by Brenda Bryce
She didn’t know where he went, but the other wolf was gone. She couldn’t see or sense him.
Damn, damn, damn. Now what? I have to find Kyle. With that, she bounced onto the couch and leapt carefully out the broken window.
Everything looked different. The night was gray and alive. Lannie wasn’t even positive the other wolf was gone, and now she had to make it all the way to Kyle’s house. She was bleeding from several locations, and she was scared. Kyle, I have to get to Kyle.
Stumbling along, she headed off in the direction of Kyle’s home. She could feel the blood running down her legs -- all four of them. The blood seeped out of the glass-filled wounds and trickled through the hairs of her coat, toward the ground.
As she got closer to Kyle’s house, she became weaker. She stumbled and almost fell. Her vision was starting to fail her, and she was afraid she was going to faint. If she fainted, she would bleed to death. She knew that she had to keep going. One foot in front of the other. Why, oh, why, hadn’t she practiced walking more while she had the chance? Almost there. I can make it.
Lights flickered ahead, and she wanted to weep her relief. Kyle!
Staggering now, she approached the door and fell upon the doormat. She could go no farther. Whimpering, she tried to scratch the door with her paw in hopes that Kyle would hear. Help.
The door opened, and Kyle stood in the threshold. She whimpered again, and he cursed loudly.
“Oh, baby, what happened?” He picked her up carefully and carried her into the house.
He laid her on a blanket that draped over the couch and went back to the door, closing and locking it.
“How in the world did you do this to yourself?” he asked as he used a corner of the blanket to clear the blood enough to check the wounds.
She cried out as a piece of glass embedded in her skin moved, causing excruciating pain.
Kyle! Oh, jeez, it hurts! I have glass all over, she informed him, in hopes he would stop the pain.
“How in the hell did this happen?”
He jumped up, presumably to get the items he needed to clean her up. She sure hoped so.
I was working and I heard a noise. I went to investigate and saw that someone had thrown something through my front window.
Lannie had to hold her breath as he washed away the blood with a warm, wet cloth and picked up tweezers to pluck out the glass.
“So this is from the front window?” He indicated the shard of glass he had in the tweezers.
Yes. But that’s not all. There was a wolf outside, and he called me a bitch and told me to tell you I’m next. I don’t know -- OWW! That hurt! She squirmed a bit, but he held her still.
“Sorry.” He soothed the area with his thumb by gently rubbing around the wound. “You don’t know what?”
I don’t know what he meant by that, but he told me to tell you. Then he jumped at me, and I started to change. I don’t know what happened to him after that. I was bleeding and scared, and I didn’t know what else to do, so I came to you. What’s going on? She was practically wailing, and her wolf form caused it to sound like howls.
“Did you see what he looked like?”
No, just yellow eyes and really sharp-looking teeth. She whimpered quietly.
“Shh, it’s all right, baby.” Kyle wrapped his arms around her carefully, soothingly.
I was so scared. I didn’t think I was going to make it here, either. I was feeling faint, and I think I was about to bleed to death. She closed her eyes and cried. Sure, she would rather be strong, but she hurt all over.
Her whimpering continued, she couldn’t make it stop. He held her in his arms and petted her until she calmed and finally fell asleep.
Kyle tried to contain his fury so he could take care of his mate. She needed him now, and he was not going to fail her in this. He cleaned her wounds, making sure there was not a single sliver of glass left in the cuts, and bandaged her. While assuredly painful, they weren’t as bad as he had thought. Her most pressing danger was shock.
Assuring himself of her comfort, he covered her with a clean blanket, gave her a last, soothing rub, then got to work. He took his cell phone into his office and leaving the door open only enough to be able to hear if Lannie woke, called his hunter.
“Donovan, my mate was threatened by an unknown at her house. He broke a window and frightened her. She says he didn’t touch her, but I have her here, and she’s injured. I want this creature, do you understand?” He pushed the button on the cell phone to disconnect the call.
Knowing he could trust his hunter to do his job, he sat down in his desk chair and ran his hands through his hair roughly. “What the hell is going on?”
He was going to have to let his mate rest, then turn her back. Kyle hoped she would be healed enough for him to assist in the completion of the transition without harming her further. He wanted to kill the bastard who’d terrorized Lannie, but he wasn’t going to leave her.
Cursing again, he returned to the couch where she was sleeping and lifted her head into his lap. Gently, he brushed the fur on her head and neck with his hand. He tried to figure out who the bastard could be, but only one name popped up -- Pete, and he was a pansy-assed waste of fur. He didn’t have the balls to kill anyone in the manner in which the victims were being subjected to. He would be more likely to sneak around and start rumors, steal business clients, and key cars than actually dirty his hands. Kyle wondered how he could have been fooled by him for so long. Pete had been his second in command! He might be a sneaky bastard, but he wasn’t as vicious as what he had seen here. Kyle tried to think of even one name. The name of someone who had the motive and opportunity and the deep-down evil that could be running around loose in Nowhere, killing humans, and scaring the shit out of his mate.
If anything had happened to her ... His hand gripped the fur at the nape of her neck tightly. Not letting himself think thoughts of that nature, he gave her a last pat, then stood and headed for his bedroom. It had to be one of the lost werewolves he’d told Lannie about. Not all werewolves were in collectives, and the ones who either didn’t know their heritage or who chose to be loners were referred to as lost to the rest. Occasionally, one of the lost wolves went on a rampage, not knowing or not understanding their non-human self. That would explain the carnage of the killings. From the damage done to the victims, anger and hatred were definite factors. More than one was also a possibility; that kind of carnage could easily be caused by two or more werewolves. Gods, he hoped not.
He heard her cry out his name from the other room and went to her.
“Lannie, you’re all right, darling. You’re with me.” He ran his hands through the fur on her back.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. I wish you could hold me.
He laughed softly. “You think I can’t hold you when you’re in this form?”
Well, I haven’t really thought about it. I suppose you could, but it wouldn’t be the same. And I don’t think I’m really up to doing what we need to do to turn back.
Kyle cleared his throat. “You mean you aren’t up to making love?”
She put her head down on her bandaged front paws. No. And I don’t think that we could do it in our present forms now anyway. You a human, and me like this. That would be too gross.
Laughing, Kyle tugged on her ear. “What? Not into bestiality?”
He laughed harder when she growled and tried to bite him. “I’m kidding. I think it would be, as you say, gross, as well. Lucky for us, there’s no call for that.”
So how am I going to change back?
“Pheromones.”
Pheromones?
“Yes, little parrot, pheromones.”
What in the heck are you talking about? You told me that the only way I could turn back was ...
“The mattress mambo?”
Good grief. Sex, alright, sex, she growled out.
Kyle laughed heartily and hugged her carefully, mindful of her injuries. “And I didn’t lie. The first
time you change after being bitten by your mate, yes, you must submit to your mate sexually. But after that, there are alternate ways of bringing about the transformation.”
Lannie glared at him. And you’re just now getting around to mentioning it?
“I didn’t foresee the need to inform you previously. It would have just confused you more than you already were. Mistakenly, I thought I would have more time to explain the different ways that you now have to return to your human form. So, instead of nice, leisurely lessons, you’re going to get a crash course on werewolf mysticism.”
Werewolf mysticism, my Aunt Martha. I think you’re making this up as you go.
He held up his hands in the surrender position -- in front of him and palms toward her. “Honestly, there are rules and regulations to just about everything we can do that is beyond the norm, otherwise keeping the secrecy of the packs would be impossible.”
Grunting, Lannie gave in. Fine. Let’s say I believe all your happy-crappy. Just how are pheromones going to change me back?
Kyle lowered his hands and looked into her eyes. “Simple. You’re my mate, correct? And I am yours.”
Okay, I’ll buy that. What does that have to do with anything?
“When we mated sexually by the waterfall, you were completely inundated with my pheromones which locked you onto my genetic odor. Now you’ll react to my enhanced scent by changing.”
She tilted her head, then burst out with, Hey! Are you saying that if you’re human and I’m wolf, I’ll turn human, and if you’re wolf and I’m human, I’ll turn wolf?
“Essentially.”
Essentially? Is that all you have to say? She growled at him and looked as if she were about to take a real bite out of him.
“Also, if we are both in the same form, we would need privacy immediately.” He kept his eyes on her; she looked so exasperated, he didn’t know how she would react.
What the ding dong devil does that mean?
“It means that if I emit pheromones -- you could also call it my scent -- you would want to jump my bones right then.”
Lannie put her front paws on top of her head, then seemed to remember that she didn’t have fingers to pull her hair out. Dang it! You’re trying to make me bonkers!
She struggled to a sitting position and glowered at Kyle. So emit these pheromones already so I can change. I have some business to take care of, and I don’t want to do it in this form.
He sat up interested. “What business is that, my dear?”
None of your business, my dear.
“Tell me what business, and maybe I can help you.”
Lannie sighed. You really want to know? At his nod, she mumbled, Bathroom business, all right! Are you happy now?
Kyle laughed again and wondered when he had laughed so much in such a short period of time. It wasn’t like he had less to worry about, because he actually had more, but his mate was still a joy to be with. “Let’s see what we can do, so you can be about your business.” He looked at her, “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to try to take care of it first? I can open the door for you.”
I am going to hurt you so badly ... As if I would go outside to pee when there is some maniac out there ...
He interrupted her, serious again. “You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry I made the joke. It would be unsafe for you to be outside without me until the killer and the wolf that threatened you are caught. They might even be one and the same.” He stood and helped her to the floor. “Come, let’s get you back to human.”
Chapter Ten
Kyle slowly stripped out of his clothes, never taking his eyes from her. She knew she was staring at him with her mouth hanging open and her tongue hanging out, panting, but she couldn’t help it. He liked that she couldn’t control it, she could see it on his face, in his body language. It made him especially sexy. She wanted him and wanted him bad. And she was going to get him just as soon as he got her changed back to the proper form.
“Are you ready for me, babe?” he asked her in a silky voice. He was pumping himself up, forcing transformation pheromones to permeate the whole room.
Lannie stood and rubbed her body against his legs. She was trying to get as close to the scent as possible. Become one with the scent. It was irresistible. Smelled so good.
She ran her tongue from his ankle to his knee needing to taste him. Hearing him moan, she looked up into his face.
Sit on the couch, Kyle.
That quick, he was sprawled on the couch, feet on the floor and arms resting at his sides. He didn’t take his eyes from her as he cleared his tight throat.
“I don’t know how long it will take for you to return to human form.” He closed his eyes, then whispered, “I hope it’s soon.”
Lannie chuckled. Kinda needy, are you?
“Gods, yes!”
She laughed again and approached him. Nudging his knees apart, she leaned in and licked him from his instep, up the inside of his calf, and to the back of his knee. Spending a moment savoring the salty sweat that had accumulated there, she turned her head and started on the instep of his other foot. Lannie repeated the process from foot to the back of his knee.
After tasting him there, she continued up the inside of his thigh. Reaching the dark, tight curls at the juncture of his leg and groin, she inhaled deeply. The scent was stronger.
She moaned and buried her nose in the curls there for a moment, then pulled away, ignoring his growl of dissatisfaction.
Beginning again at his other knee, she licked up his thigh slowly and reaching his pubic area, sucked in the scent of him again.
Kyle ran both hands through her shoulder-length hair after she transformed. While she’d been busy driving him insane, she’d gradually lost her wolf form and regained her human one.
He softly ran his fingertips over a cut on her face. “If I catch up with the bastard who caused this, there won’t be enough of him to identify.”
She nuzzled his hand with her cheek, slid her hands up his thighs, and crawled between his spread knees. He sucked in air through his teeth, then gripped her hair in his hands. She took him in her hands and tenderly ran her moist tongue from the base of his erection to the tip. The tip of her tongue circled the blood-filled head of his cock, and his grip tightened in her hair.
“Take it in your mouth, Lannie.” He growled the order out, and it sent tingles of excitement shooting down her spine.
He sucked air between his teeth in a hissing sound when she did just that.
Lannie took just the head into the hot, wet cavern of her mouth and ran her tongue around it. He groaned, and she took him in slowly. Her hand tightened at the base of his cock, and the other gently took control of his balls.
When her lips touched her hand, she hummed, and he jumped. “You’re going to make me lose control, and I want it to last, damn it.”
She chuckled in her throat, making him stiffen again, then lifted until just the head was still in her mouth and took him in again. Sucking on him. Laving him with her tongue. Taking up a rhythm that would bring him to the edge, she continued her ministrations.
His head fell back onto the couch, and he moaned long and loud. Her name slipped past his lips and his eyes slid closed. The tension in his muscles wound tighter and tighter. She could see them rippling in his thighs and abdomen.
“Lannie, I’m going to come,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.
Instead of stopping, she increased her pace. Pumping her head and her hand faster and tighter, she continued until he threw his head back and let out a window-rattling roar. He shot spurts of thick cream into her mouth and jerked his hips uncontrollably.
Lannie lifted her head and smiled at him. His whole body was covered in sweat, and she could still smell the mouth-watering, nipple-tightening, pussy-drenching odor. In fact, it seemed even stronger now. It was making Lannie so hot. She needed Kyle now, but from the sated look of him, she wasn’t going to be able to fulfill the urges that were causing her to tremble.
> She ached. She felt empty. Ah, crap, she was horny as hell! Now she knew why Kyle wanted her to stop. It would take time for him to be ready again, and damn it, she wanted him immediately! ARGGHH! She had screwed herself.
Hmm. Glancing up at Kyle as he sat sprawled on the couch, she considered the idea for merit. Works for me.
Kneeling between his feet, Lannie raked her eyes over his relaxed body again, and lifted her hands from him. She placed them on her own body.
If she couldn’t get any relief from him, she would find it however she could. She ran her hands up her sides to her breasts, then cupped her palms over her tight nipples. Not taking her eyes off him, she grasped both nipples in her fingers and pinched them hard. Her eyelids fell to half-mast, and she groaned at the slight burn that shot from where she tugged to her pussy.
Her groan caused his eyes to shoot open, and when he saw what she was about, his breath caught and he just stared. His hands tightened into fists, and his whole body clenched.
Lannie smiled at his involuntary reactions, but she wasn’t done. Giving her nipples one last hard tug, she slid her hands over her stomach and between her legs. Her breath caught when one finger touched her clit and fire shot through her system. Oh, that felt good. So she did it again.
Kyle sat up, and her eyes opened wide as he took her shoulders in his hands. Instead of pulling her toward him as she expected, he pushed her back until she lay on the floor. She looked at him questioningly when he placed his hands on her raised knees and spread them.
“I want to watch,” he murmured.
His words caused another shaft of heat to shoot through her. She hadn’t imagined she was into exhibitionism. This could be interesting.
Letting her knees fall open, she watched him watching her and began running her fingers over her clit. Soon, she needed more. Dipping her finger into her empty channel helped. She pushed her finger as deeply as it would go and groaned. Using the other hand to manipulate the bud of nerves, she pulled out and thrust two fingers inside. That was even better.