“Like what?”
“I’ve carried out many missions for my Alpha under my brother’s crew. If you remember correctly, the Arnou family has gained many enemies over the years. Just like the Caedmon have their lines of business across many different industries from construction to manufacturing, so do the Arnou. The only difference is the legality of it. The families investments are in legal firms, but their day-to-day operations mirror organized crime and illegal gambling.”
“I know. I was once an Elite. I know about the missions.”
She and Blake never talked Pack matters. They decided long ago to leave Pack business out of their relationship. There was never any time for it in the past. After all, they were both aware of how the two Packs remained financially stable.
“So you’re aware Tristan has a long list of backbiters and detractors? He either eliminates or cripples them physically, mentally, or financially.”
“Like a chess game,” Blake said. “All of his pawns fall while he remains standing.”
“He doesn’t like to be stripped of what he believes belongs to him, that’s for sure.”
Blake nodded. “It’s mostly the reason why Aiden and I had to lie low for so long back then. Arnou was furious about us taking off before we were to take the Belt. He would’ve killed or crippled us if he could, just like these backbiters. We knew too much. It’s why Elites and Enforcers can only leave from under his command in two ways—”
“Retirement or death.” Naomi’s heart clouded with apprehension. But she only let her reservations last for a moment. “I didn’t escape to give up now. I’m prepared to defend my life if it means gaining my complete freedom.”
“And I’ll defend your life with mine.”
“You were right. I should’ve gone with Aiden and you that night. I should’ve left then. But my brother…He wanted that position so much. When I was caught leaving, all I could think about was how ashamed my dad would be.”
“It’s okay…” Blake lifted her chin gently and kissed her.
“You were so patient with me. On the night my crew was sentenced for disobeying orders, I finally realized the Compound I was living in wasn’t to protect me from the outside world. It was to control me and my actions like a game. No matter what Arnou’s aims are, whether good or bad, I let someone control my actions that night and I’m sorry I did that.”
“Let’s stop all the talking.” He bent to pick her up and walked toward the bath area with her cradled in his arms.
Naomi slid to her to her feet and turned the dial on the shower. “We’ve both got grime all over us. We can kill two birds with one stone…like old times.”
He grinned. “Pleasing you thoroughly will be my priority.”
They watched each other undress then moved to the shower. She pulled himself and he slid the vinyl door closed while captured her lips with his.
Her mouth stung from his sweet demanding kisses, but she wanted something more.
Blake dropped to his knees, clutched her hips, and pressed his forehead to her belly. He tickled her with his warm breath, awakening a nest of butterflies there. The water beat against her back as he kissed her mound. Her palms caressed the top of his head. Chards of desire rushed through her as his mouth traveled lower and his tongue found her slit. His fingers gripped her ass firmly, and his tongue dipped deep inside her, sampling her honey.
She gasped when a feral growl escaped his lips, the feeling of it vibrating through her pussy and through her spine. “Blake.”
He moved his tongue in and out of her sex, and her hips moved. A carnal rapture seized her the moment he found her aching clit. He teased and flicked it with his tongue. He pushed her back against the wall of the shower and she was spread wide like a feast. He lifted her leg over his shoulder and pleased her with his lips and tongue like a hungry beast.
Her muscles began to tighten, readying her for ultimate release. He left nothing untouched, devouring her pussy. Quick, precise flicks to her clit took her over the edge, and she screamed in passion.
As her climax subsided, he continued to soothe her pulsing pussy with his mouth. Needing more of his touch, she pulled him up and kissed him hungrily. She tasted her desire on his tongue, heady and sweet at the same time. The intoxicating taste brought her wolf roaring to the surface. Her wolf detected something different and unusual in her mate. There was a powerful element to his Spirit that wasn’t there the last time. Her canines dropped through her gums, and a heated frenzy engulfed her loins.
“I need you as a wolf. Mate as we are, in our true forms,” she whispered against his lips.
“Yes.” Blake dragged his fingers through her hair, stopped at the ends, and lifted them to his nose. He inhaled deeply. “We’ll do this. My wolf. Your wolf. We’ll run together like we used to. Soon.”
“In the meantime don’t keep me waiting.” Naomi gave him a devilish smile and turned around slowly.
“Gods, Naomi.” He growled, his lips falling to rest against her shoulder.
Heated kisses turned soft as he kissed a trail along her shoulders and across the back of her neck. The shower tiles grew slippery against her hold as she fought to stay upright. Desire pulsed through her heart and sizzled in her veins. She parted her legs when his hands slid down her backside.
“Blake,” she called out in surprise as two fingers speared her pussy.
“Always ready.” He groaned. “I love that.”
“More.” She rocked her hips upward, accepting his fingers deep inside her.
“I’ll give more.” He alternated between nips and licks on her back. “Patience…” His long cock, hard as a brick, pressed against her backside.
She arched her back and rubbed her backside against him. “Fuck me hard. Later, we can take our time.”
“Hmm.” He grabbed a fistful of her hair again and knotted it around his wrist. “I know exactly how rough you like it.”
Her canines ripped through her gums completely, but she didn’t care. She loved that she could let her animal instincts loose with Blake. He understood her inside and out. “Is that all you’ve got? Pull harder.”
He snatched her head back more and gave her mouth a long swipe with his tongue. A ripple of pleasure shot across her body. She met his tongue with hers, and they exchanged deep kisses. The head of his cock brushed against her soaking slit, teasing her. Blake pulled her hair away from the back of her neck, closed the distance between them, and pressed his lips to her nape. He licked her neck with long wet strokes while his free hand stroked her swollen clit. A combination of her hair being pulled tightly and her bud being worked expertly drove her into carnal madness.
He orchestrated her like music and she came in his hand. The orgasm caught her completely off guard, and she could do nothing but surrender. And surrender her body did. Her legs became unsteady under her.
Inch by inch he took her, sliding into her needy pussy. As the sensations rocked her, she bit into her lip. He slammed his hips to hers and elicited a scream that ripped from her throat. Several seconds passed before her juices coated him enough to accommodate his thick size. He grabbed her hips and pulled them firmly to his pelvis pushing deeper. Her teeth scraped her bottom lip as he hit a nerve that enflamed her core and raced throughout her body.
Naomi panted. “Fuck yes…”
She spread her feet wider and he pumped deep and long. His heavy sac slapped against her clit and mound, taking her again into pre-orgasmic sensations. Rough palms soothed her breasts and Blake rolled her nipples between his fingers.
She pushed her palms against the wall and ground her pussy against him. “Harder.”
Blake growled. “I’m doing this.”
The sound of his voice caused her body convulse, sending her close to the edge.
He pushed her body into the wall, smashing her breasts and face against the wet tiles. One hand remained firm on her hip while the other hand remained tangled in her hair. He pounded into her harder, increasing the tempo. She was in suc
h a state of elation she could barely utter anything coherent. In and out he pushed her toward another orgasm and then slowed to tease her.
“Is this what you need daily?” he rasped into her ear. “I can fuck you all day, every day.”
“Yes…”
He let go of her hair and grabbed her hands. Their fingers interloped together, and she turned to meet his lips. In this position, the kiss was angled and wet, and they both fought for control.
Blake drew her backward, his cock impaling her, and sat on the shower bench. Naomi kept his hand in hers and began moving, pumping her hips up and down over his solid erection. Over and over again she sheathed him. Slow, deft strokes until she had accepted him to the hilt. The moans of satisfaction escaping his lips told her she was doing something right. She worked her hips, giving him a show from behind until she couldn’t contain her release. Her pussy clenched him as she reached release again. Pangs of ecstasy spiraled through her, and her heart beat feverishly in tempo in time with her downstrokes.
Blake’s completion wasn’t too far behind hers. He lifted his hips and thrust into her, prolonging her climax as he ascended into his. Load after load of cum shot into her, searing her insides like hot lava.
Her eyes fell closed, and a sheet of red haze blinded her vision for several moments until her sight cleared. As a result of this passionate union and the acceptance of Blake’s serum into her body, their Wolf Spirits awakened to join in the sexual release. The strong release of serum took her on a sexually induced high. It was like her drug of choice. The only drug that would satisfy her indefinitely.
Her wolf rejoiced at the prospect of her mate claiming her. Each time they had sex, her wolf wanted to complete the bond, wanted to be one Spirit with her mate. Because the mate bite would be visible to all, Naomi wouldn’t accept it in the past.
“As wolf? Is that how you want to make this official?” His breaths came in pants against the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder. He pressed his tongue to the spot, releasing the serum from his glands this time. The serum marked her insides but it was temporary. To complete the bond, a mark had to be placed outside and they both needed to accept verbally.
“As wolf.”
“As you wish, my love.” He kissed the side of her face and she fell against him. “We’ll make it special. A ceremony just for us.”
Chapter Fourteen
With his stir stick, Devin rolled the mini-cubes of ice in his scotch glass. The warm, crisp alcohol coated the back of his throat as it slid down effortlessly.
“I’ve sent word to the men who came with you, along with your message. They can stay on the property for the night.” Tristan prepared a drink at the minibar. “It would’ve been something if they had run in my Compound because they thought you weren’t coming back.”
“You think so?”
“My men are trained to kill first and not bother with questions. There would’ve been a bloodbath before they crossed my property line.” Tristan turned with a glass in hand, leaned against the counter, and took a long sip from the glass.
Devin set his glass on an aluminum coaster. “That would’ve been a dirty maneuver, don’t you think? Invite a man here and then kill his entourage.”
Tristan studied him, the bridge of his nose wrinkling. “I’ve done it before.”
Devin shifted in his seat. “Do you have morals? Any rules at all or do you break them?”
Tristan employed dangerous methods when it came to getting rid of his enemies, but even the most heartless of men had standards of some kind. Or maybe not.
Tristan took a seat in front of him at the small table. “Rules…” He set his drink down and twisted it left and right. “Rules are like glass. They’re meant to be broken.”
“And you’re okay with the rules of your Pack being broken?”
“Okay is an overstatement.” He shrugged. “When someone breaks rules, I figure they’ve thought about the consequences. Can they afford the punishment? In answer to your questions, yes, I’ll break any rule for which I can afford the consequences.”
“Then you do believe in having rules?”
“Of course, but the point is to make the punishment so steep that—”
“No one can afford to break a rule. I got that.”
“So,” Tristan said. “Let me see if I got this right. You plan to drag Shanhah out of hiding. How will you do that?”
“Her parents are still living. They reside in the gulf coast on the borders of one of your territories.”
Tristan raised an eyebrow. “And let me guess…I’m the closest to them.”
“That’s one sure way to get her to show herself.”
“Certainly,” Tristan said, nodding. “I can set up the mission and send a crew out there to corner them.”
Devin traced the rim of his glass. “I’d want some of my men in on the action.”
“We can arrange this.” Tristan waved his hand over the chessboard. The board was made of black marble. The pieces, already set in place, were made of silver and gold. The gold pieces were closest to Devin and the silver pieces near Tristan. “Do you play?”
He grinned. “Everyone knows you’ve been crowned chess champion, ranking number one at least once.”
The corners of Tristan’s lips turned up in a grin. “Afraid?”
Devin held his laughter. “This is just a game. What should I be afraid of?”
“You’re absolutely right.” Tristan chuckled. “This is all a game. I haven’t had a worthy opponent in awhile. Are you one?”
“You can’t be that lonely,” Devin replied. “You keep your guards near. Your Elites, Enforcers, and even your Enolas live on the property.”
Tristan moved the first piece, a pawn. “Having guards near proves nothing about my lack of equal companionship.”
“And your Enolas? The women you keep on deck to fuck?” Devin followed suit, moving a pawn piece toward the center.
Tristan lifted his face toward the ceiling and burst out laughing. “You give me no chance. The amount of rumors you believe about me must be plentiful.”
“Just trying to clear the air. Don’t you have three or four mistresses at a time?”
Tristan arched an eyebrow and made his second move. “Jealous?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You have your queen, Devin. I’ve yet to find mine. I may never find her. Luck’s never been on my side, so I play my pieces to make up for that.”
Devin decided not to lay judgment. It was in a wolf’s nature to couple until his second half was found. Until then, the wolf longed for a mate and the treatment for the heat spells was to indulge in carnal acts regularly. The cure for the spells was a true mate bonding.
Tristan cleared his throat. “Your turn.”
Devin examined the board, confirming the position of the last piece he moved. “How is business?” he couldn’t help but ask. Like him, Tristan invested in and owned a multitude of companies. Tristan wasn’t known for the rising success of his legitimate business, but rather the illegitimate ones.
Devin moved a knight piece toward the center.
“Which one?” Tristan moved another pawn two spaces.
He caught a flicker of mischievousness in Tristan’s gaze. It matched his smirk. “You know what I’m talking about. Your cash cow. How are things going?”
The Arnou family had always been wealthy, but they began enter into many different markets fifty years ago when Tristan’s great-grandfather Thibaud Sr. reigned as Arnou Alpha. Rumors were circulating among the Packs that Thibaud Sr. branched into some risky dealings when he mated the niece of a Serbian Head Boss. It was then that Thibaud Sr. gained lucrative business dealings that result in quick millions. Since Thibaud Sr. was well-versed in banking operations, he moved into the business of loan-sharking.
“Business is booming as usual. I sign the dotted line and the green keeps flowing.” He cocked his head to the side. “You want in?”
Devin rubbed his chin, contemplat
ing his next move. “I have no time to devote to illegal dealings when my legitimate earnings provide me with a substantial living.”
“And if you had time?”
His hand paused over a rook piece as he looked up to assess his opponent. “I’d find ways to make more legitimate earnings.”
“Ha!” Tristan burst into laughter again. “Then let’s talk about legitimacy.”
Devin moved the rook piece, sat back in his chair, and folded his arms across his chest.
“A little birdie came to tell me about your parentage.” Tristan’s fingers were poised over his pieces. “Roman De’Santo died. You confirmed to your people he’s your uncle, the man who should’ve held the Alpha position all this time. How’d they take the news?”
Tristan sat back, laced his fingers together, and waited.
Devin bit the inside of his bottom lip while his veins filled with irritation. He took shallow breaths through his nose to subdue his rising resentment.
He’d known the topic would be brought up one way or the other. It was like Tristan to throw something like this in his face. The announcement had been made, and the verdict shocked the village. By now rumors would. Those who stood behind him showed their support, but he remembered the hurt, doubtful looks of those who believed in the old ways—that an Alpha should be the legitimate son of his father. They probably felt crossed and let down twice. Devin Caedmon wasn’t the legitimate son of Daniel Caedmon…yet neither was his father.
“Your earnings might be legitimate but your title is not.”
Devin’s heart pounded in frustration, pumping blood rapidly to his head. He sat up in his chair and crushed his fist against the table. “I rightfully earned this title. It is mine. I was born of Daniel Caedmon’s seed. He was the Alpha before me. I rose to the position because I wanted it. Anyone besides Darius could’ve challenged me, then, if they believed I wasn’t worthy or legitimate enough.” He fixed his eyes on Tristan. “Anyone.”
Tristan’s lips twitched at both corners, and his eyes became muted and devoid of emotion. “As a bastard son, what gave you the right to claim the intellectual powers of William Caedmon II?”
Wolf's Strength Page 11