by Jade Allen
“If you want to start acting like you’re awake, I have food,” Raul said. Keira opened her eyes and carefully turned over onto her back, yawning. For a moment, even remembering the way she did, Keira couldn’t quite believe that the man in front of her, smiling ever so slightly, was actually Raul.
“How long have I been out? And how the hell did you get me?” Raul sat down carefully on the bed—at which moment Keira realized that was what she was lying on—and brushed a lock of hair off of her forehead.
“Breaking out was the hard part,” he said, smiling wryly. “But Cam—he used to be my second in command in the Pack—came over to my side.” Raul sighed. “He snuck into the shed Reginald was holding me in and…” Raul shrugged. “The rest of it isn’t all that important.”
“They were starving you,” Keira said, frowning as she remembered the gnawing hunger she had felt through their connection. Raul nodded.
“And your people flogged you. What did they use?” Keira grimaced, remembering the punishment.
“Willow,” she said curtly. “And they dressed the wounds with violet oil.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t have a miscarriage,” Raul said quietly. Keira’s eyes widened.
“You know?” Raul nodded.
“Your pheromones are different,” he said. Keira blushed, though she wasn’t sure what she had to be embarrassed about.
“It’s really early days,” she pointed out. “I don’t think anyone in the clan smelled the difference on me.”
“No one in the Clan is mated to you,” Raul pointed out. “I am.” His fingers brushed the spot where he’d blooded her.
“I felt the connection—the bond—sort of…” Keira frowned, trying to think of how to describe the sensation she’d felt in her mind.
“It sort of broke, didn’t it?” Raul grimaced. “At least for a few moments there.”
“I didn’t even feel you coming though,” Keira said. She closed her eyes, remembering the despair that had flowed through her. She pushed it away—it didn’t matter now. “So, you brought me to wherever it is we’ve ended up, and bathed my back I guess?”
“And let you sleep—and slept myself,” Raul said, nodding. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, and Keira felt a deep-down jolt of heat that was as comforting as it was startling. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Raul’s shoulders, pulling his body down against hers. After days of separation—how many she couldn’t say—Keira craved the feeling of Raul’s skin against hers, the sensation of him inside of her, more than she had ever craved anything in her entire life.
Raul broke away from the kiss after several moments, looking down into Keira’s eyes with more than a little concern. “God, woman, I’ve missed you,” he murmured, dragging his lips along the line of her jaw. “Do you think you’ll be able for…”
“If you don’t have sex with me right now I’m going to kill you,” Keira told him, clutching his body more tightly against hers. Raul chuckled and his hands began to wander all over her, caressing and teasing. He cupped her breasts, giving them a careful squeeze and rolling her nipples between his thumb and forefinger until Keira gasped and shuddered underneath him. She writhed and twisted, uncaring for the moment about the lingering tenderness in her back, the weakness of her body in the aftermath of her punishment from the panther clan; all she wanted, all she could think about, was Raul—and how much she craved him.
Raul slipped one hand up between her thighs, tickling the sensitive skin there, and Keira growled as he teased her, barely brushing his fingertips against the already slick folds of her labia. “Why did I ever let you mate me? You’re—fuck—such a damned tease,” she told him, twisting her hips for better contact. Raul’s fingertips slid along her labia, gradually pressing deeper, barely missing her clit as Keira shivered and squirmed underneath him.
“You agreed to submit to me,” Raul murmured, nipping playfully at the pulse point just below her ear with sharp teeth.
“Should—should have done it…in reverse,” Keira said, growling lowly as Raul continued to tease her. Raul chuckled, his voice taking on a low, gravelly tone as he lapped at the sweat that had started to form along her throat.
“When you’re better you can challenge me,” he told her. “And if you best me in challenge, I’ll submit to you.” Keira purred deep in her throat as Raul’s touch finally grazed her pleasure center.
“Fine,” she murmured, pushing her hips down to meet Raul’s fingers as he began to stroke and rub her clit. She fell into his rhythm, feeling the bond between their minds beginning to deepen as they both became more and more aroused, more connected to each other; it was difficult for her to tell where her arousal ended and Raul’s began. She could feel the feverish heat of his skin against hers, the hardness of his erection digging into her hip. “You aren’t mounting me this time, though,” she told him breathlessly.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Raul said, kissing her quickly on the lips before beginning to move down over her body slowly. He lingered at her breasts, worshipping them with lips and tongue and even—carefully—his teeth before moving down along her ribcage, tickling her with his hot breath, his fingers working all the while. By the time he reached the curve of her hip, Keira was moaning and purring helplessly, twisting and arching without any thought to her injuries, her animal consciousness taking over.
Raul buried his face against her soaking wet folds, and Keira clawed at his back, throwing her head back against the pillows and moaning out as he sucked and licked. The roughness of his tongue against her labia, against her clitoris, sent crackling jolts of pleasure through Keira’s body, and the vibration of his moans against her sensitive flesh made it harder and harder for her to hold back as every moment passed. Keira lost herself in the sensations coursing through her body, tension mounting with every beat of her heart, like a knot somewhere deep down between her hips that pulled tighter as Raul’s tongue and lips worshipped her.
When Keira was so close to climax she could almost taste it, Raul broke away, licking his lips to catch every last bit of her fluids. Keira let out a warning growl and Raul shifted on top of her, covering her body with his own, pinning her against the sheets and blankets. “Patience,” Raul murmured against her lips. He rocked his hips against hers, and Keira bit back a moan at the feeling of his hot, hard cock rubbing against her labia.
“Of course you want a bone, Fido,” Keira muttered. Raul laughed out loud, reaching one hand between their bodies to guide the tip of his cock against her. He stroked her clit with a lingering touch, and before Keira could complain any further, he thrust into her all at once, filling her up with his heat and hardness.
Keira wrapped her legs around Raul’s waist, pushing her hips down as he began to move inside of her. She kissed him everywhere her lips could reach, nipping and licking the salt-sweet taste of his sweat-drenched skin as they fell into a rhythm together. Keira forgot the disappointment of her delayed orgasm as Raul pushed deeper and deeper inside of her, the tip of his erection rubbing against her g-spot with every second or third thrust.
Keira cried out, almost howling in feline pleasure as the tension deep down between her hips broke all at once. Wave after wave of pleasure washed through her, and she clung to Raul as if for life itself as he continued to move inside of her, riding through her orgasm until he couldn’t hold back any longer. Keira felt his cock twitching inside of her, and then heard the deep, throaty howl that erupted from his lips as he threw his head back, thrusting a few final hard, fast times into her as he reached his own climax. She pulled his face down and kissed him hungrily, taking everything Raul offered, slipping quickly from the bone-deep satisfaction of sex with her mate into a contented doze as they both slowed to a stop.
****
“You’re sure you want to do this?” Raul looked at Keira; he knew he was stalling, that he simply didn’t want to actually move forward with the next phase of their plan.
“How else are we going to bring this to an en
d?” Keira shrugged, and Raul noticed that her right hand moved to the slight curve of her abdomen; she wasn’t showing yet—and certainly their future child was not by any stretch developed enough for her to feel—but she was aware of its presence nonetheless.
“We could leave the town,” Raul pointed out. “Get the hell out of Dodge and let them kill each other off.”
“I don’t want to do that if we don’t have to,” Keira said, sighing. “I know it’s stupid, and the town isn’t even something…” she bit her bottom lip, thinking. “It’s not something to be proud of, living in a small town like ours. But it’s my home. If we can keep from having to abandon it, I’d really rather stay.”
Raul took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. At some point while he and Keira had both been in hiding—or maybe while they’d been captives of their own groups—both of their homes had been destroyed. Keira’s house, inherited from her parents, had been torched in the night, the blame laid by the police—guided by members of the Pack and were-foxes acting on orders—on a group of delinquents from another town, visiting because of a game at the local high school. Raul’s own home had been vandalized, all of his possessions looted; at least, according to Cam. Cam hadn’t been able to tell him who it was that had done the deed—there were too many scent-marks, both panther and wolf, to be sure.
“The elementals are the only people we can go to,” Keira said. “They’re supposed to be the arbiters of all things supernatural, right? So, if we want this to stop…” Raul nodded reluctantly.
He’d gotten word out to Fintan and Tara two days before, asking for a meeting; the two elementals—fire-aligned and earth-aligned respectively—were quick to respond, saying that they knew about the skirmish going on between the panther and wolf shifters, but hadn’t been aware of details. Raul looked out through the windshield of the car, thinking to himself that if their survival depended on the flaky, ivory-tower elementals, they were in dire straits indeed.
“Let’s go then,” he said finally, taking Keira’s hand in his and giving it a squeeze. They’d agreed to meet with Fintan and Tara on neutral territory: a clearing in the woods surrounding the town, where none of the groups of shifters had any claim. It wasn’t specifically set aside for the elementals, but they had sufficient authority—and sufficient power—to enforce the area’s neutrality. Unless someone wants to be treated to a torrential downpour, or spontaneous combustion, or an earthquake…or whatever it is the air elementals do…they know better than to screw around with an ambush while the elementals are meeting with someone.
Keira had all but recovered from her punishment; Raul knew that it would take him longer, but after days of doing little more than eat, rest, make love, and catch bits and pieces of news from the town, he was willing to risk short-term recovery for the long-term benefit of safety and stability. He held Keira’s hand as they slipped through the woods together, nearly silent, looking around; even if he knew that none of the wolves or the panthers were stupid enough to try and ambush them, the fear persisted, slick at the back of his throat.
“Raul, Keira, you’re on time.” Tara’s voice—almost as familiar to Raul as that of any member of his Pack—cut through his abstracted, anxious thoughts. The two elementals had arrived only a few moments before; Raul could tell that they’d only just sat down at the stone table set up in the clearing. Tara was short, with black hair and green eyes, a dusky, olive complexion and a broad frame. Fintan, seated at her side, was tall and wiry, his deep auburn hair brushed back from a high forehead, blue eyes flashing incongruously in his bronzed face.
“Good to see you, Fintan,” Keira said, inclining her head slightly. Raul nodded to Tara. Fintan tapped his fingertips on the tabletop in a rapid staccato, glancing from Keira to Raul.
“So, you two have fucked things up royally,” Fintan said without preamble. Tara shot the other elemental a dark—almost censorious—look.
“You’re mated,” she said, making the phrase not quite a question.
“Yes,” Keira said, taking a quick breath next to him. Raul glanced at the mark he’d left on her, the night he had taken her formally as his mate.
“The battle between the wolves and the panthers isn’t over us,” Raul pointed out. “We came together because of it, not the other way around.”
“Things are getting out of control,” Tara said firmly. “There have been at least three incidents in the past week that could have resulted in exposure.”
“We need your support,” Keira said; Raul noticed that she carefully divided her attention between the two elementals, though Fintan was the natural focus for her as a fire-aligned shifter. “Even if we weren’t mates, what’s going on in my clan—in Raul’s Pack—it’s not right. They’re killing each other off, and neither Alpha is going to back down.”
“What started it?” Fintan gestured for the two of them to sit down, and Raul let Keira seat herself first. They took turns explaining the background as they understood it: the alleged murder of a potential outside mate for Lachlan, pilfering by wolves of panther property, leading the panthers to attack wolf-owned businesses.
“So, you two met because she was raiding your people’s businesses and got caught?” The fact amused Fintan more than it did Tara. “And she challenged you?”
“I almost had him on his back, too,” Keira said, giving Raul a quick glance. Fintan laughed; Tara raised one dark eyebrow, looking at Raul closely.
“So, doing the right thing—refusing to allow the extra-judicial murders of Keira’s clan mates—is what sent this into chaos?” Raul nodded in response to Tara’s question. For a moment, the two elementals looked at each other silently, and Raul kept his gaze carefully in front of him, torn between fascination and discomfort at the fact that they were clearly communicating telepathically.
“We can’t give you anything for your punishments at the hands of your groups,” Fintan said finally. “Those were done in accordance with your respective by-laws.” Raul clenched his teeth for a moment, fighting back the urge to argue.
“But the fact that the two Alphas are so bent on revenge and are acting outside of bylaws to get that…” Tara shrugged. She looked at Raul intently once more. “Are you in shape to challenge Reginald?”
“Yes and no,” Raul said. He pressed his lips together. “I’m mostly recovered.”
“But not fully,” Fintan said. Raul nodded. Fintan glanced at Keira. “Can you be his second?” Raul stared at the elemental in shock.
“You’re damned right I’m his second,” Keira said sharply. Raul turned his stunned look onto the woman he had taken for his mate; of all the solutions that the elementals might propose, he would never have expected that Keira being his second in a battle for the leadership of the Pack would be an option.
“Cam isn’t going to act as your second, Raul,” Tara said, shaking her head. “And to us the situation is clear. With the two of you mating…” she shrugged. “You’ll have to unite the two groups under a joint rule.”
“That means that Keira will have to take Harold out, too,” Raul pointed out. “She’s pregnant.”
“We know,” Fintan said, his voice brittle with annoyance. “It’s the only way to end the war between your groups and secure your safety. Take it or leave it.” Tara looked at her counterpart sharply and then met Raul’s gaze.
“Panthers fight pregnant all the time,” she said, her lips twitching in a wry smile. “Right, Keira?”
“Right,” Keira said. She turned her head, looking at Raul. “We have to do this.” Raul closed his eyes for a moment, the lupine desire to protect his mate at war with the military strategy-trained human part of his brain. It wasn’t the answer he’d wanted; but it was obvious to him that the two elementals weren’t going to give them another option. It was battle or nothing. He opened his eyes and nodded.
“We’ll call the meeting,” Fintan said. “Neither Harold nor Reginald would dare to buck us on this.” Fintan grinned. “Both groups will come here at moonrise, and we’
ll hash this out.” Fintan looked at Tara, his blue eyes glittering with anticipation of violence. “It might even be interesting to watch.”
“I just want it over,” Tara said with a sigh. “You two have five hours until the meeting. Make them count, however you want to take that advice.” The two elementals rose and Raul knew that he and Keira were dismissed; he stood, taking his mate’s hand in his, and they walked out of the clearing in silence once more.
****
Keira took slow, steady breaths, trying to slow down the rabbit-fast pounding of her heart. Knowing that in a matter of moments, she and Raul would stand against Harold and Reginald in a fight to the death, made her more anxious than she would have imagined even days before. If anyone tries to get between us… instinctive, animal anger boiled away inside of her as Keira took stock of all of the reasons for fighting: her mate, the destruction of her home, the child growing inside of her, the punishment that had been inflicted on both herself and Raul. More than enough reason to want them both dead.
Keira’s preternaturally acute hearing picked up the muffled, muted sounds of movement in the woods surrounding the clearing, and Keira glanced at Raul, looking to see if the wolf was as prepared as he claimed to be. The air was full of the scent of anger and fear—her own, Raul’s, and as more sounds of movement came to her, Keira realized that much of it was coming from the arriving panthers and wolves.
She could feel the transformation rippling along her bones, feel the animal nature rising, competing for dominance in her dual-natured brain. Keira stood absolutely still, with Raul beside her, both of them in an unquestionably challenging stance to confront their arriving groups. The elementals each led their delegations: Fintan the panthers and Tara the wolves; Keira saw the uncertainty, smelled the fear and the brittle gunpowder scent of impending rage on her own people. Half of them looked at her with contempt. She glanced at the wolves and noticed that both groups—wolf and panther—bore signs of the weeks-long battle that had raged between them: injuries made different members of the clan and the Pack limp, made them move less than silently. Scratches and gouges marked faces, arms, and legs.
