Chapter Nine – Hex
It was almost impossible to think of death when Martha was so full of life.
Then don’t, his bear told him as he sat side by side with Martha’s cougar.
But the dream. It’s a premonition.
Or not, his bear answered.
Beside him, the cougar rubbed her head along his cheek and lovingly nipped his thick ruff of fur around his neck. She was beautiful, her green eyes flashed in the moonlight as they looked over the world below. There in the distance was Bear Creek, several miles away, and yet he could see the creek that wound through the town. The symbol of his fears.
As he sighed, the air around him shimmered and Martha’s cougar slipped out of the world and the woman returned. She sat next to his bear, her legs crossed as she dug her fingers into his thick fur and leaned against his large body. They sat side by side, a bear and his mate, for several minutes before his bear let go of the world and let Hex come back. He sensed Martha wanted to talk and that was one thing his bear was not capable of.
“This is wonderful,” Martha told him as she shuffled nearer to Hex’s human form. “I’d forgotten what it’s like to sit up here. It’s like we’re on the top of the world.”
“I haven’t been up this high for a long time,” Hex admitted. “I tend to stick to the other side of the mountain and the higher peaks are not so accessible.”
“We do kind of get a head start from Cougar Ridge since the town is one of the highest in the area.” She leaned on his shoulder and he slid his arm around her and held her close.
“What do you want to do?” Hex asked.
“You mean right now, or life in general?” Martha asked lightly.
“I’m happy to discuss things either way.” He half-turned toward her and stared into her beautiful eyes.
“Then let’s forget about the future for now and make the most of the present. We have a small window of time that is ours, and I’d like to make the most of it.” She tilted her head back and licked her bottom lip, inviting him to kiss her.
He accepted the invitation.
Lowering his head, he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand as he kissed her mouth. Her lips parted and she sighed against him. Tendrils of desire coiled around his stomach and unfurled, sending shockwaves of desire through his body. He wanted her. Right now he could think of nothing he wanted more than to lay her down on the mossy grass and make love to her. Was it too fast? Too soon? He broke their kiss and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin of her neck, dropping feather-light kisses along her exposed collarbone, wanting to go lower and taste the soft flesh of her breasts.
Martha pulled away from him. “I want you. Like I’ve never wanted anything else in my whole life.”
“Same.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “But if it’s too soon?”
“It’s never too soon.” She caught hold of the hem of her sweater and dragged it over her head. It seemed kind of surreal to be sitting on the side of a mountain with a half-naked woman, but Hex knew it was real, very, very real.
Unbuttoning his shirt, he tore it from his shoulders and cast it aside before he unbuckled his belt. By the time he’d removed his jeans, she was naked before him, the moon reflecting off her pale skin. He reached out and touched her, she was warm, so warm and as she took hold of his hand and pulled him close, he moved to lie down next to her, skin against skin, two mates in the moonlight.
They lay for a while, enjoying each other’s company, the nearness of a mate they hadn’t known existed until this morning.
Then she moved, sliding her leg over his thigh before straddling him. Leaning forward she kissed his lips, her hair brushing against his chest. Hex threaded his hand through her hair, silky strands between his fingers which he coiled around and around as they kissed. She excited him on every level. It was as if they’d known each other all of their lives, every touch, every kiss was so natural. Even being naked in the moonlight on a cold winter’s night seemed natural. The heat of their bodies combined to keep them warm. Or maybe the nearness of his mate left no room for his brain to think cold. Instead, it thought hot, beautiful mate.
Martha reached down between their bodies and slid her fingers around his hard length.
He gasped, the touch of her hand on his skin electrifying. Threading his fingers tightly in her hair, he drew her head down lower and cupped her breast in his free hand, running his thumb over her nipple. Her thighs tightened around him and her hips bucked as he tweaked the taut bud between his thumb and forefinger. A smile played across his lips as her grip tightened around his hard length, too. How he wanted to bury himself deep inside her to feel her slick heat all around him.
Martha lifted her head and leaned back a little, and he let go of her hair, the silken strands threading through his fingers as she pulled away from him. She moved, their eyes locked together as she lifted herself up onto her knees and guided him inside her.
Slowly, very slowly, she lowered herself down onto his hard length. The sensations flooding his body were incredible, the connection between them making the moment emotionally and physically charged. It wasn’t the cold wind that swept down from the mountains that caused the fine hairs on his arms to stand on end. It was her. His mate. The woman who was claiming him as her mate.
Strong and fierce she rode him, her inner muscles tightened around him as she moved her hips backward and forward in a slow, steady rhythm. He sat upright and lowered his head, his mouth claiming her nipple, and her inner muscles tightened more, gripping him as the breath hissed through her teeth. Her rhythm quickened just like the blood in his veins. The heat from their bodies grew and sweat beaded on his forehead as he fought for control. He wanted to come, he wanted to fill her with his seed, but he wanted Martha to reach her climax first and cry out his name, telling the mountain they were mates, two people joined together by destiny.
Images from his dream pressed for entry in his head, but he denied them. His premonition would not spoil this moment for him. He wanted to be present, here for her completely.
Martha clasped her hands around his neck and pressed her body forward as she rode up and down on his hard length, her arousal growing as each intense movement took her higher. Hex slipped his hand down over her mound and stroked her, finding the small bundle of nerves between her thighs that tipped her over the edge. She froze for one exquisite moment, her body tense as her orgasm hit her. As the first waves of pleasure subsided, she moved once more, taking him with her as she crested the wave of pleasure and rode it until she was completely spent.
Hex’s thighs tightened and his essence pumped into her. They hadn’t used protection and the thought that he might give her the child they both wanted tonight as they made love in the moonlight heightened what was already an incredible experience. But as his orgasm subsided Hex was left with the bittersweet thought that if she did become pregnant tonight, and if he could not prevent his premonition from coming true, then their child would either never be born or the baby would one day be motherless.
As she cupped his face in her hands and kissed his mouth, he swore by the moon and the mountains that he would not let his premonition come true. Whatever it took, Martha would live a long and happy life.
“Sometimes, it’s like you drift off to somewhere else,” Martha said as she lay in his arms. The cold mountain air pressed against them, but her closeness warded it off. For now. Soon they would have to get dressed and move around. Even a shifter couldn’t ward off subzero temperatures, no matter how hot their blood.
“It just hits me sometimes. How lucky we are to have found each other, and it kind of floors me.” He averted his eyes, looking out across the world below. It was as if they were removed from everything and everyone else around them. Two people alone in the world.
“There’s more.” She placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face to hers so that their eyes met. “Tell me.”
He sighed and leaned forward, his lips pressed against her warm cheek. “It’s stup
id.”
But it wasn’t stupid. It was real. He knew it was real. The dream, the foreboding. Perhaps if his mother hadn’t had the same premonition about his father’s death, he might not have thought anything of it. He’d have cast it aside as just a dream and it would have lost its power over him. But he’d inherited his mom’s ability to see glimpses of the future. And he could not deny his dream and the message it contained.
“Hex.” She pressed her body closer, her fingers firm on his cheek as he tried to pull away. “I’m your mate and you can’t lie to me. Remember?”
He nodded. “I have this dream.”
“And it’s not the sort of dream where you are lying on the side of the mountain naked with your mate?” She arched an eyebrow in question.
“No, it’s not that kind of a dream.” He gave a tight smile. “I sincerely wish it was.”
“So what is the dream?” She kissed his lips softly. “You can tell me anything.”
“In the dream, it’s as if I’m drowning.” He chewed his bottom lip. He didn’t want to tell her what the dream actually meant. He didn’t want her to know she might die. “I have it over and over again.”
“And you are afraid that you might drown and leave me alone?” She took a long shuddering breath but then she said, “It’s just a dream. Not all dreams come true. If they did then I’d have gotten the promotion I wanted or won the lottery.”
“But this one...” He paused. “It’s like a premonition. It never changes.”
“It’s just gotten in here.” She tapped his head lightly with her finger. “Our minds play tricks on us. They make us see things and believe things that aren’t always there.”
“I know.” He nodded. “But this one is a little different.”
“And it might never come true.” She gave a small laugh. “If we avoid boats for the rest of our lives then it’ll be fine.”
He nodded and kissed her lips, kissing away her questions and his fears. She was right and he felt stupid talking about the dream with someone other than Mac or his mom. They had an understanding of where the dream might come from. But to try to explain that to someone else. Hell, even he would roll his eyes and tell them they were crazy.
“We should go.” She broke the kiss and pulled away from him. “I should go check on my mom.”
As she moved to get up, he caught hold of her hand and pulled her back into his arms. “Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked, her finger tracing the line of his jaw.
“Tonight. For being you. For coming home to Cougar Ridge. For meeting me.” He shrugged. “It’s a long list.”
She sighed against him. “And thank you, Hex.” She kissed his mouth and warmth flooded through him. This was the start of the rest of their lives, and he would make sure their lives were long and filled with love.
Chapter Ten – Martha
“Maybe we should build a little cabin at the top of the mountain and live there.” Martha pulled on her hiking boots and laced them up as she looked out over the town below. “You know, we could be halfway between Bear Creek and Cougar Ridge.”
“I don’t know if I’d like to carry groceries home up the mountain. Or a new sofa.” He grinned as he stood tall, already dressed and ready to make their return journey down the mountain.
“Oh, you might be quicker at getting dressed but I can run the fastest.” She tied a knot in her laces and stood up.
“Are you challenging me, cougar?” Hex asked, his hands on his hips as he looked down at her as she sat on a large rock.
She stood up and looked around, checking that they hadn’t left anything behind. Getting naked had consisted of tearing their clothes off and throwing them to the ground. But it looked as if they’d retrieved everything. She checked her pockets for her phone and keys before she answered. She wanted to be ready. She wanted to be set. She wanted to go. To run down the mountain at breakneck speed with the cold wind in her face and the hard ground beneath her feet. Her cougar had a taste for freedom and Martha suspected she would not willingly stay buried inside again.
Damn straight, her cougar said, itching to be free.
“It is a challenge.” Martha pushed herself up from the rock and stepped toward Hex, her chin tilted up and her eyes dancing as she placed her feet hip-width apart with her hands on her hips, mirroring his stance. “But I’m feeling generous, so I will give you a head start.”
His mouth curled up at the corners and then he gave a low chuckle. “That is generous.”
“Are you going to take it?” She looked at her nails and yawned. “I suppose a five-minute head start might be enough.”
“That is very generous.” He inclined his head.
“Of course, if you take it, you will be as good as admitting I am faster than you.” She tore her gaze from her nails and looked up at him, her head cocked to one side.
His chuckle erupted into a deep, sonorous laugh. “That is a cheap shot.” He folded his arms across his chest. “You might be built for speed, but I am built for strength.”
She nodded, eyeing up his broad shoulders. “I can see that we might each have our own strengths and weaknesses.”
“So, shall we race, or run down together?” He leaned forward, his breath warm on her skin. “I think we work best when we are together.”
“That remains to be seen.” She turned her head toward him and moistened her lips, the thrill of a race with Hex overtaken by the need to kiss him. He’d awoken the woman in her, the side of Martha that craved a mate and children, rather than a career and long nights alone. She wanted to be with him, she wanted to make a life with him, and she was finally ready to give up everything she’d worked for because, without Hex, it had no meaning.
His lips were warm on hers and very persuasive as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. As their bodies pressed together, the thought of challenging him evaporated. They complemented each other and she had nothing to prove. Their journey, their life together wasn’t about competing against each other, it was about working together.
“Come on, let’s go and check on your mom.” Hex took her hand and they walked the first part of the trail together as humans, like two lovers out for a moonlit stroll. Then they shifted and ran down the mountain. His bear was surprisingly fast as he ran downhill, but no match for her cougar who reveled in the nearness of her mate.
They reached the end of the trail and shifted back into their human forms before they emerged onto the street. It wasn’t late but the town was unusually quiet, possibly because everyone had been out preparing for the coming snowstorm. There were no shifters out on the street, no young shifters racing each other to see who was fastest. Some towns might have young people in cars racing around at night, but here in Cougar Ridge, it was more likely to be a feline on feline competition.
Cat power, not horsepower, her cougar said in her head as she settled down for a long nap. She’d run off her energy and was ready to sleep. Martha felt the same. Her limbs were heavy, and her eyes prickled as she neared her mom’s house. It had been a long day, and an emotional day, but a good day. Her mom seemed a little better and she’d met her mate. It was about as good as it was ever going to get. Until the day she placed her hand on her swollen belly and felt their child kick for the first time. She longed for children. Longed to raise a litter of kitties, or a clutch of bear cubs, with her mate. She didn’t care what kind of shifter their children grew up to be. She just wanted a family.
“Now who is lost in thought?” Hex pulled her hand gently to get her attention.
“I just realized how much I’d buried myself in work and trying to get a promotion to mask the longing of having a mate and children.” She shrugged. “I never allowed myself to miss what I didn’t have. But now, I want to build a home and a life with you.”
“Does that mean I am not going to be a stay-at-home dad?” he asked.
“We can share parental duties.” As they passed the pharmacy, her idea of retraining seemed like a
real possibility. “I’d like to live here. In Cougar Ridge. Or on the outskirts.”
“Halfway between Bear Creek and Cougar Ridge?” he asked. “But not on the top of a mountain.”
“Yes.” She took a sideways glance at him. “I have a fair amount of money saved up. Enough to buy a house.”
“I like that idea.” He nudged her. “I’m okay with you earning more than me. If you’re okay with it.”
“I’m fine. After all, what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine. Isn’t that how this works?” she asked.
“It is.” He gave a short laugh. “I know men are supposed to provide for their mate and even my brother helped provide for me, but I never had this crushing need to earn a lot of money. I think that’s why I took the job of working with Mac even though I could have gone on and had a better career after college.”
“You like working outdoors, with your hands?” She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed him. “I can see why. I’m done with being shut in an office for hours and hours each day.”
Her cougar opened one sleepy eye and grinned in agreement.
“That’s your choice and I’ll support you, whatever you decide,” Hex told her.
“If I had these thoughts and I hadn’t met you, I’d have thought I was having a midlife crisis. Instead, I’m having a midlife celebration.” They reached her mom’s house and stopped. Turning to face each other, he bent his head and kissed her cheek. “You’re not coming in?”
“No, I’m going to go home. You have your mom to take care of and you look as if you need a good night’s sleep.”
“I look that good?” She ran a hand through her tangled hair and pulled a leaf out which she tossed to the ground. Yep, she probably did look as if she needed a good night’s sleep.
He paused for a moment as if facing an internal struggle. “You look incredible.” He lingered as if not wanting to leave.
“You’ll come to the hospital tomorrow?” she asked, wanting him to stay.
“I’ll be here first thing in the morning to drive the two of you to Bear Bluff.” As if to remind them of the approaching snowstorm, a chill wind rippled through her hair. “Let’s hope the storm doesn’t come in early.”
Hex (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 1) Page 7