by Cara Wylde
“But you are just like him…” The truth was she didn’t quite believe that, but she needed time to process the information and accept the fact that there were good shifters out there.
Braden gestured at the slain wolf. “This wolf-shifter is no friend of mine. I despise him and all like him who use their powers for selfish gain and to enslave humans. He was my enemy just as much as he was yours. I’ve traveled far and wide seeking out creatures like him. The moment I learned about the werewolf and the five villages he terrorized, I had to come here and do what I do best. One day, I will rid the world of all of them, and our kind will finally be accepted by humans. We will all live in peace.”
“So, you came to set us free?” Scarlett asked, still confused about trusting Braden. He had told her he was a traveler in search of adventures. Well, he hadn’t exactly lied.
“Yes.”
“And is that why you followed me into the forest? To use me as bait to lure out the wolf?”
“Well…” She was smart, he had to give her that. “I’m… I’m sorry. It was the only way. I tried to find him before The Choosing, but my attempts were useless. I promise you, though, you were never in real danger. I was right behind you, ready to strike when he least expected it. You put up quite a fight, I must tell you.” He offered her a smile, hoping she would forgive him.
“Okay…” Scarlett conceded. “You’ve vanquished our oppressor. I… I am grateful. All the villagers will be grateful too. Now what?”
After all, he had fought and defeated the wolf-shifter. But had he really done it only to save the villages from oppression? Scarlett did know he was attracted to her. He wanted her. Even now, she could see the lust in his eyes. She fought the urge to look down at his lap.
“I didn’t want to use you as bait,” he insisted. He could almost see the cogs turning in her brain. Oh, how he would have loved to know what she was thinking! Then, he could have told her exactly what she wanted to hear. “There was no time to try and track him down again. I could have spent days in the woods, sneaking around, sniffing him out, looking for his cave... I didn’t have days at my disposal. My best shot was to let The Choosing take place and follow the girl until I could rescue her. It so happened that you were the girl.”
“And now that you killed him, what do you want from me?”
“I don’t understand…” He thought for a second, but couldn’t figure her out. Why did she think he wanted something from her? He wasn’t that kind of man.
“We’re now beholden to you,” Scarlett said. “Do we have to pay tribute to you every year? Am I your first payment?”
“No!” Braden’s heart felt like it would break in two. “You’re not my tribute! I didn’t kill this evil shifter just to take his place! Haven’t you been listening to me? I came to set you all free, not enslave you for the second time. What would I do with young women as tributes, anyway?”
Scarlett thought of all the women who had surrendered themselves to the werewolf. She didn’t want to know what he did to them or with them, although she had a pretty good idea. She sighed and looked into Braden’s dark blue eyes.
“You’ll be on your way, then…”
Was that sadness in her voice?
“Yes,” Braden said.
“And if another shifter comes to enslave us?”
“First of all, most shifters are not evil, despite what you were told. And secondly, whenever you need me, you can send me a message. I’ll teach you how. You have a friend and a protector in me, Scarlett.”
She had much more than that, but could he tell her? What if he scared her and she ran away? He watched her standing in the middle of the cave, her green eyes shifting from his face to the candles, then to the clear blue sky. He could tell she was too embarrassed to hold his gaze for too long. His nakedness made her uncomfortable.
“We should go,” she whispered.
She took a step towards him, hesitated, then took another one. When he didn’t make any move to stop her, she walked to the left side of the cave to retrieve her dagger, then to the other side to get the other one. Having her knives back made her feel better, more confident. She knew Braden wouldn’t do anything to harm her, but her hunting daggers made her feel whole. Finally, she stole another glance at him, painfully aware of his wide shoulders, smooth chest, and rock hard abs. She took a deep breath and willed her body to move. When she tried to walk past him, though, he grabbed her arm and she jumped in surprise.
“What are you doing?”
His grip was strong. A shiver ran up her spine, and she couldn’t tell if she was afraid or excited that he was touching her. A handsome, very much naked man was touching her, holding her in place, so close to him.
“I need to tell you something. I will never forgive myself if I let you go now without telling you this…” He fixed her with his blue gaze, and he felt her resolve fade. She was willing to listen to him and that was all he wanted. “Scarlett, you are my mate. My soul mate. Shape-shifters fall in love once in their long lives, and they are destined to spend the rest of their days with that one special person. I know we have an unbreakable connection with each other, I have known it since the very first moment I set eyes on you. It’s something… It can’t be explained. I am ready to dedicate my life to you, to your happiness and safety. I will do anything to regain your trust.”
Scarlett couldn’t believe her ears. His mate? How could it be? Humans didn’t believe in fated mates. She knew so many people in her village who got married and then separated. She knew even more husbands and wives who cheated on their partners. Soul mates… unbreakable connection… It sounded like a fairy tale. Too good to be true. But, if Scarlett was being honest with herself, deep down in her heart, she knew what he was saying was true. Deep down, she knew she did trust him. If she really paid attention, she too could feel the connection he was talking about. It couldn’t be explained. There was no logic to it, just like there hadn’t been any logic to the way in which the werewolf had charmed her in his human form. When it came to shifters, one thing was for sure: there was some kind of magic around them.
Braden was waiting for an answer. He couldn’t quite read her reaction. Scarlett wasn’t ready to give him the answer he needed, so she bit the inside of her cheek and told herself she would take things slowly and think about it.
“We need to go,” she said. “We need to get back to my village and tell them that the wolf is dead.”
“Yes.”
There was sadness in Braden’s voice, but he let go of her arm and allowed her to step away from him. When she reached the exit, she turned and really looked at him for the first time.
“You know what? You can’t go like that.”
Strong arms, broad chest, slim waist... His muscles were perfect in the clear morning light, his skin shined with youth. Scarlett’s fingers itched to touch him, to run across his chest, find their way down his abs, then grab that hard piece of flesh that was standing up proud between his legs. She forced herself to look away when she realized she wouldn’t be able to resist him. Her nipples turned into hard pebbles under her red cape and dress, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t because of the chilly air. There was a pleasant warmth deep in her stomach, and every time her eyes stopped on his long, thick cock, her pussy clenched and she became more and more soaked.
“You’re way too naked,” she managed to say after she swallowed heavily.
“I have...” Braden started to speak.
Scarlett interrupted him: “Here, have my cape.” She untied the cape from around her neck, and gave it to him. If he didn’t cover himself soon, she would jump his bones. Although she hadn’t done anything with a man before, she had a good idea about what she wanted.
“It’s okay… I really don’t need it. I left my clothes somewhere at the edge of the forest.”
He was teasing her now. When she held out the cape for him, he caught a whiff of her scent, and it was intoxicating. She was aroused, he could tell.
“No, I
insist.”
When he didn’t make a move to take the red cape from her, she reached up and draped it across his shoulders. Scarlett had to stretch up to put it around him. She fastened it loosely around his neck, fighting the urge to touch him more than it was necessary. She was so close to him that she could smell the delicious sweat on his skin. He had fought so bravely to save her and her people, and his selfless gesture made him even more appealing.
While she fastened the cape, Braden tried not to move. He didn’t want to scare her away. In fact, he wanted this moment to last forever, as her unique scent filled his nostrils and made him so hard that beads of pre-cum started gathering at the tip of his cock. He couldn’t believe this woman could keep her composure even when it was so obvious that she wanted him. Her breasts looked more swollen under her corset, and the smell of her skin had changed. Braden clenched his jaw and squeezed his hands into fists to stop himself from claiming her right then and there.
“Come on.” Scarlett forced herself to step back and turn away. “We need to get going.”
Braden fell into step beside her, and dared to take her hand into his. She didn’t pull away.
CHAPTER FIVE
As they walked through the forest in the early morning sunlight, Scarlett could not help but remember the previous night, when she had walked hand in hand with the wolf-shifter, just as she was walking now with Braden.
“What was I thinking?” Scarlett asked.
Braden threw her a confused glance.
“I actually followed him… the werewolf,” she explained. “I sat by the fire with him, told him things I can’t even remember now, and then I simply let him lead me to his lair. So stupid!”
He squeezed her hand in reassurance.
“He had you under a spell. It wasn’t your fault.”
“A spell…” The cogs were starting to turn in her brain again. “Does that mean you have me under a spell of your own now?”
“No!” He stopped and forced her to face him so he could look her in the eyes. “I would never do that to you. It’s true that shape-shifters can learn how to manipulate humans to the point when their ability is very close to magic, but I was never interested in developing this skill. Even if I could, I wouldn’t do it to you or any other human. I believe in free will, Scarlett.”
She smiled teasingly. “Because you’re so good and noble.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I do believe in sticking to my principles.”
Scarlett lost herself in his blue eyes. She could see he was being sincere. Yes, she wouldn’t mind spending her life with an honest, handsome man like Braden. She still wasn’t sure about how the whole soul mates thing worked, but there was no doubt there was something between them, and it wasn’t only lust. And if there was something deeper and more serious between them, if their souls were somehow bound, then it meant…
“You’re an adventurer,” she said softly. “Now that your work here is done, you’re not going to stay and settle down, are you?” And as soon as the words left her mouth, they crushed her. Braden shook his head. His small gesture hurt even more. “Earlier, you said I’m your mate. What will become of me if you leave?”
“I could take you with me,” he said tentatively. “With your skills, you could be very helpful. Just think about it: the two of us hunting down evil shape-shifters!”
“So, you want me for my hunting skills,” she laughed.
Without realizing, she had started flirting. Her questions and replies were teasing, sarcastic, and they sometimes implied more. His answer had actually made her feel better about herself and forget how ineffective her daggers and skills had been against the werewolf. If Braden said she could help, then it meant she could help. She could be the bait when his bear-shifter senses weren’t enough to draw the enemy out. Why not?
“Well, I don’t want you just for your hunting skills…”
There was something in his voice that made Scarlett’s stomach flip in excitement. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and her entire body urged her to step closer to him, fall into his arms, press her cheek against his chest and breathe in his manly scent.
“Scarlett,” he whispered. “I want you. I want all of you. Body and soul. I want to make you mine, take you with me, and spend my life making you the happiest woman in the world.”
That was when she finally decided to reach out and touch him. She was no stranger to the male form. For one thing, she had grown up surrounded by farm animals and had known about reproduction from an early age. While the normal social conventions were still important, with the threat of being sent as tribute to the wolf hanging over their heads, most women of the five villages took whatever discreet chances they could to have a dalliance or two, even before they got married. Her mother had never forbidden her to go out and date, but none of the village boys had held any interest for her.
With Braden, she felt like she had never felt before. Her feminine instinct told her she could trust him with her life, so why not with her body? Scarlett had always gone with her gut feeling, and now there was no mistake that what she wanted, what they both wanted, was right.
“Scarlett?”
Braden’s voice was husky. It sent a warm tingling through her veins. She looked up into his eyes.
“I...”
She couldn’t find the words to express what she wanted to say, so she rose on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. At first, they stood there for a long moment, their lips pressed gently against each other’s. Then, his arms wrapped around her and his lips opened as his tongue slipped out and sneaked inside her mouth. She allowed him entrance, moaning into the first real kiss she had ever experienced, and hooking her arms around his neck. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, taking possession of what was soon to become his. But Scarlett was no passive receptor of his desire. She thrust her own tongue into his mouth, licking and tasting, her teeth biting him lightly.
Scarlett ran her hands across his shoulders and down his arms and chest, feeling his smooth skin and taut muscles. She was becoming bolder, her fingers pressing, caressing, her sharp nails scratching. As he pulled her closer to him, she could feel his hard cock against her belly. The thought that she was the one making him so hard, pushing him so close to losing control was better than anything she had ever known. This man, this gorgeous man, wanted her. Her hands found their way down his perfect abs and stopped at the base of his cock.
“Oh, Scarlett…” he moaned.
They broke the kiss, and she looked into his eyes as she wrapped her fingers around his shaft. The lust she saw there told her she was doing great. Then, her eyes moved down to his chest, and before she realized what she really wanted to do to his body, the tip of her tongue was tracing his collarbone.
Braden simply stood there, mesmerized, overwhelmed by Scarlett’s gentle, yet sexy ministrations. He would have never thought a young, inexperienced woman could be capable of such naughty things. Her lips clamped around one of his nipples, and he gasped in surprise. His hands went to caress her fiery red hair, and all his focus was used to keep his bear in check. The beast growled and thrashed inside him, demanding to be let out. He wanted to take control of the situation, push Scarlett to the ground, and claim her with hard, fast thrusts.
Scarlett moved lower, her lips leaving small kisses across his chest, abdomen, and down his happy trail. Soon, she was kneeling before him, her eyes fixed on the dark pink, engorged head of his cock.
Sensing what she was about to do, Braden ran his fingers through her hair and said: “You don’t have to, Scarlett.”
“I know I don’t have to.” She looked up at him for a brief moment. He was still wearing her red cape, and she thought how ridiculous he looked in it. “But I want to,” she continued, her eyes going back down to her prize.
Braden wanted to say more, but her tongue darted out to taste the translucent liquid which had gathered at the tiny slit, and his ability to form coherent sentences flew out the window. All
he could do was grab her red curls for dear life, careful not to hurt her, and throw his head back in pleasure.
His cock was so hard and big. Before she wrapped her lips around it, Scarlett wondered if it would fit. If she could make it fit in her mouth, then she was sure it would fit inside her when the time came. She closed her eyes, relaxed her jaw and throat, and took as much of him in.
“Mmmm…” she moaned around him, sending sweet vibrations right to his heavy sack.
“Oh, baby, you have no idea what you’re doing to me…”
She looked up at him, her lips curling in a smile. With her mouth so full, she couldn’t smile properly, but it was enough to let him know how much she enjoyed tasting him. Once again, Braden stared at her like she was the eighth wonder of the world. He knew then: his Scarlett would never cease to amaze him.
He was so delicious. She moaned again and forced more of his cock down her throat, then bobbed her head up and down, using her right hand to squeeze the base while her left hand kneaded his balls. The wicked things that she did earned her moans and groans, and when his balls tightened, she knew he was close. Good. She wanted him to come into her mouth, she wanted to feel the power of reducing this strong man, this dangerous bear-shifter, to a horny mess who craved release.
“So close,” he whispered. “So close…”
She moved her head faster, pressed her tongue against his slit, sucked him harder than ever. Soon, he was shooting streams of hot seed down her throat, and she made sure she kept pumping him while she swallowed every drop. The taste was tangy and intoxicating. She wanted more. As the muscles in his abdomen and thighs relaxed and his cock pulsed on her tongue, she realized she wanted to do this to him as often as possible. The feeling of empowerment it gave her was priceless.
“My turn,” he said before he even came down from his height.
Scarlett wiped her lips, although she hadn’t missed a drop, and watched Braden as he untied the red cape and placed it on the ground. She couldn’t believe they were having passionate sex right there, in the middle of the woods, on the path which was supposed to take them back to the village. She knew they were safe, though. No one ever went this deep into the forest, so there was no chance they could be seen. The trees and birds were the only witnesses of their union.