In Heat: Mating Call (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #2)

by Felicity Heaton

  In Heat: Mating Call

  Felicity Heaton

  In Heat: Mating Call

  The English winter weather has no chance of cooling Kim down when her dreams of Erik return, and this time they’re hotter than ever! Having spent the past two years waiting to be in heat again so she can mate with her black panther shape-shifter lover, Erik Blackwell, Kim is excited about the prospect that she’s ready at last. But there’s one thing that she isn’t ready for...

  The handsome white tiger shape-shifter that walks into their visions and then into their life, proclaiming himself to be her potential mate too!

  Torn between two lovers and unable to stop herself from joining in the carnal pleasures in their visions, will Kim be able to resist the lure of Kristian in real life? Will Erik believe everything that happens or will he see past the lies to the truth and fight for the woman he loves?

  CHAPTER 1

  Erik closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as soft lips teased the bare flesh of his torso. It was torture, but a pleasant kind. He tensed for her, eliciting a moan as his muscles bunched, revealing his strength. She gave a little faux-purr and licked along the valley between his abdominals, crawling her way up him. This time it was him purring, deep and low, contented to the core.

  She was better than sunshine.

  He could bask in the heat of her glances, in the warmth of her love, and he would feel happier than he ever did in the sunlight.

  Fingertips grazed the sensitive flesh above his hip but he resisted giving her what she wanted. He wouldn't laugh, not right now, not when she was fanning flames inside him that were threatening to turn into wildfire. He breathed in deep when her nails lightly scraped across his stomach and over his chest, catching a nipple in the process and sending a shiver through him. His fingers curled, creating tight fists as he fought for restraint.

  She breathed softly against him and the wet skin where she'd kissed turned to goose bumps. His purr rumbled through his chest. She giggled. He lost the ability to breathe when she straddled him, her camisole clad breasts brushing against his stomach. His cock twitched with hunger as he thought about being inside her, encased in her warm wetness. She lowered herself and ground against him, tearing a moan from his throat as her slick arousal soaked through her knickers and onto his length.

  God, he wanted her. He always wanted her.

  In the two years since he'd met her, his desire for her had only increased. He opened his eyes and watched her kissing his stomach, exploring and mapping his flesh as though this was their first time and she wanted to put every inch of him to memory. She was beautiful, even if she didn't see it herself. Twenty seven years of searching had been worth it to have her here with him like this, his and his alone.

  She licked up his chest, pressing the odd kiss to it. He smiled and avoided her kiss when she reached his lips. Gently lowering the strap of her camisole, he pressed kisses to her shoulder and upper arm as he pushed it down. She moaned into his ear, her soft breath tickling his neck.

  Closing his eyes, he kissed down her arm, following the camisole strap and savouring the taste of her. She shifted against him, her bare legs pressing into his, velvety soft and warm. He wrapped one arm around her, cupped her backside and pulled her up so he could reach her breasts. His fingers tugged at the camisole, freeing her right breast, and he immediately wrapped his lips around the aroused nipple.

  He moaned low in his throat as he suckled it and her fingers threaded into his hair, holding him against her and trapping him as she groaned. He held her tighter, showing her that he'd never let her go. She was his everything, his reason for living. She was his mate.

  He purred, low and deep until his whole body vibrated with it. Her light giggle made him smile against her breast, and he redoubled his ministrations.

  Rolling her onto her back, he kissed up to her neck as his right hand drew the other strap of her camisole down her arm. He pulled back, watching the progress of it and the achingly slow way her other breast was revealed to him. His breath caught in his throat as the lacy trim of her camisole scraped over her nipple and then slipped away, exposing it fully. His cock jumped and ached, begging him to get inside her, to get as close as he could and sate his desire for her.

  She stretched her arms up above her. The camisole bunched at her waist and her dishevelled hair and slight smile gave her a beautifully wanton air. He narrowed his eyes as he raked them over her. Her hands followed his glance, touching wherever he looked, teasing him with the thought of his hands doing that. He moved them away from her body and replaced them with his own. He palmed her breasts, thumbing her nipples until they were hard peaks again, and then ran his hands down her stomach, applying enough pressure to make her moan. He knew that she loved to feel how strong he was, how rough he could be if she let him. It always made her desire soar.

  He sniffed and grinned at the scent of her need in the air.

  Curling his fingers around her camisole where it was now bunched near her waist, he tugged it down, forcing it over her hips. He lifted her feet, resting them against his chest, and pulled the camisole off over them.

  He looked her over, watching her toy with her nipples. His stomach tightened when she gave him a coy look and nudged his shoulders with her toes, spurring him into action. He leaned forwards, skimmed his hands up her legs, and hooked his fingers into the waist of her red lacy shorts. Drawing them towards him, he groaned as the short dark curly hair of her pussy was exposed and licked his lips. He wanted to taste her. The smell of her was driving him crazy with need.

  Tossing her knickers to one side, he gave her a sly smile. He took hold of her ankles and parted her legs, spreading them enough that his eyes could drink their fill of her pussy as it glistened with her arousal. He breathed deep, using the scent of her to arouse him further until he was desperate to taste her and be inside of her.

  He kept her legs spread as he moved forwards, pressing kisses over her knees and along the inside of her thighs. His gaze remained locked with hers the whole time and he smiled when she closed her eyes and bit her lip, her hands resting lightly over her breasts.

  He knew what she wanted. He always knew what she wanted. These past two years together had given them a chance to get to know each other inside and out. Just as he could predict her every need and desire, she could predict his.

  Pressing one last kiss to her inner thigh, his eyes finally left her face and dropped to her pussy. He moaned and lowered his head, settling between her legs as his fingers gently pulled her nether lips apart to fully expose her clit.

  It was pert and slick, hungry for his attention. He wasn't going to deny it.

  He flicked it with his tongue.

  She moaned and bucked her hips up. He loved the sound of her moaning.

  Closing his eyes, he laved her clit, lapping up her sweet juices and savouring the taste of her. He spread her lips further, wanting to taste more of her, needing to lick every inch of her until she was moaning his name and quivering at the lightest touch.

  She groaned again, her whole body tensing this time, and he smiled when one hand came to rest against the top of his head. She didn't need to give him that silent command not to stop. He'd never stop, not if she let him.

  Sucking her clit into his mouth, he flicked it with his tongue as he suckled it, arousing it further until it was a hard nub. He slipped one hand down, dipping his fingers in and running them slowly down towards her slick opening.

  “Yes,” she breathed, her fingers grasping his hair, tugging at it.

  He marvelled at her arousal, how wet she was and ready fo
r him to plunge his cock to the hilt inside of her. He plunged two fingers inside instead and groaned into her pussy as she tensed around him. God, he wanted her.

  He'd always wanted her.

  And now she was his.

  He raised his head to look at her and frowned when a flicker of a shadow moved out of the corner of his eye. He looked there, at the silhouetted and blurred figure.

  Who was he?

  Erik shot up in bed and stared at the far wall, his eyes wide and breathing heavy. His mind reeled with thoughts of what he'd been doing, of licking Kim's pussy and burying his fingers into her warm sheath. It took him a few minutes to realise what had happened.

  It was a dream.

  No.

  It was a vision.

  The smile spread across his face before he could contain it but it faltered when he remembered the shadowy figure.

  His heavy thoughts were chased away as Kim threw her arms around his neck and dragged him down into bed. He lay motionless, staring at the ceiling as she peppered his face and chest with kisses. When she stopped and pulled back, she was pouting.

  “What's wrong?” she said, her voice light and breezy, as bright as the morning sunlight streaming in through the open curtains.

  She hadn't seen the man. She must have woken up before he'd appeared. Either that or she hadn't shared the vision.

  One look at her said that the latter wasn't true. She was grinning from ear to ear, a little nervous looking, as though she wasn't sure it had really happened. He smiled and reached out to her, pulling her down to him and sighing inside when her lips met his. He kissed her softly, slowly, savouring the closeness and the connection between them. It was reassuring to feel her hands against his chest and her mouth on his.

  She broke the kiss and beamed at him, her hands still pressing into his chest as she leaned on him. He lightly ran his fingers down her spine and under the thick duvet. Wind shook the panes of the windows and howled in some distant corridor. He ignored it, safe from the winter chill and warm in the arms of his love.

  His mate.

  Or at least she soon would be.

  His for eternity.

  “Nothing is wrong,” he said, voice gravelly with sleep and desire. He brushed the fingers of his other hand across her cheek, clearing the sleep tangled ribbons of her brown hair from it, and smiled.

  “Was that a dream? Did you have it too?” she said.

  She looked like a five year old that had just seen a Christmas tree. Actually, she looked like she had when she'd seen the Christmas tree in the hall downstairs when it had arrived and been put up the other day. He loved her childish excitement about the simple pleasures in life—Christmas, her birthday, going on dates with him. She'd looked ready to have a coronary when he'd asked her to move in with him a year ago.

  “A vision,” he responded and she sharply pushed herself up, pressing him down into the bed in the process. He raised a brow and she gave him a sheepish smile, settling down again.

  “Really?” Excitement shone in her dark eyes.

  He nodded.

  “It'll be time soon?” There was so much hope in her voice that his heart warmed and ached. She looked so happy.

  He knew that she'd been waiting for this moment over the past two years, ever since they'd missed the opportunity to mate. He'd been unable to go through with it then because of his injuries from fighting his brother to protect Kim and himself, but he still believed that it had been the right decision. Back then, she hadn't truly been ready for becoming like him and leaving her normal life behind. Now she had met other shape-shifters and was growing more accustomed to what it was like to live as one. Now she was ready, and now he was going to mate with her. Nothing was going to stop him this time.

  He smiled and pulled her down to him, capturing her lips in another slow drawn out kiss.

  “Soon we'll mate,” he whispered against her lips.

  She sat up and grinned. His eyes dropped to her breasts for a moment as she moved, the broad beaming smile still plastered on her face, and he watched her as she literally bounced to the bathroom.

  The bath taps began to run.

  He stared at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

  A horrible feeling twisted his gut and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore it.

  Something wasn't right. If it had been a vision, there should only have been her and himself in it. A female in heat only ever had one suitor, one chosen by destiny to be her mate. At least that's what he'd always heard. If that was the case, then why hadn't they been alone in that vision and why did he have the terrible feeling that things between himself and Kim were about to get complicated again?

  He closed his eyes and replayed the last few seconds of the vision, seeing the shadowy figure appear from nowhere and slowly come into focus, but not enough to reveal his face.

  Who was he?

  CHAPTER 2

  Kim walked along the hall, a bounce in her step as she thought about the vision and the prospect of finally being able to mate with Erik. It still frightened her on so many levels, but it melted her on others. She wanted to be his for eternity. She wanted to feel the connection again. When they'd first met and she'd been in heat, they'd shared such an intense connection, but it had faded along with her visions until one day she'd realised it was gone. From that moment on, she'd wanted it back, wanted it more than anything. She'd grown strangely used to being able to sense when Erik was watching her, to almost feel his desire and need, his love. Even seeing through his eyes on occasion hadn't bothered her too much. She'd loved that feeling of closeness, especially when they were in the bedroom. It had always felt as though they were one soul in two bodies, meant for each other, destined to be lovers in life.

  She missed that.

  She bounded down the stairs, not caring about how much noise the old wooden steps made and how loud her footsteps were as they echoed around the hall. At the foot of the stairs, she stopped and leaned against the banister, her attention arrested by the Christmas tree. It was beautiful. She couldn't pass it without stopping to look. In all her life, she'd never seen such a big and wonderfully decorated tree. She wished that she'd had Christmas trees like that when she had been growing up. Her family's one had always been squat and threadbare compared to this. Had Erik's family always gone to town decorating the house? The wreaths and lights that wound their way along the banisters and over the fireplaces made her feel warm and happy. They made her feel as though she'd never really known Christmas before meeting Erik. There were trees in most of the main reception rooms and Rose, the housekeeper, had been baking gingerbread men and sweet treats since they'd arrived a few days ago for the holiday.

  Heaving a contented sigh, she continued her hunt for Erik. She closed her eyes, seeing if she could sense where he was yet. There was a distant feeling on the edge of her senses, a glimmer of what it had felt like to sense him last time she had been ready to mate. He'd told her things about the mating process over the past couple of years. Apparently when it was time and afterwards, she'd be able to just reach out and know where he was. She was looking forwards to that. She was always losing him in this house, so much so that she'd insisted that they only ever used a handful of the rooms. It was just too big. She'd counted the rooms once and had stopped when she'd reached over thirty. It was a beautiful house though, and the more time she spent here, the more she could see why Erik had fought to get a share of it from his brother.

  Now it was all his.

  She knew that the death of his brother at his own hands haunted Erik, almost as much as the fact that his brother had killed their parents. She wished she could take away all his pain, but only time would be able to heal him.

  Pushing away from such dark thoughts, she focused on her surroundings and wished that they could've spent the Christmas holidays here last year too. It had been wonderful being together in his apartment in the city, but now that she'd seen this place all decorated, with crackling log fires in each room, it seemed pale
in comparison. She didn't even want to get started on how miserable it made her place look at Christmas.

  She hummed a tune to herself while following the direction her senses were telling her. They were probably leading her completely the wrong way, her imagination making her feel as though she could already sense the connection again, but she didn't mind. If she didn't find him at the end of it, she'd just keep searching. She had to try though. Curiosity was demanding that she gave it a go.

  “There you are,” Rose said close to her elbow and she jumped. She hadn't heard anyone approaching; her focus had been wholly on finding Erik.

  “Here I am,” she said with a broad grin and then noticed the tray of tea and breakfast that Rose was carrying. She held her hands out. “This looks great... do you mind if I take it in?”

  Rose smiled, her old face warming with it and making Kim's smile grow wider. She'd always liked Rose. They'd instantly hit it off when she'd first come to the house and there was something about her appearance that always made Kim smile. It was the wild white hair that refused to stay restrained in the tight bun at the back of Rose's head and the kindness she could always see in her eyes.

  She could only picture Rose at this age and looking this way, even when she was imagining what Erik would've been like when he was younger and sneaking down to the kitchen to get some peanut butter on toast. Rose would've been all smiles, even as she told him how naughty he was being.

  A weight in her hands made her come out of her thoughts and she stared at the tray she was now holding. She watched Rose disappear down the corridor and heaved another sigh. It must have been wonderful growing up here, with such a loving housekeeper and mother. She wondered how much his parents deaths must have affected Erik and continued searching for him.

  When she walked into the drawing room, she smiled.

  There he was, lounging limply in one of the big armchairs in front of the grand fireplace. He was staring at the fire, its warm light flickering on his handsome face, making his eyes even more intense and honey-coloured than usual, and making his dark hair even blacker. Heat swept through her when she dropped her eyes to his body and saw that he wasn't wearing any top.