Damaged Pack Shifters: The Complete Paranormal Collection

by Leela Ash

  He also paused and cursed a little under his breath as though he thought he had said too much. Then he muttered, “Ah, hell.”

  He bent and took her lips in a scorching kiss that blasted from her lips all the way down to her toes. She moaned and melted against him as he kissed her. His strong hands held her flush against him and he began to deepen the kiss. Their breaths mingled as they kissed.

  He tasted of whiskey, she noted, biting his lower lip gently. His hands caressed the swell of her buttocks through the slinky material of the gown which was plastered to her body. His fingers traced the bit of skin at the sides of her dress, and then trailed back down to cup her buttocks again.

  His lips fell to her breast and he unzipped her dress, from behind, making the material fall to her waist. His eyes blazed raw heat as he looked down at her naked breasts. She hadn’t bothered with a bra because of the cut of the gown. He bent and took one nipple in his mouth and she arched into his arms, moaning as she held onto him.

  Love for him swelled in her and she acknowledged silently that she had gotten to a point where she could very easily do anything at all for him.

  “I love your breasts, Kathy,” he sighed against her skin. “You’re so sweet.”

  She moaned, holding him closer. He lifted the material of her gown and dipped a hand between her legs. She was soaking wet.

  He groaned, shutting his eyes in ecstasy as he let his long forefinger slid into her dripping wet, warm pussy with torturous slowness. She was so sweet.

  “Oh Kathy, my Kathy. I need you. Now. I think you’ve infected me.”

  Her eyes popped open, “Drake, the party!”

  “Screw them. Turn around for me, Kathy. I want to fuck you hard; right here, right now.”[kM3]

  His words were deeply arousing and unable to deny him anything, she turned around to lean against the sink as she faced the mirror.

  Drake hurriedly undid the flap of his pants and inserted his dick into her tight entrance. They both moaned with exquisite pleasure and then he started to rock, his hands holding and caressing both her breasts from behind.

  Their eyes met and held in the mirror as he fucked her and Kathy felt pleasure rock through her frame. He was thick and hard inside her as he fucked her hard. His penis filled her so much she could have sworn it touched her womb. Her hands shook as she held onto the sink so tight that her knuckles were white.

  His lovemaking was driving her out of her mind.

  “Oh Drake, don’t stop,” she moaned as he fucked her.

  “Roll your clitoris sweetie. I want you to enjoy this even more,” he whispered as he rammed into her from behind.

  She obediently dipped a hand between her legs and moaned as the motion introduced a new sensation. She started to buck her hips, whilst rolling her finger on her soft, sensitive clitoris.

  Drake paused in his thrusting and whipped something out of his pocket. Kathy’s eyes widened when she saw the small lipstick.

  “You want to redo my makeup now?”

  He laughed, “Oh, my naïve little witch.” He opened the tube of lipstick, flicked it on and it began to make a faint noise. Next, he gently moved her hand away and held the vibrating lipstick against her clit. The sensation was out of this world.

  He resumed his pounding thrusts.

  “When I saw you in that dress earlier tonight, I almost creamed my pants,” he told her.

  He placed one hand in the middle of her back, forcing her chest inexorably downwards and raising her pussy higher towards him.

  He held the clit stimulator to her clitoris as he continued to fuck her hard.

  “Oh Drake, don’t stop,” Kathy moaned.

  Maintaining the hand on her back, his hips pumped faster, moving his big, thick dick in and out of her tight, wet pussy. As he fucked her from behind, Kathy’s ass jiggled invitingly with every thrust.

  “Press the vibrator against your soft clit,” he ordered, passing it to her, still thrusting.

  She did, moaning uncontrollably. Drake started hammering away at her pussy and slapping her jiggling ass; going faster and faster until the room began to spin.

  She slid against him, her hands shaking as she began to cum. Pleasure crashed through her and a moan escaped her.

  A knock sounded at the door and they both froze, their eyes jerking to each other’s in the mirror.

  “Who’s in there? Why have you locked this door when there are locks on the stalls? Open up,” the impatient voice ordered.

  Drake grinned at Kathy and quickened his tempo, as he lifted her to stand upright and lean back against him, using his own hand and pressing the vibrator harder against her pussy.

  Pleasure built up again and she started to cum, gasping helplessly. When she was done, he bent her over again and resumed thrusting vigorously.

  “You don’t have a condom,” she reminded him, gasping as he hit her G-spot.

  Drake threw back his own head as he thrust once, twice, and then grunted as he began to cum. He whipped out his dick and poured his creamy sperm all over her silky soft buttocks, groaning as the force of his arousal shook him.

  Kathy, too, was writhing and shaking as she too started to cum again and their hoarse cries mingled as they came in wave after wave of crashing pleasure.

  As they drifted back to earth the same impatient knock came again, “Well? Do you want to have another go at her, boy, or are you coming out yet?”

  Their horrified gazes clashed in the mirror and then they started to chuckle as they hurriedly began to clean up and rearrange their clothes.

  Drake paused just before he exited the room, his gaze melting as he looked at her. He bent and took her lips in a drugging kiss and lifted his head with sincerity blazing in his eyes as he announced, “I’ve never met anyone like you, Kathy Calder. I mean I’ve met my fair share of women, but you? You’re different.”

  She grinned, pleased with his words.

  “I have something to say to you Kathy. Come find me as soon as you’re done here.”

  He looked so serious suddenly that her heart thudded anew in her chest. What could he possibly have to say to her? Remembering the tender look in his eyes, she felt her eyes widen. Was he finally going to confess that he also had feelings for her?

  Was he finally going to put her out of her misery and let her know how he felt?

  16.

  “Your hair is down,” Jeanine burst out the minute Kathy returned to the ballroom. “Oh what happened to your lovely do?”

  Kathy cursed underneath her breath as every eye in the room, including the Archstones’ turned to face her.

  “Oh Jeanine, you little fool,” her husband Bo groaned good-naturedly.

  His groan only worsened the situation. Knowing looks and smirks spread in all the faces watching her and her cheeks reddened.

  Kathy stammered, “Uh- Uh- I um, got sweaty and tired of the heavy style so I decided to wear it the usual way.”

  Her hair was streaming down her back and shoulders but happily, it still looked very unlike the tangled mess it usually did. She saw Drake at the bar watching her and she looked away, afraid to look at him before the entire room saw her reactions in her gaze. She could tell he was waiting for her though. She started to go to him when she saw Desiree saunter over to the bar and signal the barkeep for a drink as she slid onto the stool beside Drake.

  Kathy slowed, and at the last minute changed direction, heading instead towards a corner of the room where a small veil shrouded an inner room. The room off the main ballroom had dim lights and booths. She slid gratefully into one booth placed carefully against the wall.

  Drake hid a grimace as Desiree interrupted his plans to see Kathy again. Their lovemaking in the bathroom had blown his mind and he had wanted nothing more than to talk to her.

  “Drake? You don’t seem particularly happy to see me,” Desire noted as she swirled her drink around in her glass before taking a swig. “You weren’t expecting someone else, were you?”

  That was the th
ing about Desiree; she liked to be blunt and to the point.

  He met her gaze head on, “As a matter of fact, I was. So yes, you’re interrupting.”

  She glared, displeased that he hadn’t dissembled. “It’s the witch, I suppose.”

  “And what if it is?” he demanded.

  She shrugged, and said nastily, “I’ll let you get back to your slumming and fucking. But just so you know, if there’s anything more likely to kill your precious little witch, it’s your dick.”

  He stared at her, thoroughly disgusted. “If you weren’t female, I would have clobbered you for such nastiness.”

  She met his gaze, “Luke and Marissa are just about to take their mating dance and make this official. But say, why do you think all these people are gathered to celebrate them? I’ll tell you: because together, they can happen. You and your witch on the other hand—”

  He sprang to his feet, “Stop it.”

  She gave a mock shudder, “All that passion. Whew. Well, cool it, Drake. Witches can never be with dragons because together you produce an evil spawn that’s going to claw its way out of the womb at birth, killing its mother. Just like a snake. So there.”

  He paled.

  Seeing the effect her words had had, she cocked a brow, “Don’t believe me? Go ask Baxter. He’s shockingly drunk, so he won’t lie. Why do you think everyone hates shapeshifters and why do you think they’re the most bloodthirsty form of shifter? They kill from birth and the first person they kill is their mother. A dragon and a witch together will only ever birth a shapeshifter. So good luck with your little witch…,” she finished, laughing maliciously.

  As she sauntered off, Drake was so white and felt so drained that he had to lean against the bar for support. If Desiree was right, then he could never confess his love for Kathy. He had seen the same look in her eyes that said she also loved him as madly as he had realized he loved her. But if he told her he loved her, she would never leave.

  Just then a hand clutched his elbow.

  “I thought she would never leave,” Kathy announced sulkily.

  Drake looked at her, his heart beating a wild tattoo. Everyone in the room was cheering as Luke and Marissa began to dance in the middle of the floor. It was the mating dance that sealed their relationship for life and everyone was focused on it. He grabbed Kathy’s arm.

  “I need to talk to you,” he said as he hustled her out of the ballroom and towards the small garden.

  Her expression softened, “Yes, you said so in the restroom, Drake. What is it?”

  He felt like a heel. She had read his eyes in the restroom as easily as he could read hers now. She thought he was going to confess his love for her and by Jove that’s exactly what he had to do. But now he knew that if he truly loved her, he could never be with her; not if being with her could cost her life.

  “Uh, nothing really, just um…” he trailed off, unsure what to say. His gaze caressed her face. He wanted her in his life. No, he needed her. But she was the one person he could never have because of what he was and what she was.

  He dropped his head with a sigh of defeat, his heart shredding inside of him as he tried to steel himself for what he knew he had to do.

  He took her hand in his, “Kathy?”

  “Yes, Drake?” she whispered, the sound so low, her eyes lit with joy.

  He sighed again, “Look I just um, wanted to say that I’m glad you’re leaving soon.”

  Her smile faded and she tensed. He wanted to weep.

  “You are?” she whispered.

  He nodded, “Of course. You get to see your sister witches again. You must have missed them. And your home is that lush, green forest of Astare. That must be something right?”

  She sat upright, “Am I? What’s going on Drake? This isn’t what you were going to say to me! Did something happen? Desiree? Did she say something?”

  She had unerringly hit the nail on the head, he thought shutting his eyes in silent appreciation of her perceptive skills.

  He shook his head, “Listen to me Kathy. You’re a nice girl—”

  She wrenched her hand from his and rose to her feet. Her heart was pounding so erratically he could see the wild pulse at the base of her throat and her chest was heaving with each breath she took.

  “Say what you want to say Drake. Cut to the chase.”

  He sighed. Everyone seemed to want blunt speech tonight. He couldn’t afford to hurt her; not when she meant so much to him, he thought.

  He rose to his feet and slowly took her shoulders in his hands. “Kathy. It’s not what you think. It’s just… well, Luke’s event is permanent and got me thinking who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

  She stilled, hope flaring in her eyes so intense it was almost painful to watch.

  Deliberately, with his own heart breaking, he dealt her the blow, “Desiree.”

  She looked as though he had slapped her. He forged on, “Try to understand. It’s the only way I can have dragon children, because she is of my kind. With you, my child would be a shapeshifter and a danger to the world. The dragon world would demand that I kill it before it has a chance to harm anyone. I could never put you or myself through that.”

  It was close enough to the truth.

  Kathy was shaking all over.

  “But you could stay a bit longer and I’m sure something may work out… between you and Robin,” he finished. The words clogged in his throat.

  Kathy flung his hands off her shoulder and slapped her open palm against his cheek. The crashing sound was loud in the stillness of the night.

  Her anger was so fierce that electricity crackled from her into the slap and it hit him with more force than usual and for the first time, her powers sent him flying. He crashed against the base of a huge oak tree and the tree shook at the impact.

  “I’ll be gone by morning,” she announced. “I’m not your charity case.”

  Gingerly, he lifted himself and staggered towards her, one hand still holding his head, “Kathy, you don’t understand what I’m trying to do.”

  Tears swam in her eyes as she spat, “Go. To. Hell.”

  Then she turned on her heel and vanished into the ballroom. After what felt like an eternity, he collected himself enough to return to the ballroom. He expected to find Kathy fuming in a corner of the room. He didn’t expect to see her in the middle of all five fawning Archstone men.

  He watched as Robin held a flute of champagne to her delicate lips and it was all he could do to keep from tearing his hair out by the roots.

  The rest of the night quickly went downhill for Drake and he watched as first one Archstone and then another danced with her, each time their hands holding her close.

  Jealousy rent him and unable to stop himself, he positioned himself on the dance floor with Desiree for an old English dance when Kathy was dancing with Ronan Veer.

  He saw Kathy flick them a glance and he held his breath as he quickly searched her gaze for jealousy. But all he saw in her eyes was cold indifference as she looked back at her partner.

  Ronan said something and she laughed as the time came and he flung her away from him towards Drake and caught up Drake’s partner, Desiree in his own arms.

  Kathy’s laughter faded when she saw who it was.

  Drake’s hand tightened at her waist, “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?”

  She fixed him with an icy stare, “I’m following your advice. What does it look like?”

  Then the time came to change partners again and she frittered away into Ronan’s arms once more.

  He thought he had had enough of a bad night until the time came for the end of the party and he looked around to find Kathy missing. When he asked Megan, she gave him a cool stare, “She left with Robin. He’s not ready to end the night. They’re heading to another party near here since it’s her last night here.”

  He was flummoxed. “And you let her?” he roared, uncaring of who might hear them.

  Everyone did, because all he
ads snapped in their direction including Klyana’s.

  Megan’s lips curled in a sneer of contempt. “She is not your child and she is not your wife. She doesn’t need your permission to go have fun. Deal with it.”

  That night Drake could not sleep. He tossed and turned on his bed imagining Robin with Kathy and he almost made himself sick with worry. Finally, unable to bear it, he started to call Robin.

  That was when he saw a car pull up and saw Robin walk her to the door. They stood talking and staring into each other’s eyes.

  Then before his horrified eyes, Robin pulled her into a tight, full body hug. He saw her electric current frisson and arch between them but Robin held fast seemingly unaffected.

  It seemed then that Robin, like he, could withstand her powers, he thought. Maybe it was fate that he had practically pushed her into Robin’s arms. She deserved to be happy, even if it was with someone else.

  Everything in him roared in rejection of that and then he noticed for the first time that her wrist was bandaged as though she had hurt herself.

  He catapulted down the stairs but by then Robin was already pulling away and Kathy had already shut the door of her room.

  Frustrated, he sank onto the staircase. He would wait and speak to her first thing tomorrow morning. He had completely bungled his conversation with her.

  Kathy’s image swam before his mind’s eyes as he sat on the stairs. She was so beautiful and fierce and unpredictable and… well, loving. She was a mass of contradictions and from the moment he had held her in his arms in that little hut in the Forest of Astare, he had known she was one of kind. He hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself at first until it had hit him with the force of a sledgehammer.

  Somehow, some way, when he hadn’t been looking, he had given his heart to her. He could never stop loving her and maybe it was high time he told her the truth about why he had said the things he said last night. [kM4]He knew Kathy well enough to know she would call it all a load of crap and probably swan off in anger. He could bear her anger but he would never be able to forgive himself if she had been hiding some hurt beneath the veneer of anger.[kM5] His gut said she had been hurt.