The Mating Project Read online

  The little fellow gave an almighty burp and then snuggled into Silas's shoulder with a yawn. Carter and Jake relaxed and grinned at each other, and some of the tension left her father's frame, as he, too, watched Silas with the baby.

  "So what you reckon our chances are of getting one of these for ourselves, eh wolf boy?" Silas nudged Malachi in the back, and Maria held her breath. You could have heard a pin drop in the room, as the nature of the men's relationship seemed to dawn on them all.

  Malachi glared at Silas and then sought Maria's gaze, and his forbidding features softened.

  "Guess that depends on our girl."

  He held out his arm, and Maria all but flew into his embrace.

  "Well, I'll be fucked." Jake's exclamation earned him a reproof from their mother, and Carter shook his head.

  "Seriously, Maria, you don't do things by half, do you."

  The only one who hadn’t said anything yet was her father, and Maria's insides churned. If he rejected them all now it was as good as a death sentence for them all.

  "Gunnar, let it go. Just look at them. Really look at them."

  Her mother's voice held the trace of tears, and Maria, too, choked them back as her father approached.

  "Is this what you truly want, Maria?" he asked.

  "Yes, Dad, it is. I love them both, and they love me and each other. I know it's a lot to take in, and I didn't plan this to hurt you or to rebel or anything like that, but Malachi and Silas are my mates."

  Her father seemed to age several years in front of her eyes, and he shut his eyes and mumbled what sounded suspiciously like a prayer under his breath, before he held out his hand to a startled looking Malachi.

  "Welcome to the family, then, son." A fleeting grin crossed his features, as he shook Malachi's hand and then Silas's. "Or should that be sons?" he asked, and Silas laughed.

  "I promise we'll look after her. These two hotheads need me to keep from killing each other."

  Another small crack appeared in her father's stern façade, and he opened his arms to Maria. The soothing scent of home hit her as she stepped into his embrace, and with it the hope that somehow this would all work out.

  "This won’t be easy. There is still the small matter of De Souza."

  Maria tensed, and her father hugged her tight, before he released her.

  "I owe you an apology for the way I pushed you together, Maria, and I owe you one, too, son." He glanced at Malachi, and he nodded just once.

  "You did what you thought right in the circumstances. Had I been in your shoes, I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same."

  Her father's eyes widened, and Maria could sense his grudging respect for the other man.

  "With your permission, Councilor, I do have a solution to the De Souza problem, one I wanted to initiate a week ago and was persuaded against."

  An ice cold fist squeezed around Maria's heart, but before she could say or do anything, Silas pulled her against his hard body. Dimly aware of Carter stepping up and taking his son off of the human, she heard Silas in her head.

  Let him do this, little cat. He needs to, and he's right. It's the only solution now.

  "And this is?" her father asked.

  "I challenge him to a duel to the death."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Malachi's wolf whined at the distress his words caused Maria, but they had to be said. Silas squeezed his shoulder from behind in a silent gesture of support, giving him the strength to carry on.

  "I know you'll be in possession of the evidence I've amassed against De Souza by now. The man has been abusing his position as head of the Mating Project for years now. He's been selling all of us out and damaging the bloodlines instead of helping to preserve them. No wonder the fucking man is loaded and thinks he can get away with murder. He's had a lucrative sideline in shifter trafficking all these years. It makes me sick to the fucking stomach to think how he abused his position as an original, and to know that my father was his willing accomplice. He hunted the females down and brought them to De Souza. The night Maria was caught was one of those damn hunts. It's rather fitting that he got killed in the process."

  Malachi's wolf growled his agreement, and Silas's hold on his shoulder tightened, soothing his agitated beast. It felt good to finally get this all off his chest.

  "The fucker expected me to just fall in line, and I told him then that I would have no part in any of this shit. Being an original gives no one the right to act as though the rules don’t apply to them. No one would have believed me back then, so I had to leave, to protect your daughter, to clear my name, and to bring the asshole to justice."

  He glanced back at Maria and was rewarded with a watery smile.

  "Despite appearances I didn't just leave. I daresay half the council still doesn't believe a word I have to say, despite the evidence I've amassed over the years. Silas handed it all to Cole Jackson, and the bear shifter was looking into it, before all this mess happened. As far as I know procedure every council member will have received copies of the documentation by now?"

  Gunnar nodded just once.

  "They have, but I'm afraid your assessment is spot on. It's your word against his. You're the criminal in this, and always will be, regardless of the way De Souza behaved at the gathering, or indeed in the past."

  Maria's furious growl behind him made him love her even more. She was always willing to step in and protect those she loved, but he was her mate. It was his duty to protect her, and this way she would be safe. Even if he died in this duel, the slate would be swept clean, and Silas and she would be able to continue their lives together in peace, and with the full blessing and support of her family. He wanted to see the two of them safe above all else. His life wasn't important in this.

  "I'm aware of that, but I'm an original, too. Ostracized or not, it is my right to call out another original in duel. The fates will decide who lives, and the matter will be settled."

  "No, you can't. Tell him Daddy. He can't do that."

  Maria's father looked at her.

  "I'm sorry, Maria, but he can. We haven't had a duel like that in several lifetimes now, but they’re the stuff of legends."

  "Bullshit, they're barbaric and outdated, and—"

  "Maria, language. There are children present in this room." Her mother's cool voice rebuked his mate, and Malachi had to smile at her hiss in answer, even as he hardened his heart against her misery.

  "Are you sure this is what you want, son?" Gunnar asked him. "Once a duel has been called it cannot be revoked. It's a fight to the death."

  "I'm aware of that."

  Maria whimpered and Silas sighed, and you could have once again have heard a pin drop in the room. Even the babies didn't as much as murmur.

  "Then so be it. I will make the arrangements."

  A weight lifted off Malachi's shoulders at the older man's quiet assurance, but there was one more thing he had to ask of him.

  "There's one other thing, sir."

  Something about the formal way he addressed him must have alerted Gunnar to his intention, because he glanced toward Maria and smiled at her.

  "Yes?"

  Malachi took a deep breath and half turned so that he could see Maria and Silas. Silas seemed to be holding her up if the white knuckled grip he had round her waist was any indication, and silent tears ran down Maria's face that tore at his resolve. He held out his hand, and she grasped it.

  "I would like to ask your permission and your blessing to mark your daughter."

  Maria's mum clapped her hands, Silas smiled and nodded his agreement, and Maria simply stared at him.

  He lost himself in the shimmering haze of emotions in her tearstained gaze, and from far away he heard her father ask Maria a question.

  "Maria, is that what you want? If you do, I’ll ask him to do it here. A traditional marking needs to take place in front of witnesses. Ideally at an official function, but as we can't do that, your family will do as witnesses."

  Maria's eyes wid
ened, and a blush spread over her as the implications set in.

  "You need to answer your father, princess."

  She blinked twice and ran her tongue around her lips. Silas groaned under his breath and moved one hand to adjust himself behind Maria's back. Malachi grinned at him, because he knew just how the other man felt. Thanks to their bond, Silas would get Maria's aroused response loud and clear.

  "Why … why do we have to do this here?" she asked. She didn't look at her father when she mumbled those words, and Malachi cupped her chin and kissed her. Instantly her anxiety fled, and Silas gave her a gentle push until she was cradled against him. Silas stepped up behind her, and their eyes met over her head in quiet understanding.

  "Those are the rules, little cat," Silas said. "Malachi is an original. He wants to abide by the old rules, so that no one can claim this wasn’t done right in case…" Silas let his words trail off and a muscle ticked in his jaw, and Malachi cupped the back of his head and kissed him, too. They stood together, the three of them, in a silent show of strength.

  Maria's father cleared his throat and broke the moment.

  "I still need your answer, Maria."

  "Yes, the answer is yes, Daddy."

  Maria's mother started crying and then got up to help form a circle around them. Everyone held hands.

  "In that case, Malachi Luca, I give you my blessing to formally mate with and mark my daughter, Maria Anderson. In front of all these witnesses let it be heard that this union took place. May it prove fruitful and long-lasting."

  Silas took her hair and lifted it out of the way, and Maria tilted her head sideways. Her heartbeat was going crazy, and Malachi allowed his wolf to come to the surface. His jaws ached and his dick throbbed with the realization that this was it. He would claim her and she would be his, and Silas, too. He would claim him later, and in private, but it would be no less of an intense moment than the one he now faced. Everyone would know that these two precious people were his to protect and cherish, and he closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer up to his mother. She would have loved both Silas and Maria.

  When he opened his eyes again it was to find both Maria and Silas watching him, and the love they projected toward him was an almost tangible presence.

  He dipped his head and ran his fangs along Maria's neck. She whimpered low in her throat, and he kissed Silas’s hand, which had fisted into her hair and was still holding it out of his way. Seeking his lover's gaze he murmured the words on his heart.

  "I love you both, so much. Whatever happens, look after each other."

  Silas nodded, and Maria choked back a sob that turned into a scream when he sank his teeth into her soft flesh.

  Arousal, hot and fierce and all consuming, coursed through his veins, and he tightened his hold on Maria as her whole body shook with the force of the powerful mating orgasm ripping through her. His hips jerked forward and his cock stiffened to the point of pain, but there was no way he was taking his love in front of everyone. She rode out her pleasure with his fangs still lodged in her throat, and it was only when her tremors stopped and she went limp that he withdrew and licked her wound clean. His gaze collided with Silas's, and at his wolf's insistent urging he grasped hold of Silas and bit him, too.

  Silas froze and groaned, not once breaking his supporting hold on Maria. It was only the glazed look in his eyes and the wet stain marring his jeans that spoke of his own reaction to the marking.

  Malachi threw his head back and howled. It was a statement and a warning. These two were his, as much as he was theirs, and no one was going to take that away from them.

  ****

  Maria was dimly aware of the sensation of being carried, cradled against Malachi's chest, and she snuggled in close. His heartbeat thundered under her ear, and when she blindly grasped for Silas, his hand closed around hers and squeezed. Her heart leapt for joy at the connection she felt to both of them.

  Malachi, can you hear me?

  Yes, princess, I can.

  I'm here, too, little cat.

  It worked? We're all mated, together?

  She burst into tears when both men replied in her head, and she didn’t seem able to stop crying, not even when she was back in her old suite of rooms, cradled between both men as they took turns kissing her and each other.

  "I don't want you to duel, Malachi. Tell him he can't do this, Silas. Make him see sense. I've only just found him. I can't lose him. I can't lose either of you, not now, not ever."

  Malachi jumped off the bed, his agitation showing in his frantic paces up and down her room, and Silas sighed and framed her face in his hands.

  "Don't make this harder on him than it already is, little cat. He needs to do this. It's the only way to set us all free and to rid the world of a monster."

  "I don't care, let someone else do it. We could just run away. Yes, let's do that." Maria warmed to this plan. "We can leave the country. Leave this miserable little island and go somewhere warm. No one need know where we go. I've got some money saved, and—"

  "And leave behind your parents, your friends?" Malachi interrupted her. "Carter, Jake, Anastasia, and the babies? Are you prepared to never see them grow up? For any cubs we may be blessed with to never meet their grandparents? To forever live amongst humans and away from our kind, lest one of them report back to the council?"

  His voice got louder and deeper the more he talked, and his features flashed from his wolf back to his human self and back again. It was a measure of his agitation that he didn't even seem to notice he was shifting in and out of his animal form.

  "Because let me tell you, princess, I tried that once, and it's not pretty. I don't want that life for you and Silas, and besides, that maniac needs to be stopped. This is personal, and I will stop him or die trying."

  Maria burst into tears again, and Malachi took her off Silas and cradled her to him. She clung to him and comfort turned to bone-shattering need when he kissed the tears off her face, and licked his barely healed mark on her neck. His groan trembled through her, and Silas's hands massaged her tense shoulders.

  Maria let her head fall back exposing her neck to Malachi, and he delivered little bites along her skin, whilst Silas kissed her. Her hands roamed over Malachi's chest, pulling at the material to get to his skin, and Malachi yanked the tee over his head and divested himself off his trousers in record time. There was no finesse to his movements, just stark need, reflected in the harsh lines of his face and the force of his erection.

  Silas bunched her dress up and pulled it over her head and then undid her bra and tossed it away. He kissed her spine, murmuring words of endearment, whilst Malachi grasped her aching breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples. He pulled and tugged on the buds, sending messages of lust to her clit and pussy, and when Silas slid her now soaked thong off and helped her out of it, Maria whimpered.

  "She's so fucking wet for us, Malachi. It's beautiful. Here, taste."

  Maria mewled when Silas ran his fingers through her wet slit and offered the slippery digits to Malachi. He sucked them clean, and his wolf's deep rumbles of appreciation trembled through her.

  His eyes locked with hers, and he flashed a toothy grin at her.

  "We better oblige by fucking her silly then," he said.

  Silas chuckled behind her and urged her on her knees in such a way she straddled a sitting Malachi, who resumed the sweet torture of her nipples, whilst kissing her. Silas slapped her ass several times, and Maria buckled.

  Malachi abandoned her breasts and grasped her hips to steady her. The move brought her slippery labia in direct contact with the slick tip of his cock, and they both groaned when he ran the swollen crown through her slit repeatedly.

  The movement behind her told her Silas was undressing, and then he was back, his hot hands soothing the left over burn on her ass cheeks.

  "Hmm, this butt is not red enough for my liking."

  Maria pulled in a shaky breath when Malachi dug his nails into her hips and thrust into her body o
nce. Oh, that felt so good. He lifted her off him, and Silas spanked her ass again, twice on each side, adding to the heat flowing through her veins and Malachi impaled her on his dick again.

  Again and again they repeated this torture until Maria's butt was one hot mass of sensation, and she was pleading with them to let her come.

  "She pleads so nicely, Silas. What do you say?"

  Silas spanked her one last time, hard enough to drive her all the way forward, so that she collapsed on Malachi, who was now reclining on the bed. Malachi wrapped his hands in her hair and kissed her, whilst Silas grasped her hips and lifting her up again pushed his cock into her body in one forceful thrust.

  "I say it's my turn to fuck that pussy."

  Even wet as she was the thrust hurt, as her tissues screamed at her and her body tried to adapt to Silas's bigger size, and Maria screamed into Malachi's kiss.

  Silas gave her no time to adjust, just pulled out and pistoned back in again in such a way that pain gave way to overwhelming pleasure. Malachi slipped a hand down her body and stimulated her clit, never once relenting on the kiss that stole her oxygen and made her lightheaded. Pleasure built in spiraling waves, and just before she could reach her peak, Silas pulled out.

  Maria moaned her frustration and hissed when Silas spanked her again, and then grasped her hips and shoved her down on Malachi's cock.

  Instantly the red hot zing of arousal fizzed through her again, as Silas lifted her on and off Malachi's shaft, whilst Malachi kneaded her breasts and pinched her nipples in turn.

  Again they pushed her to the edge, only for everything to stop, when Silas lifted her off Malachi.

  She screamed when Silas's cock tunneled into her pussy again, and Malachi sucked her nipples into his mouth. Just like before they pushed her to the edge, and stopped, and Malachi claimed her cunt.

  Helpless to do anything, Maria shut her eyes, and gave herself over to the myriad of sensations her men evoked in her body. She lost count of who was inside of her at any given moment. It really didn't matter. They were hers, and she was theirs to do with as they pleased, and she floated away to a place where all sensation merged into one long moment of the most exquisite pleasure as her orgasm finally hit.