by Shari Dare
She put the plate on the table and took his hand as he led her to the couch. A triple X-rated movie played out on the television, but Clarity paid no attention. She certainly didn’t need porn to get her in the mood when she had Tom, who was all man, on her couch.
He ran his hand up her leg until his fingers were tangled in the blonde V of curls that guarded her pussy. “You aren’t wearing underwear. I like that in a woman.”
“Are you wearing underwear?”
His laugh was deep and throaty. “What do you think?”
She took the tab of his zipper between her fingers and guided it down the track. Once his pants were open, his cock was freed for her inspection. She curled her fingers around his stiff shaft before she lowered her body to kiss its head.
“You don’t play fair,” he said with a groan.
“Neither do you. You have on way too many clothes to suit me. It’s hard to give you a proper blowjob around your trousers.”
Tom chuckled. “You want me nude, but what about you? That dress is beautiful, but what is under it is ten times better.”
He reached behind her neck and untied the string of her halter top, allowing it to slide over her ample breasts. “Ah, that’s much better,” he said as he took both globes in his hands and feathered kisses over the rounded mounds.
She gasped with pleasure as he nipped at her nipples. She allowed him to lay her back on the cushions of the couch. Tom bunched her skirt up around her waist.
He kissed her body going lower until his mouth covered her clit. When he began to suck, she knew it was the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced. For the first time in her life, she could feel herself losing control. During her other sexual encounters, she’d always been the one to direct the action, just like she’d planned to do tonight, but Tom had suddenly turned the tables on her. She was completely at his mercy. Before losing herself in the pleasure, she couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with the full moon that graced the heavens just outside her window.
“What are you doing to me?” she questioned, her breath ragged with pleasure.
“I’m treating you in the way you deserve to be treated,” he replied, as his mouth manipulated her clit to the brink of orgasm. “You are so ready for me. Let me get a condom.”
“There’s no need. What you have to do is take off those trousers and follow me into the bedroom. It’s much more conducive to lovemaking than this couch.”
“Why not? We’ve always used a condom before.”
“I’m on the pill, just in case of leaks.”
While he undressed, she discarded her dress and went into the bedroom. At least I’m back in control of this situation, or am I? A shiver of anticipation at the thought of him fucking her made her shake uncontrollably. It has to be the full moon, she thought as she turned back the silver satin comforter and lay down on the black silk sheets.
* * * * *
Tom hurried to get out of his pants. Clarity saying he didn’t need a condom came as a surprise. On the other occasions they’d made love, she’d insisted on him wearing one. If she was on the pill, why hadn’t she said so then?
The soft moonlight filtering through the skylight was supplemented by the glow of the touch lamp on the bedside table. Clarity lay on the jet-black sheets, her silver-blonde hair splayed over the matching pillow cover. In the moonlight she looked like a shimmering goddess…his shimmering goddess. After tonight, there would be no doubt about the man who would be her lifemate and would claim her love.
He felt like an untried pup as he climbed into the bed beside her. It was a strange feeling, since he was well versed in the art of lovemaking. Of course, he’d never done it without a condom before. Adoringly, he ran his hand across her breasts and over her belly to the heart of her woman’s soul. The very sight and feel of her made him glad he wasn’t like his brothers. Tymber and Tanner were forced to love a woman in only one position because they morphed when they mated. He, on the other hand, had learned many ways to increase his pleasure as well as that of the woman.
This time it would be different. He’d been well trained as to what happened to a wolfen at this time of the month. It didn’t matter that he was purely human; the effect on him would be the same. With the full moon shining outside the window and being with another third child, he was well aware that tonight would be the best sex he’d ever had. The only other thing to rival it was the same act done on the night of the Blue Moon. If all things progressed on schedule, which would be his mating night, the night when Clarity would belong to him forever and always.
When his hand reached her pussy, he slid his fingers into the moist crevice. He could feel her clit begin to throb the minute he touched it. Her wetness told him the time was right for him to enter her.
“Oh!” Clarity moaned. “Don’t tease me so. Take me now.”
“Your wish is my command, dear lady.”
The feel of the muscles of her vagina caressing his cock sent shock waves of desire through his body, and shooting stars flashed like fireworks behind his closed lids. Never in his adult life had he fucked a woman without the protection afforded him by a condom. This was an entirely new experience for him.
He pumped into her, each time driving deeper into her body, claiming her as his own. He couldn’t help but wonder if once they finished she would carry the mark that would bind the two of them as mates.
Time after time, he took her to the brink of orgasm only to pull back, leaving her wanting. When they finally came it was at the same time, leaving him completely exhausted. He could feel the mating mark burning into his flesh just above his right nipple. He knew the same mark would be visible in the same spot on Clarity’s magnificent body.
“Oh, Tom," Clarity purred, “that was the most sensational sex I’ve ever had. If I hadn’t given up smoking, I’d want a cigarette right now.”
Tom touched the lamp on the bedside table to intensify the light in the room. He looked down at Clarity. The perfect purple rose would be visible to any male or female wolfen, no matter their clan or status.
“What’s this?” Clarity asked, as she traced the rose on Tom’s chest. “I’ve never seen that tattoo before.”
“We have to talk, Clarity. I want you to be my wife.”
The besotted look on her face changed to one of shock. “Not you, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two days ago Chas told me that Daddy wants me to marry you at the Blue Moon. I told her I wasn’t like her and Char. I’m not the marrying kind. I like sex with multiple partners and ‑‑”
“Correction, Clarity, you liked sex with multiple partners. After tonight all that has changed. The purple rose is our mating mark. It’s only visible to members of the wolfen clans.”
He could see the panic in Clarity’s eyes. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
“What are you saying? Didn’t I tell you that rumor was false? It’s the full moon and I haven’t turned into a wolf yet.”
“Of course you haven’t, because you’re the third child of an Elite elder and a human. It’s the same with me. My father is an Elite silver beard and my mother is your mother’s best childhood friend. Our mating has been arranged, just as your sisters’ marriages were arranged.”
“Are you sure this is a mating mark?” she asked, again tracing the rose.
“That’s right. My mark is on you and after tonight, no other man will ever satisfy you.”
Clarity put her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to hear this. You don’t know me. You don’t know me at all. I’m not what you say I am.”
Tom gently took her hands from over her ears. “Yes, you are, Clarity. The third child born to a human and an Elite is always completely human and psychic, but that doesn’t mean your wolfen senses aren’t as sharp as those of your sisters. That doesn’t mean you can’t pass wolfen traits on to our children. You are a Blue Moon Princess, after all. You can see my mating mark as easily as I can see
yours. If we hadn’t been meant to be together the mark wouldn’t have appeared. I’ve made love to a lot of women, but the mating mark has never appeared before. I also know that you’ve been with other men, but I see no mating mark on your body but mine.”
Clarity looked down at her breast. Seeing the purple rose caused a tear to slide down her cheek. “I ‑‑ I thought I was different, but I’m not, am I?”
“Oh, my darling, you are so different. By being human you and I can enjoy sex in many different ways. Ours will be an exciting marriage, very exciting. I can’t promise that I’ll morph into a wolf like my brothers, but trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Clarity’s tears came faster than Tom could wipe them away. “Are you disappointed in your chosen mate?”
“Never,” she said, her tears coming faster and faster. “I just didn’t want to be like them. I wanted to be different. Now I know I’m not. I need time to adjust to this. I’m not at all certain that I want to be like my sisters. I want…oh, I don’t know what I want. Maybe I just need you to fuck me again and make it all go away.”
Tom took her in his arms and gave her comfort. “Not now, sweetheart. We need to talk about this.”
She pressed her breasts against his chest, and he wondered how his chest hair felt against her sensitive nipples. Refusing to think about her discomfort, he ran his hand down her back until his hand cupped her ass. The feel of her supple skin under his hands aroused him to the point he was ready to make love to her again.
Slipping his fingers into her from behind he found his fluids mixed with her love juices making her as ready as he was for another union. With luck, his seed would be planted in her and she would be carrying his child before their Blue Moon marriage.
* * * * *
Clarity knew what Tom said was true. She’d seen her sisters’ mating marks, not knowing that as a true human she shouldn’t be able to see them.
For weeks she’d been denying her feelings for Tom, but now she understood the attraction that allowed her to give control of their love games to someone other than herself. Never in the past had she been so open with a lover. She’d been the one to retain control of every situation. With Tom it was all so different. He had slowly reversed their roles. She hadn’t given it much thought, but perhaps it had been because they were destined to be mated. It was the only answer she could come up with.
Tom’s finger slipping into her from behind brought a gasp of pleasure to her lips. “Does that mean you’re ready to make love to me again?”
“What do you think?”
She could feel his cock against her pussy and knew the answer. “Are you willing to give me control this time?”
He leaned back in her arms and smiled. “You do like to be in charge, don’t you? Ours will be an interesting relationship. I think fifty-fifty is a perfect match in a marriage. What do you have in mind?”
Clarity smiled as she leaned over to kiss him tenderly. She made him lay on his back and straddled his body. She was again in control, just the way she liked to be.
The look of surprise on his face was as pleasing as the feeling of his cock sliding into her body. She’d made love in this position many times in the past, but it had never been like this. The fact that she was with the man who was destined to be her mate for a lifetime only heightened her sexual awareness.
She hadn’t wanted to admit it until tonight, but this man was her destiny. She knew it the moment he’d walked into her office. Just hearing his voice made her weak in the knees. Even though she never thought she would fall this hard for a man, it had happened, and she was thrilled.
By morning, they had made love in various positions, the one in control changing from Tom to Clarity and back again. When they showered for work, all she wanted to do was go back to bed, but they both knew they were expected at the office no later than eight.
“We’ll have to tell Daddy today,” Clarity said as they lingered over breakfast.
“I know. I’ll meet you in his office at nine. For now, I have to go back to my place and change clothes. It wouldn’t do for me to arrive at the office wearing the same suit I wore yesterday.”
She kissed him before he left the apartment. Once Clarity was alone, she cleaned up the remnants of their feast of wine, shrimp, and oysters before she put on her makeup.
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the bedroom mirror. The purple rose that had been so surprising was now more of a comfort. The love she’d experienced in Tom’s arms rivaled anything she’d experienced before. It never occurred to her that she could enjoy a relationship based on fifty-fifty control. She’d been a woman who demanded control. One night of sharing that control with someone she was committed to told her that she craved the monogamous relationship Tom offered.
The clock chiming the hour told her she would have to hurry to get dressed or be late in getting to the office.
Fifteen minutes later she stepped out of the elevator and into the garage. She clicked the remote to unlock the doors and had just put her hand on the door handle when someone grabbed her from behind. Another man opened the back door and shoved her into the car.
As he did, the overpowering scent of the Betas assaulted her nostrils. In the past she’d heard her sisters and brothers-in-law describe the scent, but she never thought it would be something she would experience. Being completely human, she never gave her acute sense of smell a second thought.
Before her mind registered she was being kidnapped, the man who had pushed her inside the car slid beside her, threatening her with a large knife. Even though she didn’t remember dropping her keys she knew she must have, since the engine came to life, and she focused on the two men who now occupied the front seat.
As terrified as she was, she tried to telepathically communicate with Tom. Afraid to move and provoke the man with the knife, she listened, hoping to get some clue to give to Tom, if indeed there was a telepathic link in place.
“We got her, Rowan,” the man in the front seat said into the walkie-talkie he held in his hand. “It was a hell of a lot easier than the other two. I can’t believe they didn’t have a bodyguard with her.”
“Good,” a more mature voice crackled over the radio. “Take her to the time warp. Five years in the past ought to be enough to lose her scent. I’ll meet you there. Once I do, take the car and run it over a cliff. They’ll all think she died in the crash.”
The words Rowan and time warp repeated themselves in Clarity’s mind. Oh Tom, please let this work, she silently prayed.
Chapter Three
Tom paced the hallway outside Charles’s office. Clarity was notoriously late, but this was ridiculous. It was already five minutes after the time they had agreed to meet and talk to her father about their marriage and she was nowhere to be seen.
Out of the blue the pain of a bolt of pain dropped him to his knees. Oh Tom, please let this work, Clarity’s voice echoed in his mind. I’ve been kidnapped and these guys just called Rowan on their radio. They’re taking me to some time warp and then back five years. Help me get out of this.
He took a moment to regain his strength before charging into Charles’s office. “Rowan has Clarity,” he declared.
Immediately Charles, Justin, and Lucas were on their feet. “What’s this nonsense you’re spouting?” Charles demanded.
“Just what I said. Rowan has Clarity. She’s being kidnapped! They’re taking her to the Brey Forest and some time warp, whatever that is.”
The expression on Lucas’s face was one of dismay. “How far back are they taking her?”
“She says five years.”
“I would have been there at that time, but I’ve tried to block all of that out. I do remember a blonde woman being brought into the breeding program and taken out immediately because she had a mating mark. I never put two and two together until now. I was so out of it during that time, I focused on nothing but what Rowan wanted me to do.”
“How do you know any of this, Tom?”
Justin asked, the note of disbelief in his voice. “Kidnappers don’t allow their victims to use their cell phones.”
“It’s called telepathic communication. When people like Clarity and I direct our thoughts to each other, we can hear them. What I’m hearing are Clarity’s thoughts as well as seeing what she sees. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m scared. This shouldn’t be happening, not to her. If I’d had a premonition about it, I would never have left her apartment without her this morning. It’s really too complicated for me to explain everything to you. I just know she’s in danger.”
“Damn Rowan. He’s out to destroy this family. He didn’t succeed with Chastity or Charity or me, so he thinks he’ll be able to harness Clarity’s powers and use them against us. I didn’t even know he knew about her,” Charles said, slamming his fist against the wall before he turned from them to stare out the window at the forested area across the Jefferson River.
“You underestimate Rowan, Charles,” Lucas said. “Believe me, that man knows everything that goes on at Langford & Langford. If I thought for one minute Clarity wasn’t protected, especially after Charity’s close call last year, I would have suggested it. It just never occurred to any of us because of Clarity’s human nature. I never thought she had any powers that they would desire.”
“We shouldn’t have kept her powers secret from you,” Justin commented. “She’s not a wolfen like Chastity and Charity but she is a princess in her own right.”
Tom felt his temper begin to boil. “Clarity is mine, and human or wolfen, she’s as much a symbolic princess as her sisters and therefore important to this clan. Whether you know it or not, her powers are one of the reasons you went to rescue Lucas. She’s also the reason Charles allowed him to come here to protect Charity in Las Vegas. Perhaps you don’t know it, or don’t want to admit it, but Clarity’s psychic powers are highly prized among the Beta. It’s the reason my parents agreed to our match. I was in as much danger from the Betas who tried to invade Morrison territory. I was more highly prized than my brothers because of my abilities.”