Jase’s chest tightened, and he found himself wondering if fate would be that cruel. He needed a full-shifter as a mate. The little cougar he’d been lusting after was probably only part shifter. She could change forms, so his clan would still accept her, but there was no way of knowing if Vee would shift. That was if she was in fact only part shifter.
“I know that look, Jase,” Zane interrupted his thoughts. “If she’s your mate, then it’s meant to be, regardless of what she is. Don’t let your sense of duty ruin your happiness or hers. What else is bothering you? I get the impression this isn’t all about Vee.”
“After I got back from seeing her, I was in a nasty mood because I hate that I found a mate but I can’t claim her for several years,” Jase admitted. “I was jealous of you and Cam and angry at the world in general.”
“That’s not like you,” Zane mused, and he was right. Jase had never been in any hurry to find a mate. Knowing he’d eventually have to father kittens for the good of their clan, he’d still never been in any big hurry to do so. Jase had seen how much his father had loved his mother. Jase was one of the few members of their clan who knew his mother hadn’t been his father’s true mate. It was the reason Jase had been fine with the idea of not finding his true mate. At least, that’s how he’d felt until he’d found Vee. Now that he’d met his mate, it was hard to stay away from her. To further confuse matters, he’d found another female he was struggling to stay away from.
“I went for a run and came across another cougar shifter in the woods,” Jase began with a sigh. “She was near her heat cycle, and I was drawn to her. She has the most amazing green eyes. I’ve never seen eyes that color, and I can’t stop thinking about her. I think about her more than I think about Vee.”
Zane laughed at him.
“This isn’t funny,” Jase snapped at his brother.
“Actually, it is,” Zane argued. “You know as well as I do that until you mark your mate, you’ll still be interested in other females. The desire may not be as strong as it was before, but you won’t suddenly become impotent. This female was near her heat cycle, so you wanted her. I’m guessing you want to be loyal to your mate you haven’t claimed yet, but that doesn’t make any sense. You don’t know her, and I can tell you’re not in love with her.”
“She’s my mate,” Jase reminded him.
“Not yet,” Zane reminded him. “Until you mark her, she’s just a female you have a connection to—a female you can’t even claim for years. No one expects you to be celibate during that time.”
“Maybe they should,” Jase replied.
“You sound like Lexi,” Zane grumbled.
Zane often had trouble explaining shifter instincts and behavior to his mate, who hadn’t even known shapeshifters existed before meeting Zane. As for Zane, he’d marked and claimed Lexi as soon as he could, skipping over any courtship Lexi might have expected. It had worked out for them, much to Jase’s shock. He’d been sure his brother had lost his mind when he’d walked into a room to find Zane’s teeth in the neck of a female he’d just met.
There were times when Jase envied Zane’s impulsive nature, wondering what would have happened if he’d given in to his instinct to mark the little cougar. Her arousal had been impossible to miss, but he’d also sensed her unease. It was always possible she didn’t like the idea of being attracted to a lynx. She might have even recognized who he was and realized the complications any involvement with Max’s son could bring. Since she’d refused to shift, it was impossible to say which it was.
“You’re zoning out again,” Zane pointed out. “I’ll bet you were thinking of your mysterious cougar in the woods. You should have fucked her. Cord and our father would have been thrilled if you’d gotten her pregnant.”
Jase snorted. “I’m not sure she would have been okay with that plan. She seemed just as determined to avoid me as Vee. Besides, this isn’t just about attraction. It’s more than me not wanting to fuck a female after finding my mate. I’m not saying it’s wrong to take another female now that I’ve found Vee. It does feel like a betrayal because the female’s a cougar, but that’s still not the thing that’s bothering me most. I wanted to mark her, Zane.”
“Vee?” he asked.
“Yes, and the female in the woods,” Jase admitted.
Zane cocked his head to the side and considered what he’d said. “We only have one true mate, and since you’ve found yours, the urge to mark any other female should be gone.”
“I know,” Jase told him. He was about to say more when he caught a familiar scent.
Zane grinned. “Looks like we’re about to have company.”
A group of born vampires and a spitfire of a half-shifter were heading their way, probably out looking for the vampires and jaguars causing trouble.
“I told you they were over this way,” Layla gloated as they made their way out of the woods. Layla hadn’t known she had any shifter blood until just before her first heat cycle. Jase had been tempted to mark her the first time he’d met her, as had his brothers. At the very least, they’d intended to fuck her until she couldn’t stand. The blond vampire beside her had made sure that didn’t happen by marking her himself.
Zane immediately moved toward them, pushing between Simon and Layla to slip an arm around the waist of each. “I’ve missed you.”
Ian stood off to the side, looking irritated, much like he always did. His catlike green eyes held a hint of amusement as he nodded at Zane. “It’s a good thing Connor changed the schedule and sent me out with Si and the little blonde today.”
“I have a name,” Layla snapped, shooting Ian an annoyed glare. Jase already knew Ian was just calling her that to get on her nerves. Jase liked Ian, even though the vampire could be downright unpleasant most days. From what he’d heard, Ian had been even moodier before adopting a young vampire by the name of Mitchell.
“That you do, Pixie,” Ian agreed.
When Layla let out a little growl, Zane’s grip on her waist tightened. “He’s also messing with you, little kit.”
“Yes, but he’s just reminded Simon of that annoying nickname I’m trying to break him of using,” Layla told Zane. “Now, I may have to explain to Kyleigh why I shot her mate in the balls.”
Simon smirked. “Your angry pixie face is sexy as hell.”
Jase had to agree. The little kit was damn hot when she was angry, but he still had no interest in her. His lack of interest was a good thing since he had enough females keeping him distracted.
Layla pulled away from Zane, who immediately moved to try to cuddle with Ian, a move she’d likely anticipated.
“What’s wrong with you, Jase?” Layla asked.
Jase shrugged, wondering why everyone thought he was in the mood to share his feelings that day. “Nothing.”
Naturally, his brother couldn’t keep his mouth shut and thought everyone needed to know what was going on in his life. “Jase found his mate, but she’s too young. Now, he also wants to fuck a cougar he met. I guess that wouldn’t bother him so much if he didn’t want to mark her.”
Layla let out a sigh and regarded Zane over her shoulder. Since his brother had managed to slip his arms around Ian’s waist and was currently rubbing his cheek against Ian’s back, Jase knew he wasn’t paying attention to Layla. “You know, Zane, there is such a thing as too much sharing.”
Zane looked at her, his confusion obvious. “But you asked, so you want to hear what’s bothering Jase.”
“She asked me, dumbass,” Jase huffed. “Since I don’t want Cord to hear about either female, it would be best if you didn’t talk about them to everyone who wants to know what’s bothering me.”
“Why don’t you want the cougar to know?” Ian asked.
“Both females are cougar, and Cord’s been pushing for us to intermingle more to unite our clans,” Jase explained. “My father would like that, too, but he’s not being as pushy about it as Cord is.”
“That could be awkward,” Simon remarked. “I mean the part about
both females being cougars.”
“No,” Zane argued. “Jase is just being weird about it. His mate is too young for him to claim her. She’s too young to even fuck, so there are no shifters other than Jase who would be bothered by this. Of course, there is the fact that he wants to mark both females. That’s not normal, and he definitely can’t do that, but he might not want to mark the other female after he fucks her. He’s acting like a human or a vampire. No offense to humans or vampires, but you just do things differently than us.”
Jase let out a sigh, trying to decide if he should beat the hell out of his brother. Zane meant well most of the time, but he had a big mouth and no internal filter.
Ian used Zane’s distraction to pull away from him and move closer to Jase. “Any luck finding the jaguars?”
Jase shook his head, thankful for Ian’s change of subject. “We’ve caught the scent of the jaguars, but not enough to follow a trail.”
“I guess all we can do is keep looking,” Simon said. “It would really help if you’d take phones so you could communicate better with us.”
Jase snorted. “Max will never go for that.” He had a tendency to refer to his father by name when he was discussing him as leader.
“Lexi has one,” Zane chimed in. If the stunned expressions of the others was any indication, Jase wasn’t the only one surprised by the news.
“Since when does Lexi have a phone?” Jase asked.
Zane shrugged. “Since she moved into my place. She uses it to call her mom. She also talks to Kyleigh and Mitchell a couple times a week.”
“My wife knew about this?” Ian asked. “Mitchell knew about this, too, and no one told me?”
“Shelby and Max also know about it,” Zane added. “Shelby got it for her, and you know my father had to approve it before Lexi could have it. I guess Carla probably knows since Shelby does.”
“Does anyone else know about it?” Simon asked, amusement lacing his voice.
Zane thought for a moment before nodding. “Claire used it a few weeks ago, so I guess Cam might also know. I think that’s all.”
“Does Connor know?” Ian asked, probably wondering why he hadn’t mentioned it before.
Zane shrugged. “I don’t know, but probably not since he’s never called Lexi to ask about meeting with my father. I’d think he’d have done that instead of sending Cam if he’d known about the phone.”
“How is she keeping it charged?” Jase asked.
“She has some solar charging thing,” Zane explained.
Jase chuckled, thankful for something to lighten his mood. “We probably shouldn’t mention this conversation to Connor.”
Ian looked thoughtful. “This would really piss him off.”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Layla told Ian.
“He can’t help it,” Simon added. “It’s in his nature.”
Zane’s attention returned to Ian, and he sidled up to him, cuddling against his side. “Don’t pick on poor Ian. He’s just pretending to be mean, so we won’t realize he’s secretly a nice guy.”
Ian was the first to react with a bark of laughter. “Yeah, I’m just the warm and fuzzy type.”
“Let the vampire go so we can get back to searching,” Jase told Zane.
Zane gave Ian one last squeeze before walking back to Jase’s side.
“I owe you for getting Zane off me,” Ian told him. “So, I’m going to give you some advice about your female problem.”
“You can repay me by not giving me advice,” Jase grumbled.
“You’re getting it anyway,” Ian insisted. “Don’t listen to Zane. You’re not like the other shapeshifters I’ve known, and something tells me you’ll regret it if you stick your dick in some random female when you feel a bond to your mate already. I get that shifters aren’t generally monogamous before they’ve marked their mate, but you are. That’s why this is eating away at you.”
Jase was surprised by Ian’s insightfulness, even if he didn’t agree with what he’d said. It was his desire to mark the little cougar that bothered him most. That was the true betrayal of his mate.
Thankfully, Zane decided to keep his mouth shut about Jase’s female problems the rest of the day.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“No, Papa. Please don’t make me go with her.”
Winn’s whimpered pleas were what woke Cord. She was sleeping fitfully by his side. Pulling her close, he murmured nonsense words, needing to offer her comfort.
When Winn’s eyes opened, she appeared to be caught between her dream and reality. “He didn’t even say goodbye.”
“Who didn’t say goodbye, honey?” he asked softly.
“I was dreaming of my father,” she uttered against his chest. “When I first woke up, everything was so clear, but now, all I remember is feeling betrayed.”
Cord stroked his mate’s hair. “Maybe that’s why the memories keep fading. You may not be ready to deal with them yet.”
“That seems to be true for everything,” she grumbled. “Was my life really so horrible that I don’t want to remember it?”
“This could have nothing to do with what you’re ready to deal with,” he pointed out. “You suffered a serious injury, and it may take time to get your memories back. Maybe you should stop trying to force it.”
“That’s the thing,” she said just above a whisper. “I feel like I’m not trying to force myself to remember, so much as I’m trying to force myself to forget. That didn’t make any sense, did it?”
“Not really,” he admitted.
“You said I left you because I thought a mate could never be a part of my life,” she began. “What if I’m afraid of what will happen when I remember my higher purpose?”
“That scares me, too,” he admitted. “I worry you’ll hate me when you remember why you refused to let me mark you before.”
Winn rolled onto his body and kissed him gently. “That will never happen.”
“Says the woman who doesn’t remember why she doesn’t want a mate,” he grumbled.
“Don’t be a dick about this,” she told him, making him laugh.
“Don’t use dick as an insult,” he warned.
“Or what?” she asked, sitting to straddle his waist.
“Or I’ll start to think you don’t appreciate my dick,” he told her.
“I’ve proven I’m quite fond of that part of your anatomy,” she said with a sweet smile.
Cord chuckled, rolling her onto her back and covering her body with his. “I’m not completely convinced,” he murmured against her lips. “I may need more proof.”
“What did you have in mind?” she asked, her breathing already labored from her arousal.
“I don’t think I’m going to be convinced until you’re begging me to slide my dick into your body,” he uttered against her lips.
“Begging?” she asked, the challenge obvious in her voice. “I’m not really in a begging mood.”
Cord chuckled. “You will be by the time I get done with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Winn had no time to respond before Cord’s mouth covered hers, stealing her ability to think. His tongue swept past her lips, tangling with hers as he drank in her moan. Cord’s mouth was magic, and it wasn’t long before she was struggling to wrap her legs around him and bring him closer to her body.
When Cord finally broke their kiss, his pale blue eyes were swirling with gray clouds. His voice was gravely when he spoke. “Are you ready to beg yet?”
While Winn would admit to herself she was definitely ready to beg, she wasn’t about to tell Cord. “Not even close.”
Cord’s wicked grin told her he liked her answer. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Without waiting for her response, Cord began trailing kisses down her body. His tongue scraped against her sensitive nipples, making her arch her back to get closer. His hot breath caressed one sensitive nipple as the pad of his thumb circled the other. The word please was already on the tip of her tongu
e, but she had no intention of letting their game end this soon. A needy whimper slipped past her lips, and Cord took pity on her, sucking her aching nipple into his mouth and running his tongue along the peak. His teeth scraped against her nipple when he released it to take the other into his mouth. The heat from her nipples shot straight to her core, leaving her moaning and writhing under Cord.
Moving down her body, Cord’s lips brushed against her hip, continuing their downward journey until he was settled between her legs, his mouth so close, she could feel his hot breath caressing her.
“More,” she breathed out.
“Don’t worry, honey,” he murmured, using his fingers to open her to him. “I’m going to give you more. I’ll give you all you can take.”
His hot tongue slid along her clit, and her eyes closed in relief. Each stroke of his tongue sent a jolt of desire through her. When he finally sucked her clit into his mouth, she nearly screamed as her body tightened.
Cord clearly meant what he’d said about making her beg because he immediately released her clit and teased her entrance with his tongue.
“No,” she whimpered. “I’m so close.”
“All you have to do is beg me to let you come,” he rasped out, sliding his tongue in once for emphasis before continuing. “Just say please, and I’ll slide into your body and make you come so hard you’ll see spots.”
Winn struggled with her self-control and gave him a confident smile. At least, she hoped it looked confident. That wasn’t as easy to pull off when she was this turned on. “You don’t sound as in control as you’d like me to think you are. Something tells me you’re going to give in long before I beg.”
Cord chuckled. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?” His tongue moved across her clit in a feather-light stroke, making her whimper.
“No, I don’t,” she admitted. “Please, Cord, no more teasing.”
A low growl erupted from the back of Cord’s throat as he got to his knees and slid his hands under her ass to pull her closer. There were no more teasing words as he thrust into her. His invasion caused her body to tighten around him, making them both moan.
Untamed Winter Page 12
