Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1)

by Theresa Hissong

  “I have to go,” he said, pressing his lips to hers once more. “I’ll have one of the Guardians repair your door.”

  The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but it was for the best. Releasing her hair, he turned, leaving the woman who held his heart in the palm of her hands.

  Talon walked with purpose to the side of the house, his emotions were like a blinking billboard across his features. Savage approached from the safety of the woods already fully clothed.

  “I need you to fix her front door,” Talon ordered, the rumbling growl coming from his chest left no room for questions from his Guardian.

  “Yes, sir,” Savage replied.

  Talon fought to keep from looking back at her house as he rushed to his vehicle. It was time that he took care of his pride, just as he’d promised the day he’d taken the oath. His power surged inside the cab of his truck, sending his panther forward. They both knew that the pride was his main responsibility, no matter how much his heart yearned for the human female to be at his side.

  He pulled onto his property, jumping out of the vehicle. Several of his pride were milling about, but none of them said anything as he shed his clothes, tossing them in the back of his truck. It only took a moment for him to shift.

  His claws dug into the dirt as he raced toward where his men were searching, gathering scents of whoever had dared to come on his property. Three of his Guardians were hanging close behind his youngest brother, watching him as he moved about the area. His nose was to the ground as he searched.

  Talon snarled, gaining their attention. Dane huffed once and shook his head, telling the alpha they’d found nothing. They’d searched the road that ran alongside the property and were now off in the thickest part of the wooded area, hoping to find a trace of the girl or the men who’d taken her.

  A faint scent of an unknown panther tickled Talon’s nose. A warning growl rumbled from deep in his chest as he memorized the scent. This was definitely not from one of his pride. As he moved around the area, he was confused because the scent was only in one spot. There was no trail. If a panther had moved around, brushing up against a tree trunk, a sapling, hell even a leaf, their scent would remain. This scent was just there on the ground.

  Dane stepped forward, pushing his nose against the area. Talon had started to wonder if he’d been so wrapped up in the disappearance of Evie and his need for Liberty, that he’d possibly mistaken the scent, but from his Guardian’s deep growl, he knew that it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. This scent was real and it belonged to someone who wasn’t one of theirs.

  Chapter Nine

  A couple of days was all it took for Talon to find his way back to Liberty’s home. She’d been in his every thought while he had been out searching for Evie. They were still no closer to finding the female than they had been when she went missing.

  Talon had sent every male available out to look for her. He couldn’t understand why Evie wasn’t reaching out to him. His only answer was that she was either sedated…or dead. He wouldn’t think that she was not with them anymore. He couldn’t handle losing one of his own. There would be no way his brother would be able to survive the loss of a potential mate.

  Talon was a little disappointed when he pulled into the driveway and her car was absent from the yard. He slid out of his truck and started for the woods surrounding her home. Savage stepped out from behind a shrub, already shifted from his animal form.

  “Hey, boss,” he greeted.

  “Any trouble?” Talon asked, his keen eyes searching the property.

  “None,” Savage answered.

  Lights painted the yard, the low beams from a car washed across the two men. Liberty’s car stopped next to Talon’s truck. His panther pushed forward, its interest piqued by the woman who was just out of reach.

  Talon gave his Guardian a hard stare before walking away. By the time he rounded the front of his truck, she was climbing out of her vehicle. His boots crunched on the gravel drive as he approached her, his arms automatically going around her waist. His lips crashed down on hers with an intensity that proved how much he needed her…wanted her.

  “Your eyes are glowing,” Liberty said, breathless.

  “My panther,” he admitted, trying to push back the beast inside his mind.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, taking a step backwards. Talon frowned when their connection was lost.

  “I had to see you,” he replied. “Can we go inside?” Talon had known he needed to find the people who took Evie, but his heart was torn. Torn between his mate and his pride. His father had trained him to care for the pride, but his mother had always come first in his father’s eyes. She was his heart and soul, and without his mother, Talon’s father would have been nothing but a shell of a man.

  “Come on,” she said, tucking her chin and heading toward the door.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, Talon pulled her into his arms, ignoring her protest. He needed her scent, her warmth. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “About Evie?” she asked, her concern evident in her voice.

  “About everything,” he admitted, nuzzling her neck. “I need you. I want you, Liberty, but I have responsibilities to my people.”

  “I understand,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his neck. She lingered there, inhaling his mating scent. His panther lurched forward in his mind, demanding he claim her…make Liberty his. Mate! Panther! Mine!

  “I can only give you tonight, Liberty.” He tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling slightly so that she would look into his eyes. What he saw there was fire and need. Her arousal was a sweet aroma in the air. His cock hardened and he shamelessly rubbed it against her stomach.

  In a move that shocked him, Liberty reached for the hem of his shirt, jerking it upwards. His arms lifted automatically and the material was tossed somewhere behind her. The moment she reached for her own shirt, he grasped her hands, stopping her from undressing.

  “Not here,” he ordered, reaching around and cupping her ass. He hauled her up against his chest, wrapping her legs around his waist. She moaned when he rotated his hips, pressing his heavy erection against her mound. “Where’s your room?” He asked as he took the steps two at a time.

  “On the right,” she mumbled, nibbling at his neck. The moment she bit his earlobe, Talon had to suppress another roar.

  It took him only five steps to reach her door, kicking it closed with his boot. Her thin shirt shredded when he released his claws from the tips of his fingers. Her hands grasped at his jeans, snatching at the buttons. Thankfully, each one released with ease.

  “What?” she breathed when he stopped undressing her, a soft pink dusting the top of her cheeks.

  Talon didn’t speak, he just raised the corner of his mouth in a predatory smirk. He’d retracted all of his panther’s claws except one. With that one, he slid it between her breasts and caught the material of her bra, slicing it in half with no resistance. Liberty gasped, but it quickly turned into a moan when he leaned down and captured one rosy nipple between his teeth, circling it skillfully with his tongue.

  “Talon,” she whimpered, reaching for his jeans. “Please?”

  “Is this your first time?” he asked, his voice completely alpha. He knew she felt his powers surge, but she didn’t back down.

  “No,” she replied shyly, casting her eyes to the side.

  “Never look away from me in shame, Liberty,” he ordered, reeling in his power so as not to scare her. “Were you hurt?”

  “No,” she admitted, shaking her head slightly. He felt her soft hair brush against his arm that was still wrapped possessively around her back. “It just wasn’t very pleasant the last time.”

  “I won’t hurt you,” Talon promised, slowing down his need to take her like an animal. There would be enough time for that later. He had to concentrate to keep from rutting into her as if she were a panther. Having a go at her wasn’t the best way to do this. She’d obviously had a bad experience
in the past. The thought of another man touching what was his made Talon want to find the fucker and tear him to shreds, but he knew that she’d had a life before him. He couldn’t fault her for that.

  “I know,” she smirked, freezing him for just a moment.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever told you how beautiful you are,” he admitted, raking his eyes down her luscious body. Her nipples were hard and had darkened from his attention. The muscles in her abdomen quivered slightly under his watchful gaze as he used his thumbs to trace her cute belly button.

  With a sly grin, he unzipped her jeans, sliding his hand around the back. He used his other hand that had been around her waist to help divest Liberty of the tight denim. As he knelt at her feet, his nostrils flared from scenting her arousal.

  And just like the predator he was, Talon buried his face against her white lace panties with a growl. Her knees started to buckle, but he pushed her back against the edge of the mattress, following her down onto the plush bedding. Hooking his fingers in the last scrap of material left as a barrier, he yanked her panties down, exposing her sex to his view. Granted, it was dark in the room to human eyes, but his enhanced sight showed him everything he needed, and wanted, to see. She was stunning.

  “Talon, please?” she begged, reaching for his jeans. He quickly stood, undressing as he watched her writhe on the bed.

  “Open for me,” he demanded, dropping to his knees. She hesitantly dropped her legs to the side, her feet planted on the edge of the bed.

  Liberty let out a curse when he buried his face in her sex again. The first pass of his tongue was heaven, her taste equivalent to the finest honey. Talon purred as he nibbled, licked…worshiped her body. At one point, he had to throw his arm across her stomach to hold her still.

  “Talon,” she panted, repeating his name as if it were a prayer. “Talon.”

  His cock jumped, straining for the woman that he knew now more than ever was to be his mate…to love, cherish, and protect above all else. His knee hit the bed as his arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her higher up on the soft blanket. Her nails scored his back as his lips captured hers in a heated dance. He relished in her scratches. A little part of his mind rejoiced in knowing that she’d make an excellent panther.

  “Wrap your legs around me, baby,” he whispered, looking into her beautiful brown eyes, memorizing every feature of her face. She looked content and very trusting of him as she complied. His hand clasped onto the outside of her left hip, lifting it slightly before thrusting into her warmth.

  “Oh, God,” Liberty moaned, her hips undulating beneath him.

  “Liberty,” he purred, feeling his canines erupt from his gums. Fuck! I can’t mark her now. I’m not ready. She’s not ready.

  When she lifted her head to kiss him, Talon pulled back, instantly feeling her still beneath him.

  “What did I do?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he mumbled.

  “I did something…oh,” she stopped. Talon felt tiny fingers at his jaw, but didn’t move away. Her touch settled him…settled his panther. He felt his cat relax as her fingers traveled to his lips, one finger pushing inside to touch his canine.

  “Careful,” he warned, pulling back slightly. “They’re sharp.”

  “They’re beautiful,” she responded, raising her face again to kiss him. Talon at no time stopped thrusting inside her, the act slow.

  “My panther wants to claim you.” He paused, running his hand from her hip up to cup her face. “I can’t do that now.”

  “You want to…bite me?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “More than you could ever know,” he admitted, kissing her bottom lip. “But if I do, it would connect us.”

  “We’ll be mates?” she asked, her voice a little unsure.

  “It will mark you as mine,” he said, kissing the spot on her neck he’d dreamed about sinking his canines into for the past few nights. “When we mate…there will be a blood exchange.”

  “Oh!” She smiled. “So, if you bite me, then I’m marked to be your mate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Make love to me, Talon,” she urged, shifting her hips. She didn’t agree to be marked, nor did she agree to be his mate. The one thing he intentionally left out was how the blood exchange actually worked. She would have to become just like him.

  Liberty raised her hips to match him thrust for thrust. This was all he could give her and she didn’t want it to end. He’d thrown her head into such a tailspin, she didn’t know what was happening. All she knew was that she wanted him.

  Talon was holding back and she knew it. He wanted to bite her, and she was okay with the fact that he didn’t ask her to become his mate. She wanted to fall in love with him. Was that a stupid thing to wish for?

  “How will you bite me? Mark me?” she asked, her voice not her own. It was deep, husky from their slow love making.

  One moment, she was on her back, Talon on top. The next, he’d flipped her over, pulling her knees up so that her ass was on display for him. One large hand pressed between her shoulder blades, causing her arms to buckle. She started to protest when her face smashed into the blanket, but she was able to turn her cheek so she could breathe normally. “Talon?”

  His large body covered hers, his cock sliding back into her sex. He was long, thick, and fit her perfectly. There was minor discomfort at first, but when he started to move, all she felt was pleasure.

  “My kind mates as our panthers mate,” he growled, his voice muffled, possibly from his canines making a reappearance. She felt a rush of wetness at the thought. Talon inhaled deep and she blushed into the darkness at knowing he had a heightened sense of smell. “When we are ready. I will take you like this.”

  “Mmmm,” she mumbled, unable to speak when his thrusts became faster.

  “When you agree to let me mark you as my intended mate,” he growled sinfully, wrapping his hand into her hair and pulling her so that she was forced upright. Liberty’s back met his warm chest and his free hand wrapped under her breasts. “I will sink my teeth into your neck, leaving a scar of my bite.” He demonstrated by nipping at the spot above where her shoulder met her neck. Bumps raised on her arms and her body quickened; her orgasm was on the brink.

  “I need…Talon, please,” she panted, rocking her hips back against him.

  “I know, love,” he purred. Releasing her hair, his hand slid down between her legs. His finger found her swollen nub, rubbing it in time with his thrusts. “Let go, Liberty. You are mine. Give it to me.”

  That scent that came from him, the mating scent, wrapped around her senses, calming Liberty. Her climax hit, and all she could do was cry out his name. The strength of the orgasm paralyzed her to the spot, allowing Talon to take the reins. He called out her name, just as she’d done his, a second before she felt him pulse inside her. And that was the last thing she remembered.

  “Liberty,” he chuckled a short time later. She’d checked out for a few minutes and found herself laying in the bed, her head on a pillow. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” she answered and smiled shyly. God, she’d been so close to asking him to claim her…to mark her with his teeth. She shivered from that idea alone. How would it feel when he bit her? Would it hurt? Would it feel good?

  “Let me clean you up,” he said, rolling to the side. She watched as he entered her bathroom. He was still naked, and Liberty’s eyebrows rose when she got a good look at his ass. Damn! Mmmhmm, now that’s nice…very, very nice.

  “Let me,” he said, bringing her back. He knelt on the bed, a washcloth in his hand.

  “I can do it,” she blushed, reaching for his hand.

  “No,” he scolded, moving the cloth out of her reach. “It is my job to provide for you in all ways.”

  “We didn’t use protection,” she panicked before allowing him to clean his seed from between her legs.

  “You won’t get pregnant, and we are immune to human diseases,” he offered.

  “You can’t impregnate hu
mans?” she asked, trying to keep the disappointment and sadness out of her voice. What the hell is wrong with me?

  “Not unless we are mates,” he replied, looking at the clock. “It’s late and your sister will be home soon.”

  “So, that’s it?” she snapped at him, gritting her teeth. “You’re just going to leave?” Wasn’t that just like all men? Get what they wanted and head for the door!

  “I have to go,” he replied, grabbing for his jeans.

  She rolled over, giving him her back. She should’ve known better. Just like the last guy she’d been with. Fuck her and take off at the first chance. All of that mating talk was probably bullshit just to get a piece of ass. No! She wasn’t going to let him do that…not without speaking her mind. She was a different woman than she had been two years ago with what’s his name.

  “You know what?” she shouted, jumping out of the bed. Liberty had her fists clenched tightly at her sides as she rounded the end of the bed, her naked body on display. Any other time, she’d have probably grabbed for something to cover herself. She wasn’t stick thin like men seemed to like, but she was strong and had a temper to boot. “I’m not a conquest.”

  “I never said you were,” he backpedaled, looking confused and a bit angry. Men! Animal or human…they are all the same!

  Her thoughts had been a whirlwind of back and forth over him the last few days. She wanted him with a passion she didn’t even know she possessed. Even with all of the talk of mating and panthers, she was still human. She wanted him to love her for her, and not because of some hormone that ruled his kind. Was she being selfish? Maybe. Was she crazy for letting him fuck her? Most definitely. Did she want to shake some sense into him? You had better believe it!

  “Was I that horrible that you have to bolt as soon as you got what you came here for?” she snarled, pointing at his bare chest. She flinched when he took a step forward, her finger pressed against his abs.

  “You were amazing,” he professed. “Don’t say that about what we did.”