The Shifter's Secret

by R. A. Boyd

  “Mom.” Emma put her fork in the middle of the pile of spaghetti, twisting it until it formed a perfect little ball of tasty goodness. “Something she said a long time ago. It makes sense now. I just wish I could talk to her. Not that she could do anything about this, but talking to her always made things better. Mom would have given me advice and calmed me down. My dad gave me a knife tonight.” She snorted a laugh and put the fork down. “It’s a pretty knife, but there is a huge difference between what each of them would say to me. Your brother has taken a backseat to me missing Mom. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still dancing across my thoughts like some lunatic who can’t be contained, but Mom tramples all over him. But this is normal. I always want her.”

  The room was quiet now, save for the sound of the humidifier playing over the monitor from Lily’s room.

  Jace offered her a tight smile as he caressed her face. “You’ll never stop wanting to talk to her. It gets better, though. For countless centuries, I wanted the Creator to talk to me. Tell me something. Especially since we were cursed. Being cut off like that from a parent is a sting that will always be there. It gets better.”

  Was he kidding? “Dude, yes my mom was and will always be awesome. But your parent is God. Like… God. You were cut off from God.” She was being insensitive. It wasn’t her intention. “I’m sorry. It’s the same. A little. You were cursed and thought you couldn’t talk to the one who made you. My mom died and I’m cut off from talking to her. I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged and stood from the bed. “It took me a million or so years, but I’m good now,” he said, a playful grin moving across his lips. “I’ll be right in there.” He pointed to the bathroom.

  Just as he was about to close the door, the thought to be completely open and honest hit her right in the chest. That didn’t happen too often. Emma preferred to keep her feelings inside, just like her dad. She knew he loved her more than the air he breathed, but he barely gave a word of warmth. It didn’t bother her. That’s just who he was. She knew he would tear down the world to get to her and Lily. The only one who ever received constant affection from her and her father was Lily. And apparently, now Jace was included in that tiny group. At least for Emma.

  “Jace,” she said, watching as he turned to face her. “You know, I still love you. Never stopped. That’s it. Enjoy your shower.”

  A slow smile crept across his face, and for the first time, Emma saw the angelic beauty that was Jace. Her mate.

  His blue eyes shown as bright as pure, unsullied ocean water. They comforted her, strengthened her. And he was strong. Not just his body, even though he possessed one of the sexiest bodies she’d ever laid eyeballs on.

  No. His strength was inside. He’d lived this life without going mad. Millions of years cut off from life as he knew it. And she wouldn’t have blamed him if he had gone mad. Emma thought she would lose her mind after her mother died. But her mother raised a strong daughter.

  “I love you too. I always have. I always will.” He nodded toward the bedroom door. “Thank you for giving me someone else to love. She’s…” His words trailed off as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down in his neck. He closed his mouth, opened it again but was unable to speak. “She’s in here already,” he muttered. He motioned toward his chest as he seemed to clutch his heart. “I never thought I would love someone so much other than the mate I’d been waiting for. And there she is. And I hope that one day, you’ll give me more.”

  He closed the door behind him, letting those beautiful words hang in the air. There was no explanation. Emma knew exactly what he meant and how he felt.

  They still had a ways to go in their relationship, but Emma couldn’t let another moment go by without telling him how she really felt. Fighting it was no good. She knew the lore behind a shifter finding their mate, and she’d also felt the call of Jace’s heart and soul to hers after they’d touched a few weeks ago.

  This was real. They’d been made for each other. She couldn’t believe how fast she’d fallen for Jace again, but it all made sense. Even though she wanted to hate him and push him away to make him hurt, to make him experience the pain she’d felt when he’d turned her away, it didn’t feel natural. It took until about two seconds ago to realize it. They belonged to each other.

  Long ago, the same one who made Jace and his brethren and everything as far as the eye could see, had sliced out a part of Jace and put it inside of her. Even though Emma had no proof, she knew the same thing had been done to her. Part of her lived inside of Jace, just as part of him lived inside of her. Hell, she knew it five years ago, but her mother had prepared her for the heartbreak.

  Was that part of the Creator’s grand purpose? Had her mother’s teachings on love and her parent’s marriage been an example to Emma of how to be resilient and never forget who she was? Had she been strengthened to hold tight to herself after Jace had cut her heart open just so he could protect himself and keep her safe? She had no answer, but she would bet everything that this all made complete and total sense. Some great design had been set in motion eons ago, and it came to fruition between her and the man she had loved for years.

  After watching the door for a few minutes longer, Emma’s stomach growled as if to remind her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She turned on the television, picked up her fork, and flicked through channels as she ate.

  A tiny moan escaped her lips as she enjoyed the bitter tomato sauce and soft pasta. If she could eat spaghetti or pizza every day without suffering the consequences, she would. Bread, pasta, ice cream, and sweets were her friends. They were also her mortal enemies.

  Emma knew she was a big girl and loved every one of her curves. She’d learned the hard way that too much weight on her short frame affected her blood pressure. She had gained too much weight during her pregnancy, and two weeks before Lily was born Emma developed pre-eclampsia. For a little over a year after the birth of her daughter, she’d taken blood pressure medication to lower and control her pressure. Any doses her doctor prescribed of any blood pressure medication wreaked havoc on her kidneys. Once she realized it was the medicine affecting her this way, she started eating better and exercising. But no matter what she did, she still stayed curvy and thick. She’d been that way since she was a kid.

  Now, she was healthy and still ate the good stuff, but only in moderation. Emma loved her body and wouldn’t change a single thing about herself.

  Half-way through the plate of spaghetti, she noticed a small, covered plate that sat on the bedside table with a note. The words, Eat all your veggies first, on it made her smile. She pulled off the napkin like it was some great present she was taking her time to see. It was a strawberry pastry that looked and smelled like it was fresh from a bakery.

  She decided to leave the other half of the spaghetti and eat the rest of the garlic bread so she would have enough room for that sweet little slice of heaven. At the first bite of the sugary strawberries, velvety creamed cheese, and soft, fluffy pastry dough, Emma let go of a long moan that sent a wave of relief to her taste buds. If Jace made this, he’d just given her a new reason to love him more, but she was pretty sure it was from Riley’s shop.

  Just as she finished off the last of the dessert and found an old episode of Doctor Who to watch, the bathroom door opened. Holy shitake mushrooms. Maybe watching Jace walk out of the bathroom wearing only a grey pair of boxer briefs was her actual dessert.

  Steam bellowed from the bathroom all around him as he used a small, white towel to dry rivulets of slow moving water from his hair. His arm flexed as he rested the towel on his shoulders. His thick, sculpted body was on display just for her to watch. Her palms ached to reach out and touch his chest, run them down to his stomach to feel the prominent ridges of his abs, and then make her way to that sexy as hell Adonis belt that always made her stupid. The thick cords of muscle flowed from his neck to his firm, wide shoulders.

  Ohh, she’d forgotten how sexy he was. The man’s face was angelic, but his body was
made for sin. Over and over again. Like all night.

  “You like looking at me?” he asked, blond eyebrows hitched high in question.

  Of course, she did! “No. You’re mediocre at best.” She grabbed hold of the tray that sat over her lap and started to stand.

  Surprise blanketed his face, but the slow curve of a smile showed he knew she was teasing. “I’ll take this to the kitchen.” He took the tray from her and started to the door. The back was just as freaking breath-taking and sexy as the front.

  She hopped off the bed and walked toward the bathroom. “Thanks. I’m going to brush my teeth. Have you eaten?” she asked, turning to look at Jace.

  “I did,” he said, eyes deliberately moving down the length of her body until they settled at the apex of her thighs. “I could eat again.”

  His blue eyes darkened to that of a clear midnight sky, and a low growl reverberated in his chest. The sound sent delicious ripples of gooseflesh down her spine, and that heated gaze set her libido on fire.

  Whoa-doggy. He could almost make her forget the world was falling down around them. Almost.

  Okay. Teeth brushing time. Emma turned around and slammed into the wall. He probably thought she was some clumsy idiot who couldn’t handle a man’s attention.

  “Screw you,” she said, finally making her way into the bathroom.

  “Maybe later.”

  Chapter 10

  Jace patiently waited for Emma to come out of the bathroom. He’d already taken the tray to the kitchen and washed the dishes, and now he could hear her humming as she brushed her teeth. Once she finished, she sang a song about putting lotion on her elbows and knees. He was surprised that he’d forgotten she used to do that. It was damn cute and funny as hell to listen to her make up songs about the random things she did. Her voice had a low smoky sound to it that made him think of sunset in winter. They both loved winter. It was one of the reasons he had a fire pit in the backyard and on the deck.

  Many of the things Jace did after they broke up was a requiem to their relationship. The fire pits, extending the bathroom into the room beside it, putting bar-b-q sauce on his macaroni and cheese, and donating to the Lupus Foundation. Her mother had Lupus when she was alive.

  He hadn’t realized it at first, but his sister was the one to point out his new habits. She also threatened to break at least one bone a week if he didn’t make up with Emma. He and Audra had a huge fight where Jax had to order Audra to mind her own business. Jace had plans to burn down her house, but his alpha saw him at a gas station filling up a few five-gallon cans with gas. He put a stop to it.

  Jax asked why he wanted to burn down her house when he knew she loved it and had items she’d been collecting for centuries. ‘Cause I don’t hit girls, was his only answer. Jax looked like he wanted to murder them both.

  Jace’s mind snapped back to Emma as she opened the door, singing a song about an Adonis belt. He took her distraction as a blessing and grabbed her, one hand on her waist and the other around her throat, and shoved her up against the wall. A small eek made its way past her lips as she staggered her stance and raised one arm high in the air. It was a defensive move she’d been taught in her self-defense class. Once she noticed it was him and not a stranger, a devious grin took over her full lips as she realized what he was doing.

  “Still pretty fast with the defense moves,” he said as he used his thigh and brought it between her legs. She nodded and tried to lean forward to kiss him, but he tightened his grip on her throat. Not enough to hurt her. He’d never hurt Emma. “Mediocre at best, huh?” he asked. He released her waist and glided his hand up her body until both hands rested on either side of her neck.

  She chuckled low in her throat as she stared defiantly up at him. “I was nice when I said mediocre. Have plans to show me how good you are?” she challenged.

  Hell yeah, he was going to show her. They used to play games like this before. She once dressed up as a ninja, and when he used his key to enter her apartment she jumped on his back and put him in a mock choke hold. She threatened to feed him anchovies— he fucking despised anchovies— if he didn’t strip naked and make it quick.

  She was the first woman he knew and loved that enjoyed sexy games.

  Looking down at her now, he used the pads of his thumbs and stroked the smooth flesh of her neck, urging her to pull her head up higher. He licked at the seam of her lips until she opened for him. He shoved his tongue into her mouth and pressed his erection against her soft stomach. She held tight to his arms as he claimed her mouth, savoring the warmth that he’d come to know and adore as Emma.

  The sweet, feminine scent of her arousal was a drug to him, and the faint moans that escaped her lips were his favorite melody.

  “Do you want my dick?” he asked, voice more animal than human.

  He smiled in triumph as a shiver racked its way through her body, making his cock harder than it had been. She had always been so receptive to him.

  Her hands molded their way down his body until her nails dug into the skin of his waist. She nodded and rubbed her breasts against his chest. The sensation of her pebbled nipples on his solid chest reminded him of how supple she was.

  “Say it.” He spoke into her mouth as if it were the only way she could receive his words. “Do you want my dick, Emma? Do you want me to make you come? Tell me where. My mouth, my fingers, or on my cock. I’ll make it happen.”

  The lust that filled her eyes as she looked at him intoxicated every fiber of his being. The way she came for him was addictive. It would always be for him. Her body would slow down just before she orgasmed. Her heart rate would slow and her breathing would stop, and just as her pussy would begin to spasm and clench his dick or his fingers, it was as if she was being reborn. She once told him that it was like everything inside of her exploded into tiny nerves that made her entire existence gleam and shimmer.

  “Make me come, please,” she whimpered, small hands now probing his body. She raked her nails down his chest and bit his bottom lip.

  He dropped to his knees, dragging her shorts and panties down her mocha brown legs. Instinctively, she lifted one of her thick thighs over his shoulder as he buried his face in her pussy. A deep-throated groan rushed from her lips. Reaching down, she slid her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to her core.

  Her taste was just as addictive as the tight, wet heat of her pussy. He ran his tongue up the length of her slit three times, and then gently sucked on her clit as he pushed one finger into her quivering channel. The velvet warmth of her core sent a shiver up his spine. He couldn’t wait to sink his cock into her, fill her with his seed. Her hips bucked forward, and he looked up to see her with her head back and eyes closed, entirely focusing on the desire he drew from her.

  His tongue lapped at her folds, calling forth more of the dewy passion that would ready her entrance for his cock. He added a second finger into her pussy and rubbed on that magic spot inside her that would drive her over the edge. Jace could feel it now. Her body was coiled tightly, ready for release. Gently, he nipped the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs.

  “Fuck,” she drawled out quietly. “Please, do that again.” She bit the soft skin of her full bottom lip.

  Again and again, he gave her what she wanted. The more he licked and bit and sucked on her sweet pussy, the harder his cock grew. Her cries of passion fueled his desire for her. He needed to make her come, needed to taste her honey as she came apart for him. Her hips rhythmically moved toward his face, fucking his hand as he ate her pussy.

  Letting a rumbling growl work its way up his throat that would vibrate his mouth, his lips latched on to her clit as he pressed against her G-spot.

  She froze for a few seconds, not breathing or moving, but when the orgasm hit, it was as if electricity soared through her body. The waves of her release made her wet cunt spasm, making it feel as if her core sucked on his fingers. He couldn’t wait to experience her orgasm with his cock deep inside her.

&n
bsp; Chapter 11

  Emma’s body exploded as Jace made her come with his mouth, with his fingers, with his teeth. Holy mushrooms, this man knew how to work her body over. Even after she orgasmed, he kept sucking and biting until the spasms of her release gradually slowed down.

  She shivered as her hips still bucked toward his face. It was as if her body had a mind of its own and it wanted so badly to keep receiving attention from Jace. She had to fight everything inside of her to keep her voice down so she wouldn’t be too loud. Her bottom lip was sore from the constant biting it took to keep quiet.

  Nonsense tumbled from her lips as she tried to speak. Right and proper orgasms always made her confused, giddy. She wanted to tell him to take her here against the wall, do anything he wanted to her as long as he fucked her. She wanted the hot, thick, length of his cock deep inside of her so she could feel his pubic bone rub against her clit to enhance his depth.

  As he stood, he pulled her shirt over her head and brought his mouth to her breasts. The feel of that skillful tongue stroking against her sensitive nipple almost took her over the edge again.

  “Come here,” he demanded, gripping her by her hips and picking her up. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  She wanted to protest, but his suckling mouth quieted her. He carried her over to the bed and dropped her on it. Giggles bubbled up through her mouth as she bounced up and down on the large bed. The fact that he could pick her up without complaining about her weight always made her giddy. And it turned her the hell on.

  He stood at the side of the bed, watching her as she moved toward the center of the bed. The bright blue of his eyes were gone now, and in their place were glowing gold orbs that reflected in the dim light of the bedroom. On anyone else it would have frightened her. But not Jace. No. With his eyes like this she could tell that he was just as out of his mind for her as she was for him.