Jericho Junction Read online

  Seino let go of her shoulders to pinch her nipples, and he ground that fat cock up her ass while his partner groaned and filled her with cum.

  “Oh yes, blessed Banathmae yes,” she hissed and came hard, trembling as she took their essence into her body.

  “Mother night,” Seino swore and climaxed, cupping and holding her breasts tightly while he spent inside her.

  Their orgasms seemed to last forever, yet not long enough. Seino withdrew, then Jericho, and they steadied her when she nearly fell on her face.

  Jericho muttered something and picked her up, as if she weighed nothing. Then again, next to this lumbering bear, she looked tiny. Petite almost. And Seino was his match in size.

  “I guess this is the part where we introduce ourselves?” Jericho said with enough sarcasm to choke a mule.

  She would have said something snarky if she’d had the energy. Instead she yawned and curled her arm around his neck. She kissed his furry chest and inhaled the strong, hardy scent of bear and Kin. Like her, Jericho had Banathmae’s blood mingled with shifter. A rare occurrence in and of itself. What were the odds she’d mated not only a Kin, but another Dark Walker as well?

  “Good odds if Master Fel is involved,” Seino murmured.

  “You’re reading me? Wait. Master Fel?” She blinked, startled awake. “He warned us not a week ago to beware Serena. She’s got vengeance on the brain. But would my stubborn clan listen? Of course not. Because they think—thought—they knew everything.”

  “You don’t sound too broken up about it.”

  “I’m not.” And she wouldn’t be ashamed about it either. “The bastards kidnapped me a month ago and have been holding me since. The pride leader wanted a mate with Dark Walker blood, something about appeasing The Cat Who Waits. But the great feline in the sky couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Banathmae. I told him ‘til I was blue in the face, but would he listen?” she ended on another yawn.

  Jericho hugged her tighter. He felt so warm, so snuggly. She kissed his chest and couldn’t help purring.

  In a low growl, he asked, “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  “Heck no. I’d have gutted them if they’d tried. There was a lot of wooing going on. I liked the presents and heck, the pampering, I’ll admit. If I’d had any other place to be, I’d have bolted sooner. But when Master Fel warned about the attack, I stayed to try to help.” She felt a terrible sadness and stowed it behind the carefree attitude she’d adopted years ago. Like so many others, these two would try to claim her. Then they would die. “I didn’t do too much.”

  “I’d say you did more than was expected,” Seino added in a gentle voice.

  The Kin could probably read her emotions and thoughts. She didn’t like it, but she’d never been able to shield herself from the magically-minded athmae.

  “You clawed up a decent amount of evil, for a cat,” Jericho muttered. “Now tell me about Fenris. What do you know of my alpha?”

  “Your alpha?” She looked up at him when he placed her down on large rock lying next to the river. “You’re part of the Great Clan?”

  “He was,” Seino said smoothly.

  Jericho glared at him. “I am. So what does this sorceress want with Fenris?”

  “It’s not him, it’s his twin Anson she wants. Anson and his mate, the prince. They killed her sister, and she’s pissed off.”

  “They killed her a year ago.” Jericho snorted. “Not all that sad about her sister if she waited this long.”

  “From what I gathered, she’s been gone for a long time and just returned.” Anya shrugged. “All I know is she’s been gathering energy from athmae and shifters, from cats in particular because we seem to feed her base of power. She’s going to kill Fenris, because that will hurt Anson most, the loss of his brother. Like the loss of her sister. But she can’t get to him yet. Not until she’s strong enough to go through some sorcerers protecting the Great Clan.”

  The look on Jericho’s face stirred her sympathy. She just wished she could have given him better news.

  “Rurik.” Jericho felt the need to return home—right now. “Rudra’s father Rurik, is a sorcerer. She is too, technically speaking.” He knew she often worked magic to protect the clan. He turned to Seino. “Teleport me home. I have to warn them.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Now.” He didn’t plan to ask twice.

  The bastard demon shook his head. “Not yet. And it’s Kin, not demon, Dark Walker.” Seino sighed. “If Fenris were in trouble, I’d know it. His twin is keeping tabs on him and communicating through his mate. Through Liam,” he explained at Jericho’s confusion. “The athmae prince would signal me if help were needed.”

  “Check to make sure.” Jericho didn’t want maybes or probablys. He wanted to know.

  Seino frowned at him. The female stared back and forth between them, her expressive face more than intriguing. Jericho didn’t want to notice, but he couldn’t help falling more in lust with her. She’d been so fucking tight around him, as tight as Seino’s ass hugging his cock. He wanted to do her all over again, except with that lust came a wave of affection he shouldn’t have had for someone he’d just met.

  The sword at Seino’s side hummed, linking them as much as the amulets did.

  Was all this feeling magic? Was it fated, a convenience for Banathmae, or was it real?

  Seino moved closer and stroked his shoulder. “All of the above. Your alpha is fine. I shared what I just learned with Liam, who conveyed it to Fenris and his mate. A werewolf and a wolf-slash-sorceress. Interesting pair of alphas, Jericho.”

  “Really? An actual werewolf? Mated to a sorceress who’s part wolf? No wonder the Great Clan is so powerful,” the sexy cat added.

  “Not cat,” Seino corrected. “Her name is Anya.”

  “Stay out of my head,” he growled in warning.

  “Keep me out. Learn to shield yourself and I’ll refrain from listening.”

  Anya chuckled. “Good luck with that, bear. Kin are known for their trickery as well as their power. I’m thinking your mate doesn’t want you shielding yourself from him. Even if you manage to learn to hold him out, he’ll sneak his way back in.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s your mate too, Anya.” Jericho snarled, needing to do something. He should be home, helping to protect the clan.

  “You will help them,” Seino said quietly. “In time. Right now we need to see to Anya. Banathmae didn’t give you two to me without a reason. Together, we’ll be strong enough to face the threat of evil staining this land. Our way will cleanse the worlds and tie our existences into the web of life.”

  Anya blinked. “Does he always talk like that?”

  “Yeah.” Jericho swore under his breath but decided to give Seino the benefit of the doubt. For now. “Your god didn’t give me to anyone, Seino. So don’t go thinking you own me.”

  The brow the Kin raised did little to stem his irritation.

  He helped Seino bathe the feline, who absorbed their attention like a greedy sponge. He wanted to smile, amused at how she didn’t bother to help them clean her up. He made short work of it though, unable to deny his response to the little temptress.

  “She’s very strong. Gifted.” Seino stroked her hair. “Like you, except she was born aware of her talent.”

  “Yep.” Anya continued to purr, and her nipples beaded, her skin glistening under the sun, slick from the water. “I’m a Dark Walker. My mother was Kin, my father shifter. But we’re cats. I didn’t realise Banathmae took other, inferior forms.” She gave Jericho a disdainful onceover.

  “Please. You’re a cat.” Jericho smacked her on the ass, mindful of his erection that wouldn’t quit. He didn’t just want to smack her ass, he wanted to fuck it. Hard.

  “Oh yes. We’ll get to that soon enough.” Seino grinned, exposing sharp canines.

  “I feel fine, Seino.” Anya stretched. “Better than fine. Between the healing and the sex, I’m golden.”

  Jericho wondered at her wording. �
��The sex? Don’t tell me you’re more succubus than Protector.” Just what he needed, a demon who could tempt him past reason. Seino was bad enough.

  Seino scowled. “Protector is not a type of athmae. It’s a born-duty. We athmae are all Kin, though I would agree Anya’s talents seem to lie along carnal avenues, like Prince Liam and his family’s abilities.”

  “Hell.” A Protector and an succubus. It didn’t look as if Jericho would be walking free from these two anytime soon. If at all. Seino would hunt him down if he left, and Anya would seduce him into saying yes with his next breath. The idea of never being free panicked him, until he caught their scents. His bear rolled in the bond with his mates, content for the first time in his life. None of this made sense.

  “You’re part athmae yourself,” Seino told him. “But you’ve been bound for too long. Now your bear has the freedom to be what he was always meant to be. Part of something larger.” Seino pulled Jericho’s head close and kissed him. Heat built, the urge for orgasm hitting him hard. And then Seino let go. “Part of me and Anya. A triad. Where you belong.”

  Chapter Six

  Seino knew it had taken great patience for Jericho not to bolt. Anya would accept their mating easier. She knew what it was to be Kin. Mating didn’t come easy to their kind, which told him how important Anya and Jericho were to him. Seino had thought to find mates years later, when he could devote time to seeking out and tracking down someone suitable. He still didn’t feel quite ready for the ones he had, but he wouldn’t deny them. He couldn’t. Not after all they’d been through.

  The battles and sex invigorated him. His sword sang with a happiness it had long been lacking. He should have expected his interfering grandfather to lead him to his mates, but he never could have anticipated two Dark Walkers. A bear, a cat, and a Protector. An odd trio of creatures to become one, but as Banathmae willed it, so would it be done.

  Blessings and good fortune to you all. The deep voice of his benefactor didn’t surprise him.

  Jericho swore and nearly jumped out of his skin. Anya started but smiled.

  Out loud, Seino answered, “Thank you, Lord. You honour me with your gifts.”

  Use them wisely, and they will hold you steady in your time of need. And make haste, for the tool to destroy grows strong, and my hard work should not go undone. I have plans for that wolf…

  Which wolf his god referred to, Seino didn’t know. Anson had bonded to an athmae prince and would be protected at all costs. Fenris already had Banathmae’s stamp of approval. He was a werewolf, born of magic, courtesy of the Wolf in the Forest—Banathmae’s sister. Either way, the werewolf twins needed to live beyond Serena and her manipulations.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  Seino tried to ignore the racing of his heart, brought on as much from his god’s visit as from Jericho’s threatening demeanour. His bear wore a frown with sexy muster, and Seino concentrated on fulfilling his mission to protect the wolves. Then he’d fuck his mates until they couldn’t walk.

  Anya tripped and blinked up at him. Hmm. He’d wondered if the feline could sense his thoughts. Raised among Kin, she’d be more open to his power. Jericho remained closed though. Seino had to work to read the bear, not that he minded the effort.

  Seino let his senses swell and experienced the bear’s thoughts and feelings. Right now, Jericho chafed at the bit to protect his clan. He felt an affection for Rudra, which would have alarmed Seino had he not sensed the platonic nature of that affection. He also felt a need to keep Anya and Seino safe, not liking the stench of malignance the sorceress projected. And not liking that he cared so much for a Kin and shifter he’d just met.

  Pleased yet annoyed his mate still thought to protect him, Seino came up with a plan to break Jericho of his stubbornness. Later. When he had time. He’d make his bear understand his place in their new relationship. He had a feeling Anya would be more than happy to help. Then he’d see to the pain buried deep inside her.

  Anya tried to look innocent when she saw him glancing at her, and he knew she’d read some of his thoughts. “Oh, er, so what now?”

  “Now I communicate with Liam to warn his mate and the Great Clan to be on alert.”

  “Good, good.” Jericho nodded. “You do that.”

  Seino talked over him. “Then the three of us create some powerful magic, confront Serena, and kill her before she attacks the werewolves. Banathmae insists nothing happen to them.”

  “And we can keep her from doing more damage to our shifter kin. Good idea.” Anya nodded. “About this powerful magic…we going to get there using my means or yours?”

  Hers meaning sexual, his meaning a blood sacrifice followed by incantations and a call to his grandfather. For all that Seino could do with his magic, he was still a novice compared to the great Master Fel. And with the importance of this task and his mates’ safety at risk, Seino would do anything in his power to succeed.

  He thought a moment. “Your way. But not until we’re close enough to use it.”

  “Hold on. I’m not following.” Jericho frowned.

  Anya explained. “I use sex to power up. Seino uses magic and blood.”

  “Blood?” Jericho didn’t seem squeamish, but Seino could feel his unease.

  “Not yours. Usually I take from an enemy. Hate has strong emotion, thus strong magic. But I’d rather not hunt any of Serena’s creatures and give away our plans or position. We’ll get as close to Serena’s lair as we can, then perform the sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice? Wait a minute, you just said there’d be no blood.”

  “Sex, Jericho. The sacrifice will involve a catharsis of pleasure.” Anya stared at him hungrily. “Orgasms, get it?”

  Jericho stared back at her, his gaze wandering over her naked flesh. “Oh, sex. I can do that.”

  Seino couldn’t ignore Jericho’s erection, lovingly moulded by his trousers, while Jericho studied Anya. The woman had breasts to die for, and she knew it.

  “Oh, you’ll do it all right.” She gave him a cheeky grin. “The three of us click, no doubt about it. And though you may be a lumbering, big old bear—”

  “Hey.”

  “—you’re full of power. We’ll fuck and give our energy to Seino, who’ll then cut Serena’s head clean off. Good enough?”

  “Nicely put.” Seino laughed at the stunned expression on Jericho’s face. “I like the way she words things. Very succinct.”

  “I’ll say.”

  Seino grabbed Jericho’s and Anya’s hands. “We need to find the evil first. This may take some time.”

  Anya shook her head. “Read my mind. She touched me with her magic, so I have some residue. Find her through me.” The cat clearly knew how to harness magic.

  “It might hurt.” He didn’t like the thought of distressing her, especially after her ordeal just hours ago with the sorceress.

  “I’m stronger than I look.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Jericho muttered. “Because you look like a stiff wind could blow you over, cat.”

  She glared at him. “You’re one to talk, Mr Stiff.” She smirked at his arousal. “You might not like me much, but your body knows different.”

  “I like you. Well, I don’t know you that well, but I like what I know.”

  She softened. “You should. I’m as good as it gets.”

  Jericho rolled his eyes but smiled.

  Seino allowed his mates the brief respite. So much had happened so fast. Now they were expected to bond with each other and with him, and in such a way that they’d never be able to separate and live, not after this spell. Something Jericho would no doubt take exception to.

  “Well, Seino? We don’t have all day. Let’s go kick some sorceress ass.”

  “I like that.” Anya nodded.

  Seino sighed. “Jericho, we really need to work on your tendency to try to take charge.”

  “Try?” Jericho chuckled. “I did take charge. Let’s go, demon.”

  Reminding himself to fix Jericho’
s dominance issues later, Seino called on the power in each of them and joined it. Then he sifted through Anya’s blood and bone and memory and drew the lingering essence of Serena into his mind.

  It took more power than he liked, but he found Serena in the human plane. Just outside the Great Forest in Alaska. She’d built herself a den of sorts, a fort made of rock and shifter blood. Impenetrable and surrounded by cursed hounds and walking dead shifters, all missing their hearts.

  Seino quickly teleported near her domain, but far enough away that he and his mates wouldn’t be noticeable. He then said a spell to not only camouflage their presence, but magically shield it as well, away from Serena’s prying eyes.

  Jericho and Anya released their tight grip on his hands, no doubt feeling the strain of his power.

  “I’ve found her. But before we work our magic, we need to know more about her plans.” He studied them both and chose Jericho. “You can take a bear’s form.”

  “Ah, yeah. I’m a bear. Thought we’d established that already.”

  “No, you’re Kin, first and foremost. The bear is in your blood, but it’s not all of who or what you can be.”

  Jericho groaned. “Understanding you gives me a headache. Just say what’s on your mind.”

  “I want you to follow my instructions and shift into something small and unnoticeable. A small bird perhaps. Flight would give you the ability to come in from the air and maintain a low profile in Serena’s keep.”

  Jericho’s eyes went wide. “Flight? You seriously think I can become a bird?”

  “I’ve done it.” Anya shrugged. “It’s not that hard. But it’s not anything close to being feline.”

  “Yeah, but you’re more Kin than I am. Don’t think I didn’t notice those cute pointy ears. Besides, your sexual power kind of broadcasts your tie to the athmae. I’ve been bear my whole life. I have a few visions now and again. That’s it.”

  “Because the rest is trapped inside you,” Seino explained. “Don’t fear the unknown, mate. Do what feels natural.”

  “Why can’t you just use those birds you tapped before, in your realm?”