by Ellie J Duck
“Oh good,” I reply sarcastically. “I’m sure that will make it so much more comforting when he goes rogue and kills a bunch of people.”
“Anna,” Summers warns me, his eyes flashing in a way that makes me think this might not be the best time for my brand of snark.
I imagine that if I’d just spent several days in another realm I hated, I wouldn’t be in the best mood either. Rather than speaking again, I fill my mouth with food so that I don’t get myself into real trouble which I sense is looming if I push Greg too far today.
“Do I want to know how things went down after Anna picked you up with silver poisoning?” Summers ask Hilton seriously, clearly sensing that I’m trying to bite my tongue to keep from starting a fight and doing a poor job of it.
“She chained me down and used the magnet to remove it,” Hilton shrugs nonchalantly as though the experience wasn’t traumatic and didn’t have him howling in pain.
“Did you get the fever?” Summers asks dubiously, and I feel my cheeks grow warm as I blush, realizing that he obviously knows the effects of a Shifter getting the fever after having silver poisoning.
Tobias nods his head, keeping his mouth shut and not looking at me.
“Did you hurt her?” Summers asks as though I’m not at the table.
Hilton nods again, looking grim now as his eyes dart toward me. I don’t doubt he is recalling the amount of pain I was in.
“Anna?” Summers begins in a quiet voice, clearly worried for my well-being.
“I’m fine, Summers,” I cut him off, not at all wanting to discuss the fact that I’ve now spent two nights shagging a guy that barely tolerates me. Especially not with my boss.
“You expect me to believe that?” Summers asks quietly, watching me intently and making me nervous.
“I expect you to keep your nose out of it, to be honest, boss,” I tell him. “I understand that as our supervisor you needed to know what went down, but for the love of God, please don’t ask questions and make the situation any more awkward than it already is.”
He looks mildly affronted by my statement and I cross my eyes in frustration, not willing to eat anything else with my stomach beginning to cramp uncomfortably. When I get up from the table and clear away my plate, I see the look Summers and Hilton share but neither of them comments. Instead, they eat the rest of their meal in silence while I rinse all the dishes I used and put them in the dishwasher.
Unable to stand the awkwardness another minute I leave the kitchen and retire to my bedroom, locking the door tightly and crawling into bed. Despite having spent the entire day sleeping I feel weak with exhaustion. No doubt a result of being with Hilton. I kind of hate myself as I crawl under the covers, bringing Hilton’s shirt to my nose and breathing in his scent. I fall asleep clutching the fabric and drowning in the memories of sleeping with him.
∞ ∞ ∞
I throw my arms up to block the attack as Hilton swipes at me in the training ring, wincing at the feel of his fist connecting with my forearm even as I swing at his stomach. I manage to land the hit, but I regret it when I feel one of my knuckles pop against his rock-hard abs. He barely flinches, and I grit my teeth at the pain, eyeballing him in annoyance. He’s cranky today and it shows in the way he’s not pulling his punches. He’s completely focused on trying to go through me and it’s all I can do to keep up with him.
I hiss in pain when he manages to land a kidney jab, pain radiating through my torso. He ignores my hiss, coming after me again and I begin to suspect he’s too focused on the fight to realize he’s fighting breakable little me. I push myself, trying to move faster, to keep up with him. It doesn’t help. A furious look passes over his face when he hits me hard enough to send me sprawling, drawing a gasp of pain from me.
“Hilton!” I snarl at him, kicking out at him angrily when he chases me across the ring as though he intends to keep fighting me even though I’m down. I suspect this is the result of not being able to shift into wolf form yesterday or today. He told me the silver poisoning means he can’t shift until the moon rises tonight and Greg told me that being incapable of transforming into wolf-form whilst still being half wolf on the inside makes things difficult for Shifters. He warned me to be on the lookout for irrational bursts of anger, or for bouts of intense focus like Hilton’s got going on right now.
Since I have no idea how to distract him and no desire to be beaten to a pulp by a crazy werewolf, I don’t bother trying to regain my feet. Instead I just roll under the ropes of the ring and away from him before Hilton can latch onto me again. He snarls at me from the other side of the ropes, but I ignore him, choosing to walk away. I’d rather do weights than stand around while he beats me up without meaning to because he’s feeling off.
I have just sat down at the leg press when he comes after me again, this time stalking toward me with all the ferocious grace of a predator and I am torn between admiring the view and needing to run for it. Some instinct tells me that running from him right now will only make him chase me, more intent on hunting me down.
“Have you got control of yourself or are you going to keep beating up the human?” I ask him seriously as he comes closer. He narrows his eyes on me a little and I notice that even though he’s in human form, the wolf part of him seems to be currently in the driver’s seat. Resorting to baser tactics, I get slowly to my feet once more, moving away from the machines in case he tackles me. Since he’s not responding to speaking English, I instead curl my top lip away from my teeth and growl at him in my best approximation of the sound.
He returns the favor with much more ferocity and I shiver as my hairs stand on end. His eyes, which have changed to lupine gold, flash at me with some emotion or thought I can’t name. I hold my ground when he comes even closer, his nose twitching as he sniffs me. It’s very odd to watch him behave this way. Not because I’m not used to the team expressing certain animalistic traits by now, but because Tobias is usually much surlier and much too grumpy to ever act much like the canine he sometimes is.
When he comes even closer, his nose twitching furiously as he sniffs at my face, I return the favor. Sniffing back, I breathe in the familiar scent of him, reveling in it and in the knowledge that more than once I’ve practically bathed in his scent. He stands so close to me that if I breathe deep enough our chests will touch and I try very hard to resist the urge to rub myself all over him. I have no idea right now how he might react to having me do that and I’d rather avoid being mauled if I can.
I jolt in surprise when I feel his hands come to rest lightly on my waist. He doesn’t seem interested in trying to fight me anymore. Instead, he seems like he’s exploring my scent. His nose continues to twitch even as he leans closer until his forehead presses gently against mine. He makes a little noise of contentment in his throat as his eyes close and he leans into me. I stay still as he leans against me. I don’t entirely know how to act when he’s the wolf and not the man.
I’ve yet to see him in wolf form but for the brief and terrifying glimpse I got when he shifted and tried to bite me last week, despite having seen the other three members of our team several times in their animal form. It’s a rare thing to see him not in control of himself and I’m surprised by his actions. I startle in shock when he leans in close and licks my cheek.
“Um?” I say, unsure how to react to the weird but surprisingly affectionate gesture from him for the second time in as many days. He opens his eyes slowly and I notice that they are gradually darkening from gold back to their usual shade of copper.
“You okay?” he asks me gruffly without pulling away when the human side of him reasserts enough control so that he can speak.
“I’m okay,” I whisper. He stares directly into my eyes, still with his forehead resting gently against mine. My heart is still racing inside my chest with a mixture of concern and desire and I can’t help but smile at him just a little bit. I open my mouth, intent on asking him if he’s alright and if he’s back in control, but before I can he l
eans even closer and plants a kiss on my surprised lips.
My eyes slide closed at the feel of being kissed by him again. There’s nothing like the taste of his lips on mine and I revel in the way he kisses me. Unlike the previous kisses we’ve shared this kiss is slow burning and almost tender. His hands on my waist tighten, pulling me closer until my body is pressed flush against his. He’s never kissed me like this before. Every other kiss we’ve shared has been wild and filled with desperate need. This kiss is slower and softer.
When his tongue slides in to tangle with mine I feel myself melt against him. My hands move up of their own accord to tunnel into his hair, securing him in place so that he can’t pull away before I’m good and done kissing him. Which I don’t see being the case any time soon. I don’t pause to consider the fact that it’s out of character for him to be kissing me. I’m beginning to think that there might be something weird going on between us, resulting in his continued interaction with me, but I put it out of my mind in favor of simply enjoying the feel of his lips on mine.
Vaguely I’m aware of the way he presses me into the wall of the gym, deepening the kiss and making my toes curl with pleasure. I almost whimper when he pulls away from my lips before moaning at the feel of him nuzzling into my neck and tormenting my flesh. The line of kisses he trails down my neck set me on fire with need and I know he can smell how badly I want him when I feel him grind against my skin.
“Tobias,” I whisper, wanting him desperately and not at all liking the idea that he may be just toying with me.
He responds by nipping the scars he’s left on my shoulder in the past, causing a jolt of desire to stab through me almost painfully. When his hands trail down my sides, over my hips and around to my ass before gripping and pulling me up his body, I wonder if some new compulsion has come over him. Surely, he’s not just willingly and of his own volition deciding he wants to sleep with me right now?
He kisses me again before I can ask him if he knows what he’s doing or if he’s in control of himself and I lose myself in the sweet taste of his lips. With my legs wrapped around his hips, my ankles locked against his lower back, he carries me through the base. If I wasn’t so lost in his touch, I’d have breathed a sigh of relief to know that Summers has already left, intent on finding the rest of the team and dragging them back here before the full moon.
When we reach Hilton’s doorway, I make myself pull away from his kiss to stare into his eyes.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” I ask him seriously, trying to keep focused on making sure he wants me this time despite the way he is trying to kiss my neck again.
“Yeah,” he mutters against my skin, his teeth nipping at my scars again and making me crazy.
“You’re not being mind-controlled or compelled to do this?” I push, wanting to make sure he’s acting of his own volition.
His eyes flash gold at me again and I wonder vaguely if this has something to do with the fact that he’s been unable to shift to wolf for a few days.
“Not compelled,” he shakes his head. “You’re just making me crazy.”
That answer throws me for a loop and I bite my lip on a moan when he kisses his way up my neck to nibble on my earlobe in a way that drives me wild.
“So, you’ve just decided you like me enough to want to sleep with me again?” I confirm, pushing the issue and not wanting to deal with the fallout later if he is somehow being compelled or not in control of himself.
“I don’t recall ever saying I didn’t,” he answers. “Now unless you’re objecting, shut up and let me ravish you.”
I choose to keep my mouth shut after that as he kicks his bedroom door closed and carries me over to the bed. The feel of his sheets against my skin is an increasingly familiar one and I grin at him from his mattress when he puts me down and lifts himself off me enough to pull his shirt off over his head. When he leans in and kisses me again, I can’t resist the urge to drag my nails lightly over the happy spot on his lower back just to the side of his spine, knowing it will make him instantly hard and wild for me.
He growls in his throat, kissing me harder and I smirk against his lips. He drags my hands away when he removes my shirt and then my bra, pinning my wrists above my head as his eyes feast on my body.
“You okay with this?” he asks me, pausing on his way toward my breasts to glance at my face.
I roll my eyes at the fact that he even feels the need to ask. What does he think I’m going to do? Turn down the idea of sleeping with the guy I strongly suspect I’ve fallen in love with? When he continues to stare at me, I realize he’s waiting for my verbal agreement.
“Oh, my God, Hilton! Stop being a tease and get on with it,” I demand when he keeps waiting even after I nod my head that I’m more than okay with this.
“I’ve never been called a tease before,” he tells me before lowering his mouth to my left breast and making me forget what I was about to retort.
Unlike the last few times we’ve hooked up, he takes his time, slowly tormenting me until I want to rip his hair out. When he finally grabs a condom from the drawer by his bed I groan in relief. It turns to a squeak of surprise when he grabs me and easily flips me until I’m lying on my stomach. I bite my lip in delight when I realize what he means to do, his hands pulling on my hips and hiking me up into the air.
“You’re being a tease again,” I warn him raggedly when he wraps himself around me, his body enveloping mine but not giving me what I want.
I glance over my shoulder at him when he doesn’t respond other than to slowly press inside me. His eyes have turned lupine gold again and for a moment I still, my heart skipping a beat as I wonder which side of him is in control. His hands curl around mine on the bed and I fight the urge to tremble when I notice the way his nails begin to darken and lengthen as though they’re becoming claws. He holds my gaze when I glance at his face again. He is so close to me that I can see every striation of color in those eyes and they are entirely wolf.
Fighting back the trickle of fear that begins to fill me, I resort to the same tactic I used in the gym. Rather than bothering trying to communicate with him as a human, I lean closer and lick his cheek affectionately. He makes a little noise of contentment and surprise, and I close my eyes when the action sets him back into motion.
His eyes darken back to copper and he blinks at me with an unfathomable expression on his face for a moment before rocking back and plunging himself deep inside me. The effect is almost immediate and I kind of hate myself for how attuned I am to his touch. It’s not right that he has this much of a hold over me when he seems to barely tolerate me most of the time.
“You’re making me crazy,” he groans when I whimper his name, shifting restlessly beneath him and unable to control the way my body reacts to his. His pace increases quickly, and I brace myself for each bone jolting thrust. I cry out when he sinks his teeth into the same spot on my shoulder he’s bitten so many times before. His hands are still sporting claws as though he’s barely hanging onto his humanity and they prick my skin when he squeezes my hands.
When I can’t take the pleasure anymore, I turn my head, my body clenching tightly around him even as I bite down hard on his forearm. Hard enough to break the skin and leave a mark on him like the one he’s left on me.
“Oh fuck,” he curses, his hips pistoning against me and making me crazy. The shudder rolls through him so hard that it makes my body tremble. When it’s over, he jerks back from me quickly.
“Anna, run!” he commands, his voice changing from the usual tone I know to a guttural sound that is hard to understand. There is an urgency in his tone that makes me spin toward him quickly despite how much I want to collapse in a boneless heap against his pillows.
“Oh shit,” I gasp when I get a good look at him in the dimly lit room.
“Run. Lock my door behind you,” he tells me, his body wracked with tremors, his muscles tight and tense as though he’s trying to hold back the change.
“Are you
alright?” I ask, my concern for him winning out against self-preservation.
“I can shift again,” he manages to say. “And if you don’t get out of here, I won’t be able to keep from transforming and biting you. Unless you want to be a werewolf, run!”
I don’t wait to be told again, or even pause to pick up my clothing, I just hightail it out of his room butt-naked. As I stop to close his door, I watch the way his body bows and bends, bones cracking and reshaping under his skin. Fur sprouts all over him and he falls to the floor on all fours as his face buckles forward into the shape of a muzzle. Before he can complete the change and come after me, I pull his door closed with a bang. The sound of a heavy thud against it makes me think it was just in the nick of time. Scrabbling claws against the steel of the door let me know he’s right there on the other side, snarling and trying to get out.
Unable to do anything to help him that won’t result in me becoming a werewolf, I walk away from his door and lock myself in my own room.
Chapter Seventeen
The sound of many footfalls wakes me from a fitful slumber several hours before dawn and I pull my guns from beneath my pillow. Arming myself as best I can, just in case, I slip from my room and down the hall. The flashing of red lights and the sound of an alarm is emitting from the communications room and my blood runs cold at the words flashing on the screen telling me that the base perimeter has been breached.
Not good.
Cursing foully, I see a group of more than ten intruders on the various cameras stationed about the base. I scowl in hatred when I spot more than one shifted to beast-form, counting a big cat, a bear and three wolves among them. The rest of the group is currently still human, but I doubt they intend to stay that way once all the doors have been breached and opposable thumbs are no longer a requirement for easy entry.