The Devil's Pride (Wild Beasts Series)

by T. Birmingham

  They drove back to Cam’s, Alexia tight against Devon’s back, her thighs closely knit to his side. She could feel the heat coming from his body, and she wanted to escape into him, to let everything go. All the secrets. All the changes. But beyond that, she just wanted him. Wanted him for herself, his scent surrounding her as she held him to her for forever.

  When they reached Cam’s place, Devon parked on the gravel path Cam liked to call a driveway. It wasn’t. But Alexia didn’t complain. She’d fucking kill to live on this land for all eternity. They hopped off the bike and made their way into the house, which was quiet. Mindy and Cam were probably working on the newest case.

  “Give it to me, Red,” Devon said, once they were in her room. He sat down on the bed, his large frame overwhelming, and yet just perfect in the small room they were sharing, and he took off his biker boots. She removed her own boots as well, and they stretched out on the red comforter. Alexia didn’t miss the irony in the fact that they slept in red every night and still hadn’t had sex. Yep. Looked like her unlucky streak with the color red was continuing.

  Alexia told him about the Skröm, but also about Nicky and the strange man who’d saved her. She didn’t tell him the strange man was her Uncle Graham, nor did she tell him all that she’d learned about Mally and Devon’s family, but he at least knew the rest. Alexia felt awful hiding what Nicky had told her, but she was trusting Nicky to do the right thing. Scary as it was to place her trust in him again, even if for a completely different reason this time.

  “Huh. And you say this man seemed familiar, but you didn’t recognize him?” Questions like these were why she hated having secrets.

  “Not really,” Alexia hedged, trying to brush off the question.

  “Well, whoever he is, he’s part of the Vuković Clan. It’s possible he just seems familiar since you’re their future Councilor.”

  “Hmmm,” she said, absentmindedly. “I didn’t know that was a thing, but maybe.”

  “You’ll get used to all of this someday, and then it’ll feel like second nature,” Devon said, pulling her back in and giving her a kiss. A long kiss. A kiss that heated her blood. They’d been doing a lot of kissing lately – and really not much else.

  She felt his tongue glide along the opening of her mouth, and she let him in even as his hands went to her butt. He gave a good couple squeezes, and she returned the favor by giving his ass a good squeeze as well.

  He chuckled and pulled back.

  “What now?” she asked, exasperated. Having to constantly stop when things were just getting interesting was really grating on her. Why didn’t he want to go further?

  “We shouldn’t,” he answered, almost as if he were in pain. But his voice was firm, and he moved back from the bed as if to make a point. What the fuck that point was, she had no idea. “Not now.”

  “What do you mean, not now? It’s freaking three in the afternoon,” Alexia said, so sexually frustrated and angry that she jumped up from the bed and avoided the arm he reached out to her with.

  With Cam and Mindy both working on these murder cases, not to mention the fact that those two had been über weird around each other this week – Alexia and Devon had been alone a lot.

  “And fuck,” Alexia continued, shouting now. “But between the new murders, training, Cam not being able to get his shit together, Mindy’s worries over the Clan connection, and everything else…and you,” she said, a little more calmly, the steam leaving her suddenly. “Look,” she said, trying to add a little light-heartedness back into the conversation after her tantrum, “all I want is to have some good old-fashioned sex with my mate. Is that too fucking much to ask for?”

  Did he not want to have sex?

  “Stop, Red. I can see you over thinking things,” Devon scolded playfully. “It’s not that I don’t want to – believe me, I do – but we haven’t really talked about what it means to be mated. Yes, you are my mate, and fuck yes, we will be having amazing sex very soon, or we might both explode…”

  He pulled her chin up to meet his gaze because she’d started to pull away in embarrassment.

  His lips twitched. “But honestly, the best reason for why we can’t finally form our bond, and have what we are meant to have, is because we’ll be having company in a bit,” he continued, giving her a significant look.

  “Oh, shit!” she said, feeling silly. She had, just maybe…overreacted…just a bit. “It’s Thursday. Shit, I’m sorry, Devon. I totally forgot. We have the training thing with Carrie and Ben, right?”

  “Yes,” Devon said, chuckling, “the training thing.” He paused for a moment as Alexia made her way into the bathroom to fix her wayward hair. Truth be told, she was excited about training. She liked working with Ben and Carrie even though she secretly hoped they didn’t turn out to be murderers, but then again, crossing her fingers that people she liked weren’t murderers seemed to be her new hobby.

  Reece Morgan and Tessa Thompson had left the morning after they’d shared pizza at the motel, which was good because Alexia didn’t know if she could hold her Skröm side back. That side of her had gotten stronger since she’d taken Mindy’s blood, and she’d found over the almost two weeks since, that she needed blood from Devon a few times a week. Okay, she only needed the blood a couple times a week. She just liked it – a lot. Her mate was incredibly addictive.

  Alexia could feel him in her head when they shared blood, and his feelings, his goodness, his compassion, his strength – all of those things reached inside of her and made her stronger. She had thought drinking blood would make her evil, but instead, she was becoming better.

  Her strength was becoming more evident, too. Devon had explained that drinking blood was necessary, or she’d lose weight and wither away like the sickly humans who were half Skröm but who couldn’t drink blood like their heritage demanded of them. He’d also explained that the change to Skröm was still happening, that she would become stronger, and that eventually, she would only need blood once a week depending on what power she used.

  “So, I hope it’s okay, but I invited James,” Devon said from the doorway. Alexia didn’t stop working on her hair, but she did feel her heart stutter.

  He looked so nervous as he stood in the doorway, so she gave him her brightest smile.

  “That sounds awesome, Devon,” Alexia said. He looked relieved when she stopped to give him a kiss on his cheek and then brushed past him, making sure to let him feel as much of her as she could let him feel. They might not be having sex that afternoon, but they were going to have sex – and soon – and there was absolutely nothing wrong with getting him a little more excited about the act.

  He made a groaning sound, and she knew she had achieved her goal. Score one for the half vampire/half werewolf. Her Clan sides agreed, and she felt them brush up against her insides in anticipation. Oh yes, she was going to like it when she was finally able to have her mate all to herself.

  “Are Tinkerbell and Hercules staying for dinner? We could hit up Trappe’s,” Alexia said as she grabbed her stretchy workout pants and her Garth Brooks t-shirt to head back into the bathroom. She wasn’t all rock and roll. A girl had to branch out a bit. And Garth…oh, but he was the shit.

  “Don’t know. You could ask them when they get here,” he said in a pensive tone. “And maybe don’t call them Tinkerbell and Hercules when you do. Carrie hates it when people treat her like she’s tiny – even though she bloody well is. Ben is a little serious but he’s got his reasons, so don’t push his buttons, Red…” His voice trailed off.

  He had something else to say, so she just waited. Devon was strong, confident, and he was already one of the steadiest people in her life, but he had some insecurities. Most notably, he hated second-guessing those he cared about. It was as though he thought they’d love him less if he contradicted them.

  Alexia might fight tooth and nail to get her way and her opinion in, but she cared about him, and she respected him, and if Devon had something to say, it would be importa
nt. So, she waited even though a part of her wanted to speak up. She needed to give him time, let him know he was just as safe with her as she was with him.

  “So, Nicky… I know you said I don’t need to worry about him, and I believe you,” he added, quickly. “I’m just concerned about his role in all of this. He showed up right at the time of the murders. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

  Fuck, Alexia thought. He had a point, and of course she couldn’t tell him what she knew.

  “Hmmm…” she said, and left it at that. She stayed in the bathroom and waited for him to continue. She couldn’t hide her facial expressions from him, and he’d know she was lying if he saw her right now.

  “Hmmm?” Devon asked, frowning. “That’s it?”

  “No,” Alexia said, cautiously. “That’s not it… Just thinking…” What could she say? Damn you Nicky, she thought as she pulled her hair back more tightly into its elastic. Any tighter, and she’d be pulling the curly strands out of her scalp.

  “I just think we need to watch him,” Devon said, coming into the doorway. He leaned against the frame, overtaking the doorway with his large form, and Alexia followed the movement of his body. The leg that took most of his weight was bunched under the jeans, and she could see the definition even through the heavy fabric. Her gaze moved upward past six-pack abs that were now exposed. He must have taken off his shirt when he was in the bedroom. God, was she drooling? She watched as his arms crossed his chest and slowly lifted her gaze past his neck and his strong jaw to look directly into his captivating grey-green eyes. Those eyes… Alexia took a deep breath to fortify her jangling nerves.

  “Huh?” she asked. What the hell had they been talking about?

  “Nicky”—and if that wasn’t a bucket of ice water right over her head—“we need to watch him.”

  “You’re right,” Alexia said, looking reluctantly toward the mirror and away from her mate. But Devon was right. She wanted to know what was going on, and all the secrets were shit storms just waiting to happen.

  “So, you’re good if I let James know to set someone on your ex?” Devon asked, and Alexia saw the wary look he gave her out of the corner of her eye.

  Her stomach knotted at the mention of James’ name. Her biological father was a good leader. Maybe not the rightful Councilor for the Vuković Clan any longer, but he’d raised up The Lodge and he’d become the leader of a place she’d learned was more than just a home. It was a haven for any and all Clan members who maybe stood outside the ranks of normal Clan society. She could appreciate that.

  She had seen James a few times over the past couple weeks, but their conversations were stunted. She didn’t know his motives or if he and his family, other than Devon, could be trusted, and he was hesitant about sharing more information on her mother. Alexia knew it was to protect her, which just made keeping the secrets she had that more difficult.

  She didn’t think he had anything to do with Mally’s murder or even the recent murders, but Nicky and her Uncle Graham had some information she couldn’t ignore. So, despite the fact that she didn’t think James was involved, she had a bad feeling about Reece. She just felt it, in her gut, that he was no good. And Alexia was going to make sure they found the proof, and he got what was coming to him.

  “Man Bear,” Alexia finally said, having exhausted all possible escape tactics including the taming of her hair, although that was usually a necessity. She took a breath and moved toward him. “This is important. These murders are scary and everyone is worried. People coming into our town with all of these secrets is not going to help. Set someone on him, do what you need to do. It’s all good.” She gave him a brief kiss on the lips and backed away to put her sneakers on.

  “One other thing, Red,” Devon said from the doorway of the bathroom. He still hadn’t turned around even though she’d walked into the bedroom.

  “What’s up, Man Bear?” Alexia asked as she sat on the bed and finished tying up her Nike’s.

  She stood, and quick as lightning, Devon was in front of her, pulling her to him. His lips met hers, and she didn’t hesitate in opening for him. His tongue tangled with hers, and she felt the contact low in her body. In fact, at that moment, his large hand landed on her hip and pulled her into his, and she could feel him for real now. His thigh moved between her legs and he was hard against her belly. She rubbed herself against him loving the feel of his tongue, his thigh, his hardness, and his hands as they reached under the Garth shirt and the sports bra to tweak her nipple.

  “Please,” she begged, pulling away from his kiss for a moment, not at all caring that she wasn’t ever one to beg. He took her mouth again, biting her lip and nipping down her neck. His hand worked under her shirt, and she felt electricity form from the delicious friction he was creating. The hand at her hip continued massaging the muscles there. Just as he nipped at her chin, that hand shifted and moved along the seam of her workout pants playing with the top before it slowly slid downward.

  She hadn’t worn underwear, and his hand paused for a minute. He groaned and she smiled with her head tilted back. Her face might be a wide-open book of emotion, but she still had some secrets.

  “Fuck, Red,” Devon breathed out, and his voice was so low, she knew his bear was right there on the surface. The supernatural calm that came from that voice sent such shivers through her body. She moaned, and then his hand moved lower, touched her where her tension built, and she whimpered louder. His thigh still between her legs, his one hand on her breast and the other moving against her clit, she had to have more.

  She moved her hands from his shoulders, one curling around his back and the other moving in between their bodies. She slowly moved the one hand in between them, feeling the hard length of him. God, he was so tall and strong and powerful. She pulled down his jeans and he removed his hand from under her shirt while they adjusted positions. His hand near her clit stayed where it was though, and for a second during the transition, a finger had slipped inside of her. Oh. My. God, she thought, but she needed to feel him.

  She got his jeans down a little, but they were held up by the bent leg in between her thighs, so she had just enough room to work. She took some of the pre-cum from the tip and moved it around the head of his length. His groan was the best sound she’d ever heard and it made her bolder. She pulled her hand away for a second and brought it to her mouth to lick her fingers, which she brought back to his hardness. She moved her hand slowly up and down the length of him as he did the same to her clit. He glided his fingers along her entrance, every once in a while, stealing a kiss and nipping at her chin but mostly just looking at her.

  They looked at each other, her eyes following his as they gave each other release. The building of tension was short-lived, though, and no sooner had they started that she saw the light in his eyes grow brighter and her own breaths became heavier. She wanted to throw her head back, to get lost in the moment, but she needed his eyes more. She needed this moment of looking into each other’s souls more. They came together, eyes bright, teeth biting at their own lips, hands clinging to one another as they set each other free. Only after that did their eyes close. Alexia fell back onto the bed and Devon crashed next to her, his dick still out.

  Alexia started laughing.

  “Was that funny, Red?” he asked, moving his head toward her, their bodies in a tangle.

  “Your dick hanging out is funny, Man Bear,” she said as she put one leg over his body and reached up to kiss him deeply.

  They heard a knock, and they both groaned.

  “That would be Hercules and Tinkerbell,” Alexia said, still laughing.

  “Please, Red,” Devon begged. “Don’t call them that to their faces.”

  “Just in my head,” Alexia said.

  “They’re Taryn,” Devon said, standing and fixing his clothes. “It’s the same thing. No wonder Ben and Carrie have been throwing scowls your way these past couple weeks.”

  “I can’t help what I think,” Alexia said, hoppi
ng up to shrug out of the old and to change into a new shirt. Her last one wasn’t as clean as it had been. She smiled to herself as she threw on her blue Tears for Fears Vintage t-shirt.

  “You ready to turn wolf today?” Devon asked, changing the topic. Her mood deflated. “Come on, Red. From the story you told me about what happened with Nicky and the stranger, it’s almost as if you had a partial change and were able to control it. I’d say the issue might be drawing your wolf out a bit, and I don’t think it’s your wolf who’s afraid, is it Red?” Devon asked.

  “Not gonna talk about it right now,” Alexia said snootily, but Devon just chuckled and let it go. Probably because he knew she’d be seeing her wolf sooner than she wanted to.

  Alexia took a breath, grabbed Devon’s hand in comfort, and walked out into the hall, only to find Carrie and Ben standing next to James in the entryway. She was glad Reece had left with Tessa to go check on their staff at Hogwarts Lodge. With her training, and how unpredictable she was, Alexia might have tried to tear Reece’s head off with her very Skröm or Vuković hands. But the people in front of her – Devon, Ben, Carrie and James – were, until proven otherwise, good people but more importantly, Devon’s family. They were also helping Alexia train and learn to protect herself. So, she would keep her secrets, but she would also accept the help they were giving.

  There had been a time – like just last month – when she’d had absolutely no drama in her life. But looking at her mate, her birth father, Hercules, and Tinkerbell, she felt a shift inside herself. No, not an animal-like shift. More of an emotional/psychological shift. She was a part of something. She hadn’t asked for it. She hadn’t wanted it. But, to be fair to the universe, she had asked for a family. She had asked for love. And, for some reason, she’d been given it abundantly, and she wasn’t one to throw away second chances. There was absolutely no way she was wasting these gifts she’d been given.