Animal Instinct

by Noelle N

  "Can't wait to hear the ceiling trembling with the sweet sounds of your love-making." Adrian's lips curled up in a wicked smirk, which only widened when Jed promptly turned away and pretended to busy himself with inspecting the fridge.

  I glanced at Jed, noticing his flushed cheeks and the way he swallowed unsteadily, before looking back at Adrian and grinning conspiratorially. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure even the walls will come tumbling down because of our hot love-making."

  He laughed, completely unfazed when Jed threw him a glare, and ushered Lorraine and Spike out, both of whom were trying and failing to stifle their grins. "Have a good night, hot Luna." He saluted us over his shoulder, before smirking at Jed. "And horny Alpha."

  Jed's eyes narrowed and I couldn't resist coming to his defence by tossing Adrian a casual nod, a tiny mocking smile flitting across my lips. "Goodnight. Blue-balls Beta," I added.

  "I heard that!" Adrian's voice was indignant and I chuckled.

  "I know," I returned sweetly, and closed the door, before shifting aside so that Jed could check the locks. Once he seemed satisfied with how tightly the door was bolted, he turned to me, eyes scanning my face intently and it took me several seconds to realise that he was trying to detect if there were any injuries on me.

  Which was ironic, because under the light, I belatedly realised that he was practically peppered in them – faint bruises and cuts that I knew were from severe injuries, but his regenerative healing had more or less healed those for him. To say he looked tired would be a huge understatement, and I couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult the day was for him.

  "I'm okay," I assured him quietly, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear as I stared up at him. Unable to help myself, I reached a hand up slowly until my fingers were barely glossing the bruise on his jaw. He didn't flinch away and his eyes were soft as he gazed at me, completely still as he allowed me to trace my fingers across the line of his jaw, feeling the faint stubble beneath my fingertips. I stopped when my palm was finally curved along the strong slope of his cheek and smiled. "Are you alright?"

  He let out a soft exhale and shut his eyes, leaning into my touch. And when he spoke, his voice was so quiet that I knew it was meant for my ears only. "I am now."

  17

  TASTE

  It wasn't until Jed went to take a shower when I suddenly realised how difficult this situation was going to be. Well, it wasn't unpleasant, of course – quite the opposite, in fact; but maintaining my composure around him was going to be so much more difficult now that we were in a smaller room together.

  So it wasn't a surprise when, minutes later, Jed emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a damp towel wrapped around his lean waist, hanging so low on his tanned hips that I felt my mouth go dry at the sight of the smattering of dark hair trailing down his muscled abdomen and disappearing beneath his towel.

  The temperature in the room immediately spiked, but the television playing in the background was a sufficient enough distraction for him that he didn't notice me looking his way at first. He headed to the table to retrieve a fresh set of clothes from the bag he'd brought along with him and I stared at him, unable to take my eyes away. My heart was hammering in my chest and a delicious warmth spread through me as I watched him lean forward, the arch of his spine taut as he bent over the bag, the muscles in his forearms flexing when he pulled the zip of the bag open roughly, long fingers pulling out several articles of clothing and chucking it aside.

  It wasn't until he located a t-shirt and sweatpants that he finally straightened, turning to head back into the bathroom, and that was when he caught me staring. He looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment, his lips parted as he stared at me in evident surprise, the muscles in his broad shoulders tensing and his Adam's apple bobbing nervously up and down his throat as he nervously swallowed.

  Despite the hammering of my heart, I simply smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, hardly wanting to alarm him in any way whatsoever. "You know, there's a rerun of a really good show on TV," I said casually. "When you're done maybe we can watch it together."

  He swallowed again, nodding hesitantly as he stood there, the fingers of one hand still gripping the edge of his towel tightly, while the other held his clothes in a tight fist. I didn't miss the way the obsidian was seeping into his green eyes, but the adorable expression of utter bewilderment on his face made my smile widen.

  "Of course, if you just want to stand there in your towel," I continued lightly, letting out a quiet laugh when he continued to stand frozen in his spot, "that's a pretty good show too."

  He blinked. His cheeks flushed a vibrant red when he suddenly seemed to realise he was wearing close to nothing, and flustered, he bit his lip and disappeared back into the bathroom, all but slamming the door shut behind him. He emerged several minutes later, and by then, I'd already eased up to one side of the bed so that there'd be room for him. He chucked his towel haphazardly on the arm of the couch and, when he hovered uncertainly for a second or two, I looked up at him, patting the other side of the bed.

  "Come sit," I told him, scanning his face for any of the faint bruises or wounds I saw from earlier. But most of them were faded by now, save for the one that peppered the strong line of his jaw. I frowned, reaching up a hand as he uneasily settled on the bed beside me, keeping a safe distance between us. "Do you need some medicine for that?"

  He flinched away when I almost touched him, and I retracted my hand, eyes wide when I wondered if I'd crossed some sort of boundary with him. I'd originally thought we were past that now.

  "I'm not going to hurt you," I said gently, "you don't have to be afraid of me."

  His eyes flickered to mine in alarm and he quickly shook his head. Looking almost conflicted for a moment, he let out a barely audible sigh and opened his mouth slightly. Realisation rapidly dawned on me the moment I saw his extended canines, sharp and frightfully otherworldly. Curiosity drew me to it like a moth to a flame, and I'd just instinctively leaned closer when he quickly shut his mouth, his lips pressed in a tight line.

  So he was as affected by me as I was by him. That was always a pleasant and addictive thought, and I couldn't help but smile at that.

  "It's okay," I told him kindly, "you don't have to sit so close to me if it bothers you."

  It was definitely bothering him, as his eyes seemed to flicker indecisively between green and black, but clearly, not being close to me was not an option because he simply shook his head and leaned back against the pillow I'd left there for him earlier. I studied him for a few moments, my eyes trailing across his broad shoulders and the way I could see the faint outline of the muscles on his abdomen beneath his thin shirt. When I looked up at him again, he was watching me calmly, his eyes the darkest shade of green, but with a flicker of faint amusement in them.

  I blushed, and it was clear that he was enjoying my discomfort in fighting my evident attraction to him just as much as I was secretly revelling in his, because his lips twitched up in a faint smirk. The earlier shy, embarrassed Jed had vanished and in its place was a more confident one, because he now knew that I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes off him. So now I had a very attractive, very turned on Jed in bed who was clearly waiting for my next move, hoping that I'd break first.

  I took a deep breath and smiled, quickly deciding on what my next move would be. "Can I ask you some questions?"

  He blinked, startled by my unexpected words and nodded unsurely. Biting back a smile, I pushed myself off the bed and grabbed the notepad and pen from the desk, before sprawling on the bed next to him. I didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on the strip of skin when my shirt rode up, his eyes dark and smouldering like he was trying to trace fire wherever he stared. It worked, very well, and I gripped my pen tightly.

  "Okay, so." Clearing my throat delicately, I leaned on my elbows and scribbled quickly on the notepad:

  MATING 101

  A ragged exhale from Jed made me look up, and I laughed when he
narrowed his eyes at me, swiftly but surely figuring out my game plan. "Hey." I sat back on my haunches and stared up at him, my lips curving up in a wicked grin. "If you're allowed to parade about shirtless displaying that amazing body of yours everyday, then I'm allowed to ask how mating – specifically to you – would work." He glared at me and I laughed harder, but the smile quickly faded from my lips when I added, "besides, I'd like to know how it works. Really. Back on Titan land, we're always getting interrupted. But now it's just the both of us and we have all the time in the world."

  His eyes seemed to soften as he stared at me and, after a moment's pause, he nodded, reaching over to take a fresh sheet of paper, as well as the pen from me.

  What would you like to know?

  I smiled brightly at him and, feeling a surge of curiosity sweep through me, decided to start with the basics. I sat crossed-legged on the bed, a few inches separating us, and pushed the rest of the notepad to him. "I know that mating is – a bond, but it's a stronger bond than anything a human would ever experience," I started slowly, and he nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on me. "Each werewolf is destined to have one mate," I paused, locking my eyes with his squarely. "And I am yours, right?"

  Surprise filtered through as he was clearly taken aback by my direct question, but he steadily nodded, his eyes bright and gaze soft as he stared at me.

  "And in the case of a human-mate, as is what I am for you, Spike told me that the human can choose to be turned," I stated, before frowning. "I'm assuming turning has something to do with becoming a werewolf?"

  Jed's eyes flickered to the notepad, and he reached for it, writing across the thin lines in his assured, swift handwriting.

  Turning is when a human without genetic lycanthropy is bitten by a werewolf and subsequently turned into one. Usually done by their respective mates; however, in rare cases, a human can be turned without their consent.

  He paused, eyes flickering up to meet mine unsurely before he added, as an afterthought –

  My mother was turned without her consent.

  My breath lodged in my throat. "By your father?" I questioned hesitantly, watching as his jaw clenched and the expression on his face darkened to something with lethal intent. "Your father is Claudius Trevino, right?"

  He nodded and when he took a deep, shuddering breath, I found myself reaching across the spaces between us. His fingers were clenched tightly in a fist but I gently slid my fingers across his knuckles, waiting patiently as he slowly, gradually eased up, until the fingers of his right hand were threaded through mine.

  "He's dead now," I said quietly, smiling softly when his green eyes met mine, now far clearer, less stormy than they were seconds ago. "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

  The silence between us settled like dew, it was gentle and comforting, and I felt Jed tentatively brush his thumb across my skin, his eyes fixed on our intertwined hands like the contact between us entirely fascinated him.

  Hoping to take his mind off more serious matters, I nudged him, the grin on my face a little lighter and more playful this time. "So what's marking?" His eyes widened and I laughed. "Only asking because Lorraine's been bugging me to ask you about it all this while."

  Jed flushed. But then he quickly ducked his head, picking up the pen with the other hand that wasn't intertwined with mine.

  Marking is a form of acknowledgement. Sealed in the form of a bite, marking allows the werewolf to acknowledge their mate, and enables the rest of the community to know who the mate belongs to.

  The crimson on Jed's cheeks was darkening the more he wrote and I finally laughed, easing the pen away from him and smiling at his flustered expression. But his mood was clearly affecting mine, and as I read the words he'd written, I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me as I thought about Jed's lips and teeth on me.

  It might hurt but…pain, pleasure, some lines were easily crossed and –

  When I glanced up, Jed's eyes were fixed on mine and they were dark, as if he knew the thoughts that ran through my head. "Hypothetically speaking," I started, hardly able to keep my curiosity at bay now as I felt my skin heat wherever his gaze landed, "if you were to mark me…where would it be?"

  Impossibly, his gaze darkened even further. Slowly, he disentangled his fingers from mine and slid his hand up, until his hand was mere inches away from my neck. Then, carefully, he closed the distance and I felt his thumb brush against the indent of my left collarbone, gradually up until his thumb was pressing gently but firmly against a spot on my neck that made me shiver involuntarily.

  It was somewhere on the left side of my neck, fractionally beneath my ear, a sensitive spot I hadn't even known existed until he pointed it out to me. His fingers swept teasing, lazy patterns across my skin and my eyes fluttered shut, neck arching as I instinctively leaned into his touch, a dulcet sigh escaping my lips when he swept his thumb quickly over my sensitive nerves.

  He eventually stopped and I reluctantly drew my eyes open, only to see him watching me with blazing heat in his eyes, but a satisfied smile curving his lips. He let his hand fall away from my neck and it took almost everything in me not to lean back into him, if only so I could feel his heated touch on my skin again.

  Giving in to my basic impulses – so maybe I was the one to break first this time; I slid forward slowly, letting my blond hair fall over the side like a curtain shielding us from the rest of the world. Because I wanted to kiss him senseless, until he was mindless, until we were both breathless. He swallowed at our close proximity and it was such a pure, reflex action when his breath seemed to hitch and he let his eyes fell shut when I leaned in, letting my lips meet –

  The both of us jumped when the doorbell rang.

  His eyes flew open, senses alert as he glanced over at the door and I hissed out a breath, shaking my head in annoyance. "I'm sorry, but if that's Adrian again, you're really going to have to find a new Beta tomorrow."

  His lips tilted up at the corners; a wry, fleeting smirk that made my heart race just to see it. Just to know that I had made him crack a smile. Throwing him a soft smile in return, I shifted back and let him answer the door.

  It turned out to be room service.

  And I flushed when Jed returned with two trays of food, the delicious scent of pasta wafting into the room. "I'm sorry." I laughed sheepishly, picking up the pen and notepad as I climbed off the bed. "That one's on me. I completely forgot about the room service I ordered."

  He looked more amused than anything, if the light in his eyes and the way they crinkled at the corners was any indication at all. I placed the notepad down on the table, but my eyes were still drawn to the words he'd written across it and I reached down, ripping off a couple of sheets so that no traces of his alter-ego would be left behind in the human world.

  "So," I mused absentmindedly, still studying the paper, "you ever thought about turning me?"

  He paused. Then he reached for the pen and, leaving the papers cradled between my hands, reached over and swiftly wrote –

  Only if you want to.

  I smiled in satisfaction as I read his reply and leaned back against the table as I stared up at him with a soft smile playing on my lips. "I'll let you know when I'm ready," I promised, feeling my heart race as the brevity of my words sank in.

  It was never a matter of if I was ready to spend the rest of my life with him.

  It was just a matter of when.

  * * *

  Lorraine's text to me the next morning reminded me of how fragile it all was. Her message was brief, with a reminder that she'd be coming over because Jed had to leave by noon to help Deimos secure its perimeter.

  I glanced over at Jed with a sinking feeling in my heart. He had insisted on taking the couch, adamant that sharing the bed was definitely doing things to his brain (and canines), and now he was sprawled across the length of the couch, his face relaxed with a shade of boyish vulnerability as he slept.

  I was already missing him, and he hadn't left yet. But it seemed that the re
st of the world was adamant on closing in on us, with Prometheus hot on his tail and chaos every which way we turned.

  Letting out a sigh, I turned on my side and typed a quick reply to Lorraine, before dialling room service for breakfast. Even though I was itching to head out for a cup of coffee, Spike had given strict orders yesterday not to leave the room, especially if I was alone. So after phoning reception, I pushed myself off the bed and headed into the bathroom to freshen up.

  By the time I was done, room service was at the door and I quickly answered it. Jed was still asleep; he'd stirred from his original position but I supposed he must've been more exhausted than usual because he didn't wake up. I set the trays on the counter of the kitchenette and filled a kettle to boil.

  Awhile later, as I was setting the utensils neatly on the trays, I heard Jed moving around behind me. When I turned, he was getting up from the couch, his thin shirt tightening across his biceps as he did a quick stretch. He didn't notice me until he turned, and then he paused, eyes widening as he started to flush.

  I simply smiled. "Hi."

  He nodded quickly and disappeared into the bathroom. I turned back to the stove, making a fresh pot of tea when the water was boiled. Several minutes later, the distant click of the lock sounded and I knew that Jed had stepped out of the bathroom. He was striding into the kitchen within seconds, and I spun around, smiling brightly at him.

  He was wearing a new hoodie without a shirt underneath, his black sweatpants low on his hips and the locks of his hair was damp like he'd just had a quick shower. His gaze softened when he saw me and he seemed to scan me for a few moments before something odd flickered in his eyes, something vague like curiosity mixed with determination.