Red and the Wolf (Future Fairytales)

by Kate Rudolph

  “And that’s what Wolf was trying to do?”

  Wood nodded.

  “So what about you?” If Red was following the conversation correctly, she was almost certain that Wood had confessed something to her. “This mating thing, is it like fate?”

  He shook his head. “Merely a… calling. A possibility. Emotions can grow from there, if we choose to get to know those we are drawn to.”

  “And did you?” She held her breath after she asked.

  “I could not pull you into this world against your will.”

  Red took a step forward and placed her hand on his chest. “And if I want to be with you?”

  “A mating is for life.” He covered her hand with his own, keeping her close.

  “And if I can accept that?” It was terrifying. All the potential had been there between them, but now to make a choice for forever seemed like she was jumping out of a shuttle and hoping she had a parachute. But this was Wood she was thinking of. He wouldn’t let her fall, not alone.

  “I’ve wanted to claim you since I first set eyes on you. The desire has only grown stronger every day.”

  Her heart could have stopped. She’d been worried that he didn’t want her? That seemed crazy now that the possibility of them lay heavy in the air. All of Wood’s reactions made sense now, why he’d get close only to pull back. He didn’t want to pressure her, wanted to be better than the animal that lived inside of him. And Red thought she could love him for it.

  She took a deep breath and caught a hint of his spicy, masculine scent, which went a curl of desire deep through her, spearing her to her core. “I’m here right now,” she said. “And there’s no one I’ve ever wanted more.”

  Wood lunged at her and this kiss was feral, almost painful. Red opened under him and wrapped her arms tight around him. He was hot against her, all man and need, and Red surrendered to it, ready for anything Wood had to offer.

  Chapter Nine

  Red thumped back on the couch cushions, thankful for the padding as her head rocked against the arm. Wood’s fingers were laced in her hair, holding her head close as he devoured her, his tongue doing wicked things she’d only dreamed about. His weight holding her down was a revelation and for the first time in more than a week she felt safe. With him here, nothing bad could happen to her. And now he was hers for the taking.

  She wanted more, wanted everything, his touch, his taste, his warmth, all that he had to give. And her body wasn’t waiting any longer. Red was on fire with the heat that scorched through her as Wood shifted, placing one leg between hers until she was grinding down on him, desperate for that little bit of friction. It wasn’t enough, especially not through all their layers of clothes, but to get any more she’d need to let go of him, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to manage that any time soon.

  He shifted his position, kissing along the edge of her chin and down her neck, nipping at her and sucking until she was sure that he’d left a mark, staking his claim. Red moaned and clutched him even closer. “Yes,” she breathed out, the sound breathy and thick with arousal. “More,” she demanded.

  Wood growled and even though she knew a dangerous predator lived inside of him, she didn’t care. She wanted him now. Needed him. “I want to mark you,” he rumbled against her neck, his lips moving against her skin as if he could not pull himself away. “Need to claim you.”

  “Do it.” She didn’t need to know exactly what he meant to want it. If it meant that this man, this dangerous, beautiful creature belonged to her and she belonged to him, she would reach out and grab the claiming and demand it.

  Her man groaned and set his lips on her again with renewed fervor. She didn’t see his hand shift, too caught up in the feel of his lips against her, but when the first prick of claws broke her skin she let out a sound of surprise and shock. She barely noticed that he’d cut away the collar of her shirt, but she was almost naked from the waist up but for her bra. Wood froze in place, his claws sitting at her collar bone and ready to dig in and mark her. It should have been terrifying, but the level of trust that Red had for him told her that he’d never do anything to harm her.

  “This may hurt.” He pulled back, hovering over her and gazing down at her with eyes filled with wonder, as if he’d never imagined that things could be like this between them. “But only for a moment,” he promised.

  She wanted this, she trusted him, but razor sharp claws were still settled against her skin and Red had to gulp as a momentary wave of apprehension washed over her. But finally she nodded. “Do it.”

  “No turning back after this,” Wood warned.

  “There was no turning back a long time ago.” Maybe not from the first moment they met. Red had been drawn to him like she’d never wanted another. Wood might have said that this wasn’t fate, but it was something powerful and so right that she could feel it settled into her bones.

  His claws dug in and white hot pain shot through her. Red screamed, she couldn’t help it, but almost as soon as it happened, the pain dissolved until there was only heat left. Heat and Wood’s lips, lapping at the wound. It should have seemed wrong—he was drinking her blood and cleaning an open cut with his tongue. But as Red watched him, arousal flooded through her. After a moment, Wood lifted his head, licking his lips and breathing heavily. He traced his fingers, now completely human, over the newly formed mark scored between her collarbone and her breast. It looked like a new scar, red and shiny, but in the shape of claw marks. A sure sign that she’d been claimed by a shifter.

  Red surged up from where she was laying, a sudden wave of energy overtaking her. The movement startled Wood and he fell back until she was the one on top of him, straddling his legs as if she was ready to ride him. Her shirt hung in tatters and Red jerked it off and let her bra fall away too. She needed him now and tugged at his own top until Wood was there helping, tearing it over his head and casting it aside. She thought she heard something thunk to the floor, dragged down by Wood’s shirt, but she didn’t care. She’d deal with any mess later.

  Though his lips were right there and so tempting, Red had a different goal in mind, leaving marks along Wood’s neck as if to show the world that he was taken. She didn’t have claws and fangs to use, but she’d always been creative.

  “You’re going to be possessive, aren’t you?” Wood groaned against her, arching up into her touch.

  “You have no idea.” Red had never wanted anyone so much, had never felt the riding urge to make everyone know that he belonged to her, but now that it was there, she didn’t want it to go away.

  She made an embarrassing sound as Wood surged up, gathering her in his arms, their hot flesh pressed tightly against one another. “Bed,” he declared.

  The apartment wasn’t large, and it was laid out like every other single room unit in the colony. She didn’t need to tell Wood where to go, and by the time she had a moment to worry about whether everything was tidy, he was already setting her down on the bed and crowding over her.

  Red loved it.

  She reached up and cradled his face in her hands, studying the harsh lines of his features and memorizing it all. God, this man was so perfect, so beautiful, so hers. And when he brushed his lips over hers it was like coming home.

  Another fumble of hands and they were both naked, trembling together as the enormity of the situation settled over them. This claiming was a big deal, it was what Wolf had been trying to force for weeks while Wood fought against it, trying to give her a choice in the matter. But that choice was already made. And now that they were here, Wood didn’t hesitate.

  He slowly made his way down her body, taking a moment to savor every curve with his fingers and his mouth. By the time he made it to the heat of her sex, she was already writhing, ready for him and desperate to be filled. But Wood grinned up at her and her stomach flipped. In his eyes she saw the promise that this wasn’t something he wanted to get over and done with quickly, taking his pleasure without regard for hers. No, he wanted to savor her, and s
he was laid out like a feast before him.

  A feast he was ready to taste.

  When his tongue lapped at her sex, Red didn’t try to stop the moan that escaped. She didn’t try to suppress her movements or hide her reactions. Wood was a marvel, using his fingers and lips and tongue to make her a panting, desperate mess of heightened senses and heavy arousal. She couldn’t think beyond pleasure, couldn’t remember the world outside of this bed. It was only him and her in the universe, two people who had claimed each other and were never letting go.

  She forgot words, forgot how to speak, but she didn’t care. Whatever sounds she managed to make, Wood interpreted them correctly, applying more pressure here, backing off there, going deeper and stretching her, making her ready for him.

  But this wasn’t just a prelude, wasn’t a chore to make sure she enjoyed herself. Not if the sounds and the movements Wood was making were anything to go by. He savored her taste, her feel, her skin, and he wasn’t giving up until she was quivering and sated.

  With a yell, she came, her sex shuddering as Wood sucked her relentlessly. In that moment, she was remade as a being of pleasure, unable to remember anything better, anything that had come before. None of it mattered, not now that she had him, now that she would never let him go.

  Wood pulled back, but didn’t give her time to recover, her skin highly sensitized and quivering as he guided himself to her entrance and slowly entered her, his movements enough to torture her with want. She arched against him, trying to make him sink in faster, but he took his time, smiling down at her as if she was the most beautiful woman on the planet, no, in the solar system. Under his regard, it was easy to think that maybe that was true. At least when it came to Wood. Maybe with him Red could believe it.

  And then he was seated all the way in and they were joined as closely as two beings could be joined. When he began to move, Red moved with him, this dance as ancient as the human race and as new as two mates could make it. He was slow at first, as if he was afraid he would break her, but when Red demanded that he speed up and sealed the request with a hot kiss, he did as she demanded, thrusting into her with abandon and playing her like an instrument.

  She could feel another wave of pleasure coming and she did nothing to stop it, letting it crest over her until she cried out, clutching him close and riding it out until it was done. With a shout, Wood emptied himself into her, finding his own peak and glowing with the joy of their joining, a perfect moment, the first of many to come.

  For a long time they were quiet, uncertain of what came next. Wood cuddled her close and tucked her hair behind her ear, the brown strands momentarily tangling around his fingers.

  Red smiled at him. “You’re mine.” It was almost hard to believe, even with her body sated and his scent all around her. “Though the word mate is going to take some getting used to.”

  Wood smiled back and kissed her nose. He looked young, as if the weight of his responsibilities had been momentarily removed. “I’m yours,” he replied. “And I’ve never wanted another mate. Only you.”

  Red snuggled in against him, comfortably warm and unable to believe her good luck. And then something occurred to her. “You do realize that my grandma is going to want to know all about this. And she’s not going to want us to skimp on the details.”

  For a moment, Wood froze before a startled laugh burst out of him. “Surely she won’t want every detail.”

  Red groaned as she imagined Grandma Sylvie’s eyes lighting up when she saw Red and Wood together. “Um, you get used to evading. But believe me, she’ll love you.”

  Her man grew silent, his expression intense. “It is not her love that I need,” he said. “I realize that it’s soon, but…”

  Red took a deep breath. She’d already leaped once today, and she’d soared. What was one more chance? “You have my love. You’ve claimed it, haven’t you?”

  Wood still studied her, as if looking for the crack in her words, but he gathered her close and kissed her forehead. “And all of mine is yours, my mate,” he declared. “For as long as we live.”

  Those words would have scared her coming from anyone else, but with Wood in her bed and in her heart, there was nothing she wanted more. They had an entire future ahead of them, and as long as they were together, they could face any challenge. She had her wolf at her side, and he would protect her from every threat and grow in laughter and love with her.

  What more could a girl want?

  Also by Kate Rudolph

  Sci-Fi Romance

  Snowed in with the Alien Beast

  Crashed

  Mated on the Moon

  Mated to the Alien

  Ruwen

  Tyral

  Stoan

  Cyborg

  Krayter

  Kayleb

  Detyen Warriors

  Soulless

  Ruthless

  Heartless

  Faultless

  Paranormal Romance

  Marked

  Bear in Mind

  Alpha’s Mercy

  Gemma’s Mate

  The Mate Bundle

  The Alpha Heist

  Entangled with the Thief

  In the Alpha’s Bed

  Find more by Kate Rudolph at www.katerudolph.net

  About Kate Rudolph

  Kate Rudolph is an ex-derby girl who lives in Indiana. She loves writing about kick butt heroines and the steamy heroes who love them. She's been devouring romance novels since she was too young to be reading them and had to hide her books so no one would take them away. She couldn't imagine a better job in this world than writing romances and sharing them with her fellow readers.

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