Wayward Son (The Wayward Trilogy Book 1)

by Mandi Konesni

  Still, he obliged, and gave the lady what she wanted. He took his time tracing a path down her rounded stomach, tongue laving over the curved indents of her hips. Sliding his palms under the lace, he hooked his fingers over the elastic hem, tugging it downward, lifting one leg at a time to free her from the material, finally leaving her fully bared to his gaze.

  As he positioned himself, he used his shoulders to nudge her knees apart, situating himself between her spread thighs. She was glorious this way, trembling slightly, eyes wide as she held herself still, as if waiting for his reaction. He couldn't help licking his lips. She looked like a helluva meal, and he suddenly realized he'd been fucking starving. Glancing up to meet her gaze, he held it as his fingers eased a path through silken flesh. The sound she made as he breached her entrance with two digits had him shuddering, cock hardening to an almost painful degree.

  Lowering his head, he inhaled, the cat purring in his head as the scent of his mate in need filled his senses. As she writhed under him, he quickly found a rhythm that had her clutching the sheets in her fists, legs falling further open as he sucked and nibbled lightly against her clit, fingers working in tandem to urge her higher. The sounds she made pushed him on, wanting to hear more of them, to hear her cry out in bliss.

  For the first time, he and the cat were in perfect agreement, and a strange calm settled over him. It was as if everything else faded away, the rest of the world enveloped in a stillness that made everything outside this room unimportant in the grand scheme of things. It was just the two of them, and nothing existed except the feel of her twisting beneath him, the taste of her on his tongue. The way her body spasmed around his fingers, tightening down as her cries became louder, more fervent as she shifted to tangle her fingers in his hair, tugging insistently.

  Grinning against her, he redoubled his efforts, fingers twisting and curling, repeating the motion when she made a sound of surprise, followed by a drawn-out moan and an upward lift of her hips in appreciation. He was rewarded with her toes curling against his elbows, legs going lax as she trembled in release, crying out his name.

  Rising, he settled himself over her once more, brushing tendrils of her blonde hair away from her face. For a moment, the cat peeked through, the first time it had ever happened in human form. His vision sharpened, colors becoming muted temporarily. The tiniest details of her expressions were more visible this way, the look of pleasure suffusing her.

  Thian bent his head, lips meeting hers for a bruising, possessive kiss before he pushed the cat back with sheer force of will. Bracing his hands above her head, he let out a groan as he pressed forward, bodies aligning and silken heat enveloped his cock. Her legs lifted to curl around his hips, feet locking against his ass as he buried himself within her, pausing for a long moment simply to enjoy the feel of her body clutching his, the slick tightness squeezing him like a goddamn vise.

  When he began to move, her arms curled around his neck, leaving her clinging to him as he thrust long and deep, tormenting both her and himself. It was too much, and yet not enough, the slow build-up leaving both of them panting as Adele arched against him with a whimper.

  “Please Thian... please, please. I need more, you're killing me. Don't stop... oh God don't stop.” Her nails dug into his shoulders as she pleaded with him, leaving a slight sting.

  He had no intentions of stopping. Not now. Likely not ever, if the cat had its way. Thankfully, until there was a full mating, he didn't think there was a risk of pregnancy. At the very least, he'd never heard of an unwanted or surprise pregnancy between shifters and humans before a mating was finished. Not that it couldn't happen, he supposed, he'd just never known it to. Same with diseases. He couldn't pass anything on to her, and vice versa. Their genetics were simply too different at the moment, until and unless she was turned.

  It meant he felt every tiny quiver of her inner walls around his cock, the way she clenched tighter as he began to pick up speed, breaths coming faster as he tried to hold both his cat and his release at bay. It was a losing battle, and one he wasn't sure he could win, even though he knew the end result could be devastating.

  He couldn't claim her now, not with everything going on. Realistically, he knew that. It was dangerous, not only for her, but for himself. If the rogues found out she was mated to someone in the pack seeking to destroy them, she'd become a pawn in their vendetta. They would no longer be attempting to kidnap her, they'd be setting out to kill her. Anything in an attempt to warn the club to back the fuck off. They'd lost their benefactor. Thian had to assume they were now desperate.

  As a human, he understood the risks, the potential mess it'd create for everyone. The harm it could cause to her. The cat? Scented his mate, felt the way she shuddered as his hips worked, fingers scratching at his back as her eyes clenched shut. She'd begun to lift up, meeting every thrust of his with a circular grind of her hips, making him damn near see stars. The way she bit her lip to avoid crying out made Thian shudder himself, the move far more of a turn-on than she likely intended.

  All he could see were those teeth buried in his neck, his in hers, completing a circuit that would connect them for the rest of their lifetimes and beyond. Unable to stand it, he withdrew, ignoring her mumble of protest. If he kept watching that, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from completing the mating, damn the consequences.

  “Turn your ass over, Princess. Grip the headboard. Don't move those hands. You don't let go until I tell you to, understood?”

  Eyes wide, she nodded, hurrying to scramble upwards, slim fingers curling around the iron bars without complaint. He took a perverse kind of pleasure in watching her follow his orders, a bolt of lust shooting straight through his cock.

  Once she'd taken her position, raised up slightly on her knees, he moved up behind her. His hands slid up her thighs to rest on her hips, his fingers curling around them. This time, there was nothing slow or easy about their joining. His hips pounded into her, her cries of pleasure mingling with his groans to echo in the small room around them.

  As she tossed her hair over her shoulder to glance back at him, eyes bright, he realized he'd made a massive miscalculation. Once again, his vision tunneled, gaze focusing on the smooth skin at the juncture of her shoulder and neck. The pulse throbbing there nearly echoed the throbbing in his cock, racing just beneath the skin. His mouth watered for a taste, senses on overload between her, his cat, and the feel of her rocking backward to meet his thrusts.

  Everything he'd warned himself about, everything he knew was dangerous about this went straight the fuck outta the window. He wasn't in control of himself. All that was left was the cat's feral need to claim its mate, to mark her as his own. To ensure she was under his protection, that other shifters knew she belonged to him. Without conscious thought, he reached forward, fingers tangling in her hair, twining the strands around his hand. Jerking her upward, he couldn't help the satisfied smirk as she clutched tighter to the bars.

  She wasn't letting go.... and neither was he. His yank had lifted her enough to allow him to bend forward, lips seeking the flesh he'd sought. Tongue lathing it lightly, he wrapped his free arm around her stomach, holding her still as he fucked her with deliberately measured strokes, no longer withdrawing completely, keeping himself sheathed within her depths with shallower, deeper thrusts.

  As she began to shake with the first trembles of impending release, he sank his teeth into her skin, the effect almost instantaneous. Like a live wire dropped into a placid lake, the shock of instant awareness had goosebumps rising on his flesh, cock jerking as he came with bright pulses of light behind his closed eyes. He swore he could almost feel her, as if they were joined physically as well as mentally. Two halves of the same whole.

  Her cries danced over his, the symphony exquisite to his ears. With the way she shivered in his arms, her skin flushed with its own goosebumps, he wondered what it felt like to a human. Did she feel what he did? Did Adele realize something had happened here beyond 'just sex'? Perhaps he'
d ask... one day. For now, he had to reconcile himself with what he'd just done. He'd just fucking claimed her. The absolute worst thing he could have done at the moment. Fuck.

  Chapter Twelve

  “It's not safe, and the answer is no. You can have a tantrum if you want, won't make a damn bit of difference to me, Princess. I've dealt with much scarier people than you. They didn't win, either.”

  She scowled, eyes narrowing. They'd been having this argument off and on for the last two days. Thian had decided it was time to go back to the house. He needed to see if there had been any shifter activity that was fresher. Retrieve the paperwork if possible and gather whatever Adele needed. When he'd broached the subject and asked her for a list, however, all feminine hell had broken loose.

  “I refuse to sit here alone like a scared cat, Thian. I'm going. If you leave me here? I'll call a Ryde. Your choice.”

  Fucking... dammit, she was stubborn as hell.

  The woman made him want to pull his hair out. She knew damn well he wouldn't let her get into a car with a fucking stranger to show up at the house alone and unprotected. Which meant either he wasn't going, or they were both going, since he obviously couldn't leave her ass here alone and expect her to stay put and behave.

  Worse, if she called someone, she'd be using her own cell phone and likely her credit cards, too. That'd lead them to his cabin, outing him and his one secure location separate from the Club as well. She had him, and she knew it, judging by the satisfied expression on her face.

  “You may have won this round, Princess, but if shit goes south, remember I warned your ass. Fine. We'll go. But there will be rules. You will follow them, or we're both staying here. First, you stay at my side. Period. You don't go running the fuck off to do something, grab something. We move as a team. Second, if I give an order, you fucking do it. Don't matter what it is. I say duck, you duck. I say jump, you goddamn jump, don't fucking worry about asking how high. If I, at any time, decide it's too dangerous, the mission is over. Understood?”

  She looked like she wanted to argue, as was her default state, but at the determined set of his jaw, she wisely chose to close her mouth and simply nod instead. Good girl.

  He wasn't overreacting to this. He had a bad feeling that they were likely walking into a trap. It's why he wanted to go alone. Better he be taken than her if anything happened. He could shift, figure out how to escape somehow. Worst-case scenario, the Club would find his rank ass, eventually.

  He'd underestimated the stubborn determination and pain in the ass qualities his mate possessed. He still wasn't sure what he intended to do with the knowledge that he now had a mate. It'd been a moment of supreme weakness, the cat pushing at his mind until he'd lost the will to fight anymore.

  If he walked away, Adele would be fine. She'd go on to find a normal human, settle down into a normal life. White picket fence, 2.5 kids, dog... all that bullshit. He'd likely never find another mate again. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Right now, he had so much on his mind, so much more to worry about, that the thought of being alone the rest of his life with only occasional fucks to pass the time hadn't really settled on him yet. Did he want a mate, truly? Were the club whores enough for him now, knowing Adele was out there?

  He was a cat. If she opted to, she could be turned as well. It wasn't something you could just drop on someone. That was a conversation every shifter had to figure out how to have. They had to decide if it was worth it, if their potential mate was trustworthy enough. If they wanted to spend their lives with that person, to risk everything, their lives included. He hadn't spent enough time with Adele to gauge whether she was a long-term type of person for him.

  Sure, he liked being with her so far, and enjoyed her feisty personality when it wasn't directed at him. The sex was great, they'd taken to sharing the bed the last two nights. No point in him sleeping on the cramped couch any longer, really. But good sex and a general tolerance of each other did not make a lifetime connection. That didn't tell him how she'd react to finding out he was a shifter, whether she'd keep their secret. Whether she'd want to join him.

  Just a whole fucking bunch of potential pit fires, the entire lot of it. He didn't know what to do. He supposed after this was over, he could talk to Knox. He was the only real father figure Thian knew. If anyone could help set him on the right path, it'd be the Prez. First? They had to get this shit over and done with, so he could ensure Adele would be safe, whether she was with him in the end or not.

  Riding back into town, the unsettled feeling only grew. He had the urge to just keep going, taking them both out of the city. Hell, out of the fucking state. Wherever they could go where this shit couldn't touch them, where the rogues wouldn't travel just to exact revenge. In his heart, he knew he couldn't do it, though. He wouldn't leave the Club. They'd saved his ass when he didn't think he'd been worth enough to be saved. They'd practically raised him, he'd been as good as a new cub when they'd found him, bleeding and fucking confused as hell. When push came to shove, they were the only family he knew.

  One way or another, whatever happened would go down in Kalamazoo. He knew that with certainty. All the threads were there, they just had to connect them. On the winding forest road to the house, he kept his attention half on the drive and half on the air, attempting to scent any predators before they got too far in. He hoped if he was forewarned, he could spin out and get gone before they were close enough to be within range of any potential weapons.

  Unfortunately, the closeness of Adele pressed against his back meant all he could focus on was the scent of her wrapping itself around him. When it came to that woman, he feared he was already becoming a damn lost cause. He was in too deep, and the real mating bonds hadn't even started yet.

  Once they'd reached the driveway, he pulled in, parking on the side of the house covered with bushes and an overflowing garden. It would provide some cover from the road and tree line, keeping the bike out of sight.

  Now that Adele wasn't right on top of him, he could scent the air more carefully. The tracks he'd sniffed out before were still here, this time stronger. Fresher. They'd come closer to the house at some point in the last few days, only way he'd be able to smell them from here. Or the visit was more recent than he thought, and the fuckers were still here. With so many overlapping scents, he couldn't be certain whether there were just more of them, or if they'd just come closer more recently.

  Wary, he glanced around, keeping himself alert as he curled his fingers around Adele's, tugging her with him. He didn't like this, not even a little bit at fucking all. The silence was unnerving, and with the heavy scent of rogues in the air, he felt like he was being watched as they moved.

  “Let's head to the back door. We'll get to the office first, grab the paperwork. Then we'll gather anything else you need and get the hell out. I'm uncomfortable with this, feel like we're being fucking watched from every damn direction. Place is too open, we're sitting ducks.”

  She nodded, her hand trembling as she keyed in the security code before unlocking the door, easing it shut behind them quickly and resetting the alarm code. At least inside, with the alarms going, he knew they wouldn't have to risk someone coming for them as an ambush, unless one was an electrokinetic like himself and could silently break the alarm.

  He sincerely hoped he was the only one in the area with that particular ability, otherwise the papers might already be lost. He assumed the Club would have heard rumors by now, though, if there was another like him. So far, he hadn't run into anyone with his unique skill set.

  Leading the way to the office, he tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as he tripped the device keeping the safe closed behind the large piece of artwork on the wall. He didn't want to have to explain how he could open it without a code, key, or anything else visible. They didn't have time.

  Adele's mouth dropped open as it swung outward, revealing the hidden folders within. Quickly, she moved to his side, grabbing for them and spreading them across the desk. As she
read through the deposits and notations, she covered her mouth with her hand, tears beginning to glisten at the edges of her eyes. This time, she didn't try to hide them from him.

  “I... I didn't want to believe it, Thian. I thought maybe you'd misread, maybe there was something missing, something that didn't add up but was easily explained. But this... there's no excuse for this. I just can't understand why. We had money. He was Mayor. If it was money or prestige he wanted, he had that. You said he sold women. That he allowed them to be kidnapped. Why? Why would he do something so horrible?”

  She sank into the plush chair, her head in her hands as she continued staring at the folders, fine tremors working through her shoulders. He didn't have any answers. Some people had no conscience. Others were just greedy fucks who were never satisfied and always wanted more than what they had. The worst ones? They partook of what they aided and abetted. For Adele's sake, he sincerely hoped it never came out that her father was one of those. Knowing he'd abused women would likely be the last straw for her sanity.

  Taking the folders away from her, he tucked them into the large tote she'd brought just for that purpose before he laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He understood she was going through some shit, but she needed to have her breakdown later, after they were safely away from this damn house. He couldn't shake the idea that they were being hunted, stalked from just outside the perimeter.

  “C'mon. We need to grab your mother's things, and anything else you want, and get moving. We don't have time.”

  To his dismay, she had to go through each room in the place, and there were a lot of fucking rooms. Little trinkets and mementos went into the bag, as well as some treasured books, her mother's old camera, and some of her jewelry. The last stop was Adele's room, where she picked up some of her own clothing and necessities, things she wanted to have on hand now until they could retrieve more or go shopping again.