by Jules Tyler
Elijah pulled away and began to walk towards his cabin, stopping to cast a glance over his shoulder at Candace.
She smiled at him, “I’m coming, don’t worry. I’m right behind you.”
Candace followed Elijah into the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief as he shifted back into a man. She gave him a quick once over to ensure he really was in one piece after the day’s events, it appeared that everything was still intact. Once she was entirely positive that he was okay, she slammed her body into his and wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could.
All of the air left Elijah’s lungs as they fell backwards onto the floor. He looked at her in bewilderment, “It’s nice to see you too. Where did that come from?”
“I was so worried about you while you were gone. You were all gone so long and I was beginning to think maybe something had gone wrong.” Candace nuzzled his chest as a tear dripped from her eye.
“Why are you crying, gorgeous?” Elijah lifted her chin so he could see her face. “While you were gone, I kept thinking about what would happen to me. I felt like if you didn’t come back, I wouldn’t be able to find out what can happen between the two of us. It was like there was this empty pit in my soul and it needed to be filled. It’s stupid, I know, but it’s also true.” Candace sniffed, feeling like a blubbering baby for being upset over something so small.
“Candi girl, don’t you know it takes more than a panther or a wolf to bring me down? I won’t lie; I was scared, but not for the same reason you were. I’ve been scared to see what happens to all of us if we aren’t able to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. This isn’t just about me anymore, it’s about you too.” Elijah pressed his lips to her forehead.
Candace rolled onto the floor and layed her head back on his chest. Lying there in silence, she let her mind wander over the past couple of days. Her heart was racing. There were so many things she had seen but so many things she still wanted to do. Every fiber of her being said that she wanted to do those things with Elijah by her side, though. She didn’t want to trust him, but at the same time, she did. This man that she had barely met was willing to go to the ends of the earth to keep his intended safe and happy, so why shouldn’t she do the same?
Feeling the bravery build up inside of her, she looked at Elijah, “I think I’m ready.” Elijah canted his head, “Ready for what?”
Candace bit her lip shyly before running her hand down his abs seductively, praying inside that he wouldn’t make her say the words out loud.
“Oh,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he realized what she was talking about. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of something in my entire life,” Candace said.
Elijah stood before turning to help Candace to her feet. He pulled her to him and kissed her gingerly, letting their kiss bloom into something more passionate. Their tongues danced together as she felt his hands tangle in her hair. He slipped his hands under her butt and lifted her up like she weighed next to nothing, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist to maintain balance.
“What are you doing?” Candace asked.
“Taking you to bed, beautiful. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right for your first time,” Elijah grinned mischievously as he set her down on the bed.
Candace squirmed under his gaze in excitement, her blood was pumping with adrenaline from the day’s events. She was ready for this. She began fumbling with the clasp of her jeans.
Elijah tsked, “No, no. That’s my job.”
Elijah ran a hand up her thigh slowly, stopping at the top of her jeans. He licked his lips with anticipation as he slowly tugged the fabric down her legs and dropped them to the floor. Candace took notice of how he was taking his time.
As though he were reading her mind, Elijah murmured reverently, “It’s like unwrapping a present with pretty paper. You want to savor the moment.”
Candace felt her heart catch fire, excitement pooling between her thighs as she watched him stare at her with desire burning in his gaze. Locking eyes with him, the reality of the moment began to sink in. Elijah grabbed the hem of her shirt and took it off, tossing the garment to the floor. Candace felt shy about her body. Sure, Elijah had seen her naked twice in the last couple of days, but those moments didn’t bear any weight in importance. Now though, this was something that could change his mind about her completely. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked up at Elijah with worry in her eyes.
Elijah shook his head at her as he grabbed her hands and pulled them out of the way, “You don’t need to hide your body. Especially not around me. You have these beautiful, sexy curves. You, my love, are magnificent to behold. Never hide from me.”
Candace reached up and pulled Elijah’s face towards hers, pressing her lips to his, trying to regain the bravery she had previously. Pleasure seeped into her middle as their bodies touched, the chemistry between them becoming explosive. Elijah reached down and took her nipple in his mouth. She felt him suck and lap at the hard bud, causing a small moan to slip from her lips.
Elijah’s eyes glowed with hunger, “Yes, baby, tell me what you like. I’m going to pleasure you until your legs shake.”
Candace threw her head back against the bed and arched her back as Elijah slid a finger in between her folds. As he swirled his finger around inside of her, pumping deliciously slowly, he trailed kisses from her chest down to the apex in her thighs. Casting her a hungry gaze, he dipped his head down and covered her sensitive nub with his mouth. Lapping at it, he whirled his tongue around in delicious circles. Candace could feel her body building higher and higher to climax.
“I need you,” she whispered.
Elijah slid up her body, trailing kisses slowly up her middle to her neck, “Are you ready?”
Candace nodded eagerly as she felt him adjust so that his member was angled at her entry, “Do it.”
With those words as all the consent Elijah needed, he slowly nudged his cock inside of her. Sliding slowly, she could tell he was trying to force himself not to go to fast. There was a little pain at first, but it was immediately outweighed by the pleasure. The higher she climbed towards climax, the better it felt.
“Elijah?” She asked as a moan escaped her lips.
“Mmm?”
“I want you to claim me,” Candace whispered.
“There’s no going back if I do that,” he hesitated. “You sure you’re ready to commit to me?”
Candace nodded, worrying her lip as she did so, “You feel big to me. This feels right. More right than anything else I’ve ever felt before.”
Elijah pumped a little harder into her and smiled as she gasped in shock at him, “I’m going to need you to say it, gorgeous. Say the words.”
“Claim me,” she begged.
Elijah slowly worked himself into a rhythm, a little harder and faster with each thrust. Candace cried out in pleasure with every stroke. She felt his teeth sharpen as he clamped his mouth around the muscle connected to her shoulder. He quickly bit down as hard as he could and she screamed out in pleasure as they found their climax together. As quickly as he had bitten her, it was over. Already she could feel the wound beginning to heal
“Did I hurt you?” He whispered, eyes full of concern.
“A little, but I don’t want you to take it back,” she murmured, stroking his hair as he laid down next to her.
“Promise?” Elijah asked.
“Promise,” Candace smiled at him.
“How are you feeling?”
Candace looked at him, eyes blazing gold, “Like I just found my intended mate.” “It was your first time, how can you be sure?”
“I guess we are going to have to do it again to be sure,” she winked.
Elijah grinned ear to ear, “Round two then?”
“Round two.”
Epilogue
Jasper prodded the fire, trying to ignore the noises coming from Elijah’s cabin. That was another crew mate that was paired up now, if the sou
nds were anything to go off of. He shook his head; women were trouble. All they could bring you was heartache. He had been so convinced that Riley had been the one for him before she had ripped his heart out. Jasper rolled his eyes. Riley was the reason he had to run from the mafia up north in the first place.
“Mind if I sit down?” Isabelle asked him.
“What do you want, Isabelle?” Jasper asked, not attempting to even hide the irritation in his voice.
“You could at least try to tolerate me.” She rolled her eyes as she sat down next to him. “I don’t trust you. If I don’t trust you, I don’t have to try to do anything for you,” Jasper stated, poking the fire with his stick.
Be nice to Mate. Hear her out.
Jasper shook his head at the crazy bear in his middle. There was no way in hell that this untrustworthy bitch was his mate. He looked over at Isabelle, who was staring at the fire long and hard, as though she was trying to piece together a math equation.
He sighed, “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m trying to figure out how I can prove to everyone that I’m trustworthy. I really did come up here to help. I want to keep McKinzy and the rest of you safe,” Isabelle said.
“Could start with the truth,” Jasper suggested.
“I have been telling the truth,” Isabelle replied defensively.
Jasper shook his head, “Telling partial truths is still lying, Isabelle. If you want people to trust you, you have to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Isabelle nodded, “I guess I worked in undercover work so long, I forgot what it was like to have real people that you care about.”
Jasper’s ears perked up as something in Isabelle’s pocket lit up and started ringing, “What is that?”
Isabelle looked at her pocket in shock, “My cell phone, but I don’t know how I’m getting a call right now. I don’t even have service.”
“I think you should answer it,” Jasper suggested as Isabelle pressed the answer button on the screen.
“Isabelle,” she said.
Jasper watched as her face melted from confusion to shock. Her face looked as though she had seen a ghost when she hung up the phone.
“Well? Who was it?” Jasper leaned forward on his seat to meet her eyes with his. “We need to get the crew up. All of them. Now,” Isabelle said urgently as she stood. “Why? Isabelle! What’s going on?” Jasper asked as she turned to walk towards McKinzy’s cabin.
Isabelle turned around and faced Jasper, “Because that was Michaelson on the phone. I don’t even know how he got my number. All he said was that he escaped, and that he was coming home.”
The End
About the Author
Jules Tyler is a woman with many passions: shifters, romance, chaos, and family. She feels that when you throw these things together it is the perfect recipe for a delicious story. Strong men mixed with even stronger women are her calling. She lives in a small town outside of Boise, Idaho, where she devotes her time to her grizzly bear of a husband, her daughter, and her two huskies. She loves the great outdoors and looking for adventures around every corner.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
About the Author
