Fall in Love

by Anthology

  He’d kill every last Redstone and take over the Clan. It was what he lived for now. It was an obsession that consumed him—much like that weak bitch had consumed him for the short time they’d been together. He’d felt…things…for Jackie he had never felt before.

  Killing her had done something to him. He didn’t spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. If he’d been a weaker man, he would have said the mate bond all the gooey-eyed romantics talk about was real, but Timmons wasn’t weak. His Alpha father had beat all weakness out of him before sending him off to find a mate and start a Clan of his own.

  The old man had wanted him to build a Clan from scratch, but why should he when one of the most powerful Clans in the country was his for the taking? All he had to do was kill the Redstone Alpha and he would have a legitimate claim to leadership of the Clan and all that entailed. And wouldn’t his old man be surprised by that turn of events?

  For now, Timmons would watch and wait for his opportunity. He was good at stalking his prey. When the time was right, and not before, he’d strike. And heaven help anyone who stood in his way.

  Chapter Eight

  When Grif and Lindsey loped into the yard in front of his cabin in their fur, they were greeted by two slightly younger, but no less powerful male cougars. Lindsey had to assume they were his brothers because Grif greeted them with a boisterous tumble as they wrestled each other to the ground. She could tell they were not really attacking from the playful way they swatted at each other.

  Grif tumbled with one of them while the other came over to sniff at her. Lindsey tried to sit still and allow the rather rude once over, but when the fresh male put his nose against her hindquarters and started sniffing around, she jumped away and swatted at his nose. He sat back and licked his chops, eying her as Grif came over and stood protectively in front of her. Both of the male cougars seemed to get the message as Grif prodded her to move before him into the house, the two younger males following behind them.

  Belinda scratched her ears as Lindsey stopped by the girl’s side for a moment. She wanted to change so she could talk, but she didn’t want to be naked in front of all these people. With little urging, she bounded up the stairs to Grif’s bedroom, watching as he changed first, then letting him coach her through the change that was becoming easier and faster each time she did it.

  She was beat. The long day and the effort it took to change had wiped her energy.

  “You want to meet the boys or do you want to sleep?” Grif held her in his arms, smoothly stroking her back as if she was still some kind of sleek cat.

  “I want to meet them, but I can barely keep my eyes open.”

  “Tomorrow will be soon enough to meet my brothers.” He tugged her down onto the bed and slid her naked body under the covers. “Sleep now, baby. I know changing is tiring when you first start to do it. It’ll get easier with time.” He bent low to kiss her brow and she was almost asleep before he tugged on his jeans and left the room.

  *

  “That’s a pretty little kitty you brought in with you,” Matt observed when Grif joined his brothers in the kitchen. He felt like growling but just the thought of her sleeping upstairs in his bed made him want to purr instead.

  Steve elbowed his brother with a grin. “I’d say big bro’s got it bad.”

  Grif just let them talk around him. They’d understand when they found their mates, how little everything else in the world mattered when compared to her. Keeping her and the rest of his family safe was his number one priority, which reminded him why he had called in the cavalry.

  “You made good time. Thanks for coming.” He looked around, sniffing slightly to see if he could locate everyone. “Where’s the munchkin?”

  “Out by the barn,” Matt answered from his position looking out the kitchen window. “I can see her from here.”

  “Good. I don’t want her to hear this, but keep her in your sights. We need to be wary, just in case I’m not going nuts.” He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I caught scent of Timmons a few times over the past few weeks but it’s so faint and elusive I wonder if I’m not imagining things.”

  Steve’s eyes grew serious. “He’s not stable, Grif, and he’s skilled. It’s wise to take precautions. I’m glad you called us instead of trying to handle this on your own.”

  “But that’s just it. There may not be anything to handle. I might be mistaken.”

  Matt shook his head, his eyes never leaving Belinda out the window. “I don’t think you are. I asked Slade to check with his sources a while back. You know how well connected he is in intelligence circles.”

  Both Steve and Grif—the only two of the five brothers who had served in Special Forces—shot their youngest brother surprised and approving looks. Slade was a newcomer to their territory, having just mated with the priestess who served the extended Redstone Clan.

  Slade was not only the rarest of all cat shifters and intensely magical, but he’d been a Black Ops guy who still worked from time to time for the CIA and other Top Secret government groups. He’d devoted most of his time in the past few years to the shifter cause, helping track the ancient society known as the Venifucus for the Lords of all Were, but he still had his hand in the game and plenty of useful contacts.

  “I’m actually surprised I didn’t think to ask him before,” Grif admitted. “Good going, little bro.”

  “You had a lot on your mind.” Matt rose to Grif’s defense, which was touching, but unnecessary. Grif was Alpha enough to admit when something had slipped past him.

  That was yet another reason he was so glad to have such capable brothers sticking by him, and what was left of their family. Any one of them could have challenged him for the position as Alpha. Each of the five brothers had the tendencies and will to command, but they deferred to him as the eldest and only rarely challenged him on anything. They were his rock. The ones he relied on the most. And the youngest had just come through—picking up a thread Grif should have investigated long ago.

  “You did good, Matt,” Grif put the matter to rest. “What did Slade have to say about Timmons?”

  “Slade’s most recent information, as of last week, puts Timmons in the vicinity of Red Creek. That’s not too far from here as the cougar runs.”

  “Damn.” Grif stood and started pacing. “That’s not good.”

  “Call Slade and ask for an update,” Steve prompted the youngest brother. “Maybe he has more accurate data now.”

  Matt pulled out his cell phone and began punching buttons while Grif paced away. It was Steve who came over and put one heavy hand on Grif’s shoulder in support.

  “We’re here for you, bro. He won’t get away this time.”

  *

  Lindsey stretched like a cat under the fluffy covers the next morning, waking more fully as she realized her naked body was rubbing up and down against a very hard, very aroused, Griffon Redstone. Her eyes shot open to meet his and he was smiling.

  “Good morning.”

  Inexplicably, she blushed at the heat in his eyes. “Good morning.”

  “I’ve been waiting for you to wake so I could do this.” He leaned down and licked her nipple into his mouth, at the same time delving his hand under the covers, between her warm thighs. He sought and found the entrance to her sleep warm body, heating her even further with his tantalizing touches.

  She moaned as her sleepy body woke to the temptation of his intimate touch. She didn’t resist when he pulled her over his long, hard body, arranging her legs so that she straddled him, his morning erection close to the place it so obviously wanted to go. She was amazed how little it took for this incredible man to get her all hot and bothered. She was so ready for him.

  “Oh, baby. That’s it, nice and easy.” He crooned as he lowered her over his stiff cock. He was huge, but he joined with her as if he had always been meant to be there.

  She chuckled deep in her throat, excitement purring through her. She felt so full, but so complete at the same time.
It was an awesome feeling. Yet a little devil of mischief rode her shoulder as she stroked her hands down his muscled chest.

  “Did you just call me easy?” Her eyes challenged him, signaling her silly mood. He grinned back at her.

  “Just the way I like my woman, ready for me any time I crook my little finger.”

  “You think so?” she teased as she began a slow, seductive movement over his straining body.

  “Oh, honey, I know so.”

  She picked up the pace. “How can you be so sure?”

  He gasped as she clenched her inner muscles, tormenting him in a delicious way.

  “Yeah, baby, do that again.” He was enjoying it so much, she decided to indulge him. He groaned as she tightened on him again, dragging herself over him in a planned seduction that fired both their senses. “Mmm, you were made for me baby.”

  She stilled, watching his slightly dazed eyes. He hadn’t answered her question. “How can you be so sure?” she asked again.

  His eyes snapped open into hers and just that quickly his mood changed. He rolled, pinning her under his heavy body, rising up just enough so that he could meet her eyes as he began a pounding rhythm into her clasping body.

  “How?” he asked, his pace increasing as his eyes held hers in a mesmerizing stare of passion. “How do I know?” He rubbed one long finger over her clit, forcing her to join him, dancing near the edge of fulfillment. She gasped, writhing beneath him as her peak came so close, she knew within moments she would be shattered.

  He pushed her higher still, his eyes holding a message of need, of want, and of something deeper still. “I know,” he gasped between hard thrusts, “because.” Each word was punctuated by a hard pulse. “You’re. My. Mate.”

  She came with what felt like a clap of thunder, her body shattering into a million pieces as he pushed her over the edge. He followed, his hot essence filling her. He gathered her into his arms, holding her close as they writhed together in the long, long echoes of pleasure, coming down only a bit at a time, enjoying the languor of shared ecstasy.

  “I was going to wish you a good morning, but I see you’ve already had that.” An amused male voice sounded from the doorway as Lindsey gasped. Grif stayed right where he was, on top of her, his softening cock buried up her wet pussy as if it was perfectly normal to have visitors during such moments. Her hands dug into his shoulders as her eyes widened in alarm.

  “Go away Matt.”

  Grif threw a pillow in the general direction of the door and Lindsey followed its trajectory with her eyes, all the way to a tall, muscular man who had to be one of Grif’s brothers. Lindsey was horrified when he dodged the pillow, meeting her gaze. The smile on his face was pure deviltry. He made a production out of licking his lips as his eyes traveled down what he could see of her body, roaming back up to give her a jaunty wink.

  She would just bet he was the cougar who had tried to sniff her pussy the day before. He had that kind of mischievous air about him.

  While she was busy being mortified apparently Grif was priming for more lovemaking. She gasped again when he started to move once more within her, hardening even as he began to thrust. Matt was still in the doorway, watching, and to her horror, another good looking man joined him with a nearly identical teasing smile.

  “Aw, leave them be, Matt,” the other man said loud enough for Grif to hear. “Grif won’t be any use to us until he fucks her into oblivion.”

  “I said—” Grif paused only slightly as he addressed his brothers in a stern voice, “—get the fuck out of here.” He emphasized his words by ramming into her with more force. When she would have objected, he squeezed her shoulders, forcing her eyes to meet his. “Only me, Lindsey. See only me. Nothing else matters.”

  He mesmerized her, that was the only explanation she could come up with later as she realized that in that moment, the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir could be watching them and she couldn’t have cared less. When Grif made love to her, he was her only point of connection with the world. He was all that mattered, just as she realized that it was the same for him. She could read it in his eyes and the loving way he touched her, rough yet gentle, never giving her more than she could comfortably bear. He was a thoughtful lover who pressed her to stretch her boundaries and reach for what she really wanted.

  And what she really wanted was him. Anyway, anyplace, anytime. She wanted him regardless of who watched or didn’t watch, or what happened in the world around them. All that mattered was him and the way he made her feel—cherished, valued and loved.

  He increased his pace, bringing her to several beautiful orgasms before joining her in ecstasy. This time was slower, but no less intense. Actually, when Grif took his time, she realized, he brought her multiple orgasms that just went on and on. She never knew her body was capable of such, but Grif proved to her that with him, she could find pleasure the likes of which she had never even dreamed.

  When she finally came back down to earth, she was glad to see the doorway was empty of Grif’s brothers, but she had no way of knowing just how much they had seen before leaving. She blushed deeply, wondering how she was going to face them. Undoubtedly she would be properly introduced to the two men who had come such a distance at their brother’s call. She had no idea how she was going to bluff her way through such a meeting.

  “Are your brothers always so, um, mischievous?”

  Grif had rolled off her to allow her to breathe, but he hadn’t gone far. His hand cupped her wet pussy as he held her tight, her back against his chest.

  “That’s a kind word to use. Honey, they are Grade A pains in the ass sometimes.” They both chuckled at the exasperation in his tone. “Don’t let them bother you.”

  “But they saw us—”

  “Fucking?” His hand rested over her pussy, reminding her of the hard use he had just put her to and the incredible pleasure he had wrung from her body and soul. “Sweetheart, you’re going to have to get used to being were. Just as nudity isn’t a big deal for our kind, seeing mates enjoying each other isn’t a huge taboo either. Not like it can be in human society.”

  She turned in his arms. “What does that really mean?” His eyes scrunched up as he seemed to try to follow her thoughts. “You said I was your mate.” His expression cleared, replaced by something that looked like joy to her.

  “When a were of any species finds the one person in all the world who was meant for them, they mate for life. Lindsey, you’re my mate.” She had never seen him more serious, or happier.

  “You mean you want to marry me?”

  He nodded. “That’s one way of putting it, but mating entails more than a human marriage. It’s a deeper bond and it’s already formed between us. The ceremony is just a celebration of that bond. Really, it’s an excuse to have a party.” His smile charmed her. “Lindsey, will you mate with me?”

  “Isn’t that what we’ve already been doing?” She couldn’t resist teasing him.

  He smiled gently. “What we’ve been doing is making love, fucking like mates. For all intents and purposes, we’re mated already, but to make it official, there’s a ceremony we can hold, so my Clan can welcome you.”

  “And have an excuse to hold a party, right?”

  “Well, with all that’s going on, we’ll probably put it off for a few weeks, until we can gather with the Clan, but I’d like to know you’ll agree to the ceremony when we get to it.” He kissed her softly. “And for you to realize that I’m serious in this. You’re my mate. There’s no going back on that for me. The ceremony will make our mating known publicly. Plus, it would make me feel better to have some official claim on you in the eyes of the Clan. This way if anything happened to me, I know you would always have a home with my family.”

  “Don’t talk like that, Grif.” She hugged him close, unable to bear even the thought of him coming to harm.

  He sighed, stroking her soft hair. “I like to be prepared for all contingencies, sweetheart. I don’t intend anything to happen to me, but I�
��ll feel safer knowing that we’ve made things official between us. I want to claim you for the entire world to see, Lindsey. Even those mangy wolves will have to stand up and take notice of our mating. Kitten,” his eyes grew serious, “I hold a relatively high rank among the weretribes. As my mate, now you do too.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I can barely walk on my four paws without tripping.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll get better with practice, love. Regardless, I’m the leader of the Redstone Clan. As my mate, you’ll share part of that responsibility. The women of our Clan may come to you with their concerns and it’ll be your duty to listen and help when you can, and decide when an issue needs my intervention.”

  “Wow.” She was stunned by the responsibility, unsure of her own ability to do the job, and still a little rocked by the idea that she was his mate. She knew she loved him, though she hadn’t found the courage to tell him that flat out, but how could he be so sure she was the one for him?

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  She searched his eyes. “How do you know I’m the one? How can you be so sure I’m the one person you’ve been looking for? Up until a few days ago I wasn’t even a shapeshifter. I have no idea how to live in your world, Grif. What if I can’t?”

  He smiled with what looked like relief, hugging her close. “The Lady never gives us more than we can handle, sweetheart. You’ll learn our ways, I have no doubt of that. And to answer your other question, I knew almost from the first moment I saw you in the diner that you were mine. Something about you called to me but I didn’t understand it because you weren’t cougar then.” His hand stroked through her hair softly. “It drove me crazy, but I found myself prowling your land at night, guarding you while you slept, watching you through the holes in your roof, even on that first night. Sweetheart, I knew you were meant for me, but I didn’t understand it until the Lady made you cougar.”