Kristie Cook - Devotion

He chuckled. "No. Looks like I'm right, though."

"Are you sure? Even Vanessa said something about my dreams."

"Hmm …could be coincidence … but your sexy little moans and movements made it obvious to me."

I groaned. "How embarrassing."

He chuckled again and brushed his lips across mine. "I was personally enjoying it, my love. But the real thing would be better."

I sighed. "Sorry about last night …"

"You can make it up to me." He kissed across my cheeks again, opening his mouth, his healing powers taking away the pain and replacing it with bliss.

"I will," I promised.

"Right now?" he whispered against my ear, sending goose bumps across my skin.

I glanced around at our surroundings. Not a soul around, not even any animals. But it was dry and dusty, and the thought of that dusty sand making its way into certain places was not exactly romantic or sexy.

"Hmm … follow me." He took my hand and flashed.

We appeared in a grassy area, surrounded by trees and the bank of a smooth pond in front of us. Its surface duplicated the trees and sky above so perfectly, it was difficult to tell where the real world ended and the reflection began.

"Crocodiles?" I asked but I already knew the answer. The only mind signatures I sensed were birds and a couple of snakes in the distance. Like the night in the woods on the island, I jumped into Tristan's arms and crushed my mouth against his. And pain shot through my face. I gasped. "Crap."

"Take it easy, my love." He lowered me to my feet and took off his shirt, spreading it on the ground. He kissed along my collarbone as he undressed me, then lay me down on his shirt. His lips moved against my breasts, sending electric currents downward. "You've taken care of me all this time. Now I can finally take care of you."

I pushed my hands in his hair as his mouth caressed my breasts and his tongue flicked over the tips. He sucked, pulling my nipples erect between his teeth, making me moan and writhe. He moved his mouth along my stomach, kissing and sucking every inch. Electricity shot through my lower body as he continued moving down, his hands on my breasts, sliding along my sides and then underneath me, raising my pelvis. His tongue danced expertly against me, doing things that should be illegal, making me cry out. His mouth took me over that elusive edge and into oblivion.

When the convulsions subsided, I pulled him up, then took him into my hand, stroking him as I guided him into me. He shuddered before he even entered. He looked down at me, his eyes sparkling, as he slid inside. I ran my hands over his chiseled chest and hard abs, around to the perfection in back, and then thrust my hips against him, pulling him into me at the same time. We both moaned and moved with urgency. It'd been way too long. We built up quickly and soared away together. There was no time for messing around, playing games with our powers, destroying whatever lay in our path. This time was relatively normal–except for a few bruises, of course.

But they were nothing compared to–

"Holy crap!" I stared at the water's smooth surface, perfectly reflecting my battered face as I leaned over the edge of the bank. I looked like a damn raccoon, one large bruise creating a mask around my eyes and across my nose and upper cheeks. "How could you want to make love to this?"

"I won't acknowledge that idiotic question," Tristan said, considering me. "But I have a good one: Did it work? Your shield?"

I had to think about it. "I don't know. I don't think so, but without anyone else around, I can't tell."

"Hmm." He shrugged it off. "Let's clean off, and we'll get moving again."

He led me into the water, and although the ripples distorted the reflection, it was still hard to see what hid underneath. I felt around with my feet, and finding nothing, I dipped down and immersed my shoulders. The water was cool and refreshing, especially since I hadn't had a chance to shower this morning, thanks to Vanessa and Victor. Tristan was already out, buckling his pants, and I was splashing water against my face when I sensed the mind signature and saw the movement under the water at the same time. I hadn't been paying enough attention.

The eyes broke the surface first, and then the long, broad snout. As its head emerged, its mouth opened widely, exposing rows of teeth several inches long.

"Waaaaah!" I screamed, punched its nose as hard as I could, and literally flew out of the water, clearing twenty-five feet over the bank before I landed behind Tristan. My fingernails dug into his arm as I peeked around him. The oversized, white crocodile sauntered out of the water, snapping its jaw. My superhuman strength didn't slow it. "What the hell! What do we do?"

"Shh … it's okay. Can't you tell?"

Of course it was okay to him. He'd been fighting sharks and probably crocodiles and various other monsters for centuries.

"Yeah! It's a freakin' Were! Do something already."

Tristan lifted his hand, but instead of attacking, the crocodile began transforming.

"Please don't," the half-man/half-croc begged, the words distorted as he finished morphing. "It's me–Jax."

Amadis! That's what Tristan meant: he was asking if I could tell the were-croc was one of us.

Jax and I both stood there naked, Tristan between us. Jax's arms hung at his sides, completely relaxed, not at all embarrassed that I could see every bit of him. And there was a lot to see. Although quite a bit shorter than Tristan, he was otherwise large–everywhere–too over-muscled for my liking, but it was probably natural, his being part-crocodile and all. Scars ripped across his darkly tanned skin in several places, including his bald scalp. With my keen eyesight, I couldn't see a strand of hair anywhere–not even eyelashes or … never mind.

"G'day," he greeted, a toothy grin crinkling a scar that cut from above his brow, down his eyelid and to his cheekbone, though his brown eye looked undamaged. He saw me peeking at him from behind Tristan and winked at me.

Tristan's chest rumbled. He held his hand out to his side, and his shirt flew up from the ground. He pushed it back at me. It covered me better than the Amadis dress, but I still stayed behind Tristan and kept my eyes only on Jax's face–I'd seen enough of him already.

"Who are you and why were you sneaking up on me?" I demanded.

"You're a feisty little sheila, aren't ya?" Jax rubbed his nose, smiled wider and nodded toward Tristan. "I'm an old mate of his."

Tristan crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmph. Mate isn't exactly the right word. Or did you forget who gave you that scar over your eye?"

Jax laughed. "Naw, not forgotten."

"You must not have learned your lesson, then, sneaking up on us again. Or were you getting a little thrill from my wife?"

Jax shrugged. "She is a bloody ripper. Cracked a fat, all right."

Tristan's chest rumbled louder, and he leaned slightly forward. I didn't understand what Jax meant, but apparently it wasn't a compliment.

"Just giving ya a compliment, mate," Jax said.

Okay, maybe a compliment, but derogatory.

"Do you realize who she is?" Tristan growled.

"Hmm … you said your missus, right? Why don't you make introductions?"

"Jax, this is Alexis," Tristan said, that familiar steel undertone in his voice, though on the surface it sounded polite. "Alexis Ames. As in Sophia's daughter, Katerina's granddaughter."

Understanding dawned on Jax's face, and he grinned warmly again. "Ah. So that's why you're throwin' such a wobbly. Didn't mean to disrespect ya, Miss Alexis. I don't get out among the Amadis much. So what brings ya out here to the bush?"

Neither Tristan nor I answered at first. Suspicion waved off Tristan's body, making me uneasy. Jax's being Amadis no longer meant what it used to. I focused on his thoughts, ensuring Julia and her posse hadn't sent him. He was mentally kicking himself all over for being "such an arse around royalty," though a very basic man part of him was thinking about how hot I was, even with the racoon face. I squeezed Tristan's hand.