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

by C. D. Gorri

  He abandoned any previous plan and with a mighty shove rammed his cock into her to the hilt. When she issued a short scream that sounded victorious, he took satisfaction in it. As he shoved himself into her repeatedly, she seemed to be speaking in tongues.

  It was the language of love. Cadie was so wet that he had no trouble pumping away and before he came, he dug his fingers into her softness of her bottom, which he’d been holding with both hands.

  Filling her with the avalanche of his semen was the most glorious release he had ever experienced. He sensed that she was experiencing similar pleasure, and the noises she was making made him come even harder.

  To Echo’s delight she had a voracious appetite for his cock and had barely steadied her breathing from their first go round before she pushed him over from his position spooning her and clambered on top of him again. Riding him for all she was worth, her full round heavy breasts bouncing furiously like twin heliotropes.

  The third time he fucked her it was from behind, and he wet his thick middle finger with her abundant juices and inserted it in her bottom.

  THAT time, she screamed out his name.

  Their lovemaking had left a wet spot in the middle of the huge bed the size of Africa, and he hastily threw an extra comforter over it. Exhausted, both of them drifted off to sleep.

  Echo awakened with a start two hours later, his inner Wolf alerting him that he was almost late to a pack meeting on Cobweb Hill.

  It was all he could do to leave her side. It had been the first time since the death of his mate and son that he had slept dreamlessly and fully at peace. A rediscovered feeling that had blown away like dandelion fronds at the moment of her death and one he was sure would never return to him.

  It was nothing short of a miracle, he thought, and he determined that he must keep this amazing human close to him at any cost.

  He hadn’t had these feeling since he’d encountered his first mate, and he was convinced that for some reason the wolf Gods were smiling on him again, and he’d been given a second chance.

  He was convinced that Arcadia was his true mate.

  Bending over her as she slept, his wolf transitioned in just enough so that he could mark her behind her right shoulder. He felt part of his soul slip into hers as he performed the sacred ritual. He gave no thought that his marking her as his fated mate would awaken her, and though she stirred in her sleep, it did not.

  The mark would be permanent and leave a permanent scar roughly in the shape of a star. She was his universe now. She was HIS, and he would make sure that no harm ever came to her for all of their lives.

  Regretfully, he stood and stretched in the thick cascade of moonbeams coming through the diaphanous curtains of the huge pair of French doors outside his master bedroom that led onto the balconette.

  He had added that architectural feature for one purpose—so that his Wolf could propel itself off of it and onto the ground easily.

  He ran swiftly off into the dark forest, his paws slipping somewhat on the slick, crusty snow-covered terrain. He made it to over a mile away from the Winterborn lodge before he could contain his joy no longer.

  Throwing his huge furry head back, he howled gustily, his wolf cry echoing through the pristine beauty of the snow swept hills.

  It was a cry of joy, relief, renewal and, above all, triumph…

  Echo had found his mate!

  Chapter Four: Stranger Danger

  By the next morning the snow had stopped. The pack meeting the night before had gone well. All the Winterborn pack was aware that Scar had been sighted in the area for the first time in years. It was not a good portent, and many of the younger members felt he might not have returned alone.

  Had he managed to form his own pack, or joined a pack seeking new territory and perhaps willing to engage in a battle with the Winterborn pack to acquire it?

  There were no easy conclusions to draw, just troubling possibilities. Echo stressed that all of them must remain alert at all times going into the future.

  Echo had ordered a huge room service breakfast be sent to his suite, and as Arcadia moaned and sat up naked in bed, she was greeted by the enticing aromas of freshly brewed French Pressed Sulawesi coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, croissants, eggs Benedict, thick sliced applewood smoked bacon, and French toast for good measure.

  It was a magnificent feast, and Cadie ate like a longshoreman. She was starving for some reason.

  “Oh, Echo I know I am eating like a prize hog, and the funny thing is that I never eat breakfast. Usually, I only have coffee and Advil!

  I SWEAR this is the most delicious meal I’ve had in decades!”

  Echo laughed at her apologetic tone.

  “Arcadia I would be insulted if you didn’t eat this magnificent breakfast! And I hear that a lot from our guests—it seems the mountain air up here stimulates the appetite.

  Food just tastes better!”

  Their eyes met for a long moment. A desire shown in hers, and her lips appeared slightly swollen from their ardent lovemaking.

  “I’d love to make love to you again, Cadie. But I have meetings this morning,” he said with obvious regret in his voice, “feel free to wander the Winterborn Cascades—staff is aware that you have full run of the place.

  And another thing,I need to speak to the rest of the family, but there is a chance that if you want to invest in the Winterborn—well that might be possible. No controlling interest but as a profit-sharing investor, because we are looking to expand in the future.

  So that could happen!”

  Arcadia’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward so that Echo could kiss her and fondle first one breast and then another, grunting with satisfaction and a sense of possession.

  “Later!” He sang out as he left.

  The bar wasn’t officially open yet, but after exploring all the top floors of the Winterborn and being more impressed than ever at its vastness, Cadie decided she wanted a drink.

  Security let her inside, and she was vaguely aware that another gentlemen was right behind her. She took a seat at the bar where a handsome blonde young man, dressed in the garb of an old-fashioned turn of the century barkeep, was asking her what her pleasure might be.

  “Single malt, neat,” she told him. She had gotten a little chilly in her traipsing around the lodge. She had not only explored all the facilities (indoor pool, gym, small theatre for private concerts and ballrooms one and two for wedding receptions), but she had also explored all the views from the various outside terraces.

  She decided that the Winterborn had everything and “a bag of chips” as the popular saying went. She was getting increasingly excited at the idea that she might be able to invest in it, at least if what Echo had hinted at was a real possibility, she could be a part owner of the enterprise in a few months.

  She’d called her office and made arrangement to stay for a few more days, rearranging her appointments and making sure her office manager had things well in hand. She felt like she was on the best adult vacation of her life, and she was happy that she hadn’t been able to leave. The inconvenient blizzard had turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

  A small voice inside of her whispered that it had to be fate, because she had an overwhelming sense of falling in love, not just with beautiful, studly Echo Winterborn, but also the lodge and…

  She remembered with a blush her interaction with his brothers Smoke and Largo. All of them were handsome in their own way. Smoke at about 6’3” was shorter than either Largo or Echo, but he had twinkling deep set eyes, a dimple in his chin and a sexy laugh.

  Largo had a seductive voice, a personal magnetism and a way of focusing on her that aroused sexual feelings. He had long straight hair which he mostly wore down his back and his features exhibited more of the Arapaho Indian heritage that ran in the Winterborn line. He had straight black brows, mesmerizing eyes and she was fairly sure that the entire time she’d interacted with him her panties had been getting wet.

  Just thi
nking about it made her cheeks burn, and just as she was allowing the first swallow of her Scotch to warm her from the inside out, she heard a voice at her ear.

  “Do you mind if I join you?”

  Sitting next to her was the gentleman she had only become vaguely aware of earlier as he followed her inside the bar. He was a strikingly handsome and massively built man with silver hair slicked straight back, glacially blue eyes and a well-trimmed salt and pepper beard.

  “I hate to drink alone,” he confessed to her, “do you mind if I join you?

  I’m Richard Scarborough, and I’m just passing through. Are you here on vacation? Or did you get stuck in the storm?”

  Arcadia noticed that the only feature marring the older man’s good looks was a jagged scar that ran from his forehead and across one eyebrow, culminating on his cheek. Oddly enough the silvery scar didn’t seem to detract from his smoking good looks. It added an air of mystery to the man.

  “I’m Arcadia Pines,” she told him, extending her hand, “and I’m here on business actually.”

  “Ah, a businesswoman,” the man said thoughtfully, “I see. May I buy you a drink?

  And may I ask where you got your charming accent?”

  “I hail from the proud Commonwealth of Virginia,” she told him, laughing lightly, “I didn’t know my accent was so obvious—I’m actually from Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. We don’t think we sound like our country cousins further down state!”

  “What can I get you Arcadia,” the man said smiling, “another of the same?”

  He gestured to the bartender and Cadie noticed he was also drinking Scotch, only with a single ice cube in it and a twist of lime.

  When the second round of drinks appeared, he raised his glass to her.

  “To beauties from afar,” he said in tribute, as they both tilted their heads back and swallowed.

  The stranger that had introduced himself as Richard went on to tell her that he was in land acquisition also, and had had his eye on the Winterborn operation for decades, even though he knew it wasn’t for sale.

  “There are many reasons why this is the penultimate piece of real estate to be had in the region,” he told her, “not only are the views way beyond spectacular, but the waterfalls are breathtaking, and…

  Are you aware that there is a network of caves and caverns that contain hot springs? I mean this location is only half developed into what it might be!

  Have you ever visited any Hot Springs Resorts?”

  “As a matter of fact, I have in Vir—”

  Cadie never got to finish her sentence.

  “WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, SCAR?” A familiar voice thundered from behind her.

  Two things happened at once, neither of which she would ever forget.

  The nicely attired gentleman she’d been conversing with growled deeply in his throat, and as she watched, his mouth appeared to extend into a maw displaying dangerous, dagger like fangs.

  His icy blue eyes glowed with a crimson incandescence, she could hear the violent sounds of clothing being ripped asunder, and suddenly she was no longer face to face with a man, but a huge feral beast.

  One that was all too familiar—she had looked into those eyes the day a ginormous silver wolf had attacked her as she was changing her tire.

  She was spun around on her stool as Echo rushed forward from behind her as the Wolf Shifter she’d been conversing with gave a backwards leap, shattering the expensive whiskey glass it had been drinking from to the floor and disappearing into the nearby utility hallway of the lounge.

  Arcadia froze, her eyes blinking and sure that she was going mad—had she really witnessed a man transforming into a giant Timberwolf?

  Echo returned looking red faced and furious.

  “FULL ALERT,” he shouted at the bartender, “Tell everyone to be on the lookout for that character! He is persona non grata and DANGEROUS!”

  Pressing his face close to Cadie’s he immediately changed his tone. He was close enough so that she could see the fear in his eyes.

  “Did he touch you? HURT you? I’m so sorry Cadie! I have no idea how he got in!”

  “What was that?” Cadie managed to squeak out, “WHAT THE FLYING FUCK WAS THAT ECHO?”

  “You’re not crazy Cadie,” Echo reassured her, “What you just witnessed was real, a reality hidden from most people in the modern world but nonetheless a reality that truly exists.

  Come with me darling and stay close—I will explain everything!”

  Chapter Five: The Unseen World

  By the time Echo ushered Cadie back to his suite, she noticed that, curiously, Smoke and Largo had joined them, falling into step as though they had been summoned.

  They had—he had sent a silent alert to them to join him via their telepathic connection.

  As they reached the room Largo secured the doors to the terrace, Smoke banked the fire until it rose up crackling and shooting sparks and Echo sat her down on the overstuffed leather sofa. Wrapping an Indian blanket around her trembling form.

  She was shaking and he enveloped her in his massive arms silently for a few minutes until she ceased shaking, before saying,

  “Okay—who wants to start?”

  “I will”, Largo said smoothly. Kneeling down so that he was on eye level with the still trembling Cadie he continued, “My Darling Arcadia, you are not going mad. Nobody slipped a hallucinogen into your drink. What you saw is part of the world that includes both humans and other beings that live clandestinely among them.

  Generally, we would never speak of this, but given the circumstances you need this knowledge for your own protection. What you witnessed is the transformation of what is commonly referred to as a Shifter. Shifters are humanoids that can take the shape of many things, including all manner of animals and even objects. They possess the natural ability to morph into other forms.

  You just witnessed the gentleman that bought you a drink shifting into a Timberwolf.”

  “You may have recognized him from that day you had tire trouble a few miles from the lodge. You know, when you were determined to leave us!

  And do you remember what happened when the wolf attacked, Cadie?”

  Cadie nodded.

  “Something came between me and that silver wolf. Another wolf, a bigger one. And they were fighting and then the second wolf chased it off!

  And then, and then, YOU were there, Echo!”

  “Yes, well there’s a reason for that,” Smoke interjected, taking a seat next to her on her left side, “We, all of us with you here, are also shifters. Timberwolf shifters to be precise.”

  Cadie looked around at all of them. Echo noticed that she had stopped shaking but she pulled the covers up more closely around her before she spoke again.

  “And you expect me to believe my eyes I guess,” she said, speaking slowly, “Even though I KNOW that I saw what I saw, I still don’t believe it!”

  All of the brothers looked at each other communicating silently, telepathically, in Wolf Speak.

  She needs a demonstration Largo stated, looking pointedly at Smoke. Smoke looked at Echo, who nodded.

  Why is it always ME that has to get naked? Smoke complained when he saw Echo nodding in assent. But aloud he said, “Look Cadie, I’ll show you my wolf if you want. I think in this case a transformation will be worth a thousand words, or however that saying goes!”

  Taking a few steps away Smoke quickly stripped down to his briefs, saving them for last and then shucking them. He was facing away from the group and quipped,

  “I know, I know, cute butt—I get that a lot actually!

  Okay, keep watching—here we go!”

  As Cadie watched, incredulous and slightly distracted by the sight of Smoke’s tight buttocks, he began to change. His already stocky and muscular body widened in some areas and narrowed in others as a luxuriant coat of winter fur sprouted spontaneously all over his body.

  He dropped to all fours when his strong forelegs, mass
ive wolfen paws and haunches appeared and turned to face her.

  His wolf was magnificent and gargantuan compared to any breed of wolf Arcadia had ever been familiar with. It was multicolored, with browns and reds and a huge white ruff below its maw, and lots of soft looking fur.

  Smoke’s wolf lowered its head and approached her, stopping just inches from her drawn up, blanketed knees.

  “Can I pet him? Smoke?” She asked wonderingly.

  “I think that’s what he is waiting for,” Largo said gently, and so Cadie reached out a tentative hand, stroking the wolf between his ears. Lightly at first and then, relaxing and petting him like she would a huge dog.

  “You make a very handsome wolf, Smoke,” she told him, and he made a satisfied sound in his throat and crept forward to nuzzle and then lick one of her exposed knees that had crept out from the blanket as she leaned forward to pet him.

  Cadie laughed because it tickled and when the licking went on a bit too long, Echo said sternly, “SMOKE?”

  Smoke instantly retreated, turning once to look back at Cadie (she could have sworn his wolf winked at her) before he shifted back again. Cadie lowered her eyes, even though she wanted to see his naked torso again. It was impressive indoor scenery.

  As Smoke was redressing Largo continued, “This is as real as real can get, and we realize it is a lot to take in, but know this—

  All of us of the Winterborn pack are committed to your protection. I can’t tell you why Scar followed you tonight, what his motives were, but I can assure you based on our past experience with him he is up to no good.

  Something had changed—usually after being driven away or defeated the disgraced wolf would steer clear of the territory where it happened. My impression is that he must be just as grandiose as he ever was, but now madness has crept in.

  I think he is batshit crazy, but still dangerous. He is smart, I’ll give him that. And he was likely testing our security.

  If he tried it again, he wouldn’t succeed—everyone has been alerted.