Unstoppable

by R. L. Mathewson

  Absently returning his nod, Ashley watched as Jacob stood there watching her for another minute before he turned around and walked away, leaving her wondering what that was all about when the first tremor hit.

  “Gotcha, you little bastard,” Kale said, sighing with satisfaction as he watched the rest of the surveillance feed as the little bastard that he’d been hunting for months made his way through the five-star hotel lobby towards the bank of gold-plated elevators.

  He knew that it would only be a matter of time before the little prick got sick of roughing it in the woods and went back to his old ways. Kale checked the time stamp on the surveillance video, noting that the video clip was only a few hours old before he sent a quick text message to his contact to make sure that Vane hadn’t left already. A minute later, he had his answer and was one step closer to finally putting an end to this bullshit.

  It looked like he was heading back to New York, which meant that he needed to move his ass before Vane decided to move his son again. He was done playing this fucking game. He was going to end this thing once and for all, collect the bounty on the little bastard, and get the bounty off his fucking head so that he could finally walk away and spend the rest of his life focusing on the only thing that mattered to him.

  Keeping his promise to Aine.

  Every night, long after the fire had burned through the twigs they were forced to use to stay warm because the English prick wouldn’t let them touch his trees for firewood, he’d held Aine in his arms and told her stories about home. He’d told her about how green the grass was, how sweet and plump the berries were, and how beautiful the sunsets had been, anything to get her mind off the hunger pangs that kept them up at night. Right before she finally closed her eyes, he’d promised her the world. He’d promised her that they would have a home of their own one day and more money than the English prick so that their home could never be taken away from them again.

  Then, as she lay dying in his arms, Kale had made that promise one more time. Only this time, he’d promised her that he would destroy the monster that killed her. After he’d escaped, he’d immediately set to work to keep his promise. He’d taken every job that he could get his hands on, working for food and a place to lay his head at night until he reached his immortality, and when he did…

  He broke his promise to Aine.

  It was the last thing that he wanted to do, but he couldn’t let Logan go off on his own. Logan had been too fucking kind and too fucking trusting for his own good. He’d saved his life, had been his best friend, and he’d fucked that up. He should have told Logan the truth about Elizabeth before that day, should have stopped his best friend from making the biggest mistake of his life, and he never should have turned his back on his promise that he made to his sister.

  He’d paid the price for that mistake, lost his best friend, barely survived the attack, but once it was over, he focused on those promises that he’d made to his sister. He did whatever it took to keep those promises. He’d taken every job that he could get his hands on, saved every coin that he’d earned, learned everything that he could to give himself an advantage, and focused on his goals, but it was never enough.

  God, it was never fucking enough.

  He took job after job after fucking job, never resting, always telling himself that it was almost enough, but it never was. He could have stopped a long time ago, but it was never enough. It was always just one more job and he’d be done, pushing himself past exhaustion, but it had never been fucking enough to bring Aine back and then…

  He fell in love with a Pyte.

  Now, he wanted something else and he wanted it with Ashley. After he finished this job, he was finally going to be able to walk away and do all those things that he’d promised his sister. He was going to settle down with his mate, buy her a large house and fill it with children and spend the rest of his life making her happy, but first, he had to put an end to this.

  He also needed to find out why Jacob was calling him, Kale thought as he answered his phone and-

  “You need to come home now,” came the greeting as Kale tossed his iPad on the passenger seat.

  “What’s going on?” Kale asked, starting the car and throwing it in drive, knowing that the shifter wouldn’t tell him that he needed to come home unless there was something wrong.

  “It’s Ashley,” Jacob said, making his stomach drop.

  “Is she okay?” Kale asked, tearing out of the parking lot that he’d pulled into so that he could check his email and headed back the way that he came.

  “She’s in heat.”

  “What?” Kale asked, frowning as he tried to make sense out of what he was saying.

  After she didn’t go into heat within the first few weeks, they’d assumed that her Pyte side had overridden that part of her shifter side, but now…

  “She’s in heat, Kale,” Jacob repeated hoarsely. “I can’t stay. I had to get out of there.”

  “Don’t fucking leave that house until I get there!” Kale bit out, panicking at the thought of his mate being left unprotected right now.

  “I can’t fucking stay, Kale!”

  “It’s almost the full moon, asshole. If you leave, she’s left unprotected,” Kale snapped, trying not to think about what would happen if another shifter came across her scent right now.

  This close to the full moon, it would draw shifters and keep them close by and when they finally shifted, they’d know that there was something different about her blood and they’d tear her apart. It didn’t fucking matter that she’d survive, he would never allow anyone to hurt her.

  “Then call the fucking Williams mansion and get help! I can’t stay! You have no idea how strong this is. I have never scented a female in heat like this. Her scent is so fucking sweet,” Jacob finished on a groan.

  Biting back a curse, Kale said, “I’m on my way now.”

  Chapter 51

  “Okay,” Ashley said, wrapping her trembling arms around herself as she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against her knees. “There’s definitely something wrong with me,” she finally admitted to herself.

  Slowly exhaling, she turned her head and found herself staring at her phone, tempted to call Kale and-

  No, she couldn’t do that, Ashley told herself as she slowly exhaled and turned her head so that her forehead was once again pressed against her knees as she struggled to hold it together. He had a job to do and she was going to be fine. More than fine, she told herself as she was forced to clasp her trembling hands together and slowly exhaled again.

  Kale would be back in a week and-

  She was never going to make it that long, Ashley thought, trying not to panic as another surge of need tore through her body, leaving her trembling harder. Her breaths came quicker as her mind once again found its way back to all those things that Kale did to her that she liked and all the things that she wanted him to do to her, leaving her struggling to stay in control.

  She was definitely in heat and this was definitely not what she’d expected, Ashley thought, wondering how she was supposed to survive this with her sanity intact. She’d tried distracting herself by staying busy, but nothing worked. If anything, it was making it a lot worse and she wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take.

  She just needed to stop thinking about it and she’d be fine.

  More than fine, Ashley told herself as she found herself looking at her phone again and-

  Grabbed it off the nightstand before she could talk herself out of it.

  “Kale?” she said when the phone stopped ringing.

  “What’s wrong, mo ghrá?” he asked, the soothing sounds of his soft brogue setting her body on fire.

  “I need you,” Ashley found herself admitting as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she tried to breathe through the next wave of hunger as it tore through her body.

  “I know, sweetheart. I’m on my way,” Kale said as she struggled to hold it together.

  “Hurry, please,” A
shley said, licking her lips as she found herself thinking about just how good he would feel inside of her right now. She didn’t care if it was his tongue, his fingers, or his cock. She just needed him to make this stop.

  “I am.”

  “It hurts,” Ashley admitted on a whimper, really wishing that she could skip this part of being a shifter.

  “I know it does, baby.”

  Slowly exhaling, Ashley closed her eyes only to groan when he asked, “Did you try to find relief?”

  “Yes, but it only made it worse,” she found herself admitting, only to end up biting her lip when he groaned.

  “What did you do?” Kale asked, his brogue becoming thicker with every syllable.

  Feeling her cheeks burn, Ashley said, “I touched myself,” earning an incredibly sexy growl.

  “What did you think about?”

  “You,” Ashley admitted, earning another growl that had her nipples hardening.

  “Where are you right now, mo ghrá?”

  “In bed,” Ashley murmured absently as she debated another cold shower, but she already knew that it would be pointless.

  “I want you to take your clothes off and lie down for me,” Kale said, making her close her eyes on a groan.

  “That will only make it worse,” she told him as she tried not to think about what happened earlier when she’d tried to find relief. Her body had trembled violently.

  “It will be okay. I promise.”

  “But-”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “More than anything,” Ashley said, swallowing hard as she pulled her shirt off and after a slight hesitation, she pushed her panties off and lay down on the bed. When she was done, she closed her eyes and asked, “What now?”

  “Now, I want you to spread your legs for me,” Kale said as she found herself forcing her trembling legs apart only to moan when the move caused air to tease her skin.

  “Done,” Ashley said, licking her lips hungrily as she closed her eyes on a moan at his next words.

  “Slide your fingers between your legs and tell me how wet you are.”

  “I’m very wet,” Ashley said, already knowing just how wet she was before she slid her hand between her legs and moaned when her fingertips found her slit.

  “We’re going to make you wetter,” Kale said, making her groan. “Are you ready?”

  “No,” she said, making him chuckle.

  “Do you want me to tell you what I want to do to your pretty little pussy?” he asked, earning a moan and a whispered, “Yes.”

  “I want to lick your pussy so badly that my cock aches. I keep thinking about just how fucking sweet you taste, the feel of your little clit against the tip of my tongue, and the way that you moan my name when I slide my tongue inside you.”

  “Oh, God…” Ashley mumbled as she gently teased her clit, thinking about just how much she liked it when he took her with his mouth.

  “Do you like it when I lick you, Ashley?” came the growled question that had her spreading her legs farther apart as her fingers continued to tease her clit.

  “Yes.”

  “And my fingers?” he asked as her breaths came faster.

  “I want them inside me,” she said as the ache that had been tormenting her all day intensified, making her desperate to have something slide inside her.

  “What about my cock, sweetheart?” Kale asked, making Ashley lick her lips as she thought about the other need that had been plaguing her all day.

  “I want it in my mouth,” she said, earning a pained groan as the thought of taking him in her mouth had her rolling her hips, desperate to be fucked.

  “You’re killing me, mo ghrá,” he growled as she continued teasing herself, unable to stop thinking about taking his cock in her mouth, the way that the tip felt when it slid over her tongue, and the way that he moaned her name when she gently sucked on it. She-

  Moaned when she felt the first swipe of his tongue over her slit. Licking her lips, Ashley opened her eyes to find Kale settling between her legs as he dropped his phone on the bed, his mouth taking over as his silver eyes found hers. She dropped her phone and ran her fingers through his hair, uncaring how he got here so fast and just thankful that he was here, needing him to keep going as her eyes closed on a moan when she felt his tongue move over her clit.

  It felt so good, Ashley thought, licking her lips as he ran his tongue over her, pausing only to flick the tip over her clit before taking it between his lips and gently suckling, knowing exactly what she liked, but she needed more. Moaning, she opened her eyes and sat up, forcing him to do the same and as soon as he did, she was reaching for his belt.

  She barely managed to get his fly open when she was pushing him onto his back and climbing onto his lap only to find herself on her back and Kale pushing inside her. God, that felt so good, Ashley thought as she felt the thick tip slide inside her.

  “This will make it feel better,” Kale promised as his mouth found hers.

  “And if it doesn’t?” Ashley somehow managed to ask on a moan.

  “Then we’ll keep trying.”

  Chapter 52

  “You feel so fucking good,” Kale groaned as he pressed a kiss against the side of Ashley’s neck as he continued rolling his hips, taking his time as he savored the feel of her tight sheath wrapped around him.

  Last night…

  God, last night had been beyond fucking amazing. They hadn’t been able to get enough of each other. They’d barely finished screaming in pleasure before they were going at it again. Kale had taken her over and over again, unable to fuck her hard or fast enough, needing her so fucking badly that he thought he’d die if he didn’t touch her again, all while he’d struggled against the urge to mark her.

  He needed to mark her before he lost his fucking mind. She was his, but there was so much more to it. He wanted her to know just how much he loved her, needed her to know how much she meant to him, and with every passing second, it was becoming more and more difficult to remember all the reasons why this was a bad idea.

  So many things could go wrong. There was a very real possibility that her blood could kill him since they still didn’t know what they were dealing with yet. There was also a chance that a mating mark could put her in danger, alerting the wrong people that she belonged to him. If she didn’t mark him in return, he would be seen as weak and fucking pathetic, which would put a target on his back, but at the moment, none of that mattered.

  He loved her.

  Pressing one last kiss against her neck, Kale allowed his fangs to slide down as he turned his head and pressed the tips against her skin. Groaning, he made his thrusts shallow, rolling his hips so that he was slowly thrusting his cock inside her as he pushed his fangs through her skin and nearly fucking lost it when the first drops of her blood hit his tongue.

  So fucking sweet like strawberries and sugar, Kale thought, unable to help but moan when he felt her sheath tighten around him as the scent of her arousal intensified and her moans became louder. As she ran her hands over him, he waited for the pain that he knew should be coming. She was a Pyte and her blood should have been dangerous to him, but instead of pain, all he felt was an insane amount of pleasure tearing through his body.

  God, it felt so fucking good, Kale thought in a daze as pleasure was quickly followed by a surge of power like nothing that he’d ever felt before. It felt like every cell in his body had been electrified. So much fucking pleasure, Kale thought, releasing his bite as his breaths came faster and he couldn’t seem to move fast enough.

  He watched as Ashley’s eyes shifted between red and silver, her fangs slid down and her mouth opened on a moan as her back arched off the bed and-

  It wasn’t enough.

  Not nearly fucking enough, Kale thought as he slid his arm beneath her and pulled her closer as he continued moving, needing to fucking move as the energy continued surging through his body. It had been a long fucking time since the last time that he’d shifted, but he’d never forg
et the intense pleasure that came after a shift.

  His body would tremble with unspent energy, his cock would harden, needing release and the pleasure…

  God, the fucking pleasure.

  It was the reason why most shifters didn’t fight a shift because they knew just how fucking good it was going to feel afterward. But as amazing as that felt, it had nothing on this. As his mouth found hers, Kale wondered if her mating heat was responsible or if this was just a side effect of her blood. Whatever it was, it was addictive.

  His cock had never felt this good before or maybe, it was just her, Kale thought as he took her mouth, his tongue moving against hers as he took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together and felt himself spiraling out of control as pleasure tore up his spine and for the first time in his life, he let go.

  “You marked me,” Ashley said in a daze, unable to help but smile as Kale brushed his lips against hers, relieved that the worst of the mating heat was finally over.

  “Yes, I did,” he said, tightening his hold around her as he rolled over onto his back so that she was lying on top of him as he settled back against the pillows.

  “You also lost control,” Ashley pointed out as she turned her head and kissed his jaw.

  Chuckling, Kale said, “Yes, I did,” turning his head and kissed her as he reached up and cupped her face in his hand.

  He was always so in control, making sure that he did all the right things, and holding back when she could feel that he wanted something more. Last night he’d struggled to stay in control, but every time that she thought he would finally lose it, he’d managed to pull it back and today…

  That control snapped.

  He stopped holding back, stopped overthinking everything, and when he finally let go, she’d felt the difference immediately. His movements became less controlled, his kisses became hungrier, and she hadn’t been able to get enough of him. When she felt his fangs press against her skin, it had taken her a moment before she realized what he was about to do and when she did, it had taken everything in her not to cry.