Whirlwind Revolution (18 page)

She shot me a cat-like smile that shone even in her eyes. “Agreed.”

We worked for the next hour, mapping out everything we could. Once word was spread throughout the different packs, etcetera, we started getting calls in with undisclosed locations and a
wide
picture of what we’d end up going against.

Now I felt comfortable in this room—in this setting and estate really.
This I know how to do. This is my domain.

“This is a genius plan, Consort Hadley,” Abram praised as he moved his little flagged markers onto the edge of the map. He even color coded and drew the damn animal on the flags. Talented dick.

“Gods,
please
don’t call me that,” I murmured as I rubbed my chest. “We’re not there and—” I shut my mouth. No need to insult the felines.

“And what, Hadley?” he asked gently, rubbing my shoulder. “Shit, you’ve gone pale. Sit down.”

I squatted down instead, not thinking I’d make it to a chair as I suddenly couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. “Don’t call me
that
.”

He moved down in front of me, still trying to comfort me. “Okay, we won’t. I just wanted to try it on and see if it fit you.”

“No, no, it doesn’t.” My vision swam as I ended up on all fours. Fuck. I did
not
expect this reaction to hearing the term.

“Because you don’t want to be with me forever?” Torr rasped, his tone hurt, as he was suddenly in front of me.

“No, that’s
all
I want,” I gasped as I reached for his hand. “I don’t want the title. Please don’t let them call me
consort
. You could have multiple of those, and I couldn’t deal with that. It sounds like
consorting with the enemy
or
mistress
. I can’t, Torr. Why can’t I just be your mate if that’s what we want?”

“Samantha was right. You might love me in
spite
of my being King,” he murmured, pulling me into his arms. “It’s not a plus to you.”

“No. I’m a solider and officer, but not a leader,
leader
.” I clutched him tightly as if he was the only thing tethering me to reality.

“I disagree, but you don’t have to use that title. You don’t have to be with me, Hadley.”

“I want to be with you!” It got even harder to breathe, realizing for the first time what that truly meant and what loving Torr all came with. My limbs went weak and I couldn’t even hold on to him.

“Shit, he’s going to pass out,” Samantha hissed. “Hadley, we’ll give you a different title if you mate Torrance, okay? What about just your Air Force rank?”

“Or Prince is what it’s supposed to be if I only take a true mate and not consorts,” Torr added. “I looked it up. He loses the title if I die of course but—”

“Die!”
Now I was really freaking out, thinking of a world without Torr. “No, you die, you take me with you.”

“Hey,
no one’s
dying, my owl,” he cooed as he dragged me onto his lap and tried to curl around me fully. “We’ll figure it out, okay? You wouldn’t have to rule like you’re thinking. You’d take over the Royal Guard which is exactly what you’re
perfect
for.”

“That’s only if there’s a Queen and she takes a—”

“Shut it, Samantha. We’re doing things differently,” he snapped. “Don’t worry about the title, Hadley. That would be your role if we mate. You could do that for me, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I could,” I agreed. I’d want to actually, because the Royal Guard’s sole job was protecting Torr. My heart started to slow back to normal instead of trying to jump out of my chest at the idea.

“And if we mate, we’ll figure out a title. No big. Please don’t let something that’s truly minor become a wedge between us.” He rubbed his cheek against mine, totally acting like my lynx.

“I just want you, Torr,” I mumbled again as I buried my face in his neck.

“I know, my love,” he breathed in my ear. I flinched and pulled back. “You are but I’m not ready to declare it officially until I know you’re staying for good. I’m sorry. It’s too scary and—”

I mashed my mouth down to his, moving him to the floor under me. “I’m staying. I’m
yours
, Torr. That’s why it was so scary to realize. I’m in this forever.” I cut him off when he opened his mouth. “But don’t say it now. Not like this. We’ll find the right time, not now though.”

He nodded as a wide grin broke out on his lips. “I agree. I’m yours too, Hadley, in every way.”

“Okay, good. Good.” I lowered my forehead down to his and simply held him. “Then I’ll take a title. Just not consort. Please? That seems so much like mistress or baby momma the way you guys use it. I can’t be just that.”

“
You
aren’t,” he assured me as he stroked my cheek. “I wasn’t ever going to just let you be my consort. That’s just how I court someone as Prince or King. Then I make the distinction for more. consort is a removable title. There are permanent ones as in a mating.”

“I can handle that then.” I gave him another kiss before sitting back on my feet and pulling Torr onto my lap.

“We can always call you
Queen
Hadley,” he teased. I nipped his lower lip and saw his eyes shining. “You back? You okay now?”

“Yeah. It just hit me hard. I was so focused on being with you, you loving me one day, that I kinda ignored the rest, and there are a lot of other things that come with being your man.”

“There’s more good than bad about it if you love me back.” His eyes went wide and he squirmed on my lap. “One day. Not today. If you love me one day and we mate. If you wanted to, I mean.”

I smiled as I moved my hand over his chest, my talon cuts showing. “I’ve pledged that’s what I want, Torr.” Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who could freak out because this was so important to them.

Or we could both
stop
freaking out and understand this was real. But I had a feeling that took more time.

Torr nodded as he rubbed his hands over my chest, probably realizing I’d had enough confusion and freaking for the day. “Will you show me what you’re plotting here? It looks like you’re trying to take over the world, my owl.”

“Oh, but I am,” I chuckled as I got to my feet, Torr wrapped around me. Then I sat him on the table as I explained my thought process and what had been bothering me about all the leader’s plans.

He scrunched his eyebrows together as he studied the map. “So you’re worried we’re not taking into account our adversaries positions enough?”

“Yes, but also we’re preparing like it’s a natural disaster coming. The approaching gusting whirlwinds that’re going to run through us and wipe us out if we don’t get to safety, indoors or something. It’s not that linear. We can’t be too close to a major base but we can’t be so remote they won’t have any problem nuking our asses without any fallout. Our stronghold is set up perfectly, with water access and the whole thing.”

“We need to make sure the other strongholds have the same,” he asserted as he pulled on his lower lip. It was a completely endearing gesture that made me want to eat him up.

“Exactly. And I think we should set up our stronghold as like our version of NORAD so basically paranormal command central for the continent.” I put a few shot glasses in other US locations. “Keep things simple in all the confusion but don’t
all
group up in one place.”

“So there can be more than one elder there,” Glenda gasped. “That’s
genius
. So all the heirs are the biggest locations with another elder or two helping them?”

“Yes, because they also have well-trained guards of their own. I think it’s a mistake to spread us too thin. Why should we have thirty something strongholds? We shouldn’t bulk up entirely either, but half and half. One normal castle with a variety of groups for every one massive stronghold that’s the strategic position for that continent.”

“Then Fabian could be elder as well.” Torr smiled brightly as he grabbed my arm with two of his, shaking me in his enthusiasm. “He was at the top of all the lists. I will text Emrys to hold off on the vampire elder until you get your full plan visible.”

“Glad you like it and aren’t pissed I’m interfering,” I chuckled, having been nervous I was stepping on toes.

“I do. Smart men are so sexy,” he purred. He slid off the table, making sure his body moved against me suggestively. “Let me text Emrys, and then if you have time for a break or they can work without you, I’d very much like to
praise
you some on your plan.”

“They all know their tasks for now,” I panted as I spun him back around and pinned him to the table. “Does this praise include you screaming my name?”

He gave me a sultry smile and pulled me down so he could press his lips to my ear. “I overreacted earlier, and I was already coming to offer up my apologies. I’m wearing your favorite toy. Want to see it?”

“Always,” I growled as I moved my hands to his ass. “Where?”

“Meet me up in our bed—” I flinched and he narrowed his eyes. “
I knew it
. There’s something wrong with being in my room that you’ve not told me.”

“You’re an idiot, Torrance,” Samantha snickered as she set some markers on the map, already jumping in to help. “He met you fucking a woman in that bed. Since he’s been here, he’s had to hear about just
how many
women have been in that bed. Trash the damn bed. Get a new one sent to the stronghold.”

“Is that what you want?” he asked me, tilting his head as he stared intently. I gave a quick nod and studied his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Torr, yesterday we were at the breaking point that I was
leaving
. I don’t even know if I’m staying in your room at the stronghold or if I go back to sharing—”

I gasped as his teeth bit into my neck and his hand grabbed my cock roughly. “This is mine. You are mine. You
said so
. No sharing or sleeping away from each other.”

“Uh-huh,” I moaned as his talented hand jacked me off. How had he slipped into my pants that fast? Damn, he was good. “I share a room at the flock house. I was saying I didn’t know if I was moving in with you or going to keep a shared room with the owls.”

“With me,” he hissed as he squeezed my cock.

“How I missed you two were together astounds me,” Abram chuckled. “The air sizzles around you and there’s so much desire in the room it’s suffocating.”

I lifted my head then and saw people discretely opening a few windows.

Nice
.

“So you’ll get rid of the bed for me?” I lifted him up again and decided the fastest exit was
out
the opened window.

“Headboard, frame, furniture set too if it makes you happy,” he mewled as I fondled his ass and he thrust against me. “Where are we going?”

“To show you the fun of outside sex.” I set him on his feet, knowing everyone was still watching from the meeting room. “Time for our animals to meet. I want to see my stunning lynx.”

He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. “I thought we were having sex?” he bitched as he started undoing his pants. “Fine, don’t want to fuck me silly.” He shifted the moment he wouldn’t tear anything and I couldn’t help but gasp. He really was stunning. I’d called that one right.

“We’re going to have lots of sex, my love,” I cooed as I scratched behind his ears. He purred loudly and rubbed his scent on me. “You’re going to run, I’m going to fly after you, tackle you to the ground so our animals get to play. Then we shift and fuck like crazy. Have you never just had wild animal sex after a run?”

He shook his head and it truly hit me that Torr might have had hundreds or thousands in his bed, but he never had anything
real
. No real passion, or intimacy, definitely not anything desperate or that leaves a mark on a person forever.

“Then let me show you how hot it is,” I growled as I gave him a gentle push. “Now run. You get a five second head start.” He jumped up, front paws on my chest and licked my face. Then he took off, faster than a natural lynx could ever be. I watched for more than five seconds before ditching my clothes and human skin.

I took to the skies, tracking my man. I dove down and plucked his ear or tail to be playful. He in turn took to trying to bat me away—claws tucked in so I could see his lynx recognized us. We played for about half an hour before I shifted on the dive and tackled him to the ground. Torr got the idea and did the same, his warm, soft skin against mine.

“You caught me,” he panted when we stopped rolling, staring up into my eyes. “Fuck your prize, Hadley.”

“No, no fucking,” I whispered as I pulled out the plug in his ass and lifted his leg.

“I don’t understand?” he moaned, spreading himself out wider for me.

“Time to make love to you,” I offered as I pushed inside him. “Because I love you.”

“I love you too, Hadley,” Torr sniffled and then cried out as I thrust in deeply.

“Wrap your legs as high up as you can on my back, babe.” Of course my lynx was able to make his feet hit over my shoulder blades. That was
hawt
. I entwined our fingers as I raised our hands over his head but not too high like I was pinning him. Then I kissed him softly as I thrust gently, but deeply. Gods, I needed to be deep inside him. “Good?”