by Jinx Neale
Faith frowned. “That doesn’t sound all that strange.”
“Oh, I don’t think we’re strange. Just, different.”
Whatever that meant. Well, Faith had only agreed to stick around for forty-eight hours. The wound on her cheek was hurting less. Her car was still in town so she couldn’t head out on her own. “Maybe I should go back home.”
“I still think you’ll be safer here. In fact, I insist that you stay.” For such a sweet woman, Janet Hunter sure had a spine of steel. “Vaughan didn’t mean any serious injury, I’m sure. Zane will straighten him out.”
“He will?”
“Yes, we don’t approve of such rudeness to those we shelter.”
Faith pointed to her cheek. “This was more than a little rudeness.”
Janet’s gaze dropped to her cup. “Yes, it was. It won’t happen again, I can assure you of that.” She picked up her cup and drained it. “You must be hungry. Zane said he’d left some takeout in the fridge.” She reheated the lasagna and cut Faith a healthy portion.
“Thank you, Janet, for your help.” Faith took a bite. “Aren’t you going to have some?”
“I’m not very hungry, and you’re welcome, my dear.”
The day wore on, Faith fretting about Zane. Janet convinced her to stay inside and they ended up binge-watching old episodes of Bitten to pass the time.
“It’s set in upstate New York,” Janet told her. “Although the books are much better than the series.” Janet called Alec to let him know she was staying a bit longer, but it was nearly nine o’clock when the front door blew open and Zane stormed across the cabin to the bathroom without saying a word, an expression of fury on his battered face. The bathroom door slammed shut.
“What do you think happened?” Faith asked Janet in a low voice.
“I think he had a little discussion with your new friend.” Janet opened the fridge. “Zane looks like he could use a beer.” She pulled out a bottle and opened it.
The bathroom door slammed open and Zane walked out, his face clean. He had discarded his torn shirt. Faith stared at his bronzed chest and the hard swell of his muscles. God, he was gorgeous. She pulled her gaze away and took a sip of her tea. Janet handed the beer to her son.
“Thanks, Mom.” He lifted the bottle and drank, the muscles in his throat working. Faith couldn’t look away. This had to stop; she was almost drooling.
“Thanks for taking care of her, Mom.”
“No problem. We had a lovely time getting to know each other better, didn’t we, Faith?”
She smiled. “We did.”
“Are you okay, Mom? You look exhausted.”
Janet patted his cheek. “Fine, sweetheart. Just a little tired.” She pulled out her cell. “I’ll just call your father. He’s waiting for me at home.”
Zane insisted that Janet sit down, and they chatted for several minutes until a knock sounded on the door. Alec walked in, brow furrowed with concern. His gaze went straight to his wife. “Everything all right?”
Zane nodded. “It is now.”
“Good.” Alec crossed the kitchen and bent to kiss Janet’s cheek. He took her hand and helped her up. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you home.”
“It’s been a long day,” Janet agreed. “Good night, children.”
“Thanks for everything, Mom.”
Alec and Janet left, Alec guiding his wife with a careful arm around her shoulders.
Faith gazed after them. “They really love each other, don’t they?”
“Mom and Dad? Sure. It’s kind of sickening actually.”
“How can you say that?” she demanded.
“Relax, Faith. I was just yanking your chain.” Zane finished the beer in one swallow. “Crap, I’m tired.”
“You’re bleeding.”
* * *
A trickle of blood slid from behind his ear to the smooth column of Zane’s throat.
“I am?” Zane’s fingers touched the back of his neck and stared at his hand, his fingers red. “Bastard got me. I was so riled up, I didn’t even feel it.”
Faith went to the bathroom and grabbed a clean cloth, wet it with warm water, and grabbed the antibiotic ointment and a large Band-Aid. Zane was standing by the hearth, staring down at the fire.
“Sit down, Zane.”
He obeyed her with a smirk that said he liked to be the one giving orders. But he sat down anyway, bending his head. Faith lifted the heavy, dark hair that curled around his collar, revealing a wicked scratch oozing blood. She cleaned the wound, dabbing at the long scratch with the cloth, until Zane hissed and pulled away.
“Don’t be a baby,” she murmured.
“Careful, little girl. You don’t want to rouse the beast.”
Or did she? Faith smoothed ointment on the scratch and covered it with the bandage. He sat quietly as she dressed the wound, and Faith felt a surge of feminine power, with this dominant man bowing to her touch. She wet the cloth again. “Let me clean you up.” She crossed in front of Zane and he spread his legs wide, restoring his authority. Faith crouched between them, dabbing at the bloodstains on his neck. He lay back in the chair quietly, watching her movements. The heat in his gaze made her pelvis feel full and heavy.
“There, all done.” Faith tried to stand, but Zane caught her hand, pushing her back to her knees.
“There’s something else you could do for me.” His voice was soft, languid, kindling an answering desire in her veins. She was instantly wet.
“Undo my zipper.”
Faith hesitated, yearning for his touch, but afraid to let him in. She had been alone for so long. “Zane…”
He tugged at her hair. “Do it, Faith.” The quiet authority in his voice made her shiver with longing.
Faith leaned forward, her fingers trembling against the metal.
“Take me out.” His cock sprang free, heavy and swollen with lust. “I would tell you to make me hard, but I’ve been that way since you knelt between my legs.”
The reddened tip of his cock gleamed in the firelight. Faith touched it lightly and Zane shuddered. His reaction emboldened her to grasp him, running her thumb along the thick vein underneath.
“Harder.”
Faith couldn’t quite close her fingers around his width. She gripped him tightly and stroked his length. His skin was soft and slick, velvet over steel. She pumped him through her fist and his head dropped back.
“God, that feels good. I love your hand on me.”
Faith continued to stroke him.
“Suck me, Faith.”
She licked her lower lip and bent forward. A droplet formed on the tip of his cock and she licked it off quickly.
Zane drew in a quick breath. “God, Faith.”
She pulled him into her mouth then, her tongue circling the head of his cock. He tasted salty, and she suckled him, drawing him deeper. Zane gripped her hair, wrapping its length around his hand. He pulled her closer, wanting to control this encounter, the way he controlled everything else. And, God, she loved that, loved his hand on her hair, directing her. He slid deeper, touching the back of her throat. Too deep. Faith drew back, his cock popping from her mouth. She wiped a hand over her mouth, wet with saliva and his seed.
“You look so beautiful right now.”
She stared at him, the line of his cheekbones shadowed by the flames, his pale eyes darkened with desire. He was the beautiful one.
“Take me again, Faith. As deep as you can.”
She grasped his solid length and obeyed, sucking him into the welcoming cavern of her mouth, her tongue flicking the sensitive underside of his cock. Zane groaned his pleasure, holding her jaw firmly, as he took over, pumping steadily between her lips, his pelvis rising and falling in a rhythm that she could only follow as he went even deeper. This time, when he reached the back of her throat, her mouth widened, allowing him entrance. God, so deep. Faith gasped for breath and he pulled out, allowing her breath, before claiming her once more, thrusting faster and faster until Zane hel
d himself rigid for a moment before emptying himself down her throat. She swallowed his offering and licked him clean before releasing him.
Zane tipped her chin and kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue. God, he must be able to taste himself—a thought that made Faith even hotter, her pussy tight and hungry. He held her gaze, examining her face. Whatever he found there must have satisfied him, because he sat back, eyes heavy with contentment, and pressed Faith’s head into his lap. He stroked her hair, with a sure and gentle touch that brought tears to her eyes, for some reason.
“I’m sorry Catesby was able to harm you, Faith. That attack was meant for me, not you. It’s my fault. I let you down.”
She shook her head, glorying in the feel of his fingers on her scalp. “How could you know what he would do?”
“I should have known it was coming. Catesby has been trying to maneuver into our territory for some time now. I should have been more proactive.”
“It all worked out. I’m fine.” Something Zane had said tugged at her. “What do you mean by territory?”
He was silent for a moment. “We’re not like most people who live around here.”
“Your mother said something similar. I didn’t know what she meant either.”
Zane sighed. “She meant that we are not human, Faith.”
She bolted upright. Was he crazy, or was she? “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We’re shifters. We change from man to wolf.”
The world tilted. “You’re telling me you’re a werewolf?”
Zane’s mouth twitched. “We prefer the term shifter.”
“Well, shit,” Faith said and sat down abruptly on the rug. What was she going to do now? She had to get away from this beautiful man, who tempted her past reason and clouded her thoughts. “I’m going to bed.”
Zane caught her hand. “Faith, stay with me tonight.”
She shook free. “I can’t.” She fled to her room and banged the door shut. God, she was stupid. A slab of wood wouldn’t protect her from her own desires.
* * *
Faith woke suddenly out of a fevered dream of running endlessly through a forest, the moon sliding through the branches, while fear clawed at her throat. Her back was soaked with sweat, the sheets twisted around her. She threw them aside. Her pulse still thudded crazily. It was just a dream, she told herself. She felt stifled, as if the inside of the cozy cabin was a prison and not a refuge. Her breath was tight and hot in her chest. She had to get out of here.
Zane’s door was open, his bed undisturbed. She dashed across the cabin and flung open the front door. The night air was cold and sweet, full of the scents of the wild, beckoning to her in an ancient summons that she was helpless to resist. Faith ran down the steps, across the grass, and onto the path that wound into the woods. Where was he?
Faith hurried along the trail. The moon was round and swollen, the wood dappled with sharp-edged shadows. Trees loomed alongside her, transformed into eerie sentinels in the pale light.
She stumbled over a rock and straightened, her gaze roaming the woods on either side. What was that noise? She saw something flashing through the trees. An animal? Faith froze, holding her breath. Silence. She started along the path again, moving quickly, but not running. If she acted like prey, she was very afraid that whatever was out there would treat her like it, too. She didn’t believe it was Zane. It didn’t… feel like him. That made no sense. But she felt it all the same.
Suddenly, a different scent tickled her nose. A little sharp, like an animal, and wholly seductive. Faith ran, her steps silenced by the fallen needles, evading brush and branches, faster than she had ever moved before, following the elusive smell. The trees thinned, and she stood on the edge of a clearing, open to the starry skies. A man stood in the clearing, his strong clean body limned in moonlight. His beauty made her catch her breath. Zane.
His head lifted as he faced the full moon, which painted both woods and man with an unearthly light. His mouth opened and he howled, an animal sound that raised the hair on her nape. He cried for the moon and after a moment, an answering call filled the night with the music of the wolves. Faith blinked as if in a dream. The air was thick and full of secrets. Zane howled again and dropped to his knees, his body lengthening, transforming into an impossible shape that filled Faith with both dread and elation. His hair flowed from his head down to his shoulders and waved over his body as his limbs altered, arms becoming sturdy forepaws with thick claws and legs transforming to furred haunches and paws. His face elongated, whiskers flowing over his face, changing him from man into wolf.
The beast stretched, a being of immense strength and flexibility. It glanced over one huge shoulder, ice-blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. There was knowledge in that glance and awareness. And then Zane ran and he was a thing of beauty, muscle sliding under fur as he loped across the clearing and headed to the trees. Tears blurred her vision as Faith stumbled after this lord of the forest, drawn as if by an invisible cord that stretched between their two souls.
Something flashed in the corner of her eye. Something big, speeding on a parallel course, moving silent through the woods. It wasn’t Zane. A cry shivered the night, the sound of a predator closing on his prey. Her breath came faster. Another flash of movement. Closer. Hot breath on her neck. Faith screamed and spun around, running full out, her heart pounding. She panted as she ran through the woods, stumbling over fallen branches. She skidded on a piece of moss and slipped to one knee.
Faith struggled to stand, just as a heavy weight plowed into her from behind, knocking her down. Hot breath seared her cheek as the beast sniffed her. She was too scared to move. Its nose was cold against the back of her neck where it snuffled through her hair. Faith held her breath. Why wasn’t it attacking her? It was almost like it was investigating her. She whimpered and one heavy paw fell across her back. She wasn’t going anywhere.
Faith felt the scrape of teeth across her nape and held her breath. A mere heartbeat and its teeth closed on her skin. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even scream. There was no pain, only an intense pressure. Another heartbeat and she was released. The beast moved away. She lay frozen for several minutes before turning over. It was gone and she was alone in the woods.
Chapter Five
The light from Zane’s cabin glowed around the next bend of the trail. Finally. It felt like she had been wandering around the woods for hours. Faith stumbled across the grassy patch at the side of the house and scrambled up the steps to the deck. Darting inside, she locked the sliding door behind her and leaned against the door, soaked with sweat and trembling.
The front door slammed open. Over six feet of half-naked, furious male prowled across the room to loom over her. Zane captured her wrist. “What were you doing out in the woods?” He shook her roughly. “I told you how dangerous it was. I ordered you not to go there. Couldn’t you smell the cougar?”
“You ordered me?” Faith fired back. “You have no rights over me, especially no right to dictate my behavior.”
“I have every right since tonight.” Zane grabbed her throat. “This gives me the right.”
Faith swallowed, her brain screaming at her to struggle against the fingers gripping her neck. The other, wilder part of her rejoiced in Zane’s assumption of mastery. “What are you talking about?”
Zane’s fingers slid under her hair. “I marked you. You’re mine.” His thumb traced the pressure mark on the back of her neck. Oh, God, Zane was the beast in the woods.
Faith closed her eyes against the pleasure of his fingers moving on her skin. “I don’t belong to you,” she whispered.
He grabbed her hair, forcing her head up. Her eyes flew open and she froze, mesmerized by the hunger heating his ice-blue eyes. Zane’s gaze dropped to her mouth. “Yeah, you do. The only person who doesn’t get that idea is you.”
“No.” She pressed a hand against his broad chest and pushed, but it was like trying to move a mountain.
“Enough,
” he growled as his hand fell to her waist, turning her to swat her bottom hard.
The pain brought her back into sharp focus. “What are you doing?” Faith said furiously, struggling in his iron grasp.
“I’m going to give you the spanking you so richly deserve.”
Like hell. Faith relaxed against him, and Zane’s grip softened in response. She drove her elbow into his gut and broke free, running for the door. She never made it. The next thing she knew, Zane had tossed her over his shoulder and was headed down the hall. “What is it going to take for you to learn to obey me?”
“You are not the boss of me,” she ground out between clenched teeth.
He smacked her bottom and kept walking. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Damn Zane Hunter. The traitorous blood pulsed between her legs, wanting this, wanting him.
“The rules I give you are for your protection, Faith. If you don’t start listening, you’ll end up hurt or worse.”
“I’ve already been hurt,” she muttered.
Zane set her down, his hard features softening as he smoothed a lock of hair behind one ear. “I know.”
Faith pressed her advantage. “You told me I would be safe with you. And the first day I was here, Vaughan Catesby attacked me.”
“I’m sorry.”
Discomfort edged with panic roiled in her gut. She didn’t want to see this strong and beautiful man humbled. “I’m not asking for an apology.”
“Noted. Now that we’ve finished our discussion, I want you to go and bend over the bed.”
“I don’t think so.” Faith ducked under his arm, but Zane grabbed her waist and tossed her on the mattress. She rolled over and scrambled to her knees, panting, her blood on fire with a complex mixture of fear and desire.
“You try my patience,” he growled. He undid his belt buckle, his blue eyes never leaving hers. Did Zane actually think she was going to have sex with him now? Zane pulled his belt from his pants and doubled it over, holding it in one fist. “Over. Now.”
