by Wendy Stone
“Yes,” she cried. “Do it.”
His teeth dug in, his mouth filling with her blood. He let go of her arms, his wrapping around her waist, one hand coming up to hold her jaw still.
He felt her hands on his wrist, bringing it to her mouth. Her teeth dug in this time, the pain going straight to his head, egging on his lusts. She suckled for a moment then turned her head, mouth covered with his blood.
“Kiss me,” she begged, letting go of his arm. He hauled her, leaving a smear of blood on her stomach. His lips found her and they shared their blood, mixing it in the most elemental of ways, with lips and tongues. He devoured her mouth, unable to get enough. He was a man dying of thirst and she was the only source of liquid. Her taste sent his heart racing; the feel of her, moving against him, around his cock, was explosive.
“Tell me you love me,” he ordered.
“I love you, Nashe,” she moaned, her head tipped back on his shoulder. His every thrust sent her breasts jiggling. His hand moved down to slide between her thighs. He groaned at her words, feeling them fill his heart, sending light to all the little places where he’d hidden his loneliness and his fears. She was there now. He was no longer alone, a pariah, a Were with no home or family, with no clan of his own.
All the years alone, all the years of hiding what he was, of having no one to share Christmas with or to hold on those long nights...they were over. Terry held his life in her hands. He would be nothing without her. His voice was husky as he called her name, over and over, burying his face in her beautiful blonde tresses. He felt her shudder, felt the telltale fluttering of her pussy around him as she climaxed convulsively.
Letting her go, he pulled out of her, turning her to lie on her back. He stared into her face for just a moment, unable to believe he’d actually found her.
“You said that I have to trust you,” he whispered before he knew he was going to speak. “After Althea died, her father and others of her village found me. They strung me up.” His hand touched the scar that ran down the right side of his body. “This was a gift from her father. He cut me open and left me for the birds to eat. Kadian found me. He nursed me back to health.”
“After I healed, I left my home on the island, unable to be around anyone or to see the happiness in their faces when they found their mates.” He shuddered when she reached up and touched his cheek, shocked to see her fingers come back wet with his tears. “I thought I’d be alone for the rest of my life. I never thought to find someone like you, someone strong enough to be mine. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to live like that.”
“Baby, it’s okay,” Terry whispered, drawing him down and into her embrace. His face burrowed into her neck, where he could breathe in her scent.
“I just want to thank you,” he said, his voice muffled against her skin. “Thank you for filling me with love.”
* * * *
Terry held him, this big strong were who could turn her inside out with nothing more than a smile. His tears fell against her skin and she felt her heart turn over in her chest at everything he must have gone through—alone.
“You’ll never be alone again, baby,” she whispered, kissing his head, stroking her hands down his back. “I’ll never leave you. I promise.”
He lifted his head, his tear-filled eyes glittering like shards of emeralds. A small smile touched his lips and he kneed her thighs apart, slowly slipping inside her again. “Think we could stay like this forever?”
“You’re the one that has to keep it up,” she sighed, arching as he caressed her breasts. “I can just lay here.”
“Yeah, you just lay there, right! When have you just laid there?”
“Well, if you plan on being this way forever…” She let the sentence drift off as she felt her body begin to climb, quickly scaling passion’s walls. Her hands were on his hips, dragging him inside of her, undulating her body beneath him. His muscled body slapped against her softer one, wet sounds attesting to her willingness and to her arousal. “Oh, Nashe,” she growled. “Right there.”
He fucked her silly. That’s the only way she could describe it, her head thrashing against the pillow, her body rising to meet every downward thrust of his. He pushed her over the edge, gritting his teeth as she clutched at him, and then pushed her over again. She lost count of how many orgasms racked her slender body.
“I’m going to come,” he gritted. “Come with me, baby, one more time.”
He slammed into her, pummeling her willing flesh, pushing her toward one last peak. Her breath came in harsh pants, a keening cry escaping her as he slid his hand between them, finding her clit and stroking it with his thumb. “Come with me,” he urged again, desperately staving off the climax that he could feel clawing at his groin.
She cried out, her head tipping back, shattering waves of ecstasy crashing over her. She felt him grunt. His body jerked and then he roared out his own pleasure, shouting her name.
It seemed to take forever before she could see again. When she could, she tiredly rolled her head, looking into his face next to hers. “Feel better?”
“Uh-huh,” he managed to mutter, opening his eyes just a slit before closing them again. He sighed, acting as if he was going to get comfortable and go back to sleep, lying on top of her.
Terry narrowed her gaze at him. “Oh, no you don’t.” She heaved him over, rolling to lie on top of him, feeling his come slip out of her. “You aren’t crushing me again.”
“Okay,” he said, nonplussed. “You crush me.” He grunted as if she weighed a ton, before letting his body relax into the bed. “Nap. Then breakfast,” he said with a yawn.
“Hmmm,” she moaned, resting her head against his chest. She could hear the comforting sound of his heart, beating and letting her know she wasn’t alone.
“Terry?”
“Nap. Then breakfast,” she muttered, reminding him.
“I know, I just have one more question.”
She sighed. “Okay.”
“Will you have my children?”
* * * *
The light from the open balcony doors traced the lines of exhaustion on Kadian’s handsome face. He’d slept very little, waking every few minutes to the thrashing of his guest. The drug she’d been given caused her to become delirious. At one time, he’d climbed into the bed with her, holding her against whatever had been chasing her in her mind.
She’d quieted around five and he’d been unable to resist Morpheus any longer, sliding under the covers next to her and letting his eyes close for a few hours.
“Who are you?”
A hand slapped at his cheek, waking him. He managed to duck the second blow, rolling out the other side of the bed, still fully dressed. “Whoa, hold on there, girl.”
“Where am I? What the fuck happened last night?” His guest made to move and the cried out as the pain of her injuries made themselves known. “Did you do this?”
Kadian stood, yanking down on his tee shirt and rubbing his face with his hands. “I found you when you had two Rhinos chasing you down. They’d drugged you and raped you.”
“Bray and Trey,” she said, her tone one of anger.
“Yeah, I’ve run up against them myself once or twice. Not too smart, but man are they something in a grunge pit. Who are you?”
“My name is Shurene Antreneaux. Thank you for your help.”
Kadian flinched when he heard the name; he couldn’t help it. He’d determined her jackal heritage while tending her wounds, of course, but had dismissed it as unimportant next to her injuries. He’d never met the lady in the flesh, so to speak. How ironic that he should meet her the way he had.
“I’m Kadian James,” he said slowly, watching for her reaction.
Her head turned quickly, eyes narrowing. She had strangely beautiful eyes, one brown, one blue. Her hair was white-blonde, still snarled and matted from her run in with the Rhinos. Her brows were more golden-brown, pretty and arched.
“Where’s Chris?” she demanded, her lush m
outh turning down in a snarl.
“I took him to ASP. He’d broken were laws. I couldn’t let him go, Shurene. I know you blame us for Jake’s death…”
“No, not anymore,” Shurene said slowly, sadly. “I know the rhinos killed him. They hooked him on Maj, just like they tried to do with me last night.” Her head suddenly snapped up and she stared at him with horror. “Fuck. What time is it?”
Kadian lifted his arm. “It’s about eleven o’clock. Man, I’m going to be late if I don’t get a move on.”
“The mating ceremony today. What time does it start?”
“In a little more than an hour,” Kadian asked, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.
“I-I told the rhinos.”
“You did what?” Kadian paced back and forth in front of her, his hands pulling at his hair. “Fuck, we’ve got to warn them. They’ll be sitting ducks.” He reached for his phone, dialing Lukah’s number. The sound of the busy signal sounded like the voice of doom.
“Shit! I’ll never get through, not today.” He started pulling off his clothes, grabbing for the tux that Artie had retrieved from the cleaners the day before. Grabbing the shirt, he yanked it on, turning to stare at her. “I have to get there. What the fuck am I going to do with you?”
“Give me some clothes. I’ll go round up my pack. You can’t deal with a rhino herd alone. Not even the panthers are strong enough for that.”
“Why should I trust you?” Kadian asked cautiously, grabbing a clean pair of sweats and a tee shirt for her. “How do I know this isn’t another jackal trick?”
“You don’t,” Shurene said, trying to ignore her pain as she reached for the clothes he held just out of her reach. “But do you really have time to argue about it now?”
He stared at her as if trying to see in her head, into her thoughts. “If this is a trick, I’ll fry your hide along with the rhinos.”
Grabbing the tee shirt out of his hands, she pulled it over her head. “I can deal with that.”
A Strange New Breed
Chapter Seventeen
The woods behind Lukah’s home were decorated with white streamers; trailing tulle whispered in the slight wind that blew. The clouds had threatened rain for all of ten minutes before the sun came out, shining brightly upon the clearing where the ceremony would take place.
Lucinda sat dourly on her bed, staring glumly out her window at where the last of the decorations were being hung and the huge catering van was unloading the feast that would be served after the ceremony. Lukah had even brought in a striped tent of white mixed with eggshell and tables were being set up under it.
“All this fucking fuss,” she fumed.
“Lucinda?” Marissa called, knocking lightly on the door before pushing it open. “Do you need any help?”
“No,” Lucinda snapped. “I’m perfectly capable of dressing myself for this debacle.”
“It’s not as bad as that, is it?” Marissa asked, stepping cautiously into the room, though she held onto the door in case of flying objects.
“How would you feel if your father were forcing you into a match you weren’t happy with? You’d be pretty fucking unhappy, too.” Lucinda glared down at the dress Marshal had bought for her to wear. It was little more than a thin silk sheath, embroidered and glittering with gems. Any other time and she would be ecstatic to wear something like it. “I should be wearing sackcloth and smearing ash on my face.”
Marissa took a couple more cautious steps into the room then reached out and picked up the beautiful dress, holding it up. “This is lovely,” she breathed. “Where did you find it?”
“Marshal bought it,” Lucinda said, a sneer to her voice as she spoke. Lukah wasn’t the only one who could buy beautiful things for his mate.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous. You’re going to be exquisite in it.”
“What do you want? Did you come in here to make me feel worse?” Lucinda rose to her feet, gathering her robe around her, and walked to the window to let her forehead rest against the pane, staring down at the busy people below her. Everyone was busy, working hard to make this so special.
Marissa took one more step toward the dark-haired woman, wishing she knew some way to break through the wall of cold steel that surrounded her. She hated to see anyone look so unhappy, especially on a day like this. She should be excited, dressing too early and worrying about her hair. She should be nervous about every little detail, from the ceremony to the reception afterward. She should be floating on air, mating with the one she loved; not looking as if her world was ending.
“If you’re so unhappy about this, why don’t you do something about it?”
“It’s tradition. It’s fucking tradition!” she snarled. “I have to do this or my family will lose face, my father will be shamed and our position in the clan will fall. Besides, Marshal has already bound himself to me, whether with my permission or not.”
“Marshal raped you?” Marissa growled.
“No,” Lucinda spat. Even in her upset and angry state, she couldn’t and wouldn’t let Marshal be branded with that stamp. “No. He seduced me, he didn’t rape me.”
“It’s time,” a female voice called from outside the door. It was pushed open and a bevy of women converged in the bedroom. Marissa saw the panicked look on Lucinda’s face and stepped in front of the women.
“Lucinda needs some time alone, ladies. She’d prefer not to have everyone touching her dress and trying to help her. The material is just so fragile...it’ll rip very easily.” She held out her hands, shooing the women in front of her and closing the door. Turning back to Lucinda, she smiled. “I’ll get them outside and give you time to yourself. If you need help or…or anything else, just call.”
Lucinda stared at Marissa in surprise, stopping her as she headed for the door. “Thank you,” she said, her shock evident in her tone. “I-I don’t know why you did that after everything I’ve done to you but I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem,” Marissa said. She grabbed the door handle.
“Maybe you could come back in a few minutes and help me?” Lucinda asked hesitatingly.
“I’d love to.” Marissa’s smile was genuine and friendly before she turned and walked out of the room.
* * * *
“C-children?”
Terry sat straight up in the bed, the covers he’d drawn over them pooling at her waist. “You want to talk about children now?”
“We’ve never talked about birth control and obviously,” he nodded toward the small wet spot on the bed, “we haven’t been using anything on my part. I thought you should know that now that you’re a were, well, the drugs you took as human don’t work. If you were taking the Pill…” he let the sentence draw out, seeing the shock on her face.
“Y-you mean, I could be pregnant?” Her hand went to her stomach, her eyes growing huge. “I could have your baby?”
“Babies. Multiples are kind of a given.” He flinched as she turned shocked eyes at him.
“Multiples! As in more than one baby?”
“That’s what multiples means, darling.” He reached out to touch her, but she pushed away, climbing out of bed and pacing the floor in front of him.
“This isn’t funny, Nashe. If this is your idea of a joke, knock it off!” She turned hopeful eyes his way. “It’s not a joke, is it?”
“No, I’m sorry.” He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her with amused green eyes. “I didn’t think the idea of us having a family would upset you so much.”
“I don’t know anything about being a mother, much less mother to more than one baby at a time. How the hell would I handle it? Do we have human babies or do they come out as…How would I explain to my mother that her grandchildren are part dog and part cat?” Terry blindly made her way to the side of the bed, collapsing down on the edge and staring off at nothing. She turned blank eyes to him, holding out her hand as if asking for his help.
“Baby,” he began, reaching for her and dr
awing her against him. “You’ll be a beautiful mother because you’ll love our children. I’ll be right there with you. Together, don’t you think we can handle anything?”
He held her close, stroking her hair, feeling her cold skin grow warmer. Pulling her down, he cuddled up behind her, pulling the covers over them. She spooned into his body, her head on his arm, drawing his other hand up between her breasts.
“Promise you’ll be there?” she whispered, sounding nothing like his strong-willed Terry.
“I promise,” he said, kissing her cheek.
Nashe let her settle in next to him, waiting until he heard her breathing deepen. Slipping away wasn’t easy when she had a death grip on his hand, but he finally managed. Then he pulled on his robe, going into his office and opening his laptop.
An hour later, he slipped off the robe, sliding in next to the woman he loved with all his heart. The things he’d just learned causing him to understand her better. “Terry,” he whispered, stroking her hair off of her face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She stretched, moaning and turning toward him, nuzzling his neck with her mouth. “Tell you what?”
“How you were raised, baby. Did you think I’d see you as anything less than what you are? You’re an incredible woman, your past makes you even more so.”
Terry opened her eyes slowly, staring at him.
“Don’t be mad, baby,” he said, seeing the anger in her eyes.
“What did you do? Did you call Marissa?”
“No, of course not. Today is Lucinda’s mating, I’d never get through at Lukah’s house.”
“Then how and what did you find out about me?” she asked, pushing aside his hands as she sat up to glare at him.
“You were raised as a foster kid. You went through many homes before you were fifteen. I read about the abuse, baby. I can understand your fear. That will never happen to our children, no matter what happens to us. They’ll be taken in by the clan, raised as weres, given what they need and helped to make their way in this world. I promise you.”