by M. L. Briers
“It’s me or him…”Jerome’s melodic tone was full of amusement as her eyes stuck like glue to the fast approaching Lycan.
Goddess give me strength!
“You.”She snapped out.
“Sorry, I’m busy.”He chuckled and with that she felt him release her and the sudden rush of air and lack of warning bells within her for his supernatural presence let her know that she was now alone. Well, apart from the big guy coming towards her.
“I’m not interested…”Petra started away from him, back towards the lights of the house, but she could feel that he kept coming.
“And I’m not leaving you alone out here.”Dale informed her on a low, deep growl that reached out to her senses even though he was still a few feet away. Goddess, but she wanted him closer, wanted to feel him next to her, feel his presence so overwhelmingly that it took the edge off of everything else that was wrong in her life. But she wanted to turn, reach out with her magic and toss him as far away from her as she could at the same time, conflicted was a damn understatement…
“I don’t need a bodyguard…”
“Glad to hear it, but I’d guard your body with my own whether you needed me or not…”It was the tone he used, the subtle innuendo that made her blood run warmer, as if a fever had spiked within her, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to fight it off. The closer he came the more she wanted to lean in that direction. Swaying, swooning, and how pathetic was that?
“Like a dog with a bone…”She ground out between clenched teeth.
“I could nibble on you…”He was by her side as she stopped and whirled around to face him. The fact that she had to run the gauntlet of her eyes roaming up over his hard, broad chest that was covered by a thin top but was easy to imagine in her mind’s eye, just so she could reach his face as she tipped her head back, annoyed her so. It would have been more rewarding to be on an equal footing to him, but he was at least a foot and a half taller than her.
“Did you not get the message earlier…?”She tipped her head to one side and regarded him with a look that was more of an accusation of his mental prowess. Her hands found her slim hips and she waited for him to close the small distance between them, to push his luck, but he didn’t move.
“Loud and clear.”
“Then why are you here?”Petra knew the answer to that. She didn’t need a cold bucket of water in the face as a wakeup call to his very nature. She was his mate and he would try to woo her, or die trying, literally.
“Do you often ask stupid questions?”Dale’s words were like a slap in the face and it took her a long moment to come to the realisation that he had actually said them. So much for the wooing part…
“When faced with the village idiot, yes.”She snapped back. Her eyes flashed him a warning glare, but he wasn’t about to heed it. He liked to fight fire with fire, and she was certainly a flame that needed taming.
“What part of, you are my mate, don’t you understand?”There was a challenge in his voice and his stance, as that big body loomed in front of her like a brick wall that she couldn’t climb over, but she knew she’d enjoy climbing up… Damn it to hell and back, don’t let your mind wander to such thoughts!
“Where fate would offer me up to you like a sacrificial lamb, or deer in your case, as you’re already the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”She’d said her piece and turned on her heels to continue moving away from him. But he walked right along with her as she expected he would. Looming large like a homing beacon for her treacherous body to latch onto, she stood little to no chance of just being able to ignore his presence.
“Best beware I don’t pounce then…”She stopped in her tracks and spun back around to face him. With her legs apart to steady herself, she challenged him with her eyes, her stance, and her words.
“Give it your best shot.”She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her and channelling it into her magic was really the best thing she could do so that she didn’t explode.
“Petra…”Dale took a long step towards her. The way he spoke her name was a warning for the way in which she seemed intent on challenging him. His wolf was already antsy inside him. It was prowling with intent, not only for their mate, but for the danger that she might be in. Now really wasn’t the time that she should try to be so dominant.
In a heartbeat she raised her hand and channelled all of that energy through her body and directed it at him. She’d only meant a little nudge, maybe slightly more, to show him that she really wasn’t in the mood to play, but as the energy soared from her body she found she couldn’t quite control it as her emotions overwhelmed her sense. Swept off his feet, taken by an unseen force, he hurtled back through the air, landing with a thud against the hard ground that even she heard from a good twenty feet away.
Oh that’s so not good. She practically slapped herself on the forehead as a wakeup call to her brain as he growled long and hard. Dragging himself up to his elbows, his eyes found hers and locked in place, as if he’d just found a tasty snack and it was there for the taking.
Petra didn’t have a rational thought in her mind, except for getting away from him, when she turned on her heels and started to run back towards the house. “Don’t run from me!” He growled out behind her, but that only served to make her dig her heels in and run all the more. It wasn’t until her heart was thumping in her ears, her legs were protesting the first bit of exercise in a good few years, and her mind found clarity that she realised what she was doing. Running from her mate.
Oh crap!
The feel of strong arms around her like a vice as she was yanked back against his chest was the first clue that she was in trouble. The feel of her feet leaving the ground and her whole body being turned within the air was the second, and she didn’t even need the painful jolt that went through his body as he hit the floor, and through hers as she landed on top of him to know, without a doubt that the poop had just hit the proverbial fan. In a heartbeat she was rolled onto her back and pinned to the floor beneath the length of him.
“You ran from me!”His eyes flashed with the beast that pushed forwards inside him. His hands had her wrists up above her head and prevented her from channelling her magic to defend herself. And the whole length of his hard, unyielding body kept her in place against the cold earth at her back. She was truly at his mercy.
Dale fought the beast within him with everything he had. The wolf demanded that she be taken, mated, dominated until she yielded to his will, and yet the man fought tooth and nail to stop that from happening. She was his mate, his life, and the woman he would spend an eternity with in this life and the next, he wouldn’t defile her, dishonour her.
‘Mine.’
The warning growl rumbled through his chest. She was still trying to struggle beneath him, even if the movement was only slight, the intent was there and while she fought him he couldn’t rein in his beast. Dale caught both of her wrists within one large hand and reached for her jacket with the other, ripping down the fabric to expose her neck and shoulder to him, his eyes flashed with a need to bite, to claim, to take her as his.
“Don’t you dare…”She tried to fight him, but the rush of panic within her prevented any kind of logical thought within her brain. And when she saw his fangs start to descend clarity suddenly struck her and she drew on her magic and sent a jolt through his body that had his muscles clenching tightly and he bit down on the pain.
CHAPTER TEN
“Stop fighting me…”He growled down at her. His beast was baying for her blood, baying for him to take her, and as he nuzzled into her shoulder he took in her scent and tried to calm the beast within.
‘Our mate.’ He growled out to his own beast. Trying to keep the wolf from the door and his mate safe, but the beast was adamant that she needed to be tamed. Dale’s lips found the sweet spot on her shoulder where he needed to place his mark and he took a long moment before he bite down against her skin…
Petra’s body responded to the press of his blunt teeth against
her flesh in a heartbeat. She’d expected to feel the sharp sting of his fangs into her flesh and yet that didn’t come, but what did come was the overwhelming need of her body and her mind to stop fighting against him. Her eyes closed to the sight of the night sky above her and she felt as if she were melting into him. Her body softened, her muscles unclenched, and the will to fight him was swept away as her head lulled to one side. Tamed, dominated by the alpha male, and submissive in her desire for him.
No! But damn it felt so good, so right. So perfectly right to be here with him.
“Don’t move. I’m fighting my beast. I can’t fight you as well.”Dale warned against her ear as he pushed back against the wolf within and tried to concentrate on anything but the feel of his mate beneath him. Soft and welcoming, he could scent her arousal in the air, and wished to the God’s that it wasn’t there. It just made it so much harder to contain his needs, his desire to claim her.
‘Mine.’ His beast baited him.
Petra knew what she had done. Firstly to run from him was akin to pinning a target on her backside and not expecting him to take the shot. Then she’d hit him with a jolt of energy akin to him licking his finger and shoving it in a light socket. Now she was faced with the choice to rile him up even more or allow him to tame the beast within. She chose the latter. It must have taken everything he had not to sink his fangs into her skin. Not to claim her for his mate and mark her as his. Not to… She didn’t want to think about that.
“I’m cold.”She lied. If she could get his protective nature to rear its head then maybe it would push aside everything else he was feeling. A small nudge was better than nothing at all. Dale lifted his head and stared down into her eyes. He could sense her deception, even through her shields.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m uncomfortable…”That wasn’t a lie. She was stretched out on the hard earth with a man mountain pinning her down, how could she not be uncomfortable? Although, it could have been a lot worse, he could have…
His hand reached for her face and he cupped her cheek with one large palm, so softy, so gently, his fingers brushed against her smooth skin and she felt that jolt deep inside. Damn, but the mating pull was a potent thing. His presence was as intoxicating as it was welcomed by her body, and she could just drown in those puppy dog eyes of his.
“I could have taken you right here…”His mind was on the horror of that thought and she saw it reflect in his eyes as he stared down at her.
“I didn’t mean to hit you so hard with my magic…”She confessed. It wasn’t that she hadn’t meant to slap him a good one, she had. She just hadn’t meant to throw him across a damn field. Perhaps that was something she needed to work on?
“You’re a powerful little thing.”He admitted on a low growl, but she couldn’t tell what kind of a growl it was. All her brain knew was that it sounded so good, so feral, so tempting. The longer she stayed in his presence the more the mating pull would take a hold of her. But what could she do? Not only couldn’t she use her magic right now, for fear she would bait the beast, but her body showed little interest in pushing him away.
“Can you move?”Because I really don’t want too.
“I could. I won’t, but I could.”He was playing with her now. Like a lion with a mouse. Did that mean the crisis was over inside him, or was he still liable to turn into his beast at any moment and claim her for his? And why did that sound so damn good?
“You are such an Ars…”His lips came down on hers. The soft warmth of them sent a shiver down her spine and her insides flipping about like a fish out of water. For a long moment her whole mind and body seemed to be in a state of complete flux, uncertain, and then there was the rush to need, desire as his tongue swept over her lips, demanding entrance and getting it.
Dale’s tongue sought hers and he teased a response from her. Every inch of her felt alive for the first time in her life as her body yearned for more. She wanted him with a fire that seared through her blood. She felt a need within her that had no intention of being quashed, and without even thinking about it she took what she needed from him, devouring him with the same passion as he showed for her.
Dale released her wrists and ran his hands down her back. Keeping her body pressed to his he rolled them over on the ground until she was on top of him. He needed her to know that he wasn’t going to force her into accepting him, although she hadn’t felt very forced when she kissed him back. But still, he had just subdued her to his will. Now he would give her free rein to do as she pleased, as long as she didn’t run again, and he thought that option was very unlikely.
Petra couldn’t seem to get enough of him. Her hands had a mind of their own and set off on a journey of discovery under the thin fabric that covered his muscled chest. Her fingertips catalogued the feel of him as his muscles danced beneath her touch. She dragged her knees up his outer thighs, straddling him and feeling the hard press of his erection against her needy sex, and she moaned against his lips as she sought a breath of air into her burning lungs.
The gentle growl that rolled through his chest and her fingertips was laced with a carnal sort of tone that had her inner muscles clenching around thin air. But that was nothing compared to the feel of his hands as he ran them up her outer thighs, taking the material of her skirt with them and exposing her skin to the chill in the night air. She shivered long and hard, but it wasn’t the temperature that had her muscles quivering inside.
Petra didn’t give a damn how insane this was. How her disdain for him had turned to lust, no more than lust, need, desire, in such a short time. She didn’t give a damn about the world outside of their existence. This was her mate. This was him and her, and everything else be damned. She craved him, burned with a ferocity that she didn’t even want to try to extinguish. How could this be wrong when it was fate? When they were made to be together? If you can’t help who you fall in love with then how can you deny what fate has designed for you?
Her hands ran down the hard muscles of his abdomen and found the waistband of his jeans. She yanked open the fabric as if her very life depended on touching him, finding the burning heat of his thick shaft and she fisted him tightly and moved against him. The growl of pleasure tore from his lips and broke the contact between them. His hands palmed her cheeks and he stared up into her eyes, searching for answers without words, and finding a desire, a need that mirrored his own.
“I want you in my bed. I’ll not take you out here…”He growled out and saw a small mischievous smile that spread her lips like a predator savouring the moment before its kill.
“Then I’ll take you.” The thin layer of her panties didn’t feel like a barrier between them at all as she released his shaft and moved against him, rubbing the wet heat over her sex over his hardness. The moan that left her lips tied his stomach in knots, and fired a need for her far beyond the logistic of where they found themselves. He had no willpower to deny her needs, for his were as fevered in his blood. He traced his fingers across her stomach and felt her quiver under his touch. His fingers slipped under the thin lace of the last barrier between them and he tore the fabric away from her heated skin.
“Be sure, love.”He was barely able to keep from flipping her onto her back and thrusting into her. His beast was baying for her within him and his own mind wasn’t exactly ringing any warning bells, especially not when she was rubbing back and forth over his shaft, the scent of her arousal thick in the air around them. If he didn’t have her he just might go insane…
Petra felt the hard press of the head of his erection against her channel, finally having him where she wanted him, she didn’t have a moments doubt within her mind as she pushed down on him, taking him inside her body and clenching her muscles around his thick shaft. Her moan of pleasure was nullified by the deep growl that left his lips. So carnal, so sexy, so potent that she could think of nothing more than hearing it again and again.
Dale’s hands found her hips and he guided her down onto him, inch by inch she op
ened for him. The satin covered muscles of her inner channel stretched around his length until he was buried to the hilt within her. For a long moment neither of them moved. Their eyes locked onto each other’s and she was certain that she could feel his heart beating in time with hers.
Her inner muscles tensed around him, savouring the feel of him inside and he half growled at the pleasure and half groaned with the need for more. His fingers flexed on her hips, he was about to lift her up his length, but she moved of her own volition, taking him in smooth strokes back and forth inside her, from the tip of him to the hilt. Sitting astride him and bringing him so much pleasure as she rode him, taking her own, she looked so beautiful, so formidable, his alpha queen.
When she arched her back, taking him as deeply as she could, her hands sought his arms for stability. He could feel her body tensing with each deep stroke, sense her need to more, and he moved his hips up towards her, matching her stride and allowing her to lose the element of control that she needed to keep her movements fluid.
“I have you, let go.”He growled gently for her, urging her to think of nothing more than her own pleasure. Moving faster inside her, taking her the way she had shown him in long deep strokes, brining her closer and closer to her release. He watched her eyes close, saw her head tip back and to the side as she savoured her pleasure and he moved faster for her. He thrust his hips upwards, rubbing over her sweet spot until he took her over the edge, until she came apart for him, her inner muscles throbbed and gripped around him and he was close to losing control and taking his own pleasure.
Dale lifted her off him. His desire to taste her was more potent than his desire to find his own release, and he moved quickly, seating her above his face as he replaced his erection with the length of his tongue, dipping into her and tasting the sweetness of her juices as she came back to him. She tried to move, but his hands had her hips locked in place, and he found he wasn’t content with just tasting her, he wanted to so much more.