by Wendy Stone
Nashe came over and took her in his arms. “It’ll be okay, baby. You know that.”
“Yeah,” she said as a great sigh left her. “I know. I can’t help but wish this was over, though.”
“What? The mating or the births?”
“Both,” she said.
“Come on,” he said to his mate. “I’ll take you home and cook you up some sardines and chocolate sauce.” He looked at Kadian. “I’ll be by to see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, dad,” Kadian said obediently.
“Be good or I’ll cook you some sardines and chocolate sauce as well.”
“I’ll be good,” he said quickly, making everyone laugh.
Chapter Six
Callie slid her key into the doorknob, turning it quietly. Damn Angel and her girl’s night out bullshit. Here she was, sneaking into Shadow’s apartment as dawn peeked over the horizon and she could barely stand up straight.
The door opened with a click and she shushed it loudly, breaking into a burst of giggles as she realized how silly she was acting. She opened the door, hitting it just a bit too hard. It slammed back against the wall, rebounding and hitting her in the head.
She growled at it, her silver eyes swirling as her beast longed to be let free. A second later, she heard Shadow coming out of the bedroom. His hair was mussed and he had a growth of whiskers that gave him a rugged, unkempt look. Dressed only in pajama bottoms, he rubbed his hand over his face when he saw her. “What time is it?”
Callie grinned, running swiftly toward him and launching herself off the ground and into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his lean waist and her arms around his neck. She felt him take a small step backwards to compensate for her weight, then she lifted her head and found his mouth with her own.
What she thought was a heated kiss was wet and slobbery. “You taste like alcohol,” he said when she finally allowed him to pull away. “Are you drunk?”
Callie’s head weaved slightly on her shoulders and she let loose with one hand, holding her fingers about an inch apart. “Only a little,” she said apologetically. “Can you tell?”
He chuckled. “Only a little,” he said. She started to kiss his neck and he shook his head. “What did Angel do to you?”
“We went bar hopping,” she said, snuggling into the warmth of his skin. “You smell fantastic.”
Brian rolled his eyes, smiling as he carried her back in the bedroom. “You’re going to feel terrible when you wake up,” he told her. “Get undressed, I’ll go get you some pain killers.”
He dropped her on the bed, chuckling when she bounced back up and began to pull off her jacket. It didn’t want to come off, because she’d forgotten to unbutton it. Taking pity on her, he turned and undid the buttons, pulling the arms down. “Can you get the rest?”
She trailed one finger down his chest, letting it catch on the waistband of his pajamas. “Sure you don’t want to help?” she asked, trying to be seductive. She blinked her eyes at him, only managing to make herself look owlish.
“When I get back, okay?”
“Promise?” she asked, sighing as she fell back on the bed. She picked up her leg, pulling it to her chest so that she could pull off her shoe. Grabbing the other one, she almost smacked herself in the nose trying to get it off. She yanked at the waistband of her pants, getting them half-undone before that seemed to defeat her. So she sat up and yanked at the hem of her tee shirt.
“Is Angel in the same condition you are?” he yelled from the bathroom as she heard him turn the water on.
Her replay was muffled by material. The damn tee shirt seemed to suddenly have a mind of its own and didn’t want to go over her head. It fought her, tangling around her arms. She struggled until she heard the heavy sound of a glass being set down on the nightstand and felt Brian’s hands on her.
He skimmed the shirt over her head, laughing as she blinked at him in surprise. “Here, take these,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“What are they?” she asked, looking suspiciously at the yellow and blue capsules he handed her.
“The werewolf equivalent of Tylenol. Just take the damn things so we can go to bed.”
“Are you mad at me?” she asked, popping the capsules in her mouth and taking the water from him to wash them down. It was cold and tasted so good she drained the glass before handing it back to him.
“Why would I be mad at you when you and Angel decide to go off bar hopping together, alone I might add, and you come home drunk and horny? Maybe I should thank the guys that got you that way?” He turned, going back toward the bathroom.
“What guys? Angel had a problem, she needed to talk it out. This is how we talk out problems, either in the bars or on the mats. Trust me,” she said, drunkenly shaking her head. “There are no guys allowed anywhere near us.”
He snorted, turning to put the glass on the bathroom counter before reaching up and grabbing the doorjamb.
Callie almost swallowed her tongue as she looked at him, his body long and leanly muscled, his stomach muscles delineated. Her hands itched to touch. “You want to know why I came home horny?” she asked softly, her voice not sounding as drunk as before.
“Yeah,” he challenged. “I do.”
“That’s why,” she threw at him, waving her hand at the way he was standing. “You’re why. God, why would I want anyone else when I have the hottest man in the world waiting at home for me?” Her hands fell to the zipper on her jeans and she managed to get it down. She started to pull off the pants, her eyes never leaving him.
“So you thought only about me tonight?” he asked softly, letting his arms drop and walking toward her.
“Uh huh,” she answered, her mouth growing dry as she watched him. “Only you make me wet, Brian. I love you.”
Her hands reached up behind her to find the hook to her bra, struggling with it to the point that she turned a full circle on the floor. He brushed her hands away, pinching the offending garment and slipping it down her arms onto the floor. Then he picked her up and placed her gently upon the mattress, following her down.
“How’s your stomach?” he asked softly as his big body found its favorite place, between her thighs.
“Fine, why?”
“I’m not in the mood to be barfed on this morning,” he said, his hands tracing down her arms and back up slowly.
“I’ve never barfed when I was drunk before in my life,” she declared hotly, as if Brian had just impugned upon her honor. “How could you even say that?”
“Experience,” he said softly, his lips feathering over her forehead and closed eyes. He kissed the tip of her nose and the line of her jaw before finding her lips. His mouth twisted over hers, forcing it open, his tongue slipping inside to play with hers.
She moaned at the exquisite sensations, her heart starting to race in her chest. Her lips clung to his and her head lifted as he tried to pull back, following his mouth.
“Tell me again,” he ordered her, knowing she knew what he wanted.
“I love you,” she said softly, her fingers brushing the hair out of his face. “You and only you. I never knew feelings like this existed until the day I stood in your office, scared out of my mind, and you walked in.”
“How did you feel?” he asked, scooting to the tempting flesh of her neck. He kissed her pulse, and the crook of her shoulder, seeing the nasty scar that was still healing on her shoulder.
“When you walked in? Terrified. I wanted so badly to be part of ASP, to be part of the team. I hadn’t been able to think of a team leader I wanted to work under so badly as I had you.”
Brian chuckled at her choice of words, tenderly kissing her scarred shoulder, scarred from her battle with Aidan, her ex-fiancé.
“I kind of like having you working under me as well,” he teased, his fingers catching her panties and pulling them down her thighs. The silky black pelt that covered her mound came into view and he ran his fingers through the satiny curls before pushing her panties the rest of the way off.
“That’s not what I meant,” she gasped as his heat covered her again. He’d gotten rid of his pajamas and she could feel the heaviness of his cock resting against her flesh.
“I know what you meant, go on,” he urged. “What else did you feel?”
“I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen,” she said, her hands going to his face, guiding him as he began to kiss her body. She wanted to feel him against her breasts, she wanted the heat of his mouth around her nipple before she went mad.
“I knew,” she whispered softly, unaware of her words, “that I wanted you for a mate.” She groaned as his mouth found her nipple, pulling it into his mouth where the heat and sensual tugging sent spasms straight to her core.
She rubbed herself against him, capturing him between her thighs by wrapping her legs around him.
“Tell me,” he said softly from around her nipple.
“I love you,” she cried out, tiny orgasms wracking her body as he played with her nipples, changing from one to the next while she rubbed up against him, wanting more.
“You know what happens to me when you say that,” he growled, moving up her body to find her mouth again.
She tore her mouth out from under his, panting heavily. “What?” she managed to ask.
“I feel a pain, right here,” he said, his hand going to a spot just above his heart. “Then it spreads and turns to a warmth that just doesn’t stop, I can feel it in my toes. I’ve looked for you for a long time, Callie. I feel like I’ve loved you even longer. I know you think something has been missing in our relationship. No,” he said quickly when she would have denied it. “I know it. I see it in your eyes when you don’t think I’m looking. It’s a yearning for more, isn’t it?”
Callie closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. She’d known this conversation was coming, she’d been dreading it. Another reason she’d gone out with Angel tonight. Taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes and nodded. “Yes” she said softly, her hand on his cheek.
“Stay there,” he said, confusing her.
He rolled to the other side of the bed, reaching into his nightstand and then turned back to her. “I’ve been carrying this thing around for weeks now, trying to find the best time or place to ask you.” Slowly opening the box, he held it out to her, the diamond glinting as the early morning sun came in through the gap in the drapes. “Will you marry me?” he asked softly.
Callie rose to her knees, sitting back on her heels on the bed. Her eyes were on the diamond resting in the box. “Brian…” she began.
“Wait,” he said. “I had a speech prepared too.” He cleared his throat. “Callie, I fell in love with you when you knocked the papers off of my desk that first day. I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t have. But as I got to know you, it grew. I respect you, I care about you. You’re my best friend, my lover and the only person who knows my real name. I trust you. I’ve been alone a long time, Callie. Take away that loneliness. Marry me?” He pulled the ring from the box and lifted her left hand from where it rested upon her leg. Pushing the ring on her finger, he smiled. It was a perfect fit.
Callie looked at the ring and then up and into his blue eyes. Her heart felt full, as if all she’d ever needed was him. But she had to ask, she had to. “What about mating?”
“You remember at the train depot?” he asked her. “When Angel tried to take my blood? She said it was so full of chemicals it tastes like shit. I’ve been thinking about mating since that day. It might not be possible, Callie. Whatever was done to me out in that desert might have made becoming your mate impossible.”
“But do you want to try?” she asked, her eyes lifting to his face and studying it intently. All signs of her drinking were gone. She was fighting for something here, something she wanted more than breathing.
“We can try,” he said. “I just don’t want you heartbroken or disappointed and blaming yourself if it doesn’t take.”
“Nope, I’ll blame you,” she joked with a smile.
“Now why do I not doubt that? But you still owe me an answer. I’ll mate with you if you’ll marry me.”
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. “Oh,” she said, serious again. “What are we going to tell Daniels?”
“Why do we have to tell him anything?” Brian asked.
“Whoa, who are you and what have you done with my rule-touting boyfriend?” she asked him.
“Rule-touting? I don’t tout rules.”
“Hate to disagree and ruin such a romantic morning, baby. But, yes, you tout rules.” She nodded as he gave her a look of askance and then shrugged her shoulders. “It’s your only flaw so I live with it,” she teased.
“Well, in this case, I think the less Daniels knows, the better it is for him.”
“And for us,” she mumbled under her breath. “Now,” she said, letting her legs part, “Were you going to finish what you started?” Her fingers dipped into her wet slit, burying in her core. “Or shall I?”
Callie loved to tease him. Knowing he liked to watch her play with herself, she spread her legs a bit wider so he could see the two fingers she had buried in her pussy, thrusting. Her thumb toyed with her clit, drawing soft moans from deep inside of her.
Her head fell back, long black hair touching the mattress and her breasts thrusting forward, almost begging for his kiss. “Don’t stop on my account,” he said, hand falling to his cock, stroking it slowly. He leaned forward and took one of her hard nipples between his lips, biting down just hard enough to sting and hear her moan.
After giving the other nipple the same attention, he leaned back, watching as her fingers began to glisten with her juices and her hips began to move against her hand. “Are you going to come?” he asked softly.
“No,” she whined, her eyes flashing to his. “I need you.”
“Turn around,” he ordered and waited for her to comply. She took up the position they’d avoided since the first time they’d had sex, her head down on her crossed arms, her knees spread, her bottom exposed. He could clearly see her desire and the heat of her pussy as she squirmed, waiting for him.
He came forward, breathing in her scent, before burying his face between her thighs. His tongue found her clit and he heard her moan, smiling as he felt the rush of her juices against his face. She was so responsive, something that had him hard and aching. He rose on his knees behind her, his hands grabbing hold of her lush hips, holding her still.
“You’re sure about this?” he asked, his cock pushing gently at her flesh.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Don’t stop, Brian.”
She was hot and tight, her muscles caressing his cock as he pushed inside. She held him like no other ever had, taking his length easily, his width stretching her deliciously. Both of them groaned against the pleasure of their union, but Shadow hesitated, feeling something more, something inside of her he’d never felt before.
A wildness claimed him and he growled her name, thrusting hard against her, slapping his body against hers. His arm went around her waist, lifting her and he felt a shift inside, as if something feral were claiming him.
“Callie,” he growled uncertainly. “Something is happening.”
“Oh,” she moaned, gasping. “My w-wolf has s-split. She has given part of herself t-to y-you.”
Brian searched inside himself. What was there didn’t feel female. It raged and howled inside of him, fighting to take over control.
“You n-need to bite me,” Callie said as a shiver of bliss shuddered through her.
“Where?” he asked, his voice garbled. He realized his mouth had changed, fangs protruding where teeth had been.
Callie reached up, moving aside the satiny sheet of her hair and exposing the delicate skin of her nape to the beast inside him. “Here,” she growled, the sound feral as her own beast fought for control.
“I-I don’t want to hurt you,” he cried, hesitating just an instant. He could smell her now,
he could scent the beast inside her and he wanted to dominate it. Only the innate goodness that was also inside of him tamed his beast.
“You won’t, God please, Brian you’ve got to bite me. I need it, please,” she mewled, her body still moving against his, even though he’d stopped thrusting inside of her. He could tell she wanted to orgasm and that the bite would be the ultimate act between them, that it would send him toppling along with her. He closed his eyes, eyes that were now white-blue like the wolf, seeing things as a wolf would see.
Leaning forward, he let his tongue trace over her skin, feeling her shiver under him. Rasping his new fangs over her neck, he heard her cry out, pushing back. It would only take a bit more to sink his teeth into her skin, to feel her blood pulse into his mouth, thick and sweet. He needed that more than he needed air right now.
One quick bite, a mere pinching pain and she began to orgasm. The flavor of her blood was sweetened by the endorphins flowing through it. He lapped at it with his tongue, wanting more. He felt her lift his wrist to her mouth, felt her own bite, so quickly over that he thought he’d imagined it. But the feel of her mouth suckling at him set off his own orgasm and he thrust hard into her, emptying himself inside her womb in long, shuddering pulses.
He licked at the wounds that he’d made in her neck, watching in amazement as they closed. Lying next to her, he pulled her back and into his arms. “Are you all right?” he asked, stroking her face with the back of his hand.
“I’m fine,” she sighed, cuddling up even closer. He was still inside of her. “How about you? Can you feel him inside of you?”
Brian closed his eyes, searching internally. Deep down he found the beast, subdued by the pleasure and the presence of his mate. He smiled. “Yes, he’s there, but he seems content. This is amazing, Callie.”