After dinner, they walked arm in arm around the city. Stix showed her his favorite spots and pointed out various places he'd visited or had memories of as a child. After being in the US for two weeks, she found that she was adjusting better to the sights, sounds and smells of so many different people. Even so, she could still only take so much of it before a twinge of panic crept into her chest.
They got in the car and headed back to the house. The excitement had them barely able to keep their hands off each other. Stix's mouth was on hers as he tried to put the key in the lock of the front door. He pinned her against the door with his weight and kissed her hard. A shudder traversed her body, and her saber roared with delight.
She slid her hand down the front of his pants and felt him harden against her palm.
Stix growled. "We better hurry inside."
She nodded in agreement.
He slid the key in the lock and pushed the door open making her almost fall to the ground. She backed into the hallway and stripped off her coat. Stix slammed the door closed and locked it before turning to her. Their mouths and hands on each other's skin they stripped off every stitch of clothing before they hit the floor in the living room. Stix covered her body with his and kissed down her chest. Satia's saber lurched to life wanting to be in charge. She wrapped her legs around Stix and flipped him on his back.
His eyes brightened as she poised over him and raised his arms above his head. She swirled her tongue around his hard nipples. He moaned and whispered her name.
She licked her way across his chest and then up his throat. She slid her tongue over the taut muscles of his neck and her fangs elongated. He gripped her hips, and she circled him. Her body and saber craved the feeling of being joined to him. She allowed him to guide her hips to his and she slid down on top of him. He growled deep in his chest, and Satia's fangs grazed his shoulder.
His fingers dug into her skin and she nipped at his neck.
"I want you," he panted. "Now and forever."
She rocked her hips against his. "You are mine." She bit down on his shoulder her fangs piercing his skin. Stix let out a roar and pulled her to him biting her in return. She moved her hips frantically the need to feel him inside her almost consuming. He pulled on her hard and fast. Within a minute her body pulled tight around his, and her spine snapped taut as her head fell backward. Her saber roared as she called his name and climaxed. Her name fell from his lips like a silent prayer, and together they rode the waves of pleasure until they were spent. Satia collapsed onto his chest her heart thumping and her saber content.
She kissed his dark soft curls and allowed the aftershocks to wash through her.
Minutes passed with them tangled in each other's arms. "I love you, Satia."
Her chest squeezed tight. "I love you as well."
He kissed her softly once more and then his phone buzzed in the pocket of his pants.
She rolled off him so he could answer it and he pulled her back to him. "Where are you going?"
"Your phone is ringing."
He chuckled. "We just finished the mating bond. I think my phone can wait a few minutes."
She smiled and snuggled back into him. They lay together staring up at the ceiling. Neither of them spoke, no words were needed. The peace that fell between being together was like none other. Satia closed her eyes, wishing they could stay like that for the rest of their lives.
Again their peace was interrupted by the buzzing of Stix's phone. A chill swept over Satia.
"I think you should answer that. They've called twice now."
Stix looked over at the phone. "It can wait."
"What if it's important?"
"Nothing is as important as this." He pulled her closer and kissed her again.
The phone stopped buzzing only to start again. Without asking Satia jumped to her feet.
"Satia."
She dug the phone out of his pants pocket. "It's Andrea."
Stix sighed and got to his feet. Satia handed him the phone and then began gathering up their shed clothing.
"Hello? Andrea... wait... wait slow down. What?"
Satia froze her eyes going to Stix. His concern turned to panic in an instant.
"Where are you? I'll be right there. Stay there!"
Stix rushed to Satia and grabbed his clothes from her throwing them on.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"It's Andre. He's shifting."
Satia nodded. "I'm coming with you."
He shook his head. "No. I want you to stay here. I want you safe."
Her gaze steadied on him. "I'm safe when I'm with you. And besides, I am pretty sure you shouldn't be going in there alone."
He wanted to protest but before he could say anything Satia threw on the clothes she'd been wearing and grabbed her sneakers from by the front door. Stix grabbed his keys and together they ran for the motorcycle.
"Where are they?" she asked, as he rolled the bike out of the garage.
"At her family's compound."
Satia swallowed hard. "Give me your phone."
Chapter Seventeen
Stix swung his leg over his bike and turned it over. The bike roared to life as Satia grabbed the helmet off the back and shoved it on her head before climbing on behind him. He didn't waste time closing the garage door before he took off down the street. If someone wanted his junk so bad, they were welcome to it.
Stix rode recklessly up side streets. Satia held tight as he took the curves at a dangerous rate. They rode what should have taken them an hour, in under forty minutes. Stix slowed as he pulled into the subdivision were Andrea's family lived. The sound of another motorcycle drew his attention and Deacon pulled up alongside them. Satia.
He hadn't even thought of why she wanted his phone back at the house, but it must have been to call Deacon. Together they pulled up outside the gate of the mansion and turned off the engines to their bikes.
Stix pulled out his phone and dialed Andrea. It rang and rang.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"We're here. Come out with Andre."
"I'll be right there." The line went dead.
Stix's heart pounded. He paced back and forth in front of the gate. Deacon stopped him and put his hands on Stix's shoulders.
"He's going to be fine. We'll get him out of here, and he'll be fine."
A scream emanated from inside the mansion and Stix ran to the gate. The front door burst open, and Andrea ran out followed closely by her brother Ajax and several other members of her family. Ajax's short, stocky build seemed dwarfed by his bulkier cousins, but the malice that permeated his being was enough to keep even the most hardened of men away from him.
"Get back here!" Ajax bellowed.
Andrea ran for the gate.
"You aren't leaving with that kid until we find out for sure," Ajax yelled.
Stix's heart thundered as Andrea ran toward the gate, Andre clutched in her arms, his mouth open in a silent scream in half shifted form.
"Grab her!" Ajax commanded.
The other males ran forward and seized Andrea.
"No!" Stix yelled. "Let them go!"
Ajax pointed at him. "Stay out of this, bear! It's your filthy seed that caused this mess in the first place."
Stix's bear roared to life as the men dragged Andrea back toward the house.
"Let go of her," Satia yelled.
"Mind your own business, bitch."
"I'm gonna kill you," Stix yelled.
A large SUV screeched to a halt behind them and Jeremiah, Mary, Caleb and Griffin jumped out. Jeremiah ran to the gate, taking in the scene.
"Ajax. Let the girl go!" Jeremiah ordered.
"You aren't the Alpha here, Jeremiah. I am. Go back where you came from and take your rabble with you."
The men grappled with Andrea and Andre as she tried to fight back.
"Stop!" Satia yelled.
"We can't go in with you," said Jeremiah. "This isn't our pack. But if you can get them out here,
we'll protect you."
Stix's ursa roared and lumbered from side to side. He wanted to go in there, but he didn't want to get anyone hurt. Most of all Andre.
"Let go of me. Don't touch my son!" Andrea slipped, and the men picked her up kicking and screaming and toted her toward the house.
"Stop," Satia said. "Stop! STOP!"
An ear-bursting roar sounded next to him as Satia shift into saber form in a split second. Her clothes dropped to the ground in shreds as her body lengthened and grew. She sat back on her hind legs and sprung over the gate. Running into the compound, she headed straight for the men holding Andrea.
Terrified, the men dropped Andrea and Andre and backed up as Satia stood between them and Stix's son. She roared at Ajax, protecting Andrea and Andre.
Ajax pulled a gun from his waistband and aimed it at Satia. She roared again and swatted the gun away with a massive paw.
"This isn't your fight. Back off and you won't get hurt."
Ajax motioned to his men who took a step forward, and Satia swiped one of them clean off his feet.
Ajax growled and stripped off his shirt.
"Oh hell no," Stix yelled.
He stepped back and ran to the wall. Jumping he grabbed the top and pulled himself over. Deacon landed next to him, and the two sprinted up the lawn to join Satia. Stix lunged in front of her and pushed Ajax away as he began to shift. Deacon grabbed Andrea and dragged her and Andre out of the frey.
"Don't touch them," Stix commanded.
"What?" Ajax asked. "Now you're with a cat? Can't make up your mind with a single species?"
Venom pumped through Stix's veins as his ursa roared to be let out. "Satia is my mate, and if you touch her or my son, I will kill you."
"Your mate?" Ajax scoffed. "Well look at that little sister, seems you were too late after all. Even though you gave him a son, he still wouldn't take you."
"Enough," Stix shot back. "Leave them alone, or you'll deal with me."
Ajax laughed. "She didn't tell you did she? Andrea didn't tell you why she reached out to you after all this time."
Stix's blood chilled.
"Tell him. Tell him why you ran from your family to his side."
Andrea crouched just beyond Satia's large guarding form. She shook her head as tears coursed down her cheeks.
"Please, Ajax..."
"No? Well how about I tell him then? When she showed up here a year ago with your little bastard, she was given a choice. If the boy was a wolf, she could stay. If they boy was ursa, she would either have to give him up or be banished forever."
Andrea cried as Andre writhed in pain his little body breaking and shifting. Deacon knelt at her side and lent them both his strength.
"You really are an asshole," Stix said.
"We keep our line pure. No crossbreeding. I was willing to make an exception. One exception. For my mother's sake. But then it was found out that the boy was damaged. Deaf even. Now is the time we find out for sure. If he is wolf, we'll keep him as a lesser pack member. If he is bear, she makes her choice."
Stix lumbered over to Andrea. "Come with me. I'll take care of you both."
Andrea shook her head. "You have a mate. How would that work?"
"We'll make it work. Satia will agree. She loves Andre already and she is ready to protect you both, you can see that."
Andrea regarded Andre as his little eyes grew black and his body bulked out. Brown hair sprouted from his hands and feet.
"No," she whispered. "Gods above please. Let him be wolf. Let him be wolf."
There was no denying it. Stix knelt on the ground and placed his hands on Andre. Deacon followed suit and the scent of ursa filled the air. Together they let out a roar, and the roars were followed by the small growls of a tiny bear cub. Andrea sobbed into Andre's fur.
"No... no..." Andrea pulled the little boy close and bawled into his fur.
"Decide," yelled Ajax. "Are you leaving? Banished forever? Or will you give up the boy?"
Andrea continued to weep.
"Andrea, come with us. We will take care of you. You know we will."
She looked up at him. "And what? I'll never see my family or my clan again. I'll never find a mate of my own. Who will want me if I have been banished?"
"You'll find someone. I'll help you. You don't need these people. People who would treat you like this. This isn't family."
She shook her head. "I lied, Stix. I don't have a job. I don't have any money. I don't have any skills. I've been living here. Are you going to pay for my education? For me to be able to get a job to support myself? It's why I came back. I couldn't make it on my own. I was homeless after Andre was born. I have nothing. I need them. I need my family. Could you do it? Could you leave your family forever? Your pack? Your clan?"
"We will be your family," Stix pled. "We'll form our own pack. Jeremiah will take you in. He's waiting. Just outside the gate."
"And then the war will start all over again between the packs."
Andrea squeezed Andre tight as he squirmed in her arms, growling and snarling. She shook her head and then gently placed Andre into Stix's arms.
"He's better off with you. You can look after him. You can take care of him better than I ever could."
"Andrea, don't-"
"Tell him that I love him. Tell him... he saved my life."
Before Stix could do anything, Andrea jumped to her feet and fled for the house.
"Andrea! Andrea! Come back. Don't do this!"
Ajax and his men walked closer. "You got your mix breed. Now get off my property."
"You tell her to come back out here and get her son. You tell her to be the mother she said she would be!" Stix demanded.
Ajax's gaze leveled with Stix's. "Get off my property, or I'll tell my men to start shooting."
A large group of wolves poured out the front door of the mansion. Satia growled, and her ears flattened against her head. Andre struggled in his arms to be let down.
He couldn't risk either of them getting hurt.
"Stix, come on, son," Jeremiah called. "She made her choice."
"Come on, brother," said Deacon. "We'll deal with this another way."
"Yeah, listen to your cousin," said Ajax. "Before someone gets hurt."
Deacon stepped forward. "You know, if I weren't such a nice guy, I'd come over there and kick your ass up the street and burn this place to the ground you arrogant dick."
Ajax smiled. "Anytime you want. You know where I am, Deacon."
Stix stood a moment longer. "You tell Andrea any time she's ready to get out of this excuse for a family she is welcome with us," he called. "You tell her that her son will always be waiting for her."
Ajax raised a remote, and the gate behind them swung open.
Stix waited, hoping Andrea would run back out.
"You have until the gate closes and then I let them start firing," said Ajax.
Satia walked to Stix, her eyes still on Ajax and she pushed her body into his making him back up. She continued to herd him toward the gate with Deacon at his side. With each step he took Stix still prayed Andrea would come out. Even after they were outside and the gate closed he stared through the bars.
Finally, Deacon laid his hand on Stix's shoulder. "Come on bro. We gotta figure out how to get Andre home."
One by one the wolves piled back into the mansion and closed the door. It was really happening. Andrea was giving up Andre.
Stix looked down at his son and then over to Satia. Deacon stripped off his leather jacket and tossed it by a tree. Then he walked over to his knapsack and pulled out a pair of shorts.
"Sorry Satia, it's all I have."
Satia stalked to the tree and her form shrunk behind it as she shifted back to human. She emerged a minute later wearing the jacket and Deacon's gym trunks.
"We can take the boy." Mary walked to Stix and held out her arms.
He didn't want to let go of the little cub, but there was no way he was going to get him on the bike. S
atia approached and took Andre from him and handed the growly ball of fur to Mary.
"Thank you."
Mary nodded and piled into the car with the rest of her family.
Satia pressed her hand to his cheek. "She'll come around."
Stix stared at her wanting to believe her words, but in his heart, he knew they weren't true.
Chapter Eighteen
The following week dragged out agonizingly for Satia and Stix. The first night they fled to his parents' home where together they all shifted and tried to help Andre understand what was happening to him. Surprisingly when Andre shifted, he could hear. His head whipped back and forth at all the noises, and he ran around the forest peering at everything. The sight made Satia tear up. She only wished that they were able to communicate through the bond the way he was able to with the rest of his pack. By the end of the night, they sedated Andre so he would transition back peacefully.
At the news of all that had taken place in the past weeks, Stix's parents decided they would come back to Wolf River to help out until things were settled, for which Satia was most grateful. They packed the sleeping Andre into their truck, and the group headed back to Wolf River.
Andre slept for most of the next two days as the adults tried to figure out what to do. Stix called Andrea dozens of times leaving messages for her telling her to come. Asking if she was all right. On the third day, her phone was out of service.
"Maybe it is better this way," Joyce said.
"How can this be better?" Stix asked. "He needs his mother, and she needs him."
Joyce pulled Stix into a hug as Satia held back tears. "He has a father, and he has his father's mate. He is ursa. He belongs with his kind."
That night Satia held Stix, his fear wafting off him like he'd bathed in it.
"She'll be okay," Satia said.
Unleashed With The Moon (Wolf River, ID. Book 5) Page 12
