by Lacey Thorn
I’d just stripped to the skin when I heard the howl behind me. Bastion was coming for me, which meant soon, I’d be coming for him. With a leap, I shifted and took off at a fast sprint. I felt him behind me, glimpsed the massive wolf in my peripheral, but he seemed content to let me lead him on the merry chase. Maybe, it was because we both knew how this would end. With him inside me.
I wasn’t sure why my father had led me to believe what he had. I knew the moment Bastion looked at me he was the only man for me. I’d seen ownership in his gaze. Just to be sure, I’d taunted him with the idea of one of his group claiming me, and my man had nearly lost it. Any doubt in my heart had vanished then. That didn’t mean I’d easily give him what he wanted. No. Any man who wanted to be my mate would fucking work for it.
He had me when we hit the clearing, and honestly, I was tired of running. We circled each other. Every time I feinted in one direction, he was there, blocking my escape. I snarled at him, growling and flashing my teeth. He sat back on his haunches, just as arrogant in his wolf skin as in his human form.
I challenged him, growling and snapping, lunging for him, but Bastion didn’t move. He watched me, but I got the impression it was more to make sure I didn’t do anything to hurt myself rather than any concern for his own wellbeing. I’d say it pissed me off, but I’d be lying. I didn’t want a man I could control. I wanted one who’d keep my on my toes, one who’d challenge and push me to be a better woman. A man capable of protecting and defending me if the need ever arose. To be brutally honest, I needed a man who could dominate me, but only at times I chose. Bastion fit the bill on all those needs.
Finally, I sat on my haunches, staring at him. Simultaneously, we shifted, rising to our feet unabashedly naked. The heat of his stare singed over my skin, setting off an explosion of fire deep within me. I burned with need, ached with desire.
My gaze roamed over him. Dark hair hung about his broad shoulders. His dark eyes were almost black with lust. His chest and shoulders rippled with muscle, a dark smattering of hair there making me want to stroke my fingers through it, following the trail that led down to the ridged muscles of his abdomen and farther to the jutting virility of his arousal. I licked my lips and watched as a drop of pre-cum blossomed on the head of his cock. I wanted to touch him, to taste him.
“Kneel.”
“You first,” I snapped back.
“Will everything be a fight with you?”
“Yes. No. It depends.” He had me flustered with that question.
He stepped into me, his cock painting along my belly as our bodies brushed. “Good thing I’ve always enjoyed a fight.”
That was my only warning before he wrapped his fingers in my hair and jerked me to him. His mouth ravaged mine, and I gave as good as I got. No, I took. I climbed him like a tree, wrapping my arms and legs around him. His cock was long and thick, and I rubbed wantonly against him, grinding my sex along his shaft.
Bastion pulled from my kiss, and I bit down hard on his neck in retaliation.
“Fuck,” he grunted, moving one hand from my ass to touch the mark I’d made. Blood smeared his finger, and I leaned in and sucked it into my mouth before he moved it away.
“We’re getting to that. Foreplay first,” I growled, leaning in to lick his neck.
“Should it worry me that drawing blood is your idea of foreplay?”
“I didn’t take you for a man who worries about much,” I countered.
The next thing I knew, we were rolling on the ground. I could have been docile, spread my legs eagerly and let him take me. We both knew where we were headed, and we were equally eager to get there. But I needed more first. I needed him…unleashed. I wanted all of him, and I’d do what it took to force him to let go. So we crashed together, me going wild and him doing what he could to keep me from getting hurt. I rubbed against him, enticing and playing then pushing him away. I growled and nipped, scratching my nails over his skin.
He kissed me again, plundering my mouth and owning every inch of it, and I stilled beneath him. He took advantage of my temporary lack of motion and cuffed my wrists with his hand, lifting them over my head.
“My turn,” he muttered as he grazed my throat with his teeth.
I tried to move away, but he easily caged me, one massive thigh lifting and pinning my legs. I realized just how much he’d allowed. His erection pressed along my hip, hot and hard, and I couldn’t wait to feel it inside me. I thrashed under him, and the scrape of his teeth turned into a hard nip.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he warned, his tongue soothing over the stinging spot.
“Hurt me good,” I urged, lifting my head and biting his chest.
He roared, and I swear I felt the leash keeping him in check snap. He was all over me. Teeth and tongue on my nipples. One hand still tethered my hands while the other stole between my thighs and zeroed in on my clit. He sucked one nipple deep, and I arched upward, forcing more of my breast into his mouth.
“Take me,” I moaned, and he thrust two fingers inside me. I lifted my knee, pulling my leg up in hopes of a deeper penetration. I was hot and horny and so ready for more.
Bastion moved his hips, and the head of his cock butted against my opening. The tip pressed into me, and I caught my breath at the sensations it created. He lifted his head, his gaze snagging mine. The intensity in his eyes made it impossible to look away. He rocked his hips, and more of his length filled me. I caught my breath. I felt speared by him, filled, yet I knew there was still more of his cock to take inside.
He finally released my hands, reaching down to loop his arms under my knees and spread me wider. He lifted to his knees and dropped his hands to the ground, pressing my knees toward my shoulders and forcing his cock deeper
“You’re mine,” he growled.
He thrust fully inside me before I could counter. Instead, I gasped, eyes going wide as my mouth fell open. Good God! I’d known he was big. I’d seen and felt his cock, but it was different when he filled me with it.
“Every fucking inch of you. Mine,” he growled again then began moving.
He powered into me and with my body bent in two there wasn’t much I could do but take it. I took that as an excuse to be selfish, to focus on what I felt and not worry whether or not it was good for him. Then again, his harsh groans and panting told me he felt just fine.
“Bastion.” His name was a moan of pleasure leaving my lips, and he paused.
“Wrap around my waist,” he commanded, dropping my legs.
I went for his mouth immediately, reaching up and gripping his hair with both hands, jerking his face down to mine. I needed to taste him, to touch him. I rubbed my nipples against his chest, and both of us groaned. Then I slid my hands down and sank my nails into his ass, urging him to move again. My legs gripped his hips, not because he’d told me to wrap them around him and I was being defiant but because holding him like that gave me leverage to meet him thrust for thrust.
We crashed against one another, our bodies pounding together so the air was filled with the slaps of flesh. He growled and grunted, possessing my mouth as thoroughly as he did my sex. And I took everything he gave and demanded more, more, more. I rubbed against him, making sure both nipples felt the abrasion of his chest hair, making sure his groin slapped my clitoris with every stroke. It drove me to the edge and sent me flying, screaming my rapture to the night sky.
“Over, baby,” Bastion urged, and I wasn’t sure how long he’d been speaking. I might have blacked out a little when my orgasm had hit me. I realized immediately he was no longer inside me, and I needed that corrected quickly. I whimpered with need and let his hands guide me until I was on my hands and knees, both of which shook.
Hard hands gripped my hips, and I felt him move over me. His legs were on the outside of mine, and he pressed down on the middle of my back, urging me to rearrange my body until I hit the position he wanted.
Then his cock slid deep again. There was no build up this time. He drove hard,
owning my pussy with every powerful stroke. He covered me completely, his chest blanketing my back, his chin coming to rest at my shoulder. He nudged my head to the side, and I knew what he planned. I’d bitten him a few times, marking him with my sharp teeth. He was preparing to return the favor.
“Mine,” he growled once more as if I hadn’t already received the message.
He bit down hard on my trapezius muscle, sinking in his teeth and drawing blood. I bucked, unintentionally forcing his cock deeper, so deep it tapped against my cervix. There was pain at the depth of penetration, but there was pleasure, as well. I knew that pleasure was intensified by the fire of his saliva as it flooded my system, and I wondered briefly if he’d experienced the same sensation when I’d bitten him.
Bastion growled as he held me in place, one arm planted beside mine while his other snagged around my waist. His cock swelled inside me, locking us together more snugly than his hold, and I felt the first gush of his cum fill me. I dropped my upper body to the ground, turning my head into his arm and biting down on his forearm in an attempt to hold back my screams as his pleasure became a catalyst for my own. I flew higher this time, and I swore I saw fireworks behind my tightly closed lids.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed that way. All I knew was at some point, Bastion lifted me into his arms, holding me against his chest, and began walking.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, the words slurring past lips that still tingled from what we’d shared. If this was the norm for having sex, I wondered why the hell I’d ever waited to experience it. Somehow, I knew it would only be this way with Bastion. He was why I’d waited.
“Home, baby,” he whispered, dropping a soft kiss on my lips. “We’re going home.”
I wondered briefly what my dad would say when a naked Bastion carried an equally naked me into our house. Then again, this was exactly what my dad had wanted. Me mated, linking the two wolf packs completely. I wanted to be angry that I’d fallen in line with those plans, but I couldn’t. I wanted Bastion, and now, I had him.
I felt safe and secure in his arms and let my body relax completely. He murmured something, but sleep was already tugging at me. I snuggled closer to him, burying my head in his neck and slipping blissfully away.
Chapter Five
Bastion
Simon, one of the most trusted members of my team, met me with a blanket when I stepped from the cover of the woods. He averted his gaze, standing in front of me to block my mate from any other eyes as I quickly wrapped the blanket around her. Raina had fallen into an exhausted slumber, so exhausted my movements didn’t jar her awake.
Dark circles under her eyes spoke of a bone-deep weariness, and I couldn’t help but wonder when she’d last truly rested. I wanted to lock her away from the world where nothing could touch her, save me, and I planned to do so often. Hell, I’d only had a taste of her so far, and my cock was already hungrily rising again, ready to find its home inside her.
“Let me take her, Bas,” Simon offered as he nodded to a pile of clothes on the ground. Those closest to me had the habit of shortening my name and putting the z sound on the end. “Your clothes are there.”
“I’ve got her.” The words came with a growl of displeasure I couldn’t prevent. Raina wore only a blanket. She was all but naked, and though I trusted Simon with my life, I didn’t like the idea of any man holding her.
Simon laughed. “Seriously, you don’t want to drop her, and I don’t think she’d appreciate you putting her on the ground. I’ll be easy. Hold her as I would a child, just long enough for you to get dressed.”
“If you touch her skin, I’ll gut you.”
Simon blanched but held out his arms, and after a brief inner struggle, I handed her over. I’d never dressed so fast in my life. I swear I quit breathing until I felt her slight weight filling my arms again.
“Where are we going?” Simon asked as he opened the passenger door of the SUV for me. I waited until he jumped behind the wheel before answering.
“Home.”
Simon didn’t question me as I knew some of the others might, especially my sister, Belinda. She’d argued with me since the request to take on another group of wolves had come in. She worried about me, always had. She seemed convinced Raina’s brother’s death hadn’t been an accident. In fact, my sister was certain he’d been murdered. I’d assigned a few of my most trusted members to look into it, but we’d yet to find any indication her assumptions had validity.
I’d already warned everyone to keep their lips sealed about Belinda’s suspicions. Raina had been close to her brother, and I could see the physical toll his death had taken on her. The last thing I wanted was to make her think his death was more than an accident. Besides, it didn’t make sense. If someone had killed Rowan Byrd, surely they would have attempted to step forward and take control of those who’d been left behind. No one had. As much as I loved my sister and accepted she was…different, I didn’t think she was right in this.
Raina moaned as she wiggled in my arms. I crooned softly to her, pressing my lips against her hair. She buried her nose in my neck and with a deep inhale, settled into sleep once more. It was impossible for me to think of anything or anyone else for long when I held Raina against me. She’d wreak havoc with my job as head of our motley group. I already knew I’d need to have Simon repeat whatever it was he was saying. I hadn’t the faintest idea what he’d told me, and it could be important. Right now, all I knew was I’d found my mate, my purpose. She was my reason for existing. Not my role within our society. Not my role as brother and friend. It was my role as hers, her mate, her lover, and hopefully, someday, her reason to be, as well.
“Bas.” Simon sounded exasperated.
“What?”
“I asked if you wanted me to move Bee for the rest of the night. Give you some privacy.”
Simon had a crush on my sister, and as much as I liked the idea of the two of them together, she’d refused. She said he wasn’t meant for her. She swore her mate was coming for her, and there was no arguing with her. I shook my head.
“No. My home will always be her home. My mate doesn’t change that.” I glanced down at Raina. “It’ll be fine.”
Simon nodded, and I ignored him for the rest of the drive. In my hurry, I managed to get the front door open without jostling Raina too much while Simon tried to keep up. I’d hoped my sister would be asleep by now, but she sat on the bottom of the stairs when I stepped inside. Her eyes were wide, her fingers twined closely together in her lap, and I knew she’d had an episode. For the first time in our lives, I found myself annoyed by her and guilt ate at me.
“Belinda, everything okay?” I asked. Though she often went by the nickname Bee, she’d always be Belinda to me.
“She brings change. I see death and birth, love and hate, celebration and mourning.” Her words were whispered almost as if she wasn’t aware of what she was saying.
“Belinda,” I rebuked.
She blinked again, slowly focusing on where I waited, my arms full of my mate. My voice seemed to have broken whatever spell she’d been under, and a smile lit her face as she rose and practically skipped over to me. She stood on tiptoe to stare at Raina for a long moment.
“Your mate brings life, and all that comes with it,” Belinda said then grinned. “We’re going to have a new alpha in the house.”
“The hell we will,” I growled, but my sister just giggled.
“Oh, we will. When’s the mating ceremony taking place?”
“Soon,” I barked. I’d get back to her statement about a new alpha later. She’d thrown out the one thing sure to pull my attention in another direction. A mating ceremony.
I glanced down at Raina. She was already my mate, our bond sealed in blood. But had Raina agreed to mating? For the life of me, I couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. I’d get everything prepared so we could say our vows the following evening. Once Raina and I became one, so would our families.
Right now, all I c
ould think about was getting my little mate into my bed and stripping the blanket from her. I wanted to spend the rest of the night learning every inch of her body, even if it was only visually.
“Good night, Bastion.”
My sister patted my arm then turned and headed back upstairs toward her bedroom. Simon had already ducked out, leaving me alone with my mate. I carried her down the hallway toward the master bedroom at the back of the house. I’d taken it for mine the second we’d taken possession of the home on the outskirts of the land Raina’s community called home. Once, they’d been known as the Rigton pack, named after the county they lived in. As of today, they were part of the James pack.
I laid Raina on the bed then slowly unwrapped the blanket. She was the best gift I’d ever uncovered, and I licked my lips in anticipation. Before, I’d experienced a rush and an overwhelming layer of lust that made me want to claim and mark her. Now, I found myself wanting to take my time, to explore every inch of her and commit her to memory. Christ, I’d never been so consumed by a woman. She made me want to beat my chest and shout to the world that she belonged to me and only me. I’d kill for her, die for her, lay waste to anything that dared stand against her. At the same time, she made me weak. Emotions I’d never felt roared through me.
I ran my hand along her side, needing to feel the softness of her skin against mine once more. Her eyes slowly blinked open.
“You stayed.”
Her comment threw me, but I nodded. Had she thought I’d put her in my bed and leave her? “I’m not through with you yet.”
Her smile was slow and sultry, and my dick pulsed beneath my zipper.
“You got more, wolf man?”
Her tone was a throaty purr. I came over her quickly, taking her mouth and ravaging it with my tongue. God, she tasted of salt and tequila and something sweeter just underneath, something uniquely her. I couldn’t get enough of it. I kissed my way down her neck, taking my time to suck both her nipples into tight, wet peaks, pulling more of those throaty sounds from her before nipping and licking my way lower.