Deep River Shifters 4 Book Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  “But it was only a couple of seconds.”

  “So you could have waited a couple of seconds.”

  “Don’t you think you are being a little over-protective?”

  Silas brought a hand to his mouth in thought, then slowly reached out and touched the place on her head that she had injured. “I don’t want you to get hurt again. It seems like you have had a run of bad luck with me around. I want to keep anything else from happening.”

  He began to pull his hand back. Naomi reached up and grabbed his hand. Holding it, she studied his face. “Why? You hardy know me. I'm just another human. How many like you are out there? It isn’t worth you getting killed trying to protect me.”

  He blinked a couple of times, then squeezed her hand. “I don’t feel that way.”

  Naomi watched several emotions cross his face. Her heart sped up a little, and she knew that he had no idea what to do. Looking down, she took a step forward. Naomi wasn’t sure that she was right, but she wanted to make it easier if he felt the same way as she did.

  His hand let go of hers and gently pressed against her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt the warmth spread through her. When she opened them again, he was looking at her with uncertainty.

  “It’s okay.” She smiled shyly at him.

  Taking a hesitant step towards her, Silas leaned over a little. His lips were soft and warm as he kissed her. It lasted about a second before he started to straighten up. Naomi moved forward. Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips against his with a lot more force. She opened her mouth a little and brushed his lips with her tongue. His mouth opened, and she was surprised at how quickly his arms slid around her back. Lifting her off the ground, Silas seemed to be pulling her to him with a sense of urgency. Naomi wrapped her legs around his hips, and was surprised when she felt her back getting pressed against the computer monitor.

  Pulling away a little, she murmured, “Bedroom.”

  Silas began kissing her again, his initial shyness completely gone. Naomi barely noticed anything as she pressed her hips into him. He groaned and pressed a large hand against the small of her back. Naomi began to unbutton his shirt, her hands having trouble working the buttons as she continued to press her hips into him. As soon as she finished unbuttoning his shirt, her hands ran along his smooth, muscular chest. She slid them up and into the shirt sleeves, then pushed the shirt off of him. Silas’ hands pulled her shirt up, and she backed away just enough to let him slide it over her head. He threw it on the foot of the bed, then lay her down on the bed, his body pressing on top of her.

  Shifting her body a little, he stopped kissing her. “Are you comfortable?”

  Naomi responded by pulling his head back to her and kissing him. Her other hand began to work on his pants. Silas pulled away a little and undid them. Sliding them off, he climbed back on the bed and began undoing her pants. Naomi reached her hands back and undid her bra, then removed the straps as Silas finished removing the rest of her clothes. Throwing her bra on top of her shirt, Naomi looked up expectantly. Silas was looking down at her, his expression one of awe. His body was streamlined and muscular in ways that she had never seen, and she couldn’t miss how large he was. Naomi tilted her head to the side and held out her arms. Silas slowly leaned over, his touch soft as his hand slid around her breast. Naomi moaned and arched her back up, closing her eyes. The feel of his mouth over her nipple sent a wave of warmth and pleasure through her. She wrapped her legs around him as she ran her hands through his hair, applying just enough pressure with her fingers to massage his scalp. He moaned into her chest, then slid a hand around her back. The other hand slid down to her hip and around to the back. He began to kiss her again, as he pressed inside of her. Part of her was surprised at just how skilled he was, but a part of her was smug—she had always thought Jamie wasn’t nearly as skilled as he thought he was. The way Silas moved was smooth and graceful. Naomi threw her head back, and he began kissing down to her neck as he slid in and out of her a little, as if trying to toy with her.

  “More. Oh, Silas, more.”

  The pain was sudden and shocking as he pressed fully into her. Naomi let out a gasp.

  “Are you okay?” Silas immediately began to pull away from her.

  Naomi wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back down. “Just a little too fast. You are a lot bigger than what I’m used to, and I think it was just shocking.”

  “Are you sure?” His eyes were full of concern as he looked down at her.

  She leaned up and kissed him gently on the mouth. He slowly lowered himself back down, this time letting his hand explore her body, stimulating her until she was almost begging again. Slowly, he worked into her, his motions smooth. As soon as he was fully inside again, Naomi threw her head back, her legs squeezing him as she climaxed. Silas kissed her neck, moving his hands along her hips, as he continued to push fully into her. Her body tensed almost as soon as she started to relax.

  When she finished, Silas wrapped a hand around her head and began to kiss her. Naomi allowed herself to get lost for a moment, then she moved her mouth toward his ear. “Your turn.”

  He stopped and gave her a questioning look. With a smile, she flipped him on his back and started to move up and down on him. She enjoyed watching as he closed his eyes at the sensation, his hands holding onto her hips. Leaning over, she pressed her breasts into him as she kissed his neck. She felt him harden inside of her, and began moving more rapidly.

  To her surprise, he did not soften much afterward. Not until he looked at her, then what had happened seemed to dawn on him. “I’m not wearing any protection! We have to get you—”

  “I’m on the pill, so you can’t get me pregnant.”

  “But what about—”

  “I’ll go get tested to make sure you didn’t pass anything to me. It was a risk, but you are more than worth it.”

  Silas looked up at her, “Do you think your ex gave you something?”

  She shook her head, “We haven’t done anything in over a year. I may have pretended I believed he was faithful, but I still got tested twice since our last time. I'm usually quite particular about this kind of thing. Well, it was just him before you, so I’m probably a lower risk than you.” She smiled at him.

  Silas looked up at her, “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve only been with you and Jamie. I’ve never been with anyone else, and since it has been a while, you should be fine.”

  Silas bit his lip, “What makes you think I have more experience than you?”

  She blinked down at him. “The only way you could have less experience is if I were your first, and with your skills, I don’t…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down at him. That was when his behavior finally made sense. He had been shy and uncertain about almost everything up until she told him to take her to the bedroom. “Wait, I’m not your first, am I?”

  “I’m—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

  Naomi leaned down and kissed him tenderly before he could apologize again. She enjoyed feeling him begin to stiffen again inside of her.

  Chapter 10

  Slight of Form

  Naomi was pressed up against Silas, tired but unable to sleep. She was quite shocked at how quickly he had fallen asleep after they had finished, almost like it had completely drained him. Given it was his first time and how long they had gone, she couldn’t blame him. She was tired, but too happy and comfortable to sleep. A sound from downstairs caught her attention.

  Like a Jack-in-the Box, Silas sat up. “Get dressed. They are here.”

  Tired as she was, Naomi quickly rose and got dressed. By the time she was ready to run, Silas had made the bed. She would have admired his handiwork if she had time—it looked like no one had been in it.

  “Shouldn’t we strip it? No one should be sleeping in it after—”

  Silas looked at her, “Don’t worry, they will wash them. These kind of people won’t sleep in a bed that isn’t freshly cleaned first.”r />
  “Oh.” It seemed strange, but Naomi figured he knew what he was talking about. “What about wiping down the rest of the place for finger prints?”

  “Unnecessary. Everything else will be covered because of how many people they have here. And they were here about three weeks ago. Our fingerprints should blend in. The security system is the only thing that a couple of people would have touched. It was mostly a precautionary measure anyway. The security team is going to focus on the guys outside, and they will get fingerprints from that. If they bother at all.”

  The sound of glass breaking was their signal. Silas grabbed Naomi’s hand and pulled her down the hall and to a small room. They would hide there until the security team arrived. Since the poachers were making their move at night, there was pretty much no chance that they would notice the room tucked into the side of a room that branched off of the kitchen.

  They listened to men yelling at each other, but never saw any light as the guys did not make it close to them. Less than 30 minutes after Silas had woken up, they heard noises outside. A few gunshots rang out in the night, but they quickly stopped. Ten minutes after the last gunshot, Silas whispered in her ear, “Time to go.” He didn’t wait for a response as he picked her up and quickly moved toward a door in the room next to theirs.

  He slipped into the shadows outside. Too nervous to talk, Naomi trusted him to do the right thing, especially when she remembered he wasn’t human. It quickly became obvious that he had much better night vision because he weaved seamlessly through the guards, guards she didn’t even see until they passed them. Making a mental note to tell him how amazing he was, Naomi pressed against him.

  “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. It’s almost over.” His voice was soothing, and she pushed tighter against him.

  “I’m not scared. I trust you.” Her voice was low and faint, but she felt certain that he could make out the words. Her belief was confirmed when he squeezed her.

  They made their way through the outside and into the nice shrubbery. Naomi realized that she had forgotten to check it out from the window, and now that she was out in it, she realized that it was a maze. “I’ve seen these in movies,” she whispered to him.

  “Would you like to stroll through it?”

  “Don’t we need to get out of here?”

  She could see his amazing hazel eyes and the way his hair swayed in the dark, moonless night. His smile was angelic as he said, “All of the guards who are left are either combing the boundaries or inside getting something warm to drink.” He then set her down. “If they come this way, it will be easy to hide in here.”

  She slid her hand into his. “A walk sounds nice.”

  Giving her hand a slight tug, Silas drew her to him. Wrapping an arm around her, he murmured, “You look cold.”

  With a slight giggle, she placed an arm around his waist and leaned her hand against the side of his chest.

  Despite spending over an hour walking through the shrubs, she did not feel cold. They heard a car start up, dragging her out of her happiness. Silas sighed, “Well, this has been nice, but we need to go.”

  “How are we getting back to town?”

  “We hitch a ride. Without them realizing it.” He gave her a sly smile, then lifted her off the ground.

  “I can walk, you know,” she said close to his ear.

  “We need speed, and my legs are a lot longer, and stronger.”

  Naomi laughed a little as they moved noiselessly across the ground. Avoiding the lighting and cameras, Silas reached the remaining vehicles. The security team was occupied with something in the corner of the home, making it easy for Silas to open the back door of one van. He set Naomi down inside and followed after she moved away from the door. They lay down on the floor, pressing against each other as they waited for the security team to move out.

  They didn’t have to wait long.

  The van started up and moved along behind the rest of the cars down the road.

  “Well, Silas, you sure scared the shit out of Ryland.”

  Naomi jumped as the male voice spoke in front of them. Silas rubbed her thigh, then sat up. “It’s not like I planned it.”

  “Well, now you really owe me. I had to explain why I was there instead of you, and he did not like that explanation.”

  “If you really want to stop dealing with it, you know what to do.”

  The driver let out a loud groan, “I know. I know. And after the last few weeks, I think I am ready for it. I can’t keep running from it forever.”

  Naomi sat up. “Can’t keep running from what?”

  “Jesus!” The vehicle swerved just a little as the driver was surprised by the unexpected addition. “Silas.” His voice was much sterner now. “What is she doing here? Why did you drag her along on one of your missions? You are getting way too—”

  “He didn’t do anything wrong!” Naomi cut in, finally recognizing the voice as Alaric’s. “He happened upon me after those guys shot up my car. It broke down while I was trying to go visit my parents. They thought that I was a decoy, so they planned to use me against you guys.”

  Alaric’s jaw clenched as he listened. He looked up into the rearview mirror. “How much does she know?”

  Silas looked guiltily out the window. “No more than Serenity. Okay, slightly more than Serenity.”

  “Dammit, Silas. After what Ryland and Emery—my God, you guys are all acting like teenagers.”

  “Well, I’m really not that far removed from being one. That gives me a better excuse than them.”

  “No, no, I cannot keep letting this slide. Humans are not supposed to know about us, but you guys seem to be taking that part of our creed incredibly lightly.”

  “There is something about Naomi that Serenity and Cora do not have.”

  Alaric narrowed his eyes. “And what is that?”

  Silas looked at her and smiled, “She’s a teller.”

  The vehicle swerved a little again as Naomi giggled. “You make it sound like I work at a bank.”

  Alaric pulled over to the side of the road, the other security vehicles long out of sight. “Are you serious? She has the dreams?”

  Silas looked away from her for a moment. “It’s how I knew to establish the security connection. Without her, things would have been a lot riskier.”

  “Do you realize what this means?” Alaric was staring at Naomi hard. She shrunk back under his intense gaze. People had given her that look for a long time—it meant Alaric wanted something from her.

  “I know what it means, but you can’t use her. She has been used her entire life, and I am not going to force her to—”

  Naomi placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Silas. If it helps you and keeps you safe, I will do it.”

  He looked down at her, his expression soft. “Are you sure? You don’t even know what you would have to do.”

  “I just have to tell you about the dreams I have with bears in them.”

  Silas’ eyes went wide and he looked at Alaric, who gave a low whistle, “She’s sharp.”

  Silas took her hand. “Yes, but to have those dreams, you pretty much have to sleep with me. All the time.”

  Naomi scratched the back of her head. “I already said I would help, didn’t I? You don’t have to sell the idea to me with those kinds of promises.”

  “No, I mean to have those dreams you have to—oh.” Silas began to blush furiously. “I didn’t mean—it wasn’t meant to—I—”

  She placed a hand over his as Alaric chuckled. “Silas, you keep proving that you are the most valuable of us all, and now it looks like you are finally getting what you always wanted. A hot woman who can give you a run for your intellectual money.”

  It was Naomi’s turn to blush as Silas stared at her.

  From the front seat, Alaric cut into their thoughts. “Not in my vehicle, please. It’s just a rental.”

  Silas turned with a deep scowl on his face. “Like I would do that in someone’s car.”

  Alaric
looked up into the rearview. “Right, because a stranger’s bed is so much better.”

  Silas looked away, his face a bright red. Naomi looked between them, then realized that they were having a silent conversation, one that she could probably guess at. She leaned over and pressed up against Silas, and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

  She woke only when he whispered that they were back at her dorm. With a big yawn, she followed him out of the van.

  Chapter 11

  When One Thing Ends

  Naomi was smiling as she got out of the van, but that quickly disappeared as she looked into the angry face of Jamie.

  “You stupid bitch. I waited for you here for hours. It’s almost midnight, and you come here with another guy. You absolute slut, I bet you have been cheating on me the whole time. I—” He stepped toward her.

  Silas moved in front of her, catching Jamie’s fist as he tried to punch Naomi. “You must be the cheating, lying little dick.”

  Naomi watched as Jamie’s face contorted with rage. “And you are nobody. Do you hear me, you are a nobody. Do you know who I am?”

  The sound of the van door slamming behind them caused all eyes to look back. “Is there a problem?” Alaric strolled toward them, the shadow covering most of him. His trench coat flowed out behind him as he slipped his hands in his pockets.

  “Oh, I see, you are too much of a little yellow shit to fight your own fights, so you bring in shorty here to try to intimidate me.” Jamie took another swing, this time landing a punch on Silas’ bicep. Immediately Naomi’s ex pulled his hand back with a whimper.