Sassy Ever After: A Hot Piece Of Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Melanie James

  His soft, warm tongue worked a path over her chest to her breasts. Her fingers tunneled deep into his thick hair, pulling him closer.

  “Gods, woman, you taste like strawberries.” Tanner’s husky voice sent shivers through her body.

  Hannah saw stars when his mouth slid over her breasts, sucking her nipples into his mouth one at a time. She cried out for more when he licked, sucked, and nibbled on the tiny buds.

  Her fingers trembled as she tried to open the small buttons on his shirt, needing to feel the heat from his skin. With a groan of frustration, she gave up on trying to open the buttons, and instead grabbed the material and pulled with all her might. A wave of relief washed over her when the buttons flew across the room.

  She watched as a smile stretched across his face. “Patience, love. We have all the time in the world.”

  “I’ve waited my whole life to feel like this. I don’t want to wait a second longer.”

  Feeling like a greedy hussy, her hands were on him in an instant. Tracing over every inch of his chest and back, she felt her eyes glowing with pure hunger for her mate.

  Heat flooded her core as Tanner yanked her yoga pants down from her waist and off her legs. “You smell so fucking good. I can’t wait to taste you.” Tanner’s canines lengthened, grazing her nipples, sending her into a frenzy.

  She tugged on his belt, aching to run her fingers over his hard cock. Tanner jerked back for a second, offering his help. He pulled the belt off with ease before unzipping his pants and stepping out of them.

  Hannah dropped to her knees and grabbed the waistband of his boxers, slowly pulling them down, freeing his straining erection. Running her tongue over her lips at the sight before her, she wasted no time in tasting him. Her fingers wrapped around the base of his cock as her mouth slid over the tip, sucking him in deep.

  “Hannah! Oh gods, yes,” Tanner moaned, twisting her hair around his fingers.

  The taste of her mate on her tongue spurred her on. Her hand slid up and down and she pumped his cock in and out of her mouth, squeezing his balls with the other hand.

  Tanner pulled her head back, slowing her pace. “My turn.”

  In one swift move, Tanner surprised Hannah by sweeping her up from her position on the floor and placing her on the sofa. Kissing a trail from between her breasts and down her stomach, he moved lower still to her inner thighs.

  Soft coos and moans escaped Hannah’s mouth with each of Tanner’s tender nibbles. Brilliant white lights danced behind her eyes when his tongue landed on her clit. Tanner pulled her legs up around his shoulders, as his tongue slid in and out of her pussy.

  “Such sweet honey,” Tanner teased, flicking his tongue in and out of her. “I want you to come for me.”

  Hannah’s body shook as wave after wave of pleasure consumed her. She was so close, her climax hovering just out of reach.

  “Oh goddess, Tanner,” Hannah shouted when he slid two fingers deep inside her. Her hips twisted and turned, thrusting, she mimicked the motion of his fingers penetrating her. Her heart skipped a beat, maybe two, when the gentle waves of pleasure turned faster and harder than she was used to. Hannah latched on to anything she could grab. The fear of floating away, lost in her own sea of pleasure, suddenly became real.

  “That’s it, love. Let go,” Tanner coaxed.

  “Yes, oh goddess. Yes!” Her breathing heavy, she gasped for air.

  Just as her orgasm subsided, Tanner pulled back. She expected a minute or three to recover from the intensity of her climax, but Tanner wouldn’t hear of it. He grabbed her hips and pulled her to the edge of the sofa, positioning the tip of his cock right at her entrance. As he stroked it up and down from her clit to her ass, she shivered in anticipation.

  Inch by slow inch he slid home, filling her to the point of bursting. Hannah sucked in a sharp breath, overwhelmed by his size. Tanner gave her a minute to adjust before slowly sliding out and back in again.

  All it took was one hard thrust to send her flying to the heavens once again. Hannah thrashed beneath him, her back arching to meet each of Tanner’s thrusts. Her nails scorched his back, leaving dark red streaks crisscrossing from shoulder to shoulder.

  Without warning Tanner shifted positions, pulling her on top of him. Grabbing her hips, he lifted her up and down. Hannah leaned forward, her hair creating a curtain around them. Her eyes glowed and her canines lengthened as her wolf demanded that she claim her mate.

  Hannah leaned down closer to Tanner, kissing him passionately then pulling back just a bit. She ran her tongue over one of her canines before kissing him again. She felt her climax swelling again, and knew she couldn’t wait a moment longer. She broke away from the kiss and ran her tongue over the edge of his jaw to the side of his neck.

  She had every intention of being gentle with her mate, but her wolf took control, striking with greed. As soon as his blood hit her tongue, her mind suddenly opened to his thoughts and feelings. Being connected to Tanner at this most intimate moment brought her to a climax that surged through her like never before. The world could have tilted on its axis and she wouldn’t have batted an eyelash, as long as the pleasure she felt continued.

  As she slowly floated back to Earth, Tanner struck, his fangs sinking deep into her neck. With the mating connection complete, she came full circle. Their past and present forever intertwined, she soared once more to the stars above.

  Their bodies covered in sweat, they panted for breath, Tanner continued to pound his cock deep into her pussy. Hannah could do no more than wrap her legs around his back and hold on for the ride. Words of praise and encouragement were replaced with grunts and groans. Skin slapped together in the hottest, hardest sex she’d ever experienced.

  After several long minutes, Tanner’s fangs disengaged. His voice hoarse and shaky, he shouted her name before shooting his seed deep inside of her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Hey Rafe, you know where a guy can get an appointment with an original Nordic volva for a decent price?” Tanner joked half-heartedly, then instantly regretted it. He squeezed Hannah’s hand and waited to see if Rafe would answer. He’d put off talking to his Alpha about his little teleportation trick in Blue Creek.

  Rafe turned and shot a concerned glance at Grace, then looked back to Tanner. He kept his answer in his head, knowing Tanner would pick up his thoughts. “The answer is yes. But I’m not saying a damn thing more unless my Mom does. That Old Norse hocus-pocus stuff is her department, not mine.”

  Tanner picked up Grace’s thoughts just as easily, and found they were dripping with anxiety. “There is something about this wolf. Majik. Why in the world does he need to find a volva? Something fishy is going on.”

  “What the hell? I can see the looks on your faces and hear your thoughts, you know. I didn’t realize it was such a sensitive subject.”

  Grace squinted her eyes, accusing him of treachery. “Why would you want to meet a volva, Tanner? Do you realize there may not even be a true volva left alive? Or that if you go looking for one you might just find a witch instead? You have no idea what you’re getting into.” Grace’s tone betrayed her distrustful thoughts. “Or do you?”

  Tanner didn’t need to read her mind to know it was a touchy subject. “Okay, I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s fine, Tanner. Mom, Tanner has some qualities that are very special and he’s looking for answers.”

  “Special? Look around, Rafe. This is Black Paw. Who isn’t special?” Grace turned back to Tanner. “What makes you so different that only an Old Norse shaman could know about it?” Grace asked, her voice quivering with suspicion. “Have you been in contact with a witch?”

  “Wait. What?” Alarm sounded in Hannah’s voice.

  “Seriously? No, Mrs. Erickson, I haven’t, and what does that have to do with what I asked about? Hell, I wouldn’t know a volva from a damn Volvo,” Tanner huffed.

  Questioning a Black Paw wolf’s loyalty was the greatest insult anyone could offer. “Forget I eve
n asked.” If it had been anyone else, he would have shifted on the spot and challenged her. Instead, a low growl escaped as he turned around, ushering Hannah toward the door.

  Rafe’s answering growl wasn’t subtle. It was commanding. “Stop right there. Mom, you owe Tanner an apology. I’ve never once detected so much of a whisker of dishonesty in him. I trust him with my life, and with every life in our pack. You have no right to question it. You know damn well how much blood has been spilled over careless words like that. Now, both of you calm the hell down and start over. The four of us are going to take a seat at the kitchen table. Mom, you’re going to start by apologizing and then explaining to him why his question made you flip out.”

  “Do you think we should discuss this in front of Hannah?”

  “She is his mate, which makes her a member of Black Paw. So, yes. She has every right to know.”

  After a brief hesitation, Grace nodded. “You’re right, son. I’m sorry, Tanner. I’ve known you for years and I should have trusted you. I didn’t mean to come off like that. Not at you personally. The question freaked me out.” Grace took a deep breath and collected her thoughts before speaking. “There’s something you need to know about. The old sagas tell us that long ago, during the old days when our kind lived in Norway, a volva was someone who could act as a bridge between the world we live in and the world of spirits and gods. These volur were, of course, very important to our people.”

  “So a volva was like a medium?”

  “You could say that. According to the legends, there were very few volur. And of course they were all women. Very wise old women who wandered from village to village, although they always seemed to know where they would be needed next. Our enemies, including witches, knew how important our bond was with the volur. That’s one reason they were persecuted, just as we were. Most people say that the last volva was slaughtered centuries ago. That’s what I used to think, too.” Grace took another deep breath.

  Tanner saw an image in Grace’s mind. He was certain it was the old woman from his dream—Dagrun. “But?”

  “But… a few weeks ago I dreamed about a volva named Dagrun. She spoke to me, telling me that she was happy to find our pack. I asked her why she’d come, but she only held her finger to her mouth, as if it were a secret. The image of a small cabin in the woods was revealed to me, and somehow I knew that was where she could be found. Then I woke up. That was it.”

  “And her dream checks out,” Rafe added. “I went looking for a cabin in the area Mom described. It’s there and someone is definitely living in it. I didn’t approach it, out of caution. The way Mom described the stories, I guessed the old woman didn’t get this far without being very secretive. I didn’t want to be the one to expose her.”

  “That’s right, son. Neither do I. So Tanner, you can understand my shock when you asked about finding a volva, out of the blue. Is it a coincidence? No. Now tell me more about why you want to find one.”

  “Dagrun. That name. It’s the same name as the old woman in my dream. All my life I’ve had the exact same dream over and over. In my dream, I’m an ancient Viking warrior. I know that Dagrun is a volva, but until now I never knew what it meant. I only know that, in the dream, she became a teacher of some kind to me and sent me on a journey to ‘find death and be reborn.’ Most of the dream seems to be about the end of the journey. I’m caught up in a blizzard, a complete white-out. Suddenly the wind stops, the air clears, and two crows are flying in circles above me. I know I’ve found Odin—or maybe he’s found me. I never see him, just a shadow that flies across the snow. But he speaks to me. I tell him to give me the majik to be reborn as a wolf-warrior, like I was told my fate would be. Then he basically tells me to go away and I’m crushed. That’s how it ends. Every damn time, it’s the same dream.”

  “And what do you think it means? Certainly you’ve thought about it quite a bit.”

  “I honestly have no idea. The best I could come up with is that this dream is about my own self-doubts because I’m different. For example, everyone in the pack already knows my wolf is big. But it’s more than that. You and a few others know that I can read other people’s thoughts, and now there’s something else. Something very strange happened when I was trying to save Hannah. This may seem unbelievable, but… I found myself in that blizzard. It was just like my dream. The two crows showed up and I heard Odin tell me it was time to attack. I was sure I wouldn’t make it in time, but then everything became a blur. My next step took me right to Hannah’s side. Like, I went through a wall and suddenly transported to Hannah.” Tanner glanced at Rafe then Grace, wishing like fuck someone would clue him in on what the fuck happened.

  “I need to know what the hell is going on. That’s why I asked about a volva. The way I see it, I need to find out who Dagrun was, or is, and why I was sent on that journey. I need to know how the dream ends and what it means.”

  “I think she came here to find you, Tanner.” Grace turned to her son. “Rafe, you should take us to that cabin you found. It’s time for Tanner to learn his fate.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Alpha cautiously led Grace, Hannah, and Tanner along a winding path deep in the forest. The four wolves paused at the edge of a clearing. Rafe and Tanner stood shoulder to shoulder, inhaling the scents as they scanned the small log cabin for movement.

  Unexpectedly, Grace shifted into human form. When she spoke the voice was familiar, but the accent was not right. “I’ve been expecting you, Tanner. A thousand years? You sure know how to make a woman wait. I see you brought along your mate. Shift, so I can get a good look at you.”

  The rest of the wolves shifted into their human forms. “Dagrun? Is that you?”

  “It’s not Little Red Riding Hood, big bad wolf. What have you been feeding on, Tanner? Redheads? Pretty girl, that one. She looks very much like someone we both knew, long ago.”

  “Why don’t you stop using Grace’s voice? Show yourself,” Rafe said.

  “I never show myself in the open. Come to the cabin.” Grace suddenly coughed. Dagrun’s control of her voice had ceased.

  Rafe led the way through the clearing, stopping at the weathered front steps.

  “How long has she been living here?” Hannah asked, pushing aside the brush hanging over the path.

  “Not long. Maybe a week, two weeks at most,” Rafe replied.

  Grace surprised them by opening the door and stepping through a screen of cobwebs. The others filed in close behind her. “Dagrun?” she called out.

  A stained window allowed only the dimmest of outside light to seep into the room, just enough to see an old woman sitting perfectly still on a rickety old chair. Her long gray hair was braided with a green ribbon that matched her ankle-length dress. She was clearly a woman out of an ancient time. “Tanner. Come to me. You can’t stay here long, just long enough to finish your dream.”

  Tanner obediently approached her and took a seat on the wooden bench that faced her. She took his hands.

  “Your mate as well.”

  Tanner saw Hannah’s slight, hesitant movements, and nodded for her to join him.

  “Your Alpha and wise woman too.” Dagrun waited for Rafe and Grace to claim a seat. “Now, close your eyes and you will see.”

  They were swept through the sky. A bird’s-eye view of a rugged coastline came into view. Diving down, a breathtaking sight appeared: A village, shrouded in the smoky haze of a hundred fires, hugged the shore. Several Viking longships were moored in the natural harbor, surrounded by numerous smaller craft bobbing in the gentle surf. One large building dominated the rest. Its ornately-carved, heavy timbers made it easily recognizable as the center of power.

  Rafe felt the story of the people surge through his veins. Pushed north to the brink of survival, they had adapted. Striking out to raid enemies not only brought them treasures for trade, it also weakened the surrounding areas to prevent the rising of would-be adversaries. It was a harsh, unforgiving land. Survival demanded courage, resour
cefulness, and even brutality from its inhabitants.

  Images of a young man becoming a brave warrior flashed before them like a montage. They watched in their shared vision as Dagrun sent the Viking warrior away on his mission to conquer death, allowing them to partake on the journey Tanner had dreamed countless times.

  Only this time the dream didn’t end. Odin’s giant wolves, Geri and Freki, suddenly appeared on the horizon. Odin, dressed in the dark robes of a temple priest, stood between them. “Warrior, you have come to the right place to find death.”

  Freki leaped with lightning speed, landing on Tanner’s chest and taking him down instantly.

  “You are the soul I have chosen to be reborn as a wolf-warrior,” Odin continued. “Your wolf will be unlike any others that roam the Earth, for he will have the size and the majik of my wolves. You will only return to the Earthly plane to walk among the wolves when my wolf-warriors need your special gifts to survive. I bestow upon you a great honor.”

  “When?” Tanner struggled to speak.

  “Time is an illusion,” Odin answered as Geri closed in.

  The dream ended with the color red spreading through the snow.

  Dagrun’s visitors opened their eyes. She told Tanner, “That was your dream. You have been reborn to fulfill your destiny. Odin has given you as a gift to your pack, to your Alpha. You are the only one who can save Black Paw from annihilation.”

  With those words, Dagrun disappeared before their eyes.

  Hannah sucked in a sharp breath. “Where did she go?”

  Grace was the first to answer. “To where she’s needed.”

  “That was…” Rafe sat wide-eyed on the bench.

  “Yeah,” Tanner agreed. “Hey Grace, is there any chance she could be wrong?”

  “The ancient volur were never wrong.”

  “Shit.” Rafe sighed.

  “My thoughts exactly.” Tanner rubbed his forehead.

  Epilogue