Hearts Unleashed: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by C. D. Gorri

  “Or we could hold it hostage.” Bran started to laugh again.

  His laugh was so wonderful, so cleansing. How could I feel this good when only an hour earlier, I was driving away from what had been my home for the last nine years with tears running down my face?

  Instalove.

  If this was it, I wanted it. I wanted to grab on with both hands.

  Sofie’s words on the matter rang in my head. “You can’t do anything when you meet your mate. It doesn’t happen to many of us, but when it does, there’s nothing else to be done but allow the couple to be together. It doesn’t matter who they might be engaged to.”

  “What if they’re married?” I remembered asking her.

  “Then allowances have to be made. That’s why you must be sure you and your mate are well-matched. While the mating bond is wonderful, if it happens later in life, it can cause many problems.” Her voice had gone sour then. But she’d recovered and smiled at me, patting my leg. “You’re not to worry, Lena. You’re with the man you’re supposed to be with.”

  At the time, I wondered how you knew. I hadn’t felt this kind of connection with Zane ever. In the beginning, when I’d first come to the Darkbanes, I’d called him a nasty, mean, warty, little toad boy. He’d growled and started to shift, fury radiating from him.

  We laughed about it later.

  But maybe I shouldn’t have been laughing.

  Because it wasn’t like the Darkbanes ever let me go out much so that I could meet people, to make sure that Zane was the one.

  It was after that conversation with his mother that Zane had given me the promise necklace. The night he’d asked me to be officially his. The dark silver chains—two of them—made up of smaller chains twined together that ended in a wolf’s head pendant felt right on my collarbone when Zane had put it on me. And after that, many of my worries went away.

  “You want to?” Bran’s words brought me back to the present.

  “What’s your last name?” I asked. Something he’d said earlier, about how mad his father would be, shot through my brain just at that moment.

  “Blackwood.” He said it slowly, although he didn’t look away. “Is that a problem?”

  “No.” I couldn’t stop the smile. “Not even a little bit.” Of all the guys I could meet and feel this kind of a connection with, I’d done it with a Blackwood.

  There was no going back now. I knew that.

  Bran had known that before he’d even come up to speak to me, I realized.

  Bran made sure I got settled on the Fat Boy and then jogged over to his bike, an Indian Chief. He pulled up next to where I was parked. “Follow me?”

  He was asking if I wanted to.

  He was giving me a choice.

  Something I hadn’t been given in years.

  “Yes.” I smiled broadly at him.

  His face answered my smile.

  Then he wheeled his bike around and rode toward the exit.

  My heart was beating as I followed him.

  It felt like my life was about to begin.

  Chapter Four

  Bran

  I felt like the little kid who knows Mom and Dad are about to bring out the best present ever on your birthday. The thing you’ve wanted for years, and this time, you know they got it.

  That’s the way I’d felt since I saw Lena Darkbane. Raff. Raff, I corrected myself.

  I didn’t know what happened between her and that smug little prick, Zane. I didn’t care. What I cared about was that this woman, with her flowing red hair—okay, it’s tangled, and all I wanted to do was tangle it more—her blue eyes, her body with the perfect curves, her soft, breathy voice that made my cock hard, and my heart race was with me.

  She was coming with me.

  I took her back to my place. Not the place that everyone knows, where various members of the Lone Wolves and/or the Blackwoods come and go like it’s a diner.

  No, I took her to the place where my brothers and I ran to when we wanted privacy—when we didn’t want to be disturbed.

  When we were younger, we went there often. Now, not so much. We’re all busy with pack and club business. My dad, Xavier Blackwood, while he hates the Darkbanes and wants to kick them off their self-made pedestal and bury them in the dirt, has always wanted the Blackwoods and the Lone Wolves to prosper.

  He’s always been determined to bring the Darkbanes down, but they weren’t his prime focus. He took care of his pack first. If he managed to kick his enemies while he was at it, great. But never at the expense of us, his family.

  He probably knew about the old motel we bought. There were only ten rooms, and it’s off the main roads, more of a hunting and fishing clientele when it was in business. We had planted more trees and let the forest grow up around it. We’d converted it into three apartments and one central room, which became our home away from home.

  A place where we could go and have privacy. Be ourselves.

  I wasn’t lying to Lena. My dad was going to flip the fuck out. But he could be happy at the thought of making problems for the Darkbanes. This certainly would do it. They were determined to have Zane marry her, even though he screwed around all the time. Being part of throwing a wrench in their dynastic plans might make Dad happy. Or not. I didn’t know.

  I didn’t care about that, either.

  Zane Darkbane will never, ever live this down.

  The thought made me grin like a hyena. My smile stretched so wide I felt like my mouth might split in two.

  And that paled in comparison to the thought that this woman was coming home with me.

  She’s my mate. That’s the thing I can’t wait to tell her, to tell my dad, my brothers. I knew it the moment I touched her hand. It doesn’t matter what else is going on in our lives. We will never be able to change this connection.

  I didn’t want to.

  I wanted this woman forever.

  She’s mine.

  I’m hers.

  I’d never thought this—the mating bond—would happen to me. It had, though. Lena Raff was my mate, and I was hers.

  And nothing—not our family rivalries, not any other plans, not prior engagements—would change that.

  I turned off the main road to the dirt road that leads to our place. I could see the headlight of her bike, or rather Zane’s Fat Boy, his pride and joy, bumping along the rougher road.

  The fact that she kicked him in the balls and stole his bike made me love her more.

  Holy fuck.

  Did I just use the ‘L’ word?

  I never used it.

  Ever.

  Not with Nina. There was affection, respect—but love? No.

  This was different, I insisted to myself. It was. Totally and one hundred percent different. Lena was like anyone else, but now there was no one but Lena for me. The ‘L’ word fell into my thoughts without me even cringing.

  Because she was my mate.

  I pushed the thought of Nina away. I’d need to deal with it, with her—later.

  Alex and Conan must not be here tonight. There were no cars or bikes parked in front and no lights on.

  It would be just Lena and me.

  I grinned at the thought. She could be as loud as I made her. And I wasn’t going to stop tonight until she screamed my name over and over. I’d show her how a man treated his mate.

  Then my nosy ass would have to ask her what dumb fuck Zane had done to lose her. I’d seen them together before, and from the outside, it seemed as though she doted on him. Honestly, the way she used to look at him on the few occasions I saw her, I thought they had the mate bond. Or at least, she did.

  I’d also thought she was heads and shoulders above him, too good for him.

  I’d been right.

  But the way Zane behaved, I knew it couldn’t be true. He was a dog, chasing women and screwing around. At the time, because she was a Darkbane, I figured she knew and chose to ignore it.

  Having met Lena, I knew that she couldn’t have known.

&
nbsp; Which meant she must have found out, hence the kick to the balls.

  She was a warrior.

  And she would be my warrior.

  Forever, if I could manage it.

  Which meant I couldn’t screw this up.

  I parked out front, and Lena pulled in next to me.

  She shut off the bike, and the moment her feet were on the ground, she was next to me. I could smell her citrusy scent.

  It was the best thing I’d ever smelled. She smelled like sunshine and lemons and days together in the heat.

  “Where are we?”

  “This is my quiet place.”

  “I like it. It’s like being right in the middle of the forest.”

  “Because it is in the middle of the forest. That’s the draw.”

  She laughed. It wasn’t the same laugh she’d burst out with in the parking lot at Blackies, but freer, more open.

  “Come inside.” I took her hand, pulling her with me. “If you want to.” I wanted to give her all the chances to say no, but if she said no… I wasn’t sure what I’d do.

  I’d be crushed.

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  I could hear the sincerity in her words.

  “You feel it.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I’ve never felt like this before.” The breathy way she’d spoken when I first approached her was back.

  Holy hell, I wasn’t going to make it with her if she kept talking like that. Her voice was like sex.

  “Good. I don’t want to be the only one.”

  “You’re not.” She didn’t hesitate.

  I unlocked the door and drew her in. As I turned on the lights, I tried to see the room through her eyes.

  Simple furniture in cream and gray. Light gray walls. A well-stocked kitchen and an even better-stocked bar.

  But we wouldn’t need the bar tonight. Just being close to Lena was like the headiest, most intense thing I’d ever experienced.

  I’d kept the bedroom separate, and it was to the bedroom that I led Lena.

  She moved closer to me, walking beside me rather than behind me.

  She was choosing to be here.

  I turned on the lights and closed the door behind us. Then I stood in front of Lena and took her lips with mine once more.

  She tasted as good as she smelled: like sunshine, lemons and limes, and long days at the beach.

  Her arms went around my neck, pulling me closer to her. She kissed me back ferociously, almost as though she teetered on the edge of control.

  I understood.

  I was hanging on by a thread, too.

  My control was tested as her hands left my neck and traveled across my shoulders and down my back to my waist.

  My hands followed the trail hers had blazed, ending at her ass. I cupped her round bottom in both hands.

  This was my woman.

  I knew it like I knew the sun would rise all too early tomorrow.

  Lena Raff was mine.

  I was hers.

  If there were any doubt, tonight would end all questions after all the people in my family and club had seen us.

  I’d seen mate-bonded couples. There was something about them that even the most in love pairs didn’t have, although people could grow into a mate bond. I’d seen it with my parents, and they had barely known one another when they married.

  A lot of shifter families had no problem with arranged marriages. Mine included.

  My dad might make an exception for this, though.

  He’d have to.

  I would never give her up.

  The desire to be closer to her, touch her, see more of her overwhelmed me. I shrugged out of my jacket and then tore my tee-shirt over my head.

  Lena unzipped the fitted purple leather jacket she wore. With far more care than I’d shown, she took it off and tossed it onto a chair by the door.

  Under the jacket, she was wearing an off-the-shoulder cream shirt with ties or something at the bottom. It made her skin glow like a peach, and her eyes and hair shine. Her jeans were fitted and showed all her curves.

  Gods, did she have a great ass.

  She wore worn brown leather boots, scuffed at the toes and far from new. She looked down and, using the toe of her boot and then her foot, she kicked them off.

  My hands came down to her waist, sliding up under her shirt. At the same time, I kissed her again. I’d been apart from her for too long.

  I cupped her breasts, feeling the lacy bra that was barely there. Her nipples hardened under my fingers, and I felt myself nearly lose control.

  My wolf wanted out. He wanted her. She was ours. All ours. All that remained was to take her, to make our claim on her.

  As much as I agreed with him, Lena had to be all in for this. Even with the mate bond. If she didn’t want it, she could refuse me.

  I would walk away. It might kill me, but if she weren’t all in with me, I would walk.

  While these thoughts raced through my head, Lena pulled me closer and then down onto the bed with her.

  “You’re sure?” I had to ask. My mother would kill me if I didn’t. You know, in addition to the legal issues that could arise. No one could force a mate bond, no matter how strong the bond was.

  “Take off your clothes.”

  Okay then. That was not only consent, but that was also enthusiastic consent. I pushed myself up and then off the bed. I was out of my jeans as fast as I could be, and in a few moments, I stood naked before my mate.

  Lena had been pretty fast herself. She tossed her jeans on the floor, and she lay on my bed, gleaming like a pearl against the black duvet. Her breasts were high, with rosy nipples, and her lips were open, one tooth nibbling at the side of her bottom lip. I could see the shadow between her legs, and I could smell not only her citrus scent but her desire.

  My mate.

  My mate.

  When I joined her on the bed again, I settled myself between her legs. The feel of her skin on mine was enough to nearly make me cry out in agony.

  Shit.

  I got up.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just a sec.” I went to the bedside table and yanked open the drawer. Thank gods I still had some. I held up the small silver packet. “I can’t wait, Lena.”

  “Neither can I. Come here.” Her voice was breathy again.

  Jesus. She would be the death of me with her voice alone.

  Tearing open the packet as I moved back toward her, I rolled it onto my cock.

  Lena pushed herself up a little, then laid her head on my pillow.

  I’d never wash it again.

  She held out her arms, and I lowered myself into them. My cock rubbed against her entrance. She was wet, so wet. And I could tell that she wanted me, maybe even as bad as I wanted her. Normally, I didn’t rush into bed like this, but I couldn’t do anything else.

  As I slid into Lena, the feeling that came over me was like nothing else I’d ever experienced. Ever.

  And I never wanted to lose it.

  Chapter Five

  Lena

  The way he felt as he slid between my legs was like nothing I’d ever felt before. As he entered me, I felt myself open. Not just physically because I wanted him inside me, buried to the hilt, bringing me to a place where I forgot my own name. But I wanted to be close with him, close to him, twining our bodies and souls until the lines between us blurred.

  He thrust gently at first, and then as I gasped at the feel of him, the way his body felt over the top of mine, he drove into me harder.

  “Bran!” The word was ripped out of me as though someone else was directing me.

  He stopped as he hit the barrier within me.

  “You’re a—you’ve never—” He stopped, unable to find the words.

  I shook my head, my eyes sliding off to the side. “No. You’re the first.”

  There was a silence, and then his lips were on mine, forcing me to look at him. He kissed me fiercely, and at the same time, I f
elt cherished and cared for by him.

  How did he do that?

  The light formed a halo behind him, making his hair look even lighter, and he looked like an angel. “I’m your first.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be the last, Lena. I swear it.”

  His angelic look faded as the wolf within took over, eying me as though I were the meal he’d been waiting for all his life.

  His pleasure washed over me.

  Was this what I’d been missing with Zane? Because we’d never—well, he said we needed to keep me pure until we married.

  Which meant that we’d done a lot of other stuff, but not this.

  A white flash of light, coming from somewhere I couldn’t see, blinded me, and I reached out for Bran.

  “I’m here, baby.” His voice calmed me.

  And then he thrust inside me again, taking his time to bury himself.

  I arched against him, trying to get closer, hanging onto his shoulders. It felt like I wanted to crawl inside him.

  “What do you want?”

  I still couldn’t see. Whatever was blinding me was still there. I opened my mouth to try to tell him, but I couldn’t speak, couldn’t find the words. This, all that I felt, was too much for words.

  “Tell me what you want, Lena.” His voice was a soft, low, insistent rumble that went straight to my core.

  I blinked a few more times as whatever it was that blinded me faded. When I could see once more, Bran’s face was close to mine, and his silver eyes searched the depths of mine.

  Oh, gods. He was a lot closer than I thought he’d be, and I made a sound of surprise.

  I mean, I knew he was close. Hello, sex? I just didn’t expect his face to be so close.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I didn’t realize you were so close.” I knew it sounded ridiculous.

  “Do you want me to move?” The laughter was clear in his question.

  “No!” I smiled at him.

  “What do you want?”

  “I want you to love me.”

  His eyes widened.

  The silence stretched on. Any longer, it would be the awkwardness of two people stuck in an elevator who really didn’t want to talk.

  “I will.” His whisper flowed over my skin, infecting me down to my pores. Bran kissed me tenderly, and then he eased himself out of me slowly. There was a moment where his cock was almost out of me, and then he drove himself in hard, firm, and with decision.