Furbidden Mate

by Jessica Snow

  Kat shook her head and approached her mate. “That’s okay, Elizabeth was feeling like pasta tonight, so she came back with about a mountain of spaghetti with meat sauce. It was pretty cheap, but our children seem to like meat sauce. They weren’t so sure on the spaghetti. I came out here to see you.”

  “Why? I told you that I understood you going to see Theon,” Liam said bitterly. “We don’t have a choice.”

  “We always have a choice,” Kat replied, taking his hand and leading him towards the woods. “You could have put your foot down. You’re the alpha of this pack, Liam. Zack, Carly, and Victoria would have followed you if you said no. Ashley probably would have too, if only because she thinks it’s the safer option in terms of protecting me.”

  “And your mother would have clawed my back to pieces,” Liam said with a hint of a smile. “She’s very convincing with those things, and somehow those little quarter inch things can get you in just the right place pretty well. Kat, more importantly, though, I would have hurt you. I don’t want to do that.”

  “Which, I think I’ve told you many times, makes you a better alpha, and a better mate, than your father ever could have been. No offense to Victoria,” Kat said. “But I know that in all this, everyone and everything has been focused on me and my family issues. And that’s not fair to you, my love.”

  “After this is done, we can work on making it fair,” Liam said, and Kat shook her head, turning and putting her hands on his chest. Liam understood and kissed her, pulling her against his naked body and giving Kat chills as she felt him quickly harden against her. She heard him growl lightly, and she chuckled, pushing him away.

  “You’re going to have to catch me to take me. And no transforming,” she said, turning and sprinting away into the woods. Her body wasn’t built for sprinting but she didn’t care, letting her legs push her as fast as she could, jumping over stones and small logs in the moonlight, reveling in her increased night vision. She could hear him chasing her, his feet sure and strong and not timid at all despite the sticks and stones, his growling laughter filling her heart with joy.

  Liam closed the gap just as they emerged into a clearing in the forest, grabbing her from behind and the two of them tumbling to the soft dirt. “Got you.”

  “Then claim your prize, my alpha,” Kat growled back, Liam’s lips cutting off all other words as he kissed her hard, his tongue invading her mouth as she gave in to him, rolling onto her back and spreading her legs. Liam extended his claws, but instead of shredding her clothes like she expected, he pulled her up, the two of them kneeling on the grass as he helped her out of her shirt and undid her pants while his lips made hot circles and electric trails on the skin of her neck. Kat kissed him back, tasting the tangy, intense sweat of his run, the heat of his skin and the scent that was uniquely his. “Liam… I want to taste you.”

  Liam stopped, looking into her eyes, then smiled, nodding. “If I can taste you at the same time. How’d you like to do that?”

  “Side by side?” Kat suggested, and Liam grinned, laying down and letting her readjust, sliding her pants down her legs and lifting her thigh. Kat looked at his cock which was thick and throbbing and licked her lips, hungry for him. Inhaling deeply, the musky scent from his cock and balls drove deep into her brain to grab her by the deepest primal instincts and she licked him, while at the exact same moment she felt his tongue start to probe her pussy, the two of them bonding deeply even as the heat flowed.

  Kat had always been skilled at oral sex, it was a running joke among her friends that it was because she liked meat so much, and she poured every ounce of skill she had into pleasing her mate, swallowing him deeply and massaging his shaft with her throat muscles, making Liam groan into her pussy. He returned the pleasure to her in double helpings, his tongue twisting and licking deep in her pussy, his chin rubbing against her clit as they lovingly sixty-nined, their moans swallowed within each other’s bodies. Kat drove her hips into Liam’s questing, hungry tongue, electricity coursing through her as she bobbed her head up and down Liam’s cock, tasting his precum oozing from his slit like a sweet appetizer before the main course.

  Kat’s body tensed as she felt herself draw closer and closer to her orgasm, Liam taking his tongue from her sopping wet pussy to flick along her clit, jolting her and making her cry out around his cock, which she swallowed deeply, all the way until he was buried in her throat and her moans directly massaged his shaft and head. Liam’s tongue sped up, his nose burying itself even deeper, and Kat had the momentary image of them never ending, a ceaseless circle of sexual energy that would build to infinity before her body exploded and she cried out, her back arching as her mate sent her into spasms of pleasure, her pussy soaking his face with her essence. She plunged herself back onto his cock, feeling him swell and explode in her mouth, filling her with his tangy, feral cream that satisfied her even more deeply than the release of orgasm, and she kept him in her mouth for as long as she could before she swallowed, nuzzling and cleaning him gently as he softened, inhaling his scent deeply and knowing she would need that scent, the promise, and bond that it promised in order to get through the rest of the night.

  “And why haven’t we done that before?” Liam asked shakily, laughing lightly after Kat took her lips from his cock for the last time. “My God woman, you’re perfect for me.”

  “I already knew that,” Kat said, chuckling as she turned around to nestle against him for a few moments. “And you’re perfect for me. Although next time, I get to be on top. Hope you know how to hold your breath.”

  “Death by snu-snu,” Liam said, making her laugh lightly. “I can do that. Kat, I know why you did this, and I just want you to do one thing.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, and Liam pulled her closer, whispering into her ear.

  “Be careful. I love you,” Liam said, and Kat hugged him tightly. He’d seen through part of her plan, although her passion for him was natural and authentic.

  “I did it because I wanted my mate. But thank you,” she said, nuzzling against him. “You are the perfect mate.”

  The night had turned a little chilly, or maybe it was just the atmosphere of the area she was in. She followed Theon’s mental summons like a GPS, moving deeper and deeper into downtown, into the areas that she knew no werewolf would go unless they were insane or stupid. But nothing assaulted her, no vampires were visible as she reached the doors of the small Gothic church and went inside, following the steps to the left down into the catacombs.

  The room wasn’t outfitted like the basement of a church, that was for sure. Instead, it looked more like a club room of an old-fashioned gentleman’s club with the decorations turned dark. There were lots of rich oak, dark leather, and blood red Tiffany style lamps that illuminated the space adequately if still darkly. Theon was waiting for her, a smile on his face, and she had to admit, he was still handsome. Dressed in a pair of nearly skin tight black jeans and a ruffled white shirt, he was every inch the debonair vampiric seducer. Dark, mysterious and seductive… yeah, if it hadn’t been for Liam, she could see being under his spell.

  “Ah, my beautiful Katerina, for months I have waited, and now you are finally here,” Theon said, standing up. “May I get you a glass of wine for your divine beauty?”

  “I’d enjoy that,” Kat said. “You have shown a fine taste in wine.”

  “Hmmm… last time was that special French one, no? Well then, let’s fast forward a little while, but stay in the same country. I liberated this one from the Nazis when they decided that the Mouton-Rothschild from Bordeaux was better used as spoils for the German war machine than for those who could truly appreciate it for what it was. So, how about a bottle from 1942? Not too many of those, that was during the height of the Occupation. A very good wine, in my opinion.”

  Kat shrugged, sitting down. “As you wish, Theon. I came to ask your help.”

  “I assumed as much. I doubt it was the calling to you I’ve been doing,” Theon said, uncorking an old bottle an
d pouring her a large goblet. “Although now that you are here, you cannot fault me for being one again enamored by your charms.”

  Theon handed her the wine glass, and Kat could feel his eyes bearing down on her, trying to draw her to him. Maybe before, when she hadn’t known who she was or how strong she could be, or what he was trying to do, it would have worked. Now, it just annoyed her. “Dammit Theon, stop that shit! First off, I’m mated to Liam, and happily so! Your constant meddling and messaging have caused nothing but strain my relationship with Liam, who doesn’t trust you at all. Frankly, the way you’re acting right now, I can understand, I’m losing trust in you too. Secondly, just because I happen to look like your long-lost love Eva doesn’t mean that I am her. I’m my own woman, and I’m not going to be seduced by you!”

  Theon blinked, then stepped back, his pale skin flushing slightly, Kat didn’t know if it was in anger or embarrassment, but turned around, sitting down. Finally, he laughed slightly, shaking his head. “My apologies, Katerina. You are right, of course, that I should not be trying to take you from someone to whom you are successfully mated. But you must understand, part of my vampiric nature does come from demons. And that means that I have a hard time following the rules of so-called ‘right and wrong’ according to the rest of the world. When I see you, I see the most beautiful, arousing woman I’ve known in over five hundred years. And I can’t help but put it bluntly, Katerina. I want you with the deepest of desires. Can you fault me for trying every tool I have to bring you to my side?”

  “I seem to remember you also telling me that before you became a vampire, you were an honorable knight, who regretted his deeply desired actions that led to his wife’s death,” Kat replied evenly. “Are you telling me that there is nothing inside you but the demonic monster that Cole created? That there is nothing left of the Theon who loved his Eva and only did the evil things he did because he wanted to protect her? What would she have said about you acting the way you are towards me right now?”

  Theon stopped, then shook his head, his voice becoming soft and slightly sad. “No. There is still part of me that is still that way. My Eva would not have approved. She would have most likely taken a mop bucket to the side of my head.”

  “Then help me. Cole, or perhaps King Viktor, has my father. I’m sure you know about it. Violet was feeding information to Crystal Lilly, trying to get her to do Viktor’s dirty work for him. Help me, Theon. Help me find them, find my father,” Kat said, trying not to plead. “For your honor, for Eva’s memory. Do the right thing.”

  Theon’s small smile at she spoke disappeared as he considered her words. “Oh, my lovely Katerina, you do remind me of Eva so much. Let me tell you a little story before I give my answer, it’ll only be a minute or two and it’ll give me a chance to make sure I frame my answer exactly the right way. I told you before, Eva was a scullery maid, and it was more than her beauty that attracted me to her. I’d known who she was around the castle for a little while by that point, she had cleaned my quarters more than once. She always caught my eye, but I never thought of her beyond a mere distraction, I knew that as a knight it was more appropriate for a man of my station to find a wife in the nobility, or at least among the wealthier parts of the merchant class. One would provide me with social mobility, the other with economic security. Eva though, she would provide me with neither. Just her amazing beauty, which I thought I could do without.”

  “Until?” Kat asked, charmed at Theon’s remembrance. “When you speak about her, you sound more like a man than ever.”

  Theon smiled again, softly, then shook his head. “Never doubt that I am what I am. But as for Eva, there was one day, a minor noble decided that his position gave him the right to take his pleasure from Eva’s body whether she wanted it or not. A hand on her backside at a banquet resulted in a serving tray of roasted turnips being smashed over his head, and a tirade that silenced the entire hall. Watching her fire, her spirit, and if I could say it, her nobility convinced me to approach her. I spoke with the King, and he agreed to my plan to let me punish Eva for her actions at the party. The punishment ended up with us kissing for the first time, actually.”

  “I would have liked to meet her if it were possible,” Kat said. “So, in her name and for your own sake, help me. Tell me where they’re keeping my father.”

  Theon’s face clouded, and Kat felt a moment of concern. Could Cole and the other have been keeping the secret from Theon because they knew about his infatuation with her? “I can do better than that, Katerina. I will take you to them.”

  Kat shook her head, taking a drink of Theon’s wine. It was dark and rich, like every wine he’d given her, and she knew that while he could enjoy the taste of it, it was probably still a poor substitute for the blood that fed him. “I don’t need that, Theon. First off, I don’t have my people with me. And I’m not foolish enough to think that I can take on a full vampire coven by myself, even in bear mode. Besides, you don’t need to be in the fight. Tell me where they are, and then you can stay back. Liam and the others won’t fault you for it, and maybe… well, my family is the joining of three groups that don’t exactly get along too well. Theon, I’m not saying you and Liam can be best friends, but…”

  “I wish I could,” Theon said softly, lifting his cup to his lips and sipping the wine. “Katerina, one of the things that have torn me apart for months now, ever since meeting you for the first time, was knowing that this day would come. I am so sorry.”

  “What?” Kat said, alarmed. “Why?”

  She tried to get up but found that her legs were rubbery, and she could barely move. Theon watched her, sighing. “I’m so sorry, Katerina. But one of the things that I’ve never told you, and I guess nobody in your pack knew… I told you who created me, Cole. Yes?”

  “Yes,” Kat said, trying to will her muscles to move but she felt nothing. Only a deep sense of panic that she struggled to contain. She tried to access her bear side, to try and transform but seemed to be sleeping, and her body just wouldn’t move. “Why?”

  “One of the things that I have told you was that I am unable to kill Cole, physically unable to do so,” Theon said. “And I could see it in your eyes, even then. You’d gladly free me of this servitude if you had the chance. If I could, I would give you that chance. To be freed of his evil influence in my life is the one thing that I’ve wished for more than anything else over the centuries since my creation. But there’s another power that Cole has over me, Kat. No vampire can refuse a direct order from their sire. And as much as it tears my heart to do this, Cole has ordered me to bring you to him. It was why I put the potion in your wine.”

  “My wine?” Kat said, her eyes looking with horror at the goblet. “But you… you drank it too.”

  “And my heart doesn’t beat the same way yours does, Katerina. My stomach does not draw nutrients from the contents, nor does it contain the stomach acids that turn the potion into an effective paralytic. I am very sorry, Katerina. You asked me if Eva would approve, and no, she wouldn’t. She would damn me for what I have done to you. But...” Theon said, drawing out a dart gun from between two of the bottles of wine that lined the wall and pointing it at her. “I’ve been damned for centuries. I’m sorry.”

  “Theon, don’t!” Kat said, but the gun in his hand fired, the dart hitting her in the chest and the numbness turned into a darkness. “Theon...”

  “I know,” she heard in the darkness. “If I could, I would fight by your side. And I’m too much a coward to just end it by stepping into the sunlight. Again, I’m sorry.”

  Kat tried to answer, but the darkness was suddenly all encompassing, and she only hoped that Liam could somehow find her.

  Chapter 54

  “She’s been gone too long,” Liam said, glancing again at the clock on the wall of the cabin. “She left to meet Theon at two in the morning, and it’s now three in the afternoon. I don’t care if they spent two hours discussing their favorite music, she’s been gone too long!”

&
nbsp; “You know Liam, complaining about it doesn’t help,” Carly said, growing frustrated with her cousin. He might be her alpha, and she might have liked Kat too, but Liam was starting to get on her nerves. It wasn’t like his constant griping since a little after breakfast was doing anything useful. “If you’re that worried about her, why not track her down?”

  “But how...” Liam said before it hit him. The night before, when they’d made love, he had thought she’d done it just to reassure him that she was totally devoted to him. Another thought came to his mind, though, especially as he inhaled, and could feel her scent, her taste on his lips, and wild hope came to his heart. “Ashley!”

  Ashley, who’d been trying to take care of the triplets in one of the bedrooms since they were without their mother and their father was in a very grumpy mood, stuck her head out, annoyed. “Thanks, Liam. Hunter was just about to go to sleep before that.”

  Liam was too caught up in his idea to worry about the Guardian’s upset feelings, and instead, he plunged ahead with his idea. “Kat… you still have her Bear Stone, right?”

  Ashley nodded, stepping fully into the living room of the cabin. “Of course, I keep it with my gear. Why?”

  “Because I think Kat wanted us to be able to track her in case things went wrong,” Liam said, growing excited at the chance that maybe there was something they could to do. He had always been a dynamic person, wanting to get out, to keep things moving, and sitting on his butt waiting for someone else to get things done was not his style. Now he had an opportunity to do something. “Last night, after you guys went to bed…”

  Carly cut him off, raising her hand. “Liam, I know what you guys did. Remember, you might have been as discreet as a couple of humans could be, but I heard. Also, to be quite honest with you, you’ve reeked of sex for the past twelve hours. Considering that you won’t let me get any action, I’m not too happy with you.”