by A. C. Arthur
“She wouldn’t leave,” Nick said slowly. “She knows better. Shya’s a good girl. She knows what’s out there, she would not willingly go above ground. She wouldn’t.”
Jace held his words but thought about how many parents said the same thing, human or shifter. But in this case, Jace had to agree with him. Nick’s daughter, his only child, was the epitome of good—soft-spoken most of the time, gentle and easy-going. Shya Delgado was innocent and she was special to each of the shifters that were close to Nick. She was their niece, the one they’d prayed long and hard to survive and now she was gone. Not only could he scent Nick’s rage, he felt it too.
“Her scent’s all over this room,” Eli announced. “That and I can hear remnants of her voice in this space. Hers and Mackey’s. Yelling in argument and then screaming in agony.”
In a flash Nick turned and his clawed fingers grabbed Eli by the front of his shirt, lifting the jaguar off the floor and slamming his back into a wall. “She’s alive, dammit! I don’t care what you see or feel with your power, my daughter is still alive!”
Rome was behind Nick instantly, placing both hands on his shoulders. “Let him go, Nick.”
X went to Nick’s right side and Bas filed in on the left. Jace moved around to stand near Eli who eventually slid down the wall to land on his feet when Nick finally let him go. The three shifters pulled Nick back and tried to lead him out of the room, but Nick wouldn’t go. He yanked away from their grasp and spun around.
“She was in here! I can smell her. Why the hell was she in here?” he yelled.
“We’ll find out, Nick,” Eli told him.
“How? How can we find out if she’s not here! She’s nowhere in the area so how the hell do we find out what’s going on?”
Eli moved in front of Nick and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m gonna go talk to Haven and Cam. And then I’ll figure out what happened. And once I do we’re gonna go find her, Nick. I promise you, we will find her.”
Seconds later Nick bowed his head and Eli walked out of the room. Jace followed him.
“I need to check the Holodeck cameras and find out exactly what time she came in and when she left, because the timeline doesn’t add up. It smelled like his body had been there for a few hours. How could they have checked on him every hour since two in the afternoon and he was alive until now? And if Shya was taken, cameras will also show who took her and which direction they went in,” he said as he followed Eli down the hallway.
Until Eli stopped and looked down at the floor, then up the wall where he ran his fingers over the rocky surface just as he’d done on the table in the room.
“There was no one else, just Shya. Nobody was here in this hallway but her and nobody was in that room except her and Mackey,” Eli said slowly, somberly.
Jace shook his head. “You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying. She didn’t even know who Mackey was. And that mess back there, all that blood was savage. A trained beast did that, not Shya. She’s not capable of that type of rage.”
“She’s a shifter. In the Gungi we’re predators, hunters, killers. Here in this world we tried to become something else and for a while it worked, but the rules changed. That meant we were bound to change. All of us.” Eli looked stricken at having to say those words, having to admit that there was a possibility that this was something none of them wanted to believe.
Jace hated hearing them because he had a suspicion there was more than a hint of truth in them.
“He’ll die before he believes his daughter killed anyone. And if he doesn’t find her soon, he’s going to start killing and taking names later.”
“Then we’d better find her soon,” Eli said. “Because after watching Rome worry about his daughter’s safety, I’m not sure anyone in Oasis or above ground is ready for Nick’s tirade.”
“No, they aren’t,” Jace agreed.
Miami
The Next Morning
Keller knew it was almost morning. Not because the sun was rising, the tinted windows didn’t allow him to see any signs of sunlight. And he didn’t possess an internal clock. He could sleep for however long he wanted and wake when he was ready. He was certain it was almost morning because his dick was rock hard and the immediate urge to either fuck or piss was weighing upon him like a ton of boulders.
He rolled over from his side to his back and dropped an arm over his forehead. The other arm stretched downward, his hand immediately going between his legs to his hardened length. There was no need to close his eyes and imagine, he could see her in his mind’s eye at any given time. Her scent infiltrated every fiber of his being and the feel of her moist tightness sliding along his shaft was forever emblazoned in his memory. So, the first stroke of his hand from his base to the tip of his length was a blissfully painful one that had him gasping with the shocks of pleasure that immediately soared through his body.
The next stroke had him lifting slightly from the bed as his hips sought to intensify the ardent sensations rippling through him. He squeezed his length, moving his wrist in a circular motion as he worked from the bottom and up to the tip again and again. His lips were parted slightly, his breath coming in slow, steady pants as he worked himself to a fevered pitch.
She was deep and tight, wet, so wet he’d slipped easily inside of her and almost drowned once he was fully ensconced. Her thighs were strong against his and when he spread her legs wide the sound of her sucking his dick in, releasing, sucking him back in again was intoxicating. Pre-cum dripped over his fingers as his hand reached the tip again, squeezing so tightly he gasped at the blast of pleasure. He was moving his hips in earnest now, pumping into his hand just like he had into her pussy, searching for release. Keller’s teeth were clenched as his wrist continued to circle, his hand jerking his dick until he wanted to roar out in ecstasy.
“Do you not want me again?”
Her voice was quiet like the wind, whispering through the haze of arousal that shrouded him and Keller’s whole body froze.
“I’ve been lying here for hours thinking of why I want you again, how intense and unfamiliar the feeling of desire is to me,” she continued. “It’s new and yet I feel like it’s always been there…waiting for you.”
He cursed inwardly. A part of him knew she was there, lying on the other side of the big bed and another part wanted that to be a dream. If it were, then he wouldn’t feel like such an ass for taking her virginity and then dragging her above ground to where things were promised to become chaotic. It had been a selfish move, one he wasn’t proud of, but one he also had to accept, especially since she’d just caught him jerking off.
“I want sex.” The words were rough and impersonal as they tumbled from his mouth, his hand slipping slowly from his dick to rest on the bed beside him. “Shadow Shifters love sex. It’s a part of our DNA, a need we constantly required to be slaked.”
“So, you can have sex with anyone, anytime and anyplace?”
How did she manage to make the basic truth sound sordid and pathetic?
“We can assuage the need by any means necessary.”
And how did he accomplish sounding like a foolish ass so early in the damn morning?
“I can help you slake your need. I mean, I thought we were good together before. Didn’t you think so too?”
Her innocence was killing him. It was seeping inside of his body, breaking through cracks he hadn’t known existed and settling quickly like cement. He wanted to curse at the implications because he’d sworn, vowed, forced his cat and the man who ruled it, to understand the limitations. They were not like other shifters, their life had been hard, disappointments and heartache plentiful. They were put here for a specific purpose and getting tangled into emotional connections, mating, joining, none of that was on the agenda for them.
“I want to make you feel good,” she whispered and then she moved.
He could hear her easing across the bed even though he refused to turn his head to look at her. Once again, she was speaking
no lies, Shya could definitely make him feel good. She’d done it before on that conference table and then again just a few hours ago as she’d settled so easily in his arms. Cocooned against him Keller had fallen into a sleep so deep and peaceful he hadn’t wanted to wake. But his eyes had popped open and he’d rolled all the way over to the other end of the bed the second his cat reached out for hers while the humans slumbered. Now, he was afraid even his human was reaching out for hers, and she was answering, willingly, temptingly.
“I won’t touch you in that way until you tell me to, Shya.” He’d sworn that to himself months ago. It was the only way he could get a hold on the temptation she posed each time he saw her—forbidding himself to touch what was not his, what should not belong to him, ever. And for three months it had worked, until she’d asked and given him permission and then he’d been helpless to the desire.
“Touch me, please, Keller. Touch me…now.” The soft-spoken words were followed with a light kiss to his shoulder, the warm stroke of her tongue over his skin and a spear of desire so sharp it pricked another crack inside of him, splitting it open so deep until he had no other choice but to gasp for air.
In the next moment he was reaching for her, pulling those sexy shorts down her hips. She wiggled her legs with his motions until her feet slipped free of the material. The thin slip of silk that served as her panties went next and while he let his fingers move over the crotch section, his cat growling loudly at the moistness he felt in the material, she removed her shirt. He dropped the panties somewhere on the bed and removed his boxers, clasped his hands around her waist and lifted her on top of him. Her palms went to his chest, fingers immediately digging into his skin.
“I won’t be able to stop,” he ground out each of the words still feeling compelled to warn her, to give her any opportunity to put an end to this madness.
“I won’t want you to,” she replied in a breathy whisper.
She straddled him now, reaching her hand between their bodies to grasp his dick, stroking it up and down in a softer fashion than he’d been doing only moments before.
“This is new to you, so I’ll try to go slow this time. I didn’t before and I’m sorry.”
He felt like he was babbling, but he couldn’t stop the words from flowing. His body was reacting to hers, his cat ready to once again attempt to link with hers. Keller was struggling to keep some semblance of control over this insane situation.
“I don’t want you to go slow, I want you right now!” She slammed her hips down over his length screaming out as his thickness stretched her wide and fast.
“Fuck!” The one word didn’t seem to cover how potent and phenomenal the quick punch of lust felt when her warmth was surrounding him.
Now it was his fingers digging into her skin as she settled over him. His eyes had closed tightly, bright bursts of light exploded behind his lids as he tried to grasp the blinding pleasure now soaring through him. When she began circling her hips slowly, he opened his eyes to look up at her. Because he wore his cat’s eyes always Keller had no problem seeing in the dark room and what he saw was glorious to behold.
Her hair was a wild mass surrounding her face, sexy as hell didn’t quite do it justice. Amber eyes shimmered with specks of yellow gold as her cat peeked onto the scene. Lips of a medium thickness were parted slightly as she breathed in and pushed out air. The slim line of her neck led his gaze down to the tips of her dark brown nipples standing in erect peaks. She was leaning over him, long arms holding her up as her hips moved in a sinuous fashion.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me.” Again, words were just falling from his mouth without any coherent thought or consideration.
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and closed her eyes for a moment, moaning as his hands slid from her hips to cup her ass.
“The same thing you’re doing to me,” she replied when she opened her eyes again. “It’s amazing.”
He silently agreed as he gripped the globes of her ass tighter, spreading her cheeks slightly and directing her teasing circular movements into a pumping pattern that instantly caused more friction and more delight for them both.
“Yes,” he gasped finally. “Yes, it damn sure is.”
So amazing Keller was certain he had to be dreaming. He didn’t normally dream and when they did come, they weren’t pleasant. This was beyond pleasant, it was more than anything he could have ever imagined feeling with anyone and there was an urgent need to give her more.
He shocked them both when he lifted her off him, pushing her back until she was flat on the bed. She stared at him in question until he pulled her legs up, dropping them over his shoulder and eased the top half of his body down between them. Her fingers were immediately in his hair, raking through the strands at the top, smoothing over the close-cropped parts on the side. He put his face against her mound. His cheek first as he rubbed against the soft mat of dark curls there. She sucked in a breath and let it out in a long, throaty moan. He turned his face, hearing his cat purr on the inside as her hair rubbed along his face once more. Bringing his hands down from where they were resting on her outer thigh, he parted her moist folds and before she had a moment to take her next breath, he licked from her dripping center up to the hood of her clit. She cried out and arched her back up off the bed. He licked her again and again, lapping up every drop of her arousal as if she’d given his cat a delicious bowl of cream.
Her fingers were tugging his hair now, his name falling from her lips like a chant. He couldn’t stop licking her, not even if their lives depended on it. She tasted too sweet, felt too soft, her voice sounded too heavenly. Sucking her clit between his lips had her moaning and pulling his hair until his scalp tingled. Sliding a finger into her center while his mouth continued to work over the tight bud, she panted a rhythmic litany of “Yes!” mingled with his name.
It was as if he had his own cheering section and the sound of her voice alone speared him on, that and the more he sucked and pumped into her, the more her body responded with an outpouring of the delicious nectar his cat was gorging on. Again, her body was sucking him in, grasping first, the one finger and then accepting the second with greedy fervor. He pumped and sucked, pumped and sucked, all the while the tip of his dick burned with the pressure of how hard it was at this moment. He needed so badly to be inside her again, but he couldn’t, not yet.
Instead, he kept pumping his fingers in and out of her and when they were drenched, his lips soaked, and her thighs had just begun to shake slightly, he let one finger slip past her entrance, going back to the tight bud of her anus. The motion dragged the rivulets of her essence down until it covered the taut skin there. He repeated the movement marveling at how she lifted her ass off the bed slightly each time his finger touched that erotic spot.
“You’re gonna like it there,” he whispered against the soft skin of her thigh. “You’re gonna like it so very much, my little cat.”
He touched the spot again, this time applying the slightest bit of pressure. She purred and thrust into his face.
“Yeah, you’re so damn sexy. More than I think you even know.”
And she was so very wet. He circled the tight spot, teasing it with his drenched digit and the trickle of even more moisture coming from her.
“I’m gonna take you here, my little cat. I’m gonna take you and we’re both gonna come.”
Hell, he felt like he was going to come at any moment now. With his finger still toying with her back entrance, he pressed his tongue into her creamy cove, driving it deep enough to make her scream. Her release came in seconds, her thighs tightening around his head, body trembling on the bed.
He didn’t give her a second to recover, his cat was in no mood for giving anymore. Pulling his face and hands away, Keller lifted and speared his dick into her with one quick thrust. This time it was his roar echoing in the room as he began to pump fiercely in and out of her. His body moved faster as the desire mingled with pleasure coursing through him like
a torrential storm. His eyes had closed to mere slits and he could partially see her head moving back and forth on the bed, her hands clenching the sheet beneath them. Gripping her ankles, he spread her legs into a wide V and continued pumping until all he could hear was the sound of their bodies slapping together, all he could feel was the delectable warmth of her essence surrounding his cock and all he wanted was her. Every fuckin’ part of her, for now and for…
His release came like a powerful punch, the cat inside going up on its hind legs and letting a roar rip free that should have echoed throughout the entire state of Florida.
“Keller!” she screamed his name as her body trembled beneath his again and a scent unlike any he’d ever experienced filled the room.
His body jerked, dick sliding out of her slightly only to slam back into her again as his release emptied into her. Keller could have sworn he felt it not only entering her body, but mingling with the most intimate parts of her, mixing and combining, creating something more than he would bet either of them had bargained for. His body stiffened and he couldn’t move, it felt too good to be inside her and scared the hell out of him to slip out.
His mind screamed with indecipherable warnings while his body and the cat within held on tight. He brought her legs together so that they now rested on his shoulders. Turning his head slightly, he kissed her ankle and then the curve of her foot. Her body went limp, her breaths coming fast, eyes still closed. He kissed the other ankle and foot, rubbing his hands down her legs, but still stayed firmly embedded inside her until he thought she might be growing uncomfortable. Reluctantly, he pulled out of her, letting her legs down softly and pulled the sheet over her. They were laying at the opposite end of the bed now and the sheets and comforter were a tangled mess, but he managed to cover at least her midsection, before easing over to sit on the side of the bed.
“Will it always be like that?” she asked after a few minutes.
The answer sounded immediately in his mind, but Keller did not respond. He couldn’t say yes, would not commit to this happening with her again, even though his cat demanded it.