Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two)

by Butler, R. E.

Leaning closer to the mirror, he angled his head until he could see the marks she’d made. But where a mark made with her blunt human teeth should have been, there were two puncture wounds instead. The kind that would be made with fangs.

  While his bear rejoiced at the marking in his mind, his human side recognized the concern on his mate’s face. Turning to look at her, he cupped her face. He lifted her upper lip, but her teeth were normal. Everything about her physically appeared to be normal. Then where had the fangs come from?

  “Do you remember your teeth or gums hurting?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “Not really. When you were inside me, I felt really flushed, like my blood was made of fire. I thought it was because I’d just come, but maybe it wasn’t.” She looked up at him. “I don’t really remember deciding to bite you. It was almost instinct.”

  She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I didn’t mean to ruin our after glow. I wanted to be all snuggly after marking you.”

  The bathroom was too small to pick her up and carry her out of, so he just laughed and stepped out, taking her hand and tugging her back to the bed.

  Holding out his arms to her, he beckoned her to join him. “I’m yours to snuggle as much as you like.”

  She grinned and climbed onto the bed and slipped into his arms. “My big bad Jericho just used the word snuggle.”

  He kissed her forehead and smiled. “I’ll use it again, too, if it continues to make you smile.”

  “Everything about you makes me smile, Jer.”

  Her felt the same way.

  They turned off all the candles except one so that the small room was mostly dark, and they talked. About their shared pasts. Their tri-mating. Their future. He wasn’t surprised that she was worried about passing on her non-shifting genes to their children, but he wasn’t worried. For one thing, they were no longer part of a den that would care about that. And for another, he believed that her lack of shifting was just an anomaly. She was certainly showing more bear traits in the last week than she had in all the time he’d known her. Finding Alek had clearly strengthened her supernatural side, and while he didn’t believe she’d ever shift, he was glad that she wasn’t freaking out about the little changes — the bearish sounds and sudden fangs.

  He didn’t want to sleep in the camper, because the mattress was lumpy as hell and it was growing stuffier by the minute without the generator turned on to run the fans. He pulled on his jeans and shoes, wrapped her up in the blanket from the bed, and carried her into the house.

  It was quiet and dark inside, and he locked the front door and climbed the stairs to their bedroom and put Lachlyn to bed. After cleaning up in the bathroom, he inspected the marks again, pleased to see they’d healed over, leaving scars behind. They were permanent mates now, and nothing would ever change that bond between them. Even the claw marks on his chest were a reminder of the mating, that he was not only responsible for Lachlyn, but also for Alek, and any children that Lachlyn bore to either male. It wasn’t a hardship, but a welcomed honor.

  Turning off the light, he joined Lachlyn, smiling when she curled immediately against him. He settled down to sleep, grateful for the sweet woman in his arms.

  Chapter 14

  Tuesday night before dinner, Lachlyn snuggled against Alek as they sat in the family room and watched television. His arm was around her and she was pressed against his side, with her head on his shoulder. Even with Micah, Tristan, and three boys in the room, he still felt as though it was just the two of them. She tipped her head back and smiled when he looked at her.

  “Do you think you could go into work late on Thursday?” Her voice was low, a teasing smile at the corner of her lush mouth.

  “Sure. I could ask my dad or Uncle John to fill in for me.”

  She pressed her lips to his and her smile widened. “After Jericho leaves for work, I want to mark you, if that’s okay.”

  Okay? He’d been waiting on pins and needles since Sunday when she said she wanted to mark him and Jericho separately. Jericho already wore her marks, and Alek couldn’t wait to wear them, too.

  “I have a job interview at the school library on Friday, so I thought Thursday was a better choice so we don’t have to rush.”

  “I’d love that.”

  She smiled from ear to ear, her blue eyes shining with happiness, and Alek fell a little more in love with her right then. He could freely admit, at least to himself, that he loved Lachlyn. She was impossible not to love. Sweet, kind, giving. Everything that he’d ever wanted, even when he didn’t believe that he’d ever have a mate of his own. He hadn’t told her yet, but he would soon.

  It was his turn with the dishes, and he caught his Uncle John as he dropped off plates in the sink and asked him about Thursday.

  “You bet, Alek. In fact, why don’t you just take the whole day?”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. You haven’t taken a day off since you’ve been here. Your dad and I will cover the shift. Just give Eryx a call and let him know what’s up.”

  After the dishes were finished, he called his older brother to let him know the plans for Thursday. As he had expected, Eryx didn’t mind him taking the day off and congratulated him again on the mating. Alek ended the call with a smile on his face.

  Thursday morning couldn’t come fast enough.

  * * * * *

  Thursday morning when Jericho got up to get ready for work, Lachlyn slipped from the bed and kissed Alek’s cheek. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.” She tugged on a robe, tied it shut, and disappeared out the bedroom door.

  Alek propped himself up with a pillow, his heart hammering in his chest with excitement as he waited for Lachlyn to return. She didn’t come up until Jericho had left, and when she walked into the bedroom, she balanced a tray on one hand and shut and locked the door with the other.

  “You’re really good with that tray,” he said. “I would have dumped the whole thing on the floor if I had tried to work one handed.”

  She put the tray on the bed and climbed up next to him. “I waitressed in high school, so I’ve had practice.” She kissed him and lifted the red gingham kitchen towel that covered the tray, revealing breakfast. Ham and cheddar omelets, hashbrowns, English muffins, and a bowl of cut fruit. Two cups of coffee and two small containers of orange juice rounded out the meal. His heart melted and puddled in his lap. He’d never had anyone outside of the pride make a meal for him.

  “It looks great, sweetheart. Thank you.”

  She tossed him a shy smile and handed him a napkin rolled around silverware. She settled across from him cross-legged and picked up her plate. “You do so much for me, so I wanted to do something special for you.”

  He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I never wanted to do anything for anyone outside of my family until I met you.”

  While they ate, they talked about her job interview on Friday and their plans for the weekend. When the meal was over, she put the tray full of dishes on the dresser and reached her hand out towards him. “Come clean up with me?”

  As if he would say no. He took her hand and followed her into the bathroom. She leaned over the tub and turned the faucet on, testing the water with her hand. She pulled the drain stopper and straightened, running her hands through her hair and pushing it off her shoulders. She reached for the tie of her robe, and he gently pushed her hands away. Undoing the tie, he let the thin strip of fabric fall away and then parted the robe to reveal her beautiful body.

  Pushing the robe off her shoulders, he pressed himself against her, kissing her neck as the material slithered off her arms and onto the vinyl floor. Every time he saw her naked, his mind went blank to everything but her. Her smooth, soft skin. The gentle curve of her waist. He cupped her breasts, plumping the firm globes and kissing both nipples as they beaded.

  She drew in a breath, let it out like a sigh, and pushed her fingers through his hair, fisting the strands and lifting his head. Kissing him once, she turned and stepp
ed into the tub. The water was still running from the tap, and she sat down and scooted backwards until she was leaning against the back of the tub. She shivered as her back made contact with the tub and then smiled. She spread her legs, drew her knees towards her chest, and then patted the water in front of her. “Join me?”

  “Shouldn’t I sit behind you so you aren’t cold?” He stepped into the almost-too-hot water and looked down at her.

  “I’m taking care of you right now, Alek.” She patted the water again, making it splash.

  With some maneuvering, he sat between her legs and leaned backwards until his back pressed against her breasts. He slid down far enough that her head was slightly above his and his own head rested against her shoulder. For several quiet moments, they watched the water fill the tub, and when it had risen far enough, he used his foot to turn off the faucet.

  She nuzzled his neck, and he closed his eyes as her teeth raked his pulse. She licked the spot her teeth had grazed, and then did it again. Graze. Lick. Graze. Lick. Goosebumps erupted on his skin, and he trailed his hands over the tops of her thighs and then rubbed the sensitive skin behind her knees.

  Something smelled like honey, and he opened his eyes to see her squeezing honey-scented body wash onto a cloth before setting it aside. He smiled.

  She nipped his ear. “You think there’s something funny about me being a bear and also liking the smell of honey?”

  “Not at all, love,” he said, trying to stifle the laugh that wanted to break free. This was a serious moment. Later, he’d tell her how adorable it was that she liked honey body wash.

  She lathered the cloth and stroked down his arm, her touch firm but tender as she brushed the cloth between each finger, around his wrist, and up the underside of his arm. The cloth was soft and warm as it worked across his chest and down his other arm, before returning to his chest and stroking each rib and circling his navel. She brought the cloth back up, rubbing across his collarbone and up and down his neck. His cock bobbed free of the water, painfully hard as she continued to tease him slowly with her honey-scented cloth.

  Pushing on his shoulders, he leaned forward, dropping his head to his chest and propping his arms on his knees as she methodically washed his shoulders and back, giving as much attention there as she did to his chest.

  With a husky tone, she asked him to switch places with her, and he drew her to her feet and took her place, leaning against the tub. She urged his legs together and straddled him, dropping the cloth into the water and kneeling with one hand braced next to his head.

  Her hand slipped into the water and fisted the base of his cock. He groaned as she aligned his cock with her pussy, circling her entrance so he could feel how hot she was.

  “Look at me, Alek,” she whispered, and he locked eyes with her as she took his cock into her body slowly.

  Her mouth fell open as he filled her, but she never took her eyes from him. He grabbed her hips as she settled completely on him.

  She put one hand on top of his hand on her hip, and she braced her other hand on the edge of the tub. She rocked on him, drawing off him and slipping back down slowly. Her head fell back as she began to ride him, her breasts bouncing as her hips met his thrusts. His hands dug into her hips, guiding her faster as his balls drew up tight against his body.

  Moving one hand across her body, he rubbed her clit with his thumb. Her pussy began to clench him and she started panting, her breasts rising and falling quickly.

  With a sharp cry, her body exploded around him, and he followed her into climax as her pussy gripped his cock like hot, wet velvet. He groaned as he came, his cock spasming inside her.

  A low growling sound echoed in the bathroom and then he felt Lachlyn bite him, sinking her teeth into his neck. She broke through the skin, and his cock spasmed again, making him shudder and grit his teeth against the pleasure. Nothing had ever felt as good as Lachlyn’s tight pussy around his cock and her teeth in his flesh.

  She released his neck with a soft sound of pleasure and licked across the marks. He went limp against the tub and felt as if his body had melted from the inside out. Lachlyn kissed the marks and laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his arms.

  He couldn’t contain the emotions that were rioting in his mind. Wrapping his arms around her, he said, “I love you, Lachlyn.”

  She lifted her head and looked at him with a smile. “I love you, too, Alek. I’m so glad you’re mine.”

  “I’m glad you’re mine, too, love.”

  They stayed in the tub until the water chilled, and then they rinsed off with a hot shower, and made love in bed. They dozed together, and he woke her with gentle kisses and tender strokes against her most sensitive places, and they made love once more before they realized they’d missed lunch entirely and it was almost time for dinner. He didn’t want their time together to end, but it had been one of the best days of his life. Lachlyn loved him. She had marked him as hers forever. And he’d never been happier.

  * * * * *

  On Friday, Samantha took Lachlyn to school to interview for the assistant librarian position. The job didn’t start until a few weeks before school started up again in August, but they were interviewing now in the hopes of filling the job in advance. Lachlyn and Samantha were becoming friends, and Sam was looking forward to having Lachlyn work at the same school where she taught music. Alek and Jericho had both offered to pick her up and take her, but she and Sam had plans to eat a late lunch at Cherie’s and do some grocery shopping together. It really made him happy that she and Sam got along together so well. He hoped that as the other males found their mates, those women would also feel at home in the boarding house.

  Pauline sent for lunch for both of them, and he ate at his desk, catching up on paperwork from the day before. In the afternoon lull, he and Pauline talked about their weekend plans.

  “The grandkids are coming to stay over on Saturday,” she said, turning her chair back and forth lazily with her foot.

  “That sounds like fun. Do you have plans with them?”

  “Just the usual grandma stuff — letting them stay up way too late, stuffing them full of sugar, and then taking them home for my daughter and her husband to deal with.”

  Alek laughed. “Sounds like parents’ perfect revenge on their adult children.”

  She grinned, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “You just wait until you have kids, Alek. Your dad has been planning his revenge for years.”

  Shaking his head with a laugh, he turned to walk into his office when the screech of brakes drew his attention to the parking lot. Someone laid on a horn and didn’t let up. He jogged to the glass doors and saw Sam’s gold Infiniti. His heart leapt into his throat, and he jerked open the door and ran out, his eyes scanning for trouble.

  Lachlyn shoved the car door open and raced to him, tears streaking down her face. “Oh, Alek, it was awful!”

  His uncle Aaron pulled his SUV into the parking lot right behind Sam’s car and jumped out. He opened the driver’s door and pulled Sam out, and Alek could see she was trembling.

  He didn’t know what happened, but everyone was freaked out. “Let’s get inside.”

  Aaron nodded, drawing Sam against him and walking inside with her. Alek pulled the door shut behind them and asked, “What happened?”

  Lachlyn trembled in his arms.

  Sam was visibly upset but seemed more composed than Lachlyn. “We were leaving Cherie’s parking lot and heading home when a big black SUV came up behind us and followed really closely. I thought at first that it was Aaron’s, but then it bumped into us. I started to pull off to the side because they hit us, but Lachlyn grabbed my arm and said to go straight to the station.”

  Sam had sped up and drove to the police station, calling Aaron on her cell.

  Lachlyn looked up at Alek. “I heard the engine rev really loudly, and I grabbed my cell to call you, but when it bumped us, it knocked my phone to the floor and I couldn’t find it.”

  Sam let out
a long breath. “As soon as they saw the station, they took off.”

  Alek asked, “Did you see a plate or get the make or model of the SUV?”

  Lachlyn shook her head. “The plates were gone. But it was big, like a Durango, and there were at least two men inside. The side and back windows were darkly tinted.”

  Alek felt his cat rising to the surface, furious that Lachlyn was so terrified.

  Snapping back to reality, he shoved his cat aside and cleared his head. Turning to Pauline he said, “Call Eryx and my dad and tell them what happened. Uncle Aaron, take Sam and Lachlyn home. I’ll follow in the patrol car and then see if I can find out where they went.”

  Aaron nodded and Alek walked out with them, kissing Lachlyn as he helped her into Aaron’s SUV. “It’ll be okay, baby. I’ll call Jericho to have him meet you at the house.”

  Her hands gripped his arms. “I think Detroit found us.”

  The thought had crossed his mind, but he didn’t want her freaking out until he’d had a chance to investigate. “I don’t know how he possibly could have, love. We’ve been so careful.”

  He kissed her again, shut the door, and jogged over to the patrol car. He followed his uncle home, calling Jericho and sharing Lachlyn’s thoughts about it being connected to his father, and then continued on into town, talking to Eryx on the walkie.

  “Lachlyn thinks it’s Jericho’s dad,” Alek said.

  “Is that possible?” Eryx asked. He was at the station with their father, and both were going out to patrol.

  “Anything is possible, but I don’t see how. They’re using fake names, and we’ve been cautious.”

  “Well, let’s assume the worst and step up patrols. I know you want to get home and comfort your mate, but finish out your shift. Take the north side of town. Dad and I will split up and cover the rest of town.”

  Alek patrolled the north end of town for several hours, driving by the boarding house from time to time, his eyes peeled for a black SUV. By the time he drove back to the station, Eryx had processed the damage to Sam’s car and filled out a report, and a friend of his from the county had looked at the traffic cameras and found the SUV trailing Sam’s car, hitting it, and then taking off once the station came into view. As far as they could tell, it left town and hadn’t come back. The dark tint prevented them from determining who was driving, and the driver and passenger had obscured their features through the windshield with big sunglasses and non-descript baseball caps