by Sam Crescent
“Jaeger, please!”
His mouth engulfed her right breast while he played with the other, rolling the taut nipple around. Gabrielle threw her head back as he sucked and teased her. And then he moved down her body and pried her legs apart, his fingers sliding up her thighs to find her dripping pussy. One finger pushed through her slit, into her core, and her hips undulated. He used her natural lubricant to tease her, pumping in and out between her plump pussy lips and making sure to bump against her clit. He leaned forward to lap up her juices, first off her thighs and then following the trail up. While his finger continued to tease, he sucked her sensitive clit into his mouth. She cried out and her fingers curled into his hair as she began to thrust against his face, in time with his fingers that fucked her. She felt herself begin to splinter apart and then she screamed his name as her orgasm swept over her. He lapped it up, licking her until she gave a little shudder and went limp.
“Oh, my God,” she said a bit breathlessly. Jaeger kissed his way back up her body until he found her mouth again.
“Ditto,” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful.”
He reached for his jeans and pulled out a condom. Turning over onto his back, he donned the rubber. Then he took hold of one of her thighs and pulled it over until she straddled him.
“You’re mine,” he said in a deep, guttural voice. Taking hold of his dick, she raised up and sat down on him.
“Yes. Yes!” she cried as he filled her up. He rolled them until she was on her back and he was nestled between her legs. And as he pressed forward, she suddenly knew her entire world had changed.
****
As soon as he entered her wet depths, something meaningful singed through his blood. His wolf howled inside him and his incisors elongated. He wanted to bite her, mark her, make her his forever. His one true mate. As their bodies merged, he felt their souls joining, becoming one.
“Fuck!” He groaned when he bottomed out all the way inside her. His balls rested snugly against her. “I don’t think I can last long, Gabrielle. Your pussy is so tight.”
“I need you so badly, Jaeger. Please!”
Her plea drove him wild, and he pounded into her harder, deeper. Her tight little pussy was sucking him in, turning his brain to mush. He was fast losing control and he so wanted this moment to never end. She felt so damn good wrapped around him, skin to skin.
“Christ, Gabrielle,” he ground out. “Are you close, sweetheart?”
“Yes!” she cried. “Yes! Jaeger!”
He reached down between their bodies and touched her clit, and that was all she needed to fly apart. He felt her pussy spasm around his cock and her incoherent cries of pleasure pushed him over the top and he came with a loud shout.
His wolf wanted to bite, to sink his fangs into her skin and taste her blood. Cement them together and complete the bond. But he didn’t allow it. He couldn’t because she wasn’t ready to know the full truth of who and what he was.
****
Something woke her up. The tiniest bit of noise roused her from the relaxing slumber she’d fallen into after the mind-blowing sex. The room was dark except for the moonlight streaming in the window. She reached over and clicked on the lamp resting on the nightstand. Jaeger, wearing his jeans, was bent over her items resting on the luggage stand.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
He turned, with her bag in one hand and the bag of fur in the other. Ignoring her nakedness, she jumped out of bed and marched over to him. She snatched the items away from him and glared at him.
“Were you trying to steal them?” she asked. Fury had her shaking. “Steal from me? Why do all the men in my life want to hurt me? Get out!”
“Gabrielle—”
“No! Get out!”
They stared at one another, and a myriad of emotions crossed over his face. She didn’t care. In an instant he had hurt her, more than she thought possible for someone she’d just met, and far deeper than someone who was just supposed to be a fling. He bent and picked up his shirt, and then turned and left her room. The door closed softly behind him.
Chapter Seven
Trying hard not to cry, Gabrielle blindly stared out her bedroom window, replaying everything that had happened between her and Jaeger. It wasn’t fair that she could fall for someone so fast and have him hurt her just like Dendy had. The same exact way. And the question why zinged through her head. He wasn’t in the scientific world. He wasn’t even in the cryptid community. So why would he steal her fur?
Was he working with Dendy? Was that why the asshole was here in Alaska?
The thought made her sick to her stomach. A movement outside caught her attention, a form heading away from the lodge. The low visibility made it hard, if not impossible, to identify who it was, but she didn’t think it was Jaeger. The person was too short. Was it Dendy? If so, why was he there?
Spying on her?
Making up her mind, she grabbed her coat from the foot of the bed and hurried out of her bedroom. The lodge was dark except for a fire burning in the fireplace. She hurried to the front door and left, running down the porch and out into the snow before logical thoughts could settle. It was dark and cold, but she was determined to get to the bottom of why Dendy was following her and if Jaeger was helping him.
She soon entered a spattering of dense forest trees. Once in the treeline, all light ceased reaching her. Gabrielle halted and looked around. She saw something move off to her right and she took off running, trying to catch up, but once she reached the spot, there was nothing. More movement, this time off to her left, and once again she chased after it. A moment later, she came to a dead stop and looked around. The slow realization that she had no idea where she was hit her, and fear spread through her already very cold body.
Then laughter came trickling from behind her. Gabrielle spun and saw Burt Dendy, watching her with a nasty little smile on his face. She wanted to rush up to him and hit with all the pent-up fury she still held, but the rifle hanging by his side made her hesitate.
“Why are you here?” she demanded. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because your fucking assistant posted those pictures of you in that tribe!” he yelled. “It shows you getting that pelt. You! Not me! And now there’s an investigation into my claims of discovery.”
The admission stunned her. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say, and then all the rage that she’d bottled up for years came pouring out.
“It was my discovery, you bastard!” She thumped herself on her chest. “You stole my research and took all the accolades for your own.”
“I gave you this career. I showed you the thrill of hunting the Yeti. And yet you find a new species of bear? I don’t think so! This was under my watch. My fucking expedition!”
She stared at him for a moment because his words were so incredulous they bordered on stupidity. In fact, she was a little flabbergasted.
“You never even wanted to hunt down that nomadic tribe,” she said. “It was my decision and you told me to go. Your exact words were if I wanted to waste my time then go. So I did. You had nothing to do with it.”
“I can still break you, little girl,” he muttered
“You can’t hurt me, Dendy,” she said, and was suddenly surprised to realize that it was true. He had hurt her, but he had not broken her heart. She had never loved him. Perhaps all she needed, after all, was to confront not just him, but her own emotions. With that knowledge, the anger ebbed, leaving her feeling light and free.
“When that idiot friend of yours posted you were coming here and that picture, I knew I had to get the jump on any evidence you might find,” he said.
That was when Gabrielle realized Jaeger had nothing to do with Dendy. She rethought the scene she saw earlier, with him holding the pack of fur and wondered if perhaps he was simply looking at it. He lived in this frozen world, so maybe he was helping her try to identify it. Relief surged through her heart.
“So you followed me to
steal more of my work?”
“Steal? You should thank me for giving you direction. A purpose. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be floundering in academics, moldering behind a desk and kissing the asses of your parents.”
“You’re so delusional,” she said. “And karma is a bitch. Good luck with your future reputation, because I’m pretty sure you’re going to need it.”
A growl floated across the wind and Dendy spun around, bringing his rifle up. Another noise came and Dendy took off running.
“Wait!” she cried, trying to run after him. But the snow drifts were high and her limbs were uncoordinated from the cold. In seconds, she was alone in the woods with no knowledge of where to go or where to turn.
It dawned on her that she had made a very bad decision. Perhaps if she just followed her own footprints back… Gabrielle turned and followed the tracks the way she’d come. With each step, however, she grew colder and colder until she couldn’t really feel her feet. She stumbled and fell, and it was difficult to get back up. Her teeth chattered from the force of her body shaking, but the next time she stumbled, she couldn’t move. Gabrielle lay in the snow until her body stopped shaking. Suddenly, she began to get warmer.
She knew that was a big problem.
“J … J-Jaeger,” she called out, knowing that it was impossible for him to hear her. It was impossible for anyone to hear her. It flashed through her mind that she was going to die in the cold, because of Dendy. That really pissed her off. Too bad she couldn’t move a muscle to kick the shit out of him.
Gabrielle closed her eyes. She didn’t want to die of exposure, but she’d been in the Himalayas enough to know the drill. In the next moment, however, two strong arms picked her up and cradled her against a warm body. She opened her eyes and stared at a long snout, white fur, and pointed ears. Had she died? Was she now in cryptid heaven?
The creature held her tightly, and soon the ice within her thawed. Pins and needles tingled all over her arms and legs, especially in her feet. But with warmth came clarity, and she blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Fear blossomed through her first, then shock, and finally a mixture of wonderment and disbelief. She slapped a hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle a scream, because in all her travels, in the years she searched for the Yeti, never once did she ever think she’d be in the arms of one. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten the beast and have him attack her. Was he taking her to his den? Was he going to eat her?
Then the lodge was there, and the creature set her on her feet on the first porch step. Her first instinct was to scramble away from him, and that was exactly what she did. She backed up until her heel hit the next step and down she sat heavily upon her bottom. That left the creature staring at her with huge, dark eyes. Gabrielle didn’t blink, didn’t breathe. She simply stared at the … the … thing … she didn’t even know what to call it.
It cocked its head and waited. For her? What did it want? Why did it bring her to the lodge? Was it intelligent?
Her fear began to drain away as curiosity took over. Slowly, she stood back up. The creature didn’t move. Its eyes were wide, intense. Slowly, she extended a hand, palm up, holding it out for him to sniff. It was what she’d do to any dog, and being this close to the animal, she saw the wolf traits shining through. The creature dipped its head low since it stood as least six feet tall, and stretched toward her hand. She touched the fur. Soft, but with an underling bristly coat, and pure white in color. It was the same as the fur she’d found on the tree bark.
She ran her hand down the side of his face, toward his ear. It tilted its head toward her caress, so she petted him again. The fur was too thick for any gender identity, but something told her it was male.
Then he took a step back, and before her eyes, it mutated. Or shrunk. Or something, because bones cracked and popped and he fell onto four legs. It transformed from a humanoid cryptid to an ordinary arctic wolf. Then it whimpered and sat on its haunches, and Gabrielle suddenly understood that was how it hid in plain sight. She smiled and held out her hand, and the wolf came right up to her to let her pet it. Knowing it wouldn’t hurt her, she wrapped her arms around the neck and hugged the animal.
“Finally,” came a nasty whisper from the darkness. “It’s mine.”
Gabrielle spun around and saw Dendy, rifle raised and aimed at the wolf.
“No!” she cried and jumped forward to protect the wolf just as the rifle exploded. All she heard was a menacing growl as pain engulfed her.
Chapter Eight
Jaeger sat in his office, in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames. His mind wasn’t on them, however, he was thinking about Gabrielle. He had wanted to make sure the fur was his, and thus had pulled it out of her bag to check. Now he had a dilemma, lie to cover up why he was interested in that piece of fur, or tell Gabrielle the truth. A woman who was a cryptozoologist … her career was certainly an interesting aspect of his mate.
He heard footsteps run down the stairs and a second later, the front door opened and closed. Jaeger rose and looked out the window to see Gabrielle hurry away from the lodge toward the woods. Concern sluiced through him. It was dark and she didn’t know the layout of the land, as well as wearing only a coat in the freezing temperatures. He turned to leave, intent on following after her, and Agathe stood in the doorway.
“Are you going after her?” Agathe asked.
“Yes. Get a warm bath ready and some blankets. She’ll be frozen in moments.”
“All right.”
Agathe hurried off, moving fast for someone her age. Jaeger headed outside and stared at the way Gabrielle took, the tracks a direct path. He had no clue why she’d go out at night, but he was going to give her a stern lecture as soon as possible. Right now, it was more important to bring her back.
He didn’t bother with a coat. His wolf would keep him warm enough, but as he followed after her, it soon became apparent why she had run off into the night. A second pair of footprints emerged, and across the breeze a harsh and bitter scent wafted. Dendy. Jaeger paused and listened. He heard faint voices, although he couldn’t pinpoint where they were coming from. Frustration gripped him, so he began to strip, removing his shirt, pants, and shoes before he allowed the change to take over. Heat and pain engulfed him as his bones shifted, elongated, popping and cracking as he turned from man into a hybrid type of wolf. Like many of his kind, he was able to walk upright or on all fours, and now he chose to protect his mate. He let out a roar and zeroed in on where the voices were coming from.
“J-Jaeger!”
His ears shifted forward as he heard his name, uttered desperately. Off he ran, hurrying, knowing it was only a matter of time before Gabrielle’s body began to shut down from the freezing temperature. He found her lying down, curled in a fetal position, and he gently picked her up to share his body heat with her. Then he ran back to the lodge, back to Agathe who waited to help his mate.
As he sat her on her feet at the lodge, however, he saw the fear overtake her. Fear of him, and it broke his heart. He couldn’t talk to her and ease her concern, that he trusted her enough to reveal who and what he really was. Then she touched him, stroked his fur, and he loved how her courage took over. Her fear seemed to melt away, so he decided to go for broke and reveal his species’ truest secret. He finished the transformation into the wolf.
Here was the elusive secret she’d been searching years for. Concrete proof that the creature she’d been hunting was able to hide in plain sight. And although he’d never encountered one, her hybrid bear had probably been the Yeti, killed in its half-transformed state. Would she understand? Most cryptids were, in fact, shifters.
With his attention focused entirely on her, he failed to identify the threat until it was too late. Dendy had shown up, rifle raised, and then Gabrielle was shielding him with her body. A shot fired, and the acrid smell of blood and gunpowder filled his nostrils.
He growled and attacked, jumping on Dendy who stared wide-ey
ed first at Gabrielle’s supine body and then into his eyes. Jaeger’s instinct was to go for the jugular, to rip it out and end the miserable man’s life, but Kenny was there, stopping him.
“We got him, Jaeger!” Kenny yelled at him. In one hand was a phone. “Mark and I filmed him shooting her. We got you transforming, too, but we’ll edit that part out. Please … we’ll keep your secret but, please, help Gabrielle.”
He backed off, stepping off the man he wanted to kill. Kenny and Mark took hold of Dendy as Agathe picked up the rifle and pointed it at the stunned, scared man. He turned to his mate. He could hear her heart beating, although it was faint. A dark-red stain spread out from her body onto the snow, and he knew she was bleeding out. If he didn’t do something, she would die.
Please forgive me!
There was no time to debate whether or not she’d want the mating connection. If he didn’t initiate it, she’d die. And if she died, he might as well curl up and die as well. He bent his head and sniffed at the area between her head and shoulder. His fangs rested on the soft skin, and then he bit.
****
Gabrielle was cold. She wandered the dark, lost, and then a ray of sunlight appeared. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the powerful rays. The warmth drew her and she walked toward it, moving from the lonely darkness into a warm paradise. A green valley stretched out before her with tall trees and blossoming flowers, and she smiled, more than content. A wolf emerged, walking toward her. It was big, its fur white as snow. His dark eyes stared at her, but she wasn’t afraid. She held out a hand to it, and as it walked toward her, it transformed into a creature, her rescuer, before completing the change into man.
Jaeger.