Ever After

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  His demon wanted this wolf.

  Badly.

  “Okay, fine, but I want to know later.”

  He nodded, knowing he’d have to get her to talk about why she’d wanted him to stand back and let Colin growl without getting his face kicked in.

  They stood to the side of the den circle, the trees swaying behind them in the breeze. There was going to be a dominance battle within the circle a bit later and Fawkes wanted to watch as he’d never seen one before. He had a feeling Leslie would want to leave, but she wouldn’t be able to.

  All wolves would have to be present—especially since she lived with the Beta.

  It would be bad form to miss it and show weakness if she were too scared to show up.

  He’d stand by her side though. No matter what.

  “Tell me more about you,” she whispered.

  There were others around them, but they were off to the side enough that they had a semblance of privacy.

  They’d already talked about growing up without mothers and her case, without a father. Dorian had raised her—something she hadn’t wanted to get into. He’d already gone into detail on how he’d met Hunter and Ambrose and how Balin had trained him had a young age.

  “Well, I’m the youngest son in my family,” he began.

  “Do you have any sisters?” she asked as she played with his fingers. Her hands were so small compared to his.

  Not weak, but fragile none the less. If he’d been a wolf, he’d probably already have gone to his animal side and marked her. Because he was a demon, he wouldn’t do that, but the idea of her bearing his mark held a certain appeal. That way everyone would know she was his and when she marked him, the same would be true of he being hers.

  “No, I don’t have any sisters,” Fawkes answered as he trailed his fingers up her arm, loving the way her body shuddered.

  “That’s odd considering how old Lucifer is,” Leslie commented. She ran her other hand up his stomach, seemingly unaware they were in public and all he wanted to do was bend her over and mount her.

  Well, he’d make it less crude, but still.

  “Either my dad is really, really good at making boys, or any demons who have his baby girls hide them,” Fawkes answered. “I don’t think Lucifer would want to acknowledge girls anyway. He’s a misogynist ass that way. So, yeah, I guess I could have some sisters out there, but none that call me brother. Technically, I don’t really know what it feels like to have siblings. I wasn’t raised with the rest of them.”

  Leslie furrowed her brow and he leaned down to kiss it. She sighed against him then pulled back to look into his eyes.

  “I kind of wish I hadn’t been raised with my sibling.”

  He nodded, waiting for her to continue. They’d said they’d take this whole true half thing slow so they could get to know one another. This was one thing he’d been waiting for.

  “He ruined everything, Fawkes. He might have beaten me, but the physical things don’t matter as much as everything else.” She looked over her shoulder and he squeezed her side before moving her toward the trees. Here at least people wouldn’t be likely to overhear.

  Though he wanted to comment on the beating part of her statement, he stayed quiet, knowing she needed to talk.

  “I’m afraid, Fawkes. I hate being afraid. What kind of wolf does that make me? I’m afraid of others fighting. I’m afraid of wanting to fight myself. I’m supposed to want to fight for my Pack, even as a submissive, but I can’t.”

  He swallowed hard and slid his hand through her hair. She leaned into his touch and his demon calmed.

  “I don’t know, Leslie. I don’t know how to fix this. All I can do is promise that I’ll be by your side. I know Hunter and Becca feel the same way, well not the same way as me, but they think of you as family. Liam and Alec too.”

  “I don’t think I can be fixed, Fawkes.”

  Not knowing what to do, he leaned down and kissed her.

  Hard.

  She sucked in a breath then sank into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up so her feet dangled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he deepened the kiss.

  When he pulled back they were both out of breath but she smiled. “Okay, that might help.”

  He snorted, but let her down to the ground. “Come on, the dominance battle is starting.”

  She nodded, but he saw the tension that had left her when he kissed her slide right back into her body.

  Damn.

  As they walked toward the circle again Fawkes held back a curse. Colin stood in the center, shirtless and wearing a sneer.

  “Who is it you wish to fight?” Hunter asked, anger laced within his tone.

  “As my right as a dominant wolf, I claim a battle with the newest member of our Pack, Fawkes.”

  Fawkes stiffened and Leslie gasped.

  What the fuck?

  Murmurs and shouts echoed around the circle while the Alpha raised his hand to quiet them all. They immediately shut up.

  “Fawkes is but a guest, not Pack,” Hunter stated.

  His words didn’t hurt Fawkes. It was true. To others because called out as non-Pack might have hurt, but Fawkes wasn’t a wolf.

  “He’s staying at the home of the Beta and putting his hands on a woman that I desire to claim as my own. That gives me the right.” Colin folded his arms over his chest and smirked again.

  Fawkes risked a glance at Hunter. The Beta looked ready to tear Colin limb from limb—something Fawkes would gladly help with.

  This fight for dominance was a joke. He’d learned enough about the Pack during his small time there that Colin couldn’t outright ask for a battle like this, but he could provoke an outsider in fighting.

  If the outsider lost, then he’d be banned from the den.

  Banned from Leslie.

  That result was enough that he wouldn’t have thought twice about fighting. He’d stand back and let Colin make an ass out of himself so he couldn’t leave her. However, he knew that if he said no now, it would only be a matter of time before Colin tried again, albeit another approach.

  Colin wanted Leslie because of her blood, not because of who she was. Fawkes wanted Leslie because of their fate and who she was. He loved the way she smiled, the way she helped people when they weren’t looking, the way she slid to his side without even knowing it.

  He’d fight Colin to the ends of the depths of hell for her.

  Fighting though would drive Leslie away.

  Did he really have a choice?

  “I’ll fight,” Fawkes growled.

  Leslie sucked in a breath and he looked down at the betrayal in her eyes. Damn it. She’d have to get used to him fighting. He might not be down in hell, but he was still a warrior demon. He was stronger than Colin, but he had a feeling the other wolf didn’t know that.

  Good.

  Risking her wrath, he pulled Leslie into his arms and kissed her hard.

  “I’ll win this. I promise. I know you hate fighting, but I’ll win this and it’ll be over.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Will it, Fawkes? Will it be over?”

  He walked into to circle, taking off his shirt as he did so. He wanted the freedom of movement. He let his horns grow from his head, the sight startling people be he didn’t care.

  He glanced at Hunter who gave him a small nod. “Colin, you’ve chosen to fight a demon. He can’t shift into wolf, so neither shall you.”

  Colin glared. “They why did he shift to his demon form?”

  Because he was tired of hiding, but Fawkes didn’t say that.

  “Fawkes, does your demon form give you advantage?” Hunter asked. “Remember, I can smell a lie.”

  Fawkes wasn’t sure Hunter could actually do that, but he’d let the wolf make the others think so. Anything to keep the Pack safe.

  “No. My horns do nothing but remind me who I am.”

  With that Colin attacked.

  Fawkes countered the punch and clawed back.

&
nbsp; Colin screamed as Fawkes slid his claws into the wolf’s side. “Yield.”

  Colin narrowed his eyes but shook his head.

  Fawkes growled. “You’ll never have her. She’s mine. More importantly, she’s her own. She gets the choice. She gets the decision. You get nothing. Don’t make me kill you. I will, but I don’t want to watch her deal with the bloodshed. You’re nothing, Colin. Just a wolf who wanted something he couldn’t have so decided to make it painful for all others. Yield.”

  Colin lowered his gaze and Fawkes slid his claws out of the other man.

  Ben and the other wolves ran to Colin’s side, defeat heavy on their scent.

  “This battle is over,” Hunter declared. “Fawkes is now Pack.”

  Fawkes blinked. He hadn’t known defeating the wolf would lead to this. He risked a glance at Leslie who had tears running down her cheeks but she didn’t run away from the blood on his hands.

  He lowered his head to his Alpha and Beta then walked to Leslie’s side.

  “Forgive me,” he rasped.

  She looked into his eyes and nodded. “I forgive you for what you had to do. I know you had no choice, but I don’t know if I can deal with the violence, Fawkes. Help me.”

  He wanted to hold her, pull her closer and never let her go, but he didn’t want to get blood on her. She seemed to understand his dilemma and gripped his hands.

  “What’s wrong with me, Fawkes?”

  He leaned down and captured her lips. “Nothing is wrong, baby. Nothing.”

  “Then why don’t I like violence?”

  “Because you’d rather deal with others with words, rather than fists. Can you deal with what I am? I’m a warrior, Leslie. I can’t help it.”

  She nodded. “For you? Yes. I’ll deal. You’ll have to help me. I hate who I’ve become.”

  He kissed her again then pulled back. “I love who you are, Leslie. You have a good heart. Just because you’re a wolf, doesn’t mean you have to love bloodshed. Remember that. You never have to fight. I’ll be the one to fight for you. You just have to be by my side to make sure I’m okay.”

  She smiled then widened her eyes as she pushed him out of the way. Surprised she’d done that, he let her move him then turned as she growled, her claws out.

  She shifted to a wolf in a flash of light, the beauty of it leaving him breathless. Colin had also changed to a wolf, trying to pounce on them. As a submissive, Leslie shouldn’t have been able to fight back, but then again, someone had threatened her mate.

  The two wolves hit hard, a whimper escaping from Leslie. She was at least half the size as Colin and weaker. It didn’t matter how skilled she might have been, it would be a losing battle.

  She tried to bite Colin but he pinned her to the ground. Fawkes screamed then wrapped his claws around Colin’s neck and squeezed. The other wolf let out a strangled gasp then went limp.

  He’d broken the bastard’s neck in one move.

  He threw the wolf to the side then pulled Leslie—still in wolf form—in his arms. She shifted back to her human from and he found his arms full of a very naked Leslie.

  “Baby, are you okay?” He ran his hands down her body, checking for injury. She kissed his jaw and settled into his arms. He was aware of others surrounding them, outrage and disbelief in their voices, but he ignored them.

  “I’m fine. I didn’t want him to hurt you.”

  “Goddess, you scared me.” He kissed her hard then pulled her into his arms as tight as he could, trying to shield her nudity from the others.

  “I fought him, Fawkes. I didn’t back down.”

  The pride in her voice made him want to weep. “Yes, baby. You did amazing but never do that again. You about killed me.”

  She smiled up at him and he lost his breath. “I promise to let you fight on your own from now on. Maybe.”

  He rolled his eyes. “We’re going to talk about this later,” he whispered and she nodded against him.

  She was stronger than she thought she’d been, but he knew they had more to work on.

  Chapter Six

  Leslie sat in Hunter’s guest house and watched Fawkes stalk toward her, clean and fresh from the shower. His hair touched his shoulders, way too sexy for his own good.

  Since she’d first met him, she’d known that he was damn attractive and way too perfect for her wolf.

  It had taken awhile for her to realize he was perfect for the human part of her too.

  “We need to talk about what happened, Les,” he whispered as he rocked from one foot to another. He looked as uncomfortable as she’d felt before she realized that she’d only been kidding herself.

  For far too long.

  Gods, she hurt him. She’d forced him to change who he was—even for a little bit—because she was so afraid.

  “I’m sorry.”

  His chin rose so fast she was afraid he’d have neck damage. “What? What do you have to be sorry for?”

  “I held back because I was afraid.”

  He sat next to her on the couch and pulled her in his arms, his scent wrapping around her like a worn blanket.

  “You had reasons to hold back, baby.”

  “Did I?” She shook her head. “No, I was an idiot. I held back not because I wanted to get to know you, well, okay, I did want to know you better before we bonded, but that wasn’t the whole reason. I knew you were a warrior from what Hunter had told me about you and just by looking at you that first night.”

  Fawkes nodded. “And that scared you.”

  “Yes. I hate that it did. I pushed you away, or at least I stayed away from you at first because I hadn’t been sure I could take it. I wasn’t afraid you’d hurt me, not really.”

  He kissed her temple, a shudder running through his body. “I’d never hurt you, Les.”

  “I know. I know. It was more of what would happen if I let my wolf out.”

  She wanted to kiss the frown right off his face. “What do you mean?”

  “Dorian and I share the same blood, Fawkes.” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “No, let me finish my crazy thoughts. I thought that if I gave into the violence that’s inherent into the Pack, I’d become him. I know it makes no sense, but I didn’t want to be that wolf.”

  Fawkes cupped her face, his eyes so full of sympathy and…love that she just wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go.

  Soon.

  “You could never become that, Leslie. You fought today to protect someone you care about. You stood by and watched me kill a man today to protect you. Don’t you see? You’re stronger than you thought.”

  She smiled at him then kissed his jaw, loving the way the bristles on his chin felt against her lips. “I know that now. I’m a wolf. I need to get over my fears and I will. At least I will with your help.”

  Fawkes nodded. “I will. You know I will. Leslie, you mean everything to me. I came out of hell not knowing what I would do, what choice I would make, but there really wasn’t a choice for me. I don’t want to live my life without the other half of my soul. I want to be with you until the end of the earth. I want to grow with you, watch you grow round with our children, and watch you become the wolf you’ve always wanted to be.”

  Love and warmth filled her chest and she threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Fawkes.”

  He kissed the side of her neck, sending delicious shivers down her body. “I love you too, my Leslie. Gods, I love you so much.”

  “I want to bond, Fawkes. I don’t want to wait.”

  He pulled back and cupped her face. “Are you sure? Right now? I want to make sure when we bond that you know it’s because I want you and you want me, not so you can save me from my demonic self.”

  She shook her head, then kissed the center of his palm. “I want you to not have to worry about that, yes, but I want to feel you in here.” She placed her own palm over her heart. “I want that bond more than anything, Fawkes.”

  He smiled, his face growing even more handsome
than when he brooded. “Anything, love. Anything.”

  He cupped her face then lowered his lips. Gods, he tasted amazing, like hell’s heat just cooled down for her mixed with mint. She breathed into him, letting him take control. He ran his hands through her hair, tugging slightly, sending an unknown thrill down her spine.

  He pulled back, his black eyes dancing with red flecks. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

  She licked her lips, loving the way his gaze followed the wet trail. “I like anything you do.”

  He grinned, this time not in humor, but in a feral need that almost made her come on the spot. “Good.”

  Whereas before his kisses were soft, tentative, these new ones where hard, demanding.

  She loved it.

  His lips nibbled along her jaw. He tugged her hair to the side, forcing her to arch her neck so he could lick and bite. She pussy clenched at that feeling of his teeth scraping along the juncture where her neck met her shoulder and she wiggled in his hold, needing to find release.

  He bit down harder but didn’t break the skin.

  “I’ll mark you tonight, baby, but not until we’re both panting with so much need we’ll combust.”

  Was it wrong she was about to combust right there?

  He slowly slid his hands down her sides then up her shirt. The heat of his skin shocking against hers.

  Though he’d let his demon side and horns show during the fight, he’d hid them again in the shower. For some reason she missed them.

  “Didn’t I hear something about demon horns being…sensitive?” she asked then bit her lip.

  Fawkes sucked in a breath and nodded. “Next time. If you touch my horns I’ll blow right now and then we’ll miss out on me sinking into that pussy of yours.”

  Okay, so apparently she was able to almost come by just his words.

  Good to know.

  He slowly slid up her shirt, leaving her in her bra and jeans. His eyes darkened, though the red specks seemed to glow.

  “Gods, you’re beautiful.”

  “Hurry, Fawkes. I’m burning up.” She blushed at the admission and her demon licked her shoulders then cupped her breasts through her bra. Her nipples tightened to sharp points against his palms and she rocked against him.