Feral Craving

by D. C. Stone

  Her legs still cradling his hips, wrapped firmly around him as he visibly hesitated, his eyes glancing from hers and back to the pulse beating on her neck. She pushed his shoulder, knowing she had only been able to because he allowed it and as she rose up on top of him, his body laid beneath hers, she set her palm behind his neck and pulled him, lifting him to her before she took him deep inside of her again. Her head tossed back with a moan, before she set his mouth above her breast and began to ride him in slow, sure strokes. She felt every delicious inch of him filling her, her walls clenched around him as she rose and he withdrew before her body shouted in triumph as he filled her fully once more. She’d never be able to get enough of him and wasn’t quite sure she ever wanted to. “Bari … take me.”

  His mouth hovered over the swell of her breast, and his hot breath caused her nipple to scream for his touch. His nose brushed the creamy skin above her breast, and her toes curled. His cheek rubbed against her nipple, and a swirling vortex of pleasure spread inside her body. He groaned, and she took his choice away and pressed him harder to her, arching her body toward him, and buried his mouth against her body.

  A sharp pierce shocked her, and she jerked her body before pure pleasure ran undiluted through her veins. The soft flesh of her breast gave way like butter as he sliced through her skin. Her steady sure strokes over his hardened length, combined with power and sensation ripping through her, fueled another release as she thrust herself down upon him almost violently, both of them shouting out.

  Slowing his pulls, he slipped his fangs free from her flesh and ran his tongues over the small wounds left behind, lapping in a gentle fashion. He dropped back to the bed, pulling Mackenzie upon him, and heaved several deep breaths. His head turned and lips grazed the skin between her shoulder and neck as he pressed his lips to her.

  “Are you okay?” He pulled back to gaze into her eyes. Her entire body hummed with a power she had never sensed before. She figured if she tried, she would be able to jump over entire buildings, run the length of the island without losing her breath, or take down even the most viscous warrior she could find. She felt great, if not the best she ever had, and as her body started to shake under the intensity of power, she also recognized a deeper connection that ran through every fiber of her being. It was almost like invisible threads had wound themselves around her body and connected them, wrapped all up in the invisible fibers that were Bari. She knew without even having to ask that if he were to go anywhere she’d be able to find him by the connection alone. The feeling gave her a moment’s pause as she realized it. Again, the situation should freak her out, but it didn’t. She didn’t understand why.

  As the thoughts bounced around in her head, she shifted her body above his and lay so their skin touched completely, her face turning to press into the smooth expanse of his neck. Her hand absently played with his hair on the opposite side, the strands running through her fingers like smooth silk.

  “I feel different. Yet fine. Better than fine actually.” She bit her lip and wondered if he felt the same as she, if he sensed the connection that seemed to be growing deeper by the second, the one now wrapping itself around her heart. “I feel like you are a piece of me now, Bari … like you’re inside of me constantly.” His hands roamed up and down her back, soothing the skin and tracing each curve of her body, and as she spoke those words, they stilled briefly before moving again. If she were honest with herself, she liked the connection, yet an impression in the back of her mind screamed there was no reversing what they had done. It was scary to venture off into an uncharted territory and almost overwhelming to even begin to wonder what it was. She didn’t regret it, wouldn’t never do so, but she didn’t want to force this kind of connection on Bari, if he wasn’t receptive.

  Mackenzie lifted her head and propped it on a hand, gazing into the ice blue eyes of her lover, her best friend, and saw the flicker of thoughts running across his face. She knew he was a quiet male, had always been that way, and while he spoke to her more than others, those thoughts running in his head gave her pause to wonder if he would open up to her.

  “What are you thinking about? Are you okay?”

  “Thinking? It’s more of a feeling than a thought, Mac.” His hand lifted to cup her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek soothingly. “It’s not a bad one, Angel, just stronger than I have ever felt. I agree with you. I can sense you deep within me, a part of me as you have never been, though I have always carried you with me. And even if you did not realize it, I have always felt strongly for you.”

  Her soul had been bare without Bari. She had known since the day he left, but now, with this deeper connection between them, if she were to be pulled from him again, there would be utter devastation left in her wake for all, until he found her. She felt that as surely as she knew her own heartbeat.

  “Bari, what do you mean by that?” She needed a firm understanding of what was going on around her, with her, much the way he had.

  “I meant simply I have loved you for a long time, Mac. You became more to me than just a friend. You needed to feel safe, and I endeavored to provide that as best I could, though it wasn’t enough.” His thumb stilled, and he tugged her toward him gently, pressing his lips to hers.

  Shock hit her system, followed quickly by elation. She wanted to jump up and dance around, shout to the heavens that he loved her. Or had said he did. She didn’t know how much of that love came from a simple comfort, the two of them having been in each other’s lives for so long, or if he actually experienced the true and genuine love deep down, for her. She returned his kiss, losing herself in the feel of this male beneath her, touching his lips to hers so soft and sensual that it tingled all the way to her toes. She didn’t rush the touch, didn’t pull away or push him for more but simply delighted in the passion passing back and forth between them. She intended to let the moment draw out, to savor his taste, his touch, and the feelings he produced. Her hand cupped his face as the kiss expanded, the soothing, slow rasps of tongues stroking and caressing each other. She felt the connection between them, the love growing, and knew without a doubt she wouldn’t have changed a single thing. There were no more times for regrets. Their lives had been built and a path forged for each of them together.

  The kisses soon turned passionate, and as he rolled their bodies and took hers in one smooth stroke, she held in rapt attention of the silent communication passing between them. Their love making was slow and full of so much passion that when she flew over the edge, she heard herself groaning out her love for him, causing him to tremble and follow right after her. It was the soft kiss to each of her eyes and his arms winding around her that allowed her body finally to fall into an exhausted and comforting sleep.

  She woke several hours later and reached out, only to touch the bed’s empty, yet warm sheets next to her. She sat up, drawing the sheet up to her naked breasts, and worried her lip, wondering where Bari had disappeared to. It was almost immediate, the pull, the connection to him that told her he was close. Her mind eased, and she rose, tossed back the covers and headed for the shower. She couldn’t explain the feeling, but the link she sensed to him seemed very real.

  Under the hot spray, her body felt gloriously sore in all the right places from a full day of satisfying lovemaking. As she smoothed the soap across her skin, she was slightly shocked to find not a single mark remained on her body. Wounds and injuries took time to heal but never this short amount of time. Her mind frantically worked to try to figure it out. The only thing she could deduce was it had to have been because of Bari and the exchanging of their blood.

  She should be freaking out. Mackenzie understood that. Instead, what she felt was a peaceful calm, reminiscent to the morning following a turbulent storm. The sensation washed over her, and she closed her eyes, trying to draw from the comfort of it. Deeper inside, she recognized a darker sentiment, one swirling like a tornado. Fear, sadness, joy, and disgust battled together. After studying where the emotions came from, she somehow
identified each coming from Bari.

  With her eyes still closed, she stepped beneath the spray and hardly felt the water pelting her head. Instead, in her mind and behind dark lids, a braided rope appeared. Sparkling with silver colors, woven threads of blue and green intermingled between the gray strands. Mackenzie identified the passionate emotions from before as pulsing down through this link. She recognized this was what connected her to Bari, an unbreakable bond, one that death itself wouldn’t even break.

  This link was impossible to reach out and touch, like an invisible thread, but it was still very, very real—she instead concentrated on the link and sent pulses of her own senses through it. She experienced a calm, a peace centering inside her body, and the love, the craving she held for him constantly, solid as granite, even after all these years.

  Bewilderment met Mackenzie through the link as she pushed her own feelings to Bari. That emotion only lasted a few seconds though before she felt a tender stroke of reassurance shoot down the line and then the soft touch of very solid arms wrapping her body up from behind.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Bari listened to Tyler as he spoke in low tones next to his ear. His eyes turned down the hall to where Mackenzie was. He had grown accustomed to her presence, felt the calm in being around her center him. Where before his head constantly seemed to be spinning, now when in her presence, there was a peace he found hard to find.

  As Tyler turned and strolled away, giving him one last slap on the back, Bari took a deep breath and walked down the hall. His boots echoed off the walls, and suddenly his pulse started to thunder in his throat. It was so thick, he felt as if he could swallow the beat. He stopped in front of the room Mackenzie and Byron were staying in. He and the team all decided that bringing Mackenzie to his house was the best option for her safety. There was something about the situation that unnerved him, and having her close eased his worries and helped him focus on finding out just what the threat to her was. Everyone was on edge over the threat hanging out there. Mackenzie surprised him by agreeing to it. This couldn’t be any easier on her than it was on him. Pushing open the door, he stepped inside.

  Byron sat on the floor playing with what looked like twice the number of Matchbox cars he had yesterday. A small smile played on Bari’s lips. His teammates were falling head over heels in love with his son and doing everything to make him feel like a normal kid in a world where so much had gone wrong.

  Mac sat on the bed, her body hunched over, and misery like a living presence eating the air around her. She watched Byron with a helpless look, strain etched all over her beautiful face. Mackenzie might be young when compared to others, but she was one of the most extraordinary, strongest females he had ever known. The past few weeks were an indicator of her ability to adapt to changes. He respected her for it, the willingness and ease she took to matters. When you compared the two of them, Bari admitted to himself he was being a bit of a fucking brat when it came to how willing he was being to accept all his own changes.

  “Bari, look at my new lightsaber!”

  Bari’s pulled his eyes from the deep green gaze of Mackenzie’s and looked at Byron. What the hell? He narrowed his eyes and frowned, had to fight to hold back the laughter in his chest as Mackenzie jumped from the bed and bounded across the room.

  “Byron, no!”

  At the deep blush spreading across Mackenzie’s cheeks, Bari started to laugh, the sound deep and hearty. Mackenzie went from being pale, to the color of an apple, her cheeks flaming with heat as she grabbed the blue vibrator from Byron’s hands. As she turned and shoved her hands behind her back, her red face sporting a look of anguish, the laughter he had been fighting erupted out of him. She started to scowl as his laughter continued, then quirked her lips. He laughed harder, the sound coming from someplace deep inside.

  “Angel, we all have our toys, don’t we?” Laughter rumbled from his chest and died off after a few minutes. Crossing the room, he bent down, his forearms resting on his knees.

  “I don’t think that’s something your mama wants you to play with.” Bari chuckled as Mackenzie huffed. He turned his head up to wink at her before turning his attention back to Byron. “I’m going to take your Mama out for a while, but your Uncle Alex is right down the hall with Tyler. Why don’t you go run along and see what kinds of trouble you can get in with them?”

  Byron’s eyes went wide before he ran from the room. Bari turned to Mackenzie, who had already put away the “lightsaber.” Before she could speak, he reached down and tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear, the intimate action surprising them both. It had been too long since he’d done that action, and now it brought back memories the two of them shared.

  “Come out with me tonight.” Bari wrapped his palm under her arm and started to guide her from the room. “Trust me.”

  His lips lifted in triumph as after several moments of tense silence she finally took his hand. In the same moment as her hand slid into his, something “softer” shifted through him.

  Leaving the house, he stepped on the porch and drew her into a corner. He lifted his hands, pulled back her hair and studied her face. Having Mackenzie plastered along the length of his body, feeling every sweet curve of hers pressing to him, raised all kinds of feelings, but he reminded himself this was about her, not him.

  “Everything is going to work out, Angel.”

  “You can’t say that, Bari.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you can’t make promises you can’t keep. If you say that then you need to be sure of what you’re willing to do.”

  “Fair enough. But ensuring your and Byron’s safety is one promise I intend to keep.”

  Bari leaned down and grabbed the extra helmet as he stepped away from her. He reached back for her hand and guided her down the steps. As they stepped to the driveway, sitting in the middle of the blacktop was his bike, his Iron 883 Harley with a metallic blue trim. Mackenzie’s breath catching sounded behind him as the bike came into view, and Bari let a slow smile spread across his lips.

  “Wanna ride, Angel?” Bari felt his breath catch as Mackenzie matched his smile. Back in the day, there had always been bike rides and journeys, where the two of them would toss their legs on the machine and head down the road, going where they wanted.

  Bari released her hand and turned toward the bike. He had pulled the Harley from the detached garage, set behind the house and tucked deep in trees, nestled within the grounds he knew as home. If he was honest with himself, the only place he ever felt at home was with his team or in Mackenzie’s arms.

  Bari set his helmet on his seat and like before, grabbed her hair and pulled it back, then set her helmet on her head, tucking the chin strap beneath her perfect, heart-shaped face. Once it was secured, he leaned down and briefly touched his lips to hers. He wasn’t one that normally did affection and for years had shied away from it. He didn’t understand why he gave in to the need to do it with Mackenzie, but it felt so damn right he didn’t question it. He stepped back and grabbed his helmet, tugged it on, and tossed a long leg over the bike. He set the keys in the ignition and kick started the engine. A loud roar exploded through the air, the throaty purr deep and satisfying. Mackenzie joined him, the bike shifting as she stepped on the back peg. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and he closed his eyes against the feeling of it all being so damn right.

  Bari eased the bike down the dirt road, leading them out from the house to the highway. The thrum of the bike soothed his muscles and as he reached the road, he opened the throttle. The bike kicked, pulled from its torque and set off. Mackenzie’s arms shifted around him, grabbing tighter.

  The sun set, a picture perfect view behind the mountains, displaying the sky with pinks, purples, and oranges as the last minutes of the day settled in. He shifted gears and kicked up the speed, listening to the throaty growl of the bike rumble out from beneath them and shatter the peace. Bari drove where he wanted to go, a particular destination in mind, and hoped like he
ll this would help Mackenzie. He really hoped it would help them both.

  ****

  Bari smelled of leather and spice, a cruel combination that threatened to overwhelm Mackenzie’s mind with memories. She missed this, them, their time together. So much had changed in nine years. This was what she remembered, the freedom and peace, the time when they could just be. They wouldn’t have to worry about stalkers or threats, about little boys who wondered what was going on, or even about strange looking creatures in the forest. No, this was them, and this was how it should have been.

  Her arms wrapped tighter around his waist, the hum of the bike working its way between her legs, vibrating up her body. It had been years since they had gone for a ride, but as he cruised around curves, her body fell in line with his as if they had never parted. Mackenzie turned her head and rested it on his back, her eyes squeezing shut at just how damn much she had missed him. This was their time, no interruptions, no others around. Her body recognized his in ways she never thought possible.

  The sole light from his bike paved a path for them to follow, but she knew he would have been able to find this place without it. It was where he went when things got to be too much, when the nightmares of his childhood kept him up or the screams in his head became too much. This place was where things changed between them. He shared it with her that night, and she’d visited it over and over again throughout the years.

  ****

  Bari pulled the bike around a curve and stopped. A field of green grass lay before them. The sudden cut off from the bike rang loud in his ears for a second but was soon replaced by the sounds of night coming to life. Bari scanned the area, the full moon rising, its reflection off the lake ahead casting a silvery glint. He waited for Mackenzie to get off the bike before he drew the kickstand down and pulled his leg off the bike.