Jaguar's Passion: A Shifter Romance (Guardians of the Fae Realms Book 5) Read online

  JAGUAR’S PASSION

  Guardians of the Fae Realms: Book 5

  JL Madore

  Copyright © 2020

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  JL Madore

  Cover Design: Gombar Cover Designs

  Note: The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Jaguar’s Passion: Guardians of the Fae Realms

  JL Madore -- 1st ed.

  ISBN: 978-1-989187-40-1

  CHAPTER ONE

  Calli

  I circle the clearing, my flaming feathers flapping in the auburn and tangerine sky of sunset. With each lift and thrust of my massive wingspan, I ensure my flight doesn’t go so high that I’ll be noticed from a distance but high enough that I can say without a doubt, there’s no portal gate here. No remnant magic tingles over my heated flesh. There’s nothing that could be rebuilt or repaired to allow entry into the fae realm.

  Dammit. My phoenix lets off a long squawk and then I meet Hawk’s gaze and turn back. Another dead end. I should be getting used to it by now, but it still sucks. With the clearing below, I lean back and flex my talons at the ground.

  Hawk’s instructions for a smooth landing play back in my head: slow down, wings out, backward thrust, lean back, release my phoenix, and drop to my feet.

  Easy for him to say. The ground always seems intent on coming at me and taking me out. That could be paranoia.

  Whoa… wait… yikes…

  Right before I hit the ground, I release my phoenix, and I’m a woman once more. I don’t stick the landing one hundy percent, but it’s nothing a few running steps to catch my balance doesn’t take care of.

  I’ll take it and call it a win.

  At least I’m not skidding across fields and back lawns on my face anymore.

  “Anything?” Kotah asks, meeting me with a flare of his neverending optimism. My wolf is the spirit of our quint. He’s all the hope and patience and beauty we could ever ask for in a mate. He’s the youngest of the five of us, but in some ways, he is the old soul of the group. I think that comes from his native heritage and his connection to the natural world.

  Or maybe it’s his genius IQ.

  Or his Omega gift coming through.

  I meet his expectant gaze and remember he asked me if I found anything. “Oh, sorry, no. Nothing. I’m not picking up anything we could use.”

  He helps me into one of the new fireproof wrap dresses Hawk has made for me and I cover up. As a human turned wildling, I missed out on a few of the natural abilities they enjoy as preternatural perks.

  I can’t detect scents in the air like them. I don’t have a bonded identity to my animal side like them—although they think that might develop with time. And I can’t shed and re-manifest clothing like them.

  When I shift, I either start naked and end naked or I start clothed and end naked because my clothing has gone up in flames. And where it used to take me days to regulate my body temperature back to normal, now it only takes ten or twelve hours, but that’s still a long time to have to be naked when we’re out and among other people.

  Thank goodness for fireproof fabric.

  “Don’t look so dejected, Spitfire.” Hawk steps out of his landing and flashes on black slacks and a black button-down dress shirt without breaking stride. He rolls the cuffs as he walks, and I don’t think he even realizes how incredible I think that is. “We knew this would be a needle in the haystack endeavor. We’ve still got a dozen or so other sites to explore.”

  “Besides,” Jaxx says, closing up the lawn chairs and tossing the lid on the cooler. “A good time was had by all. Brant, Kotah, and I got to sit here, shoot the breeze, and relax a bit while we watched you guys fly. Seein’ your phoenix light up the sky steals our breath, kitten. It never gets old.”

  “You can say that again,” Brant says. He picks up the cooler and lifts it into the open door of Hawk’s Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, a twin-engine, long-range luxury helicopter. “It’s a good thing we’re mated for life because I want to watch that until I’m an old and grizzly grizzly.”

  I chuckle and pull my hair free from the collar of my dress. Jaxx hands me a cider and I take a drink. It’s unbelievably cold, but then again, it might be because my insides are still molten hot. I slip one foot behind the other and offer them a little curtsy. “Thank you. Thank you. I’m glad you boys enjoyed the show.”

  Kotah’s smile is too cute. “We did. We talked about showing you how much but decided not to put Hawk’s pilot through watching us get naked.”

  “Again,” Brant chuckles.

  Hawk sends them a look of pure censure and frowns. “Yes, thank you for your restraint. I’d rather not be flagged for that HR complaint twice in one month. That last afternoon delight cost me twenty grand in pain and suffering.”

  “Pain and sufferin’ my dimpled behind,” Jaxx says. “You never should’ve paid that one out. That guy was just mad he didn’t get an invite to join the party.”

  I chuckle and send Hawk a sympathetic smile.

  Brant and Jaxx finish packing up our belongings and then Hawk offers me a hand and helps me inside the helicopter. My seat is covered with a fire blanket, just in case, and I settle in for the ride. “What’s our next stop?”

  Jaxx highlights our current position with a red swipe. “That’s it for today. Time to head back to the palace.”

  Kotah falls noticeably quiet at the mention of going back there, but there’s not much to be done about it. As the new Fae Prime, his coronation ceremony isn’t something we can skip.

  Although we totally would if we could.

  “I have a suggestion for the four of you.” Hawk slides the door closed and seals us in before settling on the bench seat at the back of the helicopter across from me. “In light of Kotah’s hatred of life in the palace and his recent brush with death by poison, I wondered about having a private residence on the grounds of the Bastion. There’s no getting around the times we’ll have to go to the palace, but when we do, we don’t have to stay there.”

  Kotah frowns. “And we’d live at the Bastion?”

  “No. I’m hoping that once things settle down, we’ll split our time between the Northwood property and the place I’m building in New Jersey.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you, Hawk,” I say. Everything Hawk does, has a great deal of thought behind it. People on the outside looking in might find him calculating, but when that power is used with us, it’s always about trying to fill our every need. “What do you think, Kotah?”

&n
bsp; He shakes his head. “It is very thoughtful—and I appreciate it—but you can’t buy or build a house everywhere we go.”

  Hawk’s gaze clouds with confusion. “Why not? I have more money than we’ll ever need and I want the four of you to be safe and happy.”

  Kotah unbuckles his seatbelt and gestures to switch spots with Brant. Taking a seat next to our corporate romantic, Kotah leans sideways and kisses him. “Thank you for worrying about me. I appreciate that you will do anything within your power to make things more palatable for me, but I’m solidly in ‘suck it up’ territory now. Until changes are made, I need to stay at the palace and assume my place. Once I’ve established myself and have a firm grasp on what I want, we’ll revisit this and discuss moving.”

  “We can always escape for a weekend now and then, and hang in the bunker,” Brant says. “We never did finish our game of Margarita madness.”

  Jaxx laughs. “That’s because Calli got drunk and seduced me. We definitely need a do-over on that one.”

  I laugh. “If I get a vote, I like the idea of making our home base at the Northwood property. North Dakota is where I felt the most at home, so far.”

  Hawk frowns. “Of course, you get a vote, Spitfire. What say the rest of you?”

  “Yeah, me too,” Brant says. “Kotah’s land in North Dakota felt like a good fit for all of us.”

  Jaxx smiles. “And Brant, Hawk, and I got left out of the skinny dippin’ in the grotto. We gotta get back to at least even the scales of justice on that front.”

  Hawk nods. “Okay, we won’t make any decisions just yet but the offer is always open. The Bastion has secure grounds, a bit more nature to enjoy, and since I’m already rebuilding the cabin that blew up with you four in it, I’ll make a few upgrades to make it feel more like home.”

  “Perfect. Then we know it’s an option,” Kotah says. “Once the coronation ceremony is over and we vet the Fae Council to get them up and running again, we’ll talk about where we want to live. Who knows, if the place we find to make the new portal gate is in Alaska, maybe we move closer to the front lines of fae integration.”

  Jaxx frowns. “Then if we’re throwing out random states, I’m hoping we can establish a portal gate in Arizona or New Mexico. I don’t know about you guys, but this jaguar likes heat against his fur.”

  I laugh. “This phoenix is rather fond of heat too.”

  Brant, Kotah, and Hawk all chuckle. Hawk nods. “Okay, then, let’s hope that wherever we can establish a portal gate there’s heat.”

  Jaxx

  It’s after eight when Hawk’s pilot lands us on the front lawn of the palace and we call our exploration over. We didn’t find anything promising at any of the locations listed of past portal gate sites, but we take it in stride. The five of us are healthy and happy and for now, that’s enough.

  “Welcome home, kids,” Mama says, as we come through the door of the Timber Trails suite in the Fae Palace. Our two-story residence smells divine, the heavenly scent of my mother’s cooking filling the air with both the ambrosia of home cooking and her love.

  “Hey, Mama.” I lean in and kiss her cheek. “You’re spoiling us.”

  Her indulgent smile is home to me. Always has been. “I figured y’all might be tired from your travels and wouldn’t feel like cooking, so I took some liberties. Everything is ready for the table. Enjoy. We’ll meet up for brunch tomorrow to hear all about it and discuss the next steps.”

  “Thank you, Mama,” Kotah says, dropping his duffle inside the door to head straight over to hug her. “It smells delicious. Thank you for all you do.”

  Mama cups his cheeks and plants a lipstick kiss on his forehead. “You’re welcome, my sweet boy.”

  Daddy takes my bag and Calli’s and walks them to the top of the stairs. When he comes back, he gathers Mama and ushers her toward the door. “Enjoy your evening, kids. We’re across the hall if you need us.”

  “Thank you, Jonathan,” Hawk says. “Good night, Maggie. Dinner smells wonderful.”

  I kiss Mama once more on the way out, squeeze Daddy’s hand, and then lock the door behind them.

  “They are the two nicest people I’ve ever met,” Hawk says, untying the laces on his boots. “I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve felt unworthy to have your parents caring for me. It’s humbling.”

  I wave that away and hold up the ring box Mama slipped me on her way out. “You’re worthy, hotness. Change those internal tapes. We all deserve each other. The universe decided and it’s a slam dunk. And to prove my point… we have something for you.”

  Hawk waggles his brow, but he knows what’s coming. He should, he bought the mating bands we all wear.

  Calli lets off a squeal of excitement and slides an arm around my waist. “Okay, so, you left the engraving of your ring up to us and it was a no-brainer. Wasn’t it, guys?”

  Kotah nods and moves Hawk to stand in front of us. “We went with your theme and continued the sentiment. Our soul, Our strength, Our passion, Our fire, and…”

  I open the ring box and let Kotah do the honors. The kid has been on cloud nine since we all got our mating bands and with all the turmoil and strife in his life, we let him take his happiness where he can.

  “Hawk Barron, we declare you, Our heart.”

  Hawk chuckles. “Really?”

  Brant arches a brow and pulls the leather tie from his hair. The chestnut waves fall loose and settle across his broad shoulders. “You sound surprised.”

  “Honestly, I am. I’ve always considered my heart as cold, dark, and hardened. I didn’t realize you saw things so differently.”

  Calli steps forward, hugs him, and then presses her hand against his chest. “Your heart may have been hardened but it’s far from cold and dark. You prove that to us every day.”

  When she pushes up on her toes to lay a kiss on him, Hawk’s arms wrap around her. She may have meant it as a moment of simple affection, but as things go with us, it gets hot and heavy faster than we can control.

  I groan as Hawk’s hips grind forward and his hold on her ass rucks up the hem of her dress. Calli has an amazing ass. “And just like that, I’m hard and randy,” I growl. “Dayam, are we ever gonna get a handle on this mating hunger?”

  Brant chuckles, adjusting the lay of his cock in his jeans. “Fuck, I hope not, Jaguar. Why ruin a good thing?”

  “A great thing,” Kotah corrects.

  Calli crosses the line of restraint first by reaching down and palming the ridge filling out the front of Hawk’s slacks. “Can dinner hold for a bit? I’m hungry to feast on something else right now.”

  I check the oven, turn everything off, and cover everything on the stove. “All good to sate your hunger, kitten. Have at him.”

  She practically rips Hawk’s designer pants open, greedy to get at him. You gotta love our mate. She loves sucking cock and isn’t about to apologize for it.

  Which is SAF. Sexy. As. Fuck.

  Calli pushes Hawk against the edge of the kitchen table and bends to take him into her mouth.

  He arches back, and his entire body shudders in a racking wave of pleasure as her lips split over his crown and he sinks into the hot depths of her mouth. “Yeah, Spitfire. Whatever you’re hungry for. Devour away.”

  “Oh, this is on,” Brant says, reaching over his head to pull his shirt off.

  Yep, it doesn’t take much to set our horny quint off on a sexual tangent. Not that I’m complaining. Yeah-no, that will never happen.

  “Be right back.” Kotah jogs off to the bathroom.

  Brant’s got his shirt off and is shifting in behind Calli’s ass. The corded muscles that run up and down his back flex as he moves, and sexy hot anticipation burns in my balls. “You know what I love most about these wrap dresses, beautiful?”

  Calli’s too busy deep-throating Hawk to answer.

  I chuckle, toss my shirt, and undo my pants. They fall to the floor in a quiet flop and I step free. “Tell us, Bear.”

  He bends and
reaches around Calli’s waist, pulling the end of the tie holding the two sides of the fabric together. The fabric unwraps from her waist and peels away from her shoulders. He tosses it to the back of the couch, leaving her gloriously naked. “It’s a one and done outfit.”

  “Well done, Bear.” Hawk’s voice is deep and husky, his breath quickening. “I would’ve done the honors if I wasn’t currently holding myself up.”

  “A little weak in the knees, are you, hotness?”

  Hawk glances over and I stroke off for him. My cock is hard and demanding I get in the game by starting with a little light teasing. “Make him come hard, kitten. Teach him that it’s fun when the predator becomes the prey.”

  Hawk sends me a searing gaze and I close the distance. ”Twist his sac.” I continue to palm my cock for Hawk’s pleasure. “He loves it when I play rough with his balls, don’t you, Avian?”

  “I do,” he says, his chest rising, his breathing quick.

  Calli’s arm shifts between their bodies and shiiit, I can feel the surge of sensation from here. Hawk shouts out, his fingers gripping the edge of the table like he’s holding on for dear life. Which, having been there more than once with Calli, he most definitely is.

  Brant is bent over Calli’s back, one hand occupied with her tits while the other is busy rubbing her core.

  “Can I help you with these, big guy?” I reach around his hips, take control of his button fly, and strip him down. He steps out of his jeans and I run my hands down his massive thighs. The man is a breathtaking specimen of honed muscle and power held in reserve.

  And he’s mine for the taking.

  Kotah comes back as Hawk’s head tips back and our corporate raider barks a triumphant cry of a great orgasm. Damn, he’s sexy. Fully dressed in his fancy black dress shirt and his pants pooled around his ankles, his chest heaves as he loses himself in her mouth.

  We’ve all learned how much Calli gets off on oral.

  I don’t know how it affects the other guys but knowing she relishes swallowing my cum down pretty much wrecks me every time. “How was that for an appetizer, kitten?”