Winter (Rise of the Pride, Book 2)

by Theresa Hissong

  “The son of a bitch who hurt you,” he replied.

  “Where is he? Did you call the sheriff?” Nova knelt at his feet, wanting to touch the bloody shirt, but she refrained because this frozen shell of the man she cared for was honestly scaring her.

  “He got away,” he sneered, finally looking up. Nova stifled another gasp when she noticed that his face had partially shifted, his upper lip was thick and his nose had recessed slightly in his face.

  “Why are you covered in blood?” Nova whispered. “Please tell me, Winter.”

  “I was shot,” he swallowed. “We killed the alpha of the wolves.”

  “Winter,” she whined.

  “I’ll heal, little one,” he promised, leaning forward and setting the bottle down beside the chair. His face was only a few inches from hers when his eyes changed back to ice blue, his mouth and nose returning to his normal human features. He stayed like that, inhaling deeply a few times before leaning back in his chair.

  “Take your shirt off and let me get something to clean you up,” she said, leaning back when he obeyed. Tears welled in her eyes when she saw the amount of blood on his skin. “Winter?”

  “The bullet is out,” he said, dropping the shirt on the floor. “I’m going to shower.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” she asked, watching him walk away from her position on the floor.

  “Don’t leave,” he mumbled as he disappeared into his room.

  She picked up the shirt and took it straight to the trash can in the kitchen. She started the coffee and pulled down two cups from the cabinet. She knew he liked his coffee with a small amount of sugar and had a cup waiting for him when he returned to the kitchen.

  He was shirtless and there was only a small pink mark on his shoulder where the bullet had entered. Nova wanted to ask him more, but thought better of it since his mood hadn’t improved.

  “I scented you on that son of a bitch’s truck,” he growled. “It drove my panther mad.”

  “I’m sorry,” she apologized, taking a seat across from him at the small kitchen table. “I’m so sorry.”

  Winter’s eyes landed on her cast and he stared at it for a moment before taking a deep breath. “When I find him, I will kill him. There will be no humans involved.”

  “Sheriff Lynch wants him in custody,” she reminded.

  “It’s no longer a human concern, Nova,” he growled, looking up with his eyes sparking amber. “Perry is a werewolf.”

  “W...what?” she gasped, scrambling backwards. Fear raced up her spine at hearing the man she’d been attacked by was not even human. The chair clattered to the floor as she shivered all over. Winter was out of his chair and around the table in a matter of seconds, making a protective barrier in front of Nova, but he still didn’t touch her. “He…he’s a shifter?”

  “It’s going to be okay, Nova,” he swore, looking deep into her eyes. “I’m not going to let him hurt you again.”

  “But he got away,” she retorted.

  “Not for long,” Winter replied, resting his long arms against the wall. Nova stilled when Winter caged her in, his hands within inches of the side of her head. His massive chest was right in front of her face.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt protecting me,” she whispered.

  “Any amount of blood spilled to protect you will be worth it, Nova,” he said, tilting his head to the side. She licked her lips as her eyes trailed down over his sculptured pecs and further past the ridges and valleys of his abs. Nova ignored Winter’s harsh curse when her eyes fell on the tight denim jeans that cupped his hardness.

  “Like what you see?” he growled.

  “I know what I’d like to see,” she smirked, looking up into his eyes that were sparking amber.

  “You’re playing with fire, little one,” he said, leaning in closer. Nova didn’t dare move from her spot as he leaned in to scent close to her neck, but still didn’t touch.

  Bumps raised all over her body when Winter’s panther purred, rumbling deep in his chest. She could smell his wildness and something different. Was it his soap? Perfume? Whatever it was, she wanted to lick it from his skin.

  “I like fire,” she breathed, looking up at him through her lashes, giving him a naughty smirk.

  “I should take you over my knee,” he warned.

  “Chicken,” she pushed.

  “And maybe shut you up with my cock deep in your throat,” he replied, leaning forward, his breath tickling the side of her neck. “I’m going to touch you and when I do, my panther will take over and he’s agitated right now. Are you sure you can handle that?”

  “What if we are not mates?” she worried.

  “The way my panther has been prowling from the scent of your arousal, I can guarantee that we are,” he whispered, pushing himself back away from her neck.

  “You can…” she blushed.

  “I know the scent of your skin, the scent of your hair…and the scent of your sweet pussy when it is wet for me,” Winter growled. “Nova, there is not one thing about you that I don’t crave.”

  “Why do you tease me like this?” She sighed. “Winter, I can’t take this not knowing any longer. I ache for you to touch me.”

  “I know,” he said, leaning forward. His breath was hot against her lips. He was so close she could almost taste him. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

  “Finally,” Nova breathed, the moment his hands cupped her face and Winter Blue pressed his lips to hers.

  Winter’s panther howled as his fingers made contact with her skin. A fissure of awareness crackled silently through the air. His body tightened, his mating scent drifted across his nose, and his heart sped as he took her lips for the first time.

  Mine!

  Mate!

  Mine!

  “You’re mine,” he whispered as he released her lips to allow both of them to catch their breath. Before she could respond, Winter shut her up with his tongue in her mouth and a hand tangled in the back of her long hair. She moaned when he used his free arm to wrap around her waist, lifting Nova off of her feet. He immediately started walking toward the back of the house, his body hardening…preparing himself to finally own her.

  “Your tongue is rough.” She hummed, tilting her head to the side so Winter could continue kissing and licking a path from her lips to her neck. He nipped at the spot where he would make his mark on her, telling all other males that she was his.

  “My panther is in control,” he confessed, kicking open his bedroom door. It took two steps to reach his bed, and then they were both on the mattress.

  “God, you smell so good.” She inhaled, closing her eyes as his scent reached her.

  “Mating scent,” he mumbled as he grabbed the end of her shirt, lifting it over her head and tossing it off the side of his bed. Nova squirmed beneath him, but he wasn’t done taking in her body. God, she was beautiful; every inch of her skin was flawless. His panther demanded he mount her properly, but Winter pushed him back. There would be time for that later.

  “Please, Winter,” Nova cried as his hands cupped her breasts through the white, lacy bra he needed gone. Unleashing a claw on his forefinger, Winter sliced through the center, purring when the cups fell to the side. Automatically, he nuzzled between her breasts, kissing and licking the warm skin before laying the flat of his rough tongue against the swell of her breast, making a path over her nipple, stopping to take the flesh between his teeth. He repeated the action to the other breast, blowing cold air over the points.

  “Touch me, Winter,” she begged, her hands clamped tightly on the tops of his shoulders. Winter snarled when her nails dug into the flesh. Not that he didn’t like it…quite the opposite…he loved it.

  His hands shook as his fingers tucked into the elastic waistband of her black yoga pants, pulling them and her panties from her body. The scent of her desire reached him and he growled as he wasted no time burying his face between her legs, reaching for the fly of his jeans.

  The first tas
te of her was pure heaven. Nova Raines had been made for him and he was going to devour her. Nails scratched at his scalp, but Winter didn’t care if she drew blood. He’d wear any mark she made on him with pride.

  “Come for me,” he urged, making another pass with his tongue.

  “Winter, I want you inside me,” she pleaded, reaching for his shoulders.

  He traced her sex with a finger, pushing one inside. Her back arched as her pussy clamped down, pulling him deeper inside. Nova raised her knee and tilted her pelvis, silently begging for more. He abandoned the assault with his mouth and climbed up her body, at no time removing his hand. His lips, wet with her essence, touched hers and his tongue traced her bottom lip. Nova ran her fingers through the longer hair on top of his head, pulling him closer to her lips, and kissed him wildly.

  With his free hand, Winter rolled up on his knees and pushed the denim jeans below his ass. She was close and he needed inside of her sweetness. Jesus, she was beautiful, writhing beneath him, trusting him to give her pleasure.

  “If I hurt you, you must stop me, Nova,” he said, leaning forward. His cock jumped when it nudged against her soaking wet core.

  “If I am your mate, Winter,” she panted. “Then I want you to make me yours in all ways.”

  A loud snarl left his lips as he pulled back, his eyes wide at her confession. His panther panted heavily, demanding to mark her as his own.

  “I will bite you,” he said, his voice already hindered by the length of his canines. “I’ll take you hard.”

  “Shut up and do it, Winter,” she snarled.

  In a move even he was surprised at, Winter flipped her over onto her stomach, pulling at her hips. A loud crack echoed in the room as his hand landed firmly on her ass. “That’s for pushing me, little one.”

  “Oh, my,” Nova shivered.

  His length disappeared into her body as he wrapped his hand into Nova’s long hair. Two twists of his wrist and he had enough hold to pull her up so his chest rested tightly against her back.

  “You can scream and no one will hear you,” he snarled as he struck the tender flesh of her neck, pumping deep inside her.

  Nova’s scream of pain and pleasure spurred him on. His hand clamped onto her hip, holding her in place as he fucked her with wild abandon. As he opened his mouth to remove his canines from her neck, he used the saliva in his animal DNA to seal the wounds, but not enough to heal them completely. The marks he’d left were larger than any other he’d seen on a mate. His panther growled with approval.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, still pumping inside her.

  “No.” She tensed. “More, Winter.”

  “More?” he said, slowing.

  “I need it harder, please,” she begged, leaning her head back against his chest. Winter noticed her eyes were glazed over in ecstasy. He tightened his hold on her hair, twisting her head so he could capture her lips. The hand holding her hip slid down to her sex. He rolled her clit a few times before adding just the right amount of pressure to send her over the edge.

  “Fuck me,” she screamed, bucking against him. Winter didn’t release her, knowing his little hellcat was enjoying his firm control over their mating.

  As her body slumped, Winter let her fall forward before pulling out of her sex. She made a sound of protest, but moaned when he rolled her over to her back and entered her in one swift movement.

  “I want you to look in my eyes when I come inside you,” Winter said. Where this primal need to mark her with his scent and seed came from drew him up short for a moment, but his panther snarled inside his head, telling him this was his nature…he wasn’t human anymore.

  And as Nova wrapped her legs over his hips, Winter felt his alpha tendencies rear up, demanding exactly what his panther had been screaming for months.

  Nova Raines was his.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nova’s body was encased in warm, smooth skin as she opened her eyes. A smile played on her lips as she melted into Winter’s muscular chest, pressing her lips over his heart. His chin rested on top of her head and his arms made a bracket around her body. She was sure that if anyone entered the room, she’d be completely hidden by his massive size. Winter’s chest rumbled as he shifted, pulling her tighter into his sleepy embrace.

  “Winter?” she whispered, shifting slightly. “Wake up.”

  “No,” he grumbled.

  “I have to go to the bar.” She smiled, wiggling a little more.

  “Take the day off,” he mumbled, not once opening his eyes.

  “I’ve taken too many days off as it is,” she said, finally getting an arm free. He wasn’t going to budge, so she poked him in the side, but he still didn’t move. “Tell me how to get you to let me go.”

  “Not happening, little one.” He smiled in his sleepy haze.

  “Did you sleep at all last night?” she asked, remembering how tired he’d looked when she woke up a few hours ago. It was now close noon and it didn’t look like he was going to let her go.

  “No,” he replied.

  “You need to rest.” She smirked wickedly. “I’ll call Dane and have him take me to the bar.”

  His eyes opened wide, they’d completely changed over to a glowing amber. He hissed and bared his fangs at her. “He will not take you anywhere.”

  “Please, Winter. I have to go work,” she sighed.

  “When a panther finds his mate, he usually keeps her in their bed for a few days,” he explained, blinking to clear his eyes.

  “So, we are mates?” she asked.

  “I’ve marked you as my mate,” he said, pulling her over as he sat up in the bed. She straddled his hips as he rested his back against the oak headboard. “Everything else can wait for later.”

  “Everything like what?” she prodded. He obviously was keeping something from her by the way he looked at something over her shoulder and not directly into her eyes.

  “Time, Nova,” he hedged.

  “I have time, Winter,” she replied, pushing him away. “I have to get ready for work.”

  “Shower and I’ll take you when you’re ready to go,” he yawned. “After I take a little cat nap.”

  “You’re funny,” she snickered, pulling his black comforter from bed to use as a cover. Winter growled but didn’t protest because he’d fallen back to sleep, a soft purr rumbling in his chest.

  An hour later, Nova unlocked the door to the bar, allowing Winter to walk ahead of her to check the building while she disarmed the alarm system. She’d been through this routine for the past few months and knew to just stand by the door until he returned.

  Her eyes followed his every move as he checked behind the bar. Winter moved with grace, sleek and very quiet. Every single one of the panthers, even for as large as they were, could enter a building so quietly no one would know they were there.

  “All clear,” Winter announced, pulling her into his arms.

  “When do you need to go into work?” she asked, after he had assaulted her lips for a few minutes.

  “I’m taking the day off.” He smiled as they walked toward the end of the bar. “I can do that as the boss.”

  Savage was the first one to enter the bar. He froze as he approached Nova.

  “It’s about damn time, you stubborn son of a bitch,” Savage chuckled, taking a seat at the bar. Savage cupped Winter’s shoulder and gave him a good shake. “But did you have to cover her in your scent? Jesus Christ, I liked the way she smelled before you mated her.”

  Savage let out a grunt when Winter elbowed him directly in his side, but Savage being Savage, did nothing more than laugh. He jutted his chin toward the bar, silently asking Nova if he could help himself. When she nodded, he walked around the bar and poured himself a whiskey on the rocks. As soon as his lips touched the rim, the menacing looking shifter, with his long hair and arms heavily covered in tattoos, froze.

  Nova glanced up as Mary Grace rushed through the door, hastily pulling her long brown hair up into a ponytail, her face
flushed. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “What’s wrong?” Savage growled, setting his glass on the bar top heavily. Nova frowned at his reaction.

  “Ah, nothing.” Mary Grace froze, her eyes widening at Savage’s tone. His eyes sparked amber and he was obviously pissed.

  “You smell like fear,” he replied, his voice so gravely and low, it sounded lethal.

  “Um,” she said, looking away. “Some guy…some guy almost hit my car pulling in here. It startled me a little.” She didn’t say anything else, rushing out of the bar area to put away her purse and get ready to prep the floor for the lunch rush.

  “She’s lying,” Savage said, his eyes watching her disappear down the hallway toward the office and breakroom.

  “What the hell was that?” Nova asked, placing her hand on her hip. Why the hell was he so forward with Mary Grace? She was so shy and he was just a beast. Well, all of them were beasts, but Savage Corvera was wilder than the others. Mary Grace was a beautiful woman who worked her ass off at the bar. Nova had noticed Savage’s interest in his waitress over the past few weeks, and had even caught Mary Grace laughing at something Savage had said once, but that was the extent of their interactions. Unless?

  “We can scent fear,” Winter admitted, pulling Nova over so he could nestle her between his legs as he sat on the barstool. Her hand rested on his thick arm, her fingers surfing across the soft skin. “We can also taste a lie.”

  “Something’s wrong with her,” Savage growled, walking from behind the bar. Winter reached out and placed his hand on Savage’s chest to still the Guardian, and with a slight shake of his head, Savage calmed, but his eyes didn’t return to his normal ice blue until Mary Grace came out of the back, looking a little more relaxed.

  “I have to get things started,” Nova said, pulling away from Winter. “I’ll be in the office.”

  “I’ll be back there in a few,” he said, releasing her hand.

  Nova took a deep breath and left the bar, reaching up to touch the mating mark Winter had left on her neck the night before. It felt a little bruised, but after she’d studied it in the mirror before her shower, she knew there was nothing there but two already healed scars. She knew that their mating wasn’t complete, and she also knew that he’d have to change her for them to complete the mating.