“What did you do?”
“I tied you to the bed like you suggested.”
“Uncuff me,” he snarled. “That’s not what I meant.”
She climbed on the bed before gripping the waistband of his shorts and shimmying them down his legs. His cock sprang up and her mouth watered. “Oh, come on Kaleb. Let me at least touch you for a little while,” she begged, running her hands up his thighs to cup his balls.
“It's not a good idea,” he told her while simultaneously rocking his hips toward her.
She gripped the base of his shaft and leaned forward, her tongue flicking out over the engorged head. “Please...”
He groaned as she sunk his cock into her mouth. When he growled, “Fffuck…” she took that to mean he approved.
She worked him with her mouth, her hand gripping and pumping the parts she couldn't reach with her lips. He rocked against her, inadvertently choking her once before she pulled back to catch her breath.
“For a man who was so hesitant just a few minutes ago, you sure do seem to like fucking my mouth,” she commented before swallowing him down again.
“Uhhh…fuck yes,” he groaned, his head fell back and his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed.
Oh, she loved it. She flicked her tongue over the bead of moisture that erupted from the tip, savoring the salty flavor. Moaning against him, she took every inch she could before backing off and sinking down again.
Growls vibrated the bed. It turned her own knowing that she was getting to him. She could make him want her just as much as he made her want him and she basked in the knowledge. Uncomfortable, she shifted, trying to ease the ache that was growing between her legs. Her pussy was already swollen, but it made her that much more sensitive and needier.
With a pop, she released his cock from her mouth. She needed more than just the taste of him, although she loved it. Needing him inside her, she stripped her panties and crawled over him. She didn't have to see his face to know his teeth were out. His breathing had changed and she knew his gaze was locked on her. Deep, vibrating growls came from his chest.
Reaching down, there was still skin under her hand as she braced herself on his chest. He hadn’t completely gone beast-mode and that was enough for her. Gripping his erection, she pressed him against her opening and sunk down on him, moaning as her body stretched to accommodate him.
"I love the way you feel," she breathed, suddenly hot. Sweat prickled her skin as she gripped the bottom of the t-shirt and tossed it to the side.
Again and again, she slid over his shaft, adjusting slightly so he'd hit that sweet spot. Kaleb rocked his hips but restrained himself from thrusting up into her.
He was oddly quiet, she realized. While he’d been growling before, he’d stopped now. She couldn’t hear anything but his unsteady, heavy breathing. He hadn't snarled, hadn't groaned, hadn't said a word in a few minutes. His muscles contracted and shook under her hand as she took a shaky breath.
“Kaleb…”
Metal clanked and wood splintered. Before she realized what was happening, she was flat on her back and Kaleb was pounding into her with an almost painful intensity. She clung to him, nails digging into his biceps as she hung onto him.
“Beth,” he growled, his voice barely his own. A sharp ache shot through her as his teeth broke through the skin of her shoulder.
Beth heard herself gasp, heard the cries that filled the room as the scent of copper and sex filled the air.
Intense, molten heat seeped into her skin from where his mouth was latched onto her. It slid slowly through her veins, lighting her afire. She’d never felt anything like it before. It was a high she couldn’t comprehend nor control. She was entirely at his mercy. The only thing she could do was hang on as the euphoria rushed through her.
When it stopped, she cried, needing the connection again but then his forearm was pressed to her wanting mouth.
Drops tickled her lips and she latched onto him. Everything came rushing back, this time blazing brighter than before. Eyes rolling back in her head, she came, her body wracked with spasms of ardent ecstasy.
Kaleb roared against her shoulder, not releasing her as he erupted deep inside and scorching her one burst at a time from the inside. Beth lost herself in a tangle of pleasure and emotions that overtook her, body, mind, and soul.
Kaleb was glued to her, his body moving continuously as if he hadn't just come inside her. Again, and again, he filled her until she was sure she would die from the overwhelming pleasure of it all. They’d be found in each other’s arms and she welcomed that.
There was just them and that was all she ever needed.
At some point, she lost consciousness. Feel asleep or passed out, she didn’t know. She didn’t even remember when it happened and only realized it when he was shaking her awake, his body abruptly leaving hers. Emptiness filled her as he jumped away from her, landing silently on his feet next to the bed.
“Get up, Beth,” he whispered, his voice urgent. “Get dressed.”
“What?” she asked, still shaking and groggy but his frantic voice made her scurry from the bed all but rolling off the mattress. “What is it?”
He pulled his shorts on, took two steps to the closet and ripped open the doors. She was thrusting her leg into her jeans when he tossed the rifle toward her. It bounced once on the bed. “We have company.”
12
He’d been awake, his mind processing what had happened in his bed, the taste of her body and her binding life force still on his lips when he’d heard the slow-moving vehicle outside. The bar was silent beneath them, Alex having closed the doors an hour ago. Ears perked, he listened to the footsteps circling around the building, a feeling of dread building deep in his gut.
Four pairs of legs, eight feet quietly trampling the gravel, moving around the building. He sat up in the bed. They had to be human, werewolf enforcers or the CE would’ve made it to their door before he heard them. These were humans. Slayers.
Shaking Beth awake, he jumped from the bed. He needed her mobile but his mind was spinning too quickly to be able to voice all his thoughts and plans to her, even when she looked at him with confusion in her eyes.
The rifle was on the bed. She was going to need that.
“Shoes,” he whispered and was happy when she quickly complied, thrusting her feet into her already laced sneakers. They couldn’t stay inside. Eventually they were going to be forced out of the building based on the way the four slayers seemed to be spreading around.
“Slayers?” she asked him, her voice barely a whisper. He nodded, his ears still straining to pick up their movements. If he could figure out where they were, he could figure out how they needed to get out.
There was the sudden sound of glass shattering, followed by a whoosh of air. The acrid smell of smoke hit his sensitive nose like a brick.
“Get out of here,” he told her, deciding in an instant what he’d need to do to get her out in one piece. “Take the rifle, go out the window. Drive to Lila’s and tell my brother what’s going on.”
“Where are you going?” Her voice rose with panic. “No, no you’re not going down there!”
He was already out of the room, taking the stairs in a leap. The front of the bar was engulfed in flames. Liquor fueled the fire, cutting off the exit. There was only one way out, and the slayers knew it.
Beth.
She hadn’t followed him and he couldn’t allow himself to think about her too much. He trusted her to do what he’d told her days before in preparation. It had only been a matter of time. Pain wracked his body as his muscles stretched, his bones contorted and hardened. Teeth slid from his gums as his snout elongated. He had to protect his mate. She was his priority.
Beth.
Her name was the last thing he remembered.
He’d left her. Kaleb had left her. He’d run from the room as if it were on fire.
Hell, there was a fire, but he’d run toward it, not away from it. The desire to follow him
was nearly overwhelming. She needed to be near him, to make sure he was okay. It was absolutely ridiculous. Logically, she knew she’d only slow him down but she was beyond logic. She was running on adrenaline and instinct. She needed her mate.
Do as your mate told you. Get out of the apartment. Run.
Snagging the rifle from the bed, she went to the window. He’d told her to get to Gabriel but she didn’t even want to think that far ahead. If she did it would all become too much and she’d go after him instead. Step one, get out of the apartment.
The window slid open without resistance. She looked down at the ominous dumpster beneath the window. It was off to the side but she’d be able to land on top of it. Her eyes focused in the dark, the glowing light from the distant parking lot was the only light she had but she was able to see better than she’d anticipated.
She didn’t dwell on her change in vision. Ears perked, she listened but only caught the sounds of the fire below. Smoke filled the air, wafting around the building. There was a flash of movement in the corner of her eye but it was moving away from her. She tried to focus on it but there was nothing she could make out. Slinging the rifle on her shoulder, she crawled from the window.
Landing on her feet, she slid across the slick plastic top of the dumpster. She clawed at the smooth finish but found nothing to grip to stop her from falling off the side. She hit the gravel with a thud, the air knocked from her lungs.
She laid on the ground for a long moment, gasping. That’s when she heard the growls and yelling around the corner of the building. The back door was open a few feet from where she lay, but she couldn’t see Kaleb anywhere.
Step two, get to the truck.
Or should she?
On her feet, she hesitated, torn between what he wanted her to do and what she felt in her gut she had to do. She wouldn’t leave him. No way.
Running around the alleyway, she saw the massive hole in the chain link fence. She stepped through it and rounded the building, stopping short when she saw him. One man was dead on the ground, blood pooled from his headless neck. She didn’t look for the head. Kaleb had another man cornered, one she recognized as Durand.
She’d been right.
The glint of metal caught her eyes. Lifting the rifle, she aimed at the man who now held a gun on Kaleb. Kaleb was oblivious in his beast state, unaware of the meaning of the weapon pointed in his direction.
Finger on the trigger, she squeezed. The rifle was jerked into the air just as it cracked with the shot. The butt hit her in the chin and she lost her grip. In that moment, the rifle was torn away from her just as another shot rung out.
No.
Kaleb’s whelp told her what she already knew. Panic swirled in her chest as she faced the person who’d disarmed her.
Shock punched her in the gut.
“Quinn?”
There was no response, just a flash of silver as the knife drug across her forearm. Beth screamed, jumping back from the blade as she sliced again. Her back was pressed against the hot brick as she dodged to the side, trying to put distance between herself and her insane roommate.
“Beast whore!” Quinn snarled. The blank look she normally carried was gone, replaced by vehement hated and bloodlust. “I’m going to gut you and hang you by your intestines.”
Quinn launched at her again, the long blade coming dangerously close to her neck.
“You crazy bitch!” Beth tried to get away from her but Quinn kept hurling herself at her over and over again, narrowly missing each time.
She heard Kaleb’s snarl and the man’s shouts but she couldn’t afford even the smallest glance in their direction. Smoke was obscuring her vision and burning her eyes as she tried to keep several feet between Quinn and herself while still pressed against the wall.
A loud howl broke through the air, distracting Quinn. The noise didn’t come from Kaleb, who was still growling and circling with Durand, blood dripping down his arm. The gun Durand held was gone, but the silver knife he carried was still lethal.
Gunfire jerked her attention to the man who’d appeared behind Quinn. Her friend Vic was there, revolver in hand and pointing it away from Kaleb.
“Remember the plan, Quinn,” Vic said, firing again.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t play with her first.” Quinn launched herself at Beth.
Beth skidded to the side, trying to deflect the girl’s blows and the razor-sharp edge of the knife. She needed to keep some distance between both Quinn and her weapon, but every time she thought she could get away, Quinn threw herself toward Beth again. She sliced and jabbed at Beth until she was cornered without her weapon and her mate twenty feet away, fighting with two other men.
Beth spun, avoiding another jab just as Quinn grabbed ahold of her hair. She wrenched Beth back and this time the knife punctured her flank. She screamed as the stinging bite of the blade perforated her skin. Before she could think, she grabbed Quinn’s wrist, her hand still holding the impaled weapon to keep her from impaling the six-inch blade fully. She yanked her hand away, her other hand gripping the woman by the throat.
Her sick smile faltered as Beth dug her fingers around Quinn’s windpipe with every last bit of strength she had. Throwing her weight into the girl, they fell to the gravel. Beth had her pinned down and didn’t dare let up even a little bit. As soon as she gave in to the pain, Quinn would have her hand on the knife again. She was dead if that happened.
No, she wasn’t going to die tonight.
Gripping Quinn’s throat, Beth slammed her forehead into the woman’s nose. The crunch of the bone sounded in her ears as she forced the hand reaching for the knife above her head. Quinn clawed at her, struggling to breathe.
Growls and snarls filled the air. They weren’t alone. Another werewolf charged into the chaos, dropping Vic and sending his weapon flying with a single swipe of very lethal claws before turning on Durand. Still, Beth hung on, refusing to let go of Quinn’s throat even though the muscles burned and sharp, stinging pain was shooting up and down her side.
Quinn thrashed beneath her, nearly bucking her off, but she hung on. Anger blurred her vision as her enemy grew weak.
“I need her alive, Beth.” Ben’s calm and unwavering voice broke through the red haze that was clouding her vision. “Let her go.”
No way did she want the woman to get away with this. Shit, Beth had a knife sticking out of her side thanks to this woman. She’d almost been killed multiple times. And here she was, being told she wasn’t allowed to seek vengeance. With a roar, she hauled back and walloped Quinn in the face.
There was a non-threatening hand on her shoulder, sitting there as if ready to jerk her back but not wanting to. “Beth.” Kaleb’s voice was a low rumble.
As much as she wanted to, killing Quinn wouldn’t solve anything. Somehow her fingers cooperated and she released the other woman’s neck before falling back on her haunches. Hands went to where the knife still protruded from her side, just above her hip, unsure of what to do with the weapon.
“Easy, easy,” Kaleb said as Ben forced Quinn up to her feet.
“Let go of me!” she screamed, her voice raspy as Ben slapped handcuffs on her. Beth couldn’t process where he’d even gotten the cuffs. He was standing there, naked as a jaybird, wrestling with a very pissed off, albeit hoarse, slayer. “I’ll fucking kill you!”
There was one thing missing from the scene with her crazy roommate. “Where’s that stupid iguana?” Beth asked as Kaleb helped her to her feet and kept her steady. It would probably turn into a dragon and kill them all.
“Don’t you talk about Simon. Don’t even say his name! He knew what you were the second you stepped inside the apartment. He knew you were evil. He tried to warn me.”
Beth shook her head, her hand on her side. “You’re psychotic.”
“No,” Kaleb told her before turning to Ben. “I bet that damn thing is trained.”
“Trained? What are you talking about?”
“She had an iguana a
t Beth’s apartment that hissed at me.”
“Don’t you talk about Simon! Don’t you dare!”
“Shut up!” Beth screamed at her as the sirens from the fire trucks echoed in the background. They didn’t have much time until everyone in Cantor surrounded the bar, wanting to see what was going on.
“And you think this thing was trained?” Ben asked, realization slowly dawning.
“Trained to sniff out Others. Find it.”
“Oh, I will.” Ben shoved Quinn in front of him. “Don’t make me gag you, too,” he said when Quinn started screaming. Jerking his head once toward Kaleb, he told them, “Get out of here. I’ll take care of this.”
“Thank you,” Beth said as Kaleb began leading her toward the garage. Ben nodded once before disappearing with Quinn.
Her hand gripped the handle of the knife, ready to pull it when Kaleb stopped her, his hand covering hers and he looked over her blood-soaked side. “Don’t that knife out. Not here. Come on, let’s go.”
She leaned heavily on him as he helped her toward the garage. He opened the door and lifted her into the bed with quick instruction to lay down and keep still. She complied, finding it much easier and less painful to lay flat than sit up.
He drove like a madman as she laid in the back, staring up at the stars in the dark sky. Her side was throbbing but she didn’t touch the blade. Instead, she held onto the side of the pick-up with bloody hands. She didn’t know where they were going but she had a pretty good guess.
She knew she was right when they bounced over the gravel driveway. Familiar voices were shouting and before she knew it, the truck had stopped and the tailgate was jerked open.
“Jesus, are you okay?” Lila asked her, jumping into the bed of the truck and rocking Beth.
“I have a knife in my side. Does that qualify as okay?”
“Don’t be a smartass right now. I’ve had a stressful day today.”
“And you think I haven’t?” She gestured to the weapon protruding from her body.
“Fair point.”
Wild and Untamed (Netherworld Series Book 4) Page 20