I watched as he went, curious as to what he was doing. When he turned to face me, the water no longer hiding an inch of his body, my breath caught in my throat. He was magnificent. All I could do was stare, hoping I wasn’t drooling.
He liked it, my staring. His body showed me how much he appreciated it. “You might want to move.” He said seconds before he took off and jumped in. Of course, his splash was much bigger than mine. He surfaced his face full of joy. “You’re right, that is more fun.”
I laughed as I tread water while he swam towards me. My heart sped up and my mouth went dry at his approach. He continued past me, brushing my shoulder as he went, electricity shot through me. I moved so I could follow him, curious as to why he simply swam past. He got to the shallower water and stood, reaching below the surface, bringing something back up and turned back towards me.
Holding a bar of soap in his hands, he motioned me closer. “Come here, there is a slight ledge you can sit on.” He demonstrated by sitting, the water high on his chest. “Let me wash your hair, this bar is all we have for soap so it will have to do.”
Hesitant to be that close to him after our last encounter, I swam around a bit.
“Come on Casey, I won’t bite, I promise.” Mack smiled.
I knew I couldn’t stay away from him and I did need the soap to fully clean myself. The water had washed away the dust, but a good scrubbing was needed to get fully clean. I took a deep breath and swam over, finding the ledge he indicated and turned my back, so he could wash my hair. No one had ever done that for me before.
“Lean your head back,” he instructed.
I did and felt his hands gently begin to work through my hair. The soap was had a light clean scent. The feel of his hands massaging my scalp and carefully working through the strands calmed me and lulled me into a drowsy state of comfort.
He rinsed the soap out then brought the soap to my shoulders, lathering them, up my neck and then down my back as far as he could before hitting the water. “Lean forward, so I can get the rest of your back,” he whispered.
Without thought, I complied. His hands felt wonderful, kneading the tension from my muscles as he went. He rinsed the soap and dirt away and pulled me back to him. I was so relaxed and content, I moved without thought.
He nuzzled my hair and inhaled deeply, a happy growl deep in his throat. Kissing my temple and placing the soap into my hand he whispered, “As much as I enjoy this time with you we need to finish cleaning up and get back to the cabin. We will continue our exploration later.” He nipped the lobe of my ear with his teeth and moved away.
I watched as he reached the shore and grabbed a towel out of the back pack to dry off. He was glorious to watch.
His nakedness didn’t seem to bother him a bit. He turned and caught me watching, dropped the towel and smiled.
I could feel the blush rising to my cheeks and turned away to finish washing and try to calm myself. Geesh, you would think I hadn’t seen a man naked before. I had, just never one as well put together as Mack.
My cat purred in agreement. And he is ours, she informed me. I wasn’t so sure of that, but I was willing to give him a chance and see what these feelings meant. He had a lot of questions to answer first.
Chapter Twelve
Mack
I enjoyed watching Casey squirm. She surprised me when she jumped into the water next to me. That little show of playfulness opened her up more than she realized and added to the reasons she is the perfect mate for me. I hated knowing that I couldn’t take the time to court her as she deserves to allow her to get to know me better. If we didn’t have her dad and his pack breathing down our necks, I could, but to keep her safe I have to move this along at a faster pace. Standing here naked, watching her blush was a good start. Her human side will rebel, but at the core of our animal side the main focus when we find our mate was to do just that, mate. Our primal need to continue the pack drives our instincts. It was even harder to resist once the female went into heat. I can only hope that would happen soon for Casey. “Come on Casey, we should get back to the cabin. Da and the others could show up at any time.” If she didn’t dry off and get dressed soon I’d be joining her back in the water and taking the mating choice out of her hands. I watched as emotions played across her face.
She was so expressive and didn’t even realize it. The pleasure she radiated as I washed her hair filled my heart with happiness, knowing I could give her that. That my mate took pleasure from in that simple act. My hands itched to touch her again, to connect and discover all her secrets. What turned her on, what mad her purr, and what calmed her. I wanted to know it all. My cat wasn’t so patient, he strained to get out and simply claim her. He felt there was time later to discover her, for now he needed to mark her for all others to know she was taken. I grabbed the other towel that Rook had packed and held it open. “I won’t bite, this time, I promise. We need to get back, let me help you dry and we can dress. I’m hungry and I am sure you are too.”
“Aren’t you going to turn around? You can put the towel down. I’ll grab it when I get out.” Casey crossed her arms over her chest.
“No. Something you have to get used to Casey is that as shifters, being naked doesn’t bother us. Seeing each other naked is normal. No need to be shy, its part of our nature. Come on out.” A true statement. I wasn’t going to admit I just wanted to see her naked. This thought had my cock tenting the sweatpants I’d just put on.
She huffed and started wading to the edge of the water, trying to keep herself as covered as possible. “That doesn’t mean I am going to start parading around for everyone to see.”
“Not everyone, just me.” I smiled as I folded her in the towel and in my arms. I took great care drying her off. I swatted her hands away every time she tried to take the towel from me, enjoying the blush creep up her neck. Taking pleasure in the hitch in her breathing and the increased heart rate, this intimate act brought on. I was amazed by the fact that my animal side enjoyed this as much as the human side. Knowing that we were pleasing our mate filled my heart. I didn’t want this moment to end, but I knew it had to. I wrapped the towel around her and stepped back to grab the clothes Rook had packed for her. “Here, put these on so we can get back to the cabin.”
Then she turned her back to get dressed.
My pleasure turned to pain instantly. A pain that sent me to my knees. “Ahhh…” I grabbed my head. This wasn’t ordinary pain—my father had opened the walls and was pulling on pack magic. Someone was hurt badly and Da was using everything in his power to keep them alive. As Alpha, he had the ability to pull strength from all those in his pack when needed, but he hadn’t done that since we were attacked and Casey had been taken. I wasn’t high in the hierarchy then, so I had never felt this level of magic being pulled on.
Casey ran to me. “Mack, are you ok? What’s wrong?” She ran her hands over me, searching for wounds or what might have caused my collapse.
“Someone’s hurt,” I gritted out. “We need to get to the cabin. Da is pulling on the pack to keep them alive,” I whispered close to passing out.
Casey placed herself under my shoulder, draping my arm around her and helped me back to the cabin. It was a slow process and each step brought more pain. The closer we got to the cabin, the pain lessened. It hit those of us farthest from the pack or pack members, the worst. We found Rook in the same pain when we came through the door.
“Help me to the couch,” I instructed my voice a bit stronger.
“How can I help?” Casey pleaded.
“You are doing all you can darling. Thank you.” I tried to smile at her.
“Why don’t I feel the same pain?”
“Because you aren’t pack yet,” Rook replied.
“How do I do that Rook? I need to help, how do I become pack? I want to help, I want to fight.”
Rook and I exchanged a glance. We both knew the only way she could truly become part of the pack was to accept the mark of her mate. My cat perked up at
that thought, he was ready to claim her no matter when it happened or if she was ready. I nodded at Rook, maybe if it came from him, she would be more agreeable to the idea.
“Sibby—” he started.
“Call me Casey,” she interrupted him. “I know that’s the name you remember me by, but that’s not who I am anymore. My name is Casey now and that’s what it will remain.”
“Ok, Casey. I know you want to help, but the only way for you to become pack is to accept a mate. That’s not something you can do lightly. Part of the magic of a shifter is that we only have one true mate. If you accept someone who isn’t your true mate, your life will be hollow and unhappy. Finding your mate is magical, fulfilling, and something that makes this long hard life worth living. You can’t just say ‘I take you as my mate.’ When you find your true mate, you just know. You can’t imagine being with anyone else, your protective instincts go into high gear, even if you have only met them once. Our animal side accepts faster than our human because it’s in their nature.” He took a breath and let it out as he stared at Casey. “Have you felt that? Is there anyone you have met that you don’t want to be without? Ask your cat, who has she picked, if anyone?”
Casey sat back and looked between us, thinking before she answered, “Yes.”
“You have to be sure Casey. This is a lifelong commitment you would be making.”
The cabin door flew open before she could say anything else. Da entered with Marla, Steven, and Sterling. They were carrying Jake between them. I knew instantly that Jake was the reason for the hard pull on the pack. They had another woman with them that I had never met before. She followed them in and helped get Jake on the bed in the back of the cabin then went back outside without saying a word.
“Casey we need clean towels, fresh water, and the first aid kit from the bathroom. Now!” Da bellowed.
She jumped and gathered everything requested.
I knew our conversation would have to wait until we could be alone again, and from the looks of things that wouldn’t be soon. Rook and I joined the others surrounding Jake. Saving his life was top priority at this moment.
“What happened?” Rook barked. His military training coming through. All emotion was locked away and he awaited instructions.
“Casey’s father sent two waves of shifters, we fought off most of them, but one got through our lines and attacked Jake. Jaxson will join us soon, we have to get him stabilized until then. We took most of them out, but a few got away. Marla made sure no one followed us, so we are safe for now. I sent out the call for everyone available to gather here to regroup.” Da looked at me, weariness in his eyes. “I sent the women underground, your mother is in charge and will keep them safe until we give the signal. Mack, this fight isn’t going to be pretty. This one is to the death. This will change the control of territories forever. Are you ready for that?”
I knew what he was asking. Was she worth it? Was I ready to possibly lose everything? I was. There was no hesitation. “Yes.”
He came close and whispered, “If you aren’t son, that’s ok. Are you sure she is your mate?”
My cat roared at the tone in my father’s voice. My fangs elongated and my claws spurted from my fingers before I regained control.
He stepped back. “Calm down, I just had to make sure. Now, go and assure your mate that Jake will be fine. You need to claim her before they get here. She is essentially a locator beacon to our hideout, and we can’t change that until she is pack.”
“Who is that woman outside?”
“You don’t need to worry about her. She is here to help add a layer of protection. Talia and her family have been in service of the pack for generations. I will introduce her when the time is right.”
I wasn’t happy with that answer, but knew when to back off. I pulled Casey aside. “We need to talk. Jake will be fine, Da and the others have him stabilized for now and Jaxson will get him fixed up when he arrives.”
“Who’s Jaxon?”
“He is another pack member. He’s a trauma nurse at the local hospital. You will meet him and many others later. For now I need to speak to you, and it’s best if Jake knows that you have faith in our pack to take care of him.”
She leaned over and brushed a kiss on Jake’s forehead. “You’ll be fine Jake. Help is on the way.” Emotions played across her face as she joined me.
I could see she didn’t want to leave him, but there just wasn’t room near him right now. I held my hand out to her and she grabbed it. I wove my fingers with hers as we went out the back door and I pulled her down next to me on the wicker love seat a few steps from the cabin.
Magic filled the air as Talia walked into the woods. A protection spell, my father had brought a witch with him.
The magic tickled my nose making me sneeze.
“Bless you.” Casey tried to smile.
I took a deep breath and released it. What I was about to ask was going to take a lot of trust on her part and I hoped she was ready. No use stalling. “Casey, I know things have been a whirlwind for you over the last couple of days. I wish things could have been slower and simpler for you, but I can’t change them now. Rook explained that for you to be safe and help the pack, you have to take a mate.” I paused and she nodded for me to go on. “From the moment I saw you Casey, I knew you were mine. My mate, the more time I have been with and around you that has only grown stronger. It has taken all my willpower to keep the cat inside from simply claiming you. I never want to force you into anything, and if you decide I am not who you want, I will not pursue you further. It will be hard, harder than anything I have ever done before. No matter what my cat wants, I will never force you into a commitment you don’t want.” I glanced away into the trees. “What I am asking is could you ever take me as your mate?” I held my breath waiting for her response. Trying to control my animal nature, my cat roared at the fact I gave her a choice, he wanted to simply claim her right there.
The seconds ticked by feeling like hours. Leaving myself this vulnerable was not in my nature, and if she denied it, I would be crushed. What I didn’t tell her is that if she said no, I would leave. It would be the only way to keep from killing anyone she chose as mate. I wasn’t a barbarian and would never force her, but my cat might and I couldn’t chance that.
Casey scooted closer to me, running her hand down the side of my face bringing my eyes to hers.
I saw both her human and cat shining through. My heart leapt at what I saw and I leaned down to kiss her. Her arms wrapped around my neck as our lips met. I closed my eyes and let all my emotions flow through in that one kiss.
Chapter Thirteen
Casey
I sat next to Mack, listening to his words. He was right, the last couple of days had turned my world upside down. This was new to me in a way, but with each passing hour it seemed more real and deep down, I knew this was where I belonged. There were still memories I had to unlock, and that would happen with time. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of that and had to make some big decisions. Like a mate. My cat perked at that thought. We have chosen, he’s right here next to you. Accept him. I was getting used to her talking to me. Let me show you.
Mack stopped talking and stared away from me. I had two options, let instinct take over or try to be logical which would only delay the inevitable. Mack was the only one who made me feel safe, wanted, needed, and turned me on with a simple glance. I searched insides and let her feelings meld with mine. I realized even though I didn’t know Mack, he was my mate. The thought of not being with him broke me inside. Put a fear in me that trumped anything I had felt before. I didn’t understand it, but it was time to take my life back, to take control and this was a choice where could do that. I reached out and caressed Mack’s face, turning him towards me then leaning up to accept his kiss and him. Our lips touched and everything clicked into place, my heart felt light, happy, and whole. I tilted my head, taking the kiss deeper, wrapping my arms around his neck.
That kiss released t
he need to complete the mating bond. I couldn’t get close enough. I crawled into his lap, not caring that we were outside where anyone could come upon us. I needed to feel him, skin to skin. Letting that need drive me, shutting off all other thoughts I tore at his shirt, leaning back to help him remove it.
He grabbed my hands. “Casey, are you sure?”
“Yes,” I breathed kissing him again. His stubble scraped against my cheek as he trailed kisses down to my neck. I let my head fall back giving him better access. The evidence of his desire grew between us and throbbed against my clit, my womb clenching with anticipation.
He tugged my t shirt over my head, his hands finding my sensitive nipples, erect from the blast of cool air. He dipped his head taking one into his mouth and sucking.
I growled in response, gripping his biceps and rubbing my pelvis along the bulge in his pants that continued to grow.
“Casey, I need you now,” He murmured against my breast. He pushed me back, forcing me to stand while he removed his pants.
I shimmied out of mine as quickly as possible. Taking just a moment to appreciate the body before me. He was glorious, but I had second thoughts about how we would fit together. He was much longer and thicker than I had anticipated. He reached between my legs and all thoughts left me again.
“You are so wet for me, I need to feel you around me, I need to be inside you.” He leaned forward and sniffed my mound. “You smell so sweet, I want to taste you. I wish we could take our time, next time love, I promise.” He pulled me to his lap and gently guided me to the tip of his erection. Letting me set the pace.
I slowly lowered myself onto him, giving myself time to adjust to his girth as he stretched me. My body adjusting quickly to his girth.
Mack pulled my head down for a kiss. “You think too much Casey, just let your body guide you. It can take more than you think. As mates, we are made for each other, our bodies designed to fit perfectly. Let yourself go.”
Mack (Black Mountain Pack Book 1) Page 9