by Kate Douglas
Tinker nodded as he finished dressing. “You definitely had a visitor. One person, male, and very nervous. His scent is so strong, I’m surprised we can’t smell it even in our human form. He left the window in your bedroom unlatched, probably so he could break in later when you’d be sleeping. We need to go fasten it. Can’t do latches with paws.”
He held up his huge hands and laughed. Shaking her head, Tia hopped down off the counter and followed Tinker into the bedroom. She was inordinately thankful that this huge man would be sleeping on her couch until Luc returned.
Hiding deep in the shadows, out of sight of the landing pad, Luc checked his watch. Tia would be sleeping right now. Damn, he’d love to be beside her in that big four-poster bed of hers. Instead, he was swatting mosquitoes deep in the swamps of southern Florida, waiting on a helicopter to land on the only piece of solid ground for miles.
He’d never expected the operation to take three days. It would be at least another twenty-four hours before he and Jake finished the job, went through debriefing, and headed back to California.
Back to Tia.
A steady thump thump thump echoed on the still night air. Mik flashed a high-powered lantern, using a signal the pilot would be watching for.
The helicopter came in dark and landed without lights, guided only by the beam of Mik’s flashlight. AJ shook hands with Secretary Milton Bosworth, the cabinet member he and Mik had just smuggled out of a booby-trapped cavern located deep beneath the swamp, and then turned the exhausted man over to members of the special operations team in the helicopter. Their job was to deliver him safely to operatives in Virginia, who would then return him to Washington, hopefully without the American public ever realizing that a member of the President’s cabinet had been held for more than seventy-two hours, supposedly by al Qaeda terrorists working on American soil.
As successful as the mission had been, it left an uneasy feeling in Luc’s mind. Something didn’t click, but he wasn’t sure what it was.
They’d gone in using their typical cover—two men as human handlers, two as Chanku. AJ and Mik lost the draw and pulled duty as humans. Luc and Jake shifted and remained in wolf form throughout the entire mission, changing to human form only after the rescue was complete.
They’d found their target, alone and unguarded, after two days of searching the jungle. As usual, intelligence had been incomplete. The ransom note, for want of a better description, had consisted of a recording by a man with a thick Middle Eastern accent. Experts had pegged him as a native of Jordan, but details were sketchy. They’d had enough to go on, though, to lead them to this Florida swamp filled with sinkholes and old caves. The limestone cavern, one of many in the area, was well hidden, the victim secured by leg chains in a fairly comfortable room, as cavern prisons went.
He’d been grateful for rescue, but more curious about the two wolves who’d found him than excited to be free. He’d offered no information on his captors, other than to say they were al Qaeda terrorists.
There’d been no sign of the bad guys. The victim had been well fed. Odors of cooking lingered in the cavern, easily discernible with sensitive Chanku noses.
The captive had definitely eaten well. The scent of bacon and eggs had made Luc’s mouth water. They’d been on slim rations throughout the search, depending as much on their hunting skill as the food their two humans carried.
Luc watched the small jet take off and then contacted Ulrich. He and Jake planned to go back into the cavern. It wasn’t in their orders, but Luc wanted the chance to look for evidence before the second group of special-operations forces currently on their way blew up the entire area.
He shook his head, trying to discern the niggling little questions hovering just out of reach. If he wasn’t so tired, or so worried about Tia, Luc knew it would all become clear. Maybe one more run through the cavern would help.
Luc’s radio came to life. “Mason here. What’s your status?”
“The pigeon’s headed home to roost. Jake and I are going hunting.” Luc flashed a quick grin at his partner. Jake nodded and pulled his cap down over his eyes.
“Negative. Too dangerous.”
Luc stared at the com unit. Since when had Ulrich Mason deemed a job too dangerous? “Looks clear. We marked all possible traps. Al Qaeda appears not to be an issue. The wolves want to check out the setup before the dogs arrive.”
“You’re needed here. Now.”
Luc’s heart went cold. “Tia?”
“Wait for a secure channel. Come home immediately.”
Tia added an extra nail to the bookshelf, wiped her dusty hands on her long skirt, and stood back to admire her work. For some reason the shelf had come loose during the night. Thank goodness it had happened now, not after classes started, or she or the children could have been hurt.
When she’d entered the classroom to finish putting everything in order for the first day of school in a little more than a week, she’d been met by a scattered pile of biology books covering her desk and chair.
“Tinker, where are you when I need you?”
Tia refused to even think of Luc. She couldn’t, not if she wanted to get any work done.
She really could have used Tinker about now, but he was spending the morning helping her father. She missed him. He was big and helpful and strong as an ox, not to mention easy on the eyes.
He treated Tia like a little sister, but she’d caught him staring avidly more than once. She’d even noticed he had an erection on a few occasions when they’d worked closely together on one project or another, something she’d decided to take as a compliment.
His obvious arousal and male interest didn’t make her at all nervous. Though the bite mark Luc left on her neck had faded almost completely, Tinker obviously respected his leader’s claim.
But did Tia? She still wasn’t certain how she felt about Luc, about his possessive nature, his intensity. He acted as if, after one day together, she belonged to him, as if Tianna Mason were already his chosen mate.
Of course, even if she was, it was a little too soon to let him know that for sure.
So why in the hell had Tia said she was his before he left? Damn, it was all so confusing.
She’d been taking her pills, one every day like a damned vitamin. There were already changes, but not changes she’d felt comfortable telling Tinker about.
Ulrich’s supplements were definitely doing something to her body, specifically her libido.
Tia grinned broadly as she pounded the nail into the wall. No way was she going to try explaining her newest increased perception to her father…or to Luc. She’d never felt so horny in her life. Within two days of starting the supplements, she’d even found herself lusting after Tinker whenever he came near, though she’d managed—with great difficulty—to keep that lust under control.
At night she dreamed of Luc, of his mouth between her legs, of his cock stuffing her full. Her nights were filled with frustration until she took care of herself with her fingers or vibrator or both, hoping like hell Tinker couldn’t hear either the humming from the vibrator or the moans she’d been unable to completely stifle.
Then Tinker would wander into the kitchen in the morning, half asleep and looking for a cup of coffee, and she’d feel the same rush of heat in her needy pussy that she had from dreams of Luc.
He’d told her Chanku were sensual beings. He hadn’t mentioned twenty-four-hour-a-day lust!
A soft scratching at the classroom door caught Tia’s attention. She felt a strange sensation, as if the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and once again the skin over her arms seemed to crawl. She brushed her hands down her skirt and stared at the door. After all the odd little incidents since her arrival, Tia definitely felt more comfortable with Tinker close by.
Whether it was the supplements she faithfully took each morning or the fact that she was becoming a total ninny after her father’s warnings and the break-in at her apartment, Tia had to admit she felt jumpy and skittish and
not at all comfortable being here alone.
There’d been the phone calls with no one on the other end, the odd sense of being watched on a few occasions, the feeling she wasn’t alone. Part of it might have been due to her heightened senses.
She glanced at her watch and realized it was almost noon. Tinker should be back within the next hour.
There was another quick thump against the door and then all went quiet. Tia walked across the room and carefully opened the classroom door. Two calico kittens belonging to the school principal’s daughter played in the dust just outside. Sighing with relief, Tia squatted on the threshold and held her hand out to the nearest one.
It rolled to its belly, stood up, and scampered close. She laughed when the kitten’s ears perked forward and it sniffed her fingers.
Suddenly, the kitten hissed and backed away. The fur on its back stood straight on end. With another hiss and a brave little swat at Tia’s fingers, the kitten ran back across the yard to the principal’s apartment. The second one followed close behind, its fuzzy tail standing straight.
“It recognizes the wolf in you.”
“Holy shit!” Tia fell backward and landed on her butt. Still dressed in worn fatigues, Luc stood off to one side. He looked exhausted, and so dear Tia practically wept.
“When did you get home?” She took a deep breath to settle her pounding heart and smiled up at him, silently cataloging the fact that her short tank top was stained, her ankle-length, tie-dyed skirt was covered in dust, and she’d not put on any underwear after her shower this morning.
“Just now. I came straight here. I was headed for your apartment, but I saw you open the door here when I went by.” Luc held out his hand. Tia grabbed on, fully aware of rough calluses and strength. Luc hauled her to her feet, directly into his arms.
His mouth against her lips felt right, as if they’d been lovers forever. Tia’s body immediately found the hills and valleys of Luc’s, so that they touched from toes to lips.
Her doubts of only a moment before fled beneath the pressure of his mouth against hers.
Luc’s powerful legs contained Tia’s and his cock rode against her mons with bruising strength. He walked her back into the classroom, still kissing and nibbling at her mouth, and then closed the door behind them. His hands slipped under her cropped tank top and left a trail of fire across her back along her ribs. He found her right breast, cupped her flesh in his rough palm, then pinched her nipple, hard.
Tia moaned and thrust her hips hard against Luc.
“No bra?”
She felt his smile against her mouth.
“No undies, either.”
Luc’s groan was all the answer Tia needed. Her arms looped tightly around his neck and she pressed hard against him, rubbing her pelvis slowly back and forth over the solid length of Luc’s cock straining beneath his heavy canvas pants.
Luc grabbed Tia’s waist and lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all, setting her on a raised work counter stretched across the back of the classroom. He spread her legs wide, shoved her long cotton skirt up into a multicolored twist past her thighs, and leaned close between her knees. Tia arched her back and closed her eyes. Her entire sex pulsed in anticipation, from womb to labia to needy clit. The cool air lightly brushed her damp folds as her awareness of Luc, her memory of his greedy mouth and hot tongue, propelled her to the edge of orgasm.
With his hands firmly planted on the countertop on either side of Tia’s widely spread thighs, Luc licked his lips, anticipating the taste of Tia on his tongue.
He’d dreamed of this forever, it seemed, the flavors and textures of Tia’s pussy. Her sweet ambrosia had hooked him from the very first taste. Was it only five days ago?
He looped his arms under her knees and drew her forward over the slick counter top, spreading her legs even wider.
She was open and ready, her pink folds glistening with dew, the tiny bud of her clit peeking out of its protective hood. Luc merely looked at her, inhaling her scent, recognizing the changes already taking place. What before had intrigued and excited him now drew him like an addictive drug.
Tia was more Chanku than even she appeared to realize. Her body’s chemistry had changed; the scents, even the flavors, should be different.
Luc slowly leaned close. His tongue swept the length of her pussy, from perineum to just below her clitoris.
He’d save that for later.
She was wet and ready, her labia plump and glistening. The taste of her cream an addictive elixir. Luc’s breathing faltered as he drew her scent deep into his lungs and found Tia once more with his tongue.
He’d been right. Subtly different, her taste was an aphrodisiac to the wolf in Luc. He clamped down on the almost overwhelming urge to shift, to take her as the wolf.
Not here. Not now. Not until Tia was ready.
Tia moaned as he lapped slowly between her legs, his tongue going deeper with each lick, his nose bumping unobtrusively at her clit. He felt her legs trembling and concentrated more on sucking her labia between his lips, then lightly tonguing her clitoris. She jerked her hips when he found that bundle of nerves with his lips and gently sucked, then laved her with the flat of his tongue.
Her moans turned to whimpers, soft pleas for more. He heard her fingernails scrabbling at the slick countertop and then felt them tangle in his hair. He fought a driving compulsion to straighten up and shove his throbbing cock between her legs.
No. Not now, not here. He repeated the words, a silent mantra, promising himself more, all of her, later.
For now, Luc fully intended to show Tia just what her body was capable of, how highly tuned her senses were becoming.
He grabbed her firm buttocks and lifted her closer to his mouth, jabbing his tongue deep inside, licking his way out of her streaming cunt and then sucking and licking at her clit.
His fingers found the crack between her cheeks and rimmed her sensitive anus, putting pressure there as he used his mouth on her pussy.
He felt her body tense, heard the frantic need behind her whimpering cries. Her fluids filled his mouth and he lapped and sucked, driving her over the edge and beyond.
She cried out, a long, low cry of pleasure as she arched her back and clamped her knees against the sides of Luc’s head. Her fingers pulled tightly in his hair, holding him close between her legs. He felt Tia’s uncontrolled spasms, tasted the fresh flow of honey on his lips, thrust his tongue harder, deeper….
“Hey, Tia! I heard Luc’s ba—oh. Fuck.”
Luc whipped around. Tinker stood in the doorway, a couple bags of takeout in his hand, a shocked grin on his face.
“Uh, I guess you already knew, eh?”
Instead of leaving, he shut the door behind him and leaned against it.
Tia raised her head, blinking owlishly, the breath huffing in and out of her mouth. She stared at Tinker for a long moment, as though trying to make sense of her situation. “Don’t you think you should leave? At least until we’re through?”
“Um…no. From what I understand, that’s not the Chanku way.”
Luc turned back to Tia and gave her one more possessive lick between her legs, then pulled down her skirt.
“What’s he mean, Luc?” As if their situation had finally sunk in, Tia blushed furiously and scooted back against the wall, tucking her long skirt around her ankles until only her toes peeked out under the hem.
Luc wiped her juices off his face with a clean handkerchief. As embarrassed as Tia looked, he should have felt a little more remorseful, but she’d find out about this sooner or later. At some point he’d known all along he’d have to explain why Tinker’s presence left him even more aroused.
It might as well be now.
Turning slowly, Luc smiled at Tia. Her answering frown practically screamed her confusion. He stroked her foot through the gauzy fabric of her skirt and rubbed the ends of her toes with his thumb. “What Tinker means is that the alpha female of a Chanku pack generally shares her favors with the entire pa
ck, no matter what sex. She will breed only with her chosen mate, but she’ll have sex with all the other adult members, either individually or in a group.”
Luc expected at least a bit of shock. Instead, what he saw on Tia’s face made his gut clench. She wasn’t at all put off by the idea. In fact, if his nose was on target, she’d just climaxed thinking about the possibilities.
She stared at him for a long moment. He wished her thoughts weren’t so thoroughly blocked. “How do you feel about that, Luc?”
“Until you and I are a mated pair, something that damned well better happen sooner than later, I’m not sharing you. After we mate, it’s your call and I will embrace whatever you decide…or maybe I should say, whomever.”
Tia blinked, wide-eyed. She glanced toward Tinker with what appeared to be an entirely new appreciation. Luc should have been jealous—he’d been jealous the first night she’d met the pack—but now he felt only pride, as well as an intense desire for his woman, stronger even than what he’d felt before.
Tia obviously had what she needed to function as Chanku, including the sensual nature of the beast. He wondered how close she was to shifting, how far the supplements had taken her.
Luc stood up and lifted Tia off the counter. “Well, what do you think?”
She turned and winked at Tinker and then looked up at Luc. Her lips curved in a provocative smile. “I think I’m really going to like being the alpha bitch in this pack.”
Luc’s decision already had been made on the way here, but Tia’s response convinced him he was doing the right thing. “Good. Then pack your bags and get ready for a vacation. We’re going somewhere private where I won’t have to worry about a doofus like Tinker walking in at inappropriate moments.”
Tinker laughed. “Hell, Luc. I thought my timing was extremely appropriate.” His intense gaze was at odds to his light banter.
What’s wrong?
Tia’s in danger. I’m glad you mentioned a vacation. You need to get her away from here. Now.
Luc punched the big guy lightly on the shoulder. There was no time to question Tinker, but he’d learned to trust his packmate implicitly. “I’m taking her to the cabin. Let Ulrich know we’ll be gone at least five days. I want you and the guys to come up on Wednesday.” He glanced down at Tia and smiled at the confusion in her expression. This would work to everyone’s advantage. “You and I need time alone. You may not realize it, but you’re almost ready to make the shift.”