by Kit Tunstall
“I think you might have to. It’s the only way. I didn’t even think about this when we were discussing escape. He can find me anywhere.” Tears filled her eyes, and she allowed herself a moment of weakness as she surrendered to them. She didn’t sob or carry on as she let the tears slide quietly down her cheeks, wiping them away every few seconds until they were spent.
It was only then that Aidan spoke again. “There has to be a way to remove the mark. You know all about being a shifter, so how do we do that?”
She was concentrating on the question, so the epiphany blindsided her. “Oh my god. When you deactivated the power, you shut down life support for all of them, didn’t you?”
This time, he looked away from the road a bit longer, his expression sad and grief clearly visible in his eyes. “Yeah, but it was a necessary thing.”
She nodded, sadness welling in her at the thought of her teammates currently perishing, if they hadn’t already. It was a release though, and a blessing rather than a reason to be angry with Aidan for making the call. “It’s for the best, and we couldn’t have escaped without the power down.”
He nodded, and his expression was grim as he turned his head back to face the road. “Even if I’d found another way to escape, it had always been my goal to shut down the project as much as possible before leaving. I couldn’t let them keep using Jenny like that, and this way, we destroyed at least one hundred and fifty-four of their super soldiers, since the other two had disappeared off my meal roster. They must have been transitioned into the program.”
“They probably have more somewhere.”
He nodded. “I’m sure they do. We’re going to find them all and shut them down, but we have to get somewhere safe first. We have to get you unmarked.” He bit his lip, his attention straying in her direction just once before returning to the expansive road. He had finally flipped on the headlights, so he must have deemed them far enough away to be safe.
A moment later, she realized why as they merged onto a main highway when they came out of the woods they had been driving through. He had taken a different route, but she recognized the stretch of road from having traversed it a few days before. “Keep going north for the next forty-five minutes, though we might want to consider trading vehicles when the opportunity arises.” She slumped back in her seat, racking her brain to think of any way to remove Caswell’s mark. “Then we just have this other problem…”
“It would probably hurt, but what if we cut out that part? You’d heal yourself when you shifted, and the mating bite wouldn’t be there anymore, would it?”
She hesitated. “It might work, but it’s awfully close to my spinal column. Without delicate surgical instruments and someone trained to do it, you might end up killing me when you tried to remove the flesh around the bite.” Not to mention the idea of undergoing such a procedure without any hint of an anesthetic caused cold sweat to drip down her face and sent a shudder of dread through her. And if he used his teeth to rip out that section of her flesh, he really could kill her.
As an idea occurred to her, she sat up abruptly. “If you can stand to do it, you can bite me instead.”
His glance flicked at her before returning to the road. “What do you mean?”
A hint of excitement fizzed in her. “Caswell hasn’t bitten me since the first day he brought me to the base, and I’ve never bitten him. His pheromones are still mingled with mine, but not as strongly as they could be. It should be possible for you to bite me and replace his pheromones. You’d probably have to do it several times, and I’d have to shift in between, but it should obliterate his mark if you bite me instead.”
His voice was thick, and it was difficult to tell what emotion tinged his words. “If I bite you, does that mean I’m claiming you as my mate?”
She bit her lip before nodding. Then she cleared her throat and spoke in case he hadn’t seen the movement of her head. “Yes, that’s exactly what it means. If I bite you too, it strengthens the bond between us, and our pheromones will mingle faster.”
She closed her eyes. “I know it’s a lot to ask, especially since trying to mark another shifter’s mate can be physically painful, but it’s the only suggestion I have. Otherwise, you need to take off and keep yourself safe, because I couldn’t ask anyone to help me stay one step ahead of Caswell for however long it would take his pheromone signature to fade away. It could be days, weeks, or months.”
Her only knowledge was in cases where someone had a mate they had lost. For her, it had been her father, and he was fully human. It had taken months for her mother’s pheromones to fade away from her father’s signature, and she had been sad when it had finally done so, because it’d been another way to remember her mom when she was lonely or missing her.
“If I claim you as my mate, that’s for life.”
“Yes, it is, unless we stop marking each other. We can do that, and eventually we’d be free of each other. I think.”
He looked away from the road once more, expression serious, and his eyes burned with need. “And if I don’t want to be free of you?”
Warmth filled her chest, but she cautioned herself to be practical. There was an attraction between them, but that didn’t make a lifetime commitment. Undertaking the mating bite was a serious thing, and she hated to subvert its usual purpose to hide her presence from Caswell, but she was desperate to do anything to escape being his mate.
And there were certainly worse mates she could have than Aidan, no matter how long the relationship lasted. “That would definitely be something to talk about and explore.” That was as noncommittal as she could get, and she was stifling the coyote inside, along with her own urge to declare she didn’t want any other mate but him.
That would have been impulsive, bordering on foolish, since they barely knew each other. Despite her coyote’s certainty that he was the ideal partner, her human side remained more cautious. Circumstances had thrown them together and could have created a false sense of intimacy that might fall apart as soon as the union was tested in the slightest way.
That knowledge didn’t keep her from imagining what they would do when they reached a safe place, or fantasizing about what it would be like to have free access to Aidan’s body while imparting her own claim on him. Just the thought was enough to make her teeth sharpen, and she had to focus to push back the coyote.
She needed to keep it together and not allow emotions to interfere at the moment. They still had to survive and completely shake Caswell before they could make their way back to Sanctuary. Then, perhaps they could have a chance to see what else they might mean to each other besides mutual support and partners in fleeing Caswell and the base.
Chapter Ten
They reached the small safe house Lex and the others had eschewed for their rest the other night. She was glad he had pointed it out to them at the time, or else she wouldn’t have known of its existence without the right radio and current frequency to get updates from her team.
The last time she had been in this area, they had been focused on reaching Sanctuary, but now she was simply focused on shedding any mark from Caswell, and it was supposed to be a secure safe house. They would have to risk it, because the sooner she removed Caswell’s pheromone signature from hers, the sooner they could make a permanent escape.
It was a small apartment, designed for one or two people at most, which was part of the reason her team had chosen to bypass it and go on to the next safe house. Aidan flipped on the light as he followed her into the small studio, and it was cramped, though it was just the two of them.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her there should be food in the cabinets, but she was focused on removing Caswell’s mark. Aidan was still adjusting to his newly ramped-up shifter metabolism, and it was going to be difficult enough for him to make the bite to claim her where Caswell’s signature remained without him being hungry or exhausted. “Do you need to eat or rest?”
He surprised her by shaking his head. “Not right now. I think we
should just get to the marking and worry about comfort later.”
Perhaps she should have gently insisted he see to his needs first, but she was as anxious as he appeared to be to remove the link that would allow Caswell to track them. She did take a moment to flip on the thermostat, realizing how cold she was without clothes, let alone a parka or other outerwear. There hadn’t been time to grab any when they had fled in their shifter forms. If it hadn’t been for her shifter metabolism, she probably would have frozen in the Army truck, since its heater had been inadequate at best.
Aidan swallowed audibly as she moved closer to him, and his gaze was clearly on her body. He seemed to like what was revealed, and that was a good thing. Not simply because they shared a mutual attraction, but it would help him overcome the physical aversion of marking someone else’s mate. If he wanted her badly enough, it would help him persevere.
Not that she wanted it to be a situation where he felt like he had to do it, but it was their best opportunity to escape Caswell if they planned to stay together. Considering she’d only known Aidan for a few days, the thought of being parted from him permanently sent a disproportionate pang of dismay shooting through her chest.
After a moment, Aidan moved closer to her. His body was as beautiful as she remembered, and his cock was hard and ready for her. He cupped her face with his hands, bringing their mouths together in their first kiss. It was gentle, but with an underlying heat that burned between them even as he flinched.
Knowing the kiss must be painful for him, though it only felt amazing to her, Lex pulled away to bend down, resting her knees on the floor with her elbows on the mattress of the single bed. She pulled back the long swath of dark hair that obscured her neck, exposing the area where Caswell’s mark still itched slightly, and waited for his bite. Her stomach twinged with a combination of excitement and anxiety as the seconds ticked past.
***
Aidan stared down at Lex in the vulnerable position, and a wave of tenderness went through him, mingling with the longing he’d already felt. He’d been drawn to her from the moment he’d seen her in that modified prison cell, but since taking the agent that transformed him into a lion-shifter, his thoughts were much more primitive and visceral. His lion rumbled in the back of his head, and it took everything he had not to verbalize growly statement of possession. He was still getting used to the shifter senses, but he was certain he detected more than a small hint of arousal in her pheromones.
Unfortunately, she also stank of Caswell. It was a bitter, acrid stench in his nostrils, and he sneezed to clear it, though there was no clearing the smell, because it was part of her pheromones, at least until he took care of that problem.
Getting closer to her was simultaneously exciting and nauseating, because the nearer he drew to her, the more obvious Caswell’s mark became to his senses. It was like a klaxon screaming in his head, warning him away from the danger. Remembering the painful jolt that had shot through him when he kissed her, it took every bit of self-control he had to crouch down on the floor behind her. When he put his hand on her neck to feel the area where she was bitten, which still hadn’t healed completely despite her shifts, it practically burned his fingers.
He was already feeling a little unsteady from the injection he’d taken. He’d felt that way since he’d dragged himself to the supply closet after administering the agent, where he’d spent the next day-and-a-half sicker than he had ever been in his life. Even when he’d emerged, it was more because he’d known he had to set the rest of his plan in motion rather than because he felt close to recovered.
Fortunately, bringing down their power grid had been part of his plan for a while, so he’d had the program already written and waiting on his laptop. It had been a simple matter to upload it to their servers, since he had broken in via a back door weeks before, making it a priority from the time he’d arrived at the base as a civilian contractor.
He gritted his teeth as he bent closer to her, imagining he could feel waves of heat pouring off the bite at her neck. He didn’t know much about being a shifter yet, but his instinctive urge was to bite at exactly the same place Caswell had, and he figured it would be the most efficient way to inject her with his pheromones. There was a low level of desire for her underlying his actions, but he was currently so sick and repulsed by the notion that it held his need for her in check.
Swallowing heavily, he opened his mouth and willed his teeth to become fangs. Nothing happened for a long moment, and he was frustrated by his inability to shift only one targeted area. He didn’t need all of the lion to come out. With the pounding in his head, and his general state of feeling shaky, it was difficult to focus and coax his teeth forth. Only the silent ticking of the clock in the back of his head, reminding him Caswell drew closer with every moment that passed, forced him to persevere.
Finally, his teeth lengthened into fangs, and he ignored the rising surge of bile as he lunged forward and bit her, surrendering to instinct. He tried not to think about it and did his best to blot out all physical reaction as his teeth penetrated her flesh.
Almost immediately, she cried out, and he reeled back. He could tell from the amount of blood that he had bitten too deeply, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He was too busy retching and clearing the contents of his stomach. There was a taste in his mouth that he didn’t think he would ever get rid of, and it wasn’t just blood. That wasn’t pleasant either, but he was certain he could taste Caswell’s essence on his tongue. That made him spit again, though he had just vomited.
Lex shifted into the coyote, and when she shifted back, the bleeding had stopped, but the bite still looked fresh and new. He could still see an indentation of where Caswell had bitten her. Though not as strong, he could still smell Caswell’s pheromones mingled with hers.
When he bit her that time, it was a little easier, and his stomach heaved, but he didn’t vomit. She shifted and returned to her human form, and the bite was starting to look more like his mark than Caswell’s.
He bit her several times over the next ten minutes, allowing her time to shift in between to heal. Aidan continued biting her until the last remnants of Caswell’s pheromones had faded, and the bite mark he had left on her was completely gone. Only Aidan’s remained on her skin now, and seeing his mark on her now flawless skin reignited the desire that had banked and simmered during the process they had undertaken.
He moved behind her body, mimicking the posture he’d taken to bite her, but this time it was different. Instead of biting her, he placed a series of light kisses across her neck.
She shivered and moaned, and when she spoke, her voice was thick with passion. “We shouldn’t here. He might find us.”
Aidan was too far gone to pay attention to common sense, and he continued kissing her neck and shoulder, while occasionally nibbling on her flesh instead. In moments, she had melted against him, her back pressed against his chest as she leaned against him for support, her head thrown back and offering easy access to her neck.
He sucked at the bend of her neck, making her whimper and rub her slick heat against his throbbing cock. He cupped her breasts in his hands as he gently twirled his thumbs over her nipples, which hardened against his fingers as she arched her back to press more firmly into his hands.
Her pussy drenched him with her arousal, and he was at the mercy of his animal side when he lined up his cock with her opening, arching his hips to press gently into her an inch at a time. His senses told him she wasn’t ovulating, but he didn’t think anything could have stopped him in his desperate need for her even if she had been.
She moaned and pressed downward, clearly as equally lost in their need for each other as he was, though they remained firmly human as they came together. She slid down the length of him, her walls clinging to his erection as though making their own mark on him. He was happy to have it and surrendered to her as she took him completely inside her.
They remained joined together without moving for a moment, though he c
ontinued kissing her neck and fondling her breasts. Her fingers dug into the top of his hands where she’d cupped her hands over his, and he waited for her to move.
Just when he thought he couldn’t take it any longer, and he would die from not being able to move, she started riding him. From their position, her movements were restricted, but she was still sliding up and down his shaft. Each time she took him inside, she moaned, and his cock twitched as he gave an answering grunt of satisfaction.
Moving his hands from her breasts to her hips, he started helping her rise harder and faster before pulling her down against him as he thrust his hips frantically. Their mating was raw and primal, with none of the finesse or seduction he’d experienced in the past. He couldn’t imagine it being any other way with her the first time, especially after marking her as his.
He uttered a groan of protest when she suddenly pulled away, but it was only to shift around so she was facing him. They were only apart for a matter of seconds before she guided his heat back inside her, encompassing his full length as she slowly slid down his cock. Her mouth sought out his in a passionate kiss, and their tongues tangled and dueled for supremacy, though neither would be a loser. The sensations were too intense for both victor and vanquished.
They quickly adapted to the new position of her on top, with their mouths fused, and continued thrusting frantically against each other, both chasing release; almost competing for it. It was intense and animalistic, and when she moved her mouth to his neck, and then his shoulder, he sighed his pleasure when her teeth slipped into his skin a moment later.
There was a twinge of pain when she bit him, marking him as hers, but mostly it just brought ecstasy. Waves of pleasure rolled through him, and it was impossible to tell from where they emanated. Her pussy clenched around him as she came, biting harder than she had as she orgasmed. It sent him over the edge too, and there was so much pleasure from every nerve ending that he couldn’t have staved off his release if he’d wanted to. It truly felt like an all-body orgasm as he came, filling her with his release.