by Tia Louise
“What the hell is so funny, Mercy?” Dylan snaps.
“I’m just wondering when the Lilliputians are going to come out.” Picking up a Brussels sprout with my fork, I wave it over my plate. “Ooo, I’m a giant! I’m going to eat this tiny cabbage!”
“Are you drunk?” Her voice is sharp, and I press my lips together to stop a laugh.
Reaching for my wine glass, I take a long sip, fixing my eyes on her in a decidedly rebellious way.
Hayden watches the whole thing, that stupid grin curling his lips. Just then SMASH! Penny’s water glass falls over, sending a flood of liquid across the table. We all stand up quickly, stepping back from the mess.
“Oh, my god!” my aunt wails as two servers rush in with towels.
“I’m glad to see nothing fell apart while I was out of town.” Dylan’s tone is icy. “I apologize, Hayden. It seems everyone’s out of sorts this evening.”
“Never a dull moment,” he says under his breath. “No matter. Perhaps we should call it a night. I’m sure you’re tired from traveling. I’ll be back next week to settle our affairs.”
“Next week?” The near-shriek in her voice snaps my attention to her.
She quickly suppresses her flash of panic, but my wicked humor is forgotten. I’ve never seen my alpha sister react to anyone that way.
Hayden is unmoved. A slim hand is on his hip as he gestures toward Grant. “Yes, Dylan. It’s time. Come, Grant.”
With that, they stride out of the room, straight posture and confidence intact. The servers have cleaned up the mess, but Penny doesn’t resume her seat. She’s staring at Dylan as if waiting for her to do something. Dylan is still staring at the place where Hayden stood, a defeated look on her face.
My eyes fly from one of them to the other. Finally, I blurt, “Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on? What affair is Hayden going to settle?”
Dylan only cuts me a look and doesn’t answer. I turn to my aunt, and her brows knit like she’s going to cry.
“Just tell her, Dylan,” she whispers. “She might as well know.”
Dylan’s lips tighten, and she strides to the portable wet bar. I watch as she takes a crystal tumbler and fills it with an inch of whiskey, which she immediately drains.
“Yes, please tell me, Dylan.”
Her eyes flash when they meet mine again. “As usual, you’re acting like a spoiled brat. Probably why he moved up the timeline.”
I can’t hide my anger at her accusation. “Stop saying that and tell me what’s happening!”
She shakes her head and pours another whiskey. “You’re so sheltered. You have no idea the pressure of maintaining a female-alpha pack.”
“You’re right, I don’t. Because you’ve never included me in anything!”
“Back in the day, when it was easier—”
“Are you attempting to imply there was ever a time when being a magical creature was easy?”
She shakes her head, walking slowly to the window. “No. It’s never been easy.” Lifting the glass, she takes another sip. “Our leaders hate strong men, but they fear strong women. Fear is a far worse enemy than hate could ever be.”
Holding the tall curtains open, she gazes up at the orange moon. My forehead lines as I consider her words. They explain nothing.
“What does any of this have to do with you and Hayden?”
Her arm drops along with her chin. “I’m tired,” she says softly. “I’m going to bed. I’ll explain it to you tomorrow.”
With that she leaves the room. I watch her swirl out in a sea of blue-green and brown hair. Glancing back at Penny, I see her watching me, still looking like she might cry.
“Well?” I say, hoping she’ll give me some insight.
She only shakes her head and looks down. “Goodnight, Mercy.”
Shoulders drooped, she walks out, leaving me with my spoiled dinner and a glass of wine. I finish it in two sips and retire to my own bedroom. The sooner this stupid night is over, the sooner I can find Koa and try to explain. Only I’m not sure how to explain what I don’t understand myself.
My eyes pop open just as the dawn is lighting the sky, and I jump out of my bed. Not even the birds are chirping as I fling open my balcony window, whip my nightgown over my head, and spring into my lynx form.
Running as hard as I can, one word beats over and over in my mind. Koa. I want to see him. I need to see him. I need him to understand why I did what I did — why I had to stay away last night. Only… my stomach clenches at the thought. Am I brave enough to say it?
When I reach the steps to his apartment, I pause and listen. It’s still early enough that everyone is either asleep or still in bed. I quickly hop up the steps and shake off my magic, turning the doorknob quietly as I slip into his room.
He tells me not to run around alone at night, but he’s the one always sleeping with his door unlocked. As if anyone would be stupid enough to try and break in on him. For a moment, I stand at the door and watch him sleep.
He’s lying on his back in the center of the double bed. The white sheet is draped across his waist, and the early morning light deepens the lines across his gorgeous torso. One muscled arm is behind his head, and my insides pull toward him.
I love stretching my body along the length of his, skin on skin. It’s the most incredible feeling — his hard warmth against my softness. With hesitant steps, I walk to his bedside. This could go one of two ways, and I hold my breath hoping with everything in me it goes mine.
Carefully, I crawl in beside him, easing my body down next to his, placing my cheek against his chest. A tiny quiver of fear moves through me as I reach an arm across his waist, pulling us together chest to chest, stomach to stomach, touching all the way to our toes.
He moves so quickly, I don’t even have time to scream. I’m on my back, and he’s above me, looking down at me with a burning intensity I can’t interpret.
“What do you want, Mercy.” It’s not a question. It’s only a notch above a growl. He’s angry, and he has every right to be. I only hope he’ll let me explain.
“I said what do you WANT?” His voice is louder, and I do shudder this time. Angry Koa is scary as fuck.
Trusting my gut, I answer with complete honesty. “You.”
My voice is a tenuous little sound, soft and frightened, and his brow lines. “No. I don’t play games, Mercy.”
He releases me and starts to move away, but I cling to him, holding his arm, trying to pull him back. “Let me explain.” I hate how weak I sound. “It wasn’t a game.”
He catches my wrists, throwing me back on the bed, pinning me beneath him.
“Why are you here? You need me to fuck you, but you need him to make you legit?”
His words are so cruel and full of anger. It’s as if he really did hit me. Still, I have to make him hear me. “No!”
“Then tell me why. I’ll tell you if I understand.”
His grip on my arms is painful, but I struggle through the pain. “I want you. I only want you. Not him.”
“Now and not yesterday?” He releases me, throwing me away from him onto the bed as he sits up, preparing to leave. “No thanks.”
“Wait!” I scramble against the mattress, wrapping my arms around him, catching him from the front. “Listen to me!”
My breasts are pressed against his chest as I hold his neck. Our faces are so close, and we’re both breathing fast.
“I wanted you yesterday.” His green eyes focus on my mouth before flickering up to my eyes, which I hope are filled with all the desperation I feel.
An angry noise erupts from his throat, and he turns me, pushing me forward on the bed with the force of his weight. I’m temporarily winded, and I don’t have time to recover before he shoves my legs open with his knee. I’m just getting my bearings when…
“Oh, god!” I cry out. He pushes into me from behind in one violent thrust.
“Is this what you want?” he growls.
Gripping both my arms, he pump
s faster into me — faster and harder, causing me to moan, causing my back to arch up toward him. Leaning down, he pulls the skin at the base of my neck between his teeth and bites me. I feel the pierce of his panther fangs, and an explosion of orgasm clenches my insides.
“Yes, Koa! Yes…” His movement temporarily falters. For a second, he seems to hesitate. Then he comes back, pumping me with as much intensity as before.
His face is in the side of my hair. His lips graze my ear as his beard tingles the sensitive skin of my neck. “Say it,” he growls, still rocking.
I’m on the brink of splitting in two. His passionate anger, his roughness, his bite, all of it has me twisting beneath him, desperate for the orgasm that’s just in my grasp, that’s snaking up the insides of my thighs.
“I tasted it on your blood,” he grinds out, fucking me so hard. “Say it, Mercy.”
I know what he wants. My eyes squeeze shut as my hips begin to jerk. “Oh, god!” I wail, shuddering with the pleasure rocketing through my body. “Oh, god, yes!”
I’m writhing. My hips are bucking up, meeting him as my orgasm blanks my mind.
“Say it,” his low growl is right in my ear, pulling me back.
My mouth opens, and I surrender. I confess the words I’ve been resisting for days. “I’m yours. I belong to you.”
“Fuck.” As soon as I say it, his orgasm breaks. He thrusts into me two more times before he stills, vibrating with the intensity of our connection, both our hearts pounding with the weight of the truth.
* * *
Koa
Mercy is tight in my arms, trembling and spent. I’m holding her with all my strength, sated and stunned.
I had been so angry with her last night, and this morning when she tried to sneak into my bed as if nothing had happened, I wanted to shake her. I had visions of crazy things like pulling her across my lap and spanking her until her ass glowed red. Instead I bit her, and the anger inside me disintegrated.
As her blood touched my tongue, reality hit me like a sledgehammer. Yes, I’d had the feelings, stronger as the days had progressed, as we’d continued making love.
I was pretty sure it was happening the night I’d spent on the cold hard ground just to be sure she was safe, and I was even more sure the day I’d nearly ripped Jim’s head off for touching her. Funny how stubborn some shifters can be.
When I tasted her, all the cards flipped over. Mercy is mine. She stayed away from me last night because it was the full moon. I would’ve impregnated her so hard and so fast, we’d be reeling from it today.
Only, we’re both pretty shaken up by the realization. Loosening my grip, I roll onto my back staring at the ceiling. She curls into a ball at my side. I want to hold her, but I’ve got to get my head around this first, figure out what it means.
“How long have you known?” My voice is as rough as I feel.
A few seconds click by before she answers softly. “I wasn’t sure until just now.”
“Last night?”
“I only suspected. I… I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Smart.” My Mercy… Mine. “I didn’t… I never believed in this happening.”
“I didn’t either.” Her voice is so soft.
It only takes a second longer before my insides cave. Warmth floods in, replacing the shock, and I turn to her, wrapping my body around the curve of her back, my arms tight around her waist. I sink my face into her soft hair and inhale deeply her scent of fresh air and warm woods.
“My Mercy,” I murmur, and at once her muscles relax.
Her arms cover mine and our fingers entwine. We both ease into this new state of affairs like a calming bath. Allowing the soothing truth to wash over us, cover us in fascination with what we’ve found.
After several minutes, she starts to move, turning in my arms. When our eyes meet, I feel like I’m falling even further. “You’re so beautiful,” I whisper.
Her hands are on my jaw, and she slides her thumbs across my cheeks. “Who knew I’d get such a big, sexy panther.”
“The panther sure didn’t. He’d never believe he’d be so lucky.”
She lifts up and captures my mouth. I push her back against the bed deepening our kiss. It’s magnetic. Our bodies seem to be fusing together somehow. I want to fuck her again, but it’s more than sexual attraction. The feeling inside me is soul-deep.
My mouth moves to her jaw, but she sits up quickly, turning away from me. I reach out to grab her small waist and pull her back, but she holds my wrists.
“I have to go. I’ll be late for work.” She laughs, and warmth unfurls in my stomach.
“I’ll walk you home.”
She stands, shaking her head as she crosses to my door. I love her rear view, her long hair dancing around her waist. “I can get home on my own. We’re more likely to get caught this time of day.”
“Then I’m coming to see you at work. I’ll be there in an hour.”
Pausing at the door she looks back at me, stealing my breath. Damn, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. My Mercy. Her lips pucker into a little air-kiss, and she cracks the door. The last thing I see is a streak of golden brown fur.
Old Debts
Koa
Mercy is behind the juice bar when I walk through the front door. She’s laughing and chatting with Jim. She’s different, and not just because of what’s happened between us. She seems lighter, more confident. The little bell above alerts them to my presence, and when she turns, her smile is so big.
I’m moving pretty fast in her direction, but she dashes out from behind the bar and runs to me, jumping straight into my arms.
“Whoa,” I laugh, catching her under the ass. Her arms are around my neck, her legs around my waist, and she kisses me hard. It’s a greeting that has another part of my anatomy joining the show.
Pulling back, I chuckle. “Take it easy, sexy. We’re in public.”
“I don’t care.” She leans in and touches her nose to mine before dropping her legs. Catching my hand, she leads me back to the juice bar where Jim’s standing, looking smug.
“Dude, I knew you guys would be okay.”
“We’re more than okay,” she says, stopping at the bar and pulling my arm around her waist.
I’m happy to hold her soft body against mine, but I’ve been thinking about what I’m about to tell her all morning. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it since I tasted her blood last night and knew she was mine. My decision weighs heavy in my chest, but I know it’s the right thing.
“Can we talk?” I say softly against her ear.
She turns and kisses my lips quickly. “Of course!”
Holding her hand, I’m about to lead her out into the parking lot when Andy appears in the hallway. He’s not smiling. In fact, his eyes are flashing with anger.
“Would you mind stepping in here for a second?” He’s talking to me, and I’m pretty sure I can guess what he wants.
Glancing at Mercy, I find it odd that she has a confused expression on her face.
“Give me a sec.” I squeeze her hand before I follow Andy into his office.
“Shut the door,” he says in a cold voice. I comply, and he immediately launches into the speech. “I told you what would happen. You were given direct instructions about Mercy.”
“Andy, man, I didn’t mean to ignore you, but—”
“Fuck that, you’re fired, Koa. Clean out your locker and don’t come back.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re firing me because I’m dating Mercy?”
“Looks like more than dating to me.”
“It is, but that’s none of your damn business.”
“Right. You are no longer my damn business or my damn employee. You can pick up your final check this afternoon. Now get the hell out.”
For a second, I hesitate, trying to think of something to say. Finally, I just shake my head and grab the doorknob. “This is fucked up, Andy.”
“Leave your key with Jim.”
I’m out the door, and I pull it closed a little too hard. The framed certificates on the walls and motivational posters rattle.
Mercy’s back at my side, her dark brows clutched over her pretty blue eyes. “What was that about?”
Wrapping my arm over her shoulder, I pull her to me and kiss her head. “Honestly, I thought you’d know.”
She pushes back to study my face. “Know what?”
Digging in my pocket I pull out the small silver key and slide it across the counter to Jim. “Andy just fired me.”
“Bro! What the hell?”
“What!” Mercy’s voice is a whisper. “On what grounds? I’m going to talk to him right now!”
She starts for his office, but I catch her around the waist. “Hang on. We need to talk anyway.”
“If he fires you, I quit! I’m not working for a place that fires good people for no reason!”
“Come with me, spitfire.” I’ve got her again, and I’m leading her to the front door.
“Dude!” Jim calls behind me. “I’ll see you tonight at Aunt D’s! We’ll talk about it then.”
I lift my chin at him before pushing through the glass door. We walk down the sidewalk a bit, where we have some privacy.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I touch the line between Mercy’s slim brows. “It’s actually for the best—”
“What reason did he give?”
I blink at her a few moments then just say it. “When I first started here, he told me to stay away from you. He said you were off limits.”
“What!” Her mouth drops open.
“It was about the time you told me the same thing,” I grin, touching her chin. “I thought you’d put him up to it.”
“I never!” She spins on her heel, ready to charge back into the gym. In one quick move, I’ve got her around the waist again, carrying her back to where we were. “He has no right!” she cries.
“Listen to me,” I cut her off. “I told you it’s for the best.”
She stops struggling and looks up at me. “Why? Do you have another job?”
“No.” With one finger, I slide a loose strand of hair off her forehead. I can’t stop touching her. She’s so pretty. “I’ve been thinking about this… thing we’ve got here.” I motion between us. “Mercy, I don’t have anything to offer you right now. No name, no house, no pack… I don’t even have a car—”