by Lea Jade
I wanted to taste her, touch her, reach around and thread my fingers through her silky, raven hair, crushing her soft, pink lips onto mine. Fuck. The image of me pushing her down onto the exam table, pulling up her skirt and letting my wolf claim her has me instantly hard. But it’s not just her damn irresistible body that has me wound tight like a hurricane about to explode.
There’s something about her that I can’t ignore, some spell she has over me.
I definitely know her from somewhere.
Who the hell are you, Jess?
The sound of a scream ringing out, piercing the night, has me frozen in my tracks. My first thought is Jess, but I’ve no reason to think it’s her. I’m probably making connections that aren’t there.
But when a scream rips through me a second time, not far from here, I’m running though the deserted streets before I can stop myself.
When I get to the corner, faint traces of a familiar scent tease me, sending my blood running hot and cold in my veins. Then I hear the unmistakable sound of her voice.
“What the fuck? Get off me, you dick!”
Fates, that’s her alright.
Tracing her scent into an alleyway, I see her on the ground as I enter, her pale limbs scratched and bloodied in the moonlight. A massive grizzly is stooped over her, jaws clamped around her ankle, shaking its head like a dog as she lays sprawled across the ground. Next thing I know I’m roaring, shifting into my wolf.
Tearing through my clothes, I spring forward and hit the sidewalk on all fours, bristling and barreling towards her attacker. I throw myself at the bastard, baring my teeth, snapping to get its attention. It’s a huge bear, much bigger than the one I faced in the ring earlier.
It turns to me, jaws falling open around Jess’s leg as it rears upright. I leap for its throat. But it swipes back at me, massive claws missing my face as I go flying backward into a brick wall. I manage to twist in the air and use the wall to rebound from. Then I’m ripping into the beast’s throat before it can retaliate.
This bear may be huge, powerfully built, but it’s painfully slow and lumbering.
As it leans its weight toward me, talons slicing through the air, I fall back out of the way so that it topples forward onto all fours. I scamper around and leap onto the creature’s hide, digging my fangs in. Warm, coppery blood spills along my tongue and down the fur of my chest as the monster howls in pain.
I’m just about to deliver the death blow, when it bucks and throws me off.
I slam into another wall, this time I don’t react quickly enough and hit the surface with a solid crack. The blow stuns me momentarily, but in seconds, I’m back on my feet, racing along the sidewalk. I need to buy some time to regain my bearings. But the wound in my side is on fire, and I don’t have to look to know I’m bleeding again. I might be reigning champion of The Pit, but two separate grizzly fights in one night just might finish me off.
I need to get out of this alleyway and lead this dick-for-brains bear away from Jess so she can escape.
As my wolf-eyes fix on Jess, trying to communicate all this, I see her cowering as she regards my bloodied wolf. I’ve no idea if it’s because she’s fearful of me or the bear. Either way, I need to end this, fast.
I circle around and crouch low. The bear is roaring now, obviously in pain. It tears at the ground and then barges toward me, away from Jess.
That’s it, you fucker. Come after me and leave her alone.
Behind him, Jess tries to crawl away, gritting her teeth as she tries to stand. There’s a determination in her I can’t help but admire. Part of me wonders why the hell she hasn’t shifted, when the huge bear comes at me. I skitter back toward the mouth of the alleyway, my hackles raised.
That’s it. Come on.
But he doesn’t budge further than that. His nose wrinkles and he swings his muzzle back to Jess on the floor. He growls and starts toward her instead, not bothering to give me a second glance. Where do you think you’re going, asshole?
A rumble rips through my throat as I chase after him. The bear roars, just as Jess let’s out another heart piercing scream.
Chapter 4
Jess
Hot breath sears my skin as the grizzly bear towers over me.
I can’t breathe. I can’t move. But I can sure as hell scream as he roars. The sound of him is deafening though. I whimper as I try to crawl. Fresh pain slices through me as I twist on the ground, pulling my self forward slowly, trying to reach for my purse. Inside it, I have a can of pepper spray. Not the best weapon but it’s the only thing I’ve got.
Behind me, the beast tries to lock its jaws around my ankle so I do the only thing I can and kick him in the face with my uninjured leg. He howls and roars again. There’s a growl and a flash of grey fur and for a moment the bear backs off. Jake!
I don’t know when or how he found me but the moment I saw his wolf, I’m ashamed to admit I cried with relief. Whatever he’s doing though, it’s not enough. Jake in his wolf form yelps and then the bear is back, its sharp canines digging into the leather of my shoe. I keep kicking, trying to crawl away.
If only I could shift, I wouldn’t be so damned useless.
I close my eyes and breathe, reaching inside myself to try to grasp the feeling between falling and the moment your soul seems to soar, but it’s no good. It’s like trying to orgasm on demand. I keep losing it.
Damn you, Jess, shift!
But I can’t, not while the bear keeps yanking my leg, making me yelp in pain. It feels like he’s trying to rip it out of its socket. I grit my teeth and grunt, reaching forward but my purse is too far away. Tears stream down my face, so I blink as I look wildly about. Think, Jess, there must be something!
In front of the trash cans, I see it. Something glints. A broken pipe. I stretch for it, my fingers scraping the cold concrete, and as I touch the edge it clatters to the ground. In a flash my fingers wrap around it and as the bear yanks my leg, I sit up and ram the end of the pipe into its exposed shoulder.
The brute screams and backs off.
Then Jake’s wolf is there, teeth bared for the world to see, aiming for its throat.
“Don’t kill him!” I yell, and the wolf whips his head to me just as the bear lumbers off as fast as it can with a huge pipe protruding from it’s body. As it disappears out of the alleyway, I gasp as the adrenaline subsides and waves of pain run ragged through me.
“Oh fuck, Jess… Are you alright? How bad are you hurt?”
I squeeze my eyes closed, hissing through my teeth. But I manage to open them to look into Jake’s perfect blues and give him a tight smile. “Bad enough, nothing an omega can’t handle,” I say between breaths. “Is he gone?”
“He’s gone. I think you scared him off.” There’s a hint of admiration in his voice, but I can’t enjoy it. A bout of agony rips through me, making me want to throw up. I curse and ball my fists. The accelerated healing must be kicking in. At least my wolf is good for something. Jake doesn’t seem to be faring any better. He’s covered in blood, most of it looks to be his, coming from a familiar wound in his side.
“Your stitches! Fates, Jake, I told you to lay off shifting until they healed!”
“Yeah, sorry about that, doc. I guess maybe I should have tried fist-fighting that thing, instead.” I roll my eyes and smile in spite of myself. “Here,” he says, offering me a hand. I take it and hold my breath while he helps me up off the ground. Another shoot of pain makes me wince, but it’s better that it was.
“Can you walk, or shall I carry you?” he says, standing there half covered in blood, as naked as the day he was born.
I stare at him, just his face because I dare not go lower, and wonder if he really just said that. Then I do look, because I can’t not.
Two seconds later I’m staring anywhere but at his package.
“I don't think so,” I say, as heat spreads across my cheeks. “I mean… don’t try and carry me. I can walk by myself thank you very much. Anyway, you’re bleeding.
If anyone needs carrying here, it should be you.”
He raises a brow, giving me a confused smile.
“Here, take this. I peel off my full-length leather jacket and hand it to him.” He gives a low chuckle as puts it on. And it fits, barely. He looks like a pimp. A very hot, ripped to the core, bad-ass pimp. I start to giggle but with the pain in my ankle it comes out like a snort-laugh. I end up wincing and hopping to keep upright.
Jake grabs my arm to steady me, shaking his head.
“Wait, my purse.”
He leaves me for a split second, to snatch it from the ground, then he’s back and offering me his arm like a white knight.
“Okay, let’s get you cleaned up. That bear might come back at any moment.”
I nod at him and hop alongside until he loses his patience and sweeps me up in arms, into a princess carry.
“I told you I don’t need carrying,” I exclaim.
“I asked you if you could walk, not hop all the way home. It’s quicker this way.”
I scowl at him but say nothing. It’s actually nice to be carried, though I pretend to hate it every step of the way. I’m also very aware of how close I am to his rock-hard chest. Wrapped in his arms, his scent reminds me of wild thyme and the air after a downpour. My wolf chooses at that moment to let out a soft, low growl, and the urge to snuggle closer and stick my nose on his skin becomes hard to resist.
Of all the times, now is the moment she shows herself.
Honestly, there are times when I hate being an omega.
When we get back to the old warehouse, Jake takes me up to his quarters on the top floor, via the elevator. He doesn’t ask if I mind being at his place and I don’t tell him otherwise. I’m curious to see where he lives.
Really now, Jess? Is that the only reason?
Squashing bad thoughts down, I take a minute to look around. It’s a lot smaller than I imagined; a small living and kitchen space, a bedroom off to the side, and tiny-looking bathroom. With the amount of money he earns, I expected something similar to Eric’s and Xavier’s. Not that I’ve been inside their place, but from the outside it looks vast.
Something must show on my face because he gives me an apologetic look, running his hands through his stubble.
“Sorry. It’s not much…”
“It’s perfect. Very you.”
He gestures to a stool. “My turn to play doctor?” I swear, his eyes sparkle at that making my heart almost stop. Where the hell did this flirty Jake come from?
I quickly shake my head. “No way, I’ll check myself out. Do you have a medical kit?” I draw the line at undressing in front of him. My clothes might be torn up and bloodied from my encounter with the grizzly, my slacks in particular, but there’s no way I’m sitting in my underwear while he dabs at my wounds.
“Bathroom.” He points to the closet room next to the bedroom.
“What about you?” I say as I glance down. His stitches are a mess and blood from his old wound is already running down his leg. “Let me at least re-stitch you first.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Doesn’t look fine.” In fact, it looks downright awful.
He shakes his head “I can handle it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Are you sure?”
He nods. “Here.” He grabs a towel and hands it to me. “Shout if you need anything.”
Then I let him usher me into the bathroom, closing the door.
I note there’s no lock as I quickly get undressed and rummage in his bathroom cabinet. I’m surprised at the considerable stock of medicines and painkillers he has. I guess it makes sense when you consider his line of work. I sit on the edge of the tub to check and treat my injuries. Luckily, since my wolf came out while Jake was carrying me, I’m mostly healed. The scratches and bites have stopped bleeding and just look like a bunch of angry lines on my skin. They don’t even hurt.
The perks of being a shifter, I guess. Even a crappy one.
It takes me a minute to try to work out how to turn the shower on. Twisting all knobs seems to work and in no time at all, a cascade of hot water is easing the tension from my aching body.
It feels glorious.
As does the thought of Jake. Knowing he’s just next door, with nothing but a flimsy unlocked door between us, has my heart thudding in my ears. The walls are super thin, I can practically hear him moving about in the other room. At least he’s moving and not passed out from blood loss.
I did try to make him let me re-stitch him, but I believed him when he told me he could handle it himself—I don’t doubt for a minute Jake knows what to do.
Of course, he knows what to do…
At that wild and dark thought, I shiver. And, as I wash my body, I can’t help but imagine Jake’s hands running over me the same way. I could ask him to join me and then I won’t have to imagine it.
Such thoughts are the reason I keep getting into trouble. But why not? We’re adults and both single. I’m single at least…
Fates above, I need to focus on what just happened with that grizzly, the one who just shifted and attacked me for no reason, not my deepest, most intimate desires.
But now that I’ve been there, I can’t get the image of Jake’s naked, powerful, battle-ravaged body, all lathered up and dripping wet, next to mine. Memories of him looking at me like he wants to eat me has my hands sliding down my wet body, caressing, teasing. My wolf yips quietly, making me give off a soft moan. In the back of my head, I know that if I can hear him, he can definitely hear me.
But I don’t care anymore. If this is the closest I can get to having Jake, it will have to do.
In my mind, I’m staring into his pale blues as he leans in, the heat of him dripping onto me as his lips find mine. Then, I’m tasting him under the water, imagining the feeling of his stubble against my neck as he plants hot kisses there and down my body. The thought of him, all aroused, wet, and solid pressed up against me, sends shudders throughout my core as I imagine him, finally, sliding inside me beneath the torrents of the shower as the steam billows around us...
My hand has migrated lower without me even realizing. Slowly, I open up my thighs, quivering as heat gives way to the feeling of ecstasy and I slide my fingers to where I want to be touched. The hot water, enveloping my body in the way I want Jake to hold me, drowns out the nearly inaudible sound I can’t help but make.
Or maybe not.
A knock at the door startles me. “Are you alright in there, doc?” Jake asks through the door.
Shit. He must have heard me. He’s a wolf after all. And adorably, he’s mistaking my gasp of pleasure for one of pain? Maybe.
I consider, for the briefest moment, inviting him in. Then I chicken out. This is Jake. My dad’s beta and my brother’s best friend. Okay, not best friend, but they were close. He looked out for Dylan like he was a brother. And me his little sister. As much as I had a crush on him when I was teenager, this is not how I imagined it would play out; Jake losing his memory, Dylan going missing, and me… pretending to be something I’m not.
I close my eyes. “I’m fine,” I say, it comes out a little breathless. After a few seconds, I hear him turn away from the door.
Deep inside my wolf whines for Jake. She doesn’t care about all of that.
Well, I do.
I turn the shower off and then dry myself. My skin tingles wherever the towel goes, and there’s a sensation that I might combust at any second. In the steamed-up mirror, I can just about see that my eyes are bright blue. My face feels hot and between my legs there’s an ache I can’t ignore, I’m burning up inside from just thinking about Jake. Fates knows what would have happened if I had invited him in.
Deep inside, the regret and loss of him hurts.
I don’t have to miss him for too long though, because as I open the door, wearing the spare sweats and t-shirt Jake found for me, and he’s standing there in the doorway, dripping wet, entirely naked save for a towel wrapped around his waist. My eyes travel over his
unexpected, utterly gorgeous body and my mouth opens. I go to say something, but nothing comes out.
At first.
Then…
“How did you…You’re wet?” Is all I manage to say.
“I took a shower at the gym when it became obvious you were going to be hours. Did you get what you needed?” he asks, eyes roving over me as they change from a deep to aqua blue, a smug smile easing on to his face the entire time.
As my wolf comes out to play, so do all of her senses. The scent of him washes over me like a cool summer breeze on a hot day, making my mouth run dry.
Screw it, I’m done with being good. I want him. I’ve always wanted him. And if wanting him is wrong, put me on the naughty list all year long.
I lick my lips and as my eyes collide with his with such a molten ferocity, I know he must know it too.
I shake my head. “No, not all…” I croak, admiring his sculpted body, seemly carved from myth and legend. “Maybe you can help me?”
Then I take a step forward and pull up my t-shirt, letting it fall to the floor, all but daring him to drop his towel. He stares at me for a few seconds longer, like a wolf starved, as the air in the cold room makes my nipples perk up and harden.
“You don’t want this,” he says finally, shaking his head. “You deserve better.”
Not what I was expecting.
“No one is better than you,” I whisper, meaning it. I take another step toward him, the wolf inside me growing bold.
“Fuck, Jess, no. I won’t be the one to hurt you. You need to rest.”
“Oh, so you're the doctor now?” I say, growing bolder. “Let me decide what hurts and what doesn’t.” Then I add playfully. “Maybe I like a little pain.”
His eyes widen, a low growl filling his throat.
Then he draws closer too, so close I can feel the heat of his skin against mine.
“You don’t want this pain.” His voice is a caress, teasing me from the inside out.
