by Eliza Gayle
He brother moved fast, practically shredding the pants from her body.
Lucas slid his hand down the smooth expanse of her belly, diving right into her tight red curls, seeking her clit. She was ready for him. So wet. He wished he had time to get down on his knees, spread her legs and lap up every drop of her.
Such a shame for all that sweetness to go to waste, but there’d be time to make up for it later.
If she forgave him.
She was about to become his mate. A fact neither of them took lightly. His breath hitched at the thought and his cock was near to bursting. The cat snarled for him to hurry. He would have to make this up to her when she recovered. He’d show her with every touch how much she meant to him.
Kira thrashed around in his arms, not because she wanted to get away but in a renewed and obvious desperation to be fucked.
He removed his hand from her mouth, releasing her moans, which were almost as loud as her screams.
"For Goddess' sake do something to quiet her down." He glared at Kane, making it clear exactly what he meant.
For once Kane was smart and Lucas saw nothing but concern in his brother's eyes as he unzipped his pants.
Lucas released her arms he'd banded at her side with his own and her hands frantically grabbed for Kane. She bent down to take him in her mouth, making Kane groan as Kira sucked him all the way down in one powerful move.
“Holy he—” Kane hissed.
She’d wasted no time taking up a fast rhythm that had his brother’s eyes rolling to the back of his head.
Watching Kira slide Kane’s shaft in and out of her mouth, her pink tongue darting out of her mouth to circle the dark head nearly made his head explode as he fought back the urge to shift and attack.
Instead Lucas closed his eyes, fisted his throbbing length and imagined those lush lips wrapped around him, sucking him dry.
“Suck it harder, Kira,” he demanded. “Focus on how good it feels and listen to my voice.”
Kane's savage hiss almost drew him back from the moment, but when he opened his eyes all he saw was Kira bent over with her ass up in the perfect position for him to take her. Grasping her hips, he spread the cheeks of her ass. Oh, how he wanted to explore that spot. Imagining how tight it would squeeze around him, he sighed. Another time.
Without further hesitation, he drove himself into her in one hard thrust. She screamed around Kane, who pushed deeper in her throat to keep her quiet.
She was so snug around him it was hard for him to think. Her silken walls caressed and pulled all at the same time. She was beyond perfect for him.
“Mine. Mine. Mine,” Lucas chanted as he pounded into her repeatedly. With no time to prolong this incredible moment, he reached between their bodies and pinched her bud, thrusting her into a release that squeezed him tighter than a fist.
Kane grunted. “I can’t hold off much longer. She's going to make me come if we don't end this.”
Lucas ignored his brother's concern. Whatever it took. This was his mate. The woman he wanted to cherish forever. The one he'd sacrifice anything for if it meant she continued to live.
Anything for her.
As Kira’s body squeezed him through her orgasm, he too couldn’t take much more. Not when all he’d thought about for days was how much he missed her next to him, her lips kissing him or her body wrapped around his, experiencing more pleasure than ever before.
Maybe she would argue he only wanted her because of the mating call, but he didn’t think so. Nature created lust and desire for each other, but caring about her and falling in love with her couldn’t be created through fate.
Either way their moment had arrived. He lifted her hair and exposed her mark. On automatic pilot his body blanketed her back until he could swirl his tongue around that little spot of magic that flamed with their heat.
“So beautiful,” he panted at her ear.
Kane cursed on a groan, making her inner muscles squeeze around Lucas. It was too much. This was it. He had to complete the ritual now.
Once they mated like this it fused a bond for life. All manner of choice for his future would be gone. His independence lost forever. She would be his everything and him hers. She might hate him for this. His heart ached. The consequences of their mating made his head spin, but one truth was more important than any other...
She would die without this and he refused to let her die.
Unwilling and unable to hold back anymore, he thrust his canines into the mark, breaking the skin as his release blasted into her womb. The pleasure intensified ten fold. His legs wobbled, nearly tumbling them to the floor. Kira’s passion laced whimpers faded and her body went limp as she passed into unconsciousness. Her skin under his lips was so hot he thought it might melt. He jerked against the heat, but his mouth remained locked to her skin.
Strange images of Kira appeared in his mind. Kira as a child, hiding in the woods. As a teen, exploring her new woman’s body. Kira as she was now, running in the woods, scared for her life. Lucas’ mouth flooded with the bitter taste of her fear. Finally, she appeared very much like now but with skin that glowed and her belly swollen with child. Tasting the sweetness of the love she felt, he was shocked to also find the sour taste of her sadness. Why would she be sad? His confusion wrapped around him like a heavy wet blanket.
What had they done?
When her flesh cooled, his mouth popped free, releasing his canines as he slid free. Lucas gently laid Kira down on the ground. Dressing quickly, he glanced around the room for Kane. He hadn’t gone far. He’d simply move to the doorway, his back turned to them.
“Kane, help me get her ready to go.” They needed to hurry and get back to his cabin. While the mating was complete and her clan could do nothing about that, he wasn’t sure they would accept the trespassing onto their sacred land. Not to mention his own clan might see fit to punish him for his actions.
Yeah, his own Council. Tonight he’d broken damn near every rule he’d been raised to protect. How many people had he banished for less than this? Including his older brother Malcolm...
Malcolm. His brother’s angry face the last time he’d seen him hovered in his conscious. He’d vowed the clan would regret pushing him out.
“Holy shit! Why didn’t it come to me sooner?” Banishing Mal had been the worst thing he’d ever had to do as Guardian. The guilt had eaten at him for months, nearly driving him to leave the clan himself.
It had been five long years since that fateful day. Some of the pain and guilt of loss had faded but Malcolm had not been forgotten or forgiven.
“Lucas, what the hell are you talking about? We’ve got to go.” Kane demanded.
“It’s Mal. The entire time I was held prisoner there had been a subtle but familiar scent I couldn’t place.” Lucas scrubbed his face with his hands. “I hadn’t been sure about Lara or her motives and had pretty much concluded she had an accomplice. I could tell someone was masking, but every time that bitch got too close I would get the tiniest hint of a smell I couldn’t place until now. Now I know.” His voice dropped dangerously low. “He’s the one responsible for my capture, it has to be. Who else would know how to get near us?”
“C’mon, Lucas. There has to be another explanation. Malcolm is an asshole but you really think he would kidnap you? Why? What would he have to gain?”
Kane was right. It didn’t make sense yet. But it didn’t have to. His instincts were spot on. “I don’t know all the details yet but I’m positive it was him. And that means that my mate’s near death adventure with that witch Lara rests squarely on our brother’s shoulders.”
34
Kira came awake with a parched throat and an aching body. She groaned and rolled to her side. What the hell happened?
Reluctant but curious, she opened her eyes and stared at the space in front of her. In all of two seconds she recognized Lucas’ bedroom. Although how she’d gotten here she had no idea. Releasing a long breath, she rolled back over and stared at the ceiling.
Part of her wanted to jump up and investigate and the other part didn’t care anymore. If she was dreaming again then so be it.
The seconds ticked by in her head and nothing happened. No voices, no angry alpha standing over her ready to ream her up one side and down the other. If she wanted to know how she’d gotten here she’d have to find out on her own. Kira attempted to sit up but halted when a piercing pain stabbed through her shoulder. Puzzled, she reached to rub the spot and came in contact with a bandaged wound.
Struggling, she stood and walked across the room to the mirror attached to the bureau. A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach warned her she might not be ready to face what she would see. Too bad she never listened. She peeled the tape from her skin and gently lifted the white gauze, crying out when her worst fears were realized. There were two puncture marks in the middle of her mating mark.
Oh, God. No!
Kira called to the Tallan to help her remember what had happened. She fell to her knees as vivid and detailed memories flooded her brain. Images of her being screwed by Lucas and Kane together and of Lucas biting her while she whimpered for more crowded her mind.
She’d been completely out of control when they found her, unable to function in a normal capacity. Her body had demanded the mating from Lucas. Instincts had taken over and she’d been given the greatest ecstasy of her life. When Lucas’ canines pierced the mark, her body had exploded in pleasure like nothing she had ever experienced before.
The overload of sensations had splintered her body and soul, every nerve ending rippling in bliss. The orgasm had washed over them with shocking intensity. Even now, electricity from their joining still coursed through her veins. Her sex heated and swelled at the memories, preparing her for another wild bout with her mate.
Her body. The betrayer. Every scheme and idea she’d worked on had failed. She now belonged to a man.
Speaking of betrayal, where the hell is Lucas?
She reached for his touch and found him close by on the front porch, sweat pouring off of him.
His mind swirled with angry emotions as he repeatedly punched the hell out of his heavy bag. She started to push further and stopped.
No, she wasn’t quite ready to see the hatred that must surely burn there. He’d somehow found out about her situation and saved her life. Now his regret would kill her.
Unfortunately for her, she remembered everything she had said and done when her mind broke down. What she had done in the woods to Kane, the secrets she had spilled to the sheriff, even the unfounded fear she had experienced from Lara’s death. She had betrayed her kind. And more importantly, she had betrayed Lucas.
Sweat beaded on her clammy skin as the stress and tension of the last few days tried to escape. Hands trembling, she pushed against the floor trying to get off of her knees. She gripped the edge of the short bureau and hauled herself back up. Damned if she wasn’t going to pull herself together and face him. Lucas had mated them and now they were stuck. Ironically, she was now mated to the man she loved. Yes, she could finally admit she had fallen in love with him. How could she not? Besides the sexual chemistry they shared, she’d fallen for his unwavering devotion to his family and clan, the fact his intelligence rivaled her own, and in some quirky way, his tendency to want her out of harms way charmed her.
Unfortunately for her, he would never love her back. She’d gone waaay too far. And now her powers were linked to his will. The one thing she had feared the most.
Wiping away the lone tear that threatened to fall, she stood up tall and stiffened her spine. She had to face him, find out what his intentions were regarding her. If he thought to use her for her powers, well, he had another thing coming. If her abilities were now incomplete without him, so be it. She couldn’t live out the rest of her extended life with a man who didn’t love her. She had sworn to not be weak like her mother. There was still such a thing as free will. She hoped.
If not, then unlike her mother, she wasn't afraid to end her own life in order to stop another madman.
Checking her reflection in the mirror, she smoothed her hair, straightened her shoulders and declared herself ready. She might look a bit pale but she was more than ready to take on one overgrown house cat.
She yanked the door open and skidded to a stop. Lucas stood there, waiting.
“Going somewhere, darling?” he sneered. He must have been listening to her thoughts because he looked pissed off. Pissed, but damn gorgeous. Her eyes raked over his body. His chest was gloriously bare and covered with a light sheen of sweat from his workout. The golden, sun browned skin was covered by that layer of fine hair that she knew would tickle her nipples when she rubbed up against him. That fur alone had the power to make her forget everything and do nothing but sexy, dirty things to her man.
As if that wasn't enough, his workout pants were loosely fastened and rode dangerously low on his hips. So low in fact, the curve of his groin muscle distracted her. A soft, betraying moan came from her throat and her fingers itched to reach out and pull the flimsy string that held his pants up. She wanted to see more of his glorious body.
Saliva pooled in her mouth. She yanked her head back up, shaking it back and forth, forcing herself to look away to keep from drooling all over the place. She needed to get a grip. They would get nowhere if she couldn’t stop thinking about licking him from head to toe. Ugh.
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Are you planning to eat me alive?” His smart ass attitude was as effective as if he’d dumped a glass of ice water over her head.
“I was on my way to find you. To demand some answers.”
His eyes hardened like chips of ice and, just like that, the easy laugh disappeared.
Fine, it would be easier for her if he stayed cold and distant. Just seeing him like this made her want to drag him down to the floor and grind her body on his. She didn’t know much about riding him bronc style, but how hard could it be to learn?
“You sound a little tart for a woman who just woke up from one hell of a destructive bender.”
She winced at his not so subtle accusations. He had every right to be angry with her. She should have just told him what was happening to her. Instead, her pride had demanded her silence and now she would pay the steep price.
“Why, Lucas? Why would you mate with me after everything I’ve done? Was it some sort of warped sense of obligation to save me? That’s exactly what I didn’t want to happen. Knowing you felt sorry for me enough to sacrifice yourself makes me sick.” The acid in her stomach came to life, making her statement a churning reality. “I need to get away from here and get back to my real life.” She knew it was the right thing to do, even if she had to pay for the sacrifice everyday for the rest of her life.
"Not without me you don't."
Her head jerked up. "Excuse me?"
“Damn, woman, you are the most stubborn female I have ever met. Were you going to let me get a word in during that tirade?”
She opened her mouth, about to fire off a retort but his hand came up and pressed against her lips. “My turn, Kira.”
Whatever. He could take his best shot. She nodded.
“It’s true that I couldn’t bear to let you die that way. What kind of person would I be if I did?”
Emotion clogged her throat at his words. He was a warrior just like her, and to people like them, sacrifice would never be too high a price for another’s life.
“Don’t you get it? You’re my mate just as much as I am yours.” He grasped her shoulders and pulled her up against his chest. “Do you even understand the implications of mating with a shapeshifter? There are good reasons why we don’t mate very often.”
As confusion bloomed inside her, he crushed her mouth with his lips. Spearing his tongue into her mouth, she could taste his anger and frustration along with his healthy lust. “It’s impossible for you to leave me now, or I you. We can no longer survive without each other. At least not well. The longing would drive us or maybe just me, mad.”
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br /> She couldn’t really process what he said while he stroked her skin. His rough hands abrading across her flesh sent shivers down her back. Her senses heated up and she wanted nothing more than to lie back and beg him for more.
What had she been about to say? She couldn’t remember. Couldn’t think. Only wanted more. Rubbing her hands up his chest, she flicked his flat nipples lightly. His sharp intake of breath was a glorious reward and she flicked them again. He growled and bit her lip. The pleasure/pain sensation shot straight to her core as her juices flowed to her thighs.
Moving over to Lucas’ ear, she showered him with soft kisses before biting down. She didn’t know what was with all of the biting, but it felt good and right. The two of them panted and their hearts raced in beat together. She didn’t care. Her only thought was of fucking. She needed him and needed him now. Dropping to her knees, she pulled the damn string that taunted her earlier and pulled the sweatpants from his body. His erection bounced up and against his belly, before rebounding right against her lips. She flicked out her tongue and captured it to her.
He growled again. “Yes, baby. Put it between those lush lips of yours. I need you to suck it so bad.” His words heightened her need even further as she wrapped her hands around his shaft, guiding his erection to her eager mouth. The satiny smooth head pulsed against her. Oh, she wanted more. She hungrily engulfed his entire length, caressing the sensitive underside with her tongue. His skin tasted of salt and spice. Delicious.
It still wasn’t enough. Her sex pulsed, aching for touch. She released one hand from his erection and slid her hands inside her own shorts in search of her pulsing need.
“Yes, baby, that’s perfect. Suck me while I watch you touch yourself. Show me how much you need me.” He fisted her hair and fucked deeper into her mouth. His hips began a nice, even thrusting as her fingers stroked her clit with the same rapid rhythm.
He rocked faster. “Kira, it’s too good. You’re going to make me come.” She sucked harder—wanting it, begging for it. After a few more shallow thrusts, he pulled from her suckling mouth. She mewled in protest.