by Ann Mayburn
“What?”
“Your Alpha, he’s come to protect you.”
Out of nowhere, a man shaped blur hit the beast, knocking it to the ground. I took a step closer as I watched the guy from the other day, the dark skinned bald guy who’d saved me from the drunk, stand up. He wore black leather pants and a black leather vest, with knives strapped all over. I gasped as he stood to his full height, then pulled a freaking sword out of his back scabbard.
“Nice,” Aunt Patty said in evident appreciation as she leaned closer to the window.
“Hey!”
“I was talking about the sword, not the man. Though I must say, your Alpha is something to look at.”
Indeed he was. In the bright security floodlights he danced around the bovine demon, slashing and carving away bits of the monster. With every chunk of cow flesh that fell to the earth, I let out a cheer like my Alpha had just scored a touchdown. The silver of his blade complimented the gleam of sweat on his muscles, and I marveled that a man so built could move so fast. He reminded me of a superhero from one of the comic books I used to read. Impossibly ripped and masculine, deadly in the best of ways.
“He makes those leather pants look really good,” I said on a dreamy sigh.
“And you get three more like him. Lucky girl.”
Just as my Alpha was about to end the things life, that weird obsidian covered creature from my backyard appeared behind him.
I screamed out a warning, but it was too late, and the thing managed to send a spray of black darts into my Alpha.
When I tried to run outside to help him, my Aunt Patty held me back. “No, wait.”
“He’s hurt, he could be killed, he—”
“Doesn’t need your help, Synthia. If you jump in now you’ll insult him, and nothing’s worse than a man all butt-hurt over his wounded pride. Watch.”
I strained against her, but settled as my Alpha stood and flexed, his gaze going deadly. My gasp almost choked me as I watched him start to transform. Fur, spotted fur like a hyena’s began to sprout all over his head and shoulders. His face elongated, and his body grew bigger all over. Claws formed at the ends of his fingers, and his teeth gleamed white and sharp. The fur faded out as it reached below his chest, gone entirely by the time the skin of his lower abdomen appeared.
“Whoa, uh—I didn’t think hyena shifters became actual hyenas.”
“Most don’t.” Aunt Patty cleared her throat, but her voice still came out wispy as she said, “Your Alpha just happens to be gifted with the ability. In the olden days hyena shifters that could partially transform into their spirit animal were called War Dogs. Never thought I’d get to see one, thought they had vanished into the mists of time. Evidently I was wrong.”
“Huh.”
I was totally and completely distracted by watching my Alpha kick some serious booty. He was certainly built for battle, and I felt infinitely safer with him around. My spirit animal was equally impressed, and wanted to go fight at her mate’s side. Too bad she was stuck in the body of a chick who didn’t know how to fight. Not like my Alpha, my strong, sensual, possessing of one very sexy happy trail Alpha.
That strip of hair distracted me, more so when my Alpha let out a snarl and leapt at the obsidian man, literally tearing him to pieces.
Aunt Patty was giving commentary like she was at some kind of sporting event, while I was falling so hard in lust that I knew I’d never be the same.
My animal spirit was similarly besotted, and she let out little yips of pleasure as my Alpha destroyed the demons.
By the time he was done annihilating them into powder, my panties were soaked with arousal and I was shifting restlessly.
Flicking off his sword, my Alpha sheathed it behind his back with a practiced swing, his gaze locked on mine through the window.
Chills raced through me at the open, carnal hunger in his gaze and I moaned softly.
“Lock it down, niece,” Aunt Patty said as she grabbed one of my backpacks from behind the counter. “You’ve got enough stuff in there to last you a few days. I’ll take care of Carol and your cats. Have fun.”
“Wait, where am I going?”
“Judging by the look on your Alpha’s face, you’ll soon be somewhere on your back.”
“Ack! Aunt Patty, stop.”
“Oh shush. I’ve been waiting for years to tease you about things like this. Though I never thought you’d be a hyena Queen. Nope, didn’t see that one coming at all. While I’m a pretty darn good wise woman, I’m not a seer. If I was, I might have avoided dating some of the assholes I hooked up with in high school.”
The front door opened and I was torn between running to hide, and jumping him.
Now fully human again, my Alpha decided for us. The closer he got, the more massive I realized he was, and my breath caught as he scooped me up into his arms. I could smell the fight on him, the victory, and it made me want to lick every inch of his long frame. He smelled clean, healthy, and strong. He smelled like he belonged to me. Like he’d always belonged to me.
But most of all, he smelled like an ice cream parlor with a hint of coffee. Sweet and bitter, yet utterly creamy smooth and delicious. Hardening to tight buds, my nipples rasped against his chest, the friction erotic torment to the sensitive tips.
“My Queen,” he growled as he lowered his mouth to mine.
An incredible sense of relief overcame me as our lips met in a passionate kiss. It wasn’t fast and hard. No, this man cupped my face in his huge paws and nibbled at my mouth in a way that had my toes curling. I threw my arms around his neck, then leapt up so my legs curled over his hips. He let out a pleased moan, and cupped my bottom with both hands.
“Ahem!” my cock blocking Aunt said, loud. “It isn’t safe here, Alpha. My hearth wards will keep the beasties out, but you run a greater chance of discovery here.”
To my immense disappointment, he tore his mouth from mine, and had to practically peel me off his body. “You’re right, my apologies, wise woman.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was young and in love once as well. Or twice, or maybe a couple dozen times.”
My Alpha laughed and he looked amazing doing it.
I waved goodbye to my aunt and yelled, “Thanks for taking care of my cats, and my mom!”
“Always!”
My Alpha practically dragged me to a black Jeep, all kitted out with bigger than normal wheels, and some serious accessories. Before I knew it, I was buckled in and the big engine was roaring to life. It had that whole ‘new car’ smell, and I wondered what some of the features showing on the dashboard screen were.
“Forgive me for leaving you alone,” my Alpha said. “I had no choice. If I had known a danjal would attack I would never have left your side.”
“Okay, wait a second. First things first. What’s your name?”
“Nevoj.”
“And I know you, right? I mean-from when you were—you know.”
“You mean when I was female?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“It embarrasses you to admit that, why?”
“I don’t know.” I squirmed, totally uncomfortable with this situation. “Can you just tell me how I know you?”
“We first met when I went by the name Joven.”
I whipped around in my seat and stared at him. “No way.”
Glancing over at me, he flashed a sexy as hell grin. “Yes way.”
“But you’re so…”
“So?”
There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice that had me quickly saying, “So masculine.”
He chuckled. “Yes. Because I’m your Alpha I am the most masculine of your mates. And the most dominant.”
“What does that mean? Like BDSM?”
“No. Like animals—but I’m always open to a little rough play in the bedroom, my Queen.” He flashed that killer, dimpled grin of his, the dashboards lights making his teeth appear even brighter. “You’ll see. As you grow older—”
I threw my han
ds into the air in a dramatic huff, “I know, I know, when I grow older and more secure in my bond, blah blah blah, I’ll know the secrets of the universe, ra ra ra.”
“That is not quite what I was going to say. If I may finish?”
Blushing, I looked down at my hands. “Sorry, please continue.”
“Thank you, my Queen. What I was going to say was that as you get older and grow more confident in yourself, you will find our own need to dominate growing. But, however dominant you become, you will never be more dominant than me, your Alpha. I was made to give you the balance that you need, to be there as a failsafe in case you go mad.”
“And what would happen then, if I go mad?”
“I will protect you from yourself. Let’s say you lost your mind, for whatever reason, and hurt a bunch of people you loved. If you were dominant to everyone, no one would be able to stand up to you and tell you that you were acting crazy, or that you were making bad decisions. You would be surrounded by the ‘yes men’ of the world, and that would only lead to disaster. All wise leaders need honest, trusted counsel in their lives.”
“So you’re helping me keep it real?”
“Yes,” he chuckled and my nipples tightened. “Myself, your Beta, and even your Enforcer will be there to help keep it real. Your Omega will probably spoil you to death.”
The longer we were in the car together, the more his scent filled it and the more I was aware of the tang of his drying sweat on my tongue. I could taste him, and soon it was all I could concentrate on. His essence danced over my senses luring me closer, urging me to get a better sniff.
“Synthia,” his accent deepened slightly, rounding out the vowels in my name. “You need to return to your seat.”
By this point I was crawling over the hump between our seats and attempting to get into his lap.
“Please, my Queen,” his voice was strained and thick with lust. “You must return to your seat. We have another ten minutes before we arrive at the airport.”
“The airport?”
“I have a helicopter waiting for us. We must return to the den as quickly as possible. Your Beta is going through his transition.”
“My Beta? You’ve met him…errr—her too?”
“What do you mean, too? When have you met your Beta?”
“Last night. I was feeling really bad, had a hell of a fever, and she—uh, well she tied me up and ate my pussy until I passed out.”
“What!” he roared and I let out a scream of fright as he momentarily lost control of the car.
“Hands on the wheel, buddy!” I yelled. “I didn’t survive all this bullshit today to die in some dumb traffic accident.”
“You’re telling me that someone broke into your house last night, tied you up, and licked you to orgasm?”
“And blindfolded me,” I squeaked.
“And you didn’t tell anyone?”
“Hell no I didn’t!” My cheeks burned as I looked out the window. “What, I’m supposed to say? Some strange chick who smelled like blueberry muffins gave me a series of mind-blowing orgasms that seemed to have cured whatever I was sick with? Speaking of which, you’re my Alpha, right?”
“Yes,” he said with a snap.
“Right. Well, she said you were the one who made me sick, then took off. Is that true? Did you put me in some kind of freaky heat?”
“You were sick?”
I rolled my eyes. “Uh, yeah. I had a high temperature and I was exhausted. And horny.”
“Forgive me. What you’re describing is called ‘mating fever’. It is a reaction of a Queen to meeting her mates for the first time. Nature is smart because she made sure your body would make you seek out your mates by giving you mating fever. It’s the first sign of the changes that happen as you complete your family.”
Ugh, by changes was he talking about my weird looking clit?
“Synthia, your scent holds pain and embarrassment. Why?”
“Damn, you’re a lot better at this figuring out scents thing than I am.”
“Stop avoiding my question. What is wrong? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
“This is so awkward. Okay, I’m afraid you’ll be icked out by my body. By my….you know…how my—uh, female anatomy adjusts. Not as much as yours, but I—well I don’t feel very desirable. Even though I know I’m being dumb, and this is what happens to hyena Queens, I still feel weird.” To my mortification, my voice cracked with uncertainty as I whispered, “Do you still like me?”
Thank goodness we were alone in the middle of nowhere on a country road, because he slammed the breaks and we came to a complete stop.
Rocking back into my seat, I glared at him, ready to give him a piece of my mind about driving safety, but he chose that moment to attack my lips with his. That man could kiss, and as the taste of him filled my mouth, my whole body tingled. My skin grew more sensitive, and my pussy practically gushed. The achy, hollow feeling was beginning to grow inside of me, driving all thoughts from my mind except finding satisfaction. Moaning eagerly, I returned his kiss, running my hands all over his delicious shoulders, playing with the flexing muscles. Big, dangerous, and all mine.
When he broke our kiss we were both panting, and it felt incredibly warm inside the Jeep as he started driving again.
“Never, ever doubt my desire for you. I more than like you, I adore you, Synthia Mary Rowley. You’re all I think about, my Queen. All I desire. It is taking everything I have not to spread you across the hood and put my mark on you. To show you just how beautiful I think your body is. All of it. My dick…I had no idea my need to mount you could be so fierce that I would feel physical pain. I’ve jerked off dozens of times thinking about you already, wondering how your skin will taste, what it will feel like to have you wrapped tight around me. And it will be a tight fit. The Goddess blessed me greatly during my transition.”
We arrived at the small, dark runway and I wasn’t surprised to see Nevoj’s helicopter was black like his clothing and car.
I was sensing a theme here.
We quickly boarded and I had to admit, when we lifted into the night sky I let out a little scream.
Laughing through the headset, Nevoj murmured, “There is nothing to be scared of. I assure you, Synthia, you are always safe with me.”
“Right.” Trying to calm my racing heart, flying in a helicopter was way different than the planes I was used to, I attempted to distract myself. “So, nice chopper.”
“Thanks.”
“You certainly have a lot of big toys. Making up for something?”
He took my unresisting hand and put it over the massive bulge in his pants. “No, my Queen. I believe you will be quite satisfied with what I have for you.”
My mouth went dry and my pussy clenched. “You’re huge.”
Utterly smug, he nodded. “I am.”
I felt his girth, squeezed it through his leather pants and licked my lips. “Huge like you’re going to destroy my poor vagina.”
“When I slide into you for the first time you’re going to be wild for it. I’m going to take you from behind, with you on your hands and knees, your tits hanging down like ripe fruit. Big, ripe fruit. I will grasp handfuls of your generous ass, and you will be the one who pushes back against me. It will be my Queen that rides me, even on her hands and knees.”
I made a sound that was quite similar to the squeak of a kitten.
The smile he gave was so filled with smug male satisfaction I couldn’t see him as being anything other than a man his whole life.
Removing my hand from his wrist thick erection was difficult, I still couldn’t believe it was real, and I sat back in my seat as he continued to fly.
“I’ll have you know you’ll never be putting that thing in my ass. You’d break my butthole.”
Nevoj made a barking noise. “Fear not, my Queen. Your tender passage is safe from me. I would never do anything to truly damage you. Everything I do is for your pleasure.”
“See, that bugs
me.”
“What bugs you?”
“I don’t like being a taker, I’m a giver—you know? I feel the best when I’m helping other people, making them happy. I don’t like the idea of people only seeing to my pleasure and not their own.”
“Are you saying you believe I won’t find mating you to be satisfying?”
I scowled at him, absently noting that we were flying above the countryside now. Over the horizon the sun had begun to rise, giving my enhanced sight enough illumination to see by. Still in the distance, but growing closer, was the ridged spine of the Appalachian Mountains. It was weird, once you got outside of the major cities in Virginia it was all forest and farmland. A glance at the space age dash of the helicopter showed me that it was 5:15 am, and I rested my head back against my seat.
“I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m tired, confused, and hungry.”
His large, warm hand settled on my thigh. “Please, let me care for you. It would be my greatest honor.”
I examined his face in the gradually increasing light, marveling at the exquisite bone structure that perfectly complimented his wide mouth and nose. The smooth curve of his skull made me want to run my hands over it, and I liked that he’d shaved his hair off. Nevoj was one of those guys with a really nice head shape, and my heart gave a little flutter as he smiled at me, clearly pleased by my perusal.
“Will you give me the gift of caring for you?”
Like any sane heterosexual woman, I said, “Yes.”
Chapter 9
Nevoj
His Queen was clearly exhausted by the time he reached what he hoped would be their den. It was far enough away from any city that they would have complete privacy, but close enough to her current den that she would feel comfortable. Situated on eighteen hundred acres in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the massive old colonial farmhouse had been lovingly restored by the previous owners. After raising their family they’d retired down to Florida and put the house on the market the very day Nevoj had started looking at potential homes.
Situated atop a gentle hill, the house was bordered by a large river on one side, and forest on the other. With a huge yard and a barn close by, it would serve Synthia’s every need until they settled on where they wanted to establish their permanent den-or if they wanted to take over another. But those were thoughts for the future, right now he needed to focus on caring for his beautiful mate.
