Ever After

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Say it again,” he ordered.

  Instead of obeying, she bit his shoulder sharply.

  “Ow!” He slowed his thrusts then looked down at her and tsked. “You want to come? Be a good girl.”

  With a glare as frightening as a kitten’s, she flashed a set of fangs. She planned to mark him? The thought made him even harder, if that were possible. He slammed into her. If she was going to mark him, he was going to mark her, too.

  When she bit into the flesh on his shoulder, he nearly came. But he held back and bit her breast gently then sucked until he was sure there’d be a bruise. Then he did the same thing on the other breast. She’d wear his marks when they went to camp. Everyone would know she was taken.

  Fuck. He felt the pressure rising. He pumped faster. Eden met him at each thrust, her moans getting louder. The first wave of orgasm hit him, and he almost fell on top of her. She screamed, and he felt her clench around him, milking him. When they finished, he collapsed beside her, panting and sweating.

  After a few moments, she turned her head and looked him in the eye. “I like you, Dalton. It’s too bad you’re such a chicken when it comes to commitment.”

  ****

  The crease between his brows gave away his displeasure.

  Why had she said that? After some of the best sex of her life? She was a fucking idiot. Not to mention just last night she’d told herself this was only about sex. When had that changed? “Sorry,” she said regretfully. “It’s not my place to say.” Under her breath, she mumbled, “Even though it’s true.”

  He chuckled then pulled her into his chest. “You know, there is such a thing as being too honest.” After a sigh, he kissed the top of her head. “I guess I owe you an explanation. A few years ago, I was engaged to be married. Her name was Jara. A month from our wedding day, I came home from a mission that had kept me away for a few days, and there was a note on the table. It said she was in love with someone else. She’d been trying to make it work with me because her father was pushing her to. But she said it wouldn’t be fair to do that to me. So she was following her heart and moving to Ireland to be with the fae she was in love with.”

  “That’s awful!” No wonder he was afraid of another relationship. A lover scorned. Poor man. “Did you love her?”

  “I did.” He squeezed her tight. “I suppose I haven’t gotten over it yet.”

  She looked up at him. “How long has it been?”

  “Three years.”

  “Dalton!” She sighed. Three years he’d been running from love?

  He shrugged. “I’m busy with my job. A relationship doesn’t exactly work with my schedule.”

  “You know, for such a brave rebellion leader, you’re kind of a wuss.”

  “You couldn’t understand,” he murmured.

  She shot up from his arms and stared down at him. “Oh really?” She let frustration take over, which she rarely did, but he’d hit a nerve. “Do you know how many boyfriends I’ve had feelings for, maybe even loved, that couldn’t handle mating with a wolf long-term? All of them dumped me when things started to get serious. Seems like I’m a good fuck, but when it comes to building a life and a family, I’ll never be good enough.” Her voice cracked. Dalton was silent for a moment, and she gathered her emotions and bottled them up. “Anyway, do you see me hiding, shutting down, ignoring a good thing that’s right in front of my face, waiting for you to realize it?” Fuck. Since when had this become about them? “You’re afraid of getting hurt again. Well, if you didn’t notice, Dalton, life is pain. Life hurts, and then you die. But when you find those small moments of happiness, you grab onto them and you don’t let them go. I like you, Dalton. And I’m not afraid to admit it. Maybe one day, when you’re done being chicken shit, you’ll realize you like me, too. But it’ll be too late. That chance for something more will have slipped through your fingers.”

  His jaw dropped as she ended her tirade.

  Tears pricked at her eyes but she sucked them back. What the hell had she just done? Way to make things awkward, Eden.

  This was just supposed to be about sex, sating each other’s hunger and all that. Now she’d gone and fucked everything up. “We need to go,” she choked out then grabbed her clothes from the ground. “Nose says north. I’ll start packing.”

  Dalton stayed silent as she pulled on her clothes. When she turned around, he’d also gotten dressed. She folded her sleeping bag then shoved in into her pack.

  After they’d put their shoes on, they made eye contact for the first time since her rant.

  She floundered for something to say – the awkward silence was killing her – but he spoke first. “North?”

  “Yes.”

  “How far?”

  “I have no idea. I’m not a GPS.”

  He nodded sadly. “You hungry?”

  Without meaning to, her gaze dropped to his crotch. He’d abused her G-spot minutes ago. She was struck with the sensation of it again. How was she turned on so soon? Especially after getting so angry. Fuck he was hot.

  “For food, girl.”

  She lifted her head. Caught ogling. Just great. “I’m not hungry.” Liar.

  His cocky smirk was grating. “Sure.” With that, he slung his backpack on his shoulders and turned north.

  As she started behind him, she heard the sounds of a package crinkling, and then he tossed something over his shoulder. She caught it and looked in her hands. A granola bar. They both ate in silence as they trudged through the woods.

  It was a beautiful walk. Different from Wales. The smell of pine trees reminded her of Christmas. There was a smoky kind of tinge to the air. Through the trees, mountains loomed in a half circle around them. Small signs of life appeared now and then. A deer in the distance. Rabbits. A fox. She found herself grinning. It felt comfortable being there, almost familiar.

  She and Dalton engaged in small talk here and there but mostly walked in silence, pondering whatever came to mind. Though she’d ranted at him earlier and they hadn’t exactly cleared the air, he was still easy to be with. And he’d turned into a gentleman – always making sure she had enough to eat and drink.

  Just as dusk was settling in, the scent of wolf became so strong she almost choked on it. It smelled strange, but, at the same time, familiar. Anxiety formed a knot in her stomach, and she started to grind her teeth.

  “What’s the matter?” Dalton stopped and asked suddenly.

  “Hm? What do you mean?”

  “I can hear you grinding your teeth. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m just nervous is all.” She shrugged as though it was no big deal. In truth, she was scared shitless. What if she didn’t smell like them and they attacked before she could talk? What if she didn’t explain things right? What if they didn’t—?

  Dalton stepped in and grabbed her shaking hands. “What happened to being courageous?” The amusement in his eyes told her he was teasing. “There’s room for only one chicken in this partnership, and you already said many times that was me.”

  She let out a nervous chuckle and stared at the ground. “We might be trading places temporarily.”

  A hand came under her chin and lifted her head. With a look of stark sincerity, he told her, “You were born to do this.”

  Was she? How could he be so sure? Yet some part of her knew it was true. It felt right, uniting groups under a common cause. She’d always been good with her tongue. That made her giggle.

  Dalton’s eyes narrowed. “What was that thought?”

  She shook her head. When she tried to pull out of his grip, he held onto her chin.

  “Tell me.”

  A dirty mind just before the most important moment in their mission? What would the uber-heroic Dalton say about that? “A dirty joke,” she answered.

  He laughed. “Figures.” Almost like a reflex, he leaned down and pecked her on the lips. “I love that about you.”

  Love? The blood rushed from her face. Dalton seemed as shocked as she. He let her go and back
ed away then stared at the ground. Maybe he meant it in a platonic way. Yes, like she loved her father’s booming laugh and big hugs. It didn’t mean it was about romance.

  When he didn’t seem to know what to say, she rescued him. “You should shift now.”

  He nodded then shed his clothes and tucked them in his bag. She’d have to carry both until they were safe enough that he could shift back. But the camp was close – maybe half a mile away. She didn’t want to risk getting too close before they were fully prepared – well, as much as they could be.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, finally looking her in the eye.

  Nervous as hell. Nearly shaking from head to toe. Confused about her feelings for Dalton. Sure. She was ready. “Not like I have a choice.”

  He gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’ll be great. I know you can do this.”

  “Thanks.”

  After giving her a last longing look, he shifted. It was a little clumsy, but he got it in one shot. He trotted toward her then nudged her hand with his nose. He seemed larger than a regular wolf. His head was almost at her hip. She wondered if he’d done that on purpose.

  Patting his head, she teased, “I miss the Ewok.”

  He nipped her hand gently, and she laughed. “Come on, wolfy. Let’s go make some new friends.”

  They walked the short distance to camp. As they approached the circle of cabins, dark was just settling over the valley. Strings of lights stretched from one cabin to the other, mimicking town streetlights.

  She inhaled a deep breath then stepped between two cabins and into the center of the camp. Dalton was so close to her side he kept stepping on her foot. She rolled her eyes, but feeling his warm body rub up against her thigh calmed her nerves.

  Heads turned in their direction. Large figures. Huge. Mostly men. A few women. Dark faces, skeptical eyes. They watched her, and she gulped. Show no fear, she chanted in her head. Her head didn’t listen. Even she could hear her heart pounding. Everyone else could probably smell her fear.

  Dalton prowled, looking ready to spring at the slightest threat. A low growl started in his chest. It was a warning that he wouldn’t mess around. No one stopped her, but they made a sort of distant circle around them. She stopped in the center of camp.

  Her wolf protector nudged her leg. She should probably say something. Something profound and peaceful, but she couldn’t find her voice.

  A man strode forward, confident and with a slightly friendlier face than the others. Blond hair fell on his wide shoulders. When he stopped a short distance away, he said, “I’m Cristian. The pack alpha. Can I help you?”

  She swallowed hard. He’d asked a question. Answer it, dummy!

  “I’m Eden.” That’s a good start.

  “You’re a wolf,” he said then looked at Dalton and raised his brows. “That is not.”

  So much for that plan. She sighed. “He’s…my protector. And we’re here as friends. We’d just like to talk.”

  He crossed his arms. “About?”

  “War,” she answered boldly. If they were going to rip her apart, might as well get it over with.

  Cristian stared at her for a long moment. She could tell it made Dalton nervous because he stepped in front of her and stared back at the alpha, making her want to smack him. He should know better. That wasn’t how things worked in the werewolf world. There was a strict hierarchy here.

  She patted his back and whispered, “Stand down.”

  Finally Cristian spoke. “Tell your…protector to shift then meet me in there.” He pointed to a cabin to the right.

  A meeting with the alpha? Well, step one was done. Cristian turned away and talked to a couple of men standing close by. Then they all took one more look at her and Dalton and walked into the cabin.

  “Come on,” she said to Dalton. “Let’s go behind the cabins, and you can shift and get dressed.”

  He shook his wolfy head. Knowing him, he wanted to stay in the stronger form. He didn’t trust them. Neither did she, but they had to play by their rules to start.

  “You have to, Dalton,” she hissed. “Or they won’t talk to us. They already know you’re not one of them. If something goes wrong, you can shift to a bird and get away.”

  He tossed her a disbelieving look. She had no idea wolves could look so sarcastic.

  “Quit being difficult!” She snapped her fingers. “Heel!”

  As she expected, the joke didn’t go over well. He growled, and anger flashed in his eyes. Then he shifted, right there in the middle of camp. She glanced around, but no one paid much attention. A naked man in the middle of camp was probably no big thing around there.

  “Heel?” he said, taking a step toward her. “Did you really just tell me to heel?”

  When had he gotten so tall? She craned her neck to look up at him. Clearly she’d crossed a line.

  “You’ll pay for that later,” he grated through his teeth.

  A shudder crept down her spine. He was alpha all right. Alpha male. But she didn’t feel afraid of him. No. She was turned on. Manliness. Power. Muscle. It made her want to throw a challenge then run, hoping he caught her, pinned her, then had his way with her.

  “Fuck you’re hot,” she whispered.

  He blinked. Then that familiar hunger grew in his eyes. “You make me crazy!” He grabbed her hair and crushed his mouth to hers, completely oblivious to their audience. He kissed her hard until she ran out of breath and had to push on his chest to get him to stop.

  When he pulled away, he gazed down at her fiercely, looking like he might throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to his man cave.

  Instead, he stepped back and pointed toward the cabin. “Go. Before I lose control and fuck you right here.”

  Shakily, she walked to the cabin where Cristian had directed them. Behind her, Dalton threw his clothes on then followed her. When they entered the cabin, three werewolf men met them with wary glares. Dalton stepped in front of her, keeping his body between them.

  Cristian cleared his throat then pointed to two seats around the wooden table that took up most of the room. After Dalton and Eden sat down, the three wolves occupied seats on the other side of the table.

  “You wanted to talk,” Cristian said plainly.

  “Um,” she started. Show no fear. “I’m here representing the shifter colony in Wales.”

  “And your partner is?” The alpha gave Dalton an assessing look.

  Dalton stared right back. This was going to be interesting. “Dalton,” he answered.

  “He’s my partner,” she rushed to add. “He’s not a threat. I promise.” I promise? She could’ve kicked herself. Why didn’t she just cross her heart and hope to die while she was at it? She so sucked at this. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the war between the sorcerers and the Underworld.”

  “Of course,” one of the other men answered. He had bright blue eyes and dark hair, and his expression didn’t read as friendly as the alpha’s. This one looked brutal and mean.

  “Well, the sorcerers have been kidnapping members of our colony and forcing them to fight in their war. Shifters have always been peaceful, and we don’t want anything to do with their war. But they aren’t giving us a choice. We’ve started a rebellion to protect our kind and rescue the ones who’ve been taken, but there’s just not enough of us.”

  “What’s that got to do with us?” the mean one asked.

  She looked to Cristian. His brows shot up as if mimicking the question.

  Deep breath. “You can’t be naïve enough to think this war won’t affect you eventually.” She winced. Had she gone too far?

  Cristian snorted but said nothing, so she went on.

  “Werewolves have already been coerced to the dark side.” She winced again. Dark side? What is this, Star Wars? “Um. I mean, the sorcery counsel has already bribed werewolves to hunt down their targets all across the world. America, too. Have you lost any to them”

  They didn’t answer, but Cristian exchanged a glance wit
h his men. She’d take that as a yes.

  “They’re pulling supernaturals of all kinds into their fight. Some of the witches have sided with them. The Seelie fae are rumored to join them next. You won’t be able to hide in your woods for long. The sorcerers are demanding allegiance or taking prisoners.”

  Cristian didn’t look the least bit impressed.

  “The time is coming when you’ll have to choose a side.” She leaned forward, letting her passion take over. “Fight with us. The sorcerers may say they fight for light and truth and all that bullshit, but they don’t. They’re corrupt and selfish and hypocrites. They— ”

  “We know this,” Cristian said. “The sorcerers are no friends of ours.”

  “So you’ll help us?” Hope filled her voice, and she sat up straighter in her seat.

  He chuckled. “That’s not what I said. This is a serious matter. Choosing to fight against an army more than twice our side in a foreign country with a ragtag group of shifters? You can see why I’m not jumping with enthusiasm.”

  Sadness leaked in, though he had a point. “Yes, I know how it must look. But we’ve already taken down their prison.”

  His brow furrowed, and he sat up in his seat. The two men beside him looked at each other. “You broke into Marwolaeth Du?”

  Feeling cocky, she smirked. “We didn’t break in to Marwolaeth Du.” She leaned forward and looked Cristian in the eye. “We burned it down.”

  Cristian’s gaze flicked from her to Dalton then back again. He leaned back and smiled. “Now you’ve got my attention.”

  Dalton took over, and they launched into a discussion about strategy, including guerilla warfare and a few other terms she knew nothing about. She made a mental note to grill Dalton about it all later, shameful she hadn’t done enough research beforehand.

  It seemed as though they’d made a good case for the pack to aid them, but Cristian was hard to read. At least it was clear he didn’t think they were a threat anymore. She started to relax. They even joked about Dalton’s attempt to appear like a werewolf. When she told Cristian about his first try shifting to the wolf, Dalton threw her a nasty look, but they all laughed.