by Sam Crescent
“You have your answer. She’s your mate.” Zeke pushed off the wall and headed toward the kitchen.
Jordan forced down a snarl climbing the back of his throat. “I will not yield to it.”
“Bro, you’re not gonna have a choice.” Zeke disappeared down the hallway.
Jordan marched to the bedroom, kicked the door open, and lunged at the bed where the woman … his possible mate still slept. He gripped the wrought-iron headboard and hovered over her before lowering his face to the nape of her neck, inhaling a long, slow breath, taking in her scent.
Tremors rocketed through his hands and arms as his heart raced in his chest, thumping loud and hard against his ribcage. Moonlight lit the side of her pale face like a sleeping angel, her golden hair like a halo. To say she was stunning would be a falsehood, for there were no words he could think of to describe her beauty. He’d never laid eyes on such a creature as her.
Maybe there was indeed a reason he was to be mated to her. She was the last of a powerful line of witches. He, the last of the ancient pure-bred wolves. Their new bloodline would be invincible. Maybe Zeke was right.
He swallowed hard as he inhaled her scent once more. But he wouldn’t take her while she slept. He wanted to look into her eyes as he claimed her, hear her shout his name as he thrust into her, giving her pleasure unknown.
Tomorrow, he would claim his mate.
Chapter Four
Nyah blinked herself out of her sleep. The pink and orange skyline out the window signaled dawn was upon her.
Dawn! What the hell happened?
She shot out of bed and glanced around. The fog cleared her head and she thought back to last night, when that asshole wolf tranq’d her.
A loud snore from the corner of the room startled her, and she whipped around. Jordan lay passed out in a corner chair in the room, arms draped at his sides and head slung back.
She inched her way over to him. His tight gray t-shirt lifted a couple inches with each deep inhale of breath, revealing that ridged torso she caught a glimpse of last night after she set his shirt on fire. Veins bulged in his arms as he twitched and flinched in his sleep, as if running in his dreams. Figured, just like a dog.
Yet she couldn’t fight back the urge to run her tongue over every inch of his mocha-colored skin. He was decadent, like a dessert … an indulgence she wanted to dive into. Their heated exchange last night left her body aching, and not just from the fight, but from longing for his touch. For his hands to rake her body in passion instead of anger and frustration.
She had to get away. Nyah didn’t understand these impulses, these feelings welling up in her for a damned dog. She was a witch. She would never let herself get seduced by a wolf.
Yet, his offer to help her find her sister’s killer came out of left field. True that he was curious, only because he said it had to do with finding out who would want his brother killed. But the look in his eyes said far more. That underneath that asshole persona might just be a good person. There was concern there, the same concern that fixated in his eyes when he spoke of his brother.
Did that mean there were feelings between her and Jordan? They hadn’t even spoken to each other until last night. But they did share a week’s worth of wordless conversations … glances, glares, stares, shredding of clothing with a gaze. Those said more than anything.
She’d caused enough damage here. She had to get away and find her sister’s real killer. Nothing good would come of staying here. Nyah would only lose her focus.
She tip-toed to the door and creaked it open, checking the layout for an escape route. But a hand came from behind her over her head and slammed the door shut. Her heart leaped to her throat.
“Going somewhere, Nyah?” Jordan whispered into her ear, launching a shudder down her spine.
“You planning on holding me hostage?” She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath full of his orgasm-inducing cologne and a manly scent that warmed her belly.
“I thought we were going to work together.” His warm breath tickled the back of her neck.
She spun around to face him, her lips inches from his. “Was that before or after you drugged me?”
“Just like I knew you would, you tried to escape. You see why I did it?” Jordan tilted his head until his lips hovered over hers, spiking a flood of excitement through her veins.
Her hands shook at her sides and she forced them to remain there, struggling against the overwhelming urge to grab his face and kiss that smug smile right off his mouth.
“Let me go, Jordan. We’re done here.” She forced the words she knew she had to say, yet didn’t feel.
He shook his head. “We’re far from done, darlin’.”
She closed her eyes and launched a punch into his rock-hard abs. That was going to hurt later. He hunched over and squinted his eyes, and Nyah took the chance and ran for the window. But his hands gripped her by the waist and swung her around until her back hit the wall, knocking the breath from her lungs in a whoosh.
He slammed her hands above her head and pinned her with his hips. His stiff cock pressed against her abdomen, telling her he was just as turned on as she was. Her insides melted like hot lava as he ground against her, pressing his hands against hers, gripping them tight as if trying to hold on.
“What do you want from me, Jordan?” The words barely made it off her tongue in a whisper before he crushed his mouth to hers.
A low growl rumbled in his chest as he slanted his lips and swept his tongue over hers, making love to her mouth. Nothing had tasted so good to her in her life. Warm and hot, his mouth melded with hers, making her forget who she was, who he was. The only thing that mattered were his kisses, and she didn’t want them to end.
A moan bubbled up from her throat and woke her from her temporary state of insanity. What the fuck was she doing? She pulled back and yanked her hand free of his grip and slapped him across the cheek.
“What the fuck was that?” He jerked back.
Nyah narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t give in. She had to hold her ground. “I could ask you the same thing.”
His large hand gripped her by the waist as his other hand gripped the back of her head by the hair and yanked her neck taut. “I thought you were enjoying the kiss. Do I need to convince you again?”
His soft, warm tongue ran the length of her neck up to her ear. Heat pooled between her legs and her knees buckled. The hand that gripped her waist, slid around to her back and he yanked her tight to his body, catching her fall.
“I know you want this as much as I do, Nyah. I can hear your heart beat faster each time I touch you. I tasted your rising pulse with my kiss. I can smell your arousal, so sweet and delicious it makes me want to come just holding you, knowing I’m making you wet. You can’t fool me. I’m a wolf.”
“Doesn’t matter. We can’t do this. We shouldn’t do this.” A whimper laced her words. But everything inside her told her to grab him and never let go. Her body physically ached for him, only relieved by his touch, his kiss. She’d never felt more whole than when his lips were on hers.
He pressed his lips to her ear and the heat of his breath forced her eyes shut, welling goosebumps on her flesh. “Release yourself to me, Nyah. Give in. Let me feast upon your body and I will bring you pleasure like you’ve never known. I will worship it with my lips and tongue.”
He kissed his way down her neck to her chin and stared into her eyes. Nyah swallowed hard over the ball of emotions in her throat. He didn’t just look at her. He stared into her soul.
“You’re my mate, Nyah. You know it. I know it. You felt it in my kiss. I know you did, because we’re connected. We’re missing pieces of a puzzle. I felt it the first time you walked into the bar. Everyone else disappeared and there was only you. I thought maybe you’d put a spell on me, but your pulse”—he paused and pressed his tongue against her neck, closing his lips down around it to massage the flesh before pulling back—“tells me you feel it.”
Words left her
and she only responded in a moan.
He traced a finger along her jeans, unbuttoning them with one hand before slipping his hand into her panties. “Your scent is like a drug for me. The wetter you get, the hotter I burn for you.”
Two fingers slid between her lower lips and slipped in her arousal, ripping a gasp from her chest. The sensation darting through her body set her on fire, and only he could quench it.
He pressed his lips to hers, vibrating as he uttered his command. “You’re mine. And I will claim you.”
****
Jordan’s heart thundered to the point it made him dizzy. His fingers danced inside her, so warm and wet for him. He knew she wanted it. Zeke had been right. She was his mate. Her scent drove him to the brink of insanity, and if he didn’t get his cock inside her soon, he’d rip through his jeans.
She rocked her hips against his hand and the most beautiful moan whisked across her lips. He had her. She would be his.
He pulled his hand from her panties, gripped her by the shoulders, and pinned her back against the wall. “Tell me you want it.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Yes,” she whispered.
With lightning-fast speed, he yanked her jeans to her ankles and palmed her mound before slipping his fingers between her lower lips once more. An aching moan burst from her lips as he massaged her swollen clit until her knees buckled and her orgasm ravished her body.
He threw her over his shoulder and tossed her to the bed, ripping off his shirt and barely getting his jeans off before he lunged at her. Jordan all but shred the rest of her clothing, slinging it across the room.
Two glorious teardrop breasts stared up at him, topped with perfect hardened nipples. He ran a finger along them before diving at one and sucking it into his mouth. A warm hand wrapped around his cock, and the shock made him drop the breast from his lips and let out a moan.
He stared down at her … his woman. His mate. It suddenly didn’t matter, human, witch, or wolf. What mattered was being inside her, becoming one with her, sealing their connection. Something brought them together. The universe wanted their worlds to collide.
He pressed himself at her entrance and slammed his hands down on either side of her head, gripping tight to her hair. With one long thrust, he entered her, and she bucked beneath him, letting out a moan as he filled her channel. Her thick arousal glided him in and out of her in a rhythmic dance as he stared into her eyes.
Fire burned hot in his veins, shooting flames through his body as he worked himself harder, faster, deeper inside her. He dove at her neck and sunk his teeth into her flesh. Sharp nails dug into his back as she held on, releasing his name on a scream as he came inside her.
He threw his head back and a loud growl bellowed from deep inside him. He’d never had a release so hard, so wrought with desire and passion that it exhausted him and he collapsed on top of her.
She traced her nails along his back, cradling him in her arms. Peace settled in his soul like he’d never known, a wholeness. He believed it now, that one knew when he’d found his mate. Her scent filled his nostrils and it calmed him, the scent of their sex mixed with arousal and her body. It was like home.
He nuzzled himself into her neck and kissed along her skin.
A giggle slipped from her lips and she ran a finger along her neck where his lips had been, then jerked back. “Did you … did you actually bite me?” Her eyes grew wide.
“It’s part of the mating process. I couldn’t help it. My wolf took over and just followed instinct. When we find our mates, we bite them and make them ours. That’s how it works.”
“Oh, hell no. It’s bad enough I had sex with a dog, tell me … tell me I’m not about to become one.” She pushed him off her and wiggled her way to the edge of the bed.
Jordan hitched a shoulder. What the hell happened? Just moments ago they were riding waves of bliss. “Hey, I told you, you were my mate. We don’t have a say in it. Nature takes its course.”
She jumped off the bed and gathered up her clothes. “The fuck it does. Not when you turn me into a fucking wolf without telling me!”
“We’re going to be the most powerful bloodline now. You, the last Salem witch. Me, the last Alpha of the ancient pure-blood wolves.”
The anger in her eyes blazed, darkening them from their normal rich blue to almost black. “That’s what this was about? Mixing bloodlines? Forming a power bond? The fuck? I thought you were being metaphorical with all that mate shit. Poetic. Romancing me. You’re a sick bastard.”
Jordan hopped off the bed and stomped over to her. “I was telling you the truth. You and I cannot be undone. We’re mated. We’re meant to be. Nothing is going to change that. I had a hard time accepting that myself until Zeke pointed it out to me. I couldn’t understand why I was so drawn to you. Why my body ached to be near you. Why you clouded every single thought in my head for the last week. I didn’t want to believe I was fated to a witch. I gave up my pure-blood for you. Don’t take this lightly.”
“Excuse me?” She pressed a hand to his chest and launched him backward onto the bed. “You gave up for me? You just stole my humanity! Took away the last thing I had that was my own identity. You stole my witch blood, and I’m just supposed to roll with it?”
Jordan shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. You’ll still be a witch, just half-wolf. Not a pure-blood, so you’ll only change on the full-moon. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to change at will off cycle. But you’ll retain your witch powers.”
She stared at him like he had two heads. “Do you hear yourself, Jordan? Do you even realize the insane things coming out of your mouth? Do you not comprehend what you just did to me?”
“Hey, you were just as into it as I was. I confessed to you that you are my mate. I even gave you the fucking choice and told you to tell me what you want.”
What the fuck did she want from him? He couldn’t take it back. Eventually she’d have to come to terms with it. Jordan stared into her eyes and the look she gave back punched in him the heart. He felt her pain, her fear, her resentment. It sucked the air from his lungs, like a fist to the gut.
Being mated, he now was a part of her, and she a part of him.
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step toward her. But she inched away from him. He held out a hand to her.
She eyed his hand and then glanced back to his face. “If you say sorry to a smashed plate, will it suddenly become whole again?”
Jordan closed his eyes and sighed before reopening them. “Nyah, let’s talk about this. Please. I honestly did not mean to hurt you or to take anything away from you. How do I explain this … when you’re mated, you become a part of everything. I’m yours, you are mine. Do you understand what that means?”
A tear slipped over her cheek and caressed her trembling lips. Jordan stepped toward her and brushed it away with his thumb.
“You’re still you. You’re still a Winston witch. You’re just also a part of me now, too. You have my heart, my soul, my protection. I will work to fix this between us. I’ll work to make sure you will always have a place in this world, in this pack. You’re under Eden Bayou’s protection now. You have a whole family.”
She shook her head. “I’m a witch just mated into their pure-bloodline. You really think now that I’m a mix-breed that they’ll accept me?”
“I’m Alpha, they have to.”
“Don’t you see, Jordan? I don’t want that. I don’t want someone to be forced into accepting me. I don’t want someone to pledge their allegiance to my face, but stab me in the back with their words. I didn’t ask for any of this.”
“Then why did the powers that be make us mates, but to make a difference in this world. Two souls through space and time separated, finding each other. We’re meant to be. I know in my heart you feel it and understand those words.”
Nyah took a visible hard swallow. “I don’t know what this is. Yes. Fine. I’m incredibly attracted to you. I can’t begin to explain it. I don’t u
nderstand how I want to beat you upside the head, but at the same time have you wrap your arms around me. How you can bring me to my knees with a touch, with a kiss, and melt me from the inside out. I have never needed anyone in my life. I’ve always been the fighter, but with you … I feel safe. I like it, and I hate it.”
Her words hit his heart. He cupped her face and strummed his thumb along her cheek. “This is new for both of us. Together we can figure a way to work things out. I promise you.”
She turned her face into his hand and closed her eyes. Sliding his hand through her hair, he pulled her to him and captured her lips with his mouth. A soft moan broke through the kiss and he tightened his arms around her.
“I don’t even know you. Yet this feeling in my heart says to trust you.” She shook her head. “You do me wrong, and I’ll make sure you wear your spleen on the outside of your body. Got it?”
Jordan smirked, but she quirked a brow and his smile flat-lined. “Duly noted.”
She pushed him onto the bed and straddled him. “I have this insatiable need to ride my wolf.”
And hell if his cock didn’t respond, already at her command.
Chapter Five
Nyah waited for the rise and fall of his chest to even out, signaling Jordan had fallen asleep. They’d spent the better part of the day making love, filling the aching need in their souls to be joined, and she hoped she’d worn him out enough that he’d be out for a while. There were only a few hours of daylight left and she didn’t want him following her. But for good measure, she whispered a few words and his snores reverberated off the walls. A little sleeping spell wouldn’t hurt for a little insurance.
She needed time to think … alone. The idea of being part wolf now scared the piss out of her. Not to mention being mated to Jordan. What the hell did that even mean? She knew of the lore, the fated mate thing of the animals, but had no idea it actually existed. Or that she’d end up a victim of it.