by T. S. Ryder
"This is your fault," Percy shouted for the last time.
As Devon pulled back and went after the arm that held the gun, Percy turned it. Instead of aiming towards Devon's huge, muscly body, he pressed it against his own chin. Rose screamed. Devon's paw swiped at the gun.
It was too late. One last shot and Percy was still.
Devon backed away from the body. He turned towards Rose, jaw hanging loose. Giant blobs of blood poured from his body, matting his black fur. Rose ran for him. He shifted and caught her as she got to him. Her hands danced over his torso, going from one wound to the next, desperately trying to stop all the bleeding.
"Police," he grunted. "Call the police."
"But—"
"I'll heal."
He managed a small smile at her, which she responded to with a small smile of her own. Stumbling, she ran over to the desk. The clerk huddled on the other side, phone clutched in her hand. She appeared to be uninjured.
"Are you calling the police?" Rose asked, leaning against the desk.
"They're almost here."
Rose nodded. She turned to go back to her shifter but stopped. An older man lay on the floor, clutching his shoulder. People were gathered around him. Rose ran over to them, ripping off a portion of her skirt for them to wad into the wound.
"Is anybody else hurt?"
They shook their heads, and so Rose returned to Devon. He lay on his back, his bronzed skin paling. Rose ripped the rest of her skirt in pieces and pressed it to what looked like the worst of the injuries. Tears rolled down her face as she looked at her love's closed eyes and gasping mouth.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry… I love you, Devon. I love you so much."
His hand brushed through her hair. "Love you too… I'm going to be alright. Don't worry. I'm going to be fine."
Rose leaned against his hand, praying that he was right. If she lost him… what would she do?
Chapter Ten – Devon
Devon rolled over, patting the bed as he looked for Rose. When he didn't feel her, his eyes cracked open. Bright moonlight streamed in through the window, silhouetting the form of his mate as she gazed outside. He slipped from the bed and padded over to her. When he wrapped his arms around her, she leaned back against him with a sigh.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked.
"No. Jamie woke me up a while ago, and I just wanted to watch the moon for a while. It's so pretty, don't you think?"
Devon looked up at the pearly white orb and nodded. The moonlight bathed everything in a silver glow, illuminating the small acreage that they were now the proud owners of. Getting out of the city had been good for all of them, but especially Jamie. She was no longer cooped up inside for most of the day and had started her first attempts at shifting recently. They were even going to get a puppy soon.
"Devon?"
"Yes?"
"I want to have a baby. Your baby." Rose turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know Jamie is still young, and. I think I'd like to wait a little bit so Jamie can have more one-on-one attention at this age, but I want to have more children. Four, or maybe even five."
"Five children?" Devon chuckled, amused at the number. Rose never did anything halfway. He nodded. "Five sounds nice. I was an only child, I wish I could have had four siblings. But don't you think it's time to come back to bed?
Rose sighed and nodded. She let Devon lead her back to the bed they shared, and they climbed under the blankets together. Devon pulled her close against him, loving the way she fit in his arms. It hadn't been any sort of conscious decision for her to start sleeping in the bed with him.
After Percy's attack, Rose had had nightmares, and they'd started dozing together on the couch. Rose told him that when they slept together she didn't get nightmares, and so they moved to the bed. Devon thought that maybe there should be a little more production about it, but it just felt so right and natural that sort of thing wasn't necessary.
It had been like this for a few months now.
There had been some legal entanglements with Percy's death, given the arrest that had happened, but once the cops actually listened to him and Rose–helped along by the lawyer that he hired–it was determined that this was one of those cases where the law had failed to protect its citizens. Those cops who had refused to listen to Rose's complaints about Percy before he got violent were an internal investigation.
It turned out that what Percy had told Rose was the truth. He did have a brain tumor. A psychologist that they talked to about it theorized that the tumor was the cause for all of Percy's behavior before his death. The threat of imminent death made him cling to the thought of what he had when he was healthy–Rose. It also exerted enough pressure on his brain that it changed his personality enough to make him buy that gun. The psychologist was convinced that if Rose had gone with him to the hotel room, Percy would have killed the both of them. He wanted her to suffer; that was why he turned the gun on others instead of her in the lobby. He would have shot her before he shot himself if Devon hadn't been right there. The thought still made Devon's blood run cold.
But that was in the past, and Devon, Rose and Jamie were happy being together as a family. Devon grinned as he slid his hands up under Rose's shirt. Her skin was warm and soft and he leaned in to nibble at the back of her neck. As odd as it was, though they had been sleeping in the same bed for months now, they'd never actually gone further than some heavy petting… Rose always drew back, and while she didn't say why, the fact that she wasn't comfortable going all the way was something that Devon accepted.
That didn't mean he didn't want more, though. Just that he was willing to wait to get it.
Rose moaned as he traced his hand down her curves to slip between her legs, probing against her clothing. She pressed herself against him, making a pleasant buzzing start in his center. "Don't you think we should go back to sleep? You have to work early tomorrow morning."
Devon glanced at the clock. "I'd have to be up in two hours anyway. If I try to sleep now I'll just end up in the wrong part of the sleep cycle when I get up… unless you want to sleep."
"I'll let you know," she moaned.
"Remember we're going out for dinner tonight. Maybe you can go out today and buy yourself a new dress."
"A new dress? But I already have a lot of pretty clothes."
"I know. I just want tonight to be special."
Rose wiggled her rump against him, making everything tighten inside of him. Devon gasped in delight, searching for her waistband. She slid her leg up his thigh to give him better access. His heart pounded with excitement. Maybe this time… He buried his face into her neck, eagerly nibbling at her. Rose jerked and gasped under his ministrations.
"Tonight should be special, then?" she asked. "I mean, you want tonight to be special?"
"Yeah. You realize it's our five-month anniversary since we moved out here?"
Rose responded with a moan, and Devon started moving her pajama pants down off her hips. Her hands found him. He let out a mighty moan and jerked hard against her, causing the whole bed to tremble beneath them. Rose giggled.
"If you want tonight to be so special, then maybe we should save this for then, instead of doing it right now."
Devon groaned in disappointment. He stroked her a couple more times before he withdrew. "If that's what you want."
Rose rolled over, putting his arms around his neck. She kissed him gently. "You really do want tonight to be special. Why, are you going to propose?"
"Uh…" Devon realized too late that she was joking. In the moonlight, he saw her eyes widen.
"You are?"
Devon winced and nodded. "Yeah. That was the plan… Actually, that's still the plan. You're not allowed to say yes or no or see the ring until—"
Rose threw herself at him, rolling him over onto his back. Her mouth caught his hard. He chuckled at her passion, grinning. She straddled his hips, grinding herself hard against him. Already semi-aroused, everything was kic
ked up another notch. He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing her against him, and Rose moved to his neck, eagerly kissing and sucking at his skin.
Well, I think I know what her answer is going to be.
The shifter rolled her over, the bed wobbling dangerously under their movements, and pinned his mate beneath him. Rose's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him, her hands twisting into his hair. He returned to her mouth as he explored her body with his hands. When he found her breasts, he moaned and ripped open her pajama tops. The buttons hit him on the chest, but he ignored them, moving down to feast on her beautiful body. Rose shivered beneath him, moaning.
"You're fixing that," she said, pulling him closer. "Later."
"Of course."
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved his hand down between her legs again. He loved the way she shivered at his touch, the way her hips rolled up towards him, begging for more. He loved the way she gasped out his name, and the sweet taste of his skin while he kissed between her breasts. But most of all he loved the smile on her face, the pure love radiating from her eyes as she gazed down at him.
"How did I ever get so lucky?" he whispered, removing her pants to have better access to pleasure her properly. "You are the most amazing, wonderful, compassionate, sexy, beautiful, kind-hearted—"
"Don't lay it on too thick. I'm already taking off my clothes."
Her back arched and her shoulders shimmied from side to side as he adjusted his strokes against her. Her jaw hung open a little, her eyes sliding closed. Devon's own body ached with need as he watched her, filling to the brim with a desire to be as close to her as possible. He checked to see how ready she was and grinned when he found her perfect. He kissed her once more as he removed his pants. Her hands found him, and he let her work her to readiness before he laid over her again.
Both of them cried out, clutching at one another, as he entered. Devon kissed her gently, giving her a moment to adjust to him–but apparently, she didn't want to wait. She planted her feet onto the bed and brought her hips up hard. Devon gasped, then laughed and joined her rhythm. The pace was impossible to keep up, but he ground his teeth and tried, their bodies slick with sweat, writhing together as the heat built between them.
Soon it was too much to hold back; as Rose bucked and screamed beneath him, Devon was drawn with her to climax. His body jerked and writhed from side to side before he collapsed. He heard Rose's labored breathing and was just able to make himself to roll off her.
They lay there, hands twined, for quite some time before Rose stirred. She pushed herself to her elbow and smiled at him. "Well. That was an experience."
"A good one, I hope," Devon said, suddenly worried. "Did you—"
"I loved it." She kissed him. "I love you. I don't know why I waited for so long… I can't wait until tonight when I can tell you yes."
Devon chuckled. He pulled her against him and kissed her again. He glanced at the clock. "Look at that… we still have an hour left… want to go again?"
Rose gave him a wicked grin and straddled him. "My turn."
Devon was all too happy to let her give him what she wanted. He smiled as the heat began building again. He had a lifetime of this to look forward to… and it could only get better from here.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 5: Her Two Alphas
Description
A curvy virgin given away by her father PLUS two Alphas ready to share a mate PLUS a wolf looking to sacrifice for love.
Curvy Elena Aldana is about to be mated to not just one, but two Alphas. Except she doesn’t know about it. Her father has made the deal. She doesn’t want to. Until she sees them – tall, broad-shouldered, and muscled. Hmm, her virgin lady parts might like this after all.
Lukas and Will are ready to share a mate, both for their own reasons. Lukas is in massive debt and, though not his fault, he needs wealthy Will’s help. And Will? He gets what he wants, and that’s a family.
But bad things are afoot. A rare astrological event has brought forward the soul of the Geisterwolf, an ancient Alpha who will sacrifice a living Alpha's mate to bring his own lost love back. And this time he's chosen Elena.
If Will and Lukas can't bind together to fight for her, Elena will be dead within a month…
They can’t fail.
Chapter One – Will
I could do with a smoke.
Will Evans didn't bother to hide how bored he was. He leaned his chair onto the back two legs as he loudly yawned. It wasn't like this meeting of the Alphas actually included him in any capacity.
Most of the other Alphas were old, white-haired and stuck in their ways. His opinions were about as welcome as yellow snow. They saw him as an entitled upstart. And maybe he was, but he was an Alpha just like them. Why shouldn’t he speak his mind? He supposed that he should be grateful to be even invited. Only the Alphas of the most powerful packs were present.
They must want money from him. His pack wasn't especially large, or especially powerful. But he was loaded. Oil had been discovered on his packlands just before his parents both died, and the wells were putting out over a thousand dollars a day. And suddenly everybody wanted a piece of him.
"As we know, Venus, Earth and Mars are coming into alignment," the Wolf that had organized the meeting, Xavier Knight, joint Alpha of the Rocky Ridge and Lakeland packs, stood at the front of the table, looking grave. "Most of you know what this means. For those who don't, it means that the Geisterwolf will be returning."
Will couldn’t help himself. He let out a loud snort. Was this meeting called to talk about a silly superstition? As if a planetary alignment would 'call forth' some supernatural creature from beyond the grave. This was a waste of time.
"The Geisterwolf," Xavier continued, ignoring Will, "will select one of our mates for its sacrifice, and all of us must stand together to protect her. As soon as the planets are aligned, the Geisterwolf will appear and attempt to take an Alpha's mate to bring back his own lost mate. My partner, Timothy, has been researching how to defeat the creature once it arrives. We have certain defense measures that we can put into place. If you suspect that he is after your mate—"
"Can we get to the point where any of this has to do with me?" Will interrupted. "All this mysterious, mystical, long-dead ghost Alpha coming back to steal another Alpha's mate is all well and good, but I don't have a mate. So why am I really, here, Xavier? What do you guys need my money for? Renovating your old farmhouse? Flying everybody to Russia?"
A few of the older Alphas frowned at him, and a couple of them muttered under their breaths. But the fact that none of them actually spoke against him only proved his point. They were after something, and it was more than likely dollar signs.
Will stared down Xavier. He never had much to do with the other Alpha, despite them being of comparable age. Probably because his parents never really let him socialize with people outside of their own pack. Not that Will liked hearing about how his father should have mated his mother over and over again.
"You're not the only one here who doesn't have a mate," Xavier said, his expression and voice completely calm. "I believe that it is only through unity that we can resist this threat."
"Doesn't have a mate." One of the older Alphas, a man named George, snorted. He stood and pointed an accusing finger at Will. "I know for a fact that you have not one but two women that you're sleeping with. If you were any sort of decent character, you'd choose one and take her as your mate instead of continuing on with your disgraceful habits."
Will rolled his eyes at that. As expected, the fact he broke the Alpha mold was the point of attack against him. He pushed his chair back a little more, flexing his muscles so the tattoos he had inked over his biceps rippled. "So it's okay for Alphas like Xavier and Timothy to both share a mate, but not for two females to share me?"
"The difference, I think, is that we are actually mates. From appearances, it looks like you have no intention of taking a mate." Xavier rema
ined utterly calm, his expression neutral, no judgment in his voice.
Will hated that about him, how nothing seemed to ruffle his feathers. "So you're mated to Timothy, too?"
"Yes. We were paired as mates by our parents before we were born."
"Maybe the Geisterwolf will go after one of you for his new mate then," Will snapped. He let the chair drop back to all fours with a thud, then stood. He wasn't a piggy bank they could crack open whenever they wanted some extra cash. "Have fun swapping your wives' tales."
Will stomped out of the room. They were all a bunch of weak-willed, simple-minded idiots. Sooner or later it would have ended up that they wanted money from him, and he wasn't about to share his pack's wealth with those who never so much as acted like they cared about him or his pack before. Not one of these Alphas had come to his parents' funeral, and not one of them had ever offered advice on what it was like to be an Alpha.
They were too busy telling him what a screw up he was to tell him anything useful.
Once he was outside, Will ruffled through his pockets, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He leaned against the wall as he took his first drag, holding it in his lungs for a moment before blowing it out in a cloud of smoke. His smoking was yet another reason they hated him. He wasn't perfect and didn't pretend he was, so he obviously wasn't worthy of his position as Alpha. It was only when he sucked in a second breath that he realized that he wasn't alone in leaving the meeting.
"What do you want?" he snapped at the Alpha had followed him. Luke something or other. With a family scandal that was worse than Will's, it surprised Will that he didn't take more flak from the older Alphas.
At least I'm open about having two females, and I'm not unfaithful to my mate.