by Anne Kane
He found the hard nub of her clit and raked his thumb over it. “How about that?”
Nikki whimpered and arched herself against his hand. “Now.” She moaned. “I want you now. Inside me. Deep.”
Wolfe bared his teeth in a predatory smile and in that brief moment, he bore a striking resemblance to his namesake. He shifted position and she felt his stiff shaft probe impatiently at the entrance to her slick channel.
Then, to her immense frustration, he stopped. Avoiding Nikki’s instinctive attempts to impale herself on his stiff shaft, he caught her gaze, his expression deadly serious.
“Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to say no.”
Are you insane? Nikki squirmed and arched her hips upward, teasing herself with the tip of his cock. Of course I want to do this. Now quit talking and get on with it.
Wolfe shook his head, his brow furrowed in silent rebuke. “I need to hear you say it. Out loud.”
“Fine. I want this. Badly. Now fuck me.”
Wolfe’s expression melted into a savage smile of pure male triumph. He thrust deep, seating himself to the balls in her slick channel.
Nikki let out an involuntary gasp, her nails raking welts across his back as she clung to him. Honeyed heat slid through every nerve and pooled low in her belly.
He gripped her hips tightly, teasing her with his cock, withdrawing almost completely before sliding his hard length back into her swollen pussy inch by agonizingly slow inch until she squirmed mindlessly with desire, her body begging for release. She could feel his gaze burning possessively over her while she twisted and arched beneath him.
Please. She needed him more than she had ever needed anything else in her life. No male had ever made her feel this incredibly alive.
She opened her eyes, shivering at the stark need in his gaze as he lowered his head to devour her lips. White-hot fire consumed them and he plunged into her harder and faster until sanity fled and their world exploded into an impossibly brilliant rainbow of feelings.
Wolfe collapsed heavily on his side, still buried deep inside her. Careful not to crush Nikki’s smaller frame beneath him, he held her close as a multitude of tiny aftershocks rippled through them.
He stroked a damp lock of hair from her face, ghosting a tender kiss across the top of her head. “You are one amazing woman. I would have never guessed you to be one of the legendary selkies. My grandfather used to talk about how wonderful it would feel when I finally found my destined mate and bound her to me. I thought he was stuck in the past, too old to realize how much the world had changed in the last century. I wasn’t even sure your race still existed. I don’t think there’s been a single verified sighting since before I was born.” He traced the line of her lips with the tip of one finger. “You’ll never regret binding yourself to me.”
Nikki’s eyes flew open, searching his face in panic. Binding herself to him? Her lust-befuddled mind struggled to recall the question she’d answered so blithely in the throes of passion.
She knew the myths of course. It was said that when a selkie and her destined mate made love for the first time, a lifelong bond was formed, making them inseparable for the remainder of their lives. A nice story, but hardly borne out by reality. Despite the lovely fairytale, her parents’ bond hadn’t been strong enough to keep them together. Nikki had been barely five when her mother succumbed to the lure of the water and deserted her husband and children without so much as a backward glance. The myth was just that, romantic nonsense.
She’d merely been feeling a bit more needy than usual, and she’d used Wolfe to satisfy herself. Surely, even if the myths were true, it would take more than some words mumbled in the throes of passion to complete a binding.
Chapter Seven
Quiet! Wolfe tensed, one arm spread over Nikki’s hips to hold her down while he studied the shadows surrounding the house. Someone or something was moving up there.
He wasn’t ready to deal with her reaction to the binding yet, so he welcomed the distraction. The wild look in her eyes at the mention of bonding warned him that she wasn’t happy with him. Surely she’d known what would happen if they mated? He needed to tread carefully until they could discuss it, but not now. Something was definitely approaching the cabin.
There. Something’s moving. He gestured to the left of the house where moonlight reflected off a shiny object. As he studied the point of light through the branches, another sliver of light glinted off to the right. Winking in and out of view, it moved steadily in the direction of the cabin.
Damn. They must have been here all the time, waiting for us to settle before they made their move. He absently stroked the smooth skin in the hollow of her hip while he noted a third figure move into place from the scrub brush uphill from the structure.
Nikki twisted out of his arms, leaving him feeling oddly bereft and alone. She rolled onto her belly, giving her a better view of the cabin. These guys must be pros. They’re closing in from all sides. If we’d stayed in the house, they’d have us trapped. How did they miss seeing us leave the house?
The slight quaver in her tone betrayed the fear of exposure that haunted her existence.
They were probably watching the Jeep. Who would have anticipated us leaving on foot, this far from town? But it means they know you’re in the area. They never left.
He slid a hand down to cup the delightful curve of her ass. Good thing you decided to seduce me, isn’t it?
Nikki glared up at him, her attention successfully diverted. I needed to shift, to feel the water. I did not intend seduce you.
Wolfe allowed her to hear the laughter echoing through his mind. Maybe not, but you sure did a good job of it.
Nikki relaxed and a mischievous grin lit her features. Yeah, I did, didn’t I?
Wolfe lifted his hand and smacked her playfully on the butt, then lowered his head to kiss the hurt away. Vixen.
He glanced up at the ghostly figures slowly tightening in a ring around the house. I think we’d better get out of here before those guys discover the cabin’s empty. They’re not going to be happy.
How are we supposed to manage that? Both your Jeep and my car are up there. Nikki nodded toward the cabin. And we left the horse in town.
Wolfe acknowledged her comment with an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders. Standing, he held out a hand to help her to her feet before he picked up her jeans and tossed them to her. He stooped to pull his own on. We hike. I have a hunting cabin up on Hunter’s Range. There’s no road into it, and it’s not listed on any maps, so we should be safe for a bit while we figure out what to do.
Nikki shivered as she shimmied into her jeans and reached for the rest of her clothes. This hiking through the bush to safely is becoming quite the thing with you. She tossed her head and ran her fingers through her damp hair. Good thing I didn’t run down here bare-assed naked like I normally do.
Wolfe noted that she didn’t question his right to give her orders, which was good because he didn’t intend to let anyone get their hands on her. Keeping selkies safe had been the responsibility of the Druids for centuries. Just how much did she know about her heritage?
Nikki slipped her shoes on and turned to catch him watching her. She raised one eyebrow in inquiry.
Wolfe ignored the implied question. “Time to move.”
Nikki rose gracefully. “So what are we waiting for?” Her grin faltered just a bit and he followed her gaze to the cabin, where a circle of light could be seen slowly closing in on the small structure.
Taking her hand, Wolfe drew her away from the lake, heading deeper into the woods where he felt at home. The creatures of the night were silent, hiding from the disruption in their routine.
Wolfe squelched the urge to move faster. They needed to stay away from the roads and main trails. The moonlight sent dappled shadows dancing through the upper canopy of pines and made it harder to watch where they were putting their feet. They didn’t need one of them to trip and hurt themselves.
“Watch out for low branches.” Wolfe reached out to snag one just before it slapped her in the face. “We need to stay off the main trails until we’re further away from the house. They may have posted sentries.”
He led the way, winding through the forest as if he was strolling down a city road. When the trail widened out enough to allow them to walk side by side, he captured her hand in his and they strolled along the moonlit path as though they were sweethearts enjoying an evening outing.
“I get the feeling you weren’t all that surprised to find those men at the lake this afternoon. Has anything like this happened before?”
Nikki shrugged her shoulders, not answering.
“Well?” He let his impatience show in the bite of his voice. He couldn’t protect her if she didn’t tell him everything.
“No.” A hint of discomfort crossed her face. “I don’t know who they are or how they found out about me, but I’ve always known it could happen. I’m a selkie. Our race is on the verge of extinction, and it’s not because of natural causes. People are afraid of differences. What they fear, they destroy. I’ve never been hunted, but if someone has discovered my real nature, I’ll have to go underground, change my name, everything that identifies me. I’ve been so careful and I guess I thought no one would ever find out. It was so easy to pretend that I’m normal.” Her voice wavered, and she dropped her chin so he couldn’t see her expression. “Wonderful magical being I am, I’m sure those men must have an agenda and it probably involves me getting hurt.”
Wolfe’s gut churned with a dark fury at the thought of someone hunting Nikki, plotting to hurt her. His woman. “So this has happened before?”
“Not to me, but I’ve heard stories. There are religious sects that think anyone who isn’t one hundred percent human is an abomination and needs to be destroyed. Then there are the scientists who would love to have a specimen to dissect. And there’s always the lunatics with their own bizarre agendas.”
Wolfe sensed the barely restrained panic in her voice and he clasped her hand a little tighter.
She sighed and the sound ripped at his heart. “Some days I’d give anything to just be human.”
The dejected slump of her shoulders spoke volumes. Wolfe reached out to draw her close to his side, tucking her beneath his shoulder, close to his heart.
She leaned into him. Just a little. Enough to cause a warm, melting sensation, deep inside him.
* * * * *
“Come on, you can’t wimp out on me now. We’re almost there.” Wolfe held out an impatient hand toward Nikki, who lay sprawled on the ground, eyes closed in fatigue. They’d alternately walked and jogged through the woods for hours, following narrow animal trails and avoiding any signs of civilization. He could feel the exhaustion in every move she made, but he needed her to hang in for just a little longer. If they pushed, they could make it to the cabin before sunup.
Nikki stubbornly ignored his hand. “I can’t. I’m beat. I don’t care if they find us, just let me rest.”
Wolfe crouched on his heels, his empathy for his mate warring with his need to get her to safety.
Nikki’s chin jerked up and anger flashed in her eyes.
The corner of his mouth twitched with the beginnings of a smile. He really had to remember to censor his thoughts around her.
“I am not your mate. I had sex with you, just sex, so you can quit thinking like that. This isn’t the dark ages.” She rose to her feet and glared up at him. “I told you I wasn’t looking for a partner.”
God, she looked cute stomping her feet in anger. He couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in such a short time. Now he just had to convince one pissed-off, magic-wielding shifter that she really wanted to happily obey him and not kill him on the spot. It promised to be challenging, to say the least.
“You’re a selkie.” He paused to organize his thoughts. They needed to clarify their relationship for both their sakes.
Nikki’s eyebrows arched in disbelief. “I’m aware of that. What’s your point?”
“I’m a Cosantoir.”
“A what?” Confusion furrowed her brow.
“A Cosantoir. We’re an ancient sect of Druids. We look after the natural things of the earth. In turn, we’re able to harness the powers of the natural world to help us to protect them, hence the name Cosantoir.”
“Sounds like a very noble calling.”
Wolfe winced as the icy sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“And you think being a Cosantoir somehow gives you the right to just decide we’re a pair? To hell with what I want? Just because I’m not quite human doesn’t mean I’m an animal you can own.”
“I don’t think you’re an animal.” She didn’t understand and the hurt in her voice tore at his very soul. “I’m trying to explain the ritual binding and I’m not doing a very good job.” He sighed. “I planned on waiting ‘til we had more time, but maybe here, with the trees to guide me, is as good a place as any.”
He folded his long length gracefully into a sitting position and patted the ground beside him. “Come and sit. We need to straighten this out.”
Nikki gave him a wary look and sank down onto the leaves just out of reach. “I thought you were in a hurry to get to that cabin of yours.”
He sighed again. She wasn’t going to like what he had to say. Not at all.
“The men in my family have been Druids for hundreds of generations. We belong to a sect known as the Cosantoirs. It’s the sacred duty of the Cosantoirs to look after the earth. In order to do that, the Mother Earth granted us powers not shared by other mortals. We have the ability to harness natural powers, such as the four elements. We are all telepathic to some degree.”
He paused and eyed her up to see how she took the next part. “We also have the ability to bind our mates to us during our first joining. Traditionally we ask if they are willing. The binding allows us to sense where our mate is at all times and reinforces the private telepathic link between us. We can communicate without anyone else being able to listen in. It enables us to better protect them and our offspring.”
He could see Nikki tensing up and he hurried his conclusion. “I asked you if you were sure you wanted to make love and you agreed. I thought you knew what you were agreeing to. It never occurred to me that you didn’t know about the consequences. You spoke your consent aloud with the heavens and earth as witness. The physical act of intercourse sealed the binding. There’s no going back. It’s done. We’re bound for all eternity.”
“The hell we are!” Nikki surged to her feet, slamming the palms of both hands into his chest. “That’s not fair. I wasn’t paying attention and you knew it. I didn’t intend to agree to anything but sex. I don’t want to be bound to you or anyone else. Fix it. Now.”
Wolfe easily deflected her attack and captured both wrists, holding her captive against his larger frame. He admired the way she glared up at him, undaunted by his superior size and strength. She’d make a wonderful mate.
He sighed. All he had to do was convince her that he was her one true love and that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Not likely, you oversized idiot. She blasted the thought into his mind with the full force of her fury. What part of “I don’t want to be your mate” did you find hard to understand?
She punctuated the sentence with another glare from those sexy green eyes.
The corner of Wolfe’s mouth twitched with amusement he dared not show. Methinks the lady doth protest too much.
Nikki wheeled around and stalked out of the clearing ahead of him.
The lady is contemplating murder.
* * * * *
“That’s not a cabin.” Despite her exhaustion, Nikki stared in awe at the structure intertwined with the massive oak tree. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen a house built into a tree like that. It looks as if it belongs here.”
The dwelling wove in amongst the sturdy branches of the ancient tree. Patios and balconies skillfully balanced on outs
tretched limbs. An aura of peace and tranquility permeated the clearing and the cheerful chirping of birds and droning of insects formed a melodic background.
The selkie in her noticed the pond at the left edge of the clearing. A cheerful waterfall splashed at one end and a small creek meandered away from it. If she’d designed it herself, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Thank you.” Wolfe came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “My grandfather owned a little over five hundred acres up here and we built the house together, a bit at a time. The oak tree is sacred to the Druids and to sleep in its arms is considered a privilege.” He gave her a lopsided smile that lit up his sexy blue eyes. “It’s a whole lot easier to sleep in a tree if you build a house in it first.”
Nikki eyed the tree house, unable to see any way to access it. “So how do we get up there? Is your grandfather here?” Somehow, the structure looked deserted, as if it were waiting for their arrival to come to life.
“My grandfather passed away five years ago, but I’m sure his spirit is still here, watching over his beloved forest. As for how we get up there, we use the stairway.”
Nikki could hear the teasing note in his voice. She bet he hoped she’d forgotten the binding thing. She hadn’t, but right now all she wanted was a bed and maybe a shower. If he was under the delusion that she’d bought into all that binding crap, well, that was his problem and they’d deal with it later. After she got a good night’s sleep.
She glanced up at the horizon where faint streaks of light heralded the coming of dawn. Make that a good day’s sleep. Night was just about over.
She looked over at Wolfe. Despite the physical exertion they’d gone through, he looked alert and ready for action. Maybe being a Cosantoir had a few benefits that didn’t involve tricking unwary selkies into binding with them.
“Lead on. I’m hoping there’s a real comfortable bed in that tree house of yours.”
A lazy grin spread across his craggy features and the echo of his laughter floated through her mind.