Shifters Forever Worlds Mega Box: Volume 1

by Thorne, Elle

  “Even you, Raphael?” Giovanni asked Rafe, clearly not believing his favorite would turn on him.

  “Especially me.” Rafe looked at Vax, his intent clear. “You damaged something precious, and I’m guilty of letting you.”

  Tears streamed down Callie’s face. Veila knew the brothers’ reconciliation was high on Callie’s priority list, and had been since she and Vax first bonded.

  Callie rose to her feet, tiny compared to Vax, but there was something about her today that seemed so very different. It made her seem imposing.

  “Mr. Tiero.” Callie’s voice was strong and unwavering, even though her face was damp with her sorrow. “I hope for your grandchild’s sake you will change your mind about a few things. And change your ways as well.”

  The beautiful, curvy brunette held her stomach, turned, and stepped away, waving to Vax. “I’m going to the restroom. This has been taxing. I’ll be right back. You stay and sort things out with your family.”

  Giovanni stepped aside so she could pass. Veila indicated to Gavin to have several of his men accompany her.

  Gavin nodded and sent three of them after her.

  Veila turned to Vax. Really? she mouthed. Pregnant?

  Vax nodded.

  “I’m going to be an aunt,” she whispered to Mark then wondered why the hell she’d whisper in a room full of shifters. They all heard her.

  Rafe looked at Vax. “Congratulations.”

  Immobile, Giovanni didn’t utter a word.

  “You have a decision to make, Father,” Veila said. “Meeting adjourned.”

  The shifters left the room, one by one, single file. Other than Giovanni and his brothers, Veila was the last to leave. She glanced back at her father. He resembled a forlorn, broken man.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mark and Veila were in the elevator, heading toward her apartment.

  She was subdued, and completely turned inward, as if contemplating something huge. Knowing her history with her father, he couldn’t blame her.

  Mark wished he could make it all perfect for her. “Now what?”

  He twined his fingers in her hair, pulling her head back, leaning forward, and studying her eyes. The tigress in her was sending carnal signals, lighting a fire in the depths of Veila’s eyes that the lion in Mark couldn’t help but respond to.

  “I need you.” Her voice was tinged with her tigress’s.

  He could tell from her scent she wanted him. He touched her cheek, running the backs of his fingers along her smooth skin, filling his lungs with her essence. He wanted to tell her again how much he wanted her. How he only wanted her. Only her, for the rest of their days. His wish was to spend his days learning her curves, worshiping the body he’d barely had a chance to explore.

  The elevator dinged their arrival on Veila’s floor. He didn’t move. His eyes feasted on the slope of her cheeks, the way her lips curved upward when she was thinking pleasant thoughts.

  “There’s a storm coming,” he mentioned. She’d told him she loved watching the storms from the rooftop. It appealed to a base part of her to be out there in the middle of a raging storm, completely at the mercy of nature’s forces.

  “Let’s go.” Her voice was only partially human, the tigress taking control.

  One flick of the key, and, two minutes later, they were in the glass room that opened up to the rooftop.

  Veila stopped in front of the glass, watching the storm rage around them. The wind whipped the trees in the landscaped garden; the hot tub’s water swished and reflected the lightning.

  Mark wrapped his hands around her waist, pressing his body against her back. He could see how she loved her home, especially the rooftop and Sanctuary. He’d hate to take her away from this, especially when he had his own territory to manage.

  He inhaled the scent of lavender in her hair. It merged with the musk, spurring him to a desire that was quickly becoming evident and hard. He’d never met a woman who made his body and heart respond to this degree, and so damned quickly.

  Her scent grew stronger as she realized his need. Veila arched her back, pushing her full ass into the manifestation of his desire, coaching him with the promise of the sleekness she offered.

  Pressing hard against her ass, his insistent cock swelled even more. Mark took her by the hips and pulled her closer, grinding his hardness into her body.

  “Is there a way to lock the door so no one can disturb us?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Yesss.” Her hiss was low as she twisted away from him. She fiddled with the elevator’s door then reached for his hand and turned the handle on the entrance leading outside.

  “Wait.” He quickly pulled her clothing off her body, marveling at her full curves, ready to take her.

  “Now you wait.” Veila tugged on his pants, undressing him in record time. “Ready?” Excitement glittered in her eyes, gold flecks in her irises reflecting her exhilaration.

  He nodded.

  Veila pulled the door open, the wind whipping her hair all around her face.

  She ran into the rain and stood in front of a tree, her hair now soaked, drops sliding down her body, shining in the reflection of the lightning. Veila pushed her hair away from her face, her breasts bouncing their fullness with the motion. Mark ran his thumbs over her dark-pink nipples, taking each one between his thumb and fingers, rolling them, pulling them out, and pinching them. Veila moaned, arching her breasts forward, her body begging for more.

  He took a nipple in his mouth and laved it with his tongue, flicking it, sucking it in deep, then scraping his teeth over it while one of his hands lavished the other nipple with attention, tugging and rolling it.

  The scent of her sex was too much to resist. He slipped a finger between the wet folds of her nether lips, caressing her swollen clit, using slow, firm circles. Veila’s hips tilted. Her hands were talons digging into his shoulders as he increased his speed. His fingers traveled, entering her slickened sex, sucked in by her moisture and tightness.

  She moaned as two digits penetrated her inner lips, spreading her legs more. Mark thumbed her clit while his other hand pulled and pinched on her nipples.

  She let out a long moan, and her muscles tightened around his fingers, making him dart them in and out faster and faster.

  “Oh, Mark.”

  Her exclamation made him want to take her, to make her his forever, marked with his love. He wanted her to be sure, and he wasn’t willing to rush her into anything she didn’t want fully.

  “I’m… Oh, Mark… please,” she panted.

  Christ. Her moans weren’t helping his self-restraint. His cock throbbed to be inside her, the pulse beating a primal rhythm in his body.

  His thrusting fingers became wild, pumping into her faster and faster. He added another finger, stretching her tight sheath around his digits, her moisture sliding down his hand, the slurpy noises making him want to sample the taste of her again. He could never tire of her flavor, the essence of it, and the scent of it.

  She threw her head back, her mouth wide in a primeval yell, dug her fingers into his chest, her nails long and lethal, and came undone with a violent tremor, screaming her rapture, arching into it, clamping around his fingers, holding them still with the muscles in her channel.

  “I love you.” Veila’s words were such a low whisper Mark wondered if he’d really heard them.

  He looked into the depths of her eyes, saw the insecurity there, the kind that had taken years to develop, probably all of it courtesy of her father.

  A part of him was angered to the point of violence that this beautiful, vibrant woman’s self-esteem had been damaged by her father. It was a miracle she wasn’t a basket case. An amazing feat she was as well put together as she was.

  He kissed her lips tenderly, leaving his on hers, while she panted her passion away.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Veila shuddered, another aftershock from her orgasm. She tried to control her breathing while her muscles were still tight aro
und Mark’s fingers.

  Had he heard her say those words? Was that okay?

  He leaned in to kiss her, his lips lingering. Was this his way of avoiding responding to her confession?

  She glanced away. She shouldn’t worry about things like that, but she couldn’t stop.

  “Hey.” Mark’s tone was low, as low as her words had been. He put his finger under her chin, tilting her face a little more. He pulled back. “Look at me.”

  She raised her eyes to his.

  Mark’s pupils swirled with his lion’s gold flecks. “You’re the one I want. The only one I’ve ever wanted. I’ll spend the rest of my days showing you and telling you.”

  Tears filled her eyes. Veila wanted to look away, but Mark’s gaze was so intense, she couldn’t. She remained locked on him.

  She barely knew him, but it was as if she’d always known him. As if he’d always been a part of her. She didn’t need to know anything else about him but this.

  Everything Mark was made Veila crazy with passion. His kisses, the way he knew how to work her body. Her tigress growled at her, telling her she was a fool if she didn’t see what this man was to her, and that he felt the same way.

  Her tigress took charge, taking the reins, guiding her in the right direction.

  “I want you to be mine,” she told Mark, her voice husky, enjoying the look that passed over his face. Her man. Her lion. The fierce protector who believed in her and was willing to let her lead and be the woman she needed to be.

  Mark combed his fingers through his hair, now dark waves framing a face that looked as if it belonged to a Roman statue. He took a step toward the hot tub, his body gleaming with the rain, his muscles flexing and unflexing with his every motion.

  A body like that needed to be licked and adored. Her inner muscles throbbed all over again with leftover spasms and renewed lust for his hardness. When he swiveled to glance back at her, she saw the silhouette of his hardness, full, thick, ready. She had to have it. Him. Inside her. Now.

  Her tigress propelled Veila forward. She stalked his way and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers buried in his wet hair, the wind whipping at them both. The rain beat down on them, drenching their already soaked bodies.

  Veila pulled his head down, taking his lips prisoner, her tongue parting them, claiming them. Mark’s hands snaked around her, pressing his erection against her tummy, his arms like steel braces keeping her captive and safe, both at the same time. Mark’s body was beyond sexy. His muscles jumbled her thoughts until all she could think about was him, his sex, his body. Between them, his stiffness called to her.

  “I need you.” Those words came from her tigress, but they spilled out of Veila’s mouth.

  “Touch me.” Mark’s voice was low, almost inhuman, or more than human, perhaps. His lion was taking charge, responding to her tigress.

  Veila lowered her hand, her fingers skimming over his wide chest, the downy hairs that proclaimed his masculinity, the rippling abs that flexed instinctively as she traveled over them.

  She was almost there, almost at her target, his springy curls brushing her fingertips. Braving more, she took his length in her hands, grasping him tightly, her fingers coursing up the hardness of his rod until she reached the very tip.

  She felt the pre-cum, so different than the rain falling on them, thick and creamy. Running her thumb over the cream, she spread it around the head of his cock then under the rim of it, making slow, leisurely circles. She trailed a fingernail gently along the underside. Her tigress felt his pulse quicken.

  When she dropped her other hand to cup his testicles, his sharp intake of breath made a flood grow between her legs. She lowered herself to her knees and put the tip of her tongue on his slit, tasting the saltiness and yumminess before the rain could take it from her. His grunt was her reward until she put her lips around the tip of him, sealing his head in her mouth, her lips wrapped around the ring of it.

  He let out a loud hiss. “Fuck.”

  Veila looked up at him. His face was tight with desire, his jaws clenched. Flecks of gold and amber glowed in the depths of his eyes.

  “Veila.” He sucked air in, his chest filling, the muscles expanding. “I can’t wait. I need to make you mine. Now. I’m too close.”

  Mark pushed her forward, bending her over, her knees pressed against the outside of the raised hot tub, her hands propping her body. He spread her legs with his knees and a rocking of his hips.

  His hardness pressed against her entrance, and his hand splayed on her back, pressing her downward, making her ass push up. His cock entered her quickly, pushed in with the ferocity of a waiting lion. A rush of air escaped Veila’s lips at the fullness.

  “Fuck, fuck, you’re so tight,” he muttered, his words punctuated by groans with every stroke as he pulled his length out and pushed back in. A clap of thunder cracked, making Veila jump, her sheath clamping down in his hardness, holding him in place. He responded by pulling out and grabbing her hips then pummeled her, punishing her pussy with his girth while pleasing her G-spot with every stroke.

  Veila leaned backward, arching her back, pressing into him, enjoying the feeling of his testicles slapping her lips, the sound of his panting breaths taking her farther into the abyss that left her body in spasms.

  “So close, Mark.” She whispered the words, but his lion’s hearing picked them up, as she knew it would.

  “Come for me. Now, baby, take me with you.” His voice was gruff and demanding, colored by desire.

  “Make me yours,” she begged. “Now, forever. I want to be yours.”

  “Be sure, because there’s no going back. I play for keeps. I love you, Veila. Be sure.” Every word was followed by a thrust.

  “Now!” She screamed, her channel flexing and milking him, pulling him in deeper.

  The sting of Mark’s bite on her shoulder was washed away by the pleasure of his tongue licking at it, slightly rough, a sign his lion was joining him.

  Mark’s body jerked behind her as he held her close. She felt his hot essence filling her body, pulsating against her sleek inner muscles.

  Later, Mark and Veila sat in the hot tub. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, her back resting on his chest. The storm had lessened and the rain was falling gently, the wind almost gone.

  Mark pushed her hair aside and traced patterns on her shoulder, next to the spot where he’d marked her.

  His touch made shivers travel along her body.

  He kissed her mark. “Where are we going to live? I’m an alpha. I can’t just abandon my life.”

  She’d been afraid this would come up. She didn’t know what they would do. “I can’t either.”

  “Well, we’d better figure out a way to work this out. We’ve bonded, and even if we hadn’t, I’d kill any man who touched you.”

  Epilogue

  Veila held Mark’s hand and looked around Sophie’s apartment. Vax and Callie, Lila and Cy, and Sophie were all there.

  “Father’s here. He wants to talk to all of us,” Sophie told them.

  “Where’s Rafe?” Vax asked.

  “He went back home.” Veila didn’t want to say it was too hard for Rafe to be around Callie. “He had to take care of some business.”

  Vax nodded.

  She wondered if he knew.

  They walked to the executive boardroom. Veila half-felt as though she were walking to the gallows. Was their father going to drop a bomb on them?

  Their father stood at the other end of the room. The window overlooking Dallas’s evening skyline served as a backdrop.

  Giovanni looked different. Tito and Federico flanked him, as always.

  “I’m not always right. In fact, this time I’ve been very wrong. I hope each of you finds it in your heart to forgive me.”

  He walked to the door, leaving all of his children openmouthed.

  * * *

  Veila walked Mark to the rooftop. Outside another storm was raging, matching her emotions inside. A part of
her felt pity for her father’s emotional downslide. The other part of her couldn’t feel pity for the man who could have done so much more for her and Vax.

  “What do you think?” Mark asked her.

  “I think I’d like to visit Florida sometime soon. But until I do, can Mason run your show for you?”

  “Of course? What’s on your mind?”

  “There’s a storm brewing.”

  Sanctuary

  White tiger shifter Gavin Castro’s got a job to do. Falling in love isn’t part of it.

  Arctic fox and curvy, Layla’s on a mission. She has a secret to keep and a sexy white tiger shifter to avoid. Sadly, avoiding Gavin Castro isn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

  Or maybe it’s not that sad after all, because this lovely Arctic fox shifter has been missing out on love, and Gavin’s just the one to show her just how much.

  * * *

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  Chapter One

  Layla tiptoed across the rock floor in Sanctuary, the Tiero refuge for shifters. Her full hips sashaying, her wonderfully lickable thighs making a gorgeous silhouette, she had no idea she was being watched and she had no idea how amazingly delicious and totally fuckable she looked.

  She regulated her pulse because she didn’t want him to find her if he was here. If? No if to it. She knew Gavin would be in here. And he was. She froze in place as soon as she saw him.

  Breathe, girl. Breathe. Oh for fuck’s sake, the man is sex on a stick.

  She bit back a gasp as he came into better view with every silent, hip-swaying step she took. She’d never seen him without his shirt before. A tiny bead of sweat broke out on her forehead.

  Oh, God, there he was. He was in his human form, lying on a large boulder. She held her breath, the moisture built deep within her. A month of being around this man and she still wasn’t immune to him.