Hunger Awakened (The Feral Book 1)

by Charlene Hartnady

  Talon scrunched the blanket over that area of his anatomy. His balls felt tight. Not just scratchy but tight. His prick. By scale and feather. By … He jumped up, sure to keep the covers in place. His hand in place. “I need to bathe.”

  Calm down! Calm! Breathe! There had to be an explanation for this.

  “Oh.” Vicky frowned. “The sun is barely up. It’s Saturday, I normally sleep in on Saturdays. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to get up just yet. I was just getting some milk and then I planned on heading back to bed.”

  That was the problem, he was up. All the way up. “I must bathe now.” Talon had no idea what to make of this. None at all. Maybe he was sick. It could be that he had picked up a human sickness. His chest was heaving a little and he could feel sweat on his brow. Yes! That was it. He was sick.

  She narrowed her eyes a little for a second. “Sure. You go on into the bathroom. Help yourself.” Vicky smiled, turning back towards the refrigerator. Her rear was plump beneath the thin cotton of the shorts. He could pick up her scent. Floral, sweet. It was good.

  His prick hardened up more beneath his hand. Brimstone, fire and earthquakes! Talon must have made a noise because Vicky turned around, a bottle of milk in one hand. Her nubs had hardened up some more. He could see them clearly through the material of that shirt. Blast his eagle vision to hell and back.

  Don’t look! Do not look!

  “What is it?” Vicky asked, uncertainty in her voice. “You’re looking at me like … like you’ve never seen a woman before. I thought you guys were used to a bit of skin. Not that I’m showing much.” She pulled a succulent bottom lip between her teeth. “Are you okay? I mean, I probably shouldn’t walk around like this, but I swear I thought you were still asleep.” Vicky had a tendency to talk a lot when she was nervous … or angry or happy for that matter. The female could talk … a lot!

  “Of course I have seen a female before.” His eyes snapped to hers. They were large and very blue. “Our females are different to human females, that is all. I was just noting the differences. It will be important to convey this to my people upon my return.”

  “Oh, I see. That makes sense.” Her eyes lifted in thought. “Different how? I mean, you said we’re different, I’m different … how am I different?”

  “Our females are taller. Much taller, with more athletic builds.”

  “Athletic?” Her face grew pinched.

  “Yes, more muscular. Tighter and more toned. Human females seem to be more filled out.” His gaze dropped back to her chest. Her rounded globes. He clenched his jaw. That feeling was back in the pit of his stomach, it felt like … No, it couldn’t be!

  Arousal.

  Need.

  Hunger.

  “Filled out?” she said, drawing his attention back to her eyes as she raised her brows, looking at him like he was talking in another language and she couldn’t understand him.

  “Yes, your mammary glands are … well, they’re plump. It’s not just your chest but your belly, hips and thighs as well. It’s not all human females but many seem to lack height and muscle.”

  Vicky touched her belly and then squeezed her hip. His hand suddenly itched to do the same. He was sure she would feel good to the touch. “I guess your kind will just have to make do.” She closed the refrigerator, using a fair amount of force for such a tiny female; everything inside rattled.

  “Yes, they will.” He was sure the males would make do nicely. Very nicely. His prick throbbed, reminding him that he was unwell. “I need to wash.” Talon left the room as quickly as he could while still covering himself.

  What was happening to him?

  His mate had died over ten years ago. For ten years his libido had been dead as well. As it should be. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Of his tense jaw; his eyes were not as light as normal. His skin felt tight, his … Talon dropped the blanket. A growling noise escaped him. His prick was hard, it jutted from his body. Proud and ready. What on earth …? It had been a very long time since he had seen himself like this. Since he had felt …

  Talon closed a hand over himself and gave his member a soft tug. He growled low as his balls pulled tight, as pleasure sparked up his spine, from the pit of his stomach. He felt his knees weaken and put the other hand on the mirror to stop himself from falling. He closed his eyes tightly. The need to fist himself to completion rocked through him, making him tighten his hand on his prick. Thoughts of the human in the forefront of his mind. He pictured what those soft mounds would look like naked. How they would feel beneath his hands. How hot and wet she would be. The noises she would make.

  "No," he growled, louder than intended. Talon grit his teeth to keep from snarling. He was unwell. That was all. The illness would pass in a day or two. All would be well. He needed to fix this. Needed to forget it had ever happened. He yanked the glass door open, turning the tap to the blue side. The water rushed out. He stepped under it. Welcoming the cold. Feeling his flesh break out in goosebumps. Feeling the turmoil inside ease, just a little. He put his whole head under the stream, letting the water cascade down his front and onto his throbbing prick. A few minutes later and his erection began to subside.

  Thank the gods.

  There.

  It was fine. All would be well. He knew it. It had to be.

  This would not happen again. He felt himself breathe easier. All would be well. It would.

  Five days later …

  “No, I don’t think so.” Talon shook his head.

  “Come on, I’m here, I’ll help you.” She touched the side of his arm. His rock-hard bicep. Flip! She had to resist the urge to give it a squeeze. Not that there would be much give. It didn’t matter, it would feel good, that much she knew.

  “It’s too soon.” He took a sip of his ginger ale. They had decided it was best that he stick to a non-alcoholic drink. He’d never had alcohol, so they had no idea how he would react to it. “I wouldn’t know what to say or where to begin.” He shook his head.

  “This is a pick-up joint. Granted, it’s upmarket but it’s where guys go to meet ladies and vice versa. Those two women checked you out earlier when you went to the bathroom. Trust me on this.” Every single woman in this whole place had checked him out. Both when they came in and when he’d gone to the men’s restroom. They had all looked, and they had looked hard. The single ones, the not-so-single ones, there were even a couple of guys who had ogled the heck out of Talon. She couldn’t blame any of them.

  He wore black jeans and a collared shirt that fit him just so. He had the sleeves rolled up exposing forearms that … that … they were wow. That was all. They were incredibly wow. He was the tallest, hottest guy in this place by far. Vicky felt frumpy wearing a knit dress and a pair of tights. She should have worn those damned heels. Instead, she'd chosen a pair of comfy slip-on's. Why had she chosen comfort overlooking sexy?

  Then again. It wasn’t like she was competing with anyone. Talon had pretty much called her overweight the other day. What was it he had said? That she was ‘filled out’. Huh! Just a nice term for plump. What burned her the most was that it was true, she was a little overweight. She’d let herself go since the whole ‘Jeff sleeping with another woman’ fiasco had happened.

  Her energy levels had been non-existent for the longest time, so her morning jogs had happened less and less until they’d stopped happening at all. Donuts and cupcakes had become her bestest friends. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies too. Especially when they were held together by a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

  Shit!

  Even the hold-it-all-together pants weren’t helping as well as they had before. They looked like flesh-colored cycling shorts. Not pretty, but they normally did the job just fine. Not today. Not in this dress. What had she been thinking?

  "So, let me get this straight," Talon said, a glass of ginger ale still clutched in one hand. "You want me to go over there and introduce myself. I should tell them that you're my cousin."

  “Yes.
” She nodded. “You can offer them a drink and start up a conversation.”

  “About what?”

  “I don’t know. Anything. Ask questions. Women love it when they get to talk about themselves.”

  “I don’t know.” He squeezed the back of his neck. “I’m sure I’ll mess up. It feels too soon. You haven’t told me very much about human females.” He whispered the last two words. “I’m still clueless.”

  “I disagree. Look at you.” She looked him up and down. “You’re dressed, you aren’t perching on any balconies.” Vicky smiled.

  Talon narrowed his eyes at her, he finally gave a half-smile. “OK, I learned one or two things after nearly being locked up. You helped me pick out a couple of outfits or I’d still be wearing inappropriate attire.” He shrugged. “That has nothing to do with anything I did. That’s all on you.”

  “You are learning. Mostly through observation and more than you think. We observed that couple the other day. The ones who looked like they were on their first date. Did you learn a couple of things from that?”

  He nodded. “Like you said, asking questions and listening is important. Allowing a female … a woman to pick what she wants to eat and drink is important. Human females … women from this part of the world are independent, confident and are capable of making their own decisions.”

  “Are your women not as independent then?”

  He shook his head. “They are all of those things but not in the same way. We all have … had our own roles. Females had more teaching and nurturing roles, whereas the males must provide in all aspects of the word. Food, shelter and protection.”

  “It sounds like something from the dark ages.”

  “We are a simple people but it works very well. I have a feeling that things will change when we bring humans into our society.”

  “I think so too.”

  “Good thing we are highly adaptable.”

  “Definitely.” She rubbed her lips together, liking the feel of the gloss. “See, we’re having a conversation and it’s going just fine.”

  Talon raised both brows. “It doesn’t really count since I know you and can talk openly to you.”

  “Still,” she took a sip of her Piņa Colada ‒ it had come complete with a little umbrella and tasted delicious, “I think you would do just fine, and to prove it, I’m going to pretend I’m one of the single ladies here.

  “You are one.” Talon’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “You know what I mean. You’re going to pretend you’ve just approached me. You said hi and offered to buy me a drink. I agreed.” Because let’s face it, if tall, dark and gorgeous over here approached any one of these single ladies, they would totally agree to a drink. She did have reservations about what would follow, but the only way he was going to learn was to dive right in there. She would observe and give feedback accordingly and he’d do better next time.

  “Thanks for the drink.” She held up her glass, smiling at him.

  Talon frowned. “I should pretend I only just met you?”

  She nodded. “Yes, we don’t know one another at all. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a regular guy. I know nothing about your background or what you do. Or who you are really,” she said, under her breath.

  “It’s my pleasure.” He nodded at her drink. “Not sure why you keep insisting on drinking so much milk.”

  She gave him what she hoped was a dirty look. “It’s coconut milk. Not actual milk even though I happen to like actual milk.”

  His features twisted with distaste.

  Vicky had to smile. Talon smiled back.

  “Okay, let’s do this. You never mentioned what your name is.” She looked up at him, into those gorgeous eyes. Stop it, Vicky! This isn’t real. They were pretend meeting for the first time … soon to be flirting … maybe … No! No way! Even if they did flirt, it would be acting.

  “I’m Talon.” He took a sip of his drink.

  “Oh, wow, interesting name. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before.” She batted her eyelashes a little at him and giggled. Chances were good that most women at a place like this would act in that way, especially if Talon was sitting across from them.

  He pursed those soft yet manly lips of his for a second as he thought about his answer. “My mother wanted me to have a strong name.”

  I’m sure she did. Vicky made a sound of agreement.

  “One fit for a warrior,” he touched his arm with the tattoo, “and defender … someone capable of making an opponent bleed with one hand tied behind his back.”

  “Stop there. You can say that your mother loved the name but don’t talk about being a warrior. Or of making opponents bleed.” Even if she did find the thought hot. One hand tied behind his back indeed.

  “Why not?” He scowled and tapped his chest. “I am a warrior. I’m in charge of many males. I can fight them all with one hand tied behind my back and would beat them all. I know this for a fact.”

  Oh boy! “I’m sure it’s true but you can’t say things like that here and now. You can stick to the truth, but you can’t talk about defeating people, or fighting, or anything like that. Just say that you’re in security. You run a security firm.”

  “I don’t though. That would be lying. I am head warrior and confidant to my king …”

  He sounded so sexy when he spoke about what he did. She noticed that Talon sat a little taller. That his already amazing chest expanded more. “I have my marking to prove it. It covers my whole arm. A sign of my strength.”

  “That’s all good and well but they’ll think that you’re talking a load of shit. That, or you’re crazy. We don’t want that. It takes away from your sex appeal.”

  His features darkened. “That is bad because we want human females to like our males for who they are, not just want them for sex. Lying is bad as well.”

  “Yes, I know.” Flip! “You will need to stretch the truth a bit when you first meet someone. Your species will need to first meet people and stick as close to the truth without giving anything away. Unless of course you plan on revealing your identity right off the bat.” If that was the case, she had this all wrong.

  He frowned and shook his head. “We would prefer to keep a low profile. Like I’ve told you, humans,” he looked around to check that no-one was eavesdropping, “don’t know about our existence and we want to keep it that way. You reacted badly when I told you I was a shifter, so I have concluded that might be the wrong way to go as well.”

  “I thought so. You can’t reveal too much then. Definitely don’t tell anyone that you’re a shifter. Not right away at least.”

  He nodded. “That makes the most sense.”

  “So, let’s try that again then. What do you do for a living?”

  “I work in security.” He widened his eyes, as if the white lie didn’t agree with him. “I own a security firm.” He seemed to have to push the words out.

  “Oh, how interesting. What is it that your firm does?”

  He shrugged. “We secure … buildings. Make sure people are … safe.”

  “Vague but good. You should ask me something back. Steer the conversation away from yourself, especially if you’re talking about something risky. Something that might give away your true identity.”

  “Alright.” He pulled in a breath. “What do you do, Vicky?”

  “That’s good, using the woman’s name, showing her that you remember it.”

  The side of his mouth twitched. “It would be a stupid thing to forget.”

  “Yeah, but you would be surprised how many guys get it wrong or forget it entirely. Anyway, I’m a pre-school teacher.”

  “Great.” He smiled broadly. “Sounds fascinating.” Too much animation. “Tell me more about it.” Followed by more smiling. He looked ridiculous. Not at all like himself. Too bright and breezy.

  “You have no idea what a pre-school teacher is, do you? You’re panicking a little right now.”

  His goofy smile died. He nodded, taking a s
ip of his drink. “I know what a teacher is but otherwise … no idea. I got anxious because I didn’t want to look like an idiot.”

  “Don’t overreact like that. Women do not like big, cheesy grins. You’re not a happy-go-lucky, smiley guy. You’re more the brooding type. Smiling like that makes you look … just don’t do it. Ask questions instead to figure it out.”

  “Okay.” He looked like he was thinking it through. His eyes narrowed. “The brooding type? What does that mean?” he asked with genuine interest.

  “Just that you’re quite a serious person. You’re focused and pretty intense. All good qualities.” She touched the side of his arm. Qualities women were going to lap up. Lap right up with tongue, lips and possibly even teeth.

  “Okay. Good.” He nodded. Looking … brooding and intense. She could practically see that brain of his racing a mile a minute.

  Vicky cleared her throat. “Don’t bring out the cheesy grin when you’re feeling nervous. You need to be yourself as much as possible. Just a more refined version of you, that’s all.”

  “I mostly understand.” His expression remained serious. “Why did you decide to become a pre-school teacher?” Straight back into character.

  She smiled. “Much better.” Vicky drew in a breath. “I love kids. I love working with them all day. They teach me so much about life.”

  “Yes, children will definitely do that.” His expression grew wistful. His gaze drifted to the side. “Young ones are the most important members in any society. They are the future. They are precious and are to be treasured.” His eyes locked back with hers. So genuine and sincere. So … darned sweet.

  She virtually felt her ovaries explode at the look of longing in his eyes. At his words. “Yes, you’re right on the money. So, what do you do for fun?” Better change the subject.

  Talon gripped his chin and then rubbed. “Hand-to-hand combat is my all-time favorite. Nothing like pounding a male’s flesh to use up some energy.” More popping of the ovaries. Talk of violence shouldn’t do that to a woman. It really shouldn’t. Her lady bits hadn’t received that particular memo, they were all in. “Also, I quite like hunting.” His eyes lit up. “I prefer to hunt in my human form. More of a sport that way … I—” He stopped talking. “Why are you looking at me like that?”