by Jenika Snow
“Yeah, I’m just going to miss this place and everyone.”
Alric didn’t want Sam to regret moving, and despite the fact that his mate was happy about this, he didn’t want to force anything upon him.
“Listen, baby, if you don’t want—”
Sam held his hand up and shook his head, stopping Alric from finishing. “Don’t say it. I love you, and this is what I want. There isn’t anything else in the world that makes me as happy as being with you.” Sam leaned in and pressed his lips against Alric’s. “I love you, Alric, and wherever you go, I’ll follow,” he murmured against Alric’s mouth.
Alric felt his heart stutter in response.
“I love you, too, baby. I think this will be good for us.”
Sam nodded. “I think this is a good idea, too. Now let’s get going before this storm rolls in.” Sam moved behind Alric and smacked him on the ass. Alric couldn’t help but chuckle.
Over the past several weeks they’d worked their asses off packing and getting things worked out, but now that everything was set up at their new place Alric could relax with his mate as they headed to their new home.
Now it was time to say goodbye to all of this.
“That’s it,” Samuel said and opened the passenger side door. He flung the backpack inside and stretched his arms above his head. The white long sleeve shirt he wore molded to his lean, yet muscular form, and caused a spike of lust to settle in Alric’s cock.
He couldn’t wait to get to their new home and fuck Samuel in every room.
I need to quit thinking about sex.
He still had an hour drive to make and maneuvering the off-the-beaten-path road with a hard-on was not something he looked forward to.
The pack met them by their SUV, and once they had said their goodbyes to everyone and were in the vehicle, they drove away from the only place they’d ever called home. Alric looked at Samuel, saw his mate already watching him closely, and Alric smiled.
“This is it, baby. Are you ready?”
Sam smiled broadly in return. “I’ve never been more ready in my life.”
Alric felt warmth bloom in his chest. He took Sam’s hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing his knuckle. “I couldn’t do this without you.” It was the truth, but even so, Alric couldn’t help but feel that something was missing.
There had always felt like something was missing, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it had just been the issues with staying in the pack? Maybe once they reached their new home things would level out.
He had his mate and he would soon have the life he had always wanted, but there was this nagging inside him. He just wished he could reach it and find out what exactly was causing him to feel this way.
He stared into Sam’s blue eyes, saw a flicker of emotion pass through them, and wondered if he, too, felt that there was just something missing in their lives. He could have asked his mate, but he didn’t want to complicate anything, and bringing up uncertainties when Alric didn’t know why he felt this way, was a complication.
Things would feel different once they were at their new home. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.
Chapter Three
The cabin and land they’d bought were in the middle of nowhere, and as much as Alric liked that, because they were higher now the storm that was coming would be fierce. In the time it had taken for them to come up to the cabin the storm had taken root. The snow was starting to come down, the inevitable blizzard sweeping through.
He focused on the road, the cabin just up ahead, but the snow making it impossible to see more than five feet in front of the vehicle. Finally the cabin came into view, and he exhaled. Once out of the SUV he and Sam grabbed as many bags as they could in one trip and made their way into the cabin and out of the blizzard.
Samuel threw the front door open, and the two of them stepped over the threshold. Alric shook the snow off and went about the task of starting a fire while Sam started getting the groceries they’d bought and putting them away. They’d moved the bigger items in over the past few weeks. But the smaller items, including groceries, were what they unpacked now.
“Thank God we grabbed the food,” Sam said, his back to Alric as he stocked the cupboards.
When the fire was blazing, he helped Sam get the rest of their belongings then shut the front door against the aggressive weather. Stacks of wood were pressed against the wall by the fireplace, along with oil lamps, candles, and an array of other paraphernalia for when the weather decided to be a bitch, as it was being at the moment.
Neither of them were strangers to the harshness of mountain weather, but still it fucked everything up, especially when this was their first night in their new home.
The small noises of the house settling filled the air. It had got dark pretty quickly, and although the cabin was far from civilization, they did have a generator. Alric wouldn’t have minded not having any electricity—the idea of actually “roughin’ it” appealed to him. Sam, on the other hand, liked modern comforts and refused to live without them.
“Can you believe the weather?” Sam mumbled, and bent at the waist to shove items in the fridge.
Alric grinned and moved into the kitchen and toward his mate, his focus trained right on Sam’s ass. Sam’s ass was perfection, round and tight and covered by denim. Pressing his already hard cock against the crease of Sam’s bottom, he covered his mate’s back with his chest and ground his shaft into his mate. Growling at the pleasure that coursed through him, Alric gently bit the back of Sam’s neck.
“I’m so fucking horny, baby. How about we break in the new house?”
Sam shivered beneath him, and Alric moved his hands across Sam’s abdomen.
“We have a lot of stuff to do, Alric. Look at all the boxes. We should probably put them away.” Although reason made an appearance in Sam’s voice, Alric could hear how out of breath his mate had become.
Ignoring his lover’s feeble refusal, Alric gripped Sam’s cock through his jeans. Sam was already rock hard. Smiling against his back, Alric straightened and turned him around before he could utter another word. He pressed Samuel against the counter, and Alric went straight for the button on his mate’s jeans. The hazy expression in his lover’s eyes could have created scorch marks on the floor, but Alric was right there with him, feeling that same intense and raw hunger.
Alric undid Sam’s jeans, and his cock hardened even further at the idea of what he was about to do to Sam. When Alric leaned forward and pressed his lips against Sam’s throat, his mate murmured his desire. Alric nuzzled and inhaled the wickedly potent scent of his mate. Alric pushed the material down Sam’s strong thighs, and a shot of lust speared through him when he realized Sam wasn’t wearing any underwear again.
“Are you trying to drive me insane?” Alric grinned and ran his tongue along Sam’s throat, tasting the saltiness of his sweat. He groaned at the flavor and glided his hands around to grip Sam’s ass. Alric squeezed the globes once and lifted Sam onto the counter. He automatically spread his legs, and Alric stepped between them, grinding his shaft against his.
He cursed inwardly when Sam’s dick stiffened against his own. Alric stepped back and undid his own jeans. He haphazardly pushed them down his legs, then gripped Sam’s legs, spreading them wide. Sam placed his heels on the counter, and Alric pulled him closer so that his ass was positioned right on the edge.
He brought his mouth to Sam’s, and licked his mate’s bottom lip before slipping it into the welcoming heat of Sam’s mouth. They both moaned, and Alric pressed his hips against Sam’s, grinding their erections together in the process.
Panting heavily, Sam broke the kiss. “Please, Alric. I don’t need to be seduced, I need to be fucked.”
Alric’s cock twitched at the erotic words. Looking around, Alric searched for something to use as lubricant.
“I just put some lube in the drawer beside us.”
Alric tore the drawer open and grabbed the lube. Squeezing a generous
amount out, Alric stepped back and smeared the slick substance over his dick then around Sam’s asshole. Sam’s anus clenched tight, and Alric grunted in response, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to last once he was stuffed deep within Sam.
“Fuck, Sam. You want it, don’t you, baby?”
Sam groaned in response, and that was all Alric needed. Gripping his length, he aligned it with his mate’s hole and slowly started to push in. The tight ring of muscles made it difficult, but Sam bore down and Alric’s dick slipped through the opening. Alric held still for a suspended moment, just the head inside Sam. Gritting his teeth, he started to press in, feeling the hot, tight confines of Sam’s ass surrounding him.
Sam wrapped his arms around Alric’s neck at the same time that Alric sank fully inside him. Balls pressed against the chilled counter, Alric was on the verge of climaxing.
“I’m not going to last, baby.” Alric breathed out.
“Don’t try to. I need this fast, hard and rough.”
“Oh fuck, Sammy.” He reared back then slammed into Sam’s ass, jarring his mate and making him gasp. Alric wasn’t soft or gentle when he gripped Samuel’s hips. He gave Sam what he wanted.
In.
Out.
Fast.
Hard.
Alric couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t be gentle.
Their kiss broke apart, and Alric pushed back. Sam grabbed his shaft and started to stroke it. Alric tore his eyes from the delicious sight and watched his cock move in and out of Sam’s tight anus. His hole was stretched wide, the skin around his dick red and shiny from how filled he was. The sight alone was Alric’s undoing.
“I can’t hold off any longer, Sam.”
“Oh God, don’t stop. I’m going to come right along with you.”
Increasing his thrusts, Alric watched Sam jerk off, his hand a blur of speed. It took all his strength to keep his eyes open as he came. He wanted to watch Sam come, wanted to watch him shoot his load.
“Yeah, yeah. Almost there, Alric.”
Sam threw his head back, and Alric reached between them to fondle Sam’s balls. His mate grunted, the veins in his neck standing out as he strained from his orgasm.
Ribbons of milky white cum shot between them, covering Sam’s belly.
“Fuck, you’re so hot, Sam.” Alric’s member twitched as he slowly started to pull out of him. Looking down, he could see his seed slip out of Sam’s hole. Pure ecstasy covered his mate’s face.
“Was that good for you, Sammy?” Leaning in, Alric gave him a light kiss.
“Mmm.”
Before the high of pleasure could leave, something hard slammed against the front door. Alric stopped and turned his attention over his shoulder.
“What the hell was that?”
Sam was off the counter and standing beside him in the next second. “I don’t know, maybe some debris? The storm is pretty fierce right now.”
Alric zipped up his pants and made his way towards the front window. Snow and ice pelted the glass and he could feel the cold down to his bones. The angle and almost zero visibility gave him no room to see the front porch.
“Sam, will you turn on the floods? The porch light is shit, and I can hardly see anything.” Illumination came on a moment later. “I can’t believe how dark it got so quickly,” he muttered more to himself than to Sam. Alric peered through the glass. He pushed away from the window and moved to the heavy wood. He gripped the handle and opened it. Icy air and snow slammed into him.
He wiped the snow off his face, the wind slapping him, the air frigid. And then he saw it, or more accurately a person.
Chapter Four
Alric stared in horror at the small, huddled figure just a few feet away. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. A flash of dark hair peeked out from under the hood they wore. Alric stepped outside then got down on his haunches in front of the still body.
“What’s going on?” Sam called out from inside.
“Sam, get some hot water started and grab the first aid kit.” He didn’t know if the person was hurt, and the weather was too treacherous for him to sense any injuries. It was better to have things ready just in case.
Alric wrapped his arms around the body and lifted. The person was tiny and weighed nearly nothing. Alric strode back inside and slammed the door shut with his foot. Sam had his pants back on and already had a bucket filled with water, steam rising over the top. He turned and grabbed the first aid kit, as well.
“What the hell?”
Looking down, Alric couldn’t tell exactly who it was, but they were unconscious. Hell, he wouldn’t have even been able to tell if they were dead if not for the fact that he was a shifter and could hear their heart beating faintly.
“Maybe a hiker that got caught in the storm?” Alric said softly, more to himself as he stared down at the person. The coat they wore was oversized for their small frame. Could it be a child? It very well could have been for how tiny they were.
Alric strode over to the fire and laid the still body on the rug, wanting to get the person warm and out of the clothes that were getting wet from the melting snow covering them.
“Sam, bring the water and some towels over here.” Chin-length auburn hair covered the stranger’s face, and Alric pushed the hood away, and then did the same to the wet strands that covered their face. “Oh fuck.”
“What?” Sam asked.
“It’s a female,” Alric said softly, but it wasn’t just that realization that had shock filling him. Before he could say anything else Sam was beside him. His mate sucked in a sharp breath as he stared down at the female. Her face was turned away, but Alric could see how pale and luminescent her skin was. Her cheekbones stood out in stark contrast against her thin face. She was thin, far too thin for his liking, and she was cold to the bone.
“For fuck’s sake, warm her up,” Sam said and thrust the bowl of water and rag to him. “And get her out of the clothes before hypothermia sets in, if it hasn’t already.”
Alric lifted his gaze to Sam’s and saw the expression on his mate’s face. Sam had realized the same thing as he had upon looking at her, yet neither said anything. Right now they needed to tend to her, and once she was on the mend they’d worry about the other revelation.
“We can’t worry about that right now, Sammy,” Alric said softly, and Sam snapped his gaze to his.
Alric didn’t know what had happened to her, but he knew Sam was with him in saving her life. At this moment, because of who she was, making sure she survived had never been more important.
****
The world around Dalia slowly came into focus. The first thing she was aware of was that she wasn’t cold anymore. The second thing was that she wasn’t dead, obviously. Once those two things penetrated her mind she woke with a start. She opened her eyes and sucked in a lungful of air. The room was fuzzy, her vision having yet to clear and focus. She heard the crack and pop of a fire, felt its warmth right beside her. Once her vision cleared she turned her head around and searched her surroundings.
She had no idea where she was, didn’t even know how she’d survived, but she felt this calm settle over her. All she could remember was why she’d run and that she had been stuck in the blizzard that had seemed to come out of nowhere.
She knew that the ones she was running from hadn’t found her or she would be in pain right now, not comfortable and warm. So what she needed to find out was where she was and how long she had to wait before she could leave. There was no way she could stay here, not when she would surely be found.
No, keeping on the move was the only way she’d survive. The ones after her wouldn’t rest until they either had her back or she was dead. Neither was an option for her.
Dalia pushed herself up and looked around at the unfamiliar environment. A fire was roaring brightly beside her, but as much as she wanted to enjoy it she didn’t give herself the luxury of doing any such thing. There was too much at stake. Looking down at herself, she pushed the thick blanket
s off of her and saw she no longer wore the clothes she’d been wearing when she escaped. The oversized, clearly male shirt she wore smelled of something spicy and rich … something that awoke this need in her.
She pushed that aside and focused on the reality of her situation. Dalia shifted and winced. Her aching body was sore and protested. Before she stood, she froze when she heard movement behind her. She held her breath. When she heard a deep, content sigh, she glanced over her shoulder and blinked at what, or rather who she saw.
There, sitting together in an overstuffed leather recliner, were two of the largest males she’d ever seen. They sat chest to back in an intimate embrace. I was clear they were lovers, yet looking at them made something inside of her click. It was a strange feeling, one she wasn’t used to, but something she had to ignore.
Dalia swallowed roughly and edged out from beneath the blankets. She scanned the floor for her clothes. As ragged as they’d been, she needed more than an oversized shirt to protect her from the weather when she left this place.
But she couldn’t see where her clothes or even her shoes were.
Looking around the cabin again, she tried to gauge who these men were by their possessions. The cabin was rustic, yet spacious. There were boxes pressed up against the walls, and she had to assume they’d either just moved in, or were in the process of leaving.
Looking down at the shirt again, she picked at the material. She could still hear the blizzard waging war outside, and wrapped her arms around herself. All she could think about was when they would find her, because she knew eventually they would. They were skilled trackers, and they were hunting her. She hoped the snow and wind had hidden her footprints so that they wouldn’t be able to track her.
Those thoughts and hopes were the only thing keeping her in one piece at the moment.
She placed a hand on her belly just as it gave a mighty growl. When was the last time she had eaten? She couldn’t even remember. Not knowing what else to do, Dalia moved over to the couch and sat down. The leather molded to her body, and she let out a pleasure-filled and content sigh. Glancing at the strangers on the recliner again, she couldn’t help but tear up. These men had saved her, even if she didn’t know their true intentions. But staying here was dangerous for them, too. She should just run, risk the weather and hope she reached a town, because she didn’t want them hurt because of her.