by V. Vaughn
I quickly giggle as if I'm nervous, and I pretend I'm the kind of girl Madison is. "Before we do this, I need to make sure you have a condom." I act as if I'm embarrassed, even though if Axe gives me a hard time I'll have to gut punch him for being an asshole. I roll my eyes to the ceiling. "I'm sorry. I know that's such a buzz kill."
"Not at all," says Axe. "I expected it." He walks over to his bedside table and pulls out a box. "I should probably check the expiration date."
I chuckle. I don't believe for one second he's the kind of guy who has condoms that expire, and my true nature comes out before I catch it. "Spare me, babe. I know they're fresh."
Axe tilts his head at me for a moment and then laughs. "You are so perfect, Josie. In every way."
I scan his body with my gaze and imagine the physical pleasures he's going to bring me. I know he's in this for the same reason because he's got to be aware I'm not his true mate. Maybe my lack of soft flesh is a novelty. Or maybe it's a turn on because I'm everything his true mate won't be. Whatever I am to Axe, its fine by me. Because we are both are filling a need. He's looking for Miss Right Now. What he doesn't know is I'm looking for Mr. Key to the Kingdom.
I give Axe the sexiest smile I can muster. "Then bring it, babe. I'm ready."
5
Audrey
"Oomph!" I take a moment after being slammed to the ground to let the pain radiating through my spine pass.
My younger sister Shannon laughs as she towers over my prone body. "You've gone soft, Audrey."
I hold out my hand so she can help me up. "You sure you didn't just get better? Please say yes because my ego's a little bruised here."
Shannon's twin, Kelly, says, "This is awesome. My turn."
"Gee, glad you can find joy in my failures." I smile, though. It makes me proud that my teenaged sisters have become such good fighters. Even if it means my brother Everett was right that I'm not fit enough to be going on the rescue missions to find Connell. I guess partying every night does take its toll on a body.
I squat down across from Kelly and we dance around the mat before she lunges toward me. And then my younger sister crushes me just like Shannon did. I stare up at the ceiling as both my sisters plop down beside me.
"You should use your magic too," says Kelly. "Then you'd beat us."
"Or kill you. I'm not very good at controlling it yet."
"Still," says Shannon. "It's so cool you've got so much. Ev is super pissed off about it."
I smile. "I know. He hates that I'm better at something than he is."
"Well, I'm glad," says Kelly. "He's so damn bossy. At least now one of us has something over him."
I laugh and get up. "Yeah. I have to learn how to use it first. Let's get lunch before I have to go over to Elise's."
My sisters and I walk from our home gym through the great room and into the kitchen. Shannon gets meat and cheese from the fridge, and Kelly finds the bread while I pour us glasses of water. "You know what I've been craving?" I ask as water rushes into a glass. "Annie's chocolate cream pie. Think she'd make it for me?"
"Oh my god, I haven't eaten that in forever. Wait," Kelly says. "I thought you didn't really like it."
"I don't. But the past few days, I've been craving it. I don't know why."
"Huh." Silverware rattles in a drawer as Kelly opens it to grab a knife. "Maybe it's something to do with your new magical powers."
"That could totally be it," says Shannon. "Remember Mom's story about the diner and the creepy witch who made her eat it?"
I laugh at Shannon's version of the story. "She didn't make Mom eat it. That pie was our mother's favorite kind and probably still is."
"Oh. Well, anyway," Shannon lays a slice of horseradish cheddar on top of a piece of bread, "maybe chocolate cream pie is magical or easy to put magic into or something."
I smile at her, still convinced it's just a coincidence. "You never know."
"I'll ask Annie to make it for you," Kelly offers. "Because all this talk about it is making me want it now too."
"That's not why you want to go see Annie," teases Shannon.
"No?" I ask, wanting to hear the gossip.
"Nope," Kelly hands me a plate with my sandwich. "Shan's got a huge crush on a De Rozier."
Our aunt is married to the alpha of a polar bear clan. "Aha, my little sister has a thing for tall, blond, and broody?"
"Maybe," says Kelly with a sly smile. "But he's not broody."
Shannon snorts. "Who are you trying to kid? All polar bear mope. It's in their genes or something."
"Which jeans are you talking about?" asks Sierra as she walks into the kitchen. "Because I heard polar bear have a lot to offer."
My sisters giggle, and I shake my head. "Donna would be so proud."
"I know, right?" Sierra grabs half of Kelly's sandwich and takes a bite. "You can tell her I said that."
I laugh as my mother walks into the kitchen to join us. "Please tell me we're not comparing dicks again. We all know size doesn't matter."
"You'd know," blurts out Shannon, and Kelly gasps.
Mom tilts her head at us in question before I say, "Connell may have been going through your files a while back and found an interesting folder he shared with us."
Everyone falls silent at the sound of my missing brother's name, but Sierra quickly breaks the silence. "Don't you just hate it when the things you did before children come back to haunt you?"
Kelly pretends to shudder, willing to change the subject too. "Ghost dicks. That was not a visual I wanted today."
Mom forces out a laugh. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but it’s kind of fun horrifying you girls. I should do it more often."
Sierra says, "We could tell them about—"
In unison my two sisters and I shout, "No!"
"Fine," says Sierra as she swipes half of Shannon's sandwich and moves toward the mud room where she and my mom are likely going to strip down and shift for a run. "But you know where to find me if you want some dirt."
Mom is trying to be cheerful, but her sad expression gives her away when she asks me, "Off to Elise's?"
I nod and swallow my mouthful of food. "Can I use your car?"
"Sure. We should probably see about getting yours back from California soon."
A vision of my sexy stranger behind the wheel of my car flashes in my mind. "I'll look into it." I notice bags under Mom's eyes like she hasn't gotten much sleep, and I suppose that's true. I imagine she needs to shift and work out some of her despair. "Go run, Mom."
"Yeah," she says in a dejected voice before she turns away.
I look at my sisters as we wait for my mother and Sierra to leave. Once they're gone, Shannon says, "I'm really worried about Mom."
"Me too." I gather the empty plates. "She's trying hard to be strong, but each day Connell is gone it gets harder to believe—"
"Don't!" shouts Kelly. "Don't you dare even think it." She glares at Shannon and me. "He's alive, and he’s going to be fine. Got it?"
I reach out and take her hand. "Of course he is."
"He is," says Shannon. "Audrey's going to use her magic and find him." She stares intently into my eyes and reaches for the plates I'm holding. Venom oozes out of her voice when she says, "Go to Elise's and kick some magic ass for us. Okay?"
I nod because that's exactly what I'm going to do. I believe my magic was activated for a reason that has very little to do with my true mate and a whole lot to do with making sure werebear can survive. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I’m ready for whatever it is destiny wants me to do.
6
Madison
The silky fabric of my top seems to enhance the sensation of my nipples rubbing against Trent's chest as we move slowly to the beat of the music. I gaze into eyes as green as emeralds, which I have a feeling aren't as amazing as I think considering the massive crush I have on this guy. I can't even fathom how I thought he was a jerk earlier because now it's as if I'm addicted to eve
rything Trent.
He slides his hands down over my hips and holds on, and I picture him doing it while I ride him like a bucking bronco. My insides are trembling with my desire, and I wad a section of his shirt between my fingers and let out a small noise before I can catch myself.
Trent's eyelids lower to half-mast, and his chest heaves as he presses his erection against my groin. "You're making me crazy, Madison. Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?"
I thrust my hips to press harder against him. "I have a pretty good idea." The thing is, I want this guy in the worst way too. But I believe that sex right away sets the tone for something other than a serious relationship, and I want something long term with Trent. I say, "If you're really as into me as you say, you won’t mind waiting. Right?”
He lets out a groan and takes my face between his hands. “I’ve waited this long, what’s a few more days?”
“You are so full of it.”
“No, Madison, I’m not.” He leans in and kisses me. Both of us stop dancing as nothing but the taste of each other matters. Every inch of me is tingling with need, and I crave the feeling of Trent’s skin on mine. He pulls away, and his voice is husky as he says, “We’re meant to be together. You’ll see.”
I smile, still delirious from our kiss. “If I sleep with you, you’re still going to text me tomorrow?”
“Darling.” Trent sighs as he slides his hands down over my butt. “I’ll text you the minute you leave my bed. And if I have my way, that won’t be until Monday morning when you need to go to class.”
The idea of being wrapped up in a naked Trent all weekend makes me tingle all the way down to my toes, and I let out a small sigh of my own. He whispers in my ear. “My room is upstairs. Want to get out of here?”
“I shouldn’t,” I say as my raging hormones scream at me to give in. Although, going up to his room doesn’t mean I have to sleep with him. And I’m okay if we fool around a bit.
“We won’t do anything you don’t want to do. I’ll even leave my door open if you want.”
I study Trent’s face and believe he’s sincere. “Okay.” I step back from him and smile when he takes my hand to lead me away.
When we get to the stairs, he asks, “Do you want to let Josie know where you are?”
I shake my head. The fact he asked the question makes me think I can trust him, and she’ll text if she can’t find me.
Trent walks behind me as I climb the stairs to the rooms on the second floor, and he steps in front of me when we get to his suite. I enter a room that is surprisingly sparse. There are no posters on the walls, and his bed is neatly made. I wander over to the bureau where I see two framed photographs. One is Trent with a girl who has the same dark coloring. “Your sister?”
He comes behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “My twin, Tracy.”
“Trent and Tracy.” I glance up at him. “That’s cute.”
“My mother wanted to torture us, but the joke was on her.” He laughs as I set the photograph down. “She gets our names confused all the time.”
I twist to face Trent, and whatever I was going to say flies out of my mind as thoughts of his kiss take over. It was only small talk, I’m sure, so I don’t bother trying to figure it out and instead, pull him down to place my lips on his.
As we kiss, Trent slowly walks me toward his bed. When my legs bump against the edge, I eagerly sit and scramble back so I can feel the weight of him on me. He crawls over me and smiles. “You look good in my bed.”
I laugh. “I think this was your plan all along. Should I be afraid you’ll handcuff me to the frame so I can’t leave until Monday?”
He opens his mouth for a second and then shuts it as if he thought better of what he was going to say. Instead a smirk covers his face, and he asks, "Want me to?"
I shake my head and reach up to slide my hand under the hem of his shirt. "What I want is for you to take this off."
Trent smiles with the cockiness of a guy who's physically fit and proud of it before he whips off his shirt to flex for me.
As he holds himself off of me with straight arms, I give him the praise he's looking for as I place my hand on his solid chest. "You're so strong, Trent. This must take hours in the gym."
He laughs. "Now who's full of lines?"
"You love it."
A grin covers his face. "I do. Want to feel my arms?"
I tweak his bicep. "Goodness," I say in a syrupy tone. "I've never felt muscles this big." Trent presses his groin into mine, letting me feel the fullness of his erection, and I chuckle. "And that. Well..." I pull him down for another kiss.
He moves from my mouth to work on my neck as he slides a hand up over my breast. My nipple hardens as he rubs his thumb over it, and I want more. I know he does too, so I reach up and unhook the clasp at the back of my neck before lowering the straps of my halter top.
Trent lets out a heavy sound that makes me think of a growl before he cups my breast in his hand and sucks on it. He releases it, and the cool air on my wet nipple makes a shiver run though me before he moves to the other side. "My god these are glorious, Madison."
I smile and realize I like compliments just as much as he does. I thrust my hips up the way he did before, and Trent lifts his head to look at me. I don't want to wait for sex with Trent, and I'm probably being a fool, but I'm willing to take my chances. I take his hand and move it to the button on my jeans as I raise my eyebrows as an invitation. And when he moves to flutter kisses down my stomach, I thread my fingers through his silky mane of hair and arch up into the pleasure.
He tortures me by slowly lowering my zipper and lapping at the skin he reveals. Trembling with need, I moan out, "Trent," and I move to help him take my pants off.
"Shhh. I'm not rushing this, Madison. Not one single bit." He takes a moment to inhale deeply, which is kind of weird, but super sexy at the same time. "Sweet Jesus," he says, "I'm never going to get enough of this."
I frown, because while it's flattering he likes the way I smell, it's also odd. I wiggle to help Trent when he strips off my jeans, and the moment he spreads my legs to taste me, I forget about his strange ways. In fact, I forget about everything except the heat of the pleasure rushing through my veins and throbbing in my core. I'll certainly climax from his attentions, but a deep need for his cock inside me begins to blossom. The closer I get to my orgasm, the greater the desire.
Trent dips his tongue into my channel and I let out a small cry as I clutch at his head and gyrate my hips. I'm losing control, and when he thrusts two fingers into me, I shatter. He lifts up to watch me as he continues to stroke my g-spot.
"Oh god," I manage as I whimper with the strong urge for him to be inside me.
"Got another one for me, darling?" he asks.
My entire being is quaking beneath him, and I croak out, "Stupid question."
Trent chuckles and moves to place his mouth on me again.
I stop him. "Wait. I—" I want him to drive into me with force. Fill me. And make me… his? Jesus, what's wrong with me? "Don't stop."
He grins and swipes his tongue over my folds before moving in for more. My second orgasm is fast and furious as it slams into me, and like before, Trent doesn't stop stroking me until I ride out the storm.
As I recover, he moves to lie next to me. Swirling his finger around my areola, Trent says, "You are so sexy when you come."
I cringe a little, imaging how my face must contort, but I get it. And I lift up on my elbow to gaze down at him as I prepare to give Trent some of what he gave me. I lean over him to kiss his lips, and when I break away to move down his body, I say, "Let's see what you look like."
Trent reaches down to make quick work of removing his jeans with my help, and the muscles of his legs are firm under my palms as I slide my hands up toward his thighs. When I move in toward his cock and grip it, his musk fills my nostrils with an odor that makes my insides tremble. Now I understand why he wanted to breathe me in. I'm not sure how or why I'
ve never heard about the sensation, but I think I could crave Trent's scent.
I forget about the strangeness of what I'm going to do and take a deep breath through my nose to drink him in like an elixir. A rumble forms in his chest, kind of like he's purring, as I lower my mouth to tease him with kisses on his inner thighs. I move closer to his cock with slow, deliberate flicks of my tongue until he reaches down to grip himself.
I sit up on my knees and smile down at him. "I guess you don't need me."
"What?" Trent lets go of himself, and his hands fly up above his head. "I do, Madison. I'm sorry. I'll be good."
I laugh. "That's better." I drag my finger down his chest and stop at the soft nest of hair to taunt him a little more before I lower my mouth and wrap my lips around his long, hard length.
Trent moans and cradles my head in his hands as I move up and down on his shaft. The purring begins again, but it quickly makes way to the growling noise he made before. And it turns me on. I replay my earlier fantasy of riding him in my head and know I've got to have this man inside of me.
I lift up. "Condom?"
Trent bats at the side table drawer before I lean over and open it to grab a foil packet. I get him ready quickly and straddle him to guide his cock inside my slippery channel. I seat him deep and let out a sigh before I begin to move. My breasts bounce with my motions, and Trent grabs my butt to hold on for the ride. My orgasm rises as small cries come from me, and when I climax, my whole body quakes with sweet bliss. I'm still peaking when Trent flips me onto my back to drive himself into me with fervent thrusts. I arch up to meet him as my body responds of its own accord.
Trent's growl gets more intense and loud enough I wonder if people can hear us. I watch as he throws his head back, and when he lowers it again, the first thing I notice is that his eyes are practically glowing. He grins at me, and are those—fear grips my heart like a vice—fangs? I open my mouth and let out the loudest scream I can muster.