Chapter 13

Akemi woke up enveloped in Sesshomaru's arms. His scent filled her head, making her smile. She loved this. Waking up feeling warm and secure with his scent all over her. His arms like steel bands securing her to him.

Wiggling she turned so that she could see his face. But her wiggling seemed to be waking up other parts of him. She blushed furiously as she realized that she was naked as a new born babe. Even worse was the fact that his very large male member was hot and hard against her stomach.

Though she and Sesshomaru had fooled around some over the last two weeks they had never actually seen each other completely naked. Actually she had only seen him shirtless once. He was always up and dressed before she awoke.

Curiosity overcame her and she stared at his bare chest. Easing the sheet down a few inches, she let her eyes roam over the broad expanse of smooth muscle. He was magnificent. Her fingers itched to touch him but she didn't want to risk waking him. Growing bolder she eased the sheet down a little lower.

She nearly died of excitement when she saw his ripped abs and trail of silver hair that disappeared below the sheet. Oh and the cut v at his hips made her shudder with lust. He was truly an exquisite creature.

Akemi desperately wanted to lift that sheet and see just what was poking her stomach. Did she dare? Hell yeah I do, her mind yelled! Lifting the sheet she looked down and nearly fainted. That was supposed to fit inside her? Her eyes were practically bugging out of her head. She knew that a first time was supposed to be uncomfortable but that would surely rip her apart. Maybe that is why he had never let her see it or touch it before.

A deep chuckle made her drop the sheet and clutch it to her breasts. Dear lord he had caught her ogling him in his sleep! Her face grew even redder with embarrassment. Falling back on her pillow she pulled the sheet over her head and groaned. Lord only knew what he thought of her now.

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Sesshomaru woke to the feeling of someone staring at him. Cracking open one eye he watched as his little wolf lifted their bedsheet and glanced down at his morning wood. He could not help but to chuckle as he watched her emotions flit over her face. Curiosity came first and was quickly followed by surprise and shock. She was so expressive.

Her eyes flew up to his and her already flushed skin turned beat red. She dropped the sheet and flopped down pulling her section of the sheet over her face. Sesshomaru laughed and tugged the sheet down to reveal her mortified face. Dropping a kiss on her delectable pink lips, he began to nuzzle her.

"I am all yours little wolf. You have my permission to look at me all you like. I hope that in return I can do the same." The last words he practically purred in her ear. Oh how he wanted her so badly. He just had to wait a couple more days and then they would not leave this room for days if he had his way. Never before had he wanted a female this badly.

Akemi shivered at his words. The man could tempt a saint when he dropped his voice down to that sexy whisper.

Sesshomaru pulled back and gave her a full view of his chiseled chest. He knew females loved his physic. He was a strong alpha male after all. But he was unprepared for her to reach out and stroke his chest. Her fingers ran along his collar bones and then down his sternum. His flesh broke out in goosebumps and he nearly moaned when her fingers traced over his flat nipples.

The woman was driving him crazy and she was barely touching him. His breath sucked in as she trailed her hand down his chest and stroked the happy trail below his belly button. His eyes jumped from watching her hand to staring into her brilliant blue eyes. They were wide with uncertainty and her teeth held her bottom lip captive. He wanted to free her lip and suck it into his own mouth.

It took everything in Sesshomaru not to flip her on her back underneath him and take her. The scent of her arousal was permeating the air. His beast demanded that they take her and mark her so that no other male could take her from him.

Her hand shifted again and traced where the sheet cut off her view of the rest of him. If she moved her hand down just a few more inches she could stroke him. His member jumped at the thought.

Akemi giggled at his reaction to her. Grabbing her hand he kissed it before linking their fingers together. "As much as I love your touch and wish for you to continue that very lovely exploration of my person you have to stop. My beast will demand I take you and mark you if we don't. I want to do things right with you, so that means waiting a couple more days for the mating ceremony."

Akemi groaned at his words. She did not want to wait! She desperately wanted him to teach her more. Touching and exploring him made her desire him even more. Pouting she looked at him from under her eyelashes but nodded. She couldn't help but to tease him just a little bit more though. She snuggled up to him pressing her chest too his side, and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him suck in another breath and nearly smiled. Sliding a silken leg over his own, she reveled in the feeling of his warm strong body flush against her own.

Sesshomaru let out a growl of pleasure. Her chest was pressed against his side and when he felt her slip her leg over his own his beast howled. He loved feeling her bare skin against his. The way she just seamlessly fit against him.

Growling Sesshomaru leapt from the bed and reached for his pants. For the first time in his life he was running. His little wolf was just too much of a temptation. Fixing his pants in place he turned to look at his little wolf and nearly drooled. She was laying on her side with her head propped up on her hand, watching him. What undid him the most was the soft sexy smile and gently draped sheet that barely hid her body from view.

Running his hands through his hair he took a deep breath and let it out. I am mating a little minx not a wolf, he thought to himself. But even as the though ran through his head he knew he was a lucky bastard. To have such a genuinely kind, loving, and sexy mate was not something he had ever thought he would have. At best he had hoped for a mate he could tolerate.

Sesshomaru finished dressing himself before walking to the bed and dropping a kiss to her forehead. "I have a meeting to attend to this morning but I will have lunch prepared for us in my private gardens. Be good and allow my men to watch over you today. I don't want you to leave their sight."

She frowned but agreed. He took in the sight of her for a few more moments before he left. Despite how badly he would like to stay with her he needed to address the issue at hand. Tomo needed to die. No one went against him like that and got away with it. He was not feared for no reason.

Walking to his conference room, he found it already full of people. The only person that surprised him in the room and that was his half brother Inuyasha. Looking at his brother he arched an eyebrow. The impudent pup just smirked at him.

Kyo was the first to break the silence. "My Lord, I have our security bumped up and men taking shifts for constant watch. I have also already taken the liberty of adding another guard for Lady Akemi. He should be reporting to her even as we speak. Hana has also decided to help keep an eye on her mistress until we have things taken care of to your satisfaction."

Sesshomaru nodded to his friend the shift his gaze to Jaken and Myoga, two of his most trusted advisors. "What do we know about Lord Tomo? And does anyone know where Shigeo is hiding out at? I want no more surprises."

Myoga cleared out his throat and spoke up. "Lord Tomo is a very old, rich, and prominent youkai in the Norther Lands despite being from a dubious lineage. He lives in a large fortress that it well guarded. His original mate died young after giving him two female pups. Both of which he married off for political alliances. What I have gathered from his peers is that no one truly likes the man. He has not cultivated many true friends, but does have more than a few lesser lords under his thumb. Shigeo being one of them. He met Lady Akemi only a handful of times and all of those were after her parents deaths. She is of a blue blooded line and Lord Tomo lusted after that fact and the hope that she would birth him a strong male pup to carry on his line. He apparently has a penchant for getting what he wants one way or another."

Kouga nodded. "He is a nasty old bastard for sure but I understand why he wants my cousin. Akemi is the last link of the Kumiko line. As you all know they were an old and dignified line filled with warriors. They practically ran the Northern Lands. Akemi not only inherited their heritage but all their lands. Mating with her would have given Lord Tomo more power and the prestige of having a pup with that heritage. I think he is hoping to further his own line by boosting it with a blue blood."

"Akemi's father was a Chiyo and a distant cousin of mine. His line is not as old and prestigious but it is nothing to laugh over either. They were good and honorable people, as well as quit wealthy. Lord Shigeo is the last living male of the line and has never mated and produced any heirs so the lands were willed to Akemi. Shigeo was never good with money or inspiring loyalty so I don't think he would have inherited even if he had produced his own male heir. That leaves Akemi the recipient of quit a bit of land and wealth. She is truly the wealthiest heiress ever to be born in the North."

Everyone in the room just stared at Kouga. Inuyasha broke the silence with a long low whistle. "Well shit Sesshomaru. No wonder why you have had so much trouble with keeping her to yourself. If I were you I would go mark her and bind her to me right now."

Sesshomaru growled. "Inuyasha if I recall correctly you had some trouble of your own courting and marking your mate."

Inuyasha snorted at him. "Yeah well, I had to worry about a sacred jewel, a demented sociopath, and a time traveling well. I think that would give any youkai trouble."

Kouga snickered. "Mutt face you screwed up every time you turned around with her. Honestly I don't know how you managed to talk her into mating your sorry self."

Glaring, Inuyasha flipped Kouga off. "That coming from the guy who didn't even remember he promised to mate his own woman. How is Ayame anyway?"

Kouga glared at Inuyasha right back, but his eyes softened as they thought of his mate. "She is due to give birth to our first pup soon. She is still hell on wheels though, but I love her."

Sesshomaru would have rolled his eyes at their banter had he been a lesser youkai. "Gentlemen if you are done we have serious matters to discuss. Do we know where Shigeo is? I do not want him to be an issue I have to deal with unexpectedly."

Jaken weighed in this time. "He was last seen heading into Lord Tomo's castle and has not been seen since then. Whispers are going around that Tomo was displeased with him and locked him in his dungeon. People that go their apparently rarely make it back out alive."

Sesshomaru steeple his fingers and viewed the men around his table. Anyone who saw the steely look in his eye knew he was capable of cold controlled deadly violence. "Then that leaves the question of what we should do about Tomo. He dared to try to take what was mine. He needs to be taught a lesson that he won't soon forget."

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Akemi was sure that today was the best birthday she had had in years. She had lunch with Sesshomaru and Rin, where Sesshomaru had gifted her with a necklace with a sapphire pendant. He had said it was to match her eyes, but she was pretty sure he just wanted to mark her as his. Still he could have given her a rock and she would have treasured it.

After that she had run into a human woman with a hanyou daughter in her arms. To her shock it was Sesshomaru's sister in law and niece. She had not even known he had a niece. Akemi had instantly fallen in love with the toddler. The girl had silver hair with adorable little ears and big blue eyes like her mother. Akemi wondered if her own pups with Sesshomaru would look similar.

She had spent the rest of the day talking to and getting to know her sister in law. Having grown up an only child in a small family, she was more than happy to welcome them into Sesshomaru's home and get to know them. She had even offered to take the little girl into the gardens to play while Kagome took a nap and recuperated from her journey to the castle.

That was how Sesshomaru found her an hour later. Two guards stood posted near her and a toddler was running around with flowers in her hair. He recognized her quickly as his brother's child. He supposed she was kind of cute. It made Sesshomaru's heart do something funny to see Akemi smile and handle the child with such apparent joy. He knew then that he would have as many pups with her as she would give him.

Catching sight of her uncle the little girl ran to him and wrapped her little arms around his legs. "Unki Sesshy! Up please!"

Sesshomaru looked uncomfortable but picked the little girl up and nodded as she jabbered away at him. Akemi gave him a brilliant smile as she walked toward them. "Looks like she found someone she likes more than me. Though I can't say I blame her as I think you are very handsome myself," she murmured.

Sesshomaru's beast pranced with pride. He slipped his arm around his woman and walked toward a bench. Little Keiko hopped down and ran to try to catch a butterfly.

Akemi leaned into Sesshomaru. After last night and this morning she was much more relaxed and open with him. It was amazing how something could happen to you and make you realize just how stupid holding back is. However much time the gods granted her with Sesshomaru she would live every moment to its fullest.

She knew she had a lot to learn about her soon to be mate but she could not imagine any youkai more perfect than him. He may have a tough outer shell but inside he was protective and caring. She knew he would always do his best by her and maybe one day he would even love her. She knew she was already falling for him.

Akemi let out a little laugh as Keiko pounced trying to catch her butterfly. One day she would watch one of her own pups do the same. The thought warmed her and made her lean in closer to Shesshomaru.

"How come you never mentioned your brother and his family," Akemi asked.

Sesshomaru glanced down at her. "We are not close. Until a few years ago we did not even acknowledge each other's existence."

Akemi frowned. "That is sad. I would like to have a large family. I don't ever want to feel alone again. I want our children to know their cousins."

Sesshomaru ran a hand over her hair and looked out across the garden. "I would like that also."

Seeing that he was not going to say anything more she just smiled and enjoyed the moment. It might not seem like much but she knew for Sesshomaru that was an enormous admission. He was not much for speaking of his feelings but he was clearly trying for her.

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Dinner that night was a loud affair. Everyone was talking strategies and guessing who was going to make what move. Akemi did not care for it one bit. She was not stupid, she knew that something had to be done with Lord Tomo. But she did not like the idea of sieging his castle.

If it was up to her she would cut off all his resources and take away everything that mattered to him. Let him live out the last of his days in poverty with no power or political clout. That was what would hurt the man the most. All of which she could do if she could take back her lands and set things to rights.

She just had to bide her time. Sesshomaru would take her back to her own lands after they mated. Then he could help her build back up her lands and power. She would be a major player in the political arena with her family heritage and money. But it would be her charm and loyalty to her people that would sway people to her side. Once she had backing she could start systematically stripping Lord Tomo of all he had dear.

Never let it be said that she could not be hard and devious when the time called for it. She was a strong demoness. Had she not proved that by freeing herself and getting back to Sesshomaru on her own? But did anyone ask her for her opinion of the matter of Tomo? Nope.

Poking at her plate she tried not to be mad. She knew that Sesshomaru was just trying to protect her. He did not wish for her to have to deal with anymore unpleasantness after everything that she had already been through. She could commend him for that, but it was her life that had been interfered with not his. Perhaps she could even sway him to see things her way once they got up north.

Yawning she tried to keep her eyes open and listen to the flow of conversations around her. She loved hearing Kouga and Inuyasha argue back and forth. She had had no idea that they even knew each other until dinner. It was a small world that they lived in. They apparently had been frienemies for years. And Kagome clearly loved speaking to Rin and asking her about the things she was learning and what she wanted to do with her life.

In a warped way they were all a large family and she loved it. Most people never got a second chance to have another family after losing one. Yet here she was sitting at the head table with her own big dysfunctional one.

"Ready for bed?" A husky voice whispered in her ear.

"Only if you are coming with me," she whispered back.

"Minx," Sesshomaru laughed as he nuzzled her ear.

Inuyasha snorted at them. "You two get a room already. I got a little kid at the table."

Everyone at the table chuckled, causing Akemi to blush furiously. Taking Sesshomaru's hand she said her good nights to the table. Walking hand in hand with Sesshomaru to their room felt nice. She had never really gotten to do this before. It felt natural.

Her two guards followed far behind and stayed at the door as they went inside. Sesshomaru pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. "I wanted to do that all night."

Akemi leaned into his warmth. Feeling bold she pressed a kiss to his exposed neck. Hearing his growl of contentment, she pressed another one a little lower. She laughed as he swept her up in his arms and promptly dropped her on the bed.

She rolled to her side and looked up at him enjoying the playful side of him no one else ever got to see. But he showed it to her. The gods had truly blessed her when they sent her to that mating challenge.

Sesshomaru moved behind the screen across the room and changed into his sleeping attire while she did the same. When he came back to their bed she was already curled up beneath the covers. He slid in next to her and nuzzled her neck.

"Good night my little wolf," he murmured to her as she drifted off to sleep. If she could hear that every night for the rest of her days she would be the happiest woman in the world.

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***Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I am thinking for the next one she gets mated and we find out a little more about what Sesshomaru has planned for Tomo? Review and let me know what you think!***