by M. L. Briers
“Werewolf-“ The word came from her lips so quietly that if he had been human he might not have heard it- it wasn’t an accusation and he heard no fear in her voice as he cupped her cheek- a gentleness took over his features as the edges of his lips curled upwards.
“No-“
“I saw you-“ He couldn’t deny what she had seen- man and wolf coexisting.
“I know. But I’m not a werewolf- I’m a Lycan.” His words were soft and quietly spoken. There was no air of authority that he usually carried so naturally within him. He was all around her- encompassing her so thoroughly with his presence and yet she felt bereft.
“I don’t-“ She let the words trail of with the tiniest shake of her head and he smiled at her with tenderness. Was he trying to seem less threatening? Because she felt no fear- shouldn’t she be screaming and running for the exit?
“Werewolves can only change on a full moon- when they do they have no control over the wolf they become- no humanity left within them- the older the Were the more the human personality is affected by that loss of humanity within their psyche.” It felt as though he were telling her a bedtime story- her mind still trying to grasp the enormity of what had happened.
“With Lycan’s it’s different- the wolf is a part of us and we are a part of the wolf- we can shift into the wolf whenever we want- our humanity is there within the wolf- it’s a symbiotic relationship- we are always part wolf and part human.” It seemed like such a logical conversation for something that was so surreal.
Vicky tried to look away, but he palmed her cheek and kept her gaze from wavering- he didn’t want to lose her now- let her mind run riot and risk her rejecting him out of the prejudices born of society.
“I shouldn’t know this-“ He sensed a spark of uncertainty flare into fear within her.
“I will never hurt you-“ He had become so serious- so adamant in a heartbeat as she sensed his fear- he was worried that she would reject what he was- why would that bother him so?
“You killed that-“ Her mind flashed recognition of what had happened-
“Human form werewolf-“ Cade seemed to rile at the word- whether the fact that he was a werewolf or the fact that the men had been there to attack her, she wasn’t sure.
“But-“
“It’s not a full moon- they couldn’t shift into wolves-“
“Why were they-?” She couldn’t seem to finish a question- just leave the words hanging and hope he could fill in the blanks.
“They were Devanaux’s men- part of his clan- they came for you.” Cade tried to give her the news as gently as he could, but he still sensed the tension rise within her- felt her whole body stiffen against his as the shock of realisation washed through her.
“Why?” She tried to squirm off his lap, but he kept one arm locked around her, gentle but firm in his hold.
“Because he wanted your land- if he could change you into one of them then he would have your land-“ She pushed against his bare chest with the palms of her hands and this time he could see she was full of the intention of being away from him and he let her go.
Scooting to her feet on unsteady legs, she turned her back on him and he sighed, never a good sign- walking towards the window, she pulled back the heavy curtain and gazed out into the blackness of the night unseeing.
“This is about land- he would change me into-“ She bit down on the unsavoury word- the thought of becoming the beast that Cade had described chilled her right down to the bone.
“And about the pack and the clan- Lycan’s and werewolves don’t mix well- especially in this pack after they caused the death of Marcus’s mate- wife.” She hadn’t heard him come up behind her, but when she turned at his words he was there- staring down at her- his eyes searching her face.
“How?” He saw the sadness touch her eyes and he reached out, tracing fingertips down her cheek, wanting to take that sadness away- take the horror of what she was uncovering this night away from her.
“They brought the hunters out looking for a rabid wolf- the hunters stumbled across her in wolf form and shot her- which is why Marcus has no love for Were’s or humans.” That spark of recognition had her raising her chin and questioning his remark.
“I’m human he’s-“
“That’s different-“ The smile that spread in an easy movement over his face and lit up his eyes with mischief had her questioning both his and her sanity- what he had to find amusement in she couldn’t see.
“How is it different?” A certain amount of unease swept through her. Did she really want an answer to that question- did she really need to hear anymore of this right now?
Cade sensed her uncertainty- the anxiety his words had caused to bubble beneath the surface of her control- so far he thought she had taken all this in pretty well- so far…
“Well don’t need to go into everything right now-“
“Is there something wrong with me-“ She swallowed on that word wrong and he couldn’t help the grin that stretched his features a little further and set her heart skipping inside her again.
“Not that I can see sweetheart-“ The deep rumble to his voice held her spellbound for a long moment as she focused on the wolf in him.
“Then why is it different?” She gave a small shake of her head to clear her thoughts from anything but the conversation at hand- she couldn’t allow her feelings towards Cade to cloud the issues at hand and she did have feelings for him. Even now. Even knowing what he was, who he was.
“Because he knows what you are and would protect you with his life if he had too.” It sounded like a simple explanation when he said it- but in fact he hadn’t really told her anything more- she needed to know- why was she different from other human’s?
“Cade answer me- how am I different?” She reached up and grasped his hand- that simple touch brought her eyes down to where their hands joined- the hum that swept over her skin- the fire that ignited within her- it didn’t make sense that she wanted nothing more at that moment to be in his arms- to touch him and be touched by him- to take him within her and feel his strength and his power. To have him take her the way he had earlier.
Vicky gasped and took a step back away from him- he kept hold of her hand not letting the connection between them be completely broken and when she brought her eyes up to his- questioning him, he took a long step towards her- his arm going around her body and pulling her towards him- pressing his naked body to her clothed one, did nothing to lessen the desire within either of them.
“Wolves and Lycan mate for life-“ The tone of his words had gone back to deathly serious as he stared down into her eyes- the low rumble that had echoed through his chest and rolled over her body, igniting even more desire within her reminded her of exactly who’s arms held her.
“Stop-“ She didn’t want to hear the rest- not now- maybe not ever, if he was going to tell her that because they had...
“I can’t stop my love- and neither can you- we are drawn to each other by a bond-“ She shook her head- a slight movement that didn’t take her gaze from his and when she swallowed hard, he brushed his fingers down her cheek again and she felt the wave of desire sweep through her.
“I can’t-“ She needed to think, to take a step away from this and find the sanity, the reason within his words.
“You can’t not- you’re my mate Victoria- you felt-“
“Horny- I felt horny-“ She pulled her eyes from his this time, although she had to admit it took every inch of willpower that she could muster to do it.
His gentle laughter captured her senses and her eyes flew to his face.
“You’ve never felt that way before and if you were to leave me you never would again-“ Cade’s wolf rumbled within him- the beast was anxious that they would be rejected and that couldn’t happen, for either of them. This was their mate and she would be theirs.
“So it’s you or nothing?” She demanded suddenly finding that streak of defiance that ran through her very DNA.
“No-
sex would be sex as it has always been – but you would never be fulfilled the way you are when we are together- you would never feel so complete-“ His hand ran to the back of her head and he fisted her hair, tipping her head back to place her exactly where he wanted her- saw the flare of understanding for what he was about to do in her eyes and as her palms started to push against his chest, so her full lips opened in anticipation- the indecision within her silenced the moment his lips came down on hers and he captured any protest she might have voiced before she had even considered it.
The push and pull on her emotions gave way to full blown pull as the jolt to her womanhood took her breath away- when he teased her lips apart further with the tip of his tongue and plunged into her mouth his kiss was more intoxicating than it had felt before- the power of his masculinity that he had held in check before unleashed as he ravenously claimed her for his own- she was his and he wouldn’t let her get way- wanted her to have no doubt in her mind that she belonged with him.
His hands worked over the zipper of her jacket- quickly discarding it before moving onto the next item and the next- only breaking away from her lips for long enough to remove the jumper over her head and yank the jeans and panties down her legs- his lips on the flat of her stomach as she fisted his hair before his mouth was back against hers, his tongue tasting, teasing and swirling inside her mouth as she rose to the challenge- tasting him back as her hands roamed over the hard planes of his body.
When she edged back from him, he went to pull her back against his body but the feel of her hand as it wrapped around his aching erection stopped him from moving- the low growl of desire that rolled into her mouth causing a moan to catch within her throat as he backed her to the nearest wall- his mouth against hers, her hand stroking him hard as her back came against the immovable object and she stilled.
His fingers ran firmly up the heated skin of her inner thigh and her hips pushed towards him- her body already seeking his touch- wanting, needing the feel of him against her- it was all she could think, all she could feel- him.
“Open yourself for me-“ He growled against her neck- and she gasped in the breath she didn’t know she had been missing as instinct caused her to open her legs wide for his touch- she burned with the need to feel him.
When his fingers teased the very edges of her folds, she mewed her protest, her hand tightened over his shaft and she slid him back and forth in her fist with renewed purpose- there was no mistaking the low growl that escaped his lips against her throat as he nipped her skin with blunt teeth- his fingers slipping over the wetness of her folds and making her thrust her hips forwards, rubbing herself against his fingers, back and forth between the very edge of her core to the swollen nub of sensitive flesh that had her breath hitching with each stroke.
When his mouth closed over her pulse and he sucked against the sensitive skin she almost came undone- her need for him the only thought left within her mind and she batted his hand away from her folds and angled the hardness of him against her- his hands palmed the globes of her backside and he lifted her against the wall- higher than she needed to be to take him within her- higher than she wanted to be, until his tongue came down first on one tight bud of her pebbled nipples and then the other laving them as she dropped her head back and closed her eyes, her hands fisting in his hair as she urged him on.
When he ran blunt teeth over the nub she moaned her pleasure- it was a form of torture that she would willing endure- to not have him yet within her, but to feel his mouth against her breasts- his teeth running hard against her, pulling and tugging the nipples before he soothed them with his tongue and finally sucked each in turn into the heat of his mouth, his teeth and tongue devouring her all at once, had her insides clenching with the need for more.
When she squirmed against him he ran his tongue up over her throat as he lowered her body down the wall- his swollen glands nudging the heat of her core as she moaned her need for him, until he lowered her down over his shaft in one slow stroke that had him seated deep within her to the hilt, her legs fitted into place around his hips and her inner muscles tightened around him- fisting him from the inside as he growled his pleasure.
“So tight- so damned good.” He growled against her lips before thrusting his tongue deep into her mouth as he pulled his hips back and thrust back inside her, she clenched the length of him with her inner muscles until he growled again.
The sound of the beast within him caused her excitement to soar as she met his thrusts- her fingers curling into the muscles of his shoulders, tighter with every thrust that pushed her towards release.
“Cade-“ She felt the building tension within her with each thrust of his hips- his teeth ran the cord of the vein in her neck, nipping before his tongue soothed her skin and she dropped her head back and to the side- instinctually giving him better access to her neck.
“Let me mark you- a light bite-“ He breathed against her skin and her mind and body soared- she wanted him- everything about him, whatever he wanted- needed she would give him.
“Yes- take me Cade- I need you-“ His hips started to pump against hers, a driving rhythm that had her moaning with every thrust- had her breath hitching with each plough of his hardness within her- taking her higher- closer to the release her body craved and then she felt that sharpness of his fangs against her skin a moment before they pierced the flesh, not even as painfully as the cut from the blade and the long hard deep thrust as he took her so completely she came undone.
The cry from her lips as her world spiralled away from her in colour and sensation mixed with the roar from his lips against her neck as he exploded within her and she rode with him on the crushing waves that tore through her body- her pulse throbbing hard as the spasms shot through her- her inner muscles massaging his seed from his body as he thrust into her over and over releasing inside her, until they were both done.
It seemed to take her forever to come back down- his tongue was running gently over her neck cleaning and sealing the light wound of his mark as he tended his mate- he had come so close to biting down harder- bonding with her as his beast demanded- but he had held that level of self control needed to keep from doing something that could never be undone- she needed to make that decision for herself, he would not take that choice away from her- human or Lycan she would still feel the bond- the attachment to her mate- would be able to share his thoughts- share his inner most feelings- she needed to understand that.
Cade felt her stirring against him- still buried deep inside her with a semi hard erection, he still held her against the wall and in his embrace- his legs had nearly given out of him when he had marked her and his orgasm had rolled through him like a firestorm- but he had pushed them both against the wall- letting it take the weight of them and now as he tended to her needs his body was already recovering.
“Cade-“ Her voice was breathless and tiny, as her hands shook against his shoulders- her legs still quivering about his hips as her inner muscles still quaked around his shaft with the aftershocks of her release.
“You’re so beautiful sweetheart-“ He breathed against her throat, his lips skirting over her skin as he worked his way to her lips and brushed against them- she shivered hard and he knew it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room, but still he pulled her against him in a tighter embrace- turned away from the wall and strolled to the bed- easing them both down as he nestled between her thighs, unwilling to separate their bodies yet.
“Did I hurt you?” His eyes and fingertips ran over the mark he had placed against the creamy skin of her neck and she shivered again- the light wounds, unseen to the human eye were sensitive to his touch and she shook her head.
“I’m afraid-“ Her words were spoken so softly that he couldn’t believe they ripped at his heart with such ferocity- for a long moment he dared not move, dared not to speak out loud what was gnawing at his mind for fear she would confirm his suspicions and he would be lost- forever lost.
“Of me?” His words wer
e almost breathless as his heart skipped within his chest awaiting her answer- but when she said nothing he moved gently further up her body- an elbow on either side of her to prop himself up as he gently palmed her cheeks and brought her eyes up to his- the tears that rimmed her eyes, threatening to escape shattered his heart into a million pieces within his chest.
“Of what I am?” He tried again when she still didn’t reply. He could see that she was struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened- he cursed himself for making love to her- for losing control and marking her- she wasn’t ready for any of this and he had pushed her to it.
“Because I bit you?” He ran his thumbs gently over her soft skin and she blinked twice- a small shake of her head let the tears run freely down her cheeks and his thumbs caught them in mid path- brushing them away. He never wanted to see her like this- never wanted her in pain or hurt- he should have walked away when he first realised what she was to him- saved them both the pain.
“Of the way I feel about you.” She finally admitted and his heart sang within him- every broken piece scooped back together by her words- there was still hope- still a chance she wouldn’t reject him.
“I’ve been told stories all of my life of how it would be to find my one true mate- my mother would tell us over and over of a love that was waiting for each of us- a love that would bond us- a love to die for- to live for- to fight for, but until I met you- I didn’t understand how all consuming that would feel- I even believed that I could be immune to it- walk away from it- I can only imagine how it must feel to you- never knowing it was out there- of its power to be all encompassing.” He brushed another lone tear aside as it ran towards his thumb and gazed back into her eyes.