by Maia Star
I pressed her against my hips and she shuddered, moaning as I began to rock back and forth. Our skin slapped, echoing over the sand, matching the pounding of the waves on the shore. I began to lose myself instantly, my mind going wild at the sensation. I was connected to Lily again. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her nails dug into my back. I growled at the pain but relished the pleasure that came with it. I nibbled at her neck, and she breathed down my shoulder.
Faster and faster, I moved her. My legs stood strong but began to wobble. She shivered with every movement. The air in front of me steamed, and I scrunched up my face as I spasmed, exploding into her. She yelped, clutching me harder, wiggling and shutting her eyes closed. Her legs locked around my waist tightly, not wanting to let go.
“Fuck!” I said, falling. I landed on my back on the cold sand and Lily moved to straddle me more comfortably, taking a moment to regain her breath.
“Fuck…” she said, agreeing with me. I smiled up at her, seeing her like an angel, beautiful and radiant under the moon. I realized, as she smiled down at me and began to rock back and forth, that this was the woman I had been waiting for all my life. No one else compared.
She picked up the tempo, and my hands lifted to grip her hips. “Yes, yes…” she said.
“Go faster,” I growled. She did as I commanded, grinning down at me, lifting her hands up to hold her hair up as if she were a model. She groaned cutely with every movement, making me want to go crazy. My mind melted, and my heart beat to the rhythm of her ragged breaths.
I wanted to see her like this for the rest of my life. I wanted to claim her and make sure she didn’t slip my grasp, so I could make her happy. Lily was my everything and I wouldn’t let her go.
My mind flashed back to the moment I first met her. Her smile drew me in, like a magnet attracting metal. It made so much sense for us to meet.
Adrenaline pumped wildly in my veins, and when I exploded for a second time, making Lily shout out curses as she jerked on top of me, I couldn’t help pulling her down and rolling over before we’d both stopped shuddering. She gripped at the sand, clawed at my arms, blinked and shut her eyes and opened them wide as I pounded her. All I could see was her. Everything else blacked out.
I leaned down, pressing her into the sand, her whole frame against mine. I kissed her, bit her skin, kissed her lips, pressed my forehead to hers, and stared into her eyes. Understanding passed between us then, a primal desire for each other. We were breaking the contract, and we didn’t care. We were well past that.
I lost all sense of self when I spurted a third time. My whole body was so sensitive, I curled up on top of her. She bent with me, tapping her fingers along my back, squealing.
Finally, I rolled off of her onto my side, my arm still stretched across her torso. We both breathed hard, our bodies covered in sweat from head to toe. She turned her head to smile at me, and then her whole body. We locked our hands together.
“Amazing...as...always,” she panted.
I leaned forward to plant one final kiss on her forehead. “You know it.”
She laughed into my chest. “You tore…my clothes.”
“Sorry, not sorry.”
“Buy me a new set.”
“How about five more? Remember, I’m rich too.”
She placed a single hand over my chest, right above my beating heart. Her palm was hot, yet it felt like she was forcing my heart to beat slower, to calm down. My inner dragon cooled itself off from a single touch from her.
“So, what now?” she asked, playfully tracing her finger over my body again. “Go back to your place? Go another round?”
I chuckled. “You’re feistier than I realized. Let’s sleep here on the beach.”
She raised her eyebrows at me. “Maybe you are insane.”
“I’m serious! The sand might be cold, but I’ll keep you warm.”
Suddenly my phone began to vibrate in my pants pocket nearby. My clothes were all piled together, and I sighed before I realized that it wasn’t a phone call. I winked at Lily before crawling over, rummaging around in my pants pocket for my smartphone. I pulled it out and frowned when I saw the notification that came up.
“What’s wrong?” Lily said when she saw my furrowed brows.
“Apparently my home’s been broken into.” I stared dumbly at the screen, my nose twitching. “Who the hell would…” But then it dawned on me, and Lily spoke my thoughts.
“Hunter.”
“Yeah, it’s got to be him.”
“But why would he break into your house and not my place? How does he even know where you live?”
Jumping to my feet, I quickly began to put on my clothes. “Looks like we’re going to find out. There’s an extra set of clothes in my car. You can wear those...though they’ll be a bit big on you.”
She nodded, our night of relaxation and pleasure cut short. Despite the worried look on her face, she followed me without a single complaint as we bounded up the steps and hopped into my car.
Lily was a trooper, and I loved her for it.
If only Hunter would give me time to tell her that.
Chapter Nineteen
Felix
Furious wasn’t a good enough word to describe how I felt when we came to a stop outside of my house.
I had bought this property years ago because I had liked the privacy, and how I had my private beach. It was quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown San Francisco. Were there some that had tried to break in before? Definitely. But there’d never been a thief that was successful.
Until now, maybe.
Stepping out of the driver’s seat, I stared at the front door, which was nearly ripped off its hinges, claw marks running down the outside. It hung quietly on the last hinge, bent backward, and the doorway loomed open. A light flickered on and off from the kitchen. I could see that someone had trashed the place.
“No human could make those marks on the door,” Lily said after she came around to stand beside me. “So, our guess that it was Hunter is probably spot on, huh?”
I just grunted, looking around the bushes and over the road. If Hunter was behind this, there was a big chance that he was still lurking around, maybe angry enough at me to jump us. Or to try to take Lily.
Glancing at her, I motioned for her to follow. “Stay close to me, okay? Hunter could be hiding close by, waiting for a chance to jump us.”
“To kidnap me, you mean.”
“And to kill me.” I grinned wryly. “The guy isn’t exactly on friendly terms with me.”
Pulling her closer to me, we slowly walked forward. If I were alone, I probably would have just charged inside, but Lily was my everything now. She was more important than anything that could have been taken or destroyed on the inside. All those material possessions could be replaced.
When we reached the door, I held up a hand for her to stop and poked my head inside. I sniffed around, the musky scent of a canine filling my nostrils. “Yeah, definitely Hunter. I would know that smell from anywhere.”
“Is he inside?”
I sniffed again. “No...I don’t think so. His scent is fading. More than likely, he trashed my house quickly and then ran off.” I licked my lips, raising my voice. “But if he is here, then I’m going to beat the living daylights out of that fucker!”
When I got no response, no grunt or rustle of feet or hands, I stepped completely inside, pulling Lily along. “Don’t stray too far from me, okay?”
She nodded and stepped over into the living room.
I stopped by my kitchen first, looking over the huge dent in my granite counter. Moving around it, I frowned at all the dented pots and pans strewn across the floor. The fridge door was wide open, and things were dumped out to spill everywhere. My dishwasher, toaster, microwave, stove...they were all punched in. Hunter is a bit stronger than I thought. Thank god I had the money to fix everything up.
Stepping away, I moved into the living room, where Lily was snatching up shredded pieces
of what looked like paper. She turned to me, sorrow in her eyes, and showed me the pile. I ground my teeth as I realized they were the photographs of my family and me. “I just saw these...he didn’t even touch the table they were sitting on. He just plucked up the pictures and...well, I’m sorry, Felix.”
I stepped forward and onto a shard of glass on the flat side. “Ah!” Lily said. “Yeah, there’s shattered glass everywhere, so be careful. Some of your windows were broken too.”
Clenching my fists, I could feel my inner dragon working itself up. It paced inside me, wishing Hunter had come to face me himself. I would crush him for this. Even if most everything in there was replaceable, some things like these photos mattered to me.
Lily placed the pile of shredded photos on the table and pointed to the couch and TV. “Well, the couch is torn up. No surprise there. The insides are coming out in spades. And the TV has a hole in it now.”
“You know, you choose some terrible partners,” I said through my teeth. I gave her a thin smile. “Though, obviously, I’m breaking that tradition.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed. My inner dragon stopped pacing. “Take it slow, Felix. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. You can handle this. I’m here for you.”
“I’m going to make your ex-boyfriend wish he never came to see you in San Francisco,” I said, moving away to head into the hallway that led to my bedroom and office.
My bedroom wasn’t any prettier than the kitchen or living room. My bed was flipped over and torn up. My nightstands were goners. Most of my clothes were, of course, ripped up and flung everywhere. It was like a party that went too wild. I was able to control myself until I stepped into my office. My office was no better: my laptop, desk, chair, and everything else were completely destroyed. The contract that I had signed at the Fiery Hearts building was similarly left in tatters all over the floor. But what really got me going was what was carved into the wall to my right.
Hunter must have dragged his claws and cut into the wall because there was a bloody message waiting for me.
Behind me, Lily gasped. “Take Lily...and you will pay,” she whispered. Tears sprung into her eyes. “What is wrong with him?”
I stepped forward and punched the wall, sending shockwaves through the entire house. Grinding my teeth, I looked back at her. “He’s going feral is what! God damn it. Shifters can go so wild if they go unchecked. It’s what’s happening to Hunter, all because he can’t let go of you.”
“I’m sorry—”
“This isn’t your fault!” I roared, making her flinch. Tears continued to slide down her cheeks. I took a deep breath and trudged over, embracing her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“I know,” she said quietly. She embraced me. “You shifters can get...excited at times. Usually, it’s pretty hot, but now it’s just terrifying.” She gazed up at me. “I mean, how are we going to get him to stop all this nonsense?”
I forced myself to wipe away the frown and put on my best grin. “We’re going to have to lock him up or kill him if he forces us. Feral shifters can...well, they’re more than just dangerous. If you let them go unchecked for too long, there could be a massacre. I have no idea how far along Hunter is, but I’m thinking we won’t be able to rely on the police entirely.”
She nodded. “We might just have to track him down ourselves.”
“Bingo.”
Lily cocked her head. “Then don’t you think he would go to my new apartment to wreck it, just like he did yours? I mean, he knows where it is, and I doubt he knows where I’ve lived in the past.”
I nodded. “You’re probably right. We should head over there as soon as possible.” I stepped away from her and gazed around. “He better hope the police do get to him first...because I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back if we find him at your place.”
Lily gulped. “Do you want to get this place cleaned up first?”
Shaking my head, I stalked into the hallway. “No, there’s no point yet. That’ll have to wait until after we deal with Hunter.”
“What about calling the police to let them know this happened?” she asked, trailing behind me.
“If you want to call them, then call, but I don’t have the time for that. They’ll want me to stay here, to answer their questions. It’ll be a waste of time. We have a lead here, and I can’t afford to lose it.”
“Alright, fine, then I’ll call them on the way to my place and tell them what’s up. Besides, if you’re right about the possibility of a massacre…”
I gazed back at her as we walked outside. There was genuine worry in her face. She was right; we couldn’t just let Hunter run free now. People were in danger, and while I only cared about Lily at this point, I couldn’t deny that I didn’t want Hunter to do whatever he wanted anymore.
Climbing into my car once again, we took off for downtown.
Chapter Twenty
Lily
On the way to my new apartment, I did as I said I would. I called the police to let them know Hunter had trashed Felix’s house.
“How do you know it was your ex-boyfriend, mam?” a female officer said.
“Um, well...there was a personal message scrawled on the wall. Using his claws, most likely. He’s a wolf shifter...and he has a personal vendetta against Felix now. We believe.” I eyed Felix as he drove. He wouldn't look at me. His jaw was set, and I was sure his brows would be permanently fixed into a frustrated frown. “Oh, and he might be feral. He’s been acting incredibly strange...you know, stranger than just wanting to trash my...friend’s place.”
I had to pause when I referred to Felix. What was I to him, and what was he to me? Were we in an official relationship? Was he my boyfriend? I sighed, the question bogging down my mind. Felix didn’t seem to react at my calling him a “friend,” but that was probably more because he was so focused on getting to Hunter and tearing the world apart.
“Ma’am?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry! Basically, we think he’s getting more dangerous by the second.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We’ll take what you’ve told us into consideration, and we’ll broaden our search for Hunter.”
“Great, thank you.”
The female officer hung up quickly, and so I slid my phone back into my pocket. I hoped dearly that the police would find Hunter faster than we would so that this whole thing could be over quickly. There wasn’t anywhere else for my ex-boyfriend to go. He was way too wild at this point, and I think Felix really would kill him if he got the chance.
Though, it wasn’t like Hunter would ever be able to get at me again.
Even so, my heart stammered and my palms felt clammy. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we would only find more trouble at my apartment. Not that we could avoid going there at this point. Felix was speeding ahead, dodging stray cars on the road, getting honked at by people who were just trying to have a nice drive home or going out for the night.
When I placed a hand on his bicep, Felix’s muscles relaxed, and he released most of the tension that was building up inside of him. It was like if I let him go for even a second, he would shift and fly off and scour the city for Hunter until dawn or until he exhausted himself. Casually, he turned his eyes on me and gave me a half-hearted smile. “Sorry, just focused on the road.”
“No, you’re focused on finding Hunter. But you need to calm down and slow down. Or else Hunter won’t ever get the chance to harm us again because we’ll be dead from a car crash.”
He flicked his eyes back to the road, and surprisingly, he listened to me. We came to a stop at a red light, just a few streets down from my apartment. A muscle in his jaw twitched. Growling, placed a hand over mine. “Honestly, your touch calms me so much more than you know, Lily. Without you, I’d probably be like Hunter in a few years.”
“That isn’t going to happen.”
“Hell no, it won’t! That future has been erased, all because of you.” He grinned again. “You’re a force to be reckoned with, you know? You
have the power to affect a dragon.”
I blushed but made my grip on his arm firmer. “Nothing will ever happen to me while I’m with you, right?”
His grin grew wider, much more confident. “Right.”
Taking a shaky breath, I leaned back in my seat as we pulled up in front of my apartment building. Unsurprisingly, the front door was on the sidewalk, and the door frame was pushed out at the sides as if Hunter had tried to fit through before he’d finished shifting back to his human form. From the apartment building next to mine, I saw a man peer out from his blinds, and when he caught my gaze, he immediately jumped away.
“Looks like we were right,” Felix said as we stepped out. “Hunter even scared your new neighbors. What a way to meet, huh?”
I crossed my arms and walked side by side with Felix up the stairs to the doorway. Like before, Felix took the lead and walked inside Before I followed, I felt my neck prickle as I felt a pressure, like a pair of eyes gazing at me. I glanced up and down the street, seeing no one but random cars in the distance. When I looked up, I thought I saw a shadow flicker somewhere above, but then I blinked, and it was gone.
Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me.
“Lily, hurry up,” Felix called. So I trudged inside.
Like Felix’s home, my new place was trashed from head to toe. Couches and chairs were flipped over, the stuffing ripped out from the couch. There were holes and cracks in the walls. Appliances in the kitchen were mostly destroyed.
But surprisingly, there was less damage.
“It’s like he was in more of a hurry than before,” Felix said from halfway up the stairs. “Maybe he saw us coming and forced himself to leave before he could do too much damage.”
“Or he realized that I’ve barely settled into this place and wouldn’t feel the impact of seeing it trashed,” I said as I followed him up the stairs to the second floor. Looking around, it seemed like Felix was right. There were dirty footprints here and there, and a broken window, but it was clear Hunter left without getting to the top floors as much.
