by Emma Roman
He wouldn’t last long, but he reveled in her abandonment. When she sought his mouth for a kiss, he paired his thrusts with strokes of his tongue. A whimper tore from her throat as he worked his hand to find her clit again. He needed her to come, he wanted to feel her orgasm around him. She dug her claws into his shoulders, he heard more than felt the fabric rip.
She was more than worth the sacrifice of suit. He increased the speed and pressure of his strokes and she ignited. Her howl stoked his pleasure, and she gave him her throat. Answering the call, he tumbled her back onto the bed and struck. His teeth sank into her as he increased the frenetic pace of his rhythm. The bond snapped into existence, released as if hidden in the shadows of his being, and she filled him, expanded within his soul. He came in a rush of hot fire and scalding passion.
The force of his orgasm seemed to turn him inside out. When finally spent, he collapsed against her, laving the wound on her throat as tenderly as he could muster.
Time lost all meaning as he drifted in her arms, wrapped utterly in his awareness of her. Finally, he had to know, “Have I mentioned how much I love this dress?”
Giggles shook her and vibrated along his body. The rumble of her wolf echoed within the sweet sound. Her laugh filled him with a kind of effervescent happiness.
Best Valentine’s Day ever.
His moonstruck wolf couldn’t agree more.
About the Author
National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.
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http://www.heatherlong.net
10. Death by Chocolate
Gwen Knight
1
Nothing in this world was worse than attending a wedding on Valentine’s Day.
Or, so I thought.
Add in the little tidbit that I was single, and this was the worse night of my life. Who held their wedding on the worst day of the year? They’d surrounded me with enough papier-mâché hearts, ribbon, and chocolate to sink a battleship. Honestly, I’d never imagined Rumor Hayes capable of such evil. Or such…romance. She was the steeliest werewolf I knew. The woman could stare down a wolf twice her size without breaking a sweat. Hell, she’d recently killed a member of the fae court. It didn’t get any ballsier than that. So, why a Valentine’s Day wedding? Was it just to rub our faces in her happiness?
Ugh. Kill me now. Take me out to pasture and put a bullet in my head. I’ll thank you for it later.
At least there was alcohol. And wasn’t booze supposed to solve all my problems?
Ha.
Maybe my larger than life problems were just too big for my sad little tequila and lime to conquer. Imagine if it could, though? Mm. Magic booze. Now that was something I could buy into.
I leaned back in my chair with a wistful sigh and surrendered to my liquor-induced fantasies. Ones that included me dancing the night away in Mathis’s arms. Hey, it was a wedding. Who cared if we knocked back a few shots? And after all the clinking glasses and endless toasts, I needed to indulge. If I had to listen to one more sickening speech about how perfect Rumor and Knox were together, I would scream.
Lucky bastards.
I didn’t stand a chance with Mathis. He was our alpha, and damn near perfect. But me? I was nothing more than a hindrance. A shiftless wolf-born who barely ranked in the pack.
Awesome.
My entire life, I’d waited for that special moment. I’d watched as all my friends grew into their magic, but not me. That day had never come. Maybe I couldn’t shift like them, but to hell and back if I’d let that slow me down.
Mathis, however, was an entirely different matter. An alpha like him needed a strong mate, and that was something I wasn’t. Though my kind was rare, we were all the same. Born to werewolf parents, but human. Hell, one of my pack members had even bitten me when I younger, to no effect. Something about our genetics refused to let us change. Not to mention, those like me were lucky to find a mate at all, cursed as we were. Few were willing to risk passing on this gene to their own children. As I said, cursed. Hence, the tequila. If I couldn’t have my heart’s desire, maybe I’d drink myself into a stupor instead.
Still, Mathis was the man I fantasized about every single night. It didn’t help that whenever we were alone, there was this light in his eyes. A spark of possible interest. Not to mention, the little secretive smile he’d offer me before continuing on his way. Stupid to think it meant anything, though, right? Nothing more than a pitiful smile for the poor, shiftless human.
“Juniper?”
I twitched at the sound of my name and slitted an eyelid. The room spun in slow circles, but I could make out a blurred figure.
“Hey! Piper!” I raised my glass and forced a cheer before tossing back the rest of my drink. “To…marital bliss!”
“God, Juniper. How many have you had?”
How many? More than I had fingers and toes to count. “Sit, girl, sit! Have a drink with me.”
Her fuzzier bits moved toward me. I think.
“You’re drunk!” she accused.
“Mm. Thank you.”
Piper was one the few friends I had. The others in the pack tolerated me. Barely. But Piper…she’d always taken me under her wing…or paw. She leaned over and snatched the glass out of my hand, then took a whiff, her nose wrinkling. Yup, bet that stunk. Tequila wasn’t kind on the dullest of senses.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she demanded. “This isn’t like you.”
I swayed forward in my seat. Geez. From the look on her face, you’d think someone had told her I’d murdered her best friend. Oh, wait. That was me, and I was partially dead inside, so… “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s a wedding. Everyone’s drinking.”
“Yeah, but not everyone is the damn Maid of Honor!”
True. And hadn’t that been a surprise. When Rumor had asked me to fill that role, I’d nearly swooned. Not actually, of course. I would rather die before exposing that side of myself, but inside, I’d screamed. Rumor Hayes had asked me to be her MoH.
I eyed Piper. “So? Hard part’s done. Now, I get to relax and bask in my job well done.”
“The hard part is not done. Conrad is here.”
Her words were a cold splash of water. My smile vanished, and I straightened in my seat. “What?”
“Conrad…” She dragged out his name. “He can’t be here. Rumor doesn’t need this. So, someone needs to get rid of him.”
“And that someone is…me?” I swallowed.
“You’re the MoH.”
Oh, boy. Some days I wished I knew how to growl. This had nothing to do with being the MoH. No one wanted to deal with Conrad. So, somewhere down the line, they’d nominated me.
Jackasses.
I studied the room through a tipsy haze.
Conrad was the man who had raised Rumor and our former alpha. Which was all bad news bears because two months ago, he’d been the root of a whole lot of trouble in our pack.
Turns out our dear alpha had been born at the bottom of the totem pole, like the rest of us plebs. Yearning for power, he’d made a deal with a fae named Alasdair. In return for enough power to hold his own pack, Conrad had promised him a child. As part of the agreement, he’d allowed Alasdair to use glamor to impersonate him at night. Conrad's mate—Rumor’s mother—had never known the difference.
Handing over his
mate like that…letting another impregnate her…the thought gave me chills. I’d never liked Conrad, but damn, now I loathed the wretched beast.
Afterward, according to the rumor mill, Conrad had reneged on the final half of the deal. Once Rumor turned twenty-one, Alasdair had expected Conrad to turn her over. But he’d had other plans for her—like mating her off to another pack to strengthen ties.
Dude was all kinds of shady.
Thankfully, Rumor had put a stop to it all by killing her biological fae father. His death had broken the spell, and Conrad had returned to the submissive prick he was. From head honcho to nothing in no time flat. Needless to say, he was no longer the alpha of our pack.
Then Mathis had stepped up, which had destroyed any dream I’d ever had of us being together.
Thanks for that, Conrad.
“Juniper!” Piper hissed. “We can’t let Rumor or Knox see him.”
My head bobbed as I pondered our limited options. A head that wasn’t quite in the game yet. One—or three—too many tequilas. Might liven up the wedding to see some blood spilled. No. No, that was the alcohol talking. Death equaled bad. Had to remember that one. Even though I had an ongoing bet with myself about how long Conrad would last. A lot of people wanted him dead, his former mate included. Couldn’t blame her.
But, this was about Rumor. And her wedding. So, I rocked to my feet and stumbled across the room. Huh. Maybe I’d had a few more than I’d realized. The ground felt off-kilter. Or maybe it was the four-inch spikes strapped to my feet.
A couple more steps and I spotted Conrad.
Damn.
Dude looked like shit. His dark hair had greyed, and his eyes, once vibrant with life, were dim and flat. The man looked as though he’d aged fifty years in the past two months. Good. He deserved every bit of it.
His withered gaze shot to me, and his wrinkled mouth flattened. Ah, so this was going to be an unpleasant chat then. Thank goodness for the previous shots of liquid courage.
It was strange, stumbling up to him like this. When he’d been the alpha, a shiftless like me wouldn’t have ranked on his radar. In his eyes, I was one-hundred-percent human and an insult to his pack. What a guy, hey?
“Get lost,” he growled at me.
I responded to his surly attitude with a cocked brow. Guess he hadn’t changed any. “Now, is that any way to greet a packmate?”
“You’re not pack,” he spat back.
Aw. And here I thought we could be friendly now that we were both on the same level.
I shrugged. “At least tonight, I’m not the one on the outside looking in.”
His eyes turned to slate and his fingers curled into fists. Oh, doggy, I was in trouble with a capital T. Even the lowest peon on the totem pole was stronger than me. Which was why Rumor’s request to be her MoH had stunned me. I think it’d had something to do with me watching over her after Alasdair bashed in her skull. Broken bones and incoherent dreams were the foundation of a solid friendship. Or so I chose to believe.
“Look, old man,” I slurred. I drew in a deep breath and found myself wishing I hadn’t indulged in so much liquor. “No one wants you here. Especially Rumor and Knox. I think you would agree with me on that.”
“She’s my daughter,” he snarled.
“Hmm. Not the way I hear it.”
He lifted his closed fist. Shit. And yup, I cringed. Wouldn’t have been the first time the bastard struck me. Which meant I knew it was going to hurt like hell.
A feral growl rose, and before I could move, a dark shadow whipped by me and slammed Conrad into the nearest wall. Just like that, the hall fell silent. The music died on a shrill note. Every gaze swung our way, their conversations halted mid-sentence. Heart in my throat, I watched as Mathis lifted Conrad off his feet, his fierce snarl echoing in my ears. I’d never seen him move so fast.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Mathis slammed Conrad against the wall. “If you ever raise a hand against one of my wolves again, I’ll tear out your throat.”
My breath caught.
“She’s not a wolf,” Conrad rasped. As though that made his actions acceptable.
Seemed Mathis was of the same opinion. His fingers constricted around Conrad’s throat. “She is mine. And you’re nothing but a waste of air.”
Mine? Like his?
It was a good thing I didn’t swoon in public. That would have been embarrassing. The logical half of my brain knew he meant I was one of his pack. But there was always that little smidgen that made me wonder what if.
“When I let go, you’re going to get the hell out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere till I speak with Rumor,” he wheezed.
Mathis’s shoulders tightened. Even I sensed death in the air. Conrad had gone too far.
“It’s all right, Alpha,” another voice chimed in.
Rumor strode toward us, exquisite in her ivory dress and silver-leafed crown. A long waterfall of jet-black hair tumbled down her back, her sapphire eyes crisp as the wintry air. Next to her stood Knox, Alpha of the Silver Summit Pack. The two truly were perfect for one another, I realized. Side-by-side, they made a remarkable pair. Both possessed an ethereal beauty many would have killed for.
Growing up, I’d never given Rumor’s appearance a second thought. Now, all I saw was the fae within her. There was definitely something otherworldly about her.
Knox wasn’t fae, but he still looked striking in his tuxedo. Two months ago, he’d challenged his brother for leadership of their pack and had won. In that short amount of time, he’d brought his pack together in a way his brother had never managed. Knox had been born to this role, and it showed.
Rumor laid a hand on Mathis’s shoulder. The moment she touched him, he released Conrad and turned away, his eyes aglow with fury. Eyes that landed on me. Jesus. I fought the urge to lower my gaze. I wasn’t a wolf, but I’d long since learned their mannerisms.
Mathis strode toward me, every muscle in his body taut. “Are you all right?”
Other than trembling in my spiked heels, I was fine. “Peachy.”
He lifted his chin and unleashed a stern glare upon the room. A heartbeat later, everyone scrambled back to normal. The music picked up on the last beat, and their conversations resumed. Though now they had a different topic to focus on, but whatever.
With his attention on the room, I took a moment to study him. The power faded from his eyes with every blink, but his mouth remained grim, and his jaw tight. At this angle, I spotted the long, jagged scar that ran down the length of his cheek. A scar that baffled many, since no one knew its origin.
He cocked his head and regarded me, that breathtaking smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “Come on. Let’s dance.”
My heart stopped in my chest. Flatlined. Just like that. “What?”
“You do know how, don’t you?”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Of course I knew how. But with him? Nope.
“If I stand here, I’m going to rip out his throat,” Mathis growled.
My attention flicked to Conrad, who stood next to the nearest table, rubbing his neck as he spoke with Rumor. Not that she was listening. Much like the fae, she pulled off cold indifference quite well.
Before I could acknowledge Mathis’s request, he took me by the hand and led me out onto the dance floor. My God. This was happening. Right now. In front of everyone. Mathis could have chosen anyone to dance with. But me?
What did it mean?
He dragged me into his chest and started to move, his hand braced against the middle of my back. Oh yeah. Kill me now, and let me die happy. This was one of many moments I’d fantasized about. Never actually dancing, but my hips were always flush against his.
“So, are you enjoying yourself?” he asked as his thumb stroked down the length of my back. I shivered and leaned into him, taking liberties I never would have dared to take sober.
I nodded. Hell yes. I’d never imagined having a moment like this. Not with him. And I in
tended to savor every moment of it.
All right. So, maybe I was a bit smitten. But growing up, I’d always admired Mathis. Sure, he was eleven years older than me, but at fourteen, a twenty-five-year-old was the dream. My parents had assured me I’d grow out of such an infatuation. I hadn’t. But I had learned to keep my feelings to myself.
At twenty-nine, I’d watched him take on the role of beta. And now, at thirty-two, he was the alpha.
Question was, had he watched me as closely?
Doubtful.
No one watched me closely. Least of all the damn alpha of the pack. I hated that I couldn’t shift. That I wasn’t a full wolf like the rest. Who knew the life I would have led if only I’d found that spark of magic.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
I stumbled over his feet, and my cheeks sizzled.
His mouth quirked. “The dress you have on. It’s gorgeous.”
“Thank you. And you look…” I couldn’t think of the right word. Hot didn’t fit him. And I could only imagine the look he’d give me if I said scrumptious. I opted for simple and safe. “Handsome.”
His head dipped, and a playful smile tugged at his lips. “That can’t be what you wanted to say.”
I blinked. Was Mathis flirting with me?
But before I could answer, he straightened and spun me around the floor. I wasn’t oblivious to the hand at my back, or how close he held me against him.
“I like this,” he murmured, drawing me flush against his body.
“Like what?”
“Dancing with you.”
Such a simple statement, but one that flipped my world on its side. “But I thought…”
“What?”
That since I was human, I wouldn’t interest him. That because of my curse, he wouldn’t risk condemning any children we might have had. Yup, those were the thoughts circling my twitterpated head.