The Redemption Saga Box Set

by Kristen Banet

  The want from the jaguar didn’t end. She wanted to go play with the wolves and Sawyer just had to come too, since they could sneak together.

  The playfulness of it was beginning to bleed in her. Moments passed as Sawyer felt the mood of the jaguar work its way in her own mind. She couldn’t resist a smile after a minute, then a grin.

  “Fine!” she groaned, the grin refusing to abate. Damn cat knew how to get her every time.

  She blinked off the porch to appear next to the jaguar. While Sombra knew her magic at this point, it still spooked the big cat. Sawyer laughed, doubling over after it sent the cat three feet into the area and another ten feet away from her.

  “Got you!” she teased. “Let’s go stalk some wolves.”

  Sombra tore off, disappearing in the dark like the shadow she was. Sawyer continued to smile, knowing exactly where her cat was at all times. She sublimated and joined the jaguar in the dark woods. She went up into a tree and reformed, her eyes tracking the invisible movement of her cat, who searched for the wolves’ scents.

  At that moment, howls entered the air.

  “They know we’re here. Now, can we sneak up on any of them? That is the question.” Sawyer mumbled the words to herself, fully invested in the game now. The wolves were pack animals, but she and Sombra excelled at hunting solo. And they owned the night first and foremost.

  The moment Sombra had the scent, she took off. Sawyer followed, blinking and sublimating between the trees, following her jaguar as she hunted the wolves.

  They found one of the actual wolves first. Sawyer grinned as her jaguar caught him unaware and tackled the small wolf, Scout, to the ground. The wolf immediately showed belly and didn’t raise the alarm.

  “Good girl,” she whispered, pushing her approval through the bond. One down. Scout was the easiest though. Shade would give Sombra a run for her money.

  And Sawyer was going to have to catch Quinn on her own. She let Sombra run off into the night, to look for the larger wolf, while she considered where Quinn might be.

  She wouldn’t be able to feel him, since the entire property felt like him. Like the Druids they had met in the Amazon and the ones he’d known long ago, Quinn claimed his territory by letting his magic fully soak into the land and everything in it. He knew everything that happened on their land.

  “I’m at the disadvantage,” she murmured, considering that. She could handle that. He obviously knew the game was on, or the wolves wouldn’t have howled the arrival of her and Sombra into their domain. This also wasn’t the first time they had played the game. It was good for Sombra, since she had lost her more wild home to come here with Sawyer.

  Sawyer blinked to another tree, trying to focus. Even if the land felt like Quinn, he would still be more prominent than anything else. He was so powerful, if he used his magic, she would probably feel it.

  She moved deeper into the woods, ignoring Sombra’s bond. The jaguar was completely focused on her own hunt of the large dark wolf. Sawyer needed to stay focused on Quinn.

  It was nearly midnight. There was barely a moon, the world so dark. The air had a chill and she prowled the trees looking for him, hoping to catch any signs of him. She couldn’t go to the ground, since he had all the power there. She’d be under the dirt and held there, giving him the victory.

  It reminded her of the Amazon, but not in a bad way. This was playing in the dirt in a way she liked. She knew the end of this game was safe and it only helped to sharpen her skills in case anything like that happened again to her and the team. This was important training, not just a playful game.

  Another thing she learned from Quinn when they brought Sombra home. Games were never going to be just games again. This was practice. This was learning to work together.

  She sent a request through the bond that Sombra look for Quinn’s scent as well, since she didn’t have those sense like her jaguar did. Sombra already had stumbled on it and gave her a mental image of the spot. It was close to the swimming hole.

  Sawyer moved, heading for the swimming hole directly. She had a hunch.

  When she was close, the earth rumbled.

  When she was in a tree, with a view of the swimming hole, his eyes were on her.

  Sighing heavily, she knew she was caught. There would be no sneaking up on him. Again.

  “Sombra caught Shade,” he called softly. Well, her cat at least won her own game. “What are you doing out here? I thought you had plans tonight.”

  “I did but she really wanted to come out and play.” Sawyer dropped down and walked closer. “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing really,” he answered as she neared him. When she was in arms reach, he held out a hand. She took it without question.

  Somewhere in the Amazon, she’d realized she was in love with him. She was in love with him just as much as she was with Zander, Jasper, or Vincent. She had a greedy, possessive heart that knew no bounds and if the guys were okay with it, she wasn’t going to question it. She’d been without this sort of love for too long to reject it.

  “I’m not staying out all night,” she explained. “I’ll probably head back in to my vanilla martini and horror movies soon enough.”

  “I don’t understand this holiday,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just another normal night.”

  “It’s fun.” She shrugged, thinking that explained all of it. “It’s not supposed to be anything else. Not here in the US anyways. There’s history to it. A pagan holiday or something, but I always just enjoyed the fun aspect of it. People dressing up to get candy, pretending to be other people and monsters coming out to play.”

  “People dressing up in ridiculous costumes for candy.” He looked incredulous and disbelieving. “Have you ever dressed up in a costume for candy?”

  “I actually have,” she said, grinning. “As a child, obviously, with Jasper and Zander. As an adult, for kids mostly. I took Henry out one year for it. And a couple of kids from the gym every year I was in New York. I’d get them inside pretty early then drink and watch my bad horror movies. Charlie would join me sometimes.”

  He just shook his head, almost like he was disappointed in her.

  “What?” She couldn’t resist laughing. “It’s not that crazy. It’s fun!”

  “You think lots of things are fun. Like living in big cities. Forgive me, I don’t think you know what fun means.”

  “You think playing in the dirt is fun,” she reminded him, waving a finger at him. “Don’t mock me. The dirt is not fun.”

  “You can’t tell me you don’t have fun trying to sneak up on me,” he retorted, a small smile taking over his face. “What do adults get out of this holiday. Explain that. Children, I can understand.”

  “Adults…Well, I used to have fun watching the kids get excited. Helping them with their costumes. I would even wear one that matched. Like the year I took Henry out? I was a prisoner in an orange jumpsuit and he really wanted to be a policeman. You can imagine his father didn’t find it funny, but…” She sighed happily, letting the memory of Henry talking about wanting to save people wash over her. “It was fun.”

  “But Elijah says that adults have costume parties. Why? Why would adults do something so…childish?” He seemed genuinely confused.

  “Why not?” she asked back, looking into his icy blue eyes. “Why can’t adults, who have to be responsible every day, all the time, have just a single night of fun?”

  “He said the same thing. Elijah. But there are other fun things to do that aren’t that. Like our swimming hole. It’s fun.”

  “There are other things,” she agreed, considering how best to explain to him why Halloween was so appealing, at least to some people. “It’s a night where you can be anything, anything except you.”

  His eyebrows went up a little bit. “I could see why that would be appealing.”

  “Exactly.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “You and I both know that we have days where we would rather be anyone except who we are. Tonight would b
e that day where we could. We can be anything and no one would question it, because its Halloween.”

  “And it would be fun. To be someone else.” He sounded like he was considering it. She wondered if one day she would be at a Halloween party with him. Or even trick or treating. That would be a sight, probably an awkward one. Two grown ass people going trick or treating with a bunch of kids. She could take him up to New York next year. He could do it with her kids, if any of them needed some supervision.

  “Yeah.” She kept thinking about it. “You know, Halloween isn’t the only time we adults wear costumes.”

  “Oh?”

  “Some people do it in bed.” She felt devious for a moment, probably still riding Sombra’s good mood. She was going to explain roleplay to him. Maybe then he’d like the idea of costumes. “Like pretending to be someone they’re not in a sexual situation. Strangers. A police officer arresting and taking advantage of a pretty woman. Or a handsome man.”

  “Excuse me?” Quinn looked shocked. “What?”

  “You heard me!” She laughed, tossing her head back as she did. This was actually pretty funny.

  “What could possibly be appealing about pretending to be someone else with a lover? Why would I want you to be anyone but you in bed with me?” He sounded so genuinely confused, but her mind only began to turn.

  “It’s fun,” she purred, winking. “Now, I’m going back in. I’ll let you think about that for a little while.”

  “Makes no sense.”

  “To you,” she reminded him. To her? It wasn’t her kink or anything, but she thought it could be fun. If she didn’t devolve into laughter when someone was doing it. She probably would.

  She left him there confused and considering. Sombra was running with the wolves in the dark, having a good time, letting her know that she didn’t need to worry about her jaguar for the rest of the evening.

  She went back into the basement and hit play for her movie. She sipped on her vanilla martini, enjoying her night.

  It was nearly an hour later when he came storming in and fell into the chair next to her. She gave him a puzzled look, wondering what the hell he was doing.

  “What would we dress up as? If we did Halloween together?” he asked, his eyes locked on the screen.

  She considered that for only a second. That was easy. “Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. I would be Red and you would be the Wolf. Easy.”

  “Oh. Because I can shift into a wolf.”

  “Exactly. And we’d dress you up in some cheesy werewolf costume too, for effect.”

  “And what would you wear? A red cloak?” He seemed curious now, leaning closer to her, but his eyes stayed on the screen.

  “Yeah. Why not? It would be a fun night. Maybe I would wear something a little skimpy. Or maybe I would go true to the story and wear the full red cloak and dress. Who cares?” She could already see it. A big, gorgeous wolf walking beside her through New York, scaring kids then shifting into a gorgeous man in a ridiculous costume. “The guys would prefer just a party, like they’re out at the bar right now, but I think you and I could have a lot of fun doing it.”

  There was a beat of silence.

  “Doesn’t the Big Bad Wolf eat the girl in those stories? Is he one of the monsters that can come out to play on Halloween?” he asked softer, turning to stare at her. He leaned in closer, nipping her bottom lip with his teeth.

  Something shivered up her spine.

  “Yes,” she answered, her lips rubbing on his as she spoke.

  A rumbling growl erupted from his chest. “Does the girl try to run?”

  “Yes.” Her heart raced. Already, heat pooled between her legs, an erotic thought running through her mind. By the look in his eyes, she had a feeling her suspicion was correct.

  Oh god, what have I done?

  “Get running Little Red Riding Hood,” he ordered, dark heat now in his eyes.

  She did, jumping out of the chair and phasing through the door before he could grab her. Legitimate adrenaline began pounding through her veins as she darted up the stairs, able to hear him following her. She went through the back door and out of the house, sparing a glance over her shoulder.

  The moment he got out the back door, he shifted into his gorgeous wolf form. She didn’t slow down, feeling something scared in her chest. Scared and excited. She hit the tree line and kept running into the dark, knowing the large wolf was behind her, following her every move.

  She felt like she was in one of the horror movies she just watched, but she could also feel his magic in the woods around her. This was safe, but still, a thrill. She had always wanted to catch him. Now, she had to make sure she wasn’t caught.

  She figured out the rules quickly enough as he howled into the night. He was going to stay in wolf form and hunt her.

  She was his prey.

  This was pretend, but it didn’t stop the visceral response of her body. She didn’t use her magic, letting the idea of not having it like Little Red Riding Hood wouldn’t, increase the rush and thrill of the chase.

  Bringing up roleplay was either my best idea or my worst. Probably my best.

  She just kept running, further and further, knowing he was behind her. She ducked behind a tree and tried to circle back quickly. Maybe she could slip back inside the house and win.

  She slowed down, realizing the woods were silent.

  Where was he? She certainly hadn’t lost him.

  A growl alerted her but it was too late. She fell back as he pounced, landing only a foot in front of her.

  Her heart raced as the massive wolf stalked closer. When he would have walked over her, he shifted back into his human form and claimed her mouth. She couldn’t think. She felt paralyzed.

  He pulled away and yanked down her pants.

  “I win,” he growled. Then he ducked down and attacked her.

  She moaned as he began to eat her. She couldn’t resist a token struggle, pretending she was trying to escape. Here she thought she would laugh if he ever wanted to roleplay. She tried to roll over or pull away, but he only grabbed her hips and yanked her close again, a snarl making her skin erupt in goosebumps. His tongue swiped over her pussy, making her groan with need. Her back arched as he devoured her much like she figured he would. He ate her like a starving man.

  He massaged her ass with one hand as the other continued to hold her in place. He pulled away only for a moment and she watched him wet a finger in his mouth, his eyes pinning her to the ground. She couldn’t escape the blue gaze that seemed to glow in the night. He went back to fucking her with his tongue as he pressed an index finger to her backdoor.

  “Oh fuck,” she mumbled. Then he pushed it in and she could only moan louder. He moved it slow, leisurely as he lapped up every bit of her.

  She came hard, convulsing from the onslaught of his attentions. She wrapped her hands in his hair, holding him down there as she rode it out. He didn’t even try to pull away, growling in pleasure as she gave him everything he wanted.

  She was panting when it was over, looking up at the night sky. A moment later, his finger left her and she watched him crawl up her body.

  “I want you here. Under the sky,” he whispered. “And I’m going to have you, Little Red Riding Hood. My prize for the catch.”

  She could only nod as she heard his pants come undone. She certainly wasn’t going to tell him no. She felt helpless. Even with all her magic, her instincts told her that running now would only make him chase harder.

  And for some reason, she liked that idea.

  “Catch me again, and you can have whatever you want, Big Bad Wolf,” she dared softly, sublimating out from underneath him. she reformed several feet away, pulling up her sweats. “However you want it.”

  He snarled, half grinning. She turned and began to run again as he quickly shifted into a wolf.

  This time, she did use her magic, knowing if she was caught this time, nothing would stop him from claiming the entire prize. She wanted to be cau
ght. Even still, she would make him work for it, since that was part of the fun of it. She wasn’t helpless like Little Red Riding Hood and he was much more dangerous than the Big Bad Wolf.

  She sublimated around trees, and blinked up to the branch, knowing she needed to be off the ground if she didn’t want to be immediately captured. Then she kept moving, hoping she could evade him long enough that he would need to ask his boys for help. That would mean he lost.

  She was deep in the woods when she slowed down. She’d never gone so far out from the house, that was certain. She didn’t recognize the area around her. It felt even more like Quinn than the woods closer. This was deep into his territory.

  “Shit,” she mumbled. “Should have gone back closer to the house and gotten inside. Made him try to catch me on my turf.”

  A low growl came from beneath her. She looked down but couldn’t see him, the thick blanket of the night too dark. Adrenaline was still racing in her, and she began to worry.

  Was she treed?

  No, she could blink to another tree, but he would know. She tapped her magic and realized she had made a fatal error.

  She was depleted or nearly there. She’d been playing around with her magic too much tonight. She used what she could to get to another tree. She should have definitely gone towards the house, not away from it.

  She wasn’t going to be able to do this much longer so she jumped down and began running again, hoping her own two feet could carry her without him catching up.

  Now that she was helpless to lose, everything seemed heightened. The racing of her heart, the adrenaline, the anticipation.

  When is he going to-

  It happened in an instant. The wolf jumped towards her from the dark, both of them moving fast. The next moment a hand had her and forced her against a tree.

  She nearly screamed and a hand clamped over her mouth, mostly out of shock. He was there, firm and erect, pressed against her, ready to take her.

  “I win,” he growled, his blue eyes glowing dangerously in the night. He didn’t give her a chance to respond, turning her around to face the tree. She went from practically terrified to hot in a second, as her sweat pants were pushed down and he pushed her legs open. He grabbed a handful of her hair and held it as he thrust into her with a victorious snarl. She could only scream in pleasure, her back bowing as he held her. “And now I’m going to have you, Little Red Riding Hood.”