by Dani Harper
“I have to take that chance. Besides, banishment is just going to be more of the same. It’s already what I’ve lived with most of my life.”
“Yeah, well, what if they decide to kill you instead?”
“Meredith is a danger to everyone—human, Changeling, everyone. She has to be stopped, and it’s in the pack’s best interest to help.”
“And the killing you part?”
“Well, maybe I’ll be lucky and they’ll hold off until we stop Meredith.”
“I don’t like this plan at all. If you go back to your pack, I’m coming with you.”
“Listen, you don’t—”
They both jumped when Neva’s cell rang. She picked it up gingerly to look at the call display—then quickly flipped it open. “Baker!”
Travis’s inner wolf reacted at once. He wrestled it down as he asked, “Who the hell is Baker?” No way would his alter ego tolerate a rival.
Neva simply waved her hand and shushed him. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Really? That’s wonderful. Hey, where are you? Good, we’re heading south. I’ll call you when I stop someplace, maybe tonight.”
The phone hadn’t snapped shut before Travis was growling. He couldn’t help it. “Who. The hell. Is Baker?”
“For pity’s sake, he’s just a friend. He helped me get to Meredith’s to rescue you. He got his friend Riley out of the prison, too, and Zarita escaped with them, and then he found Sonje and Nathan again. They’re all down in Tucson.”
Travis’s wolf settled down as he digested all that. He was glad that Riley had gotten out. Poor bastard deserved something decent to happen to him. “I suppose you want to see them?”
“Of course I do.” She sat astride his lap and put her arms around his neck. “But first, I’d rather see you. Naked. Now.”
Neva nearly choked trying not to laugh. For the first time since she’d met him, Travis’s characteristic frown disappeared. In fact, his brows nearly reached his hairline in pure and pleased surprise. How long they stayed like that, she couldn’t say—she was suddenly being squeezed too tightly against his broad chest to see what his face was doing. His mouth was busy, however, kissing the top of her head, then roaming over her forehead, her eyes. His muscled arms released her, and he cupped her face so he could brush his lips over hers, teasing the corners with the tip of his tongue.
A shudder of arousal played down her spine, and she concentrated on capturing that elusive tongue and sucking it gently into her mouth. In and out. In and out. And in case he missed the suggestion, she rocked her pelvis in his lap. The answering bulge in his jeans was just right for rubbing against.
Travis released her face and sought one of her ears, breathing softly into it until he caught the lobe firmly between his teeth. Seizing her hips with both hands, he slid her rapidly back and forth over the front of his jeans. The sound of his breathing harshened. Wet with excitement, she gripped handfuls of his shirt and rode the rising wave of pleasure—
Until he stopped dead. She tried frantically to rub herself against him, but he merely picked her up by the waist and stood her on her feet. It was Neva’s turn to frown, half disappointed and half frustrated. “What the hell is—”
“Take off your jeans,” he ordered. “Just the jeans. For now.”
She eyed him as she complied. He’d stripped naked and sat down again. His cock was high and hard and welcoming, but again her expectations were diverted.
“Stay standing.” He kept his knees together and directed her until she stood straddling them. Slowly, his big hands rubbed circles around her hips and the sides of her legs, massaging gently up and down, dispelling all the tension from her muscles but building it unbearably in the untouched vee of her legs. Finally he slid a hand behind her and gripped her ass firmly. Neva moaned as her core clenched hard. Travis’s other hand began caressing her inner thighs, moving higher by degrees until a single drop of moisture ran down the inside of her leg. He caught it on the end of his finger and licked it off, his blue eyes on hers the entire time.
Two more drops trickled down. She was going to start screaming if he didn’t touch her soon. As if he’d heard her thoughts—oh, crap, was she broadcasting again?—his strong fingers softly massaged her curls, then parted them. A long, low moan broke from her lips, and she had to grip his shoulders to stay on her feet as his fingers circled her clit and then slid slickly into her.
She lost it then. There was nothing she could do to stop her hips from pumping hard against his hand. She wanted, needed, had to have more—he gave her two fingers, then three, all the while keeping his thumb on her rounded clit. Faster, faster…now, now, now! Neva could swear that fireworks went off behind her eyelids as she finally reached the top of the elusive roller coaster and rocketed down the other side. Thankfully, Travis gathered her to him, holding on tightly as she shattered into a million pieces. Neva had barely stopped shuddering when he placed her arms around his neck and settled her throbbing core within striking distance of his rampant cock.
“Take me in,” he whispered to her. “Take all of me.”
A single bump from his rearing arousal nearly sent her over the edge again. She wanted it, wanted him inside her, but her orgasm had left her so damn hypersensitive…Slowly, gingerly, she eased over his smooth penis—velvet over stone—and pressed gently against it, shivering hard as every nerve ending in her body reacted to the unique sensation. She was soaking wet and more than ready for him, but still vibrating. She caught sight of him then, jaw clenched, the cords in his neck standing out, and a scattering of beads of sweat on his face and chest, from the strain of holding himself back—she was probably torturing him just as he’d teased her. Neva pulled off her shirt, pressed her breasts to his bare skin, locked her hands together behind his neck, and thrust her pelvis just so…
It was Travis’s turn to lose control. He was on his feet in an instant, rocking deep into her as she wrapped her legs around him. The perfect friction nearly caused her to climax again—and suddenly Neva became exquisitely aware of their surroundings. It was more than the warmth of the sun on their bodies and the soft caress of the ocean breeze. There was a push of unseen power in the air, and a vast reservoir of energy pooled in the ground below their feet. Something huge and primal gathered in them and around them, building quickly. Her body rapidly climbed toward a new and more powerful peak, and she gripped Travis hard, milking him with her sex, binding them together until he shouted out his release at the same time she did. In the same instant, the wild energies around them came together with all the force of a thunderclap, washing over them both until they collapsed in a heap.
When Neva opened her eyes, she was lying on top of Travis. His heavily muscled arms were still around her, protecting her, sheltering her—which made her feel a little better about being naked at the end of a hiking trail. She couldn’t tell what time it was or how long she’d slept, but the sun was high, and she fervently hoped no outdoor enthusiasts had made the trip across Damnation Creek this morning and taken photos of her naked ass.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Travis’s eyes flickered open, and he smiled up at her as she struggled to free herself from his embrace. His frown was hardly even visible at the moment.
“What the hell just happened to us? Is that normal sex for werewolves?” She gathered up her clothes and checked the time on her cell. Two hours! They’d been asleep for two hours!
“Changelings,” he corrected. “And no, I’d say that kind of earth-shattering sex is pretty damn unique. I think it’s related to whatever you did yesterday when you used the stone—it’s like the elements got involved somehow. Maybe nature approves of us getting together?”
“Is it going to be unique every time? What about when we had sex for the first time, in that evergreen shelter? It was totally amazing sex, by the way, but I saw your wolf in your face. It only happened that first time, though. I never got to ask you what it meant because we got separated right after that. Did you see my wolf, too?”
“Yeah
. Yeah, I did…” He paused in the middle of pulling on his jeans and looked flustered. “I wasn’t going to tell you about it until later.”
“Really? Later when?”
“Later when you knew everything about me and didn’t hate me for it.”
“You mean like now? Okay, so spit it out. Are we bonded or something?”
“Yes. Like glue. Changelings recognize their true mates, and my wolf recognized you long before I did. And by the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. The animal persona bonds through sex, and the wolves—yours and mine—witness the bonding. That’s what you saw. I guess you could say it’s like a marriage, only I didn’t get the chance to ask you.”
“Would you have asked me?”
“I would now. Because now I have reason to believe you’d say yes.” He eyed her appraisingly. “You would, right?”
“Hmm. You can be a real jerk sometimes, but you’re decent. So probably.”
“That’s a good thing, because you’re stuck with me, Neva. Changelings mate for life. And we live a helluva long time.”
She mulled that over as she finished dressing. “So let me get this straight. We’re tied together? You’re going to follow me wherever I go?”
“And I’ll know where you are, too. The wolf will always know exactly where you are.”
“Is that so?” Walking a little ways ahead of him, she shifted to her lupine form, looked back over her shoulder at him, and wagged her ebony tail. Let’s test that theory, shall we?
She raced away, a sleek, dark shadow against the forest floor. A moment later, a great, golden wolf followed her.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was largely written in the middle of a move from an island in Alaska to southeastern Washington State. It was supposed to be simple—it wasn’t. It was supposed to be quick—it wasn’t that either. And it was supposed to be painless—not even close. We traveled with two pickup trucks containing the only belongings that were meaningful or essential enough to keep, plus our two opinionated pugs, and my laptop.
I credit my husband, Ron Silvester, with keeping me sane, and well-supplied with coffee and reassuring hugs. Ron and my daughter, Samantha Craig, once again tag-teamed as beta readers, and I could not have done this without them. Thanks to Stephany Evans of FinePrint Literary Management, who wore two hats on this project: one as my fearless agent and the other as an excellent beta reader.
Thanks to my editor, Eleni Caminis, and the team from Montlake Romance. They’ve been wonderful to work with, and I’ve been grateful for their enthusiasm. (P.S. On this project, I’ve been extra grateful for the talented copyeditors! I may yet learn how to use a comma.)
Finally, although it may sound odd, I simply have to express my appreciation to this book’s main characters, Travis and Neva. Some characters are hard to work with—they fail to tell you what they’re doing, keep their history and their motivations a secret, hide out when you need them to perform in a scene, or give you the silent treatment. Travis and Neva started talking to me one day in the Seattle airport between flights, and never stopped. In spite of the deadline pressures and the chaos of moving, I can honestly say I loved writing their story, and I’m looking forward to their adventures in book two.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Ron Silvester, 2011
Dani Harper is a former newspaper editor whose passion for all things supernatural led her to a second career writing paranormal fiction. A longtime resident of the Canadian north and southeastern Alaska, Dani recently ventured south with her husband to rural Washington to be closer to their grown children. She is also the author of Changeling Moon, Changeling Dream, and Changeling Dawn.