Protected by Conan Wolf (Magnificent Beasts, #3)

by Calin, Ana

  Those pictures Lorenzo showed me of Conan and the hooker return in flashes, ravaging my heart. I struggle under Conan, but his clasp on my wrists only becomes firmer as he fucks me harder. He doesn’t mind the intruders who can’t seem to take their eyes off of us.

  I stop struggling under him, taking in the ache and pleasure of his huge cock inside of me, staring fascinated at his transformation. It doesn’t take a genius to realize he’s shifting into a werewolf as he fucks me, and my want for him picks up like whirlwind. His muscles burst out through his hoodie, shattering the fabric as dark brown fur sprouts out all over him, his face morphing into that of a devil from renaissance paintings, not really like an animal, and yet so much like a beast.

  I’m being taken like a princess bride by a huge, muscular beast that’s driving his cock deep inside me, which feels so dirty and yet heavenly. I can’t fight the build-up of pleasure inside of my body, I rejoice in feeling his claws on my wrists, his bright eyes on me, his beastly lips curling over metallic fangs as he spills his seed inside of me. His huge cock pulses against my slick walls as he cums, groaning through his dangerous fangs.

  I twist my hands to grab his claws, not caring that I cut myself on them, and cum hard around him, giving him my essence, surrendering myself to him like an offering on an altar. And he enjoys it, he takes it in with greedy eyes as he gives me pleasure that shakes my entire body.

  By the time he falls exhausted on the bed to my side, morphing back into a human, a naked one with glistening muscles from the exertion and the pleasure, I’ve forgotten about the intruders. Until the man whispers, “What the fuck.”

  I sit up, startled, just in time to see the woman turn to the man, take his masked head between her hands and say, “Sight be blind, never cast behind, this moment fades into the twilight veils.”

  The man’s limbs turn mellow and he falls to the ground. The woman’s eyes meet mine. My mind is ravished after the wild love-making with a werewolf, but still clear enough to understand she’s a witch. One who knows about werewolves, and who’s just hexed her client into forgetting all about it.

  CHAPTER V

  Conan

  “What in the world is she doing?” Janine inquires as I drive the gondola down the dark Venice canals in the night. She’s staring at Cinzia, the ‘intruder witch’, as she’s spraying the air with one of her self-brewed perfumes.

  “The scent will mask your natural smell,” the woman explains. “Because otherwise the werewolves would track you both by your scent.”

  Janine clutches the black wool cape around herself, her breath misting the air. Her natural scent reaches me, and I have to fight myself not to react. The need to look at her all the time pools in the pit of my stomach, and her scent only makes it worse.

  I feel her gaze moving slowly from me to Cinzia and back again as the gondola glides along the narrow canals, sending ripples toward the old walls. I can feel she’s still struggling to wrap her mind around things, but I told her it was better to keep quiet until we got to the sanctuary, where she would get answers. Piovra’s werewolves could pick up the sound of our voices, and track us down.

  With focus and stealthy methods we reach the sanctuary safely, namely the old prison under the Doge’s palace.

  “You gotta be kidding me,” Janine whispers as we enter what used to be the chief prison ward’s office back in the day.

  “You want me to send for them now?” Cinzia inquires.

  “No, wait until further notice from me.”

  “But my lord—”

  “Do as I tell you.”

  With a final glance from Janine to me she closes the door, and I pull the heavy iron latch after her.

  “So,” Janine’s voice is small and shaky. “This is the famous sanctuary. Are you going to take me again, without waiting for my consent?”

  I turn to her, allowing my eyes to roam all over her the way I’ve been craving to do since we stepped into the gondola. She looks confused and ravished. I tower over her as she stares up at me.

  It’s no secret that I imprinted on her. She’s now my mate, she belongs to me. She saw me in my wolf form, and came for me in that shape, which means she accepted my imprinting fully. That’s a very special thing to happen, most mated couples don’t get that for a while.

  “You hungered for me as much as I did for you,” I drawl. I know her legs are trembling under the wool cape, and not because of the chill but because of our wild love-making. They give in, and she takes a seat on the cot by the far wall, exhausted.

  “Arousal is not consent, Conan,” she manages, her voice shaky. She looks away from me, to the shelves of books along the walls, books that haven’t been touched in many years.

  “You didn’t protest either, because you knew I would have stopped. I wouldn’t have taken you against your will, no matter what.”

  “You used our bargain from Nice against me.”

  “And then you took me happily between your thighs.”

  She stares up at me, her blonde hair and her pale face shimmering in the moonlight.

  “Janine.” I hunker down in front of her, placing my hands gently on her knees. “I need you to understand something. I didn’t imprint on you in order to prove a point. I did it because I felt irresistibly drawn to you, like a moth to a flame, and because I couldn’t bear the thought of you ever belonging to someone else. I would have killed anyone you would have fallen for, out of jealousy and unhealthy infatuation. I didn’t need to imprint on you in order to feel that.

  “It’s true that I only made the decision to take you after you said that you didn’t want Piovra, that you hated him. But I don’t think he would have really forced you to prostitute yourself for him. The idea alone would have destroyed his soul. Imprinting gives us werewolves feelings that...” I wet my lips, searching for a way to explain. “They’re overwhelming.”

  Pain furrows the white, almost translucent skin on her forehead. She looks down at my hands on her knees. “He knows what imprinting would feel like,” she whispers. “And he doesn’t care.”

  “Please, Janine, believe me when I tell you he doesn’t have a clue. I knew more or less what to expect because I have a link to my two brothers who experienced it already. Lorenzo can’t possibly imagine, because none of the werewolves in his pack have ever imprinted. But trust me, he would have felt as protective of you as I do. And most probably as possessive, as mad, as jealous.”

  Her cobalt blue eyes fill with a mysterious feeling. “I can’t forget the pictures of you and that woman under the red light. Her naked breasts were brushing against your body while I was alone at Lorenzo’s palazzo, completely at his mercy.”

  “I can explain.”

  “Then you better start talking.”

  I kind of like the tone of her voice. “Are you jealous?”

  “It’s not a good thing, Conan, and it’s not doing me any favors. My rational mind understands that these women know about werewolves, that they’re witches and they must be some kind of allies, but—”

  “They are allies that have been here for hundreds of years, laying low so that the Piovras wouldn’t track them down. Their connection to the Wolf pack is secret, and it must stay that way, which is why they use prostitution as their cover.” I take Janine’s small cold hands between mine. “Which brings us to the reason why I brought you here, to the old prison under the Doge’s palace. This, Janine, is the Wolf pack’s old Venice headquarters.”

  I get up to my feet and head to the shelves, picking a book so old that the pages stick together, caked by humidity. I separate the pages with careful fingers, walking back to Janine.

  “Two centuries ago the Wolf pack and the Piovras became allies. It was Nero’s decision, but I had doubts. I didn’t trust Lorenzo and his pack. But we had to work together, fight together against the serpents. On the one hand we needed them, but on the other hand we knew they were dangerous, and we had to watch our backs. Especially as Lorenzo, being a power-monger, wanted nothing mor
e than to get his hands on The Reaper’s secret weapon. He’d been searching for it for a long time.”

  I lose myself in memory, my eyes stuck to the sacred geometry spreading over the pages.

  “What is this famous secret weapon, Conan? And why is it so important to Lorenzo?”

  “Because it’s immensely powerful.”

  “Why don’t you just tell me what it is? I am your bonded mate, I can never betray you.”

  “I can’t tell you or anyone because its power can corrupt. Even the most pious, pure and selfless can come to desire it for themselves. But the problem with the weapon is that it can destroy its holder. It takes a powerful carrier to wield it.” I shake my head. “Please, don’t ask any more questions about this.”

  Janine comes to my side and looks down into the book at the beautiful, symmetrical drawings. Her eyes brighten, and her intelligent face comes light.

  “Is this Sacred Geometry?” She moves her hand over the book, but doesn’t touch the paper. Her fingers tremble as they hover above the pages, as if she respects them too much to touch them.

  I take her hand and guide it to the old page, tracing the raven eye on the heading. “The Witch Eyed Sisters. The order to which the women from the brothel belong.”

  “An order of witches. Why in the world do they work as hookers?”

  “How else would they keep track of everything that happens in this town, from the mafia to politicians?”

  “Of course,” she whispers. “The best-informed people everywhere in the world—hookers, drug dealers, the homeless guy on the busiest street. But does that mean you didn’t sleep with that woman?”

  I place my hands on her shoulders, pulling her close. “I admit that was my intention when I first left the palazzo, but only because I couldn’t stop thinking about you, wanting you like a madman. I became possessive of you, I felt things I didn’t understand, and I wanted to lose those feelings because they hurt. But then I saw Cinzia and my focus shifted. I recognized the Witch Eyed Sister.”

  Janine presses her lips together, forming a thin line. “So your feelings for me weren’t strong enough to keep you interested only in me.”

  “On the contrary. That was exactly the reason I needed to find release with another woman. But I don’t think I could have gone through with it. I would have seen your face all the while.”

  I caress her cheek, my eyes roaming hungrily all over her face. She closes her eyes as my lips touch hers, at first gently, but then I lose control. I pull her in my arms, pressing her delicate body to my battle-hardened chest.

  “Ah, Janine, I want you so much I don’t know how to handle it.”

  “I guess we’re both new to this,” she whispers, her breath hot on my lips as we kiss.

  We undress each other, our bodies full of fire. I lay her down on the cot, my rough hands sliding appreciatively over her naked body as her eager hands move down my hips.

  I claim her mouth with hot, needy lips, as she grabs my cock in her small white hand. I wince at the slight discomfort. It’s a greedy, clumsy grab, but it’s her, and therefore it feels like heaven. I raise myself on my arms, my muscles turning to ropes under my skin. She strokes my triceps with her fingertips, hissing as if it delights her. The pleasure she gives me stroking my cock up and down, fully naked and sweaty with desire under me, while I still have my pants on, makes me want her like a beast.

  “I never thought I could want a woman like this, Janine.” I breathe hard, barely still controlling myself. There’s that prickle under my skin, like a thousand marching ants as my muscles grow and the fur starts sprouting.

  “That’s it, shift for me, lover.” Her gaze is fluid with desire, as if having me inside her in my wolf form is her favorite brand of kink, her hand wrapped tightly around my big ribbed cock.

  “Janine,” I breathe, claiming her mouth in a possessive kiss, positioning myself between her legs and entering her in one long, slow push.

  “Oh, God, Conan,” she cries, arching her back as I fill her, her fingernails scratching my shoulders, and I love it.

  I pump into her slowly, the fur sinking back into my skin.

  “I won’t take you as a wolf tonight,” I tell her, watching her face as I fuck her, freely, not caring about the consequences. “I want to feel your touch on me, your fingernails scratching my skin. Do it harder.”

  She hesitates.

  “Do it Janine.” I cup the crown of her head with my huge palm, pushing my chest into hers. “Claw at me until you draw blood.”

  She tries, but my skin is too thick. I consciously lessen the density, allowing her to pierce me. She hisses with pleasure.

  “Tell me the truth, my sweet lover—do you enjoy hurting me?”

  Her face is red with the exertion, her chocolate eyebrows furrowed as she takes in the pleasure and ache from my thrusts, but she bites her lip to keep the answer in, probably wanting to deny her dark desire.

  “Don’t even try. We’re bonded mates now, we cannot lie to each other. Whenever I, your bonded lover, will ask you a question, you’ll be compelled to answer me with the truth. And I will respond with the same honesty.”

  “I want to punish you, Conan,” she pants. “Because you ignored me in the beginning. Because you didn’t fall in love with me at first sight.”

  That’s not true, I felt compelled to stare at her from the beginning, but that’s beside the point. My head swims with hot desire, and I want her to hurt me nonetheless. “Give me your punishment, woman.”

  Her nails pierce deeper, biting past my skin into my flesh. I cum hard inside of her as little streams of hot blood trickle down my back, Janine splaying her hands over my shoulder blades, smearing the blood over them. Moments later, as I lie face down on the cot with my hands under my chin and she lies on my back, caressing my shoulders, she says,

  “They look like wings of an angel.”

  “I’m afraid I’m no angel, Janine. Perhaps a fallen one, in the best case scenario,” I whisper with my eyes half closed, high on our love making, and enjoying the fulfillment inside. It’s an exquisite feeling that I wish would last forever.

  I turn on my back and pull her to my chest, cupping her small delicate jaw with my hand.

  “I’d stay here with you forever,” she whispers sweetly, drawing gentle circles on my chest with her fingertips. “I’d spend my entire life in your arms. But I don’t know about the neck pain.” She taps my chest. “Your body feels like a rock.”

  I smile, closing my eyes as I enjoy the warmth of her body on mine, her voice and her scent of ocean and woman. “If only I could do something about it.”

  “I mean it, Conan.” She touches my chin, making me look down at her. Every time I do she’s more beautiful, and I swear my soul is melting into hers.

  “I want to spend every second of my life with you, even if that means staying here, in this prison cell forever.”

  “It’s not a cell, it’s the old office of the chief prison ward.”

  “It doesn’t make any difference.” Her cobalt blue eyes melt into loving velvet, her voice caressing me. “I say it with all my heart, I wouldn’t mind if it were years, if it’s forever. Even though I must admit these feelings inside scare me. They’re so intense they can’t possibly be healthy. Normal people need their little freedoms, and I more than anyone. I didn’t even think myself capable of falling in love, and yet look at me, completely at the mercy of your attention.”

  I smile lovingly. “I suppose we’re both hard people who’ve become each other’s soft spot.” But then a particular thought sends a blade through my heart. My body turns rigid, and Janine notices.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You try to smile, but your cheek twitches.” She sits up, her palms splayed on my pectorals. The sight of her sitting up like a naked queen looking down at me sends a rush to my cock. I’m ready to take her again, but her face is much too serious for me to try. “You can’t lie to me you say, now that our mates�
�� bond is fully forged. Very well then. What made you tighten up like that? What crossed your mind?”

  My jaw sets, but Janine stares demandingly into my face, waiting for an answer.

  “I was thinking about your one night stands. I was wondering how many men there were in your life.” My heart cringes as I expect her to lash out at me.

  Janine lifts her chin, looking like a nymph made of ivory in the moonlight, the shadows of the barred window above our heads falling on her face that has become guarded.

  “Five,” she says. “It was five one night stands. Before that I had two more-or-less long-time boyfriends, both from Darkwood Falls. Bur I never really expected much from those relationships.”

  “Fuck,” I grunt. “I thought it would do me good to know, but it feels like shit.”

  “Then why don’t you drop the subject?”

  “Because I can’t.”

  “Well, then I hope you’re in for one hell of a fight.”

  “All right.” I sit up on my elbows, staring into her addictively beautiful face. Deep down I know that the more I’ll look at this face, the more I’ll want to see it, but now the ball is rolling, and there’s no turning back. “Then answer me this—have you ever been in love before?”

  “I have. But not as intensely as I am with you.”

  “That’s normal, because no human bond can compare to imprinting, but still.” I take her face in my hands, letting them slide through her silky hair to the back of her head. “The way I feel about you is out of this world, Janine, ripped from the hottest depths of hell. I need to know if you feel the same about me, or I’m gonna go insane.”

  “Conan, I just told you I’d spend every second of my life with you, and I meant that literally, isn’t that declaration of love enough?”

  “It does feel like a shot of adrenaline, but I can’t help the jealousy. Thinking that you’ve had other men, enjoyed their touch, the feel of their cocks inside you, I—” I bite my lip, drawing blood. I expect Janine to fight back with a counter-argument but what she does is press her lips to mine, her tongue licking the blood off of my lip.