Animal Heart (Beast & Beauty)

by M, Jessie

  He'd known who and what he was the second he'd laid eyes on this huge, fair haired leather clad dude, propping up the bar. They'd locked eyes, and a touch of confrontation hung between them until the traveller's face relaxed into a slow easy grin.

  Aden took a long swig of his beer. “We're birds of a feather, Cal my man. So tell me, where are you from and where are you headed?”

  “Alabama born and raised. Been livin' in Ontario since I was twenty. Vancouver's where I'm bound, visiting some of my brethren for a while. Kicking up the blacktop dust is my kinda life.” He smiled revealing his perfect set of gold capped incisors.

  “You're cutting it a bit fine, the moons about to round up,” Aden reminded him.

  “I'm easy, real easy. I guess I'll have to go deep forest for a few days. Not a problem at all,” he drawled, cool as a cucumber.

  “You're welcome to stay with us on our ranch. We have facilities, here in town, for the moon. Fancy a stop over?”

  “You know what? I might just do that. D'you have a pool table at that ranch of yours? I wanna whip your sorry fuckin' ass...” he guffawed good-naturedly.

  “Oh yeah, we do at that and just you fucking try bro...” Aden joined in with Cal's deep manly laughter.

  He was thinking they'd need to make a move soon, it was nearing dusk and Maddy had been on her own long enough.

  A moment later the bar door swung open and in strode Sergeant Filomountie. All five foot two of her impressive height, including her boots. She made a beeline for Aden and slapped a piece of folded paper in his hand.

  “Aden Carr, I'm issuing you with a search warrant. We received an anonymous tip off that you have illegal goods in your lockup premises. Would you accompany me please, sir?”

  Aden unfolded and looked at the paper with deep concern, and then around him at his equally concerned pack, and the confused Cal.

  Christ almighty, NO... Maddy was there.

  Human or wolf aside, how he was going to explain this he didn't quite know. His brain searched desperately for a good excuse as he followed the sergeant to her car and got in next to her. They drove to the lock up in a hostile silence, the pack followed in the truck, and their new biker friend trailed behind at a respectful distance. His heart was beating like a drum as he unlocked the padlock on the gate. The Mayor drew up next to them in his car, taking a seat on his bonnet with folded arms and a look of glee plastered on his face. Aden bristled with annoyance, an inner fury arising inside of him. He ignored him and walked towards the containers. "Where would you like to start Sergeant?" he asked with a grim expression.

  “What about over there? I like starting at the end.” She pointed to the far end of the row of containers. Aden breathed a sigh of relief and started to talk loudly. Hopefully Maddy would hear and catch on, and could somehow quickly become human again, if she wasn't already. He didn't want to be arrested for animal trafficking. Wolves were protected in these parts.

  “That end one?... That's our ski sled store...” He opened the flap and pressed the numeric buttons on the container keypad to open the door and expose the one man motorised ski sleds. There were spare gas tanks and coils of blue rope on the floor.

  The sergeant harrumphed loudly with disappointment. God knows what she was expecting to find. A container full of stolen TVs? Perhaps a shipment of Class A drugs?

  “And the next, come on, I haven't got all day?”

  “Ski equipment...?” She glared at him when the contents became visible.

  “Yep, that's all.”

  He opened the next which contained twenty bags of oats and some bales of hay, which she prodded and poked around in disgust. “Emergency fodder for my horses, just in case they run out at the store.”

  “Right...” she said. “Move on.” He opened the next.

  “Our tow tubs, for the sleds.”

  She sighed with impatience.

  He opened six more quickly, which were completely empty. Then they came to his. Maddy's lockup.

  He tapped the numbers in and opened it slowly, closing his eyes, and hoping she had disappeared by magic. She was lying asleep on the floor, fully dressed and human. He rushed to her side and helped her to her feet. She threw herself into his arms with a deep sigh of relief and tears began to run down her cheeks.

  “Oh thank God,” she sobbed like an Oscar winning actress. “I got locked in here somehow when I was sweeping up and checking everything out this afternoon. I saw all these claw marks, look..." She gestured around the container walls. “I think wolves or bears have been using it as a cave or something.” She pointed at the scratched walls and floor.

  “But Maddy...” Aden said, playing along, and wiping her tears away with his thumbs... “Why are you here alone?”

  “Mia dropped me off. Said she'd be back in an hour, wanted her hair cut or something. I heard her turn up and leave again. I shouted but she didn't hear me.” She started sobbing again in open relief.

  What a stellar performance...! He was so impressed.

  “You wait 'till I see her... She knows full well no one's allowed to be here on their own. It's just as well the dear sergeant issued me with this search warrant isn't it? You poor love, you could have frozen to death overnight if we had a hard frost,” Aden said, hugging her tightly to his chest with an innocent, grateful smile directed at Filomountie. She was looking more than furious. She was livid. Invisible steam blowing from her ears. She hadn't found anything illegal on him yet, and worse still, in her eyes, she'd helped him with a serious problem he hadn't even known he had!

  “There's still another six to go. Shall we finish?” he asked cheerily, moving towards the next container and opening it for her inspection.

  “Yes, for crissakes get on with it,” the diminutive, yet quite rotund sergeant spat. She stood behind him in growing fury as one after another of the empty containers were paraded before her narrowing eyes.

  “We don't use them all, obviously. Just a few, for essentials, like I explained to our good Mayor Stevens,” he added politely, closing the last door with a clang. “Anything else sergeant? Want to search my stables or the guest accommodation at the ranch next? Perhaps you'd like to look in our freezers, for illegal beaver meat or raid our fridges for eagle eggs? Because I can't think what else we might be doing out there in the wilds that would concern you much.” He couldn't smother the grin which was tugging at the corners of his mouth and gave up, flashing her a broad, victorious white smile, which Maddy accompanied with a loud snigger.

  “Just you watch yourself Carr. I don't like being fucked about,” she said in a snarling tone of voice, her evil eyes hard and angry. She was clearly smarting with deep humiliation.

  “I'd speak to the Mayor about that, if I were you. He should check his tip offs better in the future,” Aden replied with a straight face.

  She stalked off and had a few heated finger wagging words outside the fence with her red faced, livid husband. They both flashed him the most hateful, angry looks he had ever seen, before getting in their cars and driving off fast, back towards town.

  His pack joined them in the yard with Cal the biker, who had obviously been filled in by the gang. They all howled with laughter for an age afterwards. They couldn't stop. But despite his laughter, Aden was worried. Although he had enjoyed the Stevens' humiliation, this wasn't a good development at all. He didn't need to fan the flames of their grudge, because it was now fast approaching a raging fire. Above all, they needed to keep a low profile in their lives. A dozen werewolves were likely to slip up now and then, somehow.

  Chapter 7

  His eye fell across the stable to Maddy. She was looking particularly beautiful this morning. She seemed to get more and more beautiful every day in fact. Or perhaps his eyes were becoming misty and lovestruck. Because that was what he was. Completely in love. Her skin tight black leggings and black sweater hugged every curve of her tightly. She wasn't a voluptuous build, but nevertheless possessed a generous helping of female attributes. He licked his lips
and got on with his work, with difficulty. The pair of them had been playing this game all morning. He'd look at her, and then she'd look at him. They pretended not to notice, but they both knew they were doing it.

  This was ridiculous. What were they waiting for?

  He stalked across the yard and gathered her up in his arms and began kissing her with a fiery passion. He let everything rip inside of him. She responded just as passionately, with a series of moans and gasps, which he swallowed with delight. He picked her up, a little shaky on his feet, his heart pumping like crazy, and began to guide them towards the hay store. She pulled away from their heated embrace to take a deep breath.

  “No, please don't...” she began, gasping.

  “Fuck... Why the hell not?” he interrupted angrily in frustrated disbelief. “You must know how I feel about you. I'm obsessed, besotted, and completely crazy about you... I know you feel the same...”

  “No ... I was going to say, 'please don't throw me in the hay.' I want to go somewhere nicer. Take me out there, to the woods... Please?” she pleaded, panting heavily with desire. He really didn't care where he went with her, the hay store would have suited him just fine, but if she wanted a nicer setting, he'd make sure she got one.

  “Okay then, let's get those horses saddled up fast. I'm an impatient and very aroused wolfman, and believe me, that's a serious state to be in,” he growled.

  Five minutes later they galloped hastily down the trail, leaping the brook in unison, and staring at each other with wild blue, sexed-up eyes. He led her up the hillside, skirting past the scene of her accident, and then down a soft grassy slope to a small clearing, filled with bracken and grass. He stopped and jumped down, pulling her off Oberon impatiently.

  “Take your pick, grass or bracken. Make it quick.”

  “Bracken...”

  He grasped her hand and led her into the thick green fronds.

  They stood holding hands for a moment, their chests heaving with desire. He was going to die of desperation before he got her clothes off, he just knew it.

  He stood frozen to the spot as she began to undress herself, her eyes locked onto his. As she slipped her sweater off, his eyes were drawn instantly to the beautiful mounds of her breasts in her black lacy bra. He was overcome with such lust it took his breath away. He gulped, trying to swallow as a hard lump formed in his throat. She wiggled, far too sexily, her eyes not straying from his, as she pulled her leggings down her legs. Then she lay down on the ground, raising her legs to him so that he could pull them and her boots off her feet. He could see her chest rising with her ragged breathing as he tugged her things off. He kissed her sweet little toes, dropping her bare legs and feet to the soft ground, feasting his eyes on her tiny black lace panties. Never had women's underwear looked so sexy and appealing as it did at this moment. He knew it was the woman wearing it that made all the difference.

  “God Maddy, you are so completely damn gorgeous...” He dropped to the ground at her side, and began to run his hands and mouth all over her, pulling at her pretty pieces black lace. How he had yearned for this moment. For days and days, ever since she had first appeared in his stable, he'd been mentally undressing her, and now he was doing it for real. Within seconds he had her naked and was kissing her ferociously. This wasn't going to be a long drawn out session. He had the distinct impression she didn't want that either. That kind of thing could wait. This was going to be fast, needy, and desperate because that's what they both felt.

  “Take my clothes off, sweetheart,” he gasped in her ear, lying on his back beside her. His breathing grew heavier and he looked up in growing desperation as she moved her naked body above him, pulling off his t-shirt. His erection revealed itself finally as she yanked off his boots, jeans, and underwear unceremoniously.

  “Oh my God Aden, I want you so much...” she groaned, running her hand up and down his hardness appreciatively. Her eyes were glazed as they turned to his, her pupils large and screaming with lust.

  “Tell me that again, I want to hear it.” He gripped her waist and flipped her over, onto her back.

  “I want you. So much that it hurts... Do it, please... right now.” She brushed the palm of her hand down his cheek and her sweet gesture made him sigh loudly as he grabbed her hand and kissed it roughly in return.

  His urgent need took him over...

  He parted her legs and ran his fingers through the short neat hair, and into the slick warm wetness beyond. His fingers poised at the entrance to her body. He closed his eyes in anticipation as he thrust two of his fingers deeply inside her, and she cried out his name.

  “Mmmmm, you feel so good, I really need to get in there.” He pulled out his wet fingers with a quick jerk. After moving across her body, he grasped her hands, lifting them above her head and rose over her. After centering himself against her, and gazing into her eyes, so full of desire for him, he surged inside her with one long, hard push. He wasn't quite prepared for the effect she had on him

  His mind spun uselessly, as if everything was in slow motion, as he felt her muscles mould themselves tightly around his cock. Could anything feel more perfect than this?

  “You're mine,” he growled at her.

  “That's what I want,” she whimpered, with tears in her eyes.

  “And I'm all yours.” As he gave himself to her, a wave of love took him by force. She'd filled his cold empty heart to the brim. How he'd lived without this for so long he couldn't begin to comprehend. But he had it all now. Everything he wanted. Now that he had Maddy. This feisty little redhead with a smart mouth, who made his heart fly so high. How she had done this magical thing to him he didn't know, or even fucking care.

  “Oh Aden...” she gasped, her eyes closing, and her mouth opening as her head tilted backwards in response. She arched herself up to him. With one hand he pulled her head up, so he could kiss her again. As his tongue dug deeply inside her mouth, the both of them seemed to catch fire.

  They were one heated, combined mass of being. A heaving, sweating, tangled state of heads, bodies, and limbs. Fused together at their core, and straining towards their goal. They rolled around in the bracken, oblivious to the sharp stalks sticking in their backs. He pounded inside her yielding wetness, desperately and hard, and she met his strokes with an equal ferocity, squeezing him in with her legs tightly crossed around his back. Their tongues forced against each others, frantically duelling around their mouths. It was as if they were determined to find more of what was driving them crazy like this, and to keep this wildfire alive and burning as long as they could.

  His brain had long since melted and was now turning to steam. He didn't know where he was anymore, only that they were somewhere wonderful together and so very, very close, they couldn't be torn apart. His ears shut out the world beyond. He could hear his breathing and hers... Their moans and groans and gasps were like a love filled sexual melody, and he'd never heard anything sweeter. His sense of smell was focused on her. Her gorgeous light and musky woman scent. Nothing from the air in the surrounding woodland made its way to his senses. She alone was his world.

  He had taken all of her. She was his now. Everything she was, and could ever be, was now his. Nothing else beyond their realm mattered.

  His hands cupped the smooth cheeks of her ass, lifting her towards him, as he tried to get deeper inside of her, as deep inside her precious and wonderful body as he could get.

  He kissed and nipped at her neck, and sucked her ear as they forced themselves together over and over again with a deep need. Their long sighs of pleasure came faster and faster as they rushed onwards, towards seemingly limitless heights.

  Their eyes locked as his hands slipped down, to her breasts, and he took their fullness into his palms, rubbing his thumbs over their hardened peaks in a wild rhythm that made her moan loudly and arch herself against him as he pushed them both harder and faster.

  In a state of surreal bliss he heard her cry out, feeling her tightening around him in a strong pulsation that
tipped him over the edge. He'd made her come, for the first time, and it felt so much more than good. It was divine. Heaven sent. He followed her in his moment of pure ecstasy.

  Burying his face into her neck, tasting the sweet flavor of her skin, he came with a surge of pleasure that made him groan loudly, shuddering against her violently, gasping with a heaving shocking reaction. He lifted his head and kissed her madly all over her face with a sense of wonder as feelings he had never before experienced came flooding through his heart.

  Her small hands grabbed at his hair, fisting it painfully hard, as they kissed deeply once more, locked together as tightly as they could be in their intense afterglow. They began to descend from their own personal heaven, together, tightly entwined, like Adam and Eve, lying beneath the trees on the forest floor. Their skin was slick with sweat between them, and it cooled as he lifted himself a little to look at her. Her hair lay across the ground like a deep red satin sheet and he twisted the silky tresses around his hand. Her pale creamy skin was heightened with a faint blush on her cheeks. She smiled as he fingered the arch of her eyebrow and he leaned towards her, to kiss her forehead.

  He didn't think he could possibly love anything more than her. He had found the she-wolf of his dreams. His mate.

  He started to harden inside her, almost immediately, and began to move again, more gently this time.

  Their initial desperate fuck had been hard and needy. And that had been such a wonderful, beautiful thing to share, but this was going to be something else, he thought with an inner smile.

  She couldn't believe what had just happened between them. It wasn't just wild and hard and animal-like. It was far deeper than that. She had been taken and possessed completely. Heart, body, and soul. She hadn't felt anything like it before, and couldn't have imagined it in her wildest dreams. When he'd said she belonged to him, and he belonged to her, she'd nearly wept with happiness. It had been on the tip of her tongue to scream his name and tell him she loved him, more than anything in her whole damn life. But somehow, she'd held off from doing that. It was too soon. But they'd made a strong commitment to each other today. Her heart sang with it, because he was so special. Someone who cared deeply for her and made her feel so wanted and desirable, and so good, mere words couldn't describe it.