Wolf's Blood

by Laura Taylor

  “One detail to be aware of though,” Skip added, as Dee considered the idea. “The Council has pretty strict rules for raising children, and one of them is that two parents are needed. Doesn’t matter what gender they are – we’re open to same-sex couples, I mean, just look at Baron and John – but the two parent thing is non-negotiable.”

  Dee was taken aback. “That seems a little archaic. There are plenty of single parents in the world, both men and women, and they get by fine.”

  Skip shrugged. “It’s kind of an insurance policy. Shifters have a high mortality rate. Thank you, Noturatii,” she added sardonically. “So having two parents means that if one dies, the other can still raise the children. It’s kind of morbid when you look at it that way, but I guess there’s a certain logic to it.”

  This was hardly the silver lining Dee had been hoping for. A slim chance for adoption, if she could find someone to raise the children with her, followed by a lifetime of complications and worries… It was no wonder that not many people decided to go down that path.

  But what Heron said next was completely unexpected, a sly distraction to pull Dee out of her brooding mood. “I’m fairly certain that young man of yours would be interested in raising a family.”

  “My young man?” Dee asked, trying to play it cool, knowing she was referring to Mark. “I’d hardly say he’s mine.” The two of them had only just got things back on track this afternoon, after all. It was startling to realise that other people in the estate had noticed them dancing around each other.

  “A little birdy told me that something interesting happened today,” Skip said with a wink, as Dee felt her face heat. “Mark and Dee, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

  “Skip,” Heron chided her gently, but Skip would not be deterred.

  “I’m serious,” she said defensively. “They were sitting in a tree. Out in the forest.”

  “That’s not the point,” Heron tried to scold her, but Skip just laughed.

  “And they were most definitely kissing. So I’m not starting any unsubstantiated rumours here.”

  Despite her attempt at being stern, Heron looked like she was trying to smother her own amusement, so Dee decided to come clean.

  “It’s a fair call,” she said, seeing the funny side to the situation. “And I know, I know, about time,” she admitted, seeing the glee on Skip’s face. She’d been trying to push the pair of them together for months, disappointed and impatient every time Dee had explained to her that she and Mark didn’t think of each other like that. “But it’s early days yet, and talk of children is just too big a bridge to cross at this stage.”

  “It’ll be a while until you could be granted approval anyway,” Heron cautioned her gently. “Usually the Council won’t even consider an adoption request until both parents have been shifters for two or three years. So you have plenty of time to think about it.”

  “And plenty of time to keep wooing Mark,” Skip added gleefully. “First comes love, then comes-”

  “Skip,” Heron scolded her again, trying to look serious. “That will do, thank you very much.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  After Dee’s visit to the village, there were two more outings. The first was a trip to a local café for lunch, more a test-drive than a social event as Tank and Caroline were her chaperones again, both breathing down her neck when the slightest thing out of the ordinary happened.

  But the second was far more fun. Mark, Skip and Tank accompanied her to a pub to watch a local band play. For her and Mark, it was like their first real date, a milestone in a relationship that had suddenly picked up its pace.

  Aside from the outing itself, Mark had been trying hard to make her feel special, cooking her breakfast, watching movies with her in her room at night, lounging comfortably on the bed with a laptop balanced on the sheets. It was a long time since Dee had had any real romance in her life, and she was finding it quite addictive now. She had a love of old black and white films, and was pleasantly surprised when Mark took an immediate liking to them, finding them a welcome break from the mindless explosions of the modern action films that were the usual fare of the Den’s residents.

  The pub was nothing out of the ordinary, the food pleasant enough, but Dee found the music absolutely enchanting, a blend of modern rock and Celtic ballads that had an upbeat, yet haunting quality to them. And the evening became even more enchanting when Mark discreetly twined his fingers through hers and spent the next hour slowly stroking her hand in a way that was every bit as enticing as it was designed to be.

  Back at the estate, they said good night to Skip and Tank, and Dee gave a brief report to Baron about the outing, the alpha pleased to hear there had been no problems from Faeydir, then headed up the stairs.

  Her and Mark’s usual routine was to say goodnight at her door, a few heated kisses closing off their evening’s plans. But when they reached the door tonight, Dee found herself dwelling on the tantalising prospect of something more.

  Mark leaned down to kiss her, a few slow minutes passing in a warm embrace. But when he went to pull away, Dee slipped her arms around his waist and tugging him back again.

  “I really enjoyed tonight,” she said earnestly. “Thank you for coming.”

  “It was a pleasure.”

  She was back to awkward fumbling, trying to figure out how to express her feelings. “So I was wondering… um… maybe… maybe you’d like to come inside for some coffee?”

  Mark’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and then he glanced automatically at her bedroom door. “Coffee?” he asked, in the sort of tone that said he knew exactly what she was asking, but needed to confirm it was what she really wanted.

  Dee nodded, feeling nervous and excited and embarrassed all at once.

  Mark’s arms tightened around her and his voice took on a slightly husky tone. “I would like that very much.”

  Mark followed Dee into her bedroom, eyes fixed on her curvy form. She’d dressed up for tonight, trading casual jeans for dress slacks and a pair of black boots with heels that made her legs look distractingly sexy, and he’d wondered more than once this evening how long it would be before they took this next step in their relationship. He hadn’t expected it to happen quite so soon.

  Not that he was complaining. Three months of slow frustration had given him more than a few fantasies about what would happen if they ever reached this point.

  Once the bedroom door was closed, Dee turned around to kiss him, and he felt immediately breathless, his heart speeding up. Take it slow, he cautioned himself. They had all night. No need to rush…

  “Are you sure about this?” he asked, feeling her fingers plucking hesitantly at his waistband, and she nodded.

  “Very sure,” she murmured, before tugging him down to kiss him again.

  What followed was a slow waltz towards the bed, one step, a kiss, a few caresses, another step, until Mark felt the edge of the mattress hit the back of his knees.

  He jumped as Dee slid a questing hand beneath his t-shirt, stroking over his abs, then higher, and he tightened his arms around her waist, unable to resist the sweet temptation of her lips a moment longer.

  “It’s been a long while,” he said, needing to warn her that perhaps he wasn’t up to what she might be expecting, but she shook her head.

  “It’s fine. I’m a little out of practice myself.”

  For the next half an hour, they took things at a leisurely pace, removing one article of clothing at a time, exploring the new territory revealed along the way. At one point, they took a slow, comfortable tumble onto the bed, Mark landing on his back with Dee sprawled across him, and he kissed her through her laughter as they untangled themselves, the movement pressing the delicious heat of her thigh against his groin in a way that had him gasping for breath.

  Dee noticed their position and deliberately rubbed against him, causing Mark to groan, his hands cupping her buttocks to encourage her, then sliding inside the scrap of fabric that still covered her, ca
ptivated all over again by smooth skin and an almost staggering warmth.

  But just as he was contemplating helping her remove that most tantalising item of clothing, Dee suddenly stopped. She sat up, cursing under her breath. Mark dragged his attention away from the enticing view of her breasts, held captive beneath a lacy bra, to try and focus on her sudden apprehension.

  “What’s wrong?” He was down to only his underpants, hard as a rock and so damn close to the edge… Fuck, if she wanted to stop now, he was going to have a heart attack. He would stop, of course. Absolutely. But it might just kill him in the process.

  “I don’t have… Um… I don’t have any condoms,” Dee blurted out, red faced, but clearly seeing this as an important priority, and Mark only just bit back the automatic ‘So what?’ that he had been about to say.

  It wasn’t any kind of disregard for her concerns. In the normal course of things, women had every right to be worried about diseases and pregnancy, contraception a totally reasonable priority. But as things stood now…

  “We don’t need one,” he explained cautiously, then rushed on before she could get defensive about it. “Shifters can’t have children,” he reminded her, hoping the topic wasn’t a sore spot. She’d told him about her tense discussion with Caroline on the subject. “And we can’t catch STDs. Shifters are immune to them all.” There was still the chance she was simply going to object to the mess – though if they stayed here for much longer, there was a good chance there would be a mess regardless.

  “Oh.” Rather than put out, Dee sounded relieved by the reminder. “That’s right. I’d forgotten. It’s just that we have the ‘safe sex’ message drummed in so often, it’s hard to break away from.”

  “I get it. And if you’d prefer to use one, the Den has a supply in the medicine cabinet.” Though how in the world he was going to manage to go downstairs and get a box was beyond him. He doubted he could even walk at this point.

  “No,” Dee said simply, leaning forward to kiss him again, and that pressed her breasts hard up against his chest in a way that short circuited any further rational thought. His hands came up of their own accord to cup her through her bra, a gentle massage that grew firmer when she pressed into his hands.

  “Here, let me,” she said, then reached around and undid the clasp.

  God, she was perfect. Curvy in all the right places, breasts full and firm, and he tumbled her over onto her back, urging her to relax when he felt her hands fumbling for his underpants. “Just enjoy this.” He leaned down and kissed her breasts, first one side, then the other, then drew one warm bud into his mouth, lapping his tongue back and forth across her nipple, thrilled at the small moan that escaped from her mouth. His hand captured the other breast, and soon she was squirming beneath him, hand stroking his hair over and over again.

  “Could I…?” Mark reached for her underpants, tugging the waistband down just a fraction, and Dee eagerly nodded, lifting her hips for him. After Mark tossed the fabric off the bed, he paused on his way back to her lips…

  Dee was feeling giddy. The look of anticipation on Mark’s face as he removed her last piece of clothing was eclipsed by one of total captivation, and she let her gaze drift downwards, returning the thorough inspection he was giving her. He was decadent – there was no other word for it. A light dusting of hair across defined pecs, a six pack that flexed in the most fascinating way when he moved, down to that distinct bulge in his underpants, and she had a sudden craving to peel away the fabric and get a good, long look at what lay beneath.

  But then Mark began kissing his way back up one leg, starting at the ankle, the knee, then along the sensitive inside of one of her thighs.

  None of her previous boyfriends had been particularly interested in oral sex – not on the giving end of things, at least – so Dee mostly expected Mark to give her a token kiss, or perhaps even bypass her most sensitive area completely, and simply continue his slow, sensual path northwards.

  But instead, he paused when he reached the junction of her thighs. He slid one gentle finger over her clitoris, rubbing back and forth… then he leaned down, his tongue taking over where his fingers had been.

  Dee momentarily lost the ability to breathe. Her head fell back, her legs parted involuntarily, and oh, the feel of that was just sublime. Her nerve endings were on fire, her hips lifting before she got control of herself. Perhaps he wouldn’t like her pressing herself into his face?

  But he seemed to take the move as encouragement, adding talented fingers to the task, and Dee moaned again, fist gripping the sheet as he stroked his tongue over her clitoris again and again, then delved lower, fingers sliding in and out, sucking then stroking in a rhythm that constantly left her guessing.

  When he finally left off the pleasurable torture long minutes later, he was breathing fast, as was Dee, and he kissed his way slowly up over her abdomen, her belly button, one hand stroking tantalising lines over her ribs while the other kept up the teasing between her legs, and when he kissed her on the mouth again, Dee slid one hand behind his neck, opening her mouth eagerly while she wrapped one leg around his thigh.

  “Okay?” he asked, when he pulled back, and Dee nodded emphatically.

  “Better than okay.” She lifted her hips again, feeling his erection hot against her inner thigh, and realised he must have removed his underpants somewhere along the way.

  Mark took the hint from her restless fidgeting. He moved to cover her, Dee’s heart beating fast as they rearranged their bodies to suit, and then she felt the tip of him pressing against her entrance.

  It seemed like forever since she’d done this, and she groaned as she felt him press inside her. The warm, slick sensation was absolutely divine, the coarse hair of his legs scraping deliciously against her thighs, his body hot against hers.

  He dropped his head onto her shoulder, breathing hard, and Dee stroked his back, drinking in the sensation of his heated skin against her own, her hips lifting with each thrust. He paused, shifted position, thrust again, his mouth seeking out her breast.

  “Oh, fuck…” She heard the words as a breathless exhale, and then she felt him thrust harder, his whole body tense, a low moan escaping from him, and Dee would remember the sound of that deep, rumbling groan forever. It was the sexiest sound in the whole world, and for a moment, she didn’t even care that she wasn’t quite there yet, her body hot and throbbing, and insisting that she have more and now, even as she stroked Mark’s shoulders and felt him relax against her.

  “Sorry,” he murmured, kissing her shoulder. “It’s been a long time.”

  “It’s no problem,” Dee said, though her body disagreed. But so far he’d been a generous and thorough lover, so she wasn’t going to hold a grudge.

  Mark, it seemed, wasn’t quite so willing to let it go. He pulled out, slid to the side and kissed her, and then that clever hand was sliding down her body again to tease her clitoris. He slipped one finger inside her, then another, and damn, she was so close. Another moment or two was all she could take, and then she slid one hand down, rubbing herself firmly while Mark’s fingers were inside her, and that was all it took. She moaned, arched her back and dug her fingers into his arm as she went over the edge.

  When she opened her eyes a short time later, it was to find Mark grinning down at her like he’d just won the lottery. And Dee had to laugh.

  “Oh, don’t look so pleased with yourself,” she said with a grin.

  “Why not? You seemed to enjoy that.”

  Dee laughed again, and tugged him down to kiss him. “I did,” she admitted against his mouth. “Very much.”

  Suddenly, a strange expression crossed his face. “Not meaning to break the mood or anything, but… what did Faeydir think of that?”

  Bloody hell. She’d forgotten all about the wolf, so caught up in the moment, and braced herself as she tuned in to her other half, dreading what she might have to say, and bemused by the fact that their lovemaking had most likely just been eavesdropped upon by a most u
nusual third party.

  Complete boredom was what came back at her, and Dee almost sighed with relief. Faeydir was more than happy to spend time in Mark’s company, but the whole concept of human sexual relations was completely baffling to her, and she’d pretty much tuned out once the kissing started. Dee relayed the information to Mark, who looked equally as relieved.

  He fell back onto the bed, letting out a groan of contentment. “Good to know,” he said, sliding an arm around Dee’s waist and tugging her closer. “Because as much as I like your wolf, I really don’t fancy the idea of her interrupting this kind of thing.”

  Dee just grinned, reaching over to switch off the lamp and snuggling in beside him. She agreed – having Faeydir butting in on their lovemaking would be awkward, to say the least. But with her wolf as curious and independent as she was, she wasn’t inclined to take anything for granted.

  When Dee woke in the morning, it was to an unexpected sense of warmth and wellbeing.

  The first thing she noticed was that she was naked. Her usual habit was to wear pyjamas to bed, and the feel of smooth sheets against her skin was unexpected.

  The second thing she noticed was the incredible warmth in the bed.

  Mark.

  He was lying on his back, fast asleep, his arm and thigh pressing against hers, and the heat radiating off his body was like a living furnace. Dee snuggled closer, then froze as he stirred, not wanting to wake him just yet.

  Wow. Last night had been fantastic. After the lights had gone out, he’d held her for a long while, stroking her hair, pressing kisses to her face, her hand, her shoulder. After a comfortable silence, they’d talked, about nothing, and everything, philosophies on life and love and religion, Mark confessing to finding great comfort in Il Trosa’s doctrine on Sirius the Wolf-God, while Dee found the whole thing rather outlandish, if she was forced to put a word to it. She had no objection to their rituals, of course, finding many of them quite beautiful and asserting that each person should be free to follow their own beliefs, but having been raised more or less an atheist, she didn’t feel she was about to commit herself to a spirit-wolf, no matter how comforting the myths might be.