Wolf Hunter

by Jane Godman

  When she was squirming beneath him, he changed his rhythm. Concentrating on her clit, he flicked his tongue back and forth across the little bud, sending the already sensitized nerve endings into a frenzy.

  “Like that?” He raised his head to study her face.

  “Please.” Her cheeks flamed at the realization that she was begging him. “Don’t stop.”

  With a smile, he ducked his head again. This time, he placed his mouth tight against her clit and sucked it hard, almost sending her into orbit. It was too much. The firestorm in her blood raged out of control and she threw back her head, calling out his name over and over. Sebastian didn’t stop. He kept sucking. Now and then, he also swiped his tongue over her clit.

  At the same time, he pressed one finger inside her and the intrusion, together with his mouth on her, felt wonderful. She bucked her hips in time with his sucking and he added another finger, seating them deep inside her. She was moaning and writhing at the fury overtaking her. Nothing had ever felt like this. As his tongue circled her clit, his fingers pumped deep and hard. Aching, burning, tightening out of control, she bore down on his hand, unable to stop her pelvis from grinding in time with his movements.

  Then it happened. Everything slowed as though she were reaching for the impossible. Sebastian drove his fingers into her one last time and held them there at the same time that he sucked her hard. And time went double-quick. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and fireworks exploded behind her eyelids, shooting sparks through her bloodstream. Shuddering, crying out, clutching Sebastian’s shoulders, she gave herself up to the intensity of her first orgasm. Riding out the waves that rippled out from her core and shook every part of her, Cindy let it take her. It threw her around like a rag doll, leaving every part of her limp and boneless with pure rapture.

  Sebastian kept his mouth on her, lapping gently as the tremors subsided. When she finally lay still and stunned, he moved to lie beside her and drew her into his arms. Cindy slid a hand down the front of his body, feeling the bulge that strained against the front of his jeans.

  He caught her hand, bringing it up to his lips. “I told you. This was for you. We’re going slow.”

  “What if I want to go fast?” Her breathing was still uneven.

  His golden eyes seemed to be lit with an inner flame. “Are you sure?”

  She was about to answer when Samson’s voice called out from downstairs. “Madden is here.”

  Sebastian groaned. “I know he’s my friend, but his timing is awful.” He kissed her hand again. “Maybe we can continue this conversation later?”

  Cindy felt her heart skip several beats. “I look forward to it.” What was happening to her? She almost sounded confident.

  Chapter Six

  Sebastian had been surprised at the ease with which Madden had given up his career in the police to go and live in the frozen wastes of the Svalbard archipelago. He reasoned that it probably took a case as awful as the Cage Killer murder inquiry to destroy a man’s love of his job.

  Six months ago, Madden had been the leader of the elite team known as the Alaskan Frontier Force, and was given the huge task of catching a serial killer who operated across the entire state of Alaska. Madden had caught the killer, but at a huge personal and professional cost. The murderer had been Ivan Joseph, the man who had raised Madden. Joseph, a man whose mind was clearly unhinged, had been manipulated by Chastel into killing Hendrik. He had also abducted and attacked Maria Delgardo, the woman who was now Madden’s wife, leaving her with horrific injuries. Joseph had killed himself and Chastel had escaped justice yet again.

  So, yes. Sebastian supposed that experience had been enough to make even the most dedicated cop rethink his future. Madden now ran an online security consultancy. Maria, who was an artist, had been forced to give up her painting because of injuries to her hands in the attack by Joseph. She had shifted her focus to photography, an area in which she was becoming increasingly acclaimed. Sebastian had never seen his friend looking so relaxed and happy.

  The entire team regrouped in the kitchen to eat dinner and bring Madden and Maria up to speed with what had been happening. Everyone around that table had a reason to loathe Jean Chastel. The bounty hunter had touched all their lives with his sorcery and malice. Starting with his attempt to use Valetta’s Shadow Wolf powers to wipe out the Arctic werewolf species, he had progressed to his campaign to use Odessa to reignite the war between the Arctics and the Siberians. Chastel’s obsession with the destruction of the Arctic species was just the start of his sworn ambition to wipe out every werewolf.

  There was an ancient prophecy foretelling that Chastel would be killed by a giant Arctic werewolf. Because of that prediction, Chastel feared and hated Arctics and was determined to destroy them first before he started on other werewolf species. His malice had touched each member of the brotherhood, whether directly or indirectly. As well as the attacks on Valetta, Odessa and Maria, all of whom were partners of brotherhood members, Lowell had sustained horrific injuries fighting Chastel and his followers. And, of course, the entire team had been devastated by Hendrik’s death. But it was possible that Madden’s loathing of Chastel ran deeper than anyone else’s.

  “As much as I want to go after that bastard, I have to agree with Wilder.” Madden’s voice was filled with regret. “If we can’t provide proof that he is behind this, the goddess won’t allow us to pursue Chastel.”

  “Does that mean we just sit back and wait for him to attack?” Sebastian couldn’t conceal his frustration. “He killed Hendrik. Which one of us will be next?” Realizing what he’d said, he turned to Valetta. “I’m sorry, but it’s true.”

  “I agree.” The expression on her face was a mix of sorrow and anger. “I’m not part of the brotherhood, so I don’t get a vote. If I did, I’d be with you, Sebastian. I’d hunt him down for what he did to my father.”

  “If we go against the wishes of the goddess, it’s mutiny.” Wilder was adamant. “The brotherhood was set up to maintain order in the werewolf world. We only respond if we are attacked. We don’t initiate the first strike.”

  “What if I find proof Chastel is behind this?” Sebastian looked around the table.

  “You can’t go against him alone.” Samson sounded shocked. “Chastel will tear you apart.”

  Sebastian gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles showing white. The same tension ran through his whole body. What would it take for them to see what was happening?

  “Chastel is toying with us. If he could be a fly on the wall in this room now, he’d be rubbing his hands together with glee to hear us disagreeing with each other. Nothing gives him greater pleasure than to be the puppet master.”

  “What I don’t understand is why he’s targeting Cindy.” Madden’s cool tones cut across Sebastian’s anger. He turned to look at Cindy. “You aren’t a member of the brotherhood and you have no links to Chastel. It doesn’t make sense. Unless you can think of any reason he chose you?”

  “None.” She shook her head.

  Cindy had been quiet throughout dinner and the conversation that followed, but Sebastian was acutely aware of her the whole time. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the memory of how she felt in his arms, how she tasted, how she had responded to his touch and his tongue, intruded. He wanted her so badly it was an ever-present ache in his chest and his balls. And he knew she was hurting just as much. He could see it in her eyes when she looked his way. It was there in the faint flush on her cheeks, in her indrawn breath and the way she unconsciously ran her tongue over her bottom lip when her eyes met his. It was like an invisible line of fire burning up the air between them. They needed to extinguish it. The problem was, Sebastian had a feeling it would only burn brighter each time they touched. And what would happen then?

  “Tomorrow we’ll go to Hendrik’s house and see if we can find the card Cindy has with the names of the two cops who brought Hendrik’s car back.” He tore his gaze away and became purposeful again. “That’s our star
ting point. Madden can contact his former colleagues in the police department and find out were these two guys are. I don’t understand why the police waited so long to bring the car back. It wasn’t needed as part of the investigation. Maybe we can get some answers by speaking to these two cops. Meanwhile”—he looked at each of his friends in turn—“I meant what I said. I intend to find the proof that Chastel is behind this.”

  * * *

  How could you want someone so much you ached constantly? Cindy would never have believed it was possible to exist in such a heightened state of arousal.

  So this was what being permanently aroused felt like. She wasn’t sure if it was pleasure or pain. Or both at the same time. She felt hot and tingling all over, achingly aware of her body in relation to Sebastian. The softness of her curves compared to his hard muscles. The pale smoothness of her skin next to his suntanned sinews. The mildest brush of his fingers against her flesh had her shivering wildly.

  Throughout the meal, she was acutely aware of her clit throbbing as if with the memory of his touch and his tongue. She was so wet it was embarrassing. Her inner muscles were clenching hard as if they were trying to draw him into her, even though they were fully clothed and seated a foot apart. Her breathing was fluctuating so much she decided speaking was not an option. The erotic thoughts persisted. Reminders of being in his arms. Of the way he made her feel. She wanted to feel that way again. She needed more.

  When dinner was over, the others drifted away one by one, leaving Cindy and Sebastian alone.

  He’ll know what I’m thinking. It must be obvious from my face. Sebastian didn’t need to be a mind reader. Cindy was fairly sure her thoughts were so hot they were imprinted on her features like a brand.

  Any awkwardness she felt disappeared as soon as he took her hand. His fingers wrapped around hers felt like the most natural thing in the world. “I’m sorry. We don’t seem to be any closer to finding out what’s going on.” Sebastian grimaced. “We’re wolves, but we seem to be chasing our tails like a pack of dogs right now.”

  Cindy might not be a werewolf, but she had been part of this friendship group long enough to see how much damage Chastel could cause. He was a trickster with a talent for destruction, but there was nothing he enjoyed more than making his evil plans into a game. Although those on the receiving end of his antics didn’t find them amusing.

  “It’s like he finds something in each of us and probes it until it forces a confrontation,” Sebastian said.

  His words were like a piece of the puzzle falling into place.

  “Don’t you see? That’s exactly what he does.” Cindy returned the pressure of his fingers. “He is taking each of you in turn and testing you, using your greatest strength against you.”

  Sebastian frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Cindy was thinking out loud, but she was sure she was right. “When he went after Valetta, Chastel preyed on Samson’s protective instincts. Chastel arranged for it to look like Valetta had been kidnapped. Samson went to her rescue and Chastel tried to use that to his advantage.”

  Sebastian started to catch on to what she was saying. “When that plan to wipe us out failed, his next target was Lowell. That time, he used Lowell’s love of the Arctic environment. Suggesting that Odessa was poisoning the tundra was a surefire way to get Lowell involved and ignite hostility between the Arctics and the Siberians.”

  “You know better than anyone that Chastel is an opportunist. After he didn’t get the Siberians and Arctics to restart their war, he must have been biding his time, waiting for his next opportunity. His next target was Madden.”

  “He knew Madden was leading the hunt for the Cage Killer, so he got involved in that. He screwed up the police investigation. He was constantly throwing new problems Madden’s way. He exploited a sick mind, training a serial killer to become stronger and better in the art of murder and encouraging him to turn his attention to Hendrik.” Sebastian shook his head. “My God, you’re right. He is taking each of us in turn, testing us, searching for the weakness that will bring down the brotherhood.”

  “Now it’s your turn,” Cindy said. “He’s trying to get you to go it alone. He knows you have a rebellious streak. If he pushes hard enough, you might just be the person who will break ranks with the others and go after him alone.”

  Sebastian clenched a fist on his thigh. “You mean I am the person who might just bring down the brotherhood with my hotheadedness?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t need to.” He sighed. “If you had said it out loud, you’d be right. It is what I was thinking.”

  He took her hand, spreading her fingers on his thigh and she felt the tension in the hard muscle of his leg. For a few moments, she gave herself up to the sensation, enjoying the warmth of his flesh through the material of his jeans. When she lifted her eyes to his face, she encountered a flame-thrower look.

  “Now I know why he’s targeting you.” Sebastian’s voice was soft.

  “Pardon?” Cindy had to force herself to focus.

  “Madden asked why Chastel is targeting you and we didn’t know. It’s because of me.” He leaned closer, tucking an unruly strand of her hair behind her ear. “You soothe me. Keep me focused and sane. Without you, I might just do some of the crazier things I think of. Like defying the goddess and going after Chastel on my own.”

  “You think he’s trying to frighten me off so you’ll have no one to talk you down from your wild ideas?” Cindy asked.

  “It’s even simpler than that. He’s trying to frighten you off because he knows I need you.” As he spoke, he slid his hands around her waist and drew her closer. “And right now, I need you more than I have ever needed anything in my entire life.”

  As he pressed his lips to the tender spot just below her jawline, Cindy gave herself up to the sensations provoked by his nearness. But it wasn’t enough. She needed more. Much more.

  Getting to her feet, she held out her hand. “We have some unfinished business.”

  * * *

  Sebastian could finally admit to himself that he had wanted Cindy for the last four years. And she wanted him, too. The woman of his dreams was lying naked in his arms, squirming in ecstasy at his touch. Gazing up at him with pleasure-glazed eyes as he raised his body over hers, pressing the tip of his condom-sheathed erection into her.

  He wanted to prolong every second. To imprint every feeling into his consciousness until she was as much a part of him as he was himself.

  “I said I want to go fast.” It was a sound somewhere between a whisper and a gasp as she arched upward, pressing herself against him.

  He covered her mouth with his own, hunger tearing through him at the sweet taste of her on his lips. It had been so long since he’d felt this fiery pleasure. The truth was, Sebastian hadn’t had sex for four years. When werewolves mated, it was for life. Luckily, for the sake of their sanity, they could indulge in sex with no strings when they were in human form. Since he’d met Cindy, he hadn’t wanted anyone else. He’d tried telling himself it was stupid to feel this way about her. She wasn’t his, she belonged to another man, a man who was his friend . . . none of it had worked. Every time he had tried to get close to another woman, her image had appeared before him.

  Now he knew why. This was the reason. She was in his blood. She was the one he wanted beneath him. It was her body he needed to feel stretching to take him, her cries he ached to hear as she crested the wave with him.

  Sebastian jerked his hips, thrusting his cock into her, hissing in a breath as she tightened around him. His lips covered hers, taking her cries into his mouth. His tongue thrust inside, mirroring the pumping action of his erection.

  “So hot and tight.” He moved his lips along her jawline. “Tel me what you want.”

  “You.” Her blue eyes were heavy with desire. “Just you, Sebastian.”

  He reached beneath her, gripping her buttocks and lifting her higher, grinding his pelvis into hers with each sl
amming motion of his hips. It was sweet, delicious agony. The sounds coming from deep in his throat were like nothing he had ever heard himself make before. Low, hungry growls of pure animal need. Sweat beaded his face and body as he gave himself up to the sensations of her clasping him. Lust that was close to rage convulsed him, drove him, tortured him.

  Beneath him, Cindy moaned and thrashed, her fingers gripping the sheets in time with the wild pounding of Sebastian’s body. Her face told him everything he needed to know. She was his. She felt the same desperate hunger as him. The flaming arrows of lust that pierced his flesh were tearing through Cindy as well.

  “More.” She twisted, slamming her pelvis upward in time with his thrusts.

  Like a man driven by a demon, Sebastian gave her what she wanted, jackhammering ferociously into her. Nothing had ever felt like this. She was the only person who had ever made him feel as if he was melting into her, his body and soul merging with hers. White-hot spikes thrilled along his nerve endings, signaling his release was close.

  It was rapturous. He pushed them both higher and harder, holding her tight to him until her felt her erupting. Her slender body shook so wildly, Sebastian felt it through every part of him as she clenched around him and cried out his name. He continued to push into her, feeling the first surge of his own orgasm. And then he was flying, losing himself in the intensity of his climax. Just this. Just her. Just them.

  His groans mingled with her sighs as their bodies jerked together. Eventually, his breathing returned to normal and his heartbeat slowed. Even when he moved to one side of Cindy, he remained inside her, needing that intimate connection to her. His legs were tangled with hers, as much of their bodies touching as possible, and Sebastian wondered how he could possibly want her again already.