Caedmon Wolves
Wolf’s Haven
Wolf’s Promise
Wolf’s Touch
Wolf’s Desire
Wolf’s Strength
Wolf’s Strength
by Ambrielle Kirk
Wolf's Strength (Caedmon Wolves, 5)
Tension grows between old rivals.
Cold-blooded murder sparks a feud that could lead to the deadliest civil war in Pack history. Alpha Devin Caedmon and his council are tempted to risk all that is precious to protect their bloodline. Tristan Arnou, the rival Pack’s leader, isn’t the only force trying to tear down the unity holding them together. All threats must be eliminated before their entire race is destroyed.
Forbidden love burns like a wildfire.
There is one woman who Blake DeLuca loves more than anything else: Naomi Valentine. Despite the escalating battle and power struggles among their leaders, the erotic fire between these two lovers has yet to be extinguished. Naomi’s heart belongs to Blake, but her allegiance lies with Arnou. She’s left with two choices…assume her duty or accept Blake’s eternal bond?
In Wolf’s Strength secrets are exposed, and memories that were buried long ago have resurfaced. The game of deception is a deadly one. There can be no peace until the bloodshed ends.
Copyright
Copyright © Ambrielle Kirk, March 2014
Published by Obsidian Gem Publishing, LLC
Cover Art by For the Muse Designs
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or person, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
About the Author
PARANORMAL ROMANCE BOOKS WRITTEN by AMBRIELLE KIRK
Prologue
A dark shadow moved between the cinder block buildings just yards up ahead. Naomi Valentine slowed her pacing and inhaled deeply, scenting her mate on the crisp breeze. Warm honey and nutmeg wrapped around her body as she neared Blake DeLuca. Her heart beat elatedly and warmed with eager anticipation. A week had passed since she’d last been with him. She missed their intimate moments, his gentle touch on her body, and hearing his voice.
Miles up ahead white smoke and steam pulsed from the pipeline of paper mill factory. Train engines hummed somewhere in the immediate vicinity. A car whizzed by on the narrow one-way street and rainwater splashed against the sidewalk, missing her by a mere inch. Murky clouds loomed overhead as the predicted thunderstorm began to set in. At one hour past midnight, the streets were virtually bare except for the late night stragglers. This wasn’t unusual since the industrial district proved to be the busiest during daylight hours.
She was lucky to be able to momentarily break free from the drab routine that was her life. Her duty to the Arnou Pack sometimes got in the way of enjoying the finer things. When Blake phoned her only hours earlier wanting to meet up, Naomi dropped everything. She’d even risked getting caught leaving the Compound to see him.
Blake was her sunshine after the rain and he was the man she looked forward to spend intimate moments with. She stopped at the corner of the building just as Blake stepped out of the shadows to greet her. His bronze skin glowed under the street lamps and his eyes exuded a feral and dark hunger. His jawline had a soft dusting of five o’clock shadow and she touched his face.
He pulled her into his embrace and inhaled. “You’re a different kind of beautiful every time I see you.”
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
He kissed her palm. “And I, you.”
Naomi slipped her hand behind his neck and kissed him, tasting honey and pure adrenaline. A sleek sheen of sweat coated his skin where she touched him. She could tell he’d ran to get here.
“You taste good,” she said, breathlessly, nipping softly at his lips.
Blake caught her gaze, lifted her wrists, and pressed the pad of his thumb to her pulse. “I thought I told you to take your time.”
“I couldn’t help it. I needed to see you. I’m glad you called me. Word has been circulating around our Compound about a massacre linked to a Caedmon Pack member.”
His eyebrows arched downward. “News surely spreads fast these days.”
“The story was all over the news. Our Alpha called a meeting and ordered all Elites to withdraw from their current mission. Only the Enforcers have been sent out with mandates to search and destroy.”
“Let’s not talk about that now,” Blake said, a troubled glance marring his face. “Remember, we leave Pack matters behind us when we meet.”
“Yes I know, but…”
Blake kissed her protest away. “It’s being taken care of. A discover has been made…” He shook his head. “I can’t talk about it now because I don’t have all the facts.”
“Is that why you’re in town? Are you investigating this?”
“Yes and no. Aiden rescued a woman a few days ago from the Ellis mansion where the massacre occurred. This was probably the reason we—Caedmon—were linked to the incident.”
“You’re okay, right?”
Blake nodded. “Yes, but let’s take care of you. You’re in heat again, aren’t you?”
Naomi’s whole body heated in embarrassment. A wolf’s keen sense of smell almost always detected both restricted and unrestricted emotions. Her sexual desires reached high levels whenever a full moon was on the horizon. Her wolf was only trying to bring about what was second nature to her. The animal half of Naomi craved a true mate bonding. Without the bond, the only cure to a heat spell was frequent sex. The problem was Naomi and Blake belonged to rival Packs, and their meetings were infrequent.
Thunder rumbled across and sky and lighting cracked in the distance. A sheet of rain descended over them.
Naomi smiled. “Somehow I don’t think a cold shower will satisfy my craving.”
Blake laughed. “What about a cold shower and a thorough ravishing?”
Her fingertips traced the edge of his jaw. “I came for the latter.” An erotic sensation filled her core and her canines pushed against her gumline.
As the rain beat across their face and body, they came together again for a deep kiss. Heat gathered at the center of her core and throbbing excitement shot downward to the base of her spine. She arched into him, pushing her breasts against his steely chest. A burning need consumed her like a blaze.
His hands slid under her soaking wet blouse and he stroked and played with her nipples until she was swooning against him. He dipped his head low to kiss the tops of her exposed breasts. Robust vibrations overtook her body and turned her distress into euphoria. In the process, he ripped two of her buttons. His lips were hot and demanding against her as he sucked at her flesh.
“Let’s go somewhere,” he whispered.
“I want you here. Right here. Right now,” she
protested, pushing her hand down into the front of his pants.
“You were always a wild cat.”
She unzipped his fly and wrapped her fingers around the big, thick length of his cock. “You like it.”
“I love it.” Blake groaned and lolled his head back against the cinder block wall. The cascading rain mixed with sexual heat made it easy for her to glide her hand up and down the length of him. She leaned forward and licked his lips as she pumped him. He grew rock hard in her hands, just the way she liked it. Her finger played with the silky opening of his cockhead as she ran her tongue across the seam of his lips.
“Fuck…” he sputtered.
With a moan, he gained his composure, hoisted her up and pinned her to the wall. Her leather skirt rolled up to the top of her thighs. His cock made instant contact with her bare pussy. “You don’t have on any underwear.” He shivered and buried his face against her neck.
“Do I ever?”
He held her firmly at the back of her knees while she wrapped her arms around his neck. His hips pressed into her pelvis opening her more. She cried out when his solid cock penetrated her. He drove into her over and over again with calculated aggression. It took everything in her to hold back her feral screams. The thunderstorm drowned out most of their passionate cries, but the rain did nothing to cool their heated desire.
He lapped at the juncture of her shoulder and neck and dragged the sharp tip of his canines against her delicate skin. Her body convulsed as her pores accepted the serum he released from his tongue. Blake’s love serum had to have been the only thing keeping her insane without the gratifying mark of a mate. But still…she craved completion. The type of fulfillment that could only be gained from bonding.
Blake growled. “Oh Naomi, I love you so much.”
His raspy voice and declaration took her over the edge. Her breath caught in her throat as he pushed into her again and again. Flames of ecstasy burst throughout her. Her fingers gripped her lover’s back and she held on for dear mercy. Her orgasm ruptured, sending beads of light dancing around her irises. Her body convulsed riding unrestrained waves to the highest crest. Blake’s climax wasn’t too far behind. Deep concentration washed over his face as he thrust into her with precision. He maintained consistent tempo and joined her in release.
Her head rolled back against the wall as his seed coated her insides like glaze sending her into a state of exhilaration.
“Gods,” he panted, pressing his mouth to her shoulders. Swinging them around, he pressed his own back against the wall and slid down to the ground.
Naomi straddled him when he finally landed on his rear-end. She sprinkled kisses against his face. “I love you, too, Blake.”
“Come with me, Naomi.”
“Blake…” She dropped her forehead against his. “You know why I can’t.”
“I don’t care,” he grumbled.
“Don’t say that.”
“When all this mayhem is over, we’ll—”
Naomi’s alarm chimed on her wrist watch and she jumped. “I have to go.”
Blake’s brows curved downward. “What’s up?”
“Nothing’s up. I timed myself. I have forty minutes to get back to the compound. The best time to sneak in and out is when the shifts change over.”
Blake helped her up then pulled up his pants. She smoothed down her skirt and tucked the ends of her blouse down past her Belt. With the rain and their wicked tryst, her presentation had gone by the wayside.
He kissed her. “I miss you already.”
“See you next time…” Naomi turned and took off down the alley before she could change her mind.
Chapter One
Three Weeks Later
“Stop the car. Someone’s in trouble.”
Blake DeLuca sat straight in the passenger seat. His senses were heightened in alarm. The sharp scream of the woman echoed in his head and he searched the evening atmosphere by peering out through the windshield.
The scream was a cry for help, and it sounded as if this woman was in despair.
“You heard it too?” Dawson asked as he swerved into an empty lot and brought the Maserati to a screeching halt.
Blake’s body lurched forward from the blunt maneuver, but he didn’t waste another moment. He got out of the car in three seconds flat and rushed toward the scuffling sounds in the alley. His wolf was just below the surface, urging him toward the incident. They were in unmarked territory which presented yet another threat. Human eyes were everywhere, even at this odd hour of the evening. Dusk had fallen nearly an hour ago, but that didn’t mean every human was cozy in their home.
Dawson was behind him, his running footsteps crunching the gravel and broken sidewalk.
With their keen sense of smell, it didn’t take them long to find the scene of the crime. Blake stopped short of revealing their arrival too soon and hid behind the shadow of a long dumpster. The woman screamed again but louder this time.
There were three of them. The intricate pattern inked on their left shoulders designated them as belonging to the Other clan.
They had a Caedmon female backed into a darkened alleyway. A man lay dead on the pavement next to them. There was a deep, gaping slit on his neck—most likely the cause of death—and a pool of blood draining from his throat. What little clothing the female wore was tattered and torn. The dead male didn’t look that presentable either. Anyone could tell they’d put up a fight and as a result, a man paid with his life.
“We just wanted to have some fun with you, that’s all,” one of the men from the Other clan taunted. He and the others moved closer to the frightened woman. “Your friend there shouldn’t have stuck his snout where it doesn’t belong.”
One of the men kicked the dead body and grinned. “He’s dead. Now we can play some more.”
Blake emerged from the shadows with curiosity but the rage running through his system prevailed the most.
“Help!” the woman cried as she noticed Blake and Dawson closing in.
The biggest one swung around, and his gaze focused on the new threat. His irises were a murky dark gray, which was unusual for someone of the Other clan. Usually their eyes glowed bright silver, especially when they were provoked and up to no good. But this man’s powers seethed from his pores, kind of like a Caedmon’s would do but in less vivid colors. Although Others were the human branch of Caedmon-kind, they couldn’t shift and their abilities and powers were reduced. Only through the wolf genes were the powers and Caedmon Spirit more potent.
“Look what else we got,” the biggest one said through clenched teeth. “More mutts. I wonder if they’re even worth dulling a blade. The last one fell quickly—like a limp rodent.” He held up his knife and pressed a pointer finger to the tip to demonstrate the sharpness.
Dawson growled. Let me do this one.
The statement came to Blake through projection. This gift, along with others, was presented to and accepted by all six members of the Council. Thought projection was something shared among mates and close siblings, so to have something this rare with his fellow Council members, who were like brothers to him, was a precious gift.
But there’s three of them, Blake projected back. The one with the most kills wins.
Game on.
Blake pointed to the deceased Caedmon on the ground. “Why did you kill him?”
“For the same reason you’ll be lying dead next to him,” one replied, taking a step closer. “Not being able to mind his own business.”
“Westcott was trying to help me,” the woman blurted and then shrank against the building when the biggest one, presumably the leader, turned toward her.
“Shut up, tramp!” he hissed and thrust the knife forward to intimidate her. “You were asking for it. I’ll save you for last…after I get through with these scumbags.”
Blake acted quickly, his wolf egging him on. He reached the offending male and grabbed him tight around the wrist. He made his determination was made clear when he snapped the of
fender’s carpal bone in two. “Now that’s no way to talk to a lady.”
The man hollered in pain and dropped the knife.
There was some scuffling behind them, and Blake figured Dawson got into it with the other two. Dawson had just reached the age when a young male wolf was most aggressive. So Blake was certain he would have lured them into a fight one way or the other.
His opponent caught him off guard, throwing a punch with his other fist. It missed Blake’s jaw by a centimeter.
Blake shoved the big brute hard into the stone wall.
When the body hit, spittle and sweat flew from his neck and face. The man stumbled from the building, shaking off the disorientation from the hit. The brute appeared to give up, but then he sprang up with a second knife, flinging it at him.
The blade caught Blake in the upper forearm. He bit his bottom lip and snatched it out. Blood pulsed from the wound down his arm to his hand. He dug his fingers into his palms while the blood rage escalated in his chest.
Blake’s eyes glazed and he began seeing everything in vivid red, but things were clearer, nonetheless. His body shuddered as he fought the emergence of his angry wolf. There was no subduing his animal any longer. The wolf was his other half. They completed each other, and they both hungered for revenge.
Blake’s canines ripped violently from his gums.
He heard a squeak and discovered the woman was still standing there, unmoving and shocked. He caught her gaze and held it. “Run. Never come in unmarked territory again.”
She wasted no time, gathering her ripped skirt and running out of the alley.
“I’ll carve you!” his opponent screamed. “I’ll slice your throat just like your dead doctor there.” His fingers shook as he pointed.
“Will that be before or after I stuff your mouth with your guts?”
The coward pulled a pistol from behind his back.
Blake ducked out of the pathway of the first bullet. Within seconds his bones snapped and molded. His skin grew hot and stretched until he became the wolf. But he didn’t earn the first kill. Dawson had already ripped into the throat of one.
Wolf's Strength Page 1