Caleb

by Willow Hazel

  He thrust forward, and she gagged for a second before relaxing her throat. They found a comfortable rhythm together as his cock slid deep into her throat and her hand furiously pumped his shaft.

  “Oh, Sarah, that feels so good,” Caleb said through gritted teeth.

  The warmth and pressure continued to build in his balls as Sarah continued to pull him in.

  “Stop,” Caleb growled.

  Sarah pulled off with an audible pop and frowned. “You don’t like it?”

  Caleb shook his head. “I like it too much.” He reached and pulled her up. “Wrap your legs around me.” He lifted her by the waist, and she followed his order and put her arms around his neck.

  The small woman was light in his arms as he positioned his cock in front of her pussy. He plunged into the tight, warm space.

  Sarah gasped at the intrusion, and he eased in farther before pulling back and pushing back in, all the while supporting her weight in his arms.

  He didn’t speed up immediately, even though every instinct in him urged him to pound her. She’d spent the last few minutes sucking on him, and she just wasn’t as wet as he was used to when he normally entered her.

  A soft moan escaped her lips. Caleb increased his pace.

  “Yes, oh, yes,” Sarah managed between moans.

  Now more comfortable that he wouldn’t hurt her, Caleb gave into his instincts and thrust deep into her. Each thrust that followed was faster and faster.

  Sarah tightened her legs around him in a near vise-like grip. He didn’t care. The pain was almost unnoticeable, and it wasn’t like she could bruise him if she tried.

  Her moans increased in volume. Her ragged breathing matched the rhythm of his thrusts and grunts.

  Caleb sucked in air, desperate to hold back the release that ached to come. No. He wanted her to come first. He could control himself. He had to.

  He continued pounding into her, her arms tight around his neck and her legs tight around his waist. Faster. Harder.

  There were no moans left, only ragged pants as he slammed into her. The pressure was immense now, and it took all his self-control not to give into his orgasm.

  His patience was rewarded when a few seconds later, Sarah let out a loud moan, and her walls tightened around his cock.

  Caleb shoved hard into her one last time and gave in, crying out his release and shooting his load deep into her.

  He stood there, holding her for a long moment, as their breathing changed from ragged and quick back to long and labored. He carried her over to the bed and gently set her down.

  Sarah lay back, her long black hair fanning out behind her. “Oh my… you are strong.”

  “And you’re hot.”

  She took a deep breath and pushed herself up. “Strength is one thing, but it’s not the most important thing.”

  “Oh, what is?”

  Sarah gave him a wide grin. “Endurance.”

  She yelped as he flipped her over onto her knees.

  Caleb let out a quiet growl. “I guess I’ll just have to prove my endurance then.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “So I just add the vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream into the glass with ice and stir,” Caleb said. “No fancy crap. It’s about taste for drinks.” He downed the drink in one gulp with a smile. “That’s good if I do say so myself. Though a good beer is still better.” He shrugged. “College kids love this crap.”

  Sarah nodded slowly. In the last week, she’d graduated from pure waitressing to some behind-the-bar work. She’d spent time before opening each day learning the finer points of drink handling and a touch of mixology.

  “You’re really good at this,” she said. “You could go be a bartender at some fancy high-end place. You could have Malcolm run this place.”

  Caleb leveled a gaze at her. “Do I seem like the kind of guy who’d do well at a fancy high-end place?”

  Sarah laughed. “Good point.”

  Bartending was ending up more complicated than she would have thought, and even a little fun. Not that most customers showing up at Devil’s Den were all that interested in mixed drinks, but it gave her something to keep her mind busy when Caleb wasn’t distracting her in bed. Never hurt to learn a new skill.

  She still didn’t know what she planned to do with her future, but working at Devil’s Den for a while didn’t seem so bad. All the guilt she’d had about taking a break from her graduate program had long since vanished.

  Really, she’d learned so much more about how the world actually worked since meeting Caleb than she had in her classes. Sure, she couldn’t tell anyone, but there was a certain sweetness to forbidden knowledge.

  “I’m not going to piss off a pack member by taking his job, am I?” Sarah said. “Thomas didn’t seem like he was happy about it.” She’d not thought much about it the last week. Even though the bar served as their home base, the entire pack didn’t work there, and she didn’t want to cause trouble with those who did.

  “It’s better for now,” Caleb said. “And it’s good that we can spare some extra guys to search for the True Sons. And Thomas just is a pissy guy in general. I figured him searching for the True Sons gives him a way to blow some of that steam off.”

  Sarah sighed. “I feel like all of this is my fault. If I’d never come in that night, the True Sons would have never come after me and got you more involved.”

  Caleb snorted. “The hell it is your fault. This is about territory in the end, not about you.”

  She looked up. “Really?”

  “Look, I am pissed that the True Sons screwed with you, but this is a pack problem. If you’d never set foot in this place, we’d still be having to deal with those bastards. They just would have picked a different way to mess with us.” He tilted his head. “Huh.” Caleb glanced toward the back hallway. “One of the pack is near.”

  Sarah glanced in the same direction, but didn’t see anyone yet. All the pack members who normally worked at Devil’s Den were out searching for the True Sons, with the exception of Jace who’d gone to pick up some things for the bar. “I thought you said Jace wasn’t going to be back from the store for a couple of hours.”

  He grinned. “Hey, not gonna complain if he’s quicker than I expected. Maybe he found a new, better place to get what we need.”

  Something crashed in the back hallway. A thud followed the crash. Caleb frowned, and they both rushed that way.

  Sarah let out a strangled yelp. Caleb growled.

  Thomas lay against the wall, his clothes torn and bloodied, his shirt in complete tatters. Cuts and burns covered his face and his body. He looked up, wincing in pain, and groaned.

  Sarah stared at him for a moment, her breathing heavy. Tears stung the corners of her eyes. “Why isn’t he healing?”

  “Silver,” Thomas said through gritted teeth. “Bastards cut and beat me with silver.”

  Caleb hurried over to Thomas to help him to his feet. “Just hold on to me. We’ll get you upstairs.”

  Sarah hurried to the werewolf’s other side to help support him.

  They led him to the stairs and carefully helped him walk up. Thomas grunted with each step, the pain etched into his face.

  Sarah swallowed. She’d gotten so used to werewolves being so tough, but the condition of the pack member slammed an important reminder into her: werewolves weren’t indestructible.

  They arrived at the door to the apartment, and Caleb nodded toward it. “Unlock it.”

  Sarah fished the spare key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. A few moments later they had Thomas lying down on the couch, stomach first.

  “What the hell happened?” Caleb said, his expression dark.

  “I caught a scent near the casino and decided to check it out. Next thing I know, there’s five of the bastards on me.” Thomas grimaced and sucked in a breath. “Goddamn silver weapons.” He ran a hand along a cut on his face. “Well, at least chicks dig scars.”

  “You can scar?” Sarah asked.

 
; Thomas gave her a pained smile then winced.

  “From silver, yeah,” Caleb said. He shook his head. “Fucking pricks,” he said. “They got lucky that they surprised you, otherwise with all that silver they could have easily screwed themselves.”

  Sarah hurried to the bathroom to look for some first-aid supplies. She opened up the medicine cabinet and found nothing. Werewolf overconfidence was biting them in the ass.

  She bit her lip then rushed into the kitchen to grab a beer. If they didn’t have any medicine, then a little alcohol would have to do. After stepping back into the living room, she handed the beer to Thomas.

  He gave a grateful nod and then sipped the beer.

  Caleb snatched his phone out of his pocket and sent out a text. A moment later, Thomas’s phone dinged.

  “You’re texting me when I’m right here?” the wounded man said.

  The alpha shook his head. “Calling the entire pack in. It’s time we stopped being half-assed about this and dealt with the True Sons once and for all.”

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Sarah was standing behind the bar pouring drinks. Eleven men sat at the tables, while Caleb stood near the door, a frown on his face. Thomas was resting upstairs, though at least Malcolm had shown up with some bandages for him.

  Sarah considered the pack as she set the beer-filled mugs on a tray. She’d met them all at least once, but only regularly dealt with a few, like the serious Malcolm, the hot-blooded Thomas, and the flirtatious Jace.

  Even though they were a pack, many worked their own jobs to help strengthen the pack, so she’d only met most in passing.

  Maneuvering around the tables, Sarah started setting down mugs of beer. “Don’t you need some reinforcements?” Every head in the room swiveled to stare at her. Her cheeks burned.

  “Why would we need that?” Malcolm said, his gaze cool.

  “You haven’t seen Thomas,” Sarah said, sighing. “He’s all cut up from silver.”

  Several of the pack growled.

  “So?” Malcom said.

  Sarah narrowed her eyes. “You’re a man down, and the True Sons might have like forty guys in their pack. Do you have any actual information about them? My research before I even knew about werewolves suggested the True Sons might be a large group.”

  Malcolm’s expression softened. The gathered werewolves all chuckled.

  “It doesn’t work that way, Sarah,” Caleb said.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “No alpha can bond with more than twelve wolves. It’s just… the way things work. I mean maybe some wolves might help another wolf from a different pack out, but no alpha’s going to trust a bunch of wolves around him he can’t sense coming, and who he knows aren’t loyal.” He patted his chest. “That’s what it means to be in a pack. The other wolf has bonded himself to you in spirit.” He shrugged. “And the way Jake is, I doubt he would risk that even more.”

  Sarah nodded, relief spreading through her. At least they wouldn’t be badly outnumbered once they found the True Sons. “Oh, I see.”

  “But I’m glad you’re thinking of the pack.”

  Several of the others grunted their approval.

  Caleb turned his attention back to the men. “I’m tired of this shit,” he yelled. The men all shouted in agreement. “Jake’s bitches are coming after our pack with silver?” He snorted. “That means he’s afraid. Afraid that his guys will get torn apart in a straight fight.”

  The men shouted in agreement. Sarah watched quietly, holding the tray under her arm as the pack came together as one in spirit.

  “Jake’s not wolf enough to come straight at us,” Caleb said. He slammed his fist into his palm. “So we need to find him and go straight at him.”

  The men all shouted louder. Even Malcolm seemed to get into it, not quite yelling, but more animated than Sarah had ever seen him.

  “We need to get serious about this. I want half the pack scouting the city full-time. Take off work or make up whatever excuses you need. Work any contacts you have, shifter or human. The other half of the pack will stick close to Devil’s Den in case Jake’s pack attacks. I want this shit over within a week.” He pointed toward the window. “We need to show everyone that you don’t fuck with this pack. We need to show the dragons. We need to show the other wolves, and most of all we need to show those sons of bitches, the True Sons!”

  Every wolf jumped to their feet to let out a roar of approval.

  Sarah’s heart pounded. She just wasn’t sure if it was from fear or excitement.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Caleb stepped out into the darkened lot behind Devil’s Den, a garbage bag in hand. He sucked in a breath, still impressed by the temperature.

  August had started, and even since July, he’d really been feeling the difference between LA and Glendale. Hell, it was the middle of the night, and it was still in the high eighties. The Valley of the Sun for sure.

  Caleb made his way over to the large green garbage bin and tossed in the bag. The heavy metal closed with a loud bang. As much as he liked owning his own place, he was always amused by how in the end, there was nothing glamorous at the end of the night but cleaning and taking out the trash.

  His phone rang, and he yanked it out of his pocket immediately. The call was from Remy. The guy might be a little too carefree and took too many risks at times, but he was hands down the best scout in the pack.

  He tensed. Maybe Remy had fallen into some trouble. The last thing they needed was to be two wolves down.

  “What’s up?” Caleb said, keeping his voice calm. Showing any weakness or fear to a pack member wouldn’t help.

  “I’ve got a twenty on their hideout,” Remy said.

  Caleb let out a low growl. After what the True Sons had done to Thomas, he wanted a little revenge. No. He wanted a lot of revenge.

  The True Sons had threatened him, threatened his woman, and threatened his pack. They were too cowardly to face them openly, like real wolves, so he’d show them the power of a real werewolf pack.

  “You sure about this?” Caleb said. “If they spotted you at all, it could be a trap.”

  “One-hundred percent. It’s a warehouse across from the drive-in. I saw the whole pack ride in there together.” He rattled off the exact address.

  “Shit. And they didn’t see you or smell you? You sure?”

  “Too much wolf stink around here for them to pick up one more scent. But it’s not just the place. They’re still here. Every last bastard and the alpha himself.”

  “Shit. Okay, keep an eye on them, and call me immediately if they leave. I’m going to gather the rest of the pack. We’re going to end this tonight and show the True Sons that they don’t fuck with our pack.”

  Caleb pocketed the phone and sprinted back into the building and then up the stairs. There was just one thing left to handle. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance as far as the True Sons were concerned.

  He threw open the door to the apartment. Sarah sat on the couch in a nightgown, checking the internet on her phone.

  Caleb inhaled deeply. The berry scent of her new shampoo mixed with her natural Blooded scent. After this was all done, he’d have to celebrate with Sarah in bed.

  “Something wrong?” she said, a concerned look on her face.

  “No, something very good.”

  “Oh?”

  “Remy found where those bastards are hiding,” Caleb said. “I’m gonna gather the pack, and we’re going to go and end this crap.”

  “You mean kill them all?” Sarah said softly.

  He shrugged. “Hey, they want to run, they can run. I’m not going to sit here and let them torture my pack with silver or shoot at my woman. They started the war. I’m just gonna end it. If they are smart, then it won’t have to end with anybody dead.”

  Sarah swallowed and gave him a shallow nod. The fear in her blue eyes stabbed at his heart, but he needed to do this. It was the only way his packmates and Sarah would ever be safe. T
he True Sons were not the kind of men you could negotiate with.

  They wanted blood. They’d get blood.

  Caleb nodded to the door. “You’re going to lock yourself in here and make sure you have the gun handy.”

  Sarah rubbed her arms. “You think they’ll attack Devil’s Den?”

  Caleb shook his head. “Probably not. They got the entire pack there, and we’re going at them in force. You see, I’m not interested in ambushing lone pack members. That’s the coward’s way, not my pack’s way.”

  “Then why do you want me to stay here?”

  “Because I can’t be sure, and I don’t want to take any chances since I won’t be here,” Caleb said. “Especially when it comes to your safety. If someone does come, you empty the clip into them, run downstairs, and drive the hell away. Wolves are fast, but they can’t keep up with a car, and they’re not going to risk going after you with people around.”

  “What if they just don’t care?”

  “Then a very angry dragon might show up, and that’s gonna end badly for them. But I’d like to avoid reptile involvement if we can.”

  Sarah nodded slowly. “I’ll keep the gun by me.”

  “Good. Then I can go after the bastards without worrying about you.”

  Sarah gave him a shallow nod. He rushed over to her, leaned over, and gave her a kiss. She let out a soft sigh after he broke the kiss.

  He could see in her face how worried she was, and he’d like to tell her that something like this might never happen again, but this is what it meant to be a wolf: defending your pack and territory. If they were going to have a future together, then she needed to accept and understand that.

  “Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon,” Caleb said. He walked to the door.

  “I’ve fallen for you, you know,” Sarah said softly.

  “So?” He halted and looked over his shoulder. “I’m a pretty easy guy to like.”

  Sarah chuckled. “I’m just saying… don’t get hurt. I… I love you.” Her face reddened, and she looked away.