by C. D. Gorri
Iris slowly brought her lips closer to his neck and exhaled slowly. She was taking her time and could feel that her mate was on edge. Iris grazed his neck with her fangs, reminding him of what she was, then pulled back. Yung grabbed the back of her head and brought her lips closer to his neck.
Teasing him, Iris licked his neck at the exact spot she had bitten him earlier. Yung’s fingers bunched up in her hair as he tried to control himself. Iris bit into him gently and slowly sipped. Yung brought her body as close to him as he could and exhaled the pent-up breath he’d been holding.
Iris sipped for three seconds then sealed the bite close with her saliva and stepped away from her trembling mate. Licking her lips, she smiled and rubbed her stomach.
“That hit the spot. Now I’m able to walk on my own. Lead the way, mate.”
Now I know what to do to get away from you. Formulating her plan, Iris smiled innocently and waited on Yung to turn and lead the way. Yung just stood staring at her. Then he turned angrily and walked off. Iris followed behind him, trying to keep up.
She’d caught a glimpse of the bulge in the front of his pants. She knew her bite affected him just as much as it affected her. That excited her, but she wouldn’t let him know it. She would use it to her advantage. When the time was right, she would escape him. They walked for hours. Every time Iris would fall too far behind, her mate would stop and wait on her to catch up.
Then he would continue walking, almost jogging, forcing her to run behind him. Four hours later he finally stopped and allowed them to have a break. Iris rested against a tree, trying to catch her breath. She refused to complain about how tired she was.
When she got home, she would focus more on endurance training. When food got scarce, or when the humans were out for their hunting season and the shifters didn’t want to be seen, the hunters in their village would trek for hours to find wildlife and avoid the human hunters. Every time they went, she thought about going. It was a good thing she hadn’t. She would’ve embarrassed herself.
Yung came and rested beside her. “You okay?” he asked.
Ignoring his question, Iris sat on the ground in front of the tree. “Where are we?” she asked.
Yung looked around at their surroundings. “This area is called Viodore. If you look for it on a map you won’t find it. Just like I’m sure if I look for your village on a map, it won’t be found.”
Iris nodded and said, “All of this is new to me. I don’t know much about life outside of my village and the surrounding areas. We have everything we need in our village, so there usually isn’t a reason for us to go out unless we need something unique. We have a school there and everything. The only time I ever leave is to go to the grocery store.”
“You don’t have grocery stores?”
“We do. But, we don’t have chocolate cookies and fizzy sodas.”
“Ohh.”
“I also leave the village sometimes to hang out with my sister and friends. We try to stay away from humans and other supernaturals.” Iris realized she was saying too much and stopped.
“So, you have a sister. Is she half vampire and half wolf like you?”
Iris turned her head away from Yung, ignoring his question. There was no way she would ever tell him about her sister or the others in her village.
“I understand if you don’t want to tell me about your family.”
“I’ve witnessed first-hand your hatred for vampires. I have no intention of ever telling you about my family or my village.”
For a long time, he didn’t say anything. She thought he was going to leave it at that. Then he spoke again.
“A long time ago, before I was born, there was a war between vampires and wolves,” he told her.
She’d heard about the war. Still, she found herself curious about what he had to say about it. Would he blame everything on the vamps, as if the wolves were innocent?
“Other supernatural beings didn’t get involved,” he continued. “They were afraid of both vamps and wolves alike. They knew that if they sided with one and the other won, they would face the consequences. Unfortunately for the vamps and the wolves, no one truly won. There were deaths on both sides and a lot of innocent lives were lost.”
Iris turned to stare at him. He was right. There was no winner. There never would be. Only death and more deaths.
“When I was born, the war was still raging,” he said. “Even more lives were lost. I… lost a lot of people I cared about.”
So, did I. I lost my dad.
“After things quieted down some, some wolves here starting boasting that we’d won the war because we drove all the vamps out of this area. We haven’t heard of any vamp attacks near here for a few years now. Some council leaders of different packs tried to team up with witches to keep vamps away. But the witches didn’t need our help. And none of them wanted to take sides. But some were okay with taking our money. If we paid the right price, we could find a witch or two to secretly aid us.”
Like the one who’d cursed my sister and I.
“Some packs paid the witches to curse some vamps that their pack found hard to kill. Our pack wanted to pay them for their powerful enchantments. They couldn’t enchant our villages because that would be taking sides, and their covens wouldn’t allow it. However, they did enchant a few areas in the woods that would provide a place to escape to if we were ever attacked. But, to remain impartial, the enchanted area doesn’t only provide safety and mask the scent of wolves. If vamps or other supernaturals come here to hideout, their scents would be masked also.”
Sort of like her village. All supernaturals were allowed in, if they had no ill will in their hearts and if they truly needed help.
“Is this one of those enchanted areas?” Iris asked.
Yung nodded. “It was enchanted so many years ago that most of the wolves who knew about this area are dead or have forgotten about it. My father told me and my brother about it when we were young. My brother wasn’t interested in it. As future alpha, I’ve always been interested in anything related to our pack.”
Future alpha? Wow. That meant there was no hope for them. Not that she wanted there to be now. She was beyond pissed off with him. Still… alpha…wow.
“I would come here all the time to get away from my brother and my cousin when I was young. They sometimes teased me for being too serious.”
“I can see that,” Iris said, causing him to smile. “Who named this place?”
“The witches named the enchanted areas according to the flower that grew there. Here, violets grow. So, this place is called Viodore or Vio for short.”
It seemed all witches had a habit of naming places they enchanted after flowers.
“My cottage,” Yung told her. “Is located in Rosadore or Rose. I brought it from a dying man a few years ago.”
“Was he human?”
“Not fully. He seemed to be human, but for him to even see this place he had to have some type of supernatural being in him. I could never figure out what he was exactly. After he moved out, I went through some the stuff he’d left. I found a lot of books on wolves. I assumed that somewhere in his genes lived a wolf so diluted through human mating that his beast never emerged. However, part of him still felt connected to our kind. That’s why he was so interested in them. That’s just my thoughts. I could be wrong.”
“How did you even find the cottage to begin with?”
“Like I said, I would come to Vio as a kid. I had never been to Rose until I got attacked. The old man saved me and took me to his cabin. I have never told anyone about him or Rosador because they would learn about my cottage and I never wanted anyone to know about it. Until now.” Yung glanced over at her.
So caught up in his story, she had slowly inched her way back over near him. He didn’t know how much she longed to learn more about the wolf and vamp war. Or to hear more about enchanted safe areas.
Her father had been lost to the stupidity of that war and Yung had lost people to the war also
. Knowing that he’d also directly been affected by the war softened her to him. A little. Just like her sister, he was bitter because of the war.
“So, you and I will be the only people at your cottage?” Iris asked.
“Yes.”
Iris was confused. She’d thought he was taking her to his pack to let them know that she existed.
“I thought you were taking me to your pack to be slaughtered?”
Yung flinched at her choice of words. “Initially, I’d planned to take you to my pack to be judged.”
“What right do you or your pack have to judge me or anyone else?”
“Iris, vamps are not allowed here.”
She knew that. That’s why she lived in an enchanted village. “Still, your family…”
“Are the authority over this area. It would have been up to them to decide your fate. That’s the rules for this city.”
“I’ve heard those rules.” Everyone in her village learned them in school. That’s why she and her sister didn’t leave the village much. “That doesn’t mean your rules are right. Have you ever heard that rules are meant to be broken?”
“Not around here.”
Iris sighed. “Talking to you is like talking to my sister sometimes. Listen, Yung. Just because someone decided a rule should be the law and got others to believe it, doesn’t make it right. Slavery didn’t use to be against the law. That didn’t make it right.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you so upset at me for being a vampire? Why am I here and dirty and hungry…”
“I was wrong,” he told her. “I know it now. Before… I… was just going off what I’d been taught. I… it’s hard to not hate something after you’ve been taught to hate it.”
“So, you were willing to hate me without even getting to know me?”
He swiped his hand over his face. “Vampires and wolves have a long history of hatred. My mother was killed…. My mother was killed by a vamp.”
She could hear the tears in his voice. Her voice shook when she told him, “My vampire father was killed by a wolf.”
Yung looked at her. “I’m sorry, Iris.” He lifted his hand and wiped away her tears. She did the same to him. “We’ve both been hurt by this war,” he told her. “But I’m the only one of us who let that pain fester into something horrible. I’m sorry, Iris.”
Yung pulled Iris closer to him. The fact that she didn’t resist surprised both him and her.
“Now that I’ve gotten to know you…” he started.
Iris sensed that he was about to say something sweet, so she stopped him. She couldn’t handle him saying anything nice or loving to her right now. Her emotions were shot and she was extremely confused. Since he wasn’t turning her in did that mean he planning on hiding her in his secret cottage away from the world?
“What do you plan to do with me in your cottage?”
Yung smiled a seductive smile that sent a tingle from her navel to her toes.
“I plan for us to get to know each other.”
That was not the answer Iris had expected. However, it was the one she needed. If he could let the past go, so could she. Of course, she would have to get even with him for the things he’d done to her. She was petty as fuck.
“You dragged me…”
“I carried you, but I fell. A few times. You should’ve seen my clothes.”
“You tied me to a tree.”
“You pushed me into a creek.” He stared down at his clothes. “I’m wet and dirty.”
“Serves you right.”
He nodded. “It does serve me right. I deserve that and more.”
“You deserve to feel my wrath,” she told him.
“I do. Yes, mate, I do.”
And he would. But he didn’t need to know that yet. Iris straddled him. Yung rubbed her thighs as she got comfortable on him. She laid her head on his chest. Yung wrapped his arms around her.
“So, you plan on keeping me huh?” Iris asked. She felt his nod. “At some point in time you’re going to have to ask me if you can have me or not, don’t you think?”
He laughed and hugged her tighter. “Iris. Wait, I don’t even know your last name?”
Iris knew he was waiting on her to tell him her name, but she couldn’t. Knowing her name could possibly lead him to her sister or he could use it to discover who her father was. She didn’t know her vampire family, but she didn’t want them harmed.
Her mother had always told her to be careful. Resting in his arms, trusting him this easily, it wasn’t considered being careful. But this was what her beast wanted. And Iris wanted it too. If it ended up being the wrong choice, then she’d be the only one who got hurt.
She’d never do anything that could lead to her family or the villagers getting hurt. For that reason, right now wasn’t the time to tell her mate more about herself. So, she rested against his chest, and let her silence be her answer.
Chapter Seven
Iris silence let Yung know that she didn’t fully trust him yet. Trust had to be earned and he had yet to earn hers. Given time, he would gain her trust. Until then, he would just have to show her how much he cared for her.
He truly could not imagine his life without her. She snuggled closer to him. How could he have ever thought this female was capable of being like those who’d killed his family members? From day one he’d known that she was sweet, kind, innocent.
He’d let hatred cloud his judgement. Never again. No, he wasn’t ready to trust all vampires. But he was ready to put his trust in the vampire in his arms. Problem was, what if he wasn’t able to protect her from his family? What if they found out about her and tried to take her from him?
His train of thought caused his beast to become restless. Don’t worry, I’ll protect her, he told his beast. There was no way he was going to let his mate be taken from him. With his love came his loyalty. His first loyalty now lay with his mate. His beast growled his approval. Iris lifted her head and stared at him.
“Hungry?” Yung asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“We don’t have any fish yet. Will I do?”
She giggled. “I guess you’ll have to do.”
Yung laid his head back against the tree and guided her head to his neck.
Pulling back, Iris asked, “Maybe I should use the other side. This side may still be tender from earlier.”
“It’s not,” Yung assured her, eager to have her lips on him again; same spot as before.
Iris leaned in and licked the spot she’d sealed closed a few hours earlier. He shivered. She sank her fangs into his throat and sucked greedily. He didn’t understand why this turned him on so. Even his wolf was growling, enjoying the feeling of her drinking from him. She gyrated her hips as she fed.
Unable to control himself, Yung slid his hands under her dress and cupped her breasts. She moaned against his neck when his thumbs grazed her nipples. She sealed the bite then lifted her head and leaned back. She guided his head to her breast. Once again, she surprised him with her passion. Yung flicked his tongue over her nipple before sucking it into his mouth.
Iris continued to grind on him. Yung knew if they continued like this, he would be taking his mate against a tree. A noise to his right caught his attention. Yung lifted his head as he quickly pulled Iris dress back down. He stood up, pushing her behind.
Someone was nearby. He could sense them. Listening closely, he still almost didn’t hear the light footsteps approaching. He sniffed. It was two male wolves approaching. He looked back at Iris. The sun was no longer high in the sky and her skin was no longer as pale.
Actually, it hadn’t remained that way long at all. He hadn’t even noticed when her eyes changed back. Yung sniffed her. She smelled like wolf and wolf only. Good.
“There are two male wolves approaching. I can’t smell your vampire scent on you, but I can smell that you are in heat. The heat is probably what drew them to us.”
“Do you think they want to…”
“Never,” Yung growled. “When they arrive, let me talk. If we were officially mated, they would be able to sense that you were not available. Right now, all they scent is a female wolf in heat. And they know that sometimes unmated females need more than one male when going through the transition.”
“I only want you,” she told him.
Pride filled him. “And I only want you too, mate.”
He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.
*.*.*.*
Her mate started to say something else to her, but the shifters were already within view. Yung faced them and stood in front of her, shielding her from them. Iris glanced over Yung shoulder at them. They were handsome, but not as handsome as her mate.
She tried to get a better view of them. Standing on her tiptoes to see over his shoulder caused her breasts to rub against his back. The sensation caused Iris to moan. She tried to hold it in. She really did. But the change was wreaking havoc on her body. Plus, she was still wet and desperately aroused from their foreplay moments ago.
Yung growled and looked back at her. “No one but me will see you through your change. Stand behind the tree.”
The anger in his voice startled Iris. Even his eyes blazed with anger. Did he think she was moaning because of those guys? He turned away from her and faced the approaching men. Iris slowly made her way to the other side of the tree. She could hear the conversation taking placing between the males.
“Hello,” One of the men.
Before the man could utter another word, Yung said, “My mate and I would like some privacy.”
Iris glanced from around the tree. drawing the attention of the males. Yung growled at her, so she shrank back behind the tree.
Male number two spoke. “All I smell is the heat coming off that female. I don’t smell any mate scent.”
It was just as Yung said it would be. All they cared about was her heat. They didn’t care that she was with Yung. Iris sighed. They weren’t going to be easy to get rid of.