by Bianca D’Arc
That or she was just high on pleasure. She couldn’t really be sure and didn’t really care.
“You’re mine now,” he said, his voice growly like his wolf when he finally released her torn flesh from his teeth.
It stung anew, but the pleasure riding her entire body made up for the wound as he carried her in his strong arms, into the bathroom. He threw a towel on the countertop before placing her on it. That was so thoughtful of him, putting the soft towel there so her bare butt wouldn’t freeze on the marble.
“Let’s get you fixed up, and then, we can go for round two.” The smile on his face, and the promise in his eyes lit a fire in her blood she thought would have been quenched for a while, considering the amazing multiple orgasms she’d just experienced.
Shane proceeded to clean the new bite mark with cold water and a washcloth. His touch was as gentle as could be, and the look on his face was one of pride and possession that spoke volumes about what he was feeling. Maria enjoyed the pampering and noticed that the open wounds closed pretty quickly. Already, scabs were forming. Was this another benefit of mating with a werewolf? She’d have to ask him…later.
She didn’t care to examine everything in detail, right at that moment. What she really wanted was to try for that round two he’d mentioned. When he came close, again, she grabbed him around the neck and brought his lips to hers. As non-verbal communication went, it seemed an effective way to get his attention.
Within moments, she was back in his arms and on the way to his bed. Their bed.
He placed her on all fours, this time, and took her from behind in a display of passion that eclipsed all that had come before. She didn’t know where he got the stamina, but he brought out responses from her body she didn’t know she could give.
They fell asleep tangled together in the big bed, an hour or two later, her body completely wrung out from the pleasure he’d shown her. If this was an example of what her life was going to be like with Shane, she definitely wanted in!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Shane woke in the hours before dawn to a strange scent invading his personal space. Across the room, he saw the window to the yard opening. The breeze was sending him the scent of a McCarthy. Actually, two of them.
Russ and Jon had come to call, as Shane had half-expected they would. He spared a thought for the perimeter guards who were supposed to have been patrolling around the house. Had they been neutralized? Or had one or more of them been traitorous? Shane would find out—after he dealt with Russ and Jon.
Human hands raised the window, but it was wolves that bounded through the opening, a moment later. Two of them.
There was nothing to do but go wolf on their asses himself. Shane changed from one moment to the next, meeting the threat with teeth bared, in the middle of the bedroom.
Not an ideal place to end this, but he had no choice.
Maria woke in a panic as Shane leapt from their bed. She felt the cold air drift across the room and realized the window was open. As soon as she looked over to it, a large wolf bounded in and made straight for Shane, who had shifted shape on the fly. When he left the bed, he’d been human. When his paws hit the floor, he was a giant timber wolf. Stunned by his sudden transformation, as well as the attack from out of nowhere, in the middle of the night, it took a few moments—precious moments—for Maria’s brain to start functioning.
They were under attack!
She had to do something. She wasn’t sure what she could do to help, but there had to be something.
Another wolf bounded into the room from the window, while Shane and the first wolf fought, she recognized that one as the one she’d shot earlier in the day. His name was Jon McCarthy, she’d learned in the aftermath, and from the intent look in his glowing eyes, he had come to settle the score with her.
Oh, no. No, no, no! She would not stand for this bullshit. Not even remotely.
Maria knelt on the bed, holding the sheet around her nude body and felt the rage begin to overtake her. She was pissed. More pissed than she’d ever been in her life. Anger flowed through her veins. The holstered gun Shane wore with his uniform was on the night stand. She reached for it, praying it was loaded.
The wolf she knew was Jon McCarthy was stalking her, baring his teeth as he lunged for the bed. She lifted the gun, feeling the holster fall away as she flicked off the safety and met the wolf’s charge in mid-air with a very loud bang and a point-blank bullet.
Shane was locked in heated battle with Russ when he realized Jon had gone for Maria. He cursed inwardly, but she had raised her arm, and then, he saw the gleam of metal. A split-second later, the gunshot echoed through the room. Good girl, he thought, even as his sensitive ears rang and rang.
Jon dropped for the second time that day, bleeding on the bed as Maria scrambled away, the sheet tucked haphazardly around her luscious body. She held the gun pointed toward the ground, but ready in case she needed it, again. He was going to have to find out how she was so good with firearms. He liked that about her, but it certainly wasn’t expected from someone who had supposedly spent so much of her life in academia.
Shane had to finish this fight with Russ, once and for all. He took a hard hit to the ribs but came back fighting. Russ was going down. Shane was through playing with him. This shit had to end. Now.
He growled and took an opening, dragging Russ to the floor. Shane clamped his teeth around Russ’s throat and bit down hard, earning a whimper from the bastard who had invaded both Maria’s home and, now, their room at the Pack house—on their mating night! For that alone, Russ was going to bleed.
For targeting Maria, Jon was going to hurt, too. Although…as Shane’s gaze lifted, he saw that Jon wasn’t moving much. Maria had plugged him but good. Shane redoubled his efforts to subdue Russ, and within moments, it was all over. The two McCarthy criminals were bleeding on the floor, and Shane and Maria were victorious. Shane shifted back into human form and went to her, holding out his arms.
“Come here, love,” he said, the growl of the wolf still in his voice.
She went into his arms, carefully holding his gun behind his back. He heard the little snick of the safety going back on, and he marveled, yet again, at her prowess with weapons.
“You’re amazing,” Shane told her, just before the door to his room burst open.
Bob was there, along with a few of the deputies. It was time to take care of business. Shane and Maria would have time to take care of each other shortly. For now, he had to see to the Pack’s problems with the McCarthys.
Shane let go of Maria, making a point of her keeping his gun. He found his jeans and put them on as he talked to Bob. “What happened to the perimeter guard?”
“Tied to a tree by about a half dozen McCarthys. We ran them off but only just realized Russ and Jon had gotten through to you.” Bob gestured toward the two bleeding bodies on the floor. “Sorry you had to deal with this alone. They shouldn’t have gotten through.”
Shane sighed. “We’ll deal with that later. For now, I think we’re going to have to personally escort the whole McCarthy clan out of the territory. I’ll join you, but I have to see to my mate, first.”
Maria growled and walked to his side. “I want in on this,” she told him, surprising him with the anger in her voice.
“Well, now.” He touched her hair gently. “If you want to see this through, I believe that’s your right after the way these two clowns threatened you. Twice.” He turned back to Bob and the others near the door. “My mate and I will join you in a few minutes. It’s time the McCarthys realize they are no longer welcome here.”
“I’ll take these two with me,” Bob said, motioning one of the deputies to pick up Russ while he slung Jon over his shoulder none too gently.
“Thanks,” Shane said, closing the door behind them. “Get dressed, honey,” he told Maria while he got into the rest of his clothes.
This was going to be his first big official act as sheriff, so he wore the insignia. When he reached for th
e holster, though, he handed it to Maria, and they shared a silent moment as each held one end of the black nylon rig.
“We’re going to have a long talk sometime about how you acquired your seemingly endless knowledge of firearms,” he told her, letting go of the holster. “Wear this. You have my permission to shoot any of the McCarthys who even look at you funny, okay?”
She chuckled and expertly strapped on the shoulder holster. Damn, that was sexy.
Shane led the group of deputies through the woods near the Pack house with his mate at his side. They ran into the remainder of the McCarthys who had helped with tonight’s mischief not too far from the house and herded them back into the open area in front of the Pack house for a serious conversation.
Maria stepped back to stand near the doorway of the Pack house with Patty, who had come outside to see what was going on. Her mate, Bob, and another deputy deposited the two unconscious and still-bleeding brothers at the foot of the old timer who led the small group. He was an old codger who had never quite followed the rules and thumbed his nose at pretty much everyone. Nobody would be sorry to see him leave.
“Time for you all to go,” Shane said, booking no argument. “Your boys tried it on with me—again. And they failed. Again. Next time, they won’t come back to you bleeding. They’ll be dead. Understand?”
Muttering and curses came from the McCarthys that had dared to challenge Shane’s earlier edict. One point in his favor was that it looked like the majority of the rogue family had already left the territory. It was just a small group of stubborn males that had stuck around to try to cause trouble.
“I want to hear that from our so-called Alpha,” the old man said, spitting at Shane’s feet.
The roar of an engine coming close forestalled anything Shane might’ve said. Everyone looked at the gravel drive that led up to the house, surprised to see a white van making its way up to the Pack house. Shane could see it was Joe Villalobos driving, and the van was one of the passenger vans from Big Wolf Airport, which was owned by the Pack. What in the world?
A hush came over the clearing, but for the noise of the van as it pulled up then parked. Everybody watched as the Alpha climbed out and walked over to Shane.
“I heard you were having a little trouble up here,” Joe said, looking from Shane to the oldest McCarthy and back again. “I know I told you to handle this, and you’ve done a good job so far, but I’ve known old Ray since I was a pup, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to go quietly,” Joe said, holding Shane’s gaze. Alpha power bristled from him. Power and anger at the McCarthys who had caused all this trouble. Joe’s eyes swirled with it as he turned the full force of his displeasure on Ray. “You’ve been a thorn in my side since I took over here, Ray. I put up with your bullshit for a lot of years, but no more. After this stunt, I truly believe you and your family have been actively working against the stability of this Pack for decades, and I have to wonder why.”
Shane gave his deputies a subtle hand signal. Whatever the Alpha was going to do, they would be ready to support his decision. Slowly, he saw his men position themselves to surround the remaining McCarthys, and was glad to see that there were more deputies than McCarthys. Even the off-shift guys had come out for this, without being asked by Shane. That must’ve been Bob’s doing, and Shane was grateful to his second-in-command. More and more, he was discovering Bob’s value and support.
“Which is why,” Joe went on, “I’ve had to seek outside help.” Joe stepped back and opened the passenger door of the van. A small woman came out of the passenger compartment, taking Joe’s hand as she was escorted like a queen to face Ray.
“This is Bettina, High Priestess of the Lady,” Joe introduced the woman, who showed not one ounce of fear or discomfort in the tense situation. She waved her hand, and a feeling of calm overcame everyone in the clearing. Magic.
“I have come to oversee your transfer,” she said quietly, her voice ringing like tinkling bells throughout the clearing.
“Load up, McCarthys!” Joe said, pointing to the open van door. That came out in a bark that was filled with Alpha power. Few wolves could deny an order given in that voice. “You’re getting a one-way ticket to Montana. The Lords want to speak to you. Your fate depends on what they discover when you are questioned.”
Most of the McCarthys headed placidly toward the van, but old Ray stood firm. “You can’t do this,” Ray objected.
“I can most definitely throw you out of the Pack. I’m the Alpha here, not you,” Joe said with quiet intensity. “I should have done this a long time ago.”
“In addition,” Bettina added in that sweet, musical voice, “I have full authority to look into why you’ve been working against your Alpha for so long. In the current state of affairs, any subversive activities need to be examined. If you’re agents of evil, I will deal with you accordingly. If not, you’ll be turned loose.”
“You’re banished,” Joe said with finality. “Consider yourselves lone wolves unless, or until, you can find another Pack to take you in. But I’m not an unreasonable man. Any of your people can petition to return after you’re cleared by the Lords. I’ll decide readmission on a case-by-case basis.”
Ray continued to resist until the small woman touched his shoulder. She must’ve zapped him with her magic, because after that, he went docilely into the van with the others. Joe shook his head, his expression sad but resolute as he came over to talk with Shane and Maria.
“I’m truly sorry about the trouble my former Pack members have caused you, professor,” Joe said to Maria, making Shane’s inner wolf settle. The Alpha was a good man. Shane wouldn’t have come here to work for him if he wasn’t. “And you, Shane, have done a good job with a bad situation. I’m sorry this all came to a head while you are still getting to know us. You may have heard that the Pack was in disarray before I took over. This business with the McCarthys is leftover from way back then, and it’s been festering a long time. I just hadn’t realized it had gotten so bad. I thought they’d calmed down over the past decade or two, but apparently, they were just bottling it up, and it’s all come out, now. Sorry it had to happen on your watch, but I’m glad you handled it so well.” Joe stuck out his hand, and Shane shook it. His inner wolf settled a bit more with the Alpha’s understanding and praise.
“I’m glad it worked out,” Shane said.
“Thank you for…well…for everything,” Maria put in. “I’m really sorry if my presence caused all this.”
“Don’t feel that way, Maria,” Joe said quickly. “This was long overdue, I suspect. Your presence just brought it all out into the open. Again, my apologies for the danger you faced. This Pack isn’t at all like that, normally. We don’t go around targeting humans—or anybody, for that matter. I’m confident that, with Shane on the job and the McCarthys gone, we won’t have any more of that kind of behavior. Not that we don’t have other problems, but I’m sure you can clean up the Pack and make us even better in the future while we grow.”
“I’ll do my best, Alpha,” Shane said.
Joe nodded then turned for the van. He glanced back once to grin and say, “Congratulations on your mating and welcome to the Pack, Maria!”
Things were looking up, Shane thought as he watched the van drive out of sight, taking the problematic McCarthys with it. He put his arm around Maria’s shoulders and guided her back toward the Pack house. Things were looking up. He might still have to work a bit more on fitting in to this new Pack and new life, but with his mate—the love of his life—at his side, Shane truly felt he could accomplish anything.
*
Thanks for reading A Touch of Class. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.
To read more about Big Wolf Airport and the Pack that runs it, check out The Jaguar Bodyguard, and The Jaguar’s Secret Baby. Scroll down for a short excerpt from the latter...
A complete list of all of my books, separated by series, follows the excerpt. You can also check out my website at BIANC
ADARC.COM. Or you can sign up for my new release list to be alerted when new books are released.
EXCERPT FROM THE JAGUAR’S SECRET BABY
© 2019 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.
“Em, honey, come back here,” Tracy called after her adventurous daughter, who was running off, yet again, pushing through the forest of people’s legs, in the front lobby of the restaurant. It was one of her favorite games, and the Pack indulged her a little too much, in Tracy’s opinion.
Emma’s little blonde pigtails bounced as she made her way forward. She was an adorable baby. Fair skinned and with dark blonde hair that was a mix of her mother’s chestnut and her father’s golden blond. But, only Tracy knew that little secret. Nobody in the Pack knew who or what Emma’s father was, or what he looked like. Just Tracy.
Emma was out of sight, and Tracy sped up to catch her wayward two year old. She spotted Em, stopped against the legs of a man, clinging to the poor fellow like a burr. Thankfully, everyone present was Pack. At least, Tracy thought they were all shifters, if not all members of her Pack. Though…there was a tantalizing new scent at the edge of her perception.
With all the wolves waiting to be seated—a party of fourteen had just come in from the airport and wanted to sit together—it was hard to discern the new shifter scent, but as Tracy drew nearer to her daughter, the scent became sharper. It was familiar, somehow, and her inner wolf sat up from her lazy doze in Tracy’s mind and started to look around through Tracy’s eyes. Something was…
Sweet Mother of All.
The Pack members parted before her, clearing a path to her daughter, clinging to a man Tracy hadn’t seen in more than two years. Closer to three, actually.
Hank. The golden-haired sex god Tracy had never forgotten.
Her baby’s father.
The baby he didn’t know about.
Hank looked up, a happy smile on his face that he’d been giving her daughter when the crowd hushed. Their eyes met, and his smile got even bigger. He was pleased to see her, but would he be so pleased once he realized she was a mother and not free to play with him the way she had years ago?