by Aline Hunter
Give him what he wants.
Take what he’s offering.
She released his hand and reached for her hair, moving it away from throat. He eased back, giving her room. Once she’d tucked the heavy locks over her other shoulder she reached for him. Wrapping her fingers around his nape, she guided his mouth to her neck. He lifted his hand from her hip and pulled her shirt clear, giving him plenty of room to sink his teeth into her skin.
Giving herself over, she whispered the spell that would slow her rate of healing.
It wouldn’t last forever—no more than an hour—but he didn’t need that long.
She didn’t turn away, focusing on the canines in his mouth that elongated and broadened. A rush of magic swept through her, sending a small wave of heat over her skin. In an instant she felt the difference. He felt larger inside her, his presence more formidable. She remained an immortal but she was weaker like this, nowhere near as strong.
“There’s no going back,” she whispered, voice quaking. “You’ll never be rid of me.”
“Good,” he growled, irises brightening near his pupils. “That’s exactly what I want.”
Angling his head, he got in position.
Then he dipped his head and sank his teeth into her flesh.
He was an asshole, biting harder than necessary. Her blood coated his tongue. Metallic, warm and sweet. He chose the slope of her neck, where the delicate arch of her throat met the sleekness of her shoulder. Unless she wore a shirt that covered the area, everyone would see the mark on her skin. That’s what he wanted. Everyone would know the mating had taken place, he’d given her his brand and she’d accepted it.
Up until then he’d been excruciatingly gentle, taking his time as he fucked her, trying to convey how much she meant to him. One day soon he was going to take it further, making love to her as she deserved. The wolf, however, had other ideas. The damn thing roared in victory the instant Sadie moved her hair free of her neck. It rode him hard, wanting to own every single inch of her inside and out. He plunged into her pussy, groaning as her cunt clasped his cock.
He knew then he’d almost lost the only chance of happiness and fulfillment he’d have ever known. The connection he’d felt the first time they’d come together returned. His beast basked in the feeling, reaching out to its mate. Trey kept up the pace, slamming into her slick heat. She bowed her back to allow him to penetrate deeper, keeping her neck bared to him.
Peering up, he took in the beauty of her face.
Her eyes had drifted closed, her long lashes fanning her cheeks. Her skin had taken a rosy hue, her tiny fangs peeking out from her parted lips. She rocked with each plunge of his hips, taking every inch of his cock, her breasts bobbing with the motion. She was wet and tight, her pussy latching on to him like a fisting second skin. Releasing her shirt, he lowered his hand, skimming his fingers down her stomach and stopping when the tips rested just over her mound. Finding her swollen clit, he rubbed his middle finger over the hard little bead.
He wanted them to come together, gaining the release they both needed at the same time. Her vaginal walls gripped him and he heard her sharp intake of breath. Using pressure, he worked the hard nub with his finger and increased the intensity of his thrusts. Her hair swayed, sliding free of her shoulder. Snaking his other arm around her waist, he slammed into her.
He was so close, teetering on the edge.
His sac drew taut, a heavy tingle building at the base of his spine.
Come for me, darlin’. Come for me.
Moving his hand from her hip, he offered her his wrist. She wound her fingers around his forearm, her lips whispering over his skin. He knew the minute she slid her fangs into his skin he’d lose any control he had over his body. He trapped her clit between his thumb and fingers, pinching softly as he manipulated the bundle of nerves. Her pussy clenched so tight he had to slam his eyes closed and concentrate, determined not to climax before she did.
His best efforts weren’t worth shit, not when her tiny teeth scored his skin.
He came so hard he saw spots, tiny speckles clouding his vision. Sadie moaned, the sound muffled as she drank. His knees nearly buckled when her cunt squeezed down on his cock, milking him as Sadie found her release right along with him. She didn’t take as much she had before, gently drawing on his skin. He kept up the pace, encouraged by the wolf inside him. The animal had finally gained the ultimate satisfaction, claiming the woman destined for it.
She pulled her fangs from his wrist and flicked her tongue over the punctures, slowly nursing the wounds. He slowed his thrusts, cautious as he unclenched his jaw and eased his teeth from her shoulder. Immediately his eyes swept down, his attention focused on the evidence of his bite. Her skin hadn’t mended—two ragged tears along with smaller breaks in her pale flesh—but the bleeding was minimal.
He ran his lips over the indentions.
Finally. It’s done. She’s mine.
“Don’t sound so smug.” Sadie looked up from his wrist, meeting his eyes in the mirror. “You might have bitten off more than you can chew.” A smile tugged at the corners of her full lips. “You don’t really know me. Not yet. We could be great in the sack and have the best chemistry in the world but be totally incompatible when it comes to everything else.”
He felt a smile of his own forming. “Bullshit.”
“Bullshit?” she repeated, tilting her head, blue eyes playful.
“If you’ve been reading my thoughts as long as I think you have you know exactly how compatible we are.” He’d felt her presence months ago. Back then he’d thought she’d been a figment of his imagination. Then he’d discovered she was very, very real. “In fact, it’s about time you start leveling the playing field. It’s only fair I know everything about you too.”
“What do you want to know?” She pushed her ass back, rocking on his softening cock.
“Everything, naturally,” he said. “But I’ll start with your last name.”
“Hmm.” She sighed when he stroked her arm. “Dumus.”
“Sadie Dumus?” he repeated, as though he as testing the word.
“That’s right.”
“No middle name?”
“No,” she exhaled softly.
He stretched his arms past his mate and turned on the sink. Then he retrieved the hand towel on a nearby rack. He wet an edge of the cloth with warm water and took a step back. His seed had seeped from her pussy, coating the side of her thigh. He wiped it away, taking care as he cleansed her legs and swept the towel over her labia. She shuddered but remained in place, allowing him to care for her.
“Next time I’m going to draw you a hot bath, give you all the bubbles you can handle and massage you from head to toe.”
“Promises, promises.” There was humor in the retort but he noted the seriousness that had crept into her face. She reached down to pull up her pants and dropped her head. “We have a lot to do before we can relax.”
Damn. In the heat of the moment he’d forgotten about everything else. Nothing had mattered but the two of them. He’d needed to find balance with his mate in order to take the necessary steps to face what was sure to come.
“Kinsley is here.” She tried to straighten her shirt despite the fact the neck had been stretched to hell. “Ava just warned me. She said we need to cut our bathroom break short.”
Fuckedy, fuck, fuck. He quickly tucked his dick away and yanked up his jeans.
He didn’t want to rush outside and end the moment. He wanted to stay right where he was, talking to Sadie like a lover. This was the first time she’d been truly mischievous, speaking to him with happiness in her voice. He wanted it to last, learning what made her laugh, discovering all the little things that made her smile.
Besides, as soon as they left the room he’d have to get ready to kiss ass.
Kinsley had always been Diskant’s confidant, not Trey’s. They needed the man’s support but Trey wasn’t gung-ho about turning to him for help. Kinsley’s assistance—a
s much as they needed it—would undoubtedly come with a cost.
Sadie started to slide away from the counter and he stopped her. He turned her around, bringing them face-to-face. They were about to meet the world outside, but not before he gave her a kiss that would make her toes curl.
Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to hers. She opened for him, her tongue darting out to stroke his. He wasn’t easy or tender, kissing her hard and deep. She groaned, wrapping her arms around him. He grasped her ass with both hands, squeezing the soft mounds. He didn’t want to come up for air but he knew he had to.
Once again they were stealing a moment of borrowed time.
“Soon, baby,” he swore, heart pounding, gazing into her eyes. “I’m not going to settle for this shit. I’m going to give you everything you need. No more half-assed fucking in a hurry.”
“Now don’t go saying something like that that.” Drawing her hand down his chest, she lifted on to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. As she leaned away, she grinned. “I’ll have you know I’m quite fond of half-assed fucking in a hurry.”
He was so shocked by the sincerity in the statement he didn’t try to stop her when she glided away, striding with her head held high for the door. He tossed the towel into the small hamper on the side of the counter, shaking his head as he moved to follow her. Once again she’d upped the ante, taking their mating up another notch.
So she liked quickies? Fan-fucking-tastic.
He couldn’t wait to show her that she’d love nice and slow even more.
Chapter Eleven
Fabulous. Another fucking mystery.
Sadie stayed close to Trey but she kept her gaze on the enormous male seated across from Diskant and Ava. Kinsley had dressed in black leather that matched his shoulder-length hair, his piercing emerald green eyes giving away nothing. Another feline shifter had accompanied him, standing quietly at his back. She’d seen Kinsley at Club Liminality on a few occasions—a place that catered to all things supernatural, which also happened to be the place Ava had worked as a bartender once upon a time. The owner of Liminality—Brett McGovern, who also happened to be a fucking warlocke—didn’t tolerate any bullshit. It was a safe place to venture so long as a person approached situations carefully. Due to that, she’d never gotten up close or personal with Kinsley.
Now she wished she had.
He had a mental block of some kind going on. Like Ava’s, only different.
Instead of nothingness when she tried to slide into Kinsley’s head, she found herself directed to weird thoughts. One minute she’d see a bright, sunny sky. The next an image of a child eating ice-cream would flash through her head. Since she didn’t want him to know for certain she was monitoring his mind, she couldn’t ask if he was fucking with her or if he was really that fucked up in the head.
What the hell? Has the entire world flipped upside down?
For a split second she wondered if Kinsley had been reading her mind.
He looked straight at her, his unwavering stare coming across almost amused. Breaking eye contact, Sadie glanced at Ava. If she wanted she could ask Ava if she noticed something weird about Kinsley’s thoughts. But she didn’t know if Ava would be honest or not. They hadn’t established any sort of trust.
“It’s not just you.” Ava’s thought answered Sadie’s question. The petite female didn’t turn to Sadie but continued telepathically, “I’ve only been able to get a clear line into Kinsley’s thoughts a couple of times, but that was when he wasn’t paying attention. It didn’t last more than a second or two. I think he can sense when someone enters his head. He’s able to keep people out.”
Was that so? Interesting.
“Your best bet is to find Ava’s brother,” Kinsley said, his rich Scottish brogue accenting his words. Returning his attention to Diskant, he kept talking. “If the amulet is as powerful as you say, you won’t have to worry about anyone or anything once you have it.”
“We’re working on that,” Diskant replied, placing a hand on Ava’s leg. “For now we have to deal with issues in the pack.”
“There is that.” Kinsley lips quirked. “Do you want my advice?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you to come here if I didn’t.”
“Don’t tell them about Aldon. Let them know about the mating but don’t tell them how serious shit is right now.” Kinsley’s gaze drifted to Mary and he winked. “You’ve already lost a quarter of your pack to stupidity. If you lose anyone else you’re going to have to pack up and find another city to call home.”
Shit. Sadie was stupefied. They’d lost that many people?
She knew many members of the pack—especially those who were mated and had children—had left after Emory’d mated with Mary. As a Shepherd, Mary was considered an enemy of shifters the world over. It didn’t matter that the woman was nothing like her relatives. Her presence alone made the werewolves in Trey’s pack uneasy.
And now they have to deal with me.
“There’s another option.” She knew it was going to piss Trey off but she said, “We don’t have to tell them anything about me. You can give them enough information about Aldon and Leigh to get their support. That’s far more important.”
“Sadie, darlin’,” Trey growled and snagged her by the waist. “Shut the hell up.”
In another time or place, she might have been annoyed. It wasn’t everyday she let someone insult her. But she knew Trey wasn’t trying to be an asshole. She sensed his frustration. He wasn’t going to let her step down and take a place in the shadows. Moving forward meant doing the right thing by her.
He’d marked her. He’d claimed her. It was a done deal.
She caught herself before she lifted her hand to the scar on her neck. The healing process had started, mending the tissue. Everyone had noticed it. She’d tried not to blush or react to their stares but each time she’d seen someone gazing at it she instinctively tried to cover it.
Like now.
Everyone was staring at them, curious to see how the newly mated couple interacted.
“I’ll shut the hell up when you start thinking straight.” She snorted, trying to play it cool. “My way makes sense.”
“Your way,” he drawled in a raspy timbre, “ain’t happening.”
Sadie started to reply when Ava said, “Don’t bother arguing. They’re all Neanderthals.”
“Not me,” Kinsley remarked, thickening his accent. His gaze swept over the women in the room, a gleam in his emerald eyes. “I’m all charm.”
“Yo, Casanova,” Diskant snarled, eyes narrowed. “Put your ego in check. Get back on track.”
“Fine.” Kinsley shrugged and reclined in the oversized chair, nonchalant and seemingly unaffected at the annoyance in Diskant’s request. “My official opinion is you tell the pack about the mating and keep the rest to yourself. Otherwise you’ll cause panic. Work out a plan and track down Ava’s brother.” He lifted his eyes to Trey. “Aldon’s not an idiot. Eventually he’s going to come here. I suggest you move the girl you’re hiding and take her somewhere else. In the meantime I’ll talk to my eyes and ears in the area. They might be able to provide additional information. I’ll also speak to the pride Alphas and let them know they need to tighten security.”
“And if they ask questions?” Trey asked.
“Shepherds might have been quiet for a while but they’re not gone for good,” Kinsley said, menace creeping into his voice. “You let me worry about my people.”
Sadie tried to keep her reaction to Kinsley’s advice under wraps. Everything he offered made perfect sense but she didn’t want to think about sending Leigh away. How would Leigh react if she was placed in the company of strangers? And who in the world could keep her safe?
There wasn’t a coven Sadie trusted to do the job. Not anymore.
She inched closer to Trey, taking a small measure of comfort at his closeness. He seemed to understand, increasing the tightness of the arm around her midsection. Wasn’t it strange? A couple of days
ago she’d almost died. She’d sworn she’d hate him for what he’d done. Then—before she could fully wrap her head around it—she’d found herself in his bed, accepting his mark and standing by his side.
Funny how things turned out.
Unbelievable.
“Whatever you say.” Diskant sounded incredibly tired. “I think I know of a place we can move our guest. I’ll have to make a few calls.”
“Nathan won’t let her leave without him,” Trey interjected quietly, soothing Sadie by breezing his lips over her temple. With her settled, he said, “That means the pack will have double the shit to deal with. They might be fine with kicking my ass out but they won’t want to lose Nathan. He’s the primary person they’ve all been able to trust.”
“Then tell them a simplified version of the truth,” Kinsley suggested. “They’ll understand if he’s found his mate and needs time away to initiate the union. You don’t have to tell them who or what his mate is. Not yet, anyway. Sometimes small truths are blessings in disguise. The issue is,” Kinsley broke his relaxed posture, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, “who can you trust to take Nathan’s place? You’ll need a Beta who can keep everyone calm.”
Silence followed, a heavy apprehension filling the air.
Trey shifted his feet, his body bumping Sadie’s. She reached out to him with her senses, telling herself she wasn’t going to intrude on his thoughts. She had to start trusting his reasoning and stop second-guessing things. Tension wafted from him, slamming into her in waves. He had an answer to the dilemma but something caused him to hesitate.
“Everyone knows Zach was next in line for the position,” Kinsley said softly. “It can’t hurt to ask him.”
“No.” Ava looked horrified. Diskant tried to enfold her in his arms but she shook him off. “He’s been through too much. You’ll push him over the edge.”
“It might be what he needs, Pinkie.” Diskant’s reprimand was gently given. “There’s a reason he didn’t follow Katie after she died.”