Mated To An Enemy

Caleb stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped at his waist and water droplets still falling from his hair. He smiled when he saw she was back, already dressed in her tank top and loose lounge pants, lying on the bed.

Taking the smaller towel he held in his hand, he began to dry his hair as he walked toward his open suitcase.

“How'd it go?” He asked.

Ashleigh took a deep breath, letting it out in a tired sigh.

“Good, I think,” she replied. “He was willing to listen to everything I said. He didn't balk when I mentioned our Goddess actually being a Fae Queen. But then again, the infection and Alice being used to create the cure, I think he had definitely heard at least some of the story already.”

“What about the part where his long-lost sister is currently the body hosting a millennia-old Dark Queen?” Caleb asked as he rifled through his clothing.

“That part was a little bit more complicated to explain, and he definitely had some questions about how I could know for sure that it was true. But again, he was at least slightly prepared for it. He did tell me that Alice had mentioned our conversation on the phone and admitted to him that he was Irina's brother and a descendant of Talis. He wasn't quite sold on the whole possessed by an evil fae thing.”

Caleb laughed.

“I can't really blame him. It's a pretty crazy concept.”

Ashleigh sighed as she sat up on the bed. Her gaze immediately went to him, watching him hunched over the suitcase looking for what he would wear. She looked to the left. Another suitcase sat on the bench beside his, not one they had brought with them but one she recognized as belonging to her mother.

All their stuff had been packed together. The plan was to finish the mission together. But plans had changed, and now she needed her own suitcase.

“When do you have to leave?” she asked softly.

Caleb's movements stopped. He stood up straight and turned to face her.

Ashleigh couldn't help but gaze over his body. His ruffled and wet auburn hair, naked chest, defined muscles, and small scars she had traced many times. She swallowed as her eyes followed the line of his hip and down along the towel.

“Two hours,” he said. “Saul is joining me. We will meet with a few others on the way to Burning Ember. We plan to secure the weapons and evacuate the pack before the fae decides to push forward with their attack.”

Ashleigh nodded.

“Saul is a good man, a strong fighter too. He will be a great ally to you,” she whispered.

Caleb smiled.

“It's ok to admit that you're the slightest bit worried about me,” he said. “I'm worried about you going to Spring too.”

Ashleigh smiled and then looked away.

“I was taught to have an overconfidence in my abilities and that of my fellow warriors,” she said. “It wasn't about being cocky or arrogant, it was about survival. Admitting doubt or fear in my or someone else's abilities would open my heart and mind to the possibility of failure. Worrying about whether or not I could handle each battle or if the warrior beside me would turn and run. Those thoughts have no place on the battlefield.”

Caleb crossed the room. He knelt before her, lifting her chin to look into his gray eyes.

“We are not on the battlefield,” he whispered. Then, gently ran his thumb along her jaw. “It's just us, husband and wife, mates.”

Ashleigh took a deep breath, leaned forward to press her forehead to his, and moved her hands to his cheeks.

“I'm worried,” she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. “I trust you and believe in you. But I'm afraid there is a chance that this might be the last time I see you.”

Caleb turned his head and kissed her palm.

“It won't be,” he whispered back. “I won't promise that nothing will happen. But I will promise that I will fight until my last breath to always come back to you.”

He pulled away and looked at her, showing her the sincerity of his words through his gaze.

“I love you, Ashleigh,” he said. “And we still have a long life together after this war.”

“I love you too, Caleb. So much,” Ashleigh replied as the tears broke through her walls and slipped from her eyes.

Caleb wiped them away gently. He smiled and then leaned forward to place a tender kiss on her lips. He was tempted to push for more, but his intention was reassurance and comfort. He pulled back and smiled at her again. Then he stood and returned to searching for his clothes.

“As far as Myka goes, I have no doubt you will get him to agree to help you,” he said as he reached for the suitcase.

“Caleb,” Ashleigh called to him, her voice low.

Caleb turned around, surprised at how close she suddenly was.

“Are you all right?” he asked, seeing a wild look in her eyes.

“I don't want to talk right now,” she whispered, reaching out and grabbing his towel. “I just want to show you how much I love you.”

Caleb swallowed and looked at her with interest and curiosity. They had a very active sex life, but she was not usually the one to initiate.

Ashleigh tugged on his towel until it fell to the ground, and he stood before her in all his glory. She looked over her and licked her lips. Caleb grinned at her reaction.

He was about to reach for her when she closed the distance between them. Instead, Ashleigh's hand slipped behind his head, tangling into his hair and pulling him down into a deep and passionate kiss.

He was surprised but not at all reluctant. Instead, he opened his mouth for her, tasting her as his desire grew. He put his arms around her while Ashleigh's other hand moved between them and wrapped around his shaft. Caleb gasped against her mouth, and she took the opportunity to bite his lip playfully.

She began to stroke him, though she didn't need to do much to get him ready. This woman need only look at him for him to be in the mood.

Ashleigh pulled away from the kiss, and they both breathed heavily. Caleb closed his eyes as she continued to stroke him. Then, when she suddenly stopped, he opened them, even more surprised to see her down on her knees before him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Rather than answer him, Ashleigh only glanced up at him as her pouty lips slid over the tip of his erection.

Caleb let out a heavy moan as he felt the warmth of her mouth slipping over him. At first, she only sucked on the head, treating it like her favorite lollypop. But soon, she took him further into her mouth until he could not help but reach down and grab her hair.

He was careful not to push her, but he did hold her in place from time to time as she bobbed her head. The enjoyment was mounting with every suck. He looked down to watch her. He growled with excitement at the sensation and the look in her eyes as she strained to take him further.

“That's enough,” he whispered, feeling how close he was to his release.

He tried to pull back, but she stopped him. She grabbed hold of his hips and continued to take him in. Caleb let out another moan. He was close.

“Ash…” he whispered, “I can't hold back much longer.”

Ashleigh did not stop. She doubled down her efforts and took him in until he hit the back of her throat. Caleb felt a wave of excitement and pleasure. He could not resist anymore. With his fingers tangled in her hair, he held her in place, thrusting against her twice, then three times.

He let out a thick groan as he released himself at the back of her throat. His hands gripped Ashleigh's hair tighter as he felt her swallow down his hot fluids. The knowledge and feeling of her actions only made his desire grow.

A desire that demanded he take her wholly.

Caleb pulled back; Ashleigh took in several deep breaths as she wiped her mouth. She looked at him with a flushed face, panting and licking her lips. Caleb growled. He reached down and shoved the suitcases off the bench.

Ashleigh gasped in surprise as he pushed her to lie with her stomach on the bench with her ass facing him. Then, in a swift and precise movement, Caleb pulled down her lounge pants and the panties she wore beneath. She felt the room's cool air over her flesh as she was exposed in a way she hadn't expected.

Caleb got down on his knees behind her. He grabbed her hips, squeezing them once before moving his hand down to her core. Her molten liquid already spilling over, he slipped two fingers into her folds.

Ashleigh gasped and held the bench tightly.

Caleb stirred her with his touch until she let out soft panting whimpers and started to rock back against his hand. He moved closer, removing his hand and lining himself up with her entrance. He stroked the head of his shaft against her, making her cry out in anticipation and pushing himself to the limit.

With a shaky breath, he slowly pushed the tip into her. Ashleigh clenched her jaw and held onto the bench.

Caleb pulled her hips up and gave himself more access. He leaned forward and laid his chest against her back, pinning her to the bench. Ashleigh could barely move, but she didn't feel panicked. She was excited. It felt like he was claiming her again for the first time.

She took slow, deep breaths as she waited for him to continue moving into her, waiting to feel his fullness inside.

Caleb licked his lips and then moved her hair away from her shoulder. He growled and plunged himself deep inside of her, holding her shoulders in place as Ashleigh cried out.

He moved in and out of her with force and speed, feeling her tight walls squeezing around him. Ashleigh was excited to begin with, but the intensity of his thrusts threatened to send her over the edge already.

Caleb could feel her pleasure mounting. He readied himself. After a few more deep thrusts, her breath was getting quicker, and her pulse was racing.

As he felt her walls begin to convulse as she was about to reach her peak, Caleb bit down on her mark. Ashleigh howled in ecstasy, her walls squeezing around him as he followed her into a mind-numbing orgasm.