by Hazel Gower
Logan cleared his throat. “I mean Hope. I know they’ve seen you change to your full animal and that half-phaze shit you do, but since we don’t have a demon to show them—and I wouldn’t recommend catching one—we need to show them how hard this is and they need to work as a team.” He jerked his head to the group of men that were all back now. “They should have all come back at the same time. We’re only as strong as our weakest link, and they need to know that.”
Logan paused for a moment and ran his fingers through his short, red hair.
“I’ve been training with Bengie,” Logan continued. “He’s damn good. I’ll organize a demonstration. In the meantime, we need to drill into these men that they are a team. I looked at their folders, and truthfully, you do have the best. The problem is humans aren’t as strong as shifters. It would take at least six really well-trained men to take down a demon. I know Faith and the other women have helped before, but they’re mated to you men, and when we mate a shifter we gain strength, and to top it off, Faith has had years of you training her, and the other women have gifts like mine, but these men don’t, at least I don’t think they have a power.”
Logan was right. At the moment they had the men training in groups of ten. If he was really thinking though, he needed that to be more like six and then two shifters as the lead soldiers in each group.
Griffen looked around and studied the other groups that were working hard. The only group that looked like they could handle themselves were the men who’d been there for as long as Logan. They didn’t have six or so months to train each group though. They needed more patrol groups now. He caught Rane and Kane’s gaze and could see they had the same concern. He wondered if the other countries shifter military were having similar issues.
“I’m going to have a talk with Kane, Rane, and the others. The groups need to be smaller, and we need to train each group with the two shifters that will lead them. I’m going to have a chat with Hope too. These men need to know that the demons might also use other beings. It’s something we need to look out for. Faith did say she saw other beings when she had her first big vision.”
“Fuck.” Grayson scrubbed his face. His shoulders drooped, and he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. “I didn’t want to say anything because she’s already been through so much and is really struggling right now, but Nara has heard things she shouldn’t have. She got inside some demons’ heads, but said it was hard to read them as their structure is different from ours, and they’re very twisted and always plotting or dreaming of bad things. She heard things though, plans. I know I should have said something sooner, but it’s taken me so long to build the trust I have with her, and I didn’t want to chance anything that could jeopardize it.”
Grayson wasn’t a wolf, but he was still part of their pack. Griffen had been feeling something was off with him for a while, but with everything that was going on—everything they’d learned and Grayson finding his mate and Griffen dealing with his own issues—he had let it be.
He patted Grayson’s back. “I’m sure it will work out. We’ll even make sure Remy is there for support when we talk to her.”
Grayson chuckled, but it was a hollow sound. “Yeah, Nara adores her sister, and Remy won’t let the elders intimidate Nara. It’s time though.”
It sounded like there was a lot to discuss and figure out. Griffen turned to his recruits and marched them to their next lesson.
* * * *
“I…I probably shouldn’t have sat you down like this and said that we needed to talk. I know you’re uncomfortable with showing what you are, but…” Griffen trailed off as her eyes flashed from the gold they stayed in at home to the brown, her shimmery skin changed colors, stopping on his skin tone, and her whole body stilled.
Griffen paced back and forth as she showed how wrong he’d been starting the conversation the way he had and scaring her. His body heated, and he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and started over.
“You’re special. I’m getting used to how different you are, and I like everything I’m learning. You’re unique. The most easy-going person I know.” He went and sat down next to her, reaching for her hands and cradling them within his own. “I’m going to suggest something, and I want you to think about it. If you really don’t want to do it, I promise I won’t mention it again. You won’t have to talk about it.”
He paused and waited for some indication he could continue. Her shoulders sagged, and she gave the barest nod of her head.
“I...no, we need your help to train the military men. They have no idea what they’re up against until they come face to face with a demon. We need to show them something...um, I mean, a being that they don’t know and won’t expect.”
She sat quiet for a moment, and he squeezed her hands in his. “Shifters are other beings.”
He nodded, because as he’d learned, she was right. “Yeah, but thanks to books and movies, humans are kind of immune to shifters. Sure, when we showed them our different forms they had the right reactions—some scared, some shocked, others weren’t surprised, more curious. But they didn’t seem scared enough when we showed them images of demons. We have fought them, and they fight back and say all the cocky things and think they can win and fight until they’re exhausted, but I need them to see something they haven’t seen. Something that would shock them. Something like you that can hide even from us shifters.”
Griffen captured her gaze and brought her hands up and kissed her knuckles.
“You are amazing. I know you can hide from us, you did it when you went and gave Faith the gift. But I haven’t seen you fight us. I know you could, and I bet if the demons had more like you, we’d be losing.”
She blinked, her eyes changing from the brown back to the gold, to blue, to green. She shrank back from him and frantically shook her head.
“No. No, no, no. I can’t do that. The Enewus, we lost our war because we aren’t fighters. We are one with nature. No. I know the demons don’t have more of my kind. I am the last one. They all died or took their own life so the demons couldn’t get them. I should have taken my life too, but the first time I saw you, I had hope.” She backed up on the sofa, her head still shaking, and her whole body trembled. “The only hunting the Enewu did was for food, and even then, we only killed what we needed and shared what we had to spare with others. I understand things are done differently here. I know that you need help. I have seen you fight, and if you want me to, I will show them how I can hide, but I am not a fighter.”
“Fuck. Fuck,” he groaned, drawing out both words.
He wondered how he was supposed to proceed? He had thought once she settled in she would start training like all the other women. Holy crap, she was the last of her kind. She had considered killing herself too, but saw him in a vision. Fuck. This was all so fucked up.
He had no idea how she could smile, laugh, and do what she did when she saw and knew she was the last of her kind. He’d known the demons took over her world, but he thought some might have escaped. It truly set in just how dire the demon situation was. His mate was the sole survivor of her world. He couldn’t ever let the demons get their filthy hands on Hope again. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He thought she was special before, but now he knew she was truly one of a kind. No one in the whole universe had a mate like his.
He crept closer to Hope and gathered her in his embrace. “I promise I will protect you. I know you said that your people were peace-loving beings, but I…” He pounded on his chest to make sure she got the point of what he was going to say. “I need you to learn how to fight. To defend yourself. I need to know you can protect yourself if necessary.” He cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. “I know you don’t want to fight, and I hope that you will never have to use what I teach you, but I want—no, I need for you to learn how. You are too important to me and my family.”
She didn’t say anything for a while, but after a moment her skin went back to the shimmery clear color and
her eyes went gold. “I will learn…” Her gaze searched his face, and he didn’t know what she was looking for, but she must have found it, because she nodded. “If you teach me to protect myself, I will learn. I will do anything you ask.”
Holding her close to him, Griffen stroked her back and prayed to any gods who might be listening that she wouldn’t have to use what he would teach her.
“I will show the military men too,” she said on a long, drawn-out sigh.
Pulling her back so he could face her, he continued to stroke her cheek and then leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, and a third time before he rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”
* * * *
Griffen gazed around the forest for the hundredth time. He couldn’t locate Hope anywhere. She was amazing. He’d taken her deep into the forest and told her to hide so he couldn’t find her. He was going to test her skills and see if—with knowing what to look for—he could find her.
He took a deep breath and tried to search for her using his sense of scent. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the woods around him. He could smell a faint scent of what his home smelt like, but it didn’t smell like it was coming from one direction more than any other. Usually if he was tracking something, the smell would be closer if he went in a certain direction to whatever was hiding. He always had a direction at least—north, south, or just a little more left—but right now, he couldn’t smell Hope.
Switching to a different tactic, he focused on his hearing. He listened for the rustling of leaves, the heavy beating of a heart, the absence of animal noises, anything that could tip him off to where Hope was. He took a couple of steps left and heard not a thing out of place, saw nothing that looked like it didn’t belong, and smelt all the things he would if he was alone.
Opening his eyes, he gazed around one last time, seeing no sign of Hope. “Holy crap, Hope, you’re amazing. Make yourself visible. I’d love to see where you are.”
He spun in a circle until he saw blonde hair waving in the breeze and a skin color the same as his poke out of branches up in a tree, only a few trees away on his right. Mesmerized, he went to Hope and stared up at her in wonder.
“Can I watch you disappear? See how it’s done and find out if I can see you now that I know you’re there.”
“Okay.” She smiled down at him, and his heart skipped a beat at her happiness. She was beautiful when she was happy and smiled, it lit up her whole face.
Griffen was in awe as she slowly, for his benefit, made herself disappear, or more accurately, became a chameleon. Now that he was really watching, he could just make out the odd shape of her body against the tree. He would never have found her if she hadn’t done it in front of him.
“Let’s try a different hiding spot and me in wolf form,” he suggested.
She became visible again. “It might be easier in wolf form as everything is more heightened, but when I went to Faith, I was worried that I would be smelled as I smell a bit like you now.”
She climbed down, and Griffen couldn’t have pulled his gaze away from her naked body if his life depended on it. She was all toned, tight muscles, with a petite frame and all the right curves. His cock rose in his track pants, and his body ached with the need to touch her, to put his skin against hers, circling her waist and running his fingers up and down her smooth skin. He groaned as she turned and her breasts bounced as she landed with a soft thud on the ground. Her shy smile sent his way didn’t help matters either. His body felt hot, and he wondered if he should put a hold on what they were doing and finally make his move.
As she made her way to him, she sniffed the air and her gaze went wide and her smile spread wider. “You’ve never looked at me like that before.”
What! He shook his head. What did she mean he hadn’t previously looked at her like he was now? Surely he’d shown his desire for her before? Hadn’t he? He racked his brain, trying to think of a time when he’d been turned on like this with Hope, but none came to mind. Oh crap! What kind of man didn’t make his mate feel desirable? What did this mean?
He did find her attractive. But he had to admit that he couldn’t really think of any time before when he thought she looked as sexy as she did now. All she was doing was walking toward him, naked in the woods, but it was the way she was doing it, in her own skin, it shining and flashing a rainbow of colors, deep golden eyes, white hair, and her walk filled with confidence. That was it, that was why she was so stunning, right now she was in her element.
“You look beautiful. No…” He shook his head. “That isn’t the right word. You look stunning, like a goddess strutting her stuff.”
Stepping toward her, Griffen gathered her to him and did the only thing he could when she looked like she did—he claimed her lips, tasting them and coaxing her to open her mouth. When she did, he slipped his tongue inside and devoured her. Hope had put him under a spell, and he didn’t want it to be broken.
He ripped at his clothes and stepped out of the remains, relishing when their bodies touched. Closing his eyes, he let his hands explore her, his fingers trailing over every one of her curves. She was so soft. It reminded him of the finest silk. Opening his eyes, he pulled his mouth from hers and kissed a trail down her jaw and over her neck to rest on her shoulder and the mate mark. He kissed the mark as his hands rested on her arse cheeks.
“I want you so bad right now. Please tell me you’re ready and you want me too,” he whispered against her.
Hope rested her hands on his shoulders and held him against her. “I’m ready. I want you. I want to take the next step. I’ve waited a long time for you.”
Griffen’s heartbeat picked up, and he swore his body heat skyrocketed. They were ready. This felt right. This was right. She was at home in the forest. Her people had been nature people. This was the perfect place to make her fully his. To claim his mate. Hope was his mate. No more thinking. It was just Griffen and Hope.
Kissing his way down her body, he stopped at her breasts. They weren’t big, but they weren’t small either, they were a perfect handful. Her nipples weren’t as big as a human’s or a shifter’s, and they were a lighter color. He opened his mouth and took one in and sucked. She let out a gasp, and her fingers dug into his shoulders. She might not have a smell, but she tasted like heaven—a mixture of a fresh sea breeze and wild mulberries. Letting go of her breast, he switched to the other one while his hands roamed her body.
Hope’s fingers were hesitant at first when they moved to explore him. Griffen wondered if he should say anything to her or give her encouragement, but when his fingers caressed the folds between her thighs, her hands shot down to his and gripped them for a moment. He parted her lips and his fingers found her clit and brushed over it. Her clit was bigger than any he’d seen before and more of a large, round, button shape, and her whole body shook when he touched it. Hope went wild in his embrace as his mouth sucked on her breasts and his fingers explored her pussy.
Her fingers were no longer hesitant as he explored. Letting go of a breast, he eased away and studied her body. She was so into what they were doing, her skin couldn’t stay one color. Her eyes were a dark yellow gold, and her lips looked bee-stung from their kisses. Her chest was arched into his touch, and her legs were spread. He’d never seen anything so erotic.
Griffen moved one of his hands up and ran his fingers down her body, resting to cup a breast before tweaking her nipple. Hope shook, and her mewls of delight told him that she was enjoying his touch. Hope’s fingers traced the ridges in his back before coming around and lightly trailing the pads over every crevice and bump of his body.
“Mmm, I love the feel of your body,” she moaned, her voice so sexy with her deep huskiness. Hope’s sigh was of pure bliss as he flexed and her fingers smoothed over his abs, and his confidence skyrocketed. “It’s hard, but smooth at the same time,” she rumbled as her gaze followed her fingers.
His body heated, and his arousal rose at her words and
watching her.
“I’ve seen your body in my visions, and when you shifted, but I never imagined it would feel so amazing. I tingle all over just from what I’m doing. It feels so good.” She drew out the words so good.
Griffen took care of his body, even though being a shifter he burned off a lot of energy. Stepping close to her, he stilled his fingers in her pussy and gathered her to him and took her mouth again. He ravaged her mouth, and she matched him, tangling her tongue with his and moving her lips to match his rhythm. She was a quick learner. She circled her arms around him and ran her fingers up and down his back as she eased her legs further apart.
His mouth tore from hers on a groan, and he grinned when she panted for breath. He rested his face into her neck and sucked on her skin. Making his way to her ears, his tongue snaked out and licked before he nibbled on the pointed tip. She bucked against him and her moans grew louder. Holy shit. His fingers reached down, and he found her wet and ready, but he wanted to give her more pleasure.
Griffen focused on her ears, biting and nibbling until she started climbing his body and rubbing herself on him. He held her to him so she didn’t fall but pushed her out so he could have one more taste of her succulent breasts. Her thighs trembled against him as his breath feathered over her puckered nipples. She took deep breaths, her body shaking as he sucked one pebbled nipple in before repeating the action with the other one. Her hands came up and she gripped his hair, holding him against her. He burned with need for her, eager to bury himself inside her and claim her.
He was ready, and he was sure she was too. With a pop, he let her breast go and helped her slide down his body until her feet touched the ground. He ran his fingers over her heated body. Stopping at her pussy, he slid two fingers into her core and moaned as he felt how wet she was. He darted a quick look around them, and locating his clothing, he moved them so they were behind her. Griffen gently placed her down on his clothes, taking a moment to fix them out so she wasn’t on the forest floor.