He licked her clit. Sucked it between his lips as he thrust two fingers into her. Her fingers tightened in his hair, her hips rolled up to meet his thrusts, and he feasted. She tasted like heaven. The air around them was heavy with the scents of emotions. Love, desire, trust. Acceptance. Deep and total, his fox had accepted him. He couldn’t wait. He had to be inside her. With a final bite on her clitoris that made her cry out for more, he pried her fingers from his hair and slid up her body. He didn’t thrust into her until she met his gaze. He could only imagine she saw the dominance and possessiveness that gripped him when she looked in his eyes.
“Yes,” she hissed. “Take me.”
He wasn’t gentle. He didn’t have it in him right now. Couldn’t hold back and would definitely not last long. He reached a hand between them and found her clit as the speed and depth of his thrusts increased. He was determined she come with him. The touch was all she needed. He stared at her in wonder as she shattered, so happy she was his. When his orgasm rushed through him, he didn’t hold back the eagle’s exultant cry.
A long time later, she lay quiet in his arms before the fire. He’d considered taking them to one of the spare bedrooms in this part of the house but just felt too damned good to move.
She spoke. “You want me to move up here, don’t you?”
“It’s safer. And I have to stay near Ajax.”
For the first time in his life, his eagle half stilled. Questioned that lifelong, previously unquestioned loyalty. Its mate came first—Ajax would be the first to tell him that. His heart stuttered at the offer he knew he had to make.
“I could go with you,” he said softly. “Jack could take over my duties.”
He felt her shock. She leaned up over him, eyes wide and wondering. “You would do that?”
He rolled them over, holding her close to his heart. “I’ll do whatever you want, baby. As long as we’re together.”
She lifted her hand to his lips and shook her head. He nipped the finger tracing his mouth.
“You belong here,” she said. “I work for the family business, not the clan. I can continue that from anywhere.”
A part of himself he hadn’t been aware he was holding in reserve relaxed.
“The rest of this house is in the other two trees.”
“I figured.” A smile teased her lips. “Do I get to see them?”
“Maybe later,” he murmured, leaning down to claim a kiss. Much, much later.
Chapter Sixteen
A week later, she was ready to use her claws on him and Patrick knew it, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He hadn’t been able to leave her in peace. He’d hovered and kept her trapped in the house. And now he had to leave her alone. He wasn’t sure if he’d get a snarl or triumphant cheer when he told her. He found her at the kitchen island, sketching her plans for the house that was now hers. She ignored him.
“I need to carry a message,” he told her. For the first time he wished she was a bird. She could come with him in that case.
She frowned at him. “You’re commander of the Guard and First Consul. Why do you have to carry a message?”
A few weeks ago he would have considered the question impertinent and refused to answer. But she was his mate.
“Peace treaty for some bear clans up north. It’s sensitive material and no one else is free right now. And you’re safe here. There hasn’t been any sign of King.”
She just looked at him. There was wariness and growing anxiety in her eyes, in her scent. He knew she wondered if her earlier concerns were true. She wondered if he was bored and clinging onto any excuse to leave. He wanted to shake her. The last thing he wanted was to leave, and not just because they hadn’t found Victor King yet. He didn’t want to sleep alone in some strange bed and there was no telling how long this would take. As a Messenger, he was neutral, not a mediator, but he was damned tempted to change that role now.
“We can’t send a junior messenger on this,” he explained. “And they need someone now. This has nothing to do with us.”
She didn’t believe him and hell, frustrating as that was, he couldn’t blame her. He’d kept them both confined to the house and though he loved being with her, needed her safe, even his eagle was beginning to chafe. It was past time to strangle his protective instincts.
He walked to her and stared at the drawings she made. It was more than just furniture layouts. She’d used color on the walls, couches and beds, drawn planks or squares on the floors. When she was done, the house was going to look incredible, but what fascinated him were the differences between the private and public living areas. Technically his house was three buildings. One held a kitchen, living room, and two guest rooms. The other was the family quarters. And the third served as a kind of headquarters for him and Ajax. The residence hadn’t been used in years. Sara Beth liked the idea of keeping clan business out of their private spaces and he agreed. But she hadn’t treated this area of the design in a cold, businesslike way.
He trailed his fingers over the page. The design was for the smallest of the three buildings, the one that would be accessible to the clan. It was almost all open—the only privacy the bathroom, which had a shower for convenience. Since they usually shifted nude, she’d also added a long wardrobe on one hall that could store extra clothes. Smart. Of course, she was a fox. Then there was the full, expanded kitchen. Before it had been small almost useless space. Her design added a full sized fridge and large pantry. It made sense. Made clan business much easier to conduct if it could all be in one place.
“What do you want to do first?” he asked.
She tapped her finger on the page that had caught his attention. “The clan room. I value my privacy too much to invite anyone I don’t know into our areas.” She shrugged. “And the rest is livable. It can wait.”
He set his palm on the nape of her neck, unable to resist standing so close without touching her. He made a decision he knew might break him, but he needed to see the light returned to her eyes. “I’ll be gone a couple days. You should go into town, pack the rest of your things and order what you need for the remodel here.”
She didn’t show any surprise at his capitulation, and it was capitulation. The primal, animal part of him screeched its frustration. But he wasn’t all eagle and he wouldn’t treat her like he was. She stood and moved into his arms. He held her tight enough she complained.
“Be careful,” he whispered. “Take Nico or Jack when you go into town and don’t growl when they stop to check on you.”
And they would, without him even asking. They were his friends. She was his mate.
“Maybe one of your brothers could come stay a couple days,” he suggested.
She growled at him. Or not.
“Don’t push it. I’ll be fine.” She shoved her hands into his hair and pulled him down. “How long till you leave?”
“I have an hour,” he whispered. And no need to pack. He was going too far to carry anything.
“But you’ll be back.” A statement. No fear in her scent. She was beginning to believe in him, in them. His chest clenched at her show of trust. He started pulling off her clothes.
“Couldn’t keep me away if you tried,” he whispered when she stood bared to him.
His mate.
His life.
He proceeded to show her that with every trick up his sleeve.
Chapter Seventeen
Sara Beth couldn’t help grin as she ran smack into her brother, Noel, outside the furniture store. He smiled back as he steadied her.
“Well, you look happy,” he said.
She was happy. It bubbled within her, threatened to erupt and infect everyone around her. He slung his arm around her shoulders and walked her into the parking lot.
“I am.”
“So we don’t get to kick the eagle’s ass?” He sounded so put out, she laughed.
“No. He’s mine. You have to treat him like family now.”
He looked even crankier at her demand. She al
most laughed but took pity on him instead. She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek before she got in the car. He stopped her before she swung the door shut. “You going to see Mom?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I went this morning. I need to get home.”
Patrick hadn’t taken a phone of course, but he’d borrowed a computer to send her email. He’d be home tonight. She couldn’t wait to see him. Was amazed at how much she’d missed him even when he was hovering.
Noel looked like he wanted to protest but he just kissed her forehead, stepped back and shut the door.
She didn’t pay much attention as she drove away. Since they still weren’t sure where the game hunter was, Michael had arranged for her to borrow a truck. No one outside the local clans would know or expect her to have it, and she hadn’t felt any undue attention in the last two days. But when she pulled into the small lot that served as parking area for several families this side of the slope, the hair on the back of her neck rose.
She kept the doors closed and tried Patrick, even though she knew he couldn’t be back yet. When that call went to voice mail, she hung up and she tried Ajax. No answer, and then the automated system to leave a message played.
“Ajax, it’s Sara Beth.” She huffed. Hesitated. What if she was just paranoid? Hell. What if she wasn’t?
“I’m in the parking area and something feels wrong. I don’t see or scent anything—it’s just a bad feeling.” She sighed. “This is stupid. Just ignore the ramblings of the crazy lady.”
Still, she exited the cab of the truck and carefully smelled the air. There was nothing there that shouldn’t be. So why the fuck was she so uneasy? She dropped the keys in the floorboard and started to remove her shoes and clothing. Her senses might not be able to pinpoint the danger but she knew it was there. It would be easier to evade and hide in the skin of her fox. She tossed all her things into the truck and locked it, then shifted.
As a fox, she didn’t have the advantage of strength and power a wolf or big cat did, but she was limber and fast. She could fit through spaces and contort her body in ways a human never dreamed. Once she changed, she darted into the shrubs. And then she smelled the dogs.
A part of her, her human side, froze in disbelief. Insulted. Dogs? Really? Her fox side was just fucking pissed off. She snarled. She could handle the dogs. She smelled two, and they’d recognize the human in her. Would accede to her dominance. But how could she hold off the hunter? Patrick and Ajax would come, she knew that. She just had to survive long enough for them to help.
First, she had to deal with the hounds. She scented them close, far in front of their master, and led them into a patch of bushes and briars. Once she drew them in, she whirled around and pulled her lips back in a snarl. The dogs skidded to a stop, stared at her a second, then whimpered and lay on their bellies, snouts on the ground. They wouldn’t follow her and she took off again, suspecting her time was short when she heard soft steps behind her.
She took off, sliding under bushes and logs, knowing the damned hunter had spotted her. She needed to do the unexpected. She had to climb. Not something she was suited for, but she could make do. The trick was to find steps and slopes. Trees that had fallen or were falling would get her high above the ground. The first wasn’t hard to find and she jumped to another fallen trunk that gave her access to branches in a tall pine. By the time she found a high perch, she felt Patrick drawing close.
Below her, the hunter lurked, and she had no way to stop him. Her helplessness rankled. She couldn’t expose herself without risk. She didn’t have a death wish and knew the loss of his mate would destroy Patrick. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, even though she wanted to fight. She wouldn’t win this one though, and she knew it. Instead she found a place high in the trees and waited.
Patrick hated to stop. He just wanted to get home to Sara Beth, but he couldn’t ignore a signal from another Messenger. Jack. He knew it must be urgent because the eagle dove straight to the ground, pulled up sharply and shifted.
Patrick was right behind him.
“Sorry,” Jack started. “Ajax wanted you to have warning.”
He went cold. “What happened?”
“We don’t know. Sara Beth left her message. Ajax said she sounded freaked out. She left the truck in the parking area and disappeared. Her clothes and keys are inside. She probably shifted.”
Patrick saw red. “That damned hunter. She’s in danger.” And everything male in him screamed a protest.
“Maybe. But she’s a fox.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Jack just cocked an eyebrow. Then he grinned. “Man. She got you good, didn’t she?”
“She’s my mate,” he snarled. “What aren’t you saying?”
Jack slapped Patrick’s shoulders, the grin not slipping an inch. “She’s a fox, man. She’ll use her strengths. She has to know that not only you and Ajax will come for her, but Nico too. So, think like a fox and tell us what to look for.”
He was right but his words didn’t calm Patrick. If his eagle knew how to hunt a fox, so would a human hunter. And she knew that too.
“She’ll take to the trees,” he said softly. “It isn’t natural for her, which is exactly why she’ll do it.”
Understanding spread across Jack’s face. “Let’s go,” he said a split second before shifting.
Patrick easily overtook him. They were close to their lands—fifteen minutes if he pushed hard. He resented the delay, but was glad of the warning. A fierce nervous excitement filled him. The threat to Sara Beth would be destroyed once and for all and no one would know. The idiot had dared to cross onto shape shifter land. Worse, eagle land. They were more territorial than anyone else. No one went on eagle land without permission. King would just disappear, no one the wiser. But first Patrick had to find Sara Beth and make sure she was safe. He prayed to the gods they weren’t too late.
He flew harder than he ever had before.
He was still far away when he felt her alarm. The bonds that connected them were strong. He knew she was afraid. It was a bitter acid on his tongue. He dove into the canopy. He couldn’t pinpoint her exact location but he knew she was close, scared and cornered. He used his senses—sight and smell—to evaluate the situation. He was right. She’d climbed into the trees. Very unusual for a fox, but she also had the mind of a woman. And she knew her mate would come for her. The hunter was still beating the bushes, unfortunately, and he saw Patrick coming.
Though the attack was so fast it must have been a blur, the man got a shot off. Patrick veered out of the way and the bullet hit a tree to his side, sending shards of bark flying at him through the air. Fire and pain throttled through his wing. It hurt like a bitch, but he could scent Sara Beth now. Scared and bleeding. Rage propelled him toward King. His talons tore through the man’s heavy jacket and Patrick smelled blood. King screamed, reeked of fear and fury, but it could in no way match Patrick’s.
He was turning for another pass, this time aiming for the human’s jugular, when a sleek deadly leopard joined the fight. King watched wide-eyed, seemed to realize at the last minute that he didn’t have a chance in hell of surviving both cat and eagle attacks. He scrambled back to avoid Patrick’s talons, but it was too late. He and Nico, the leopard, struck at the same time. Patrick ripped into his neck and Nico took him to the ground.
Several other eagles flew into the clearing at the same time. He barely managed to pull out of his dive and circle around to the high branch where he scented his mate. The fox glared at him a few seconds before shifting into Sara Beth.
“Idiot,” she snapped. “He could have killed you.”
He wrapped his talons around the tree’s thick trunk and looked down. Victor King was no more. Nico was already barking out orders to dispose of the body. Patrick, still in eagle shape, looked at his mate. She was safe. He nodded and let go of the branch, spreading his wings and spiraling to the ground. The injury hurt like a bitch, but he managed his way do
wn, Sara Beth following him after she shifted back into a fox. She averted her eyes from the fallen hunter. Her focus zeroed on Patrick. Part of him preened. She was his mate. Why shouldn’t she pet and stroke him? But what the hell had happened?
She shifted and rushed to him. He tried like hell to pretend none of the other males landing in the clearing saw her. She was his. And he didn’t share. Shape shifters were used to nudity and he’d never considered it a problem before. Then again, none of those women were his.
“You need to shift,” she said softly.
Many times shifting helped heal. Not this time though. He felt the bark fragments in his wing. He stretched it out, hoping she would understand. She lifted her fingers and caught her breath.
“Can you fly home? I need tweezers.”
He might be able to fly from here. He needed to. Needed to make sure no one saw any weakness. Getting purchase off the ground was not so easy though. Then Nico approached and held out his arm. A perch. A launching post. Patrick was much bigger than a natural bald eagle in this form. It was a lot of weight for the leopard to take, but Patrick knew he could. His respect for the man rose and he wished he could thank him, but he couldn’t shift fully until the fragments were removed. He could do small shifts. Teeth, claws, eyes. But he couldn’t leave a wing as wing and the rest of him a man. His mate understood, however. She nodded.
“If you could, Nico,” she said. “I need to get him home.”
Then she shimmered, changing back to the fox and took off. He hopped onto Nico’s arm and even with the agony tearing through his left wing, launched and flew home. Ajax shadowed him. He knew she was just worried about him but it fucking pricked at his pride to be babysat. Better to focus on something else. He reached the house and used his senses to track Sara Beth.
Secret Passions: Forbidden Passions, Book 5 Page 10