She fiddled with her napkin. “You were going to tell me what a mating rite is.”
Darius drew in a deep breath. “I know I’ve asked you this before, but didn’t you learn anything about Lupine rituals when you were growing up?”
“My mother…” She felt a familiar pain knot her stomach. “She was overprotective. She said there were aspects of Lupine pack life I didn’t need to know.”
For a long moment he said nothing. Then he drained his wineglass and filled it again from the bottle on the table.
“A mating rite is final. There is no going back. Lupines who engage in one can’t live in the Skin world. They have to live in a pack or they wither and die.”
Dismay filled her. Live among wolves for good? “They can’t live among humans?”
“No.”
“I don’t understand. You said it was sexual?”
She felt stupid, like a child asking a parent about the mechanics of sex. But deep inside, instinct urged her to explore this idea. Because once they had shared a deep connection and she’d broken it for good. And deep inside, her dormant Lupine self was curious about such a secretive and ancient ritual.
Darius rubbed his lower lip with a thumb and she suddenly wanted to trace his mouth with her tongue…trace his whole body with her tongue.
Samantha locked her legs together.
“Ah, with a mating rite, after the couple exchanges vows, they have sex. In front of at least one witness to prove the female is willing to undertake this very extreme vow. The specifics are usually dictated by the male’s preferences. That way the female fully knows what the male enjoys during sex and there are no surprises after the rite. After the male Lupine demonstrates his preferences, the female dictates what sexual acts will take place. Most times, the sex turns slightly kinky. Or very kinky.”
He took a deep breath and locked his darkening gaze to hers. “Such as blindfolds, velvet ropes and other restraints.”
“That’s what’s expected?”
“That’s what I enjoy.”
Heat suffused her face. Certain her face was bright red, she sipped her wine. But she did not look away.
“Kinky. What else? A threesome? Or more?”
Darius’ mouth quirked in apparent amusement. “No, darling, a mating rite is exclusively between the couple, because the couple must bond.”
“Two Lupines proving their love through sex. It doesn’t sound too weird. Except for the witness.”
“The witness is usually the pack alpha, and the alpha is very discreet. It can be as open or as private as the couple wishes. The sex can be rough. That’s why a mating rite carries a distinct risk if the female isn’t strong enough. Many times the male will turn feral when the couple shifts into wolves and have sex in wolf form…”
Samantha’s heart nearly stopped. “Bestiality?!”
Darius winced as a few other diners glanced their way. “Lower your voice.”
“Sorry.”
“Sex in wolf form. Not the same.”
Dear gods. Fear slid down her spine as she recalled seeing Maxim shifting into a wolf while he had sex. She thought of the amber flashing in Darius’ eyes as he went to mark her as his mate.
Lupine sex seemed ferocious and savage enough. Maybe she could handle it in Skin form, but shifting into a wolf to have sex?
He saw her expression and sighed. “Sam, it’s our Lupine nature. Your nature. You’ll find out. Don’t be scared of what you truly are,” he said quietly. “It’s perfectly normal and natural for our kind.”
“Normal? Natural? Not for the life I’ve chosen.” She took a huge gulp of wine. “Darius, I accidentally saw it when I was fourteen. Your father and a female were having sex in the woods. Not a nice sight. It was pretty rough. But then they shifted into wolves and it was…brutal.”
Sympathy filled his gaze. “Seeing my father have sex in any form would traumatize a young female. You were young, Sam. Not old enough to comprehend our lifestyle. Sex in wolf form bonds together the couple and is the most erotic pleasure you can imagine. Or so I’ve been told, as I’ve reserved that experience for my mate.”
For you, his gaze hinted.
Suddenly she felt lost and more alone than when she’d first arrived in Portland, not knowing a single person.
“I can’t do this. I’m not a good wolf. I want to live as a Skin. Not a Lupine. I’ve never truly fit into the Lupine world.” Her voice dropped, and her stomach knotted with tension. “Sometimes I don’t know where I fit in. I like living as a human, and I don’t know if I can ever go back to being wolf.”
His mouth tightened.
Their entrees arrived, to her huge relief. Samantha redirected the conversation, asking about the ranch. Keep it brisk and impersonal. Nothing about me, or his lifestyle.
Certainly nothing more about sex or mating.
When the meal was finished and Darius signaled for the check, she brought out her credit card. He shook his head.
“I can’t let you pay, Sam.”
“Don’t do this to me,” she said quietly. “If I let you pay for dinner, it’s a date and it will look bad for me. I have enough trouble at the office, competing with all those men, trying to prove myself.”
He gave her a thoughtful look, but when the check arrived, slid it across the table to her. Relief filled her as she handed the waiter her card.
“Thanks,” she told Darius.
“I don’t want to make things difficult. I want to make you happy, Sam.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s still early. How about hitting up a club for drinks and dancing?”
Smooth moves, wolf. Let me pay for dinner, keep it business, but then party afterward. “I have to get up early.”
“I’ll get you home in plenty of time to get your beauty rest. Let me take you to Jones. One drink, a few dances.”
Jones, a popular nightclub featuring 90’s music. She’d wanted to go there for a long time, but never had. “Is that a favorite haunt for you to pick up women?”
Darius shook his head. “Never. That’s why I’m offering to take you there.”
Samantha felt torn. She longed to share good times with Darius. Like the old days with him, when they’d laughed and talked for hours, thinking the world was theirs.
How naïve they’d been.
“C’mon, Sam. I promise to behave.” He gave her an adorably sweet look from beneath those impossibly long, dark lashes.
“Behave like a Skin or a wolf?”
“Depends. Which one will get you into bed?”
She laughed. Darius was a rogue, but honest. And his charming smile, the dimple in his left cheek made her melt. Just a little. “All right. One dance. But not a slow one.”
“Deal.”
Success in small steps. She’d remain with him. Triumph filled Darius. Although he wanted to keep her with him all night, he knew he had to take it slow.
Several men turned to watch Sam walk by. Darius put a hand at the small of her back, a gesture intended to claim her. But as they neared the bar, he felt her stiffen. “Todd,” Sam whispered under her breath. “He must have arrived after we did. Let’s get out of here.”
Todd? Her bad date? Darius controlled himself and started to guide her away from the bar and all the men. But the one named Todd spoke up.
“Hey Fat Ass.”
Sam did not look. Darius did. The man was balding, with pale eyes, sitting close to an attractive brunette.
“You, with the polka-dotted dress. Samantha. Fat-assed bitch who threw soup on me. I’m talking to you.”
Color flushed her face, but she held her head high and ignored him.
But like the dumb-fuck he was, the guy couldn’t leave it alone. “Who’s your date? You must have paid him real good, because that’s the only way you can ever get laid. The only sex you probably ever get comes from a battery-operated instrument.”
Darius froze. He felt his wolf rise and knew his eyes flashed amber. Then he lifted Sam’s hand, brushing a kiss against her knu
ckles. “Sweetheart, will you wait outside for a moment while I deal with this garbage?”
“No, Darius.” Sam shook her head. “Let me handle this. It’s my problem.”
Without waiting for an answer, she strolled up to the jerk, hips swaying in a sensual motion that made Darius’ mouth water. Sam spoke in a loud, clear tone above the bar’s chatter.
“Are you following me around like a hurt puppy, Todd? Because it’s terribly coincidental you’re here the same time I am.”
The man flushed red. Bingo. Darius’ temper rose. Why the hell was this ass stalking Sam? To taunt her in public?
Sam shook her head. “Let’s face it, Todd. I would have a better time with my vibrator than on a date with you. At least the batteries wouldn’t run out before I got satisfied.”
Todd picked up the brunette’s drink.
“Hey, that’s mine,” the woman protested.
He threw the contents into Sam’s face.
Sam reeled backward, shock paling her face, clear liquid running down her cheeks. Darius swore softly and placed his hands on her shoulders. Very gently, he turned her face and withdrew a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He blotted the wetness, smelling vodka and something odd beneath the strong liquor. As she took the cloth and wiped her face, a murderous urge overcame him. He fought the Lupine instinct to show claws and teeth and tear the bastard apart. The brunette had left her seat and went to join other women, whispering as they all watched the drama.
“Sweetheart, you okay?”
She nodded, looking shaken, but lifted her chin as she handed back his handkerchief.
“Pretty boy,” Todd taunted. “Wanna try something?”
Temper rising to boiling, Darius glanced around. “Not here.” He nodded at the concerned bartender. “Can you get her a glass of water? And get that woman another one of whatever she was drinking?”
“I’m okay,” Sam said in a shaky voice.
He ignored that remark. “Sam, stay here.”
Fisting a hand in Todd’s shirt, he took a deep inhale. He smelled beer, stale breath, whiskey and something not human. Darius looked at the bartender. “Is he a local?”
“Comes here all the time, but not anymore. I’m banning him for life.”
“Thanks, man,” Darius told him.
He dragged Todd outside, down the steps to the street.
Todd sneered at him. “What’s the matter? Worried about her not paying you enough to fuck her?”
“No. I’m more worried about how your alpha will react when he finds out you attacked a female Lupine.”
Todd’s sneer dropped. He shoved a hand through his thinning hair. “What the hell you talking about?”
“Your leader, you stupid son of a bitch. I should call Simon for permission.”
“Permission for what?”
Darius decked him, sending Todd spinning backward. “That. One punch for hitting my woman. I don’t envy you. Simon doesn’t take kindly to males who disrespect females, especially males who do it in front of Skins, causing him grief. Now, why are you stalking my Sam?”
His lip bleeding, Todd stared at him. “Your Sam?”
“My chosen mate.” He got in his chubby face. “You deliberately followed us here. Why?”
Panic flared on the Lupine’s face. “Please, I can’t. I didn’t know she was your female. Don’t do this, I can’t, I can’t do this! I didn’t mean to hurt her…”
Dragging Todd up by his collar, Darius shook him. “Why were you at the restaurant?”
Todd began to cry. “I was trying to score with that woman and then I saw Samantha. I apologize for insulting her. Please, leave me alone!”
Disgust filled him. He dropped the blubbering Todd, who sagged against the wall and covered his face with his hands.
Darius stepped away, called for the car and then returned to the restaurant, flexing his fist. Sam was by the bar. He took her hand, thanked the bartender with a fifty, and escorted her down the stairs.
Outside, he gently touched her cheek. “I could kill him for daring to lay a hand on you, but I’ll leave that to Simon. He’s the leader of the Portland pack.”
“You know that guy?”
“He was no Skin, Sam. Lupine. Local pack. Fortunately, I’m on good terms with Simon, his alpha. Had to be, when we started doing business in Portland.”
Light from the street lamps showed her pale face. “Not possible. Todd is just a guy I met on an Internet dating site.”
“He’s one of us,” he insisted.
Sam rubbed her forehead with the heel of one hand. “Can’t be.”
Her lack of Lupine instinct bothered him. The old Sam never would have handled this like a Skin. She’d have sensed the surge of adrenalin, heard his heart beating faster, would have gauged that the guy was trouble.
Most of all, she’d have scented he was Lupine.
The old Sam wouldn’t have even resorted to dating Skins. Wolves didn’t work solo, but in a pack. A pack protected its members. A pack remained loyal and stuck together. What insulted one wolf outside the pack, insulted all.
And a male never let anyone diss his woman.
The car arrived and he helped Sam inside, sitting close to her. Darius pressed the intercom. “Mark, please take us to…” He glanced at Sam. “What’s your address?”
Blinking, she stared. “Why?”
“So you can change your clothing before we go to Jones. Your dress is soaked.”
She gave him the address.
While waiting for her in the car, he pulled out his handkerchief and sniffed the fabric. Most definitely not only vodka. Instincts humming, he made a quick call on his cell phone.
When Sam returned, she wore a plain black dress with long sleeves and a hem that hid her excellent legs. Darius sighed in sheer disappointment. She slid into the car, looking cold, distant and pale. Hoping to warm her, he put an around her shoulders, but she stiffened and turned toward the window.
Moving away, he gave her space, cursing that bastard Todd.
Darius reached into his breast pocket and removed two sets of earplugs, handing one to Sam. She palmed them, looking confused.
“These are specially designed by another Lupine to reduce the noise level in dance clubs,” he explained, sticking them into his ears.
Jones was crowded, Skins packing the dance floor. Bright neon colors sliced through the darkness as the music pulsed and pounded.
He found a table and as Sam dropped into the seat, he didn’t care for her listless, pale look. When the waitress arrived, Darius ordered a whiskey. Sam wanted nothing. Beneath the wild, erratic club lights, she looked pale and wan, but still so lovely, her skin as smooth and creamy as silk. Her mouth was cherry red and wet, making him hunger to kiss her.
She remained silent as the waiter brought over his drink. Darius sipped the whiskey, relishing the burn as the liquid slid down his throat. Sam would taste like that, he thought. Smooth and hot, a kick of oak on his tongue as he spread her out wide and put his mouth on her.
His cock stiffened in his trousers. He reached down and adjusted himself, wishing they were back in his room, Sam stretched out on his bed…
“Darius, I changed my mind. Can you get me a glass of ice water? It’s hot in here.”
Oh yeah, baby, very hot. He raced to the bar. If Sam asked him to fetch cold water from the Artic, he’d hire a jet. Anything to make her smile. She looked so miserable and hurt.
After he brought her water, Sam scanned the dance floor. Suddenly she brightened and a wide smile lit up her face as a man approached their table. He had brown hair and glasses and looked like a total nerd. Adoration shone in her eyes as Sam gazed at the newcomer.
“Brian!” She held out her hands, which the man squeezed.
“Samantha, you finally made it here.”
Beneath the pressure of his hand, Darius’ glass cracked. He forced a smile.
She shouted to the newcomer, “Brian, this is Darius Bryant, manager of the Mitchell Ranch in M
ontana. Darius, this is Brian. He’s the headhunter who found me the position at Comairise Energy.”
Relief filled him. A friend and business associate. He shook Brian’s hand and caught his scent. He released it quickly, knowing the other’s grip could become tighter.
Much tighter.
“A headhunter, huh?” Darius murmured. “What kind of heads do you hunt?”
The man’s eyes flickered, and his pupils suddenly became narrow slits. Then they became normal again. He pushed his glasses up his nose. “Sam, one dance. C’mon, you promised if you ever made it here…”
Laughing, she took his hand and headed onto the dance floor. Darius watched, his senses fully charged.
Damn, she looked smooth out there on the dance floor, the silky masses of her hair swaying with her lush, curvy body. She could deny her birthright all she liked, but Sam still remained Lupine.
Mine, he thought, his claws emerging.
Calm down. You’ll never get her back acting like an ass. You can’t drag her back to your cave and fuck her senseless, giving her so many orgasms she’ll never leave your bed.
Even if the idea appealed to him.
He sipped his whiskey. A while later, Sam returned. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she slid back into her seat. “Brian’s a terrific dancer. He has some smooth moves.”
“He should. Runs in his blood.”
Picking up her water, she stared at him, the glass halfway to her lips. “Do you know him?”
Darius sighed. “Not him, but his kind. Sam, don’t you know what he is?”
When she shook her head, he felt deeply troubled. What had happened to her Lupine abilities? How the hell had she survived all these years in the city?
By blending in as a Skin, she’d neglected being a wolf. And to the point that she’d lost all her Lupine senses, he realized.
“Brian is Wylding, a shifter just like us, only he’s a snake.”
“He’s not a snake, he’s a great guy…”
“Snake shifter,” he repeated. “My guess is a particularly strong one, not venomous. Anaconda. Squeezes prey to death instead of biting.”
Sam went pale and set down her glass. “He can’t be a shifter. He looks so…”
The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) Page 8
