by M. L. Briers
“You offer out of guilt…” Connor muttered, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his hand around her arm and drawing her smooth skin towards his lips…
“Well, sure, but beggars can’t be choosers, right…?” Vicky offered back – a moment before she felt the pain of his fangs slicing into her flesh and tapping a nerve… “Do not make me horny…” she bit out.
At any other time, Connor might have chuckled, but not then. He needed to heal and get ready for the fight in case things went badly wrong for Liam.
The wolf was acting on instinct, but he was also fired up with rage, and that was never a good position to be in when you were fighting an opponent as deadly as a bear.
If Liam lost the fight – then Connor would definitely finish it.
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First there was one and then there were two, but the second wolf wasn’t attacking Kent’s bear, it was attacking the other wolf.
George had been distracted by the bears in the area as he stalked after his brother, Paul, but now that the bear had attacked and snared the beast just where he wanted it – he wasn’t about to miss out on the opportunity that had eluded him for so long.
His brother had been stalking him, stalking the pack, and stalking the land for too damn long, and he’d proved to have more lives than a cat. This time, however, George was determined to finish the man off.
He knew that might just open up a whole other can of worms and bring trouble right to his doorstep, but he didn’t give a damn. He needed to finish it once and for all, and then, he’d need to move on.
Kent’s bear was more than ready to take on either or both beasts if he needed to do it, but the ferocity of the fight that ensued between the wolves left him with little doubt that he was merely a spectator in whatever was going down…
His beast didn’t rest easy as the two wolves played for keeps, as the claws gouged, and the razor sharp fangs cut in through the flesh, but he had the good sense to keep out of the way.
He’d never seen anything like it before. It was as if neither beast cared if they lived or died as long as they took the other one with them…
The moment that George’s wolf snapped its jaws closed around Paul’s throat – Kent was in little doubt that the battle was over – with a ferocious shake of its head, George’s beast stood victorious…
There was no victory howl.
There was no celebration of an enemy gone.
George didn’t even look at the bear as his wolf slowly turned and limped away.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
~
Liam was down, but not out of the fight. He pushed up to his paws and growled a warning at the vampire as the man moved towards the bear…
This was his mate. It was his fight, and he’d been damned if he was going to let the vampire take that away from him…
He could scent Marco’s blood in the air. Both men had taken damage, and yet Liam’s wolf was still moving better than the bear.
He’d managed to open Marco up on one side of his body, from his shoulder to his neck, and he’d narrowly missed the main vein in the beast’s neck, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Marco was weakening …
Kent’s bear appeared off to Marco’s left and for one long moment – eyes met eyes – before Marco proudly and defiantly lifted his head on his neck and his beast took one last run at Liam …
It was a fatal mistake … Liam’s wolf was far more agile, sidestepping the beast and swiping with razor sharp claws into his flesh…
That time – Liam didn’t miss.
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Connor stood looking down at the body of the wolf on the ground. He only needed to look at deep wounds carved into the beast’s body to know that George had done his best, or his very worst, but he’d finally had his revenge and got rid of his brother.
“That wasn’t me,” Kent folded his thick muscled arms across his naked chest and eyed the vampire across the way.
“I know.”
“That wolf sure was pissed…”
“I know.”
“It took damage, but from the looks of him – I’d say he went off to lick his wounds, not to die.” Kent offered and saw the grimace on the vampire’s face.
“And I get to clear up the body…” Connor said.
He was both relieved and grateful to know that the right brother had finally managed to come out on top. He hoped that George could settle now, could become a part of the pack that he’d been defending for months without really taking the time to fit into…
But, he wasn’t going to hold his breath.
He would, however, be watching the man closely for the next few days…
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“Will you just hold still, you’re covered in blood and…” Agatha had rushed to get a towel and was trying to get her mate to let her clean his wounds so that she could see if he needed her help with healing, but Liam was fidgety, more than fidgety – he was like a cat on a hot tin roof.
“I’m healing…” Liam growled.
It was bad enough that his mate was in his personal space, especially as his wolf was still on protective mode following the fight with the bear … the damn bear that had his human paws all over his mate …
Then add to that the fact that his mate actually had her hands on him and…
Mine…
“But…”
“Healing, Agatha…” Liam bit out, brushing away the hand that was wiping his blood from his skin and sending his cock harder than it had ever been before…
And she noticed. It wasn’t as if she didn’t keep snatching a look – she did, and her gaze felt as powerful as her touch would have been on his length, and it was driving him insane with need.
The damn thing was twitching like it had a mind of its own…
“Fine…” she bit out, as she took a step back and held up her hands in surrender. He reached out and snatched the blooded towel from her hand, with a hard grunt he started towards the shower…
“I’ll wash myself…” Liam grumbled…
“Why don’t you take care of everything yourself while you’re in there?” She folded her arms across her chest and snorted her contempt for the man and his attitude.
Perish the thought I should try to damn well help… She grumbled.
Does he want my help? … Mr Big, Tall, Growly, Bad Mood, Macho Man… oh nooo – he’d rather do it himself…
Well, you know what? Do it yourself, do everything yourself – go play with your damn self for all I care….
It’s not like it’s my fault you got hurt or anything…
It’s not like…
Whoa!
Liam had stalked right back over to her while she was lost wallowing in self-pity and snatched her right up from the floor.
Her mind spun.
Her feet dangled down his legs as he squished her against his hard chest, and she could even feel the poke of his length against her stomach as his lips came down on hers…
That’s not exactly what I had in mind…
But … ok …
Her words had fired an image within his brain, an image of him helping himself to his cock to bring some relief, and that image had flashed into a much better option – the one where she was helping him – that led to him imagining himself inside of her … and his beast demanded that he take the next step in the wooing process…
What could she do?
Reject him … for now … not forever.
He was going to woo her damn panties right off – and the way that she was kissing him back had him wondering if it would be sooner rather than later … he sure hoped so.
Agatha wasn’t exactly sure how many times she’d caught herself imagining climbing up his hard body and wrapping herself around him like a vine, but she was halfway there already, and she didn’t feel the need to not complete her mission.
The moment tha
t her legs went around his hips; he growled … boy, did he?
That sound was as potent as the way that he was kissing her – devouring her – and her body was all in … but was her mind?
She decided that she was pretty damn happy with the way that things were going.
Her body wanted him.
Fate wanted her to have him…
Hell, she was his forever mate … so what was left to ponder?
She braced her hands on the naked skin of his shoulders and enjoyed the rush of tingles that chased over her skin. Then she moved her hips against him and felt the hard press of his cock rise and lower against her stomach, and that hungry growl grew in intensity…
Liam spun her around towards the nearest wall, pressing her back against it, and shifting his hips until his hard length was rubbing over her sex…
The sound that she made sent a hard shiver through his body and the heat level soaring inside of him…
He wanted her.
He wanted her naked.
He needed to taste her upon his tongue…
But, he still needed to get in the damn shower…
He pulled her away from the wall and stalked into the bathroom. His lips never left hers as he cocked an eyelid, found the shower, and flicked it on…
Then he turned her around to the counter that ran the length of the wall and placed her down on her backside.
His hands were finally free to start stripping the clothes from her body and get her as naked as he was, as naked as he needed her to be…
Liam was half waiting for the other shoe to drop. For his mate to protest the speed that they were going, and he was holding onto his beast, onto his own needs and desires with a firm hand for that exact moment…
But it never came…
CHAPTER TWENTY
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“She’s dead.” Kent said into the mobile. He thought he held just enough remorse within his tone to sell that lie to Raul – it would be face to face that he’d have a problem if the alpha scented his deceit. “So is Marco.”
Connor watched the man as he told the necessary lie. Anything else and the alpha just might send others after Agatha, and Connor wouldn’t allow that to happen.
Hell, he’d go to the clan and kill Raul himself if he needed to do it…
“I’m leaving tomorrow. The pack have no idea about you…” Kent lied again. “Will do.” He snapped off the call and shoved the phone into the back pocket of his jeans.
“Think he bought it?” Connor had overheard the conversation, but he’d still like Kent’s take on it.
“I think so,” Kent folded his arms and narrowed his eyes on the vampire.
“You could stay here…”
“I need to go and finish this, for good…”
“Meaning?”
“I need to challenge Raul for the good of the clan,” Kent said.
He didn’t much care for the idea. He’d never wanted to be the alpha, and he didn’t know how many of his clan and kin would be on Raul’s side if push came to shove, but he guessed he’d soon find out.
“You’ll be alpha…” Connor wasn’t shy about listening in to Kent’s thoughts. It was the only way that he knew of to truly know what a man was thinking.
“If I win.”
“I get the feeling that doesn’t necessarily sit right with you.”
“Better than the alternative.” Kent looked resigned to letting fate decide his future. “Better than letting Raul screw up my clan.”
“My clan?” Connor said. “See, you’re already talking like an alpha.”
Kent lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck as he considered it. Then he gave a slow nod and a sly smile.
“I guess I am.”
“I’d say, if you need anything, but these Neanderthals couldn’t live without me…” Connor motioned around him. “But … you know…”
“Yeah, thanks…”
“I’d say anytime, but you know…” Connor offered back, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Kent nodded.
“Got it,” he assured the vampire.
“Ok, no long goodbyes, be gone, and I’ll give Agatha your best,” Connor hated goodbyes, almost as much as he hated the mushy emotional stuff that his mate made him gush on occasion – he was glad it was a rarity.
“If she doesn’t get a text from me – then I lost – tell her to keep her damn head down or you might just be doing this all over again with another of Raul’s thugs.” Kent said, stalking away, and Connor hoped not…
He was sure that deep down … he was getting to old for all the excitement.
“Dead men don’t text – got it.”
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Liam could hardly control the urge to be inside of her. He’d peeled her body from around his and stood her upon her own two feet so that his body would be cleaned of his blood as the water cascaded from the fancy shower, but that wasn’t enough …
He’d turned her away from him so that he wasn’t tempted by the way that she kept squirming against him, but that might just have been worse as the temptation to run his tongue down her neck and over her shoulder led him to want to bite…
Mine…
He had one hand buried in the wet heat between her legs and her backside was doing a number against his hard length, and he was no better off for it…
He wanted her…
He needed her…
He was damn well going to taste her sex on his tongue…
Liam spun her around and snatched her up into his arms. He stalked out of the shower and put her backside right back down on that long counter … spreading her thighs wide as he bent down on one knee; he attacked her sex like a starved man…
He was hungry … so very, very hungry for the taste of her, and he growled like a man possessed from the first swipe of his tongue over her sex and every swipe that followed.
He held her backside in place, perched on the edge of the counter for easy access, one big hand on each thigh, and buried his tongue inside of her clenching channel…
The sound that caught in her throat bayed him on.
Her hand fisted in his hair and her head fell back against the mirror, and she revelled in the thrusting of his tongue – the way that he curled it inside of her and spun it around her silken walls made her inner muscles clench hard – and when he pressed his nose against her clit – there was no holding back the tightening of the knot inside of her.
Liam wasn’t giving her any reason to think. Thinking led to her trying to take control, and he needed all the control that he could get or he was going to stand up and thrust home…
Mine…
He needed to know her.
He needed to know the taste of her feminine cream upon his tongue before he tasted her blood, before he claimed her as his lifelong, forever mate, and a moment later, as her body locked up, he got his wish…
Agatha’s body jerked as the explosion went off inside of her.
It was true to say that she saw stars behind her eyelids as her body convulsed with wave after wave of pleasure that he was determined to keep going until he felt the hard tug of her hand yanking his hair…
He growled and grunted, reluctantly giving way to her need for a moment’s relief as he pushed up from his knee, and fitted his hips between her open thighs…
Agatha felt the hard press of the tip of his cock against her sex and pried her eyelids open.
There he was. Hard from head to toe with tension. Holding himself back until she said it was ok to let go…
“I want you…” Agatha tried to wrap her legs around his hips, but he had her opened wide and primed to take his cock…
Liam slowly pushed his hips forwards. His cock demanded that she open for him – stretching her fluttering inner walls around his silken length as he took her in one long, delicious push – almost to the very hilt of his cock, but not quite…
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
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Liam watched her lips part
and her eyes become even more hooded, but they were still locked on his, as he dragged his cock back to very tip and thrust home…
The sound that she made caused his balls to tighten.
Over and over – he took her back and forth down his length until he could feel her inner muscles tightening around his cock…
Faster and faster. His skin met hers – the sound echoed the quickening of his heart as her channel clamped down.
Mine…
Liam finally released her thighs and her legs locked around his hips…
He reached for her upper body and pulled her towards him.
One strong arm wrapped around her body and clamped her against the solidity of his chest as his other hand got lost in the wet silk of her hair and yanked her head to one side, opening her neck and shoulder to his hungry gaze…
Mine…
Liam’s beast clawed inside of him.
It wanted out.
It wanted to bond, to bite, to make her theirs, and he had no damn objection to that.
He allowed his beast to push forwards.
His fangs elongated and locked in place.
Mine…
His cock caused a friction inside of her that couldn’t be denied, and the moment that her body accepted its fate and gave in to the orgasm that exploded through every inch of her … so he bit down.
The taste of her blood flowed over his tongue and down the back of his throat.
Her body was in the rapture of the orgasm that seemed unending, and yet her mind reached for him – for the bond that was being cemented between them – and they revelled within that knowing.
His beast roared within him.
Liam’s hips never missed a beat.
He released his fangs from her skin and cleaned and sealed the bonding wound.
Liam caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, and his eyes were black and hungry, but it wasn’t for a fight, and it wasn’t for the taste of her blood, but for the completion of the bond between them.