his honey toned skin.

  Shedding her own garments, she looked around for towels and washcloths. Returning to the tub, she knelt, grabbed a bar of soap and lathered it into the washcloth.

  “What happened to what we were doing?” Slate leaned forward. Placing an elbow on the side, he leaned on it and tried to give her a kiss, but she knew if that happened, she wouldn’t get anything done.

  “I’m first going to lather you up, make sure you’re clean and slick. Then I’m going to make good on my promise.”

  She made sure she rubbed in slow circles, even massaging his neck and lower back. He did enjoy the rub-down, but she could see he had gone soft. After the torso was done, she bypassed his middle parts, finally climbing into the tub, to work on his feet, then slowly worked her way up. She rolled her fingers over his veins and muscles, creeping closer to her final goal.

  Slate was leaned all the way back, with his head back, sighing deeply as he was relaxing. Once she was close enough, she grabbed more soap and slicked her hands, then slid her fingers up his inner thigh, to the perineum. Her mate jerked in surprise just slightly, but a smile crept onto his face and his shaft began to fill. He spread his legs further apart for her.

  She let her fingers run down to his star then up and around his scrotum, moving the sack around a little before wrapping around his now fully hard shaft and pulling it up and down. Her thumb rubbed over his frenulum at the base of his head on the underside. Being a nurse helped her learn a lot about body parts.

  Slate groaned and raised his hips, bringing his genitals above the water. She could see pre-cum ooze from his slit. Humming her delight, she leaned over and rolled her tongue around the tip, lapping up the clear liquid.

  “Oh fuck, your mouth feels so good baby.” Slate’s hand threaded into her hair and massaged her scalp as he complimented her.

  Katie flicked her mouth over the slit and kissed and sucked the top into her mouth and let it pop out. His cock jerked, seeping more fluid from the tip. She kept one hand around his balls, squeezing and rolling them, and every now and then she would slide her fingers down along his perineum and around his hole then back up again.

  Her other hand kept a hold of his shaft, jacking it slowly. She wrapped her mouth around his cockhead and sucked down until she couldn’t go any further. Slate gave a pleasured shout of surprise and swore, making her smile around the meat-sicle she swallowed down. Leaking more, his salty flavor increased with his arousal. After popping off and on a few times, she pulled back.

  Slate growled, but didn’t say anything. His hand stayed firm in her hair. Leaning forward, she licked, nipped and kissed her way up to his nipples and rimmed the darkish disks. She flicked her tongue over them, then lightly nipped them. Slate’s hand fisted in her hair, and he tried desperately to grind his dick against her stomach.

  Katie worked her way up to his neck and licked every vein and other hot spot she could think of. She positioned herself over her lover. Lining up on the spot on his neck where, if she were a shifter, she would have bitten him, she wrapped her teeth over the flesh and bit. As she was hoping for, Slate roared and grabbed her hips, pulling her down onto his shaft. He thrust into her hard enough to dislodge her teeth, but instead of letting go, she bit down harder.

  Slate roared and stiffened. She could feel his cockhead grow and warm release flooding her inner walls. Sharp pain pierced her shoulder, immediately morphing into an orgasm that blackened out her senses. All she could do was feel euphoria roll over her in waves so intense she couldn’t breathe.

  She didn’t know how long she took to gather her wits, but when she did, she saw she was still biting onto his shoulder, the metallic taste of his blood warning her she had bitten too hard. Carefully removing her teeth, she drew back to look at the mark she made. A gasp of alarm was shocked from her as she watched a small line of blood mix with the water droplets on his skin. Concern pushed through her thoughts. As she looking into Slate’s face, her alarm dissipated with the pride and love for her she could clearly, unmistakably see.

  “You were wrong, Baby-Kate.” He paused, cupping her face in his wet hands and rubbing his thumbs along her cheeks. “There won’t be any comparison to baths versus showers. You claimed me, making it something special I will never forget.” He pulled her face closer to his and gave her a kiss that made her melt into his embrace.

  The water was cold when they stepped out of the tub and onto the wet floor. She hurried to put some towels down on the mess to soak it up. After dressing, they opened the door. Kace was leaning up against the opposite wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a leg crossed over the other. He looked up as they exited.

  “’bout damn time. I take it you didn’t hear me knocking.” He didn’t give them time to answer as he started forward. “We need some more bathrooms in this house. Nice mark, Slate, lucky bastard.” Kace strode past them and closed the door behind him.

  Slate turned to Katie with clear pride written in his features. “No argument there, I’m a lucky bastard.”

  Katie smiled back up at the man she couldn’t live without. “Me, too.”

  Wow, that was fast.

  Chapter Nine

  After they returned to their room, Slate held Katie close and tight through the rest of the night. He lay there for a while just soaking in his good fortune.

  Smiling into her hair, he relived their time in the bathtub. He’d enjoyed everything she was doing, but her biting him, leaving her mark on him, totally blindsided him and had left him happier than he could ever possibly believe anyone could be. The neck had a huge significance in the shifter world. If she had been a shifter, it would be normal to exchange marks, but humans did not usually have it in them to want to bite that hard. They did not want the taste of blood in their mouths, or just simply did not have the strength in their jaw or sharp enough teeth.

  His lion was calmer than it had ever been. Even after he first claimed Katie, he wasn’t this calm. His heart was filled so full of love and affection for his mate, he had to wonder if he could actually die from happiness.

  When next he woke, he listened to her even breathing and knew she wasn’t yet awake. Daybreak was lighting up the sky. Slate could hear the birds fill the morning glow with their chirping songs. Thinking of daybreak brought him back to the memory of Katie’s discovery of the gargoyles. He would have to remember that she didn’t know about other races of paranormals. He felt a bit chagrined for not telling her about them. He could stand by the excuse that he didn’t know she only knew about shifters and vampires, or that they had so much else going on that there hadn’t been any time to bring it up. All of this was true, but he wouldn’t forgive himself for allowing such a fright to be caused when it could have been so easily prevented. He’d had plenty of time while on the flight to tell her about them and where she would be living. Instead, he’d filled the time with his selfish desires, telling her all about what he wanted. She was too precious to him to make that mistake again. Oh he’d be happy to turn her on and pleasing her, but he will make sure that she was safe and cared for first.

  He was about to get up and find his way to the bathroom but suddenly remembered his promise to her. Well damn, I really need to go. He really didn’t want to wake her, but he had no problems letting her know he was just following orders. Hmm, but how to wake her?

  Slate slid his hand down to her stomach and slid his middle finger between her warm, moist folds. The feeling of her slickness wrapping around his finger caused his dick to twitch and begin to fill. Katie sighed in her sleep. He slid his finger up and down the slick crease, then rolled it across the sensitive nub. Katie mumbled a moan and rolled her hips just slightly, but still, his mate didn’t wake.

  Slate moved down the bed and parted her legs. He took in a d
eep breath of her sweet aroma. Fuck, nothing has ever smelt better. Positioning himself, he wrapped his hands around her butt cheeks and buried his face between the folds of her pussy. He latched onto her nub and rolled it around with his tongue. He released her with one hand, bringing it around and sticking two fingers into her channel. Once they were buried deep in her tight heat, he hooked them and rubbed against her special spot.

  A pleasured shout had him glancing up to see his mate’s back arched and her fingers tweaking her nipples. The sight brought a rumble from his chest, which vibrated against her clit. Her legs tightened around him, and her moans were loud and frequent. Her body kept arching up and down, her hips rolling, and he watched her fingers pull and twist her pink peaks.

  Not being able to take it any longer, Slate drew out his fingers. Katie whimpered, but he wasn’t going to leave her wanting. His injuries weren’t going to stop him from fucking his mate’s pussy into the mattress. His dick was hard and leaking, and his balls were already tight against his body. He was ready to blow, and he wanted to be inside her when he did.

  Placing his hands on either side of her head, he looked down at the love of his life. “Good morning, mate.” Slate leaned down and mashed his lips against hers, smearing her face with her own juices. The knowledge of this turned him on even more. He lined up his dick then drove in to the hilt. He swallowed her shout of pleasure in his rapt kiss. Not wasting any time, he began plunging into her. He had to adjust his speed because of his injuries, but he reached down and wrapped his hands around her ass, and bounced his body in and out of her.

  Katie threw her hands around his shoulders, digging her nails into his back.