by Celia Kyle
She couldn’t afford to.
“Veronica.”
“Ronnie,” she corrected. She always corrected even though she liked being Veronica to him.
Braden abandoned being gentle and instead of hating his new roughness, she reveled in it. She liked it when he fisted her hair, her wolf howled when he tugged and encouraged her to tip her head back. A moan escaped her lips when his tiger’s gaze met hers.
When he spoke, his soft voice warred with the fierceness of his expression. “Don’t lie,” he whispered. “You can lie to your family, you can lie to Zoe, but you can’t to me.” He spread his fingers across her lower back, the hand in her hair gentling as he went from tugging to cradling her head. “Please, don’t lie to me.”
Tears stung her eyes once more. She’d never cried so much in her life as when she was around the tiger national pride and Braden. Never.
She couldn’t hold his stare, not when she refused to admit the truth. “I don’t…” She swallowed hard and her wolf growled, trying to force her to give him the words he desired. Ronnie battled the animal, pushing and shoving. Didn’t it remember what happened last time? “I don’t have a—”
Braden snarled, cutting off her words, and then he was there—surrounding her, consuming her. He captured her lips in a fierce kiss and she sunk into him. When he lapped at the seam of her lips, she granted him entrance, opening for his questing tongue. His flavors, smoky and sweet as she remembered, burst across her taste buds.
She moaned and leaned into his body, absorbing his heat and drawing his scent into her lungs. He was spicy and hot, the aroma enveloping her in his fragrance. He smelled like sex and coming home, like perfection and destruction in one.
Destruction?
Yes, to her human mind, that’s what he represented. Or could represent.
If she accepted him, tried to mate him like wolves…
No. Just… no. Not happening.
He nibbled her lower lip before sliding into her once more, bringing her more of his natural flavors. She returned each caress, each meeting of their tongues, and remembered the last time she’d tasted him. The last time she’d lain with him on the den’s couch and felt his firm body along hers.
He was hard in all the right places, muscles honed and carved like his tiger’s sleek body. Her fingers had traced the peaks and valleys on his abs, counting each one in turn. They hadn’t spoken much in the night, choosing to converse with hands and mouths rather than words.
Veronica wanted to return to that time. To when passion overruled everything.
Braden gripped her hips and lifted her, resting her ass on the porch railing. The board was only six inches across, not nearly wide enough. So she wrapped her legs around his thighs, anchoring herself to him.
It also opened her pussy to him. She was wet and desperate for a single touch, a single caress of his hand along her soaked seam. Instead, he stepped nearer still, fitting his hard, cloth-covered cock against her heat. He rocked his hips, sending that ridge sliding along her aroused flesh and she moaned against his lips. It was something, but not enough. Not nearly.
Ronnie gripped his shoulders, fingers burning as her claws emerged, and she dug them into his flesh. Not enough to pierce, but enough to prick. That was when the scent of his blood joined the flavors of their passion. It was a coppery musk mixed with the smoky sweetness of his innate aroma.
And together, it was delicious—ambrosia.
Heaven.
She moaned against this mouth, swallowing his sounds and then delving past his lips to search for more of those heavenly tastes. He rocked his hips, rubbing gently in a rhythm that drew whimpers from her chest and caused her clit to throb. It twitched and silently begged to be stroked and strummed. She’d come all over his hand, find release as she screamed his name.
His and no others, even if she was afraid to claim him.
Braden growled, the sound vibrating through her, enveloping her in his dominance, and her wolf whimpered with the sound. It wanted to submit, to tilt her head and bare herself for her mate.
But Ronnie wasn’t weak. She wasn’t a pushover; never driven by instinct again. Instinct drove her long ago and look at how that’d ended.
No. For now, she’d take his passion. She’d take his kisses, his caresses, his lo— She’d take his possession. There was no love, just like there was no mating.
Someday she’d believe that. Someday. But not today.
Braden nibbled her lip once more and then abandoned her mouth, raining kisses along the column of her throat. His lips skimmed her neck, dancing over her sensitized flesh until he reached her shoulder.
There, he bit.
He gathered her skin between his jaws and clenched his teeth. He tightened his mouth further and further until she knew he was on the edge of piercing her, and then he froze, remaining in place just like that.
Pain bombarded her, a steady, throbbing ache that seemed unending. She breathed through each jolt, each rising tide, and released her air with each gentle ebb. She panted and moaned, the ache joining the pleasure she gained from his touch—his heat. The tingles grew at the base of her spine, coalescing into an ever-increasing orb of bliss.
And he wasn’t fucking her. He wasn’t fucking her or stroking her or lapping at her pussy.
No, he simply bit her shoulder. Bit her and drove her wild with the roll of pain.
Ronnie tried to breathe through each new wave, but the delicious sensation refused to be controlled. She rode that edge, wavering between true pain and unbelievable pleasure.
She rode it until a soft chuff broke the magic of the moment.
They were outside. Outside the pride den. Outside the pride den with who knew how many sentinels lingering outside.
Not smart.
So much for keeping her private business private.
Ronnie gripped Braden’s shoulders and gently pressed, encouraging him to release her. Someone had snuck up on them and watched them even now. Shifters weren’t shy about nudity and sex, but she didn’t want random strangers watching her either.
Another hack, this one louder and closer.
“Braden,” she whispered, pushing a little harder.
A loud rumble rolled through him, leaving his chest to vibrate the air with his anger at the interruption. Her pussy clenched, the wolf excited over his defense and unwillingness to be interrupted.
A third feline cough, this one near enough that she felt the air stir from the cat’s breath.
“Braden,” she hissed and shoved hard, whimpering when his teeth scraped her skin.
“What?” he snarled loudly, baring his teeth and hissing at the tiger who’d approached.
She followed his line of sight but didn’t recognize the tiger sitting on the ground nearby. The animal bared its own fangs, curling lips back to expose the inches-long teeth.
The tiger snapped its teeth and jerked its head toward the den, urging them to return to the massive house.
Right. Into the house. Where it was safe.
Into the house. Where Braden had a bed. He’d had a bed before, but hers had been at the Wilden Inn.
What would they do now that they lived under the same roof?
“Fine,” he rumbled and stepped away, adjusting his hard cock within his jeans as he moved back. His glare remained on the other male even as he assisted her down from the railing.
When the tiger didn’t leave, he snapped once more. “We’re going. Get back to patrolling.”
The stranger grumbled but retreated, his eyes lingering on her body in obvious appreciation and she glared at him. “That look is creepy when you’re shifted.”
Like, almost bestiality.
The tiger snorted as if it didn’t care and turned away, padding back the way he’d come, tail occasionally twitching.
With a shake of her head, she refocused on Braden and wilted beneath his fierce stare. “I’m taking you inside because it’s stupid to be out here after dark, but that doesn’t mean this conver
sation is over.”
Ronnie sighed. “Why can’t you just give up—give in. Nothing you say will change anything.”
“Veronica,” his eyes remained hot, but his tone was gentle and his hands were soft when he cradled her hands. “Say it.”
“No.” Saying the words was the first step to ruin. She snatched her hands back. “And I’m done right now.”
“Veron—”
She held up her hand, demanding—begging—silence. “I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”
“In my suite.”
“In my bed.”
His eyes softened and it looked like it was his turn to beg. Those eyes, those blazing eyes, now begged. “Even if you won’t admit to the connection, you are mine. You’re sleeping in my bed.”
She glared at him, human mind objecting to his order while her wolf told her to get the fuck over herself. The wolf won. “Fine. I get the shower first.”
“We could take a shower together.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Yes. God, yes.
“No.” She was constantly telling him no. Would she ever say yes?
Not if it meant losing him forever.
Chapter Eight
Braden tried not to let his hurt show, tried not to reveal the pain in his heart as he stared at his mate. Now that he’d made the decision to acknowledge her—even if he didn’t think he could claim her—he wanted that same recognition. But Veronica was running scared, the fear evident in her gaze, so he let her go with a grin and a wink.
Movement behind her along with a streak of light cutting across the darkness showed that someone stepped onto the porch. The newcomer broke whatever spell they’d weaved around themselves and he swallowed his sigh. First Daniel and now—Braden narrowed his eyes, calling his cat’s vision forward—Ares interrupted them.
Veronica glanced over her shoulder, stiffening before she met his stare once again.
“I’ll see you inside,” she murmured. With that, she skirted around the alpha and disappeared. They both watched her scurry away, Ares turning to him with a raised brow.
Braden shrugged, pretending a nonchalance he didn’t feel. “Difference of opinion.”
“A difference of opinion that’ll annoy Zoe? Because we don’t have the time for a cat fight right now and I’m not gonna get kicked out of bed because you were an ass to her best friend and tried to get in her pants.”
He definitely wanted in her pants. Forever.
It was Braden’s turn to quirk a brow. “What happened to bros before hoes?”
His friend grinned and then that expression blossomed into a full-blown smile. “I met my mate.” Ares shook his head. “Nothing comes between my mate and me. Nothing.” He shrugged. “You’ll understand when you find yours.”
Talking with his friend had his cock softening and he tucked his hands in his jean pockets, uncomfortable and unsure as he opened this new conversation. “I, uh…” he hesitated. “I already understand.”
Ares tilted his head to the side, cat’s eyes staring him down, and Braden stood firm against his alpha’s heavy gaze. “Do you now? Who is she?”
He swallowed hard and cursed himself for stumbling over this shit. This wasn’t just his alpha. It was his best friend. He wasn’t talking to his leader. He was talking to the man who ran with him after their first shift.
Braden stepped closer and dropped his voice, his attention going to the tree line as he spoke. He hoped Daniel was far enough away that he couldn’t hear him and if he did, he hoped the male kept his mouth shut. Though, really, the news would be all over soon.
He wasn’t sure what the hell they were doing, but he wouldn’t go unacknowledged.
“Veronica,” he whispered and Ares froze in place.
He wondered if the alpha’s heart even beat.
“No.”
What the hell was it with people denying him? “Yes.”
“But she was here… And you haven’t… She was here for weeks.”
“I know.” God, did he know. He’d held himself in check for weeks, knowing their future was bleak, but he couldn’t be without Veronica. He’d take her any way he could get her at this point. Even if that meant their mating was half-assed at best.
“Goddamn.” Ares shook his head. “How did you two not mate already? Weeks, man. I met Zoe and she hardly left my bed. That was it.”
Braden sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah.” He huffed. “Yeah. But she was a human who could become a tiger. A tiger that could pull your tail.” Tone grim, he put voice to the reason behind his hesitancy. “What would you have done if she was a small wolf?”
His alpha’s eyes widened and he knew the male’s thoughts mirrored his own. “Oh, shit.”
“Right.”
Ares eased toward one of the deck chairs and lowered onto the seat. “Oh, shit. You two…” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know that you two would ever have a full mating. Not without…”
Not without her tugging his tail. Mating bites were easily shared. A mate tugging his tail, being strong enough to take that last step and meeting him tooth and claw, was not.
“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s mine.” Braden closed his eyes, imagining their future without that final step. “It doesn’t change the fact I’ll claim her in any way possible and keep her. I was ready to let her go because of that, you know? I was willing to live without her rather than only have half of her. Now… Now I won’t let her go and she wants nothing to do with mating.”
Braden gave a rueful chuckle. “She claims she doesn’t have a mate.”
“Maybe you’re wrong?”
“Nah,” he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, drawing in her lingering scent. “No, she’s mine, just like I’m hers. She just doesn’t want to admit it.”
“Damn,” Ares whispered.
“Yup.” Not much else to say.
“That is going to make what’s coming up next really fucked up.”
Braden knew he’d regret it but he asked anyway. “What?”
“We have a situation.” Ares grimaced.
“What kind of situation?”
“The one that involves a public hearing with Cadman from DoPE.”
Disbelief held him silent for a moment. “Hearing? What the fuck?”
“Our guy inside texted me from his throwaway cell this morning. Cadman will come to the den tomorrow morning to arrest Gannon and Murphy as well as you and Ronnie.”
“Why?” He frowned. “What the hell?”
Cadman and DoPE again. Interfering where they didn’t belong. He still remembered Veronica’s pain when they’d discovered that Cadman and DoPE were behind the attack on Claire. Veronica’s father had welcomed Cadman in his home, eaten at their table, hunted with the wolf, and was a friend of the family. Then the tigers came out and Cadman revealed his true colors.
“Why?” Ares sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Public opinion. The media didn’t protest when we enforced tiger law on our own lands. DoPE didn’t push because they haven’t decided if the men were on a sanctioned mission or rogue. They still aren’t standing firm on that issue.
“At this point, Claire’s mate is just that—a mate staying with her family. The other men are classified as trespassers as far as the media is concerned. It’s something humans understand from when the other apex shifters came out. Everyone gets that shifters are very territorial. Even more so on the night of a full moon.”
“And what do they think about this morning?”
Had it only been this morning?
“You four are responsible for the death of two humans, and the severe injury of a third, on a public road.”
Fury rose, rushing forward and consuming him before he had the opportunity to say a word. His tiger was there, slipping into his human body and seizing control of every inch of him. “They held a knife to her throat, Ares. A knife. To her throat. To my mate’s throat.”
“No one but you fou
r saw the knife. The video they have is from a distance. The humans present didn’t see you rescuing a hostage, they saw three half-shifted tigers kill two men and critically injure a third before loading them all into your SUV and disappearing. We don’t even know what happened to the knife.” Ares lowered his voice. “Humans are calling for blood and demanding DoPE do something about us.”
“Our actions are sanctioned by tiger law, Ares. Public property or not. Tiger law prevails. It’s part of our declaration paperwork.” He couldn’t hold the growl back. It refused to be suppressed.
“I have Zoe already talking to legal.” Ares coughed. “As well as calling in an experienced consultant.”
“Who?” That growl was still present and some of it broke free. They wanted to arrest him and Veronica, along with those under his protection. The cat stretched and pressed against his skin, scraping him from inside out. It ached to be released, to hunt the humans who thought they could put its mate behind bars. “Can they be trusted? I didn’t know we added anyone to the payroll.”
Ares hesitated. “They’re trustworthy and they have a plan. They’re already packing and will be on a plane before sunrise. They should be here before Cadman shows up.”
“Who?” His alpha still hadn’t said.
“He would have come whether this problem arose. Remember that. It would have happened eventually.” Nervous tension filled his alpha’s voice.
“Who?”
“I’m just saying you’d have to face him at some point.”
“You sound like a pussy. Who?”
“I’m saying this as your best friend, not your alpha. I don’t sound like a pussy. I sound like a friend trying to help a guy out.”
“Fine, as my friend, quit pussyfooting around and tell me who?”
Ares sighed. “Walter Barrington.”
“Shit.” Braden squeezed his eyes shut, tipped his head forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. Walter Barrington. Walter-motherfucking-Barrington. Or rather, alpha of the national wolf pack, aka Veronica’s father.
“Pretty much.”
“Can’t we, I don’t know, deny him?” At least until he and Veronica formed a bond the wolf couldn’t destroy. Hell, he wasn’t above just flat out lying to the wolf. Veronica was unwilling to verbally claim him. Maybe they could keep it a secret…