“Or are you too busy putting the moves on Layla?” Oliver added with a laugh.
“Fuck off, Oliver,” Riley snarled, then turned to Layla once more. She was touching her lips.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve…” What? Asked? Put in a formal written request? “Never mind.”
“I liked it,” she said softly. “It wasn’t long enough, though.”
“Riley!” This time it was Dylan shouting.
Ignoring his brother, his wolf hummed with satisfaction. “I can try again after the run,” he told her, his voice graveled. “Can I do that?”
She nodded and looked away, embarrassed, if the flush in her cheeks was any indication. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too,” he breathed. “Are you still going to come?” He nodded in the direction his brothers had just disappeared. He already knew what her answer was going to be, and honestly, he didn’t blame her. Running with four males she hardly knew wasn’t something she’d volunteer for.
“You can be on my team,” he offered. “I’ll keep you safe.”
She bobbed her head. “I think I’ll just sit out here, actually.” She gestured to the chair swing. “I think the fresh air will help clear my head.”
“Okay.”
With anticipation he hadn’t felt in a long time, he undid his pants and shoved them to the ground. He started after his brothers just as howls rent the air. He joined in their call—the signal that the hunt was now on.
For years, they’d done this—gone out after Thanksgiving dinner to play hide and seek, only none of them were hiding—that was the flag their mom planted in the woods that day. The first brother to find it and bring it in was the winner. His prize varied from year to year. This year, their mom said she’d pay for a weekend away, and Riley was gunning for it. Hunter, of course, was gunning for it too since he hadn’t had a weekend away with Ava yet.
Just inside the tree line, he began to shift, calling on the change as it reshaped his body. His muscles and bones ached at first before roaring in agony as they broke, strained, stretched, and reformed into his wolf’s form. His head felt like it was being pounded by anvils, his jaw and nose elongating into a muzzle. Sharp teeth filled his new mouth, dangerous and sharp. He managed not to make a sound during all of this, but he couldn’t help it when his fur began to sprout. He whimpered at the sensation of ten thousand ants crawling all over his skin, biting his as they did.
The pain brought him to his knees, and as he lay there panting, he heard his brothers doing the same thing. When he felt he could and wasn’t seeing double, he stood and shook out his strawberry-blond coat that had grown thicker for the winter months. He stretched out his new body, feeling that last of the shift sliding off his body. Protracting his claws, he dug them into the soft earth at his feet and started the hunt.
He’d only run about a mile when his whole body locked up. He swiveled his ears, trying to figure out the source of the sound that had yanked on every single one of his protective instincts.
The sound he thought he heard was confirmed when he heard another scream—this one longer than the first. A split second later, he was bolting back the way he’d come. Panic wrapped around him at the thought that Layla was in trouble. He pushed himself a little farther until his lungs were burning with freezing air until his wolf was forcing its will on him, begging to take over in order to protect its mate.
Riley struggled to gain control, blinking furiously to stop the color leeching from his vision. He needed to be smart. He needed his human side now.
Hunter slid in behind him, joining from an eastward winding path. Glancing over his shoulder, Riley whined a little, trying to convey his message that something had happened to Layla. Hunter simply lifted his top lip from his teeth. His brother knew. He also knew the tension running through Riley’s body because it would be the same for Hunter if Ava were in trouble right now.
Dylan and Oliver joined them farther up the trail.
When there was another scream, they all pushed themselves to go faster.
Layla.
They were nearing the house when Hunter nipped Riley on the leg, signaling him to stop. The order was there, pressing against his will, and he dropped his head in supplication. He watched his brothers continue, feeling as if his heart was being ripped in two. Stalking forward, he made it to the edge of the trees and hunkered down.
The growl that started in his chest and leaped from his throat was vicious.
There was a car in front of the house. It was parked cock-eyed like whoever had driven it there had stopped quickly in order to get out. The driver’s side door was open, the engine still running. Hunter, Oliver, and Dylan circled around the back of the vehicle, then disappeared from sight. Riley paced a few feet away, then froze when he saw Layla. And he saw the bastard holding a dagger to her throat.
He shook his head as a feeling of absolute killing calm overtook him. He’d only really experienced this once before when Casey had been captured. He had wanted to rend whoever had taken his sister limb from limb then, and no amount of talking him down had helped. All of his brothers had been in that state, though, because Casey was one of theirs.
Just like Layla was his.
He knew it with such clarity.
Hunter, Dylan, and Oliver confronted the guy, whose wild eyes bounced between the three fully-enraged werewolves in front of him. He was so focused on them that Riley bet he wouldn’t even notice someone coming up from behind. He took off at a sprint, running the circumference of the house to get around to the other side where he could wait unnoticed.
“I’m taking her back. She’s mine,” the male had said with a whole bunch of crazy in his voice.
Hunter merely snarled and took a step closer. Oliver and Dylan flanked him, cutting the male off on all sides. Layla whimpered when the blade was pressed in closer to her throat, drawing blood. Clamping down on the snarl sitting in the back of his throat, Riley caught Oliver’s eyes from where he was hiding. His brother blinked once, their sign for wait. Riley blinked backed. His brothers moved closer, making the male’s pulse skyrocket. Riley hated it. He hated it because people did stupid shit when they were panicked, and he felt like this guy could already be lacking some impulse control.
They moved closer again in unison, and the scent of panic filled the air. The guy backed up a step, dragging the whimpering Layla with him. They were herding him toward the trees—toward him.
Riley forced himself to stand still, not to give away his position as his brothers worked on their sheepdog routines, but with each inch closer that they moved, the angrier and more unreasonable his wolf became. Blinking, the color began to bleed from Riley’s world, the sign that his wolf had had enough and was going to get their mate back if it was the last thing they did.
Oliver blinked twice, telling Riley to attack.
With a speed he didn’t think was possible, he launched himself at the male’s back, knocking him to the ground. He had a brief flicker of pain hit him when he thought about Layla getting hurt because of his actions, but Dylan was there, catching her on his back and moving her to safety. With his mate now secure, Riley clamped down on the guy’s shoulder and held on. His screams filled the air just as his blood filled Riley’s mouth.
Chapter Ten
Lucas was here.
No. No. NO!
He was here, and he was trying to take her back to Mitchell.
A scream lodged in her throat.
Her hands balled into fists, ready to strike…
Layla woke up with a gasp, the dream she’d been immersed in digging in its claws
and refusing to let go. Everything came flooding back—everything she’d endured at Lucas’s hands. He’d been the one to turn her. He had followed her through the dark hospital parking lot one night after visiting her mom.
His attack was quick, and when she came to, she was in her apartment with what she’d thought was a large dog. It wasn’t a dog, though—it was Lucas in his wolf’s body. He sava
ged her, each time his teeth rending huge chunks of flesh from her bones. There was so much blood, and she remembered thinking that it was too much—too much for one body to lose.
After what felt like hours of biting her, toying with her, he’d shifted back and watched over her for days.
Days of delirium, fever, photosensitivity, and nausea.
Days of her curled up on the floor of her bathroom, begging him to just kill her.
He didn’t kill her, though—he enjoyed her pain too much.
Lucas was here.
Her other senses came online in a rush, and the scent of Riley washed through her. Pine and snow soothed her in an instant, the last of her fear and panic ebbing away.
He lifted his head, blinking at her.
“I’m okay,” she rasped.
He whined and snuggled a little closer, resting his head on her hip. She ran her
fingers through his fur—fur that matched the strawberry-blond of his actual hair. He seemed to drift off to sleep, his breathing eased into a slow, steady rhythm. Listening to it lowered her own heartbeat, lulling her back into sleep.
* * *
When she woke again, Riley was behind her on the bed, his arm slung over her waist. He’d shifted back at some point in the night and got dressed. That was when she realized she was still wearing the same clothes as last night. Her sweater smelled of Lucas, and the desire to have it off her body nearly overwhelmed her. She wondered if she could get it off her without disturbing him.
“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice heavy with sleep.
“So are you,” she whispered. “How are you doing?”
His fingers tightened on her hip for a moment before he released them, soothing away the action by stroking her. “That male had a knife to your throat. He was trying to take you away from me.” The words came out in a tumbled growl, equal parts possession and desperation. She sucked in a surprised gasp because although she never wanted to be owned by a male before, she found she liked being wanted by him.
“Lucas,” she said, resting her hand on his and stilling it. “That was Lucas. What happened to him?”
“What do you want to happen to him?”
She thought about it for a moment. “If I had my way, I’d have him killed for what he’s done to me.”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do it myself.” He sat up, and she stopped him, dragging him back down onto the bed.
“Not now, Riley.” Turning, she faced him, their faces only inches apart. His eyes were violet, the savagery of them making her stomach do little flip-flops. Not from fear, though. Love shone through his eyes, and she finally felt as if she was home. She skimmed her fingers down his face, learning the feel of him. Stubble was growing on his cheeks and jaw, and the feel of her fingertips rasping over it sent a shiver down her spine. His hair was soft, and he groaned when she ran her fingers through it.
“Thank you for saving me,” she told him, letting him see the sincerity in her eyes. Leaning forward, she tried to kiss him, but he jerked back at the last minute. She stared at him, wondering if she’d been reading the signs wrong all along.
Had she?
Oh, God, she had been.
Pulling away, she stopped when he gripped her waist and dragged her back toward him. His eyes were fixed on her mouth. “You don’t owe me anything, Layla. I don’t want to take anything from you that you don’t want to give me.” He touched her bottom lip with his index finger. “Including this.” His jaw bulged before he added, “I don’t want you to feel obligated to do something you don’t want to do.”
She pressed herself against him, her hips and thighs aligning with his. “I want this.” Her wolf surged forward, letting him know that this was something they both wanted.
With a growl on his lips, Riley leaned forward and captured her mouth with his. The scent of pine and snow wrapped around her more strongly as his tentative kiss turned into something much deeper. She opened for him, allowing him to sweep his tongue inside her mouth to explore it. She moaned when she felt his dick hardening and lengthening between them. Her wolf sent her an image of him biting her, of claiming her, and the desire to have him mark her became an almost undeniable need.
He rolled over until he was on his back, forcing her to straddle him. She threw her head back when his cock pressed against her pussy. She wasn’t afraid of sex, but she hadn’t had sex since she’d changed either. She’d been too afraid of hurting her bedmate if she did, but she had a feeling sex with Riley was going to be amazing.
Running his hand under her sweater, he cupped the swell of her breasts and groaned. She groaned too because his hands on her body felt more than right. It felt like it was fated. He rubbed his thumbs across her nipples, making them harden and reach for his touch. She kissed him again, rubbing against his cock, the seam on her jeans creating the friction she needed so badly.
“You’ve got too much clothing on, baby,” he whispered in her ear.
“So do you,” she replied, stripping off her sweater. She took off her bra, leaving herself bared to him. Riley’s now hazel eyes darkened with lust. Heat and liquid desire flooded her core.
With his fingers hooked into the waistband of her jeans, he asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Even though she missed the feel of his body between her thighs, she stood up and wiggled out of her jeans and panties, kicking them away. Riley sat up in the bed like he’d been jolted with a taser, his eyes moving all over her body, drinking it in.
“You are the most beautiful female I have ever seen.” He crooked a finger, beckoning her closer. She stepped between his legs, her bare breasts in line with his mouth. He held her close, then sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. Layla gasped, arching her back as the sensations hooked into her, holding Riley’s eyes captive.
He sucked her other nipple into his mouth, making the most delicious sounds as he did. Needing to hold onto something, she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling slightly when he found a particularly good rhythm that pushed her into the stratosphere. She sucked in a surprised yelp when his fingers found her pussy. His touch was soft and gentle at first, but then she realized he was only teasing her.
Flexing her hips forward, she chased his wicked fingers, trying to get him to touch where she wanted him to. His eyes flashed lilac, and he shook his head, the sight of her breast in his mouth nearly undoing her.
He lay back down, urging her up his torso until her legs were on either side of his face.
“I want to taste this first.” His words were a growl that made the heat flare. “Grab the headboard. Hold on tight.”
There was such wicked delight in his words. She did as he asked, then he urged her down onto his face. She almost shot off the bed with the first slow sweep of his tongue. When he did it again, she was ready for it, but that didn’t stop her from digging her fingers in and holding on. She felt as if she would simply float away if she weren’t careful. He lapped at her, alternating between long, heavy strokes, light teasing strokes, and an all-out assault on her clit.
He brought her to orgasm unexpectedly, the tightening of her lower muscles barely registering before she was coming apart at the seams. He gripped her hips tightly, not letting her get away from him even when the sensations had grown too strong to handle. When her breathing had somewhat returned to normal, she shuffled back and stared down at the wicked grin on his face.
“Just as I thought,” he said smugly. “You taste like vanilla.”
She stifled the groan. Reaching around, she stroked his cock lying flat against his stomach. Riley’s hips rolled with each touch, giving her a sense of power she never expected to feel. He sucked in a hissed breath, his eyes on her the entire time.
“Jesus, Layla, I need to have you.” He rolled his hips, his cock thrusting through her fingers. She needed that too. She needed to take him inside her body.
Positioning herself over his hips, she eased onto his cock, letting out a soft whimper as he filled h
er. He stayed perfectly still, his hands on her hips, his fingers flexing and relaxing, flexing and relaxing as she seated herself. When she had sunk as far as she could go, he let out a long breath that ruffled her hair.
“I can feel you everywhere, Riley,” she whispered, looking down at him in awe. She flexed her hips, creating the friction they both needed to feel. He helped her along, rolling at the same time she did, pushing them both into new and wonderful territory.
With his hand on the back of her neck, he dragged her mouth to his, kissing her fiercely. She tasted herself on his tongue, the knowledge that his mouth had been on her pussy a bigger turn-on than she thought was possible.
She moaned his name into his mouth while his hips rolled up, and she met each thrust. She tilted her head to the side, offering him her throat. She knew it was her wolf controlling the compulsion to mark her and to do it now—in this moment.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I want you to be my mate, Layla. If we do this, we do it right, and we do it all the way.”
“Yes,” she gasped, feeling her womb tighten. Whether it was some biological imperative or whether it was love, she didn’t care. All she knew was that this was what she wanted, what was missing from her life. Riley was her mate. She felt it deep down in her soul. Knew it like he was a part of her soul.
“Mark me,” she whimpered, desperate.
Riley’s mouth was there on the crook of her neck, his tongue darting out to taste her skin. She sucked in a hiss of pleasure when his teeth grazed her, then moaned in pleasure when they sank home. His pine and snow scent wrapped around her, making everything else fuzz out to black. He licked the wounds and pulled away, her blood on his lips. She licked it off, making his cock kick inside her.
“Blood to blood,” he murmured, tilting his head to the side. She bit him back, tasting him, feeling him trickle into her bloodstream. He would always be able to find her now. They were bound by the pack magic that was rushing over her skin, making her his, and him hers. She swallowed a sip of his blood, then let go, licking the wounds her wolf’s teeth had made.
The Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas: The Complete Collection Page 13
