by Erin Havoc
Hunter joins me. “The others are on their way. We’ll get her out.”
It won’t be enough. It won’t be fast enough.
Pulling back, I kick off my shoes and slip my shirt off. “I’m going in.”
Hunter glares at me. “What?”
“I’m shifting. That hole is big enough for me to slip in.”
“Yeah, but then how are you going to come out? With her? It’s big enough for a fox, but not a human.”
I’m down to my pants when I meet his eyes. “The others better get here fast. I’m not letting my mate die in there.”
Hunter’s eyes flick with comprehension and I let the urge of a shift take me. My co-workers seem to grow as my legs bend, my spine readjusts, my fur sprouts.
They hold the wall high enough for my fox to slip in. Then I press my nose to the ground to find my mate amid that smoke and fire hell.
I’m not leaving her again. And if the others don’t get here in time, we’re going together. There’s no other life for me. Not without her.
9
VIVIAN
My chest burns. My throat’s not different. And to think the last time my throat ached like this was because I screamed too long when having an orgasm.
Dying doesn’t feel half as good as that.
This morning, I received a notification about being matched on the Shifter Dating App. To my utter, ridiculous, outrageous surprise, it was Austin. He had been saying the truth. I had come after him, eager to leave this whole shit behind and starting over. I was ready to put behind me. To have him.
I had been standing next to Hunter’s office window as it rolled inside. A small thing. It could be held in a fist. The side facing me had a clock face. I frowned, trying to remember when I saw something like that.
It dawned on me just in time.
My mind screamed “bomb”. I ducked in a jerk, the explosion shattering the glass, shards raining down on my hair. The walls trembled, the very earth shook, and I managed to crawl away as the exit caved in.
Elated in a moment, trapped with death in the next. Amazing. Not even I have a motivational quote for that.
I mean, screw you, life. I was about to be mated. Then I’m dead. What a sense of humor.
Squeezing as low as possible, I keep my eyes closed and my shirt pressed to my face. Tears sting the back of my eyelids, trying to clean my orbs off the smoke, but it’s no use. There’s too much in here. It fills the entire place until I can’t see much in front of me.
At least I had fantastic sex last week.
But I’m not telling Austin how I feel. How I want him, how I want to try again. We’re not having a chance. Again, we’re not having a chance.
My eyes burn as I look from side to side. Next to the collapsed wall, I see an opening. Too small for me to fit, but sunlight glints from there. I crawl that way, aching for a gulp of fresh air. Reaching for my back pocket, I grunt in frustration. I can’t even send a goodbye message to Bella or my parents. My phone’s in my bag. Somewhere in this blazing hell.
I can’t believe I’m dying like this.
Acceptance seeps into my bones as I gaze into the small opening. Something shadows it for a moment. Then a form is crawling through. I blink, squinting at it. Am I getting mice now? Suicidal mice? What the hell?
No, it’s too big. Lord, let it not be a giant rat.
But the animal’s fur is not dark enough. In the smoke, I distinguish an orangey shade. With the blink of an eye, the animal’s not there anymore. It grows, twists and snaps. The popping of bones reaches me above the sound of fire crackling.
Am I hallucinating? Is that a symptom of death?
Hands reach for me, and I know it’s him. My heart sings even as I cough hard.
“I’m here,” Austin breathes against my face, his arms folding me close. “I’m with you.”
I grip him back, pressing my face to the crook of his neck. “You are my mate,” I say, stupidly.
“I know,” he laughs, his breath caressing my face. “I know.”
I hug him closer, feeling his skin against mine. I pull back. “Are you naked?”
“I had to shift to pass through the opening.” He pulls me down and closer to the hole, so we’re both lying next to it. His arms hold me close, and I’m glad. I’m glad I’m with him.
Smoke clogs my throat and I cough again. My eyes burn as I meet his gaze. “So you shift back and leave.”
He shakes his head, smiling as he runs a finger down my jaw. “Not leaving you again. Not ever.”
“So if I die, you’re dying too?” I breathe out a strangled laugh. “Don’t be silly, Austin. Save yourself.”
“I don’t want to live without you. There’s no point.”
And his eyes hold truth, and I feel it down to my very bones. He presses his forehead to mine, and I feel a tear trickling down my face. Our lips brush together and he kisses me. He tastes like soot and unfulfilled promises.
It hurts. And I hold him close and kiss him back. “I—” I cough out. “I never stopped loving you.”
He holds me closer, his eyes gaining a red tinge. “I never stopped loving you either. Forgive me, Vivs.”
I nod and hug myself closer. If this is how I go, it isn’t so bad.
The hole becomes a bit larger. A shadow appears, and a man slides beneath it. I hear the crackling of bones, and I watch dark fur sprout from Hunter.
“Out! Now!” He screams as his jaw elongates. He bursts into a dark, colossal bear and I’m left gawking for a moment as he rises.
Austin grips me hard, shoving me into the space. “Crawl out! Quick!”
Pressing my elbows to the floor, I crawl as quickly as I can beneath the bear’s huge paws. A hand shoots out and grips me, and I slide out into the sunlight, Austin’s hands on my feet, pushing me off. As soon as I stumble out into someone, I turn with my mate’s name on my lips.
Hunter trembles and drops to his four legs. The wall crumbles down again, the space shrinking. I cry out, pressing my hands to my mouth, but a second later a fox slips from between Hunter’s furry legs.
Tears burst from me as I drop to my knees and hug the fox to my chest. He squirms to free himself as someone behind me laughs. When I look up, several bears are standing in front of me, letting the wall go. They shifted to give us a fighting chance.
The fox wrestles my hold, and I let him go. My eyes burning, I watch Austin turn back into a very naked, very hot human, and I find his embrace with a breathless gasp.
I try to speak but all I manage is a cough. Austin pulls back and runs his hands down my face, a smile pulling on his lips. He kisses me, and I gasp into the kiss, thanking the heavens for this one chance.
“Get dressed, man,” someone behind me says, pressing his hands to my shoulders. “I’m taking her to an ambulance.”
Austin eyes his hands on my shoulders with a glare, and the man lets me go with a chuckle. Some time later, I sit on a stretcher, and Austin’s next to me after a beat. And I know this time, we’re not parting. Not ever again.
10
AUSTIN
ONE WEEK LATER
Heart skittering, I gaze from Vivian to the doctor examining her. A female one, to make it clear. The previous one was a male, and I gently asked him to find someone else to prod.
My mate. No man touches her but me.
The doctor pulls back, smiling at my woman. “You are back in perfect health, Vivian. Your lungs are fine. How’s your throat?”
Vivian shakes her head. “No pain.”
“Good,” the doctor says with a nod, stepping back. “Then you’re free to go. Your boyfriend will be glad, uh?” She shoots me an amused glance. “He hasn’t left your side even when we begged him to.”
Vivian grins, pressing her head to my hip. “He’s a bit protective.”
“And I bet you gave him quite a scare.” She smiles again, picking her stuff up. “Excuse me.”
She leaves us and I sit down to face Vivian. The week in the hospital has pass
ed with little sleep from my part and loads of worry. I know some fire victims take a while to show the signs of smoke inhalation injuries, and I prayed hard for her not to be one of them. But she wasn’t, and we’re ready to go home.
Also, we used that time to settle everything. Absolutely everything between us. Every doubt and every regret. We spent nights pouring everything to the other.
No more lies. No more omissions.
“Ready?” I ask her after she’s changed into a pair of leggings and a sleeveless shirt. My gaze is riveted on her juicy chest, and I don’t conceal it.
She presses her arms to her sides, jiggling her tits for my viewing pleasure. “I am. And I’m dying to go home.” She takes a step, pressing her body to mine. She fingers the waistband of my pants, and my cock wastes no time before it gets hard. “You know, this kind of experience makes you see what’s a priority. There are a couple of things I want to do.”
I hover my lips over hers, tasting her breath on my tongue. “Yeah? Like what?”
Her forefinger rubs over the slit of my cock. “Like... Ordering a California.”
A grunt leaves me as she pulls back and skips down the hospital corridor. I follow her, capturing her hand in mine. She’s not wandering off too far from me now. Not ever again. She doesn’t seem to mind.
Vivian nuzzles into my shoulder as I drive us to her place. My hand finds its place on her thigh, and I kiss her every moment I can take my eyes off the road. Her fingers trace the outline of my cock over my pants, and by the time we get home, my boxers are covered in precome.
“Out of these clothes,” I say as soon as the door shuts behind us. “And make it quick.”
She eyes me over her shoulder, pulling her shirt out. “So bossy.”
I grip both her ass-cheeks from behind, ramming my hardness between them. She gasps, and I immediately scent her arousal. “I know we used to be soft and vanilla,” I say into her hair, digging my fingers into her mane and pulling her head sideways, “but I’ve wasted so long without you. I can only think of taking you hard and rough now.”
Vivian moans, and I cup one of her breasts, pinching her hard nipple. “I like it rough.”
“Good.” I pull back, watching her stumble as I stop touching her. “So, out of these clothes.”
She obeys, and we’re naked in the next moment. There’s no time for pizza, or shower, or whatever. My cock digs into her thigh as I hold her jaw and kiss the hell out of these delectable lips. She presses herself against me, her arms slinging around my neck. I explore every curve as I walk her backwards to the dining table until her bottom touches the edge.
Flipping her, I press a hand to her back and force her to bend. Her breasts spill over the flat surface and I prod at her feet with mine so she parts herself wider.
Her slick, rosy flesh begs for my cock. I squat behind her, gripping her thighs, and take a long lap up her pussy. Vivian groans, moving against my face, but I pull back. Yes, she still tastes like heaven. But I have other plans first.
“God, that’s torture,” she groans as she balances her weight on her hands.
“That’s nothing, love,” I tell her, gripping her wrists and bringing them back over her hips. With a hand, I keep them pinned behind her back. With the other, I adjust my dick to her entrance. “So many games for us to play...”
The promise has her eyes glinting as she balances herself on tiptoes. Her cheek pressed to the table, she shoots the naughtiest smile in my direction. “I like games. What are we playing?”
With one pump, I slide inside her. There’s some resistance at first as I spread her, her tight walls clamping down around me as she gasps. Her juices coat me as I let my body come down over hers, kissing down her shoulder-blade.
“We’re playing mating, and then I’m filling this cunt of yours with my load to the brim. What do you think?”
She licks her lips, and I can’t fucking wait to have her mouth around my shaft. “I love it.”
“Good. Because I love you.”
She beams. “I love you too.”
Opening my mouth wide, I take hold of her shoulder, but I don’t sink my teeth in. Not now. Not yet. Pulling my hips back, I feel the rumbling of her moans against my chest. Pound after pound, I bring her closer to release. Higher, holding her arms behind her and controlling the rhythm. Vivian gives me all. She surrenders to me. Shows me how much she trusts me.
Her pussy tightens, her brows creasing. She’s moving back against me, her motions growing erratic. Her moans grow high-pitched, my name mingled with nonsense. My balls grow heavy, and I know it’s time.
Letting the fox get closer to the surface, I feel my teeth sharpening and I sink them into her shoulder.
Vivian jerks, her walls strangling my cock. So wet. So tight. Pleasure barrels down my spine and she cries out, an orgasm reaching the both of us at the same time. We explode together, and we reach the stars together.
It clicks in place, the mating bond. But it doesn’t stop there. I’m not done adoring her, not even close. And in that night, I make sure she’s taken loads of my come inside her sweet cunt, and I make sure she’s drank from it too before we go to sleep. And before she dozes off, I eat her pussy until she’s begging me to come inside her again.
I have known Vivian was my mate from the beginning. But only today we have it all settled. She’s mine, and I’m hers, and it’s forever. Love wins.
EPILOGUE
VIVIAN
ONE YEAR LATER
Gripping my camera between my hands, I squint into the darkness. This is ridiculous. Who had the brilliant idea of wilderness pictures in the middle of the evening? Walking into a forest is already hard enough. But during the night? Who was the genius who decided it would be a great idea to stumble her way through the woods, looking for something to capture with her new lens?
Oh, yeah. That was me.
Even with the hiking boots, I still slip on leaves and trip on branches. The belly doesn’t help. Six months pregnancy brings a change to your gravity center. By the way, how am I supposed to get on my belly if I just, you know, can’t?
Well, the pictures will have to be taken on my knees. If I find what I’m looking for.
The woods part moments later as I grumble under my breath, and I see a clearing. Moonlight soaks the place, washing the green in silvery-white, bathing every leaf and branch in that sacred, tiny space.
At the other end, I glimpse at an animal. It’s sitting with its back to me, the golden fur reflecting off the light. Getting to one knee, I aim the camera and snap a picture. Just as I snap a branch beneath my knee.
The fox turns to catch my eye, and the glint there is intelligent. As if we’re sharing a joke.
Which, in this case, we are.
Grunting, I press a hand to the tree next to me and use it as leverage to get up. The fox takes a moment to change. Shift.
Into my mate. The most handsome man ever created.
He grins from the top of his glorious nakedness, his chest catching the light, shadows scampering down his six-pack. Austin walks to me shaking his head.
“You know you shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous.”
I shrug. “You’ll defend me if the need ever arises.” A grin stretches across my face as he takes my hand. The touch still sizzles through me, even after all this time. After a year living together, loving one another every day.
“You know, I’m glad you believe in me,” he laughs, “but I’m a fox. I’ll die fighting a bear for you but, you know... I’ll die.”
I chortle, dismissing him with my camera. “Nonsense. All the bears we have around these woods are shifters. They wouldn’t attack you.”
Austin rumbles, his fingers coming up to brush along my neck. After that day we mated, I looked into the mirror to gawk at the purple bruise there. I remembered Bella, and how she bore hers for a while, but it still surprised me. After a week, it was gone. At least for me. Because Austin gives me that knowing grin that tells me he still sees it. He and ever
y other shifter around.
Mating mark. It tells the others I’m his. Possessive and super sexist, since I bear one and he doesn’t. But I like it. A lot.
“Did you get what you came for?” He says against my lips, and I crane my neck to kiss him softly.
“Just did.” A smile spills from me, and he reflects it across his face.
“Good.” For a moment I think he’s letting me go and we’re walking home. But his hands clasp my hips and he flips me, his chest touching my back. “Because I’m hungry as hell.”
I mutter. “We can have dinner. There’s still pizza.”
He nuzzles into my hair, breathing me in. A primal growl leaves him a moment later, and he digs his erection between my ass-cheeks. I pant, but my body bends and shifts so he can fit me better.
“I was thinking about something else,” Austin exhales into my ear, bringing goosebumps over my body.
And without warning, he dips a hand into my pants. He parts my folds, seeking my center, and groans to the feel of my wetness.
“We’re—,” I gasp as he sinks a finger inside me, my knees buckling, “we’re in the middle of the forest.”
“Yeah?” He breathes, nibbling on my earlobe. His thumb drags lazy circles around my clit, flicking it every so often. The torturous moves compel me to rub against him, seeking more, wanting more.
“Anyone could see us,” I say, holding a tree next to me for leverage. Austin’s motions make me hot all over, my juices covering his fingers.
“So we better be fast.” I barely feel his fingers as he tugs my leggings down. His cock meets my entrance as I tilt my hips up.
His cockhead teasing my entrance, I feel my orgasm approaching, his fingers skating over my clit faster and faster, without ever faltering. Sinking my teeth into my lower lip, I move against him. “Then fuck me already.”
Austin grips my jaw, pulling my lip free with his thumb. “That’s not how I taught you, little girl. Be nice.”
