Birds of Prey

by Dahlia Rose

  He stood and she watched as he let the blanket fall from his hips and then moved to the middle of the bed. He held her hand, encouraging her to join him.

  “Tiana, my love, my true mate.” He moaned the words low in his throat as he kissed the soft skin of her shoulder as she moved to be closer to him. She didn’t want a minute to pass where she didn’t feel him against her.

  “I love you. You’ll never have to doubt me again, I swear it,” she whispered.

  “I already trust you with my life.” He placed her hand over his heart. “Because this is yours for always.”

  “It’s my treasure,” Tiana promised.

  Hawke closed the distance between their lips and sealed their words with a kiss. His mouth was hard on hers, and Tiana willingly opened her lips beneath his giving him access. He took what she offered with hungry urgency, penetrating her mouth with his tongue. With every dip and swirl of their tongues, she moaned, heady from the heat of his kiss. She was unaccustomed to this kind of intensity. He dominated and demanded with his lips and his hands and she gave in, submitted to the passion he offered. He cupped her full breasts and massaged the heavy globes.

  His big hands held them easily and when he brought the peaks of her nipples to hardness she thought she’d melt from the inside out. Arousal shot through her body so fiercely, settling between her legs making her buck against him. Her pussy ached to be filled by him, to feel his hard rigid length fuck her until they both fell over the edge. Tiana lay back, pulling him with her, wanting to feel his hard body covering hers. She managed to free her legs trapped beneath him and wrapped them around his muscular thighs. Then she lifted her hips and undulated against him with wanton abandon.

  “Not yet. God, not yet,” he muttered against her lips. “I need to savor you. It’s been four weeks, baby. I’m going to take my time.”

  “How much time? I’m an impatient girl,” she teased in a sultry voice.

  “As much as I need until you’re wet, weak and sated in my arms,” Hawke answered.

  He nipped her lips before kissing his way down her body. Tiana arched with a cry when his hot mouth closed over her nipple and his tongue circled the tight bead before sucking with more pressure. She gasped when he switched from one breast to the other. She writhed beneath him and he continued his exploration, kissing and nipping down her body until he reached her pussy. Hawke parted her legs wide and she felt his hot breath against the shaved sensitive flesh of her sex. Hawke parted the wet folds and blew on her clit before flicking his tongue out and giving it a long, slow lick. He alternated sucking on the bud gently to sucking hard. She whimpered, but it wasn’t enough for him and with a loud groan Hawke delved between the thick folds of her pussy to devour her essence. His moan was guttural as he pushed her legs farther apart savagely so he could have more of her taste. He used his tongue to fuck her, dipping it deeper inside with each thrust, while he rubbed her clit with his thumb.

  “Oh, God, Hawke, you’re going to make me come,” she cried out and clutched his hair.

  He never let up and she felt the orgasm rip through her like a heated wave of lava. He gave a low moan of enjoyment as her pussy released its sexual juices and brought her to another hard release as he lapped at her essence and her clit, keeping her arousal at its peak.

  He lifted his head from between her legs to ask, “More?”

  “Oh, yes, yes!” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”

  He moved up the bed and kissed her and she could taste her come on his lips. Hawke splayed his fingers across the flat expanse of her stomach and ran his large hand downward between her legs. Tiana shifted with excitement as the tip of his finger barely grazed over her clit before he teased the entrance to her sex.

  “Do it,” she begged. She arched against the pillows, and Hawke sucked at her sensitive nipple.

  “Look at me,” he demanded quietly.

  She met the exotic color of his gaze and gasped as his finger slowly penetrated. First, he was slow with each insertion and he built the pace as he lanced her with one digit and then two. He found the spot right behind the opening of her snatch and Tiana bucked. He fucked her hard, each time pressing on that delicious little area and driving her mad.

  “Oh, God, yes!” she screamed.

  “Come for me.” The order was issued through his gritted teeth. “I want to feel your pussy clench around my fingers. I want your juice on my hands.”

  Their gazes were still locked and she could see pure unadulterated pleasure etched on his face. She arched and spread her legs wider until, like a pot, she boiled over and her release caused her to buck against the bed. Her body was awash with sensations as he turned her over gently and positioned her on her hands and knees.

  “I like it when you take me from behind,” she said urgently. “I missed the feel of you inside me.”

  The head of his shaft rub against the swollen lips of her pussy before he penetrated her with his engorged cock. Her sex accepted the thick invasion easily, sheathing him like a glove. He thrust deep, giving a harsh cry as he repeated the action. If it felt good to him, she wished he could see how it felt from her point of view. Each time his cock ran along the length of the sensitive walls of her snatch it was like a hundred thousand tiny fireworks of pleasure going off in her body. She could tell Hawke was done teasing her. Now, he strived to take them both to completion. He grabbed the curve of her hips and rammed his cock deep into her core. A cry escaped her lips as he pumped into her hard and fast.

  “Oh, fuck me, Hawke,” she moaned. “Make me come.”

  With a low guttural groan, he took her body hard and reached around to squeeze her breasts, and her orgasms were one after the other. She couldn’t stifle her screams, couldn’t hold back from the absolute pleasure even if she tried.

  “God almighty, I’m going to come,” Hawke called out harshly.

  She felt his thrusts become frenzied and his cock thickened inside her. The cry that came from between his lips was unlike anything she’d ever heard, such carnal pleasure as he spilled his seed within the depths of her pussy which then sent her careening into her final mind-numbing orgasm. They collapsed in a pliant heap of arms and legs. Her blood was roaring in her ears and she could feel his heart racing against her arm that was trapped beneath him.

  “I think you killed me,” he said. “I can’t even get back to Jensen’s to get clothes. There’s no way I can become the hawk anytime soon.”

  She gave a husky laugh. “Call him tomorrow and tell him to drop some clothes off for you. I don’t think we’ll need them for the rest of the night, do you?”

  “Not unless there’s a fire,” he teased.

  “Oh, there’ll be a fire, just not the kind that you may be thinking of.” She ran her hand down his back and smacked his naked ass. “We’ve got a few weeks worth of catching up to do.”

  “Ouch, that stings. I didn’t take you for the spanking kind of girl,” Hawke said.

  “Who knows what might happen and when. We’ve got tons of time to figure it out.”

  “We’ve got forever, babe,” Hawke said huskily and held out his hand. “Are you with me?”

  She laced her fingers with his. “All the way, for the rest of our lives.”

  Tiana meant every word because her Hawke, the man she loved, had come home to roost. Together, they’d share the world. And if he never found out where he truly came from, it wouldn’t matter because she vowed to be his best friend and his love. She would be his family, and together they’d build a foundation from there.

  The End

  Thunderbird

  Kassanna

  Chapter One

  Thunder rumbled ominously overhead in the clear sky. Leticia wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Red clay fell in small clumps from her gloves. The sun shone high in the pale blue sky and except for a few fluffy clouds drifting across it, there was no sign of a storm. That didn’t mean one wasn’t coming. Flash floods were a common occurrence and she was digging in a dr
y creek bed. She sank back on her hunches and glanced at the horizon for any sign of rain. A trickle of water one second could turn into a deluge the next moment.

  Boulders dotted the ground and cacti sprouted up everywhere. It was the perfect place for her to get the samples she needed. She could almost feel the smooth paper of her degree sliding across her palm. All she had to do was write the damn thesis and acquire it. A doctorate in Botany, she would be the first in her family to get a PhD after her name and win the wager she had with her twin, Leo. She resisted the urge to do a fist pump. Instead she did a little shimmy as she rose to her feet.

  “What the hell was that for? Got floss between your butt cheeks again, Lettie?” Leo, her usual partner in crime, stepped from behind the thick trunk of an old willow tree.

  “Shut it, Leonardo.” She watched her brother cringe at the full use of his name. “I was just thinking when I win this bet I want my monies in crisp hundred dollar bills.”

  “That grand ain’t yours yet, little sister. The agreement was proof of your degree must be in hand and, ummm,—you haven’t even written your paper yet.” He tipped sideways and brushed the nonexistent dust from his shoulder. “You might have started college before me, but I’m eons ahead of you. After my mini-vacation, I will type up my thesis while you’re still mucking about in the dirt.” He stalked off toward the Jeep.

  “Not after I collect these samples!” Leticia yelled at his back.

  He shrugged and kept walking.

  “I hate you right now!”

  Leo waved a hand in the air. “Seriously, can you speed it up? I’m hungry and my flight leaves tonight. One of us needs to make good on our education to make our mama proud.”

  Leticia crouched and carefully collected her last specimen, gently placing it in the box with the other cacti she’d collected. She set her trowel in the corner and yanked off her gloves, tossing them on top of the small shovel. Another crack rent the air. “You’re lucky there’s a storm coming, or your ass would still be digging up the cacti I need.”

  “A few rumbles do not constitute a storm.” He placed the plants he dug up on the floor in the back of the vehicle.

  “So says the city boy. Storms can develop quickly out here.” She set her container next to his.

  “You know, little sister, once you’re done with this plant-doctor thing, I’m sure you can get back into a reputable school like mine and obtain a usable degree in business or something.”

  “Leonardo you’re only older by seven seconds, and if you keep this up, I promise to tell Mom all about your illegitimate child that I just heard about.”

  “I don’t have kids and furthermore I haven’t decided if I even like women.” He slammed the door.

  “Stop straddling the fence and come out of the closet already. I love you and Mama will too.”

  “I don’t want to talk about my sexual preferences with you, ewww. Can we just go already?” He turned his back and stalked around the vehicle.

  “Damn you’re touchy. We’re going to have to stop and pick you up something to eat. I think your blood sugar is low.” She dug the keys from her pocket and swung the ring around her finger as she walked toward the driver’s side.

  Grabbing the roll bar above her, she hauled herself up into the vehicle. With a twist of the wrist the Jeep grumbled to life. She slid the gear into neutral and worked her feet before popping the clutch into second gear. The automobile sprang forward and she gave her brother a sheepish glance from the corner of her eyes. Leo shook his head and angled his body away from her to grab hold of the dash. A haze of dust kicked up from the rear wheels as she drove along the edge of the dry creek. She took a sharp turn, and Leo swayed over onto her side of the cab, bouncing as they rolled over large stones. The engine whined as she climbed the sloping rock walls to get to higher ground. They hit the plateau with a thud as the fore axle lifted up and they slid back as the back tires lost traction. She shoved the stick into fifth gear and slammed her foot on the gas. Pebbles pelted the undercarriage as she silently coaxed her old vehicle over the ledge. They dropped down and the front wheels gripped the packed dirt, shooting forward.

  “Whoa, whoa, hey…hello I said hey!” Leo waved his hands frantically at her.

  She down shifted and let the Jeep roll. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Other than I’m not ready to die in the middle of Bumfuck Egypt pinned under the body of a car older than the both of us,” he spun in his seat and pointed out the window, “there’s someone or something out there.”

  “You have been watching way too much TV. We are in the middle of nowhere.” She tilted her head to peer past her brother. “There’s nothing there.”

  As the cloud of sand thinned she could make out the form of a huge black creature. She leaned forward and squinted. Dark feathers fluttered in the warm breeze. Leticia yanked the hand break and reached under her seat for her revolver.

  “Is that necessary?” Leo arched a brow.

  “Makes all the difference between living and dying.” She grumbled as she eased the door open and exited from her seat.

  “Alrighty then, Annie Oakley, don’t blow off something important. Although I hear you can still walk with four toes.” He muttered. “You were raised in a big city on the East Coast. You are not a native.”

  Leticia leaned into the front seat. “What has mom told to you about opening your mouth?”

  “If I can’t be nice…”

  She interrupted him. “Exactly. We don’t know if that animal is alive, hurt, or both. If it is, it won’t be happy to see me standing over it.” She took a deep breath and pushed off the vehicle.

  Slowly she ambled closer to the beast lying prone on the ground. Sweat rolled down the valley between her breasts as the sun beat down on her shoulders. The long-sleeved shirt she wore clung to her damp skin. She kept the gun muzzle down close to her thigh with her finger resting on the side of the trigger. Nearer to the creature, she noted it was a bird and took in the expanded wingspan, almost twelve feet. She circled the animal, going over a list of local species in her head. Vulture, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, too big. A tuft of white and pink feathers around the neck caught her attention. She shuffled to within inches of its feet. She noticed rose-tinged skin tanned a dark brown as she glanced over the bald head of the beast. Shit, a California condor and big one at that, an adult. She dropped her head forward. This was a protected species, fuck, fuck, double fuck.

  “What the hell is that?” Leo’s warm breath wafted past her ear.

  “A condor.” She toed the still form.

  “Aren’t they protected or something? Talk about a face only a mother can love.” Leo rested his head on her shoulder.

  She peered down at the bird. Its large beak looked like it had been carved from wood. The darker dirt under one wing gave her an indication of what happened. It didn’t fall out the sky willingly. She’d bet her degree it was shot. “Yeah, it’s a federal offense to kill one. There’s a reason it’s lying here,” she glanced around, “on a cliff in the middle of nowhere.”

  “There nothing we can do about it now. Let’s report it to the nearest authority. Our good deed will be done and we will have amassed a few cool karma points.” Leo moved away.

  “Can’t.”

  He slowly spun to look at her. “What do you mean we can’t?”

  “We’re on the Supai Indian Reservation. I don’t exactly have permission to be here.” She quietly huffed.

  Leo threw his hands in the air. “Good Lord we are going to jail.” He pointed at her. “And you couldn’t be bothered to get a permit or whatever it is you needed to come play botanist on private lands?”

  “It’s not like I had a choice. For some reason some of this vegetation can only be found here! The council kept telling me no.” She pursed her lips. “I don’t think they like me.”

  “I wonder why?”

  “Not funny. Anyway, they may think I did that.” She lifted her chin toward the
carcass.

  “The damn thing could have had a heart attack!”

  “Doubtful, there’s a pool of blood under the wing. I think it was shot.” She wiped a hand down her face.

  She trotted to her Jeep and rolled up the plastic window up from the back tailgate. Hastily she set the gun down and dug through her totes she kept there, pulling out vinyl gloves in triumph. On a whim she grabbed a bundle of rope from another case.

  “Now what are you doing?” Her brother crossed his arms across his chest.

  “I just want to see something.” She set her knees between the beast’s head and his wing and laid the items in her hands down on the ground. “If it’s dead, we need to get rid of it.”

  “Seriously, who are you and where did you put my sister?” Leo’s eyebrows came together. “You have a dark streak I’m not sure I like.”

  “Stop being a damn pussy and help me.” She pulled on the gloves and gently she lifted a wing. The appendage was surprisingly light. Lettie dipped her head to see the underside as she trailed her digits along the dense feathers.

  “Careful, you don’t want to catch ticks and whatever diseases those things carry.” Her brother’s shadow fell across her side as he moved behind her.

  Leticia ignored him, tuning out his voice. She set the wing down and skimmed her palm over its chest. A faint heave lifted her hand. She turned her head to look at its face and met the cold gray gaze of the creature looking back at her. A deep grunt escaped the beast before it lifted its head. Her ass hit the ground and jarred her hips before she crab-walked backward. The damn thing hissed as it struggled to get upright.

  “Get away from that bird!” Leo yelled.

  She looked over to see her brother on the other side of the Jeep hiding behind the fender. Leticia turned her attention back to the animal. Sharp talons scratched at the air. She exhaled and rose to her feet. The bird was more than half her size. It spun in a circle as it frantically worked its uninjured wing. She crept closer, making soothing sounds as she moved. It rolled over and hopped up. Five-inch talons scratched the packed earth digging in faint grooves.