by Desiree Holt
If the city slicker planned to claim Zada as his mate, then Alex needed to beat him to it. Despite being physically fit, Alex doubted he knew how to fight. He might dirty those work slacks in the effort.
From the park, they headed toward to Riverfront back to the hotel. As they walked, he stayed alert to their surroundings and devised a plan.
The sound of their footsteps echoed on the cobblestone pathways. What he’d do to shift and run free. All this closed-in city time put him on the edge. Soon enough, they reached the river walk and hotel. Oversized boats passed by on the channel, and the temperature felt a few degrees cooler.
They entered the lobby, and Alex blocked Charlie’s path. “You stay down here.” He pointed toward one of the chairs in the waiting area. “We don’t need your help packing our bags.”
“No way, man. My directions were to ensure you two made it to Matrice’s place. Think I’m letting you get the slip?”
“It’s all right, Charlie. After all this time, do you really think I won’t show to hear about my family?” Zada stood between them, with her hands outstretched. “Think about it. We’ll be down in a few minutes.”
The guy set his chin as if he was about to further argue, and then he thought better of it. “Fine. Whatever. Just get your stuff, and let’s get going. I’m ready to move on.”
What Zada had said was right. She wouldn’t want to run off when she was so close to know the truth. “Thanks for handling that,” he said. “Couldn’t take being around that guy for much longer.”
Walking slowly, she glanced at him from the side.
The woman appeared to be so tough, and yet beneath it all, he knew she questioned a lot. He saw past the exterior of the purple hair and crazy black eyeliner. She was like a big dog in a little one’s body. All bark, but baby, he hoped she’d bite.
After pressing the button for the elevator, they waited for the ding of arrival.
She turned toward him. “Don’t be so harsh on him. I don’t know his story either, but he’s caught in all of this shit, too. He didn’t ask to be included in a strange prophecy, or mated to a woman who doesn’t want him. I’m sure he wants to live his life.”
“Like being with you would be such a hardship,” he mumbled. It’s all he wanted to do.
The moment they entered the elevator, he struck, pushing her up against the cold metal side and letting her feel the hardened length of his cock in his pants. “I couldn’t wait to get you alone.”
“Oh, yes.” She wrapped a leg around his calf, grinding her pelvis against him.
He wrapped a hand behind her head and crushed his mouth against hers. She tasted like no one he’d ever kissed before. She tasted like his future. Tucked into her hard outside shell, her lips were so soft.
She moaned against his mouth.
His tongue found hers. Shivers of sensation shot through his body, and his cock grew uncomfortably hard. He slipped a hand between their bodies, under her shirt and found the hard nub of a nipple.
Lightly, she nipped his lower lip.
He growled. “Hell yes.”
The chime of the doors opening broke their kiss, and she grabbed his hand, leading him to the room. “Come on. We gotta get our stuff, and something tells me he’s not waiting for us long down there.”
“If you were mine, I wouldn’t,” he said. “I mean, I won’t.” She stopped to open the door, and he pressed up against her, gliding his hands over her body.
“Something switched on in you,” she said. “Whatever it is, I like it.”
Hell if he’d lose her to some damn prophecy and a guy who looked like he couldn’t protect her. He wouldn’t know what to do with her if he got her. As the situation stood, things looked like he totally took advantage of “destiny” and obviously wouldn’t woo her.
The moment the door slammed behind them, she grabbed for the button of his jeans, popping it open and yanking down the zipper.
“Whoa, baby.”
“Don’t get shy now. I’ve been wanting to jump you for three weeks. Glad you got tired of playing hard to get.” She kissed his neck, sending shivers through his body.
“Some things are worth waiting for…” He lost his train of thought as she slipped her hand into his pants, and gripped his dick. His body tensed.
“No underwear. I like that in a fuck-buddy.”
He gritted his teeth. “Drop the act. I’m not being just your plaything.”
“Yeah. Yeah. We can talk more later. Play now.” Letting go, she kicked off her shoes, stripped off her jeans and underwear and pushed him onto the closest bed.
His bare butt bounced off the comforter, and his blood pounded in his ears.
She unceremoniously yanked off his pants until they pooled around his knees.
He leaned over, fiddling with them.
“Next time, we can do this all naked and proper. Right now, I want you in me.”
Her body burned against his as she straddled him. Who was he to argue? He smelled her sweet desire. Alex pressed two fingers against her slit, seeking the wetness.
“Oh yes. See how ready I am for you. You’ve kept me waiting for too long.” Taking him in her hand, she positioned his cock at her entrance.
He gripped her hip, guiding her down, until he felt like all the air had been sucked out of his body. “God. You feel fucking fabulous.” He thrust his hips as much as possible with his limited movement. With his other hand, he pushed up her shirt and bra, freeing her breasts. He stretched upward, mouthing her tits as she bounced on his cock. Every part of his body screamed with life. The grunts of their frenzied lovemaking rocked the small hotel room, and the headboard banged against the wall with force.
“Yes, yes. Don’t stop,” she ordered.
He held onto her ass, flipping her over until her back was against the bed, and he was better positioned to piston into her tight cunny. The strokes felt so good he wanted to howl. To strip off all their clothes, lick her from head to toe, make love under the golden moon and shift into their animal form. Everything he wanted to experience with her, and then some. Again and again.
Mine. Mine. Mine. With each thrust, the chant repeated in his head. She might not know it yet, but he’d claimed her. Fuck the future Pack leader waiting downstairs. He’d already lost.
Zada raked her fingernails over his back, and wrapped her heels over his ass, lifting and meeting his every thrust.
She was a fine mate for a warrior. The moment the muscles of her body tensed around him, he slowed his pace, making eye contact and forcing her to work for each stroke of pleasure.
“Don’t be a bastard.” She pounded on his arm, and reached forward, lifting his shirt and biting him on his peck.
The added splash of pain brought him to the edge of climax, and he braced open her legs, and rubbed her clit hard, all the while continuing to pump.
Her scream was so loud, he swore the guy waiting for them would hear her downstairs, or Security might think something else was going on in the room. Then he was flying, higher than ever before. More free than the most intense run in his shifter form. He saw the stars and the universe, and then his focus all came crashing back as he pumped his cum inside her body.
For the shortest moment, he rolled to his side, holding her, and taking in her scent. This moment, of knowing he wouldn’t spend his life alone. He’d given her his heart, and he’d protect her with his life. He kissed the back of her hair.
“Wow. That was awesome.” She rolled onto her side to face him. “I don’t know what got into you, but I sure know what got into me.” To demonstrate what she meant, she squeezed his cock. “OK, big boy. Let’s get going.”
And just like that, the magic of the moment dissipated. But he wouldn’t forget the sex, and he’d make sure she didn’t, either.
Chapter 3
The look on Alex’s face was too much. Like she’d save his soul or something. She wasn’t used to guys treating her like a precious commodity. She knew he had something else going on, and sh
e’d pushed it. Well, this time at least he was the one to initiate the sex.
The fire burning inside her dimmed to a quiet flame. Like boning him had somehow quenched a need deep. Good. Maybe it’d stay quiet for a while, and let her figure out some things without her sex drive leading her to be wild.
Yes, she’d always enjoyed the physical aspects of her body, and being with a man. But lately, something else was happening, like she was out of control. Until now, until being with Alex, she hadn’t felt sated. While she wanted nothing more than to slip under the cool covers and catch some sleep, they had other things that needed to be done.
Zada mentally readied to get up. “Let’s do this!” Within minutes, she shoved her belongings into the overnight bag and straightened her clothes. In the bathroom, she did the quickest wash-up.
“You won’t get all of my scent off you that way.” Alex leaned against the doorway, watching her with a hungry, predator look.
A stare that made her core ache. “If you keep that up, we’ll never get out of here,” she said. “And who says I’m getting rid of you? I just want to be a bit more presentable. Ready?”
“Yep, for whatever lays ahead.” He stepped closer. “You know I’ve got your back out there, right? We’re in this together?”
The Hunter had gone all soft, and fast. “Don’t get all serious now.” She swiped some glitter lip gloss over her mouth, adding a shine.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Are you serious? I have no idea about my past, so how can I be thinking about the future?” She glared into the mirror. “I’m a woman who likes options. I don’t like to be tied down.”
“Humphf.” He picked up her bag and his and headed for the door. “You just keep telling yourself that, and maybe eventually it’ll be true.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Who knows. Maybe the answer is in that damn prophecy.”
They rode the elevator in silence. Right before they reached the ground floor, he dropped the bags and kissed her, taking her breath away. The ball of need low in her belly erupted, and as the doors slid open there stood Charlie.
“Well fuck me,” he said. “I can smell it all over you. You two had sex.” He rushed in, swinging at Alex.
Alex was at a disadvantage with the bags at his feet and recently being ravaged. He wasn’t in a defensive mood, Zada figured.
Charlie’s punch connected with Alex’s jaw.
His head jerked back. “Why, you little!” Alex grabbed at his shirt.
“Just stop. The two of you knock it off. The way you two keep going at it, you act like you’re the last two men on earth and I have no other options.” She stepped over the bags and stormed out of the elevator, not waiting to see if they followed. “And damn it. I make my own destiny.”
Asshole. That’s what happens when you get in bed with someone. Suddenly, they think they own you.
Then again, Alex was only protecting her. The behavior was something she liked about the big, bad hunter, and she couldn’t fault him. Throwing it in Charlie’s face probably wasn’t the best thing, either. She didn’t know him. He seemed to be on edge, and they’d just pushed him over. He took this destiny thing more seriously.
Soon, she heard them following. As they walked, they passed a number of tourist hotspots, such as The Pirates House, known to be haunted by a former captain and perhaps a few other souls. They traveled up Broad Street, and she did her best to focus on the beautiful scenery, and ignore the bickering boys.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” Charlie asked, catching up.
“No, but I figured if I took a wrong turn, you’d let me know.”
He moved in front of her, and walked backward. “Of course, assuming I’d still follow and do what I’m supposed to, despite how you treated me.”
She turned on him, finger poking at his chest. “That’s your job. Bring me, uh, us, to Matrice’s house. No more. I don’t owe you anything.”
The outburst silenced him, and he stalked ahead. A fiery, angry figure compacted into an outfit that didn’t fit his personality. Maybe she shouldn’t have read that book by its cover.
“Now I kinda feel sorry for the guy,” Alex said, coming alongside. “I think he means well, despite not knowing how to show it.”
“Oh, don’t start getting all emotional and knowing on me now that you got laid,” she said, shaking her head.
“You know what? I liked you better before we slept together. At least then, you were nicer because you hadn’t got what you wanted. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but you’re not making any friends – forget about anything else.”
Like that, she went from two men fighting over her to two who’d rather have nothing to do with her. Absolutely perfect. She did better alone anyway. Always had. Now only to be convinced.
Every few blocks they passed through a grassy square with huge overhanging trees. In some ways, the city of Savannah appeared very much like her hometown of New Orleans, and in other ways, the place was vastly different. The French Quarter possessed a hustle and bustle that rarely slowed. Savannah felt much more laid back, as if it embraced its Southern charm to another level. Not needing to fight at being the cool kid.
Both guys walked briskly ahead, and she picked up the pace to not lose them. Her stomach churned with anticipation. No matter how much she wanted to know what Matrice had to say, she was afraid of the changes this information brought. No matter how much a person didn’t want it to happen, knowledge changes the status quo.
Once she learned the truth, there would be no going back. In this instance, too, she held the power of Jana, and what she’d passed along. If it was bad, she’d want to protect her sister. After being solo for so long, she felt weird thinking about how something affected another person. To be truthful, she’d always possessed this feeling of a connection to someone else. She’d capture distorted flashes of someone who looked like her but wasn’t. Zada passed them off as being exactly that – a dream. You know how you can dream of someone and the image not physically look like that? That’s how these dreams felt, except more connected on another level.
Once she met Jana, they all made sense. Except now the two connected on another level. If something ever happened to Jana, Zada thought she’d be able to feel it. Briefly, she wondered if Jana tapped into her emotions.
* * *
Southern charm infused the Pack leader’s house. The three-story home, complete with a white porch and a swing was a far cry from the digs back in the forest of Louisiana. Faint sounds of jazz music carried on the breeze. From indoors, the remaining scent of the night’s dinner escaped from the open screens. Alex kicked back on the blue cushions, relaxing after the trip out and handing over Sheba. Despite the outward appearance he gave, inside everything remained wound tight.
As the Hunter and one of the protectors of his home pack, rarely did he stand down. Even asleep, he woke at the slightest sound, on alert and ready to take on whatever necessary. Danger came seldom in the forest. Usually, people perceived him as the danger.
Behind half-mast eyes, he watched the proceedings around him. That weasel Charlie continued his attempts to get in good with Zada. In New Orleans, she wouldn’t give Charlie the time of day. What made him think the situation would be any different here and now? Especially after Alex had laid his seed, and claimed her as his own.
“You look so much like your mother,” Matrice said.
Zada’s gasp made him open his eyes to make sure everything was all right.
“You knew my mother?” She leaned toward the woman.
“Of course, darling. Why do you think I’m doing all of this—inviting you here?” She reached for Zada’s hand. “Your mother and I were close friends. I have no doubt you’re her daughter. Actually, you should call me Aunt. She talked about me being the godmother of you girls before you were taken away.”
“Can you tell me what happened? Do you know where she is?”
Lines crinkled ar
ound Matrice’s eyes, and she patted Zada’s hand. “My dear. I’ve always known where she was. You and your sister went missing. Your mother loved you very much, but she wasn’t able to care for you.” Her voice faltered, and she looked out into the night’s sky, beyond where street lights touched.
Probably only where she could see. Alex knew well the feeling of getting lost in his thoughts. He also understood not knowing where he came from – his ancestry. He pushed aside distracting feelings, and focused on the now, and the environment around him. Getting sidetracked often proved fatal for a hunter.
“Does anyone else feel hot?” Zada asked, breaking the silence.
“It’s fall in the south,” Charlie brushed his hair back with one hand. “The temperature isn’t all that warm.”
“She’s been hot all day.” Alex stood to move by her side. He placed two fingers against the young woman’s forehead, fighting against the way his heart picked up the closer he got to her. Despite the quickie back in the hotel room, he wanted her. Once wasn’t enough, and he was afraid he’d never get his fill. He shouldn’t get distracted by her. He’d get sloppy in his work. “You’re burning up.” Something must be wrong with her. He worried about her condition.
For a moment, she leaned into his hand, and then brushed his fingers away. “I could have told you that. I’m hot.”
“Well, not normal hot.”
Zada gripped the armrest of the chair and pushed up. “Excuse me. I think I better go to sleep.” She turned toward the front door, wobbling.
Alex moved behind her.
“Here, let me help you.”
“I don’t need your help!”
For needing help, she sure wasn’t being good about taking it. He paced her.
Her face blanched, losing all color. She teeter-tottered.