by Lynn Hagen
“Cut you some slack?” Dane sat up, his jaw dropping. “I was perfectly fine walking home until you stopped and threw me into your truck. Don’t you dare talk about slack with me, bub.”
Clint grinned, and damn, the smile was devastating. “You got fire in you. I like that shit.”
Dane groaned and sank back down. “I feel like I’ve walked into The Twilight Zone.”
“Feeling any better?” Clint picked the cloth back up and brushed it over Dane’s arm and chest.
“Not as hot, but still horny enough to hump a tree.”
“If you’d been one of us, we would’ve had sex right there on the back road,” Clint said. “But you’re human, so I’m not really sure how to steer this.”
Dane quirked a brow. “You’ve never been with a human before?”
“Nope.” Clint scowled. “Truth is, I’m scared to fuck you. I might break you.”
Dane burst out laughing. This was the strangest conversation he’d ever had. “I doubt it.”
Clint rose and grabbed a towel from the rack. “Now get out of the tub before you prune up.”
“I’m still horny,” Dane said as he stepped out.
“I know.”
“You gonna do something about it?”
“Want to, but not sure.”
Dane glared at Clint. “You can’t inject me with mojo juice and then leave me ready to go outside and fuck the first person I see.”
Dane had no idea where that threat had come from, but he knew he’d said the wrong thing when Clint’s gray eyes turned stormy as his jaw clenched so tight his teeth should’ve shattered.
He yanked Dane off his feet and carried him into the bedroom. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
When Clint dropped him on the bed, Dane scurried to the other side. “Your moods change so fast I’m getting whiplash!”
“You ever threaten to have sex with one of my brothers again, I’ll tie you to this bed for the rest of your life,” Clint growled.
“There’s no headboard.” Now Dane was just being a wiseass, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t asked to be kidnapped, bitten, chased, and brought to this godforsaken place. He definitely hadn’t asked to be mated and go through some kind of change to prepare his body— No. He couldn’t even finish that thought.
All he knew was that he had to get out of here before it was too late. With the towel wrapped around his waist, Dane raced down the stairs. Clint was hot on his heels. He passed Dane and blocked him from running out the door.
“I’m getting real tired of chasing you.”
“Then don’t,” Dane said. “Just let me go.” Dane turned toward the door, ready to fight the behemoth if he had to.
He just wasn’t entirely sure he would survive the fight.
Chapter Three
“Do you think he was telling the truth?” Bobby Ray looked toward Clint’s house. He’d never known the eldest Rising brother to be a liar. Clint was a lot of things—surly, short on patience, a head knocker when necessary, and mostly set in his ways—but he’d never been one to tell a fib.
“From the way he threatened us,” Wade said, “had to be.”
Bobby Ray snorted. “Clint threatens us all the time.”
“Yeah, but not like that,” Wade said. “Did you see the look in his eyes?”
Bobby Ray had. He glanced around the bonfire. “Where’d Clarence take off to?”
“Dunno.” Wade shrugged. “But we better keep an eye on things. Clarence finds out that human is here, no telling what he’ll do.”
If Clarence went anywhere near Clint’s mate, they’d end up burying their father. Clarence might be the meanest son of a bitch to walk the earth, but Clint had come into his own, and Bobby Ray saw the slight fear that entered Clarence’s eyes whenever Clint got downright ornery.
The winds were changing. Not only had one of them finally found a mate, but the leadership would soon shift, too. Truth be told, Bobby Ray hated their abusive father with a passion. Clarence had done some unspeakable things, thinking he was king of the land.
In Bobby Ray’s opinion, a regime change was long overdue.
* * * *
Clint saw the fear in Dane’s eyes. His mate was intent on getting past him. He was prepared to chase him, but just as Dane turned toward the door, he stumbled back, bracing his hand on the banister. His skin flushed as his cock hardened.
“I’m gonna cut your balls off for doing this to me.” Dane took a seat on the steps, fanning himself.
The bath had been a temporary fix. Dane was heating back up. Once again Clint cursed himself for jumping the gun. He might be wild and dominant, but he wasn’t a bastard. At least he didn’t think he was. His brothers might argue otherwise.
Clint growled when he heard a noise outside. He went to his door and swung it open. Walker and Bobby Ray stood on his porch, looking at everything but Clint. “I thought I told you guys to stay away.”
“Can’t help we’re curious,” Bobby Ray said.
“Dane isn’t a sideshow.” Clint looked around to make sure Clarence was nowhere in sight.
“He’s not here,” Bobby Ray said. “Wade is making sure he stays away.”
Like Wade could keep their father from doing what he wanted. When Clarence set his mind to something, nothing stopped him. “Tell Wade thanks.”
Bobby Ray’s brows shot up. “You’re seriously being polite?”
Walker nudged Bobby Ray with his elbow. “Don’t poke the bear when he’s in heat.”
“I’m not in heat,” Clint argued. He’d been fighting his urges, fearing he’d hurt the human, but truth was, he was so hard he could pound nails with his cock. “Now go the fuck away.”
He slammed the door, waited a second, then opened it again. His brothers were still standing there. Bobby Ray had a goofy-ass grin on his face while Walker smirked.
“Seriously?” Clint growled.
“We’re going,” Walker groused.
Clint waited for them to leave before closing the door again. Dane still lay on the steps with his arms stretched out and his head resting on them.
Clint picked his mate up and took him back upstairs, where he laid him on the bed. When he tried to pull away, Dane grabbed his wrist. “Don’t go.”
“I’m trying very hard not to take advantage of the fact you’re in heat.” Clint sat on the side of the bed.
“I don’t care,” Dane said, scooting closer. “You have to do something about this.”
Clint clenched his jaw. “What if you become pregnant?”
Although Clint had never thought about being a father, never thought he’d find his mate, the prospect didn’t terrify him. He glanced at Dane’s belly and imagined it swollen with his child. His heart skipped a beat.
“Use a condom.” Dane’s fingers dug into Clint’s wrist.
“Condoms won’t work, Cub.” Unable to stop himself, he brushed his hand over Dane’s stomach. “Your body is ready, and if we have sex, more than likely you’ll conceive.”
Doubt still clouded Dane’s blue eyes. He rolled to his hands and knees and crawled to Clint. The move was mesmerizing and nothing short of seductive. He pushed at Clint’s shoulders, and Clint allowed himself to fall backward onto the bed.
Dane was naked, and all Clint had on was a thin pair of pajama pants. He gripped Dane’s sides as his mate slid a leg over Clint’s body and straddled him. Damn if Dane didn’t make a gorgeous sight sitting atop him. He ground against Clint, moaning as he ran his fingers over Clint’s hard nipples.
Clint cursed as he released Dane and worked his pajama pants down his thighs, letting his cock spring free. Dane curled his fingers around Clint’s length and stroked him as his mate whimpered.
In one fluid motion, Clint rolled them, placing Dane under him. He scooted inward until the head of his cock pressed against Dane’s hole. The natural lubricant shifters possessed spurted against Dane’s entrance and relaxed his muscles as Clint worked his cock inside his mate. Fuck, Dane was tig
ht.
Dane slid his legs around Clint’s waist, writhing beneath him. “More,” Dane whimpered.
“I need to take this slow.” Clint gritted his teeth. His bear wanted him to conquer, regardless of the consequences. His beast was running on pure instinct, whereas Clint knew he had to be careful not to break the human.
“You need to get your dick inside me.” Dane drove downward, impaling himself. They both cursed, then moaned. Clint rolled them again, placing Dane on top. Now that he was inside his mate, Dane could ride him until they were both sweaty and spent.
“I usually don’t like this position,” Dane confessed as he swiveled his hips, driving Clint’s cock deeper. “Makes me feel too exposed.”
“You look fucking fantastic sitting on my dick.” Clint gripped Dane’s hips.
“You’re grabbing my love handles.” Dane blushed.
“I’m grabbing your sexy body.” Clint didn’t like Dane’s low self-esteem about his body. He’d already told his mate that he didn’t want skin and bones, yet Dane was still embarrassed. That didn’t make a lick of sense. Dane had nothing to be ashamed of. He was damn perfect.
Pressing his palms against Clint’s chest, Dane bounced on Clint’s cock as his head rolled to the side. His eyelids fluttered closed as he moaned.
Clint loved that Dane was taking pleasure from him. His thoughts scattered as he thrust upward, driving his cock deep into Dane’s ass. Dane’s body felt as if it had been made for Clint.
Love handles and all.
Needing to go even deeper, Clint held on to his mate as he rolled them again. He grabbed Dane’s legs and spread them wide. Fuck yeah. This position was even better. Dane’s ass gripped Clint’s cock so hard that Clint fought not to come too quickly.
His bear snarled in pure satisfaction. Clint ran his hands down Dane’s hairless legs and inner thighs, then curled his hand around his mate’s bobbing cock. Dane hissed, punching his hips upward, crying out as he fisted his hands in the sheets.
Clint pressed his hand to the side of Dane’s head, hovering over his mate as he captured Dane’s lips. It was the sweetest taste Clint had ever experienced. Kissing Dane sent jolts of electricity racing through him. He devoured Dane’s lips as he pistoned inside his ass and stroked his cock.
“I need to come,” Dane said against his lips. “Please, Clint.”
“I got you.” Clint nibbled along Dane’s jaw, squeezing tighter as he jerked Dane’s cock faster and thrust his own shaft deeper. Dane arched his back, shouting Clint’s name as his cum erupted.
The smell spurred Clint on. He reared back, grabbed Dane’s legs, and settled them on his shoulders before gripping Dane’s hips and pounding into him. He held back from using his full strength as his buildup shot up his spine. Right before his orgasm shattered him, Clint lowered himself over Dane and bit his mate’s shoulder, grunting his release.
He felt that unbreakable bond solder their lives together. He would know Dane’s moods and feel his emotions even stronger now. Dane would carry Clint’s scent, warning all preternatural that he was mated.
Dane collapsed against the bed, his breathing ragged, but his cock was still hard. Clint eased out of Dane, scooted down the bed, and settled between Dane’s legs. He took Dane into his mouth and his mate moaned.
“Fuck,” Dane whined. “I need to come again.”
From what Clint had heard, the mating heat was never easy. The fire inside the one who was to conceive consumed them. Clint was turned the hell on, but he wasn’t burning up like Dane was.
He swallowed Dane’s cock while tugging at his mate’s balls. Within minutes Dane came again.
“Clint!” Dane writhed as Clint drank every last drop. This time his mate’s cock softened.
When Clint looked up, Dane was fast asleep. He sat on the side of the bed, running a hand through his hair. What if he’d just impregnated Dane? What if his mate tried to take off again? He’d always been so self-assured, but now doubts ran through Clint as he sat there staring at the view outside the large window.
Clint’s head shot up when Clarence shouted for him outside. With a low growl, he covered Dane with the blanket and slid his pajama pants back on. He trotted down the steps and swung the door open, then shoved Clarence back when he tried to come inside.
“I have a fuckin’ right to inspect your mate,” Clarence demanded.
How the hell had he found out? Clint glanced to his right, and his anger shot through the roof when he saw how badly beaten Wade was. Wade looked apologetically at Clint before averting his eyes.
Clint’s attention snapped back to his father. Clarence had a rare shifter disease that was eating away at his brain. From what Clint had learned about it, his old man would become more volatile the further the disease progressed. It had no cure, but the drug Clint had gone to Howling Cavern to buy made a person with the disease less violent. It also made them high as hell.
Clint had told Clarence he wasn’t getting him the drug any longer because he hated feeling like his father’s drug dealer. But if he hadn’t taken it today, Clarence would’ve been ten times worse right now. Too bad it hadn’t curbed his violent behavior completely. Wade looked like hell, and that made Clint want to gut Clarence.
None of his brothers knew Clarence was sick, and Clarence had sworn Clint to secrecy. The last thing Clarence wanted was to appear weak to his boys. Clint thought his old man was just attempting to hold on to power over his family by keeping his disease a secret.
“You need to go lie down somewhere, old man,” Clint said as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him, shutting Dane away from Clarence.
“Don’t ya call me that,” Clarence snapped. “Step aside and let me see him.”
Clint curled his upper lip, showing his canines. “Not a chance in fucking hell. You go anywhere near him and I’ll put you in the ground.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Damn straight it is.” Clint didn’t fear his father like his brothers did. Clarence was still as strong as he’d been in his youth, but Clint was nothing to sneeze at. He’d grown into a strong alpha male, and he’d be damned if he let his twisted father anywhere near Dane.
Clarence narrowed his eyes. “You best remember who you’re speaking to.”
Clint watched him stomp off, then jerked his head to tell Wade to come inside. Wade glared after Clarence before entering Clint’s home.
“I’m fine,” Wade snapped. “You gotta know I didn’t want to tell him.”
Clint went to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack. He handed it over. “I know.”
Wade pressed it to his jaw and winced. “I swear I hate every breath he takes.”
Wade wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Clarence liked beating on Bobby Ray, too. Walker, Duane, and Trigger steered clear of their father as best they could.
It shouldn’t have to be that way, but unfortunately that was their way of life. Always had been. What happened on the mountains stayed on the mountains.
But Clint was ready to make a change, and soon. With Dane here, and possibly carrying Clint’s cub now, Clint had to make things safer. But the thought of killing his father didn’t sit well with him.
“I should go.” Wade set the ice pack on the kitchen table. “You got your mate here, and I know how a grizzly acts when their mate is in heat.” He grinned. “Can smell his heat all over the place.”
Clint forced himself not to growl. “Stay away from Clarence.”
“It wasn’t like I wanted to go against him,” Wade said, “but when he headed toward your house, I stopped him…or tried to.” He glanced toward the floor. “He smelled your mate’s heat, just like we all can.”
Clint grabbed the ice pack and stored it back in the freezer. “Tell the others to stay away.” He wasn’t sure he would be able to control himself if anyone went near Dane. Clint was fighting for control now just from Wade being so close to his mate.
Wade headed toward the door. “We’ll stay away, but we’ll
also make damn sure Clarence doesn’t get in here.”
The fact his brothers had to keep watch over his house because of their own father was pretty fucked up. “Thanks.”
Wade shook his head. “You being polite is scary.”
With a roll of his eyes, Clint shut the front door. He glanced toward the bedroom, wondering how his future was about to play out.
Chapter Four
Over the next two days, Dane had had more sex than he thought his body could stand. He was so sore that sitting hurt. He was also going crazy from being cooped up. Dane was used to being on the go, working, not staying idle for too long.
He could only enjoy the view through the windows for so long before even that drove him insane. But thankfully the feeling of burning up had finally left him.
Now Dane sat uneasily in one of the kitchen chairs as Clint cooked breakfast. Watching him move around wearing nothing but boxer briefs wasn’t a hardship. Although Dane wasn’t out of his mind with lust anymore, he still appreciated the sexy view.
“So do you hibernate?”
Clint glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not a wild bear.”
“So that’s a no?”
“Yes, that’s a no.”
“Do you catch fish in the lake with your mouth?” Dane had seen enough documentaries, and he was curious to know the difference between shifters and wild bears. If he was mated to Clint now, then he needed to learn everything he could about his situation.
Dane was surprised by how quickly he’d accepted the fact Clint was it for him. He was still scared, but not as much as when the prick had first taken him from that back road.
Truth be told, Dane had no one and was tired of going through life alone. He really did like Clint, even if the guy did have caveman tendencies. He was pretty sure that once they got to know each other, things between them would get better.