by Skye Jones
“You might want to take your clothes off because they’ll get ruined otherwise when you turn.”
She got undressed, feeling odd exposing herself outdoors. She hoped there were no trespassers about; they’d get a real eyeful.
Nude, she turned to Bren to see his eyes eating her up.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” She stepped back once. “Turn me first. I’m scared, and I want to get it done.”
“How about something to take the edge off your nerves? We can mate, and then I can turn you. You’ll feel me though our bond that way. Might be less scary.”
Despite her determination to get it over with, his heavy gaze roaming over her body had an effect. Her nipples hardened, and she felt wet between her legs.
“I want to mate you, Charlie. To fuck you—now, out here in the wild—without anything between us.”
“I want it, too. But I want to do this. I’m so bloody nervous.”
“We can make it fast.”
“Ever the romantic,” she shot back at him. But who was she kidding? She was so het up and turned on, she didn’t want some slow lovemaking. Not now. They could do that later.
“You want me too, I can sense it.”
“I always want you.” It wasn’t a lie.
“But you want this? To mate now, here?”
She did. So she gave a small nod of her head.
He growled and began to take his clothes off. Then he was on her, and it wasn’t like the other times. He grabbed her hair and pulled her into him by wrapping it around his fist, and he kissed her with harsh, demanding lips. She went liquid in his arms and kissed him back, giving him everything she’d got.
He took her to the ground, cushioning her fall with his arm around her back.
She didn’t want or need any foreplay. Already primed for him beyond belief, she parted her legs and pressed her core to him, inviting him into her body.
He didn’t hesitate but surged inside her with a cry. Oh lord, she saw stars as he filled her so completely. The grass tickled her back, and the sun beat down on them as he began to move inside her. No barrier came between them this time, and it felt so different.
Her skin heated as a strange sensation filled her, a burning, itching need she thought she’d never satisfy. Writhing under him, she tried to pull him in more, arching up to him, pillowing her breasts against his granite chest.
They moved together as one, in perfect sync as the breeze ghosted over her skin, making it more sensitized.
Almost mindless with her need to come, to feel him come, she raked her nails down his back and then stilled in shock at what she’d done. She might have hurt him. But he shocked her right back.
“Fuck yes. Do that again. Mark me, my mate.”
So, she did. She clawed at him like a wild thing, and he thrust into her, until with a cry, he stilled. His cock twitched and jerked deep inside, and the sensation set her off as she exploded with him. He came and came, and there was so much of him, it ran out of her and down her thighs.
When it ended, he put his nose and lips to her forehead and kissed her.
“You’re so fucking perfect.”
She thought he was the perfect one but was too tired to argue. Instead, she kissed him, and their tongues tangled lazily now that the urgency was gone. Her core throbbed, and her insides felt liquid.
“Now, I need to turn you, my mate.”
He stood and held out his hand. She took it, nerves fluttering.
“Turn around.”
She did as he said, and he pulled her into him. He was still hard against her. His fingers brushed her hair away from her neck on the left side, and his warm lips found the skin there. “This may hurt, I’m sorry.”
He bit down, and she screamed and tried to get away, but his big arms held her in place, as strong as the iron band on her finger.
Two more times, he bit her, and just when she thought she couldn’t take another second of the pain, it went away. Something else took its place. A roaring, powerful essence. It rushed through her body, making her high on endorphins.
“I’m going to let go of you now, and in a moment, you’re going to change form. It will hurt, briefly, but then we’ll meet your bear.”
His arms went from around her, and she stumbled forward, looking back to him, surprised he’d let her go so suddenly. Something cracked in her elbow. Ouch! It hurt so badly. Then her knees popped and cracked, and her leg plain broke, she was sure of it. As she opened her mouth to scream, everything went white noise on her. No sound but the rushing in her ears, no sight except for the starry burst of light playing across her vision.
Terrified, she dropped to the ground only to land on all fours. The world snapped back into focus, the noise receding, and oh God. The smells! Grass and flowers and Bren. His gorgeous scent filled her, soothing her.
She took a step forward, and the lumbering motion surprised her. Looking down, she saw great paws where her hands should have been. She was in her bear form.
A roar to her side had her whipping her head around. Bren ran toward her in the form of his own bear. He reached her and nudged her, urging her to run with him, so she did. How could anything so heavy and bulky move so fast? Her body wasn’t her own, and every now and then, her legs wobbled or she stumbled, but she quickly righted herself and carried on.
They ran and played for a long, long time. Until the sun started to set on the horizon. By the time they came to a stop, utterly exhausted, she’d learned how to control this new body of hers better.
Bren changed back into his human form and came to put his arms around her neck. “Your bear is amazing. Now, you need to change back. Envision your human form, let your brain take center stage, and the scents and sounds recede, and you should change back.”
She did, and the trip back wasn’t half as painful as the change into a bear had been.
Naked and shivering from the exhilaration of the change and shaky from the adrenaline pumping through her body, she hardly noticed as Bren pulled his pants on, shoved his T-shirt over her head and then picked her up in his arms. He marched back around the front of the outbuildings and toward the main house.
Reaching the door, he kicked on it with his booted foot and looked down into her face, his eyes shining.
“This is like the first time I brought you here, only now you are my mate.”
The love on his face twisted her heart in the best way, and tears pricked at her eyes.
The door opened, and Justin stood there, his seemingly perpetual scowl in place. He scented the air twice and broke into a huge grin.
“Congrats, asshole.” He punched Bren in the arm.
“And congrats to you, Charlie. You’re a brave woman taking on this one.”
She smiled up at Bren. “I’m a brave woman taking on the lot of you,” she quipped at them both.
Bren elbowed his way past Justin, who grumbled under his breath, but there was no rancor in it, and he kept on grinning.
They reached the top of the stairs, and Bren carried her into the spare room she’d been staying in and placed her on the bed. He pulled a thick blanket around her shoulders.
“I’m going to go and tell the others. I won’t be long, and I’m going to make you a hot drink. You’re still shivering. Close your eyes and rest for ten minutes. I’ll be back soon, my mate.”
He kissed her long and lingering on the mouth. “Thank you for making me the happiest bear alive.”
“Well, fair is fair since you’ve made me one very happy woman.”
He left the room, and she jumped out of bed, went to the wardrobe, and took her suitcase out before methodically packing her clothes. Once she’d filled it, she dragged it out of the door and down the corridor, trying to be quiet.
She reached Bren’s room and opened the door, taking her case in. She’d hung everything up when she heard his familiar heavy tread. Thankfully, she didn’t have many clothes, so it hadn’t taken her long to unpack. She leaped onto the bed and burrowed under the covers, p
ulling the sheet up.
He went past the door, and she heard his worried shout as he saw the guest bedroom.
“In here,” she called out.
The door opened, and he came in, his face still holding a drawn, worried expression. He saw her in the bed and started to smile.
She nodded toward the still open wardrobe door, with her clothes hung clearly on display. “Is this okay?”
“It’s more than okay. It is right. I was going to ask you to move in to my room with me.”
“Come.” She patted the bed. “Come give me a cuddle.”
He placed a steaming mug on the bedside table, and she smelled the delicious aroma of hot chocolate.
The bed dipped, and Bren’s reassuring weight settled behind her, his arms coming around her.
“They want to hold a party,” he mumbled into her hair.
“Let them. But not tonight.”
“No, not tonight.”
“Tonight, I want to spend snuggled up in here with you.”
His answer was to kiss her neck and the top of her head. He pulled her in tighter to him.
She closed her eyes and smiled. Happy and safe in her mate’s arms.
Thank you so much for reading. I truly appreciate it. I like to give back with regular giveaways, sales, and freebies. If you’d like to be in the loop for those, join my Skye’s the Limit Reader’s club, here: http://eepurl.com/bdVZ-5
Have you tried my wolf shifter series? For a sneak peak of book one in that series, read on.
Wolves at the Door. Shifters of the Glen:
Book One
Prologue
It stood on the high hill, surveying the territory. Too far from home, it didn’t know the area well. Others of its kind were nearby, but they held no concern right then. A scent called it here, to this clearing in the woods, where the little wooden cottage sat. Centuries ago, a family had lived in the abode. A woodcutter, his wife, and daughters. The wife had been of a wanton nature, and the woodcutter found her fornicating with the night elves. Or so the legend went. Whatever the truth of the matter, they’d left, and since then, not many people came to the tiny cottage. A few bespectacled young men would descend on occasion. They’d spend their time out and about, trekking in the woods and over the hills. Measuring and counting and taking photographs.
This night, though, the creature caught a scent and it wasn’t male. Not one of the young men who came to catalogue the local wildlife. Not this time. The door to the cabin swung open and a small shape stepped out, huddled in loose clothing and a long top with a hood covering her head. The creature knew the bundle of clothing contained a female by the scent tantalizing and taunting it, and by the generous curves evident even under the loose clothes. Making it yearn and want and need.
Head cocked to the side, nostrils twitching, it watched the figure cross the space and go into the shed. It waited for what seemed an age before she came back out again. For a brief moment, she looked up into the hills, but it knew the dense trees provided enough cover. A blackbird sang, heralding the encroaching dusk, and the female glanced up at the sky. With a sudden movement, she pulled her hood back from her face, revealing a shock of long, shiny red hair.
It stared, rapt. The way that hair caught the fading light made it shine with an array of color, from deepest russet red to warm gold. The creature felt its maleness fill with want. Sharp canines tingled in its mouth as powerful eyes took in every single detail of her face. It couldn’t stop drinking in the sight of her.
Smooth, faintly tanned skin covered delicate features. Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, and huge green eyes dominated her elfin face. Her snub nose reminded the creature of the Disney princesses human females wanted to be when young. This little girl had grown up to be one. A real, living doll. It liked dolls. Soon, however, others of its kind would find her…and want her, too. Yes, soon others would come.
Chapter One
I sometimes questioned why I moved so far from humanity. I’ve always loved wild places. The untamed areas. Those few remaining bits of wilderness still left in this crazy, urbanized world. But it is one thing to go visit these places with your friends, quite another to live in one…alone.
The rain beat down hard against the windowpane, and I shivered as the fire dwindled. Soon it would go out, and I’d retire to my bed. The cottage housed but one bedroom, a small living room, and a kitchen with a simple table and an old-fashioned range. Cozy, the National Park’s office had called it. Tiny, my friends had said when I’d sent email pics of the snug interior. But whether cozy or tiny, this space was now mine for the next twelve months or so.
When I’d announced my intention to move to the Scottish Highlands to take up a yearlong residency studying the flora and fauna, everyone in my life had been shocked. Words like crazy and insane were tossed around like confetti. My parents were the most upset. Fears of me being trapped for days if the weather turned severe gave my mother sleepless nights until she begged me not to go. But how could I refuse the job offer? The wildlife of these wet and windy mountains was what I lived for. The chance to spend a year as custodian of such a primal and raw area wasn’t to be turned down.
Still, part of me would welcome the warmer spring days soon to arrive. The time when the nights would shorten and the tourists would return. I might not be quite as solitary a creature as I’d once believed.
When among my friends and the hustle and bustle of city life, I’d long for solitude. Now the loneliness… Well, it got to me a little some days. Thank God for modern inventions. My iPod provided music, my laptop my favorite television shows, and most important of all—I had contact with friends and loved ones through Skype.
A deep snuffle had me looking to the rug in front of the fire and smiling as my dog, Sandy, shuffled in her sleep. Her front legs twitched as if she were running across meadows, chasing rabbits. In her dreamscape, she probably did. Her fur gleamed golden in the amber glow of the room, and her nose twitched as she dreamed on. Soon, I would have to wake her to let her out for the night before we retired to the tiny bedroom.
After making sure the fire was well and truly out, I cajoled Sandy into getting up and following me through the kitchen to the door. She hated going out for her final constitutional, but if I didn’t make her, she’d wake me at four in the morning, crying and fretting.
A tremor rippled through me when I pulled the old wooden door back. Its creak never failed to give me pause. I smiled as my thoughts turned to my friend Suzy. Such a fanciful, fearful wisp of a girl, she’d have fainted clean away after a day here, never mind the nights. Suzy read books full of ghosts and demons and vampires. Then she wondered why she couldn’t sleep without a child’s night-light burning. She couldn’t even spend a night alone in her flat in the city. If her boyfriend went away on business, she would return to her parents’ home for the night. Yep, Suzy would fall apart if she had to spend but one night out here among the stars.
I welcomed it. Despite my own unease at times, I relished it in an odd way, even at times like this when the rain beat down and the wind howled.
Sandy paused in her snuffling of the grass, lifted her head, and gave a low whimper. I stiffened as I watched her. She didn’t normally react like that. She usually went out and sniffed around for ten minutes before finally having a pee and trotting back inside. Always looking as proud as if she’d brokered world peace.
“Sandy, come on. Do your business.” I huffed at her. Annoyance became a cloak I wore to hide my unease. I put my momentary anxiety down to thinking about Suzy, with her ghosts and ghouls.
But Sandy didn’t do her business. Instead, her head stayed upright and the whimper turned into a snarling growl. Hackles rose along her entire back, and for the first time since leaving home, my moments of odd disquiet turned into real fear.
There could be poachers out there in the black night for all I knew. Men who killed animals illegally. And what such men might do to a woman alone, I didn’t want to think. The park ranger’s cab
in wasn’t for three miles; leaving a shotgun I barely knew how to use as my only immediate protection.
I called Sandy to me, and as soon as she reached the door, I pulled her in by her collar and slammed it shut, sealing us inside the cottage. I’d barred us from whatever was outside with nothing more than some thick, aged wood and an old, rusty lock.
Shaking, I made my way into the small bedroom and drew back the thick blankets. Sandy curled up happily enough in her basket on the floor, and I gave her a pat on the head as I climbed into bed. She gave a loud yawn. Nothing fazed Sandy for long, and I sagged in relief to see her back to her normal, contented self. Clearly, whatever had her so spooked outside bothered her no longer. After reading for a short while, my eyes grew heavy. I clicked off the bedside lamp and closed my eyes.
Tap, tap, screech. I blinked twice, not seeing much in the dark room. A yawn forced its way out of my mouth, and I struggled through foggy layers of sleep to full consciousness. Often, I would wake to Sandy turning around in her basket or even padding softly around the room, but as I listened, all I could hear was her gentle, rhythmic breathing. Tap, tap, screech.
My bed lay right under the window and the sound came loud and clear while I held my breath. Then…nothing. Perhaps I’d imagined it. After a few long moments, I started to relax and my eyes grew heavy once more when…tap, tap screech.
Shit! I might not be one for flights of fancy, but I didn’t like the sound. It reminded me of the way the witch used to tap at my window in my childhood dreams. Her long, gnarled fingernails would etch marks into the glass. Of course, they were never there when I awoke to the reality of bright daylight.
Tap, tap, screech. Frozen in place by cold dread, I barely dared breathe. But as I stilled, trapped in the indecision of terror, the words of my grandmother came back to me, soothing my fraught mind. Whenever I used to dream of the hideous old crone who’d haunted my childhood, she’d tell me to stop being a “scaredy cat” and hold my head high. To face my fears, because nobody got the better of a Buchanan woman. Not even gnarly old witches who haunted little girls’ dreams.