***Gabriel***
Bethany was so wet and slick he could have slid into her the minute she was on top of him. But instead, he positioned her so that the tip of his throbbing penis was rubbing against her button and rocked his hips until she was gasping for breath and grinding her hips into him.
His body was crying out for release, demanding the satisfaction of Bethany’s hot, wet passageway, but he held himself back, driving her closer to the edge. Then just as she began to climax, he grabbed her by the hips and drove himself into her.
She cried out his name and dug her nails into his shoulders as her body trembled with the force of her pleasure. When she began to still, he gently pushed her up so that he slid deeper inside her, making her eyes widen in pleasure.
Groaning, she sat atop him until he gently lifted her by her hips then let her sink over him again. Bethany moaned and lifted herself off him, then sank slowly back down, her eyes closed, her mouth partly open.
It was pure torture to watch her, the kind of torture he hoped to endure for a long time, but his body was screaming for release, and her teasing was quickly driving him to the edge. He thrust his hips, driving himself deeper inside her, then as he continued to thrust, reached between them and found her tender nub.
When he began to rub her in soft, gentle strokes while driving himself into her, she cried out in pleasure and rode him, grinding her hips into him each time he was deep inside her. When she tumbled over the edge and her body gripped him, her muscles spasming deep inside, he let go, and with one final thrust, tumbled over the edge himself.
Bethany collapsed on top of him as they both fought for breath, their bodies slick with sweat. Finally, she rolled to his side, and he pulled her into his arms, her head resting on his chest, a pleased sigh escaping her lips.
“Are you still nervous?” he asked when he could talk.
Bethany laughed, “No, are you?”
Gabriel hugged her. “Nope, I’m even surer now that this is what’s meant to be.”
Bethany leaned up on one elbow. “What would you have done if I hadn’t come back?” she asked.
“I would have waited until you did,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ve never cared about anyone as much as I care about you, but I know that it’s going to be hard for you to live here.”
He was going to say more, but Bethany put her finger over his lips. “Stop before you say what you’re going to say next; I don’t want to be anywhere but here with you, Gabriel. I’ve seen enough of the world to know that I’m not meant to be out there. Nashville was fun, but I feel so much more at home here; even Gypsum Creek seems too busy for me.”
“You might change your mind someday,” Gabriel said, still wanting to get out what he had to say.
“How about we cross that bridge if we come to it? Right now, I’m exactly where I want to be, and I don’t see that changing for a long time. Besides, you have a lot of work to do to get this place livable; I can’t leave you to do it alone,” she said, then kissed him to say that the discussion was over.
Gabriel settled her back in his arms. Clearly Bethany wasn’t going to listen to what he had to say, and he couldn’t be happier about that. He knew deep down in his soul that the love he felt for Bethany was never going to fade and that he’d be happy to spend the rest of his life here with her.
They spent hours making plans for their new little home. Bethany wanted a spring house and a huge fire pit for cooking and doing laundry. Gabriel wanted a little workshop where he could build all the things they’d need, and a barn so they could have animals.
It was nearly morning when they finally let their eyes drift closed, their minds full of all the wonderful plans they’d made. But what they couldn’t know was that not far away, someone was watching, someone who had been paid well to do his job, and he took that job seriously.
So far, the man knew little about what was happening on the plateau, and although he was sure he felt something strange in the air, he was a shifter and no stranger to the unusual. If he’d known then what he was up against, he might have just gone home, but as he watched from the trees, he was unaware of the danger he faced.
His plan was simple, looked like it would be child’s play, and he was already counting the bonus that was sure to be his in only a few short days. All he had to do was be patient, wait for the right moment, and all the rest would fall into place.
When the light went out in the cabin, he was satisfied that he’d seen all he was going to see that night and headed back to his cold camp. He’d seen what they were up against and it didn’t look like any of them were much of a threat; in fact, he wondered how the little group had gotten the better of his boss in the first place.
But that didn’t concern him; all he needed to worry about was getting the girl away from the werewolf and into his boss’s hands. It was too bad that he wanted her back unharmed; he could have had a little fun with the petite little beauty, he thought as he crawled into his cold sleeping bag.
Letting images of what he would do to her given the chance blossom in his mind, he fell asleep with an evil smile on his face, unaware that he was going to pay dearly for not only those thoughts, but for his very presence on the mountain.
Chapter Eighteen
***Bethany***
Bethany knew that they’d stayed in bed way too long when she saw the position of the sun in the sky. She jumped out of bed and began searching for her clothes, which were in a pile on the floor, then she realized that she couldn’t wear the same thing she had the day before.
Really rattled, she looked over at Gabriel, who was smiling happily as he watched her. “You’d better get up. Dillion and Jessie will be here any time,” she said, then began searching the room. “Where are my clothes?”
Gabriel got out of bed, and she couldn’t help but stop and admire his tall, muscular body as he walked across the room. He pulled back a curtain, and said, “Right here; it’s not much of a closet, but it works.”
She rushed over to the closet and pulled out the first things she could find and quickly put them on. “Aren’t you going to put on some underwear?” he asked, amusement on his face.
“There isn’t time,” she said, hopping on one foot when she got stuck in her pants.
He walked up and pulled her into his arms. “That’s good, that will make things much easier later,” he whispered in her ear.
She pushed him away. “Gabriel, we don’t have time for that now; get dressed.”
“Yes, mam,” he said, still grinning at her.
By the time Dillion and Jessie showed up at the cabin, she had coffee ready but nothing else. “Have you had breakfast?” she asked, handing them both a cup.
“Do you really think Sophie would let us out of the house without feeding us?” Jessie asked, sitting down at the little table.
“Then we can talk while I make us some,” Bethany said, stepping back into the kitchen.
“It seems to me that the first thing we need to discuss is if it’s safest for Bethany to stay here or at the farm,” Dillion said, making Bethany wonder if he was ever going to listen to what she wanted.
“I think she’s safest here; her father knows about the farm, but he doesn’t know about the cabin. He’ll come looking for her at the farm, not here; that will give us an advantage. We’ve got people watching for him; there’s only one way into Gypsum Creek, and we’ll know when he’s on his way,” Jessie said.
Dillion didn’t look pleased, but he nodded. “I guess you’re right,” he said.
They were all quiet for a few minutes, then Jessie quietly said, “I need to know that we’re all in agreement about the outcome of this.”
“You know how I feel,” Gabriel said, “but he’s not my father.”
Bethany looked at Dillion, then over at Jessie. “He’s not my father either,” she said.
“I don’t think we have any choice; he’s gone crazy, and I think that’s the only way we’re going to stop him,” Dillion said, bu
t there was a hint of sadness in his voice.
“We have to be sure we all agree,” Jessie said, giving Dillion a few more minutes.
Finally, he said, “We have no choice; my father has to die.”
There was a long silence in the room. “Okay, I’ll pass that message along to everyone,” Jessie finally said. “Michelle will tell the coven to be ready. David, Danny, and Kara will get the shifters organized, and we’ve still got the fortifications on the mountain in place.”
Dillion nodded. “This time when we meet my father, it’s going to be all of us, and he’s not going to know what hit him.”
Bethany hoped that they were right; she was all too familiar with her father’s methods, and he certainly didn’t play fair. “Do we know what happened in Nashville after we left?” she asked, not sure what she wanted to hear.
“The last thing I heard, your father was bailed out late last night, but he made some more threats on the way out of the jail, and they threw him back in again,” Jessie said. “He’ll probably be out by the end of the day.”
“He’s not going to wait long before coming after Bethany,” Gabriel said, his voice hard.
“Don’t let your guard down for any reason; stay in the cabin as much as you can. We’ll post some guards on the trail in case they somehow find their way up here,” Jessie said, getting to his feet. “We’d better get back, Dillion; there are still a few things I want to do before tonight.”
Bethany watched them go, wondering if the next time she saw them they’d be in a fight with her father, and a sense of dread washed over her. But then Gabriel put his arms around her from behind, and it vanished, replaced by the warmth that she knew was her love for him.
He kissed the top of her head and said, “Everything is going to be okay, Bethany; we’ll come through this even stronger, and when it’s all over, you’ll finally be free.”
Bethany looked up at him. “I know, but it’s still scary,” she said, giving him a shaky smile. “I know that we’ll be okay, it’s just the getting there that bothers me.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” Gabriel said.
Bethany thought about all that her father had put her through and all he’d planned to. She shook her head. “No, I know it’s the only way. Dillion’s right; he’s gone a little crazy. He used to be an awful person, but now he’s gone past that into evil, and he has to be stopped. I want to live in peace, Gabriel. I want to live a quiet life with you.”
***Gabriel***
Gabriel crossed the room and took the lid off the pan and stirred the stew inside. They’d been cooped up in the cabin for two days, and he was getting restless, needed to stretch his legs and get some fresh air.
He knew that it would be like this during the winter, that they’d be cooped up this way sometimes for days, but at least then they’d be free to go outside. And they wouldn’t have Bethany’s father hanging over their heads, a threat that kept them anxious and peering out the window all day.
Nights weren’t so bad; they could climb into the big bed together and block out the world as they lost themselves in each other’s bodies. As their love grew, so did the power of the spell, and soon Gabriel was stronger than any regular man, his human form mirroring his wolf form.
But he felt like his strength was wasted as they hid inside the cabin, his frustration making him even more restless. Bethany had been tip-toeing around him all day, and he’d almost snapped at her during dinner, but stopped himself just in time.
After they washed the dishes, she said, “I know we’re supposed to stay inside the cabin as much as possible, but I don’t think a little walk will do any harm. I could use some fresh air, and so could you.”
Gabriel grabbed their jackets and was at the door so fast that Bethany couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she said.
They walked out of the cabin, hand in hand, and headed for the cliff and the view of the mountains they both loved so much. After standing in the moonlight for a long time, neither speaking, Gabriel broke the silence.
“I just wish this was over. I want to get on with our lives,” he said, taking her hand and leading her away from the cliff.
“I know, it’s driving me crazy too,” she said.
They headed for the shrine, again unaware that a visitor had come to their peaceful home and that he was about to give them what they’d both wished for. When they got to the shrine, they stopped and looked at the glowing light, then turned and sat down on the ground with their backs to it.
“This really is a peaceful place,” Bethany said. “I hope the spirits don’t mind that we’ve moved in with them.”
Gabriel laughed. “I think if they were unhappy about it, they would have told us by now,” he said.
***Bethany***
Bethany looked over her shoulder at the shrine still glowing brightly in the night, then turned even further when she thought she saw something moving in the trees. Instantly, she was filled with a feeling of dread, and tensed up, still scanning the trees.
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked, getting to his feet and pulling her up off the ground.
“I thought I saw something moving in the trees; it was probably nothing, but I’ve got this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach,” she said, still looking into the trees.
“I’ll go check it out; you stay here,” Gabriel said, starting for the trees.
But she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “I feel like you shouldn’t go out there; we should call the shifters,” she said.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, gently pulling his arm free. “It’s probably just an animal out hunting or something.”
She watched him disappear behind the shrine and then remerge in the forest, then he became nothing but a shadow. When she lost sight of him, she began to pace, the feeling in her stomach becoming almost painful. Reaching up, she began to rub the pendant that she hadn’t taken off since Michelle gave it to her.
When it began to warm between her fingers, she sighed with relief, but then suddenly it became ice-cold, almost freezing the tips of her fingers. Then a shot rang out, echoing through the trees and bouncing off the mountains around them, and the pendant became hot on her skin.
“Gabriel,” she screamed, then broke into a run.
As she ran, she realized that there was someone in the woods with her and hoped that the shifters who’d come to guard her had heard the shot too. Desperate to find Gabriel, she darted through the trees, their branches reaching out to snag her hair and clothes.
She nearly tripped over him when she finally found him crumpled up on the ground. Falling to her knees, she wasn’t sure what to do, but finally rolled him on his back, gasping when she saw the gaping wound in his chest.
“Oh, Gabriel, oh no,” she said, over and over as she put pressure on the wound with her hand.
When that didn’t work, she ripped her shirt off and put it on the wound and pressed as hard as she could, mumbling under her breath, “Please don’t die,” over and over.
Gabriel’s breathing seemed to become steadier and the wound had stopped freely bleeding when she pulled the shirt back to look, but he had a nasty hole in his chest, and she knew that only medical help would save his life.
She looked around and saw a shadow moving in the trees again and braced herself for the shot she was sure would come. But instead a man came out of the trees; he was dressed all in black and holding a gun pointed at her.
“Sorry to interrupt your little romantic interlude but your dad wants you,” he said. “I’m not supposed to hurt you, but I will if you don’t come along quietly.”
Bethany could only stare at the man, her body humming with anger, a strange feeling coming over her, power pulsing through her veins. She had no idea what was happening to her, but it felt like she was suddenly stronger, suddenly able to hear, see, and smell much better.
The man took a step toward her. “I’ll shoot him again,” he warned.
But before the
words were out of his mouth, two wolves came crashing out of the forest and knocked him down. He shifted immediately and took off through the woods, the wolves right behind him, leaving Bethany alone with Gabriel.
Chapter Nineteen
***Gabriel***
Gabriel opened his eyes, then closed them again when searing pain squeezed his chest. Holding his breath until the pain eased, he tried to remember what happened to him. But his mind was blank; he wasn’t even sure where he was. Pushing past the pain, he opened his eyes to see the stars above his head.
Each time he took a breath, pain radiated from his chest through his body and he was having a difficult time not passing out. Then he discovered that if he took very slow shallow breaths, the pain was bearable.
He turned his head and saw that he was on the ground by the shine, lying on a blanket, but he had no idea how he’d gotten there. Turning his head the other way, he saw the cabin and a light burning brightly in the window; he tried to call Bethany’s name but couldn’t get enough breath in his lungs.
Then a strange face filled his vision and blocked his view of the cabin. “Where’s Bethany?” he managed to choke out, pain radiating from his chest.
“She went to get help; don’t try to talk,” the man said.
Gabriel felt panic beginning to rise. “Did she go alone?”
“The others went after the man who shot you,” the man said, knowing what Gabriel was thinking. “She wouldn’t let me go for help, was afraid that the shooter would come back and shoot you again.”
Gabriel tried to get up but fell back as pain nearly made him black out. It was then that he realized that he must be hurt badly and looked down at his chest, shocked to see the oozing wound.
He let his head fall heavily to the ground, the pain making him think he was going to vomit. Finally, he managed to gasp, “I’m okay; go after her.”
Her White Wolf: Wolves of Gypsum Creek (A Paranormal Romance Story) Page 11