by Sarra Cannon
Silently apologizing for his actions, he leaned down close to Sariel and clamped his hand over her mouth. He’d expected her to react with fear. To jump, to scream, to fight back against some unknown attacker. Instead, she growled soft and purr-like as she grabbed him by the arms and pulled him down on top of her. Bez fell easily, partly because of his unbalanced stance and partly because it was his mate pulling him into bed with her. Of course, he’d fall.
Without opening her eyes, Sariel wrapped her legs around Bez’s hips and melted against him. Bez tried to resist, to pull away, but she was so warm, so soft, and so his. He tucked his face in her neck, scenting her, unable to hold back his growl. Her heat was a delicious tease, her body soft beneath his. Pliant. He rocked his hips against hers, slipping into the cradle of her thighs. He held himself back, though, not wanting to push her too far. He didn’t even think she’d woken up yet; he couldn’t just rut her through the mattress. Not that he didn’t want to.
Damn, did he want to.
Sariel slid her hands around his neck, holding him tightly as she sighed and shifted her hips back and forth. Bez tried to hold back, to keep himself from losing his focus and giving in to the mating haze, but Sariel fought him for control. She yanked him down on top of her, holding him and fighting to bring him closer. And even against his best judgment, he surrendered.
He pressed himself into the swollen heat of her pussy and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her tightly and caging her in against his body. She growled and rocked until she pressed just right against the rapidly hardening length of his cock, until she groaned and shivered with every single thrust. Bez closed his eyes, losing all sense of time and place as she rubbed herself against him. So hot, so soft. And so very, very naked underneath that T-shirt.
“Bez,” Sariel whispered, obviously awake. Bez took that as her consent, collapsing on her with all his weight and rubbing his dick against her sweet pussy. Her lips found the curve where his neck met his shoulder, following the kiss with a gentle bite. Bez shivered at the feel of her teeth against him and fought back a possessive growl. Damn it, they weren’t alone and had a pack of shifters closing in on them, but he couldn’t stop. The instinct to mate and mark and claim was nearly impossible to resist. He needed to pull away, to stop rutting against her, but good God, it felt so amazing. So right. Hips rocking, flexing his back to hit the exact spots that would make Sariel shiver and sigh, he bit his lip and counted down. Thirty seconds. He could give her that long, and then he’d have to yank himself free of the urge to mate and get her moving toward the attic.
Bez slipped his hand between them, brushing his knuckle against the soft flesh of her pussy. Wet and hot and so much his. She sighed and shivered again, spreading her legs for him. Rushing him. He wanted to take his time, to explore more, but that would have to wait for next time. For the thousands of next times he’d make sure they’d have together.
He worked his fingers against her clit before sliding lower, circling her entrance as she gasped and arched into his touch. Hands clutching at him, breasts pressed tight against his chest, his name on her lips… She was so undeniably sexy. And his. All his.
He’d barely slipped a finger inside, barely gotten to be blessed with the sensation of being surrounded by her, when he heard the crashing of the wolves through the woods on the two sides of the property. The sound was enough to pull him free of the imperative to claim his mate. Cursing, he bit her lip and gave her three strong thrusts before he pulled his hand away. They were out of time.
Bez sat up with a sigh, his heart breaking at the look of disappointment in her eyes. “You have to go.”
Sariel gasped, clinging to the sheet and pulling it up against her chest. Bez’s heart stuttered at the pained expression on her face, and he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.
“No, Freckles.” Bez shook his head. “You have to go up to the safe room. They’re here.”
It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did, she practically exploded off the bed. Her feet barely making a sound, she hurried to Angelita’s bed, waking the wolf with soft whispers. Once the wolf awoke, Sariel shushed her and looked back his way, her eyes wide and filled with a fear that made his soul ache.
“Are you sure it’s not your team?” Sariel asked.
Bez watched her, trying to keep his words smooth and steady so as not to scare either of the two Omegas under his protection. “No, not yet. Soon, but it’s time to get you both in the safe room.”
Sariel nodded, something Bez took to mean she understood. Which was good, because by the way the sounds outside were growing closer, they only had a handful of minutes until the first wolf would be at their door.
Bez hurried Sariel and Angelita into the hallway, sliding open the attic access panel and pulling the ladder down with ease.
“Up we go.” Bez grabbed Angelita and brought her to his chest before giving Sariel a look he hoped said more than his words could in that moment. Words like I’m sorry, I want to get to know you, you’re my mate and I need you safe. All things he didn’t have time for, so he said what he could with his eyes as he whispered, “After you.”
Bez followed his mate up the ladder, staying close to her. Close enough for his arms to rub against her ass with every move as he hurried her up the steps while carrying Angelita. Her very naked ass, he noticed repeatedly. He needed to find her something to wear, but there wasn’t enough time. Not with the enemy so close.
Once Bez’s feet hit the attic floor, he led the girls to the safe room door. After he entered the code and released the latch, he swung open the heavy door and set Angelita down just over the threshold.
“It’s steel; they can’t get through,” he whispered, purposely keeping his voice low as the wolves outside came closer. Sariel stared up at him, all breathless and flushed. Kissable. Fuckable. But not yet. “Get in and lock the door. I’ll be back when this is over.”
“What about you?” Sariel asked, fear showing in her gaze. She grabbed his wrist, her fingers soft and hot against his skin. That touch set him on fire, making him growl his want for her. Bez couldn’t hold back any longer. He closed the gap between them, picked her up, and crashed his lips to hers, kissing her with all he had. She met his kiss with the same fervor, not backing down, owning him as much as he was trying to own her.
His hands gripped her ass, pulling her tight, squeezing her closer. She rocked and rubbed herself against him, needy. Her legs wrapped around his hips and gripped him, giving her enough leverage to move her entire body on his. So much delicious friction.
But time was not on their side, and Bez needed to get his mind back in the fight. After one final lip bite that made Sariel sigh, he pulled back, knowing his time was up as the first footfall fell on the grass of the lawn.
“Gotta go.”
Sariel stepped into the safe room, her chin up and her eyes dry. His brave little mate putting on a show for him and Angelita. “Be careful.”
“Stay put.” Bez pushed the door closed, resting his hands against the cool steel for a moment longer than necessary before whispering, “Stay safe.”
As soon as Bez heard the click of the lock engaging, he stalked across the attic and slid down the ladder. With a single push, he slid the access panel back into place, making the entrance almost invisible. He would have liked to have hidden their scent trail as well, but it was too late. The wolves were on the property, though there was still no scent or sound of the werewolf. That worried him more than if the beast had been on the porch or breaking through the windows. Its absence told him the jackasses had a plan and a strategy. Too bad Bez did as well, one that would decimate theirs. Lights off, house silent, Bez smiled and gave himself over to his inner wolf.
It was time to fight for the Omegas…time to kill for his mate’s safety.
Chapter 12
“Be careful,” Sariel said, her heart in her throat. Fear wrapped around her like a vise, strangling her voice. She gave herself one more moment to
look over her mate—her strong, capable, warrior mate—before she pulled the heavy door closed. The lock dropped into place with a clank, the sound ominous in the hollow space. She leaned her forehead against the steel panel and closed her eyes.
“Be safe.”
A whine from behind her made Sariel open her eyes, fighting back the burn of unshed tears. Forcing the worry from her heart, she turned toward the little wolf.
“C’mon, Angelita. Let’s—” Sariel looked around the sparsely appointed room, belatedly noticing there was nothing for the two of them to do but sit on the floor and wait. A level of hell where minutes passed like hours with no distractions. “Well…shit.”
Angelita whined and bumped into her legs, offering comfort in her own way. Sariel sighed and dropped her hand to Angelita’s neck to tug on the fur.
“He’ll be okay. We’ll all be okay.”
The words tasted false on her lips. Would Bez be able to win a battle with the men who’d taken them? One-on-one, she believed Bez could do anything. Even two-on-one. But no man or wolf could take down a pack on their own, and if the men acted like a pack, Bez was in trouble. If the pack brought a werewolf, Bez was dead.
The silence reigned for several minutes, tension high, human and wolf breathing fast and hard as they waited for any sensory input that would tell them the fight had begun. Several minutes as Sariel’s stomach churned and her heart raced, worry over her mate’s safety taking over her thoughts.
The fight itself didn’t start with a growl or a bang, not with anything loud or crashing. No, this fight started with a catcall from outside playing live over some kind of speaker system.
“Here, pretty girl. Come out and play with us.” The words exploded into the room, shattering the silence. The voice came from a guard both women feared. His eyes were too wandering, his smile too lascivious. Sariel had hated him from the moment he’d looked her up and down when she’d been dropped at their houseboat camp. She hated him even more knowing his presence put Angelita and her mate in danger.
“Come on, girl,” another wolf said from the opposite side of the house. “Your pack didn’t hide when we came for them. They may not have been any good at fighting, but at least they died with some kind of honor instead of hiding away. Well, except your parents, of course.”
Sariel grabbed Angelita as the shewolf growled, wrapping her arms around her fur-covered ribs and pulling her into a full-body hug. “They’re trying to bait you so you react emotionally and make a mistake. Don’t let them win.”
Angelita growled and snapped, wiggling to break free. Sariel gripped her harder, wrapping her legs around Angelita’s hips to hold her still.
“They all deserve to die for what they did to your pack. But you have to let Bez handle it, okay? He’ll make sure they get what’s coming to them.”
Finally, Angelita huffed and held still, no longer fighting. Sariel ran her hands over the girl’s fur, trying to keep her calm as more taunts came from outside. All four men from the camp had arrived, surrounding the house, which meant Bez had to fight off four at once. Sariel wasn’t sure even her strong, soldier mate was good enough for those odds. Especially if the werewolf showed up.
“What was it they called you, little girl?” a man called. Sariel stiffened as Angelita’s head spun, staring hard at the door leading out of the room.
Sariel leaned down and hissed, “Don’t—”
“Angelita, right? The pack’s little angel come to save them all.”
Angelita leaped from Sariel’s hold and stormed to the door, her growl deep and threatening. Sariel landed against the metal wall, her head hitting hard. Stars exploded before her eyes as she gripped the back of her head and scrambled to her knees.
“Angelita, no! Don’t let them win.”
“Guess you couldn’t save them, after all,” the man yelled with a sarcastic chuckle. “Especially not your own brother.”
Angelita slammed into the steel door, jumping up on her hind legs and clawing at the handle until the lock disengaged. The little wolf pushed open the door and raced out into the attic. Sariel hurried to her feet, weaving as her head spun but still putting one foot in front of the other. Before the younger wolf could do much more than jump at the window in the dormer, Sariel caught up with her. She wrapped her arms around the wolf from behind and brought her face to her ear.
“They want you to come out there upset. We make mistakes when we’re hurting, and they’ll take advantage of those. Don’t let them win with words, hon. Wait…watch. Let Bez do his thing.”
Angelita fought to be free, clawing Sariel’s arms and legs as she whipped her head back and forth to bite. Sariel just held on, having battled young wolf shifters for far too many years to not know how to keep from being bitten.
“Soon, Angelita. Soon. Let’s get back inside the safe room, though. Okay? Otherwise, Bez’s going to be distracted by us, and that’s the last thing he needs. He has to fight them.”
Angelita stilled, her growl turning to a whine. Until the catcalling started again.
“C’mon, Angelita. Come out here and let me see if your blood tastes as sweet as your mother’s.”
Angelita twisted, biting down on Sariel’s arm. The pain radiated to her fingers, forcing Sariel to release the wolf. Angelita headed straight for the small window overlooking the side of the cabin, looking ready to break right through the glass to get outside. Sariel grabbed her again, the two struggling, one holding on for dear life and one dying to be released. Sariel stood as she got a solid hold on the wolf, Angelita a snapping, snarling mess in her arms. The man outside must have seen them through the dirty glass because he turned their way and grinned.
“There you are, young one. C’mon out and play with me. I promise not to make your punishment take as long as it did when I skinned your dad. You can come too, dud. We’ve got a hungry beast waiting for you.”
Angelita snarled at the laughing man, but not for long. A high-pitched whistle interrupted her. Screaming through the night, the sound made both women stop and stare. A silver flash, a splash of red, and the man’s head fell to the ground a second before his body collapsed.
Sariel collapsed against the window frame, fingers pressed to the cool glass.
“Bez.”
Chapter 13
Bez slipped through the shadows, staying deep inside the house to avoid the windows. The loudmouth shouted from outside, but Bez knew that idiot was just a ruse. A distraction meant to attract Angelita’s attention with bullshit about her pack to make her react emotionally. They’d probably planned to separate the girl from him and Sariel and whisk her away. But Bez had her locked up, and he wouldn’t let her go outside if she left the safe room. Plus he’d never been one to fall for attempts at distraction. If one man outside was yelling and causing a ruckus, somewhere in the silence the real threat was coming for Angelita and his mate.
His mate.
He could still smell Sariel on his hand and taste her on his lips, could still feel her warm body against his. Thoughts of her distracted him but only in the best way. The woman was a firecracker, gorgeous and stunning while simultaneously dangerous if in the wrong hands. Bez hoped his were the right hands, because once he got rid of the wolves prowling around the house outside, thinking they were sneaky, and dealt with the werewolf he knew would be coming along, he was going to light her up and see what happened. That was his motivation. Not orders, not Blaze’s approval, or Dire Wolf pride. He wanted his mate in his den and in his bed. The fuckers outside were just getting in his way.
Shaking off the thoughts of his mate, Bez edged his way into the kitchen and toward the window. He flattened his body to the wall as he peered outside, keeping his wolf at the forefront of his mind, letting his animal senses take over. He smelled the interloper before his eyes found him, caught the shadow of the dark wolf standing at the edge of the lawn. His ears picked up the heavy breathing of the animal, the raspiness that came from running too hard too far for an out of shape shifter. Weak
…the animal was weak and tired, an easy kill.
Bez felt his canines descend, the hard enamel pushing through his gums as his ears lengthened and lifted. He needed to stay in his human form to fight, but his wolf could not be caged. The two had worked together for centuries this way, fighting their best when they shared the body. Half human, half animal…all lethal.
The wolf outside rocked on his paws, ready and waiting for whatever signals his leader had taught him. Obviously following orders, he stared up at the house, almost salivating for his shot at Angelita and Sariel. Bez nearly growled, his lips curling back over his teeth in a show of dominance even though the weaker wolf couldn’t see him. The fucker wouldn’t get a chance to complete his mission.
Slow and silent, Bez climbed up on the counter and curved his body around the edge of the window. He kept his breathing steady as he inched the window up, giving himself a mere few inches of space to work. Not that he needed more than that. There was a reason he’d chosen the weapons he had.
Grabbing a chakram from his pocket, Bez angled his body back as he slid in front of the window. The metal ring glinted in the moonlight, edges sharper than a razor. Light and deadly in the right hands, and his were definitely the right hands. The wolf outside never even looked toward Bez’s window, too intent on his quarry. His focus working in Bez’s favor.
Bez took a deep breath and jackknifed up, fully in front of the window. The wolf’s eyes darted to the glass, but it was too late for him. With a swing of his arm, Bez sent the chakram flying through the small gap between the sash and the frame, metal disk hitting the target in the throat a split second later. The wolf never made a sound, barely had time enough to realize Bez was even in the window. He simply fell to his side and bled all over the grass.