Her eyes blooded again. "Shit, stop making me cry."
"Yep, that's my special power. Making women cry." He flashed her another grin. "I guess it's just what I do."
"I've had enough of crying."
"Good. You should stop."
"Why?"
"Because if something makes you cry, it makes me want to kill it. I'm still recuperating. Have some pity on a brave wolf."
"A brave wolf? I stand by my earlier a statement. A dumbass wolf."
"And I stand by mine. I’m your dumbass."
He grabbed her and flipped her so that she was on her back. The sudden movement made his head throb and his whole body feel like he was swimming in razor blades, but he didn't care.
She searched his face. "You're really okay?"
"I'm really okay. My whole body hurts, but I'm obviously going to live. I seem to remember this dream, and I need you to tell me if it was real."
"Okay," she agreed.
"You held my heart in your hands and you made it beat for you."
"That happened."
"You were covered in blood."
"That happened to. I killed a lot of people that day."
"You were so beautiful." Yeah, his woman covered in fury, blood, and victory made his cock so hard for her.
"You're twisted."
"Very." He kissed her neck.
"Oh no, we're not having any of that."
"Why not?" He realized he sounded like a kid who'd been told he couldn't have another sweet, but that's what she was. The ultimate sweet and he needed her on his tongue. Needed her taste. Needed her to nourish him while he filled her.
"Because you're still healing."
"I'll heal better with your touch."
"I am touching you."
"You know what I mean. It's a mate bond."
She narrowed her eyes again. "Parker Woolven, is that a bullshit story you tell all the girls to get them on their backs?"
"I don't usually have to tell any stories to get a woman on her back. And correction, I already have you on your back. I just need you to spread those gorgeous legs so I can have that life-giving ambrosia from those sweet petals." He licked his lips.
"Sweet petals?" She snorted. "Life giving ambrosia? Please."
"You forget, my lovely, I can smell your desire. And you're thinking about it." He lifted his nose to the air. "Yeah, you're thinking about it hard."
"So are you." She licked her lips. "Hard, that is. But it'll have to wait. Your brother said—"
"My brother," he said as he slid down her body, "will just have to understand. He's Alpha out there, but in here, I'm the only wolf that has a say."
She laughed. "Parker, really, we..."
He had his hands beneath her t-shirt and his mouth on the soft flesh of her belly.
She sighed and eased her legs apart.
"Really, there's nothing more life-affirming than sex."
"You think sex is the answer to everything," she said, tunneling her fingers through his hair.
"Tell, what can't it fix?" He pressed a kiss to her skin. Goddess, but she tasted like sin and redemption all at once.
"What can it fix?" she countered.
He peeled her panties from her hips and tugged them down her sun-kissed legs. "It spark a fire that will burn long into the void. It eases loneliness. Sorrow. And it just feels so fucking good."
Parker didn't wait for her answer before he licked her. Yeah, sex was the cure for everything. Every part of him felt better.
He'd always laughed at other males he knew who seemed to act like a vagina could be magic, although he supposed a female's body could be a kind of magic. It could do so many wondrous things.
This woman and her vagina—they were both magic.
He wanted to tell her, but he knew she'd laugh at him. He kind of wanted to laugh at himself, but it didn't change what he felt.
So he tried to show her.
With pleasure.
He loved how she tasted. The sounds of pleasure she made when he flicked his tongue over the edge of her clit. He wanted to bury himself inside of her, not just his cock in her pussy, but his essence. He wanted to drown in everything that was her.
This pleasure he brought her wasn't just about the bliss, it was literally a labor of love. He wanted her to feel everything he had to give her in every touch. Every caress.
Every swipe of his tongue over her swollen clit.
Her fingers had curled into fists around his sheets and her lips were parted as her back arched, pressing her cleft more fully against his mouth.
He tasted her orgasm before he heard it and, indeed, it was a cure for all of his ills. If her touch had been cool, sweet relief, her pleasure was a fire that burned away pain. The scars inside of him. The breaks in his bones.
Power rolled through him with all the force of a hurricane.
"Now!" she ordered.
He knew what she wanted, but he wanted to hear it. "Tell me what you want."
She responded to the new strength in his voice. "Everything,"
"Tell me," he said again.
Her eyes opened, half-lidded with lust and sleepy with pleasure already tasted. "I want your cock inside of me and your teeth at my throat. Tear me open to make me whole."
Fuck, but her words made him hotter. He didn't know how he'd managed to hold on to his human form. His beast seemed to content to allow his human side all of this pleasure on his own.
He dragged her down the bed toward him and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He entered her slowly and her sheath shuddered around him.
He began to move, thrusting into her, driving them both higher and higher.
But it wasn't enough for her.
"Give me your damn teeth," she growled.
This time, his beast was there to answer her.
He roared and his jaw elongated to a muzzle with dripping fangs and he saw and scented no fear in her. Only white hot lust. It made her cacao scent more like milk chocolate, like sugar and he wanted to taste it all.
His fangs tore into her throat and he spilled inside of her even as he tasted her blood on his tongue.
After the storm had passed, and he lay satisfied next to her, she said, “Well, I’ll tell you this just this once.”
“What’s that?”
“You were right. I feel so much better.”
“So in the future, when it comes to such things, you should trust me.”
“Doubtful.” She was quick with the reply. Then she took his hand and brought it to her chest against her heart. “Actually, you know that I trust you, right? With everything?”
Her words were a balm that his wolf had needed since he laid eyes on her. “I do now.”
“You didn’t have to almost die to prove it either.”
“Yes, I did. But that’s okay. The prize is worth the gauntlet.”
“Listen, I’m not a prize, or property.” She sounded so exasperated.
“I know. I told your father as much.”
“Oh, you did, didn’t you?” She sighed. “This trust thing is new for me, but I do trust you.”
“I trust you, too.”
Parker knew that her trust was the biggest gift she could give. He didn’t want to leave her, but now that he was awake and most definitely hearty, he had to go talk to his brother.
It passed between them, unspoken, and he rose to dress.
“Don’t be too long. I mean, if you still want me in this bed when you get back…”
“You make it hard to leave.”
“Really? I like it when I make it… hard.”
Another wave of desire washed over him. “I know exactly how hard you like it, you beautiful monster.”
She flashed her fangs. “You like it just as hard. And you’re a bit of a liar.”
“What? I’ve never lied to you.” His brows drew together.
“Not to me. When you told your brother you liked your women with no bite. You like them all bite.” She snapped her teeth.
“You’re right about that.” His cock was getting hard again, and he considered putting off the meeting with his brother another few hours. “He doesn’t technically know that I’m up—”
“Parker, with that last roar, everyone knows that you’re up.” She looked at his cock. “And that you’ve been deflated back down.”
“Good, then everyone can rest assured I’m back at one-hundred percent.”
“You’re not the least concerned that my father is still in residence?”
That gave Parker pause, but only briefly. “Not really. We’re married. He’ll get over it.”
She gave him a pointed look.
“Or he’ll kill me, but I doubt it. He just got back into your good graces. He wouldn’t risk it.” Parker winked at her. “I’ll be back soon.”
She snapped her fingers and a raw liver appeared on a plate. She picked it up with her fingers. “I’ll be waiting.”
Goddessdamn, but everything about that woman was pure sex.
“You better be. Just like that.”
“Or?” she quirked a brow.
“Or I won’t bite you.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”
“My woman has to learn her place.” But he couldn’t even keep a straight face teasing about it.
Neither could she. The sound of her laughter followed him out the door and down the hall toward Blake.
And what he feared was the beginning of the end.
Chapter 14
Parker knew that current events that had come to a boil were about to go nuclear.
And when that happened, Belle was going to be faced with her nature. The primal actuality of what it was to be Asakku.
She would leave him.
It would kill him, but she deserved to find out who she was and to learn how to live with it. To strengthen bonds with her family.
He didn't know what that meant for him, only that he'd wait for her.
As long as he and Tirigan could keep her safe through the coming battle.
With a puff of smoke and a scent like burned marshmallows, Mrs. Westwood appeared next to him in the hallway wearing her matronly form.
He'd expected her. "You know, when you run around like that, it always makes me want sugar cookies."
The witch gave him an indulgent smile. "I know." She handed him three sugar cookies in the shape of wolves. They had little cinnamon candies for eyes and sprinkles for fur.
"Ah, you're the best."
"Well, can't have my baby feeling underappreciated after all of his big boy heroics, can we?"
It amused him that she was deadly serious, and he chomped happily.
"You know where my brother is? He wanted to see me."
"He's waiting for you in his study."
"Kinda thought they'd all be in the boardroom having a war council."
"Everyone's been worried sick about you, Parker. That vampire saved your life."
"Speaking of, is Tirigan around?"
Westwood arched a brow. "Listen. I don't want all of your hard work to be for naught. The magic wards on this house almost popped his head like a tick when you went all roaring like a lion on some Kind of the Jungle bullshit when you were making love to your mate. You know they're keyed to respond to thoughts and intentions before actions. And you can't blame the guy."
Parker smirked. "You know, I find it interesting that the wards didn't harm Randi. She said she'd planned to do harm to Blake."
"Blake Shmake." She waved her hands. "I knew when I laid eyes on the girl she was his mate, so I figured it would all work out in the end. And it seems that it has. At least for them."
"So, where is Tirigan?"
"You leave him alone for now. He's with David. They're doing vampire...things." She wrinkled her nose.
Parker narrowed his eyes. "That's awfully non-specific for you, Westwood. I do believe something's up. Spill. I won't have shenanigans in this house without including me."
He was the only one who could get away with talking to her that way. His insolence would've earned either of his brothers a whack on the head. Parker, however, she tolerated.
Mostly.
He'd earned his fair share of switches and once, she'd actually turned him into a squirrel. To be fair, he'd been chattering in her ear all day and he'd broken several vials of very hard to acquire ingredients. It was no easy feat to acquire a powdered lock of gorgon hair. He'd had it coming.
"Well," she said in a conspiratorial whisper, "they've hit it off smashingly."
"Hit it off? As in..."
"Yes. As in." She smiled. "David is so curious about everything, and Tirigan has a lot of information to share. David is like Belle, in that he doesn't want to be a monster. Tirigan's blood can give him the freedom to do as Belle does."
"It'll be good for him to have a conduit to the modern world, I think. Get more with the times. Less with the slaughter. I like it."
"Me too."
"But what makes you think they're hitting it off in the way you think?"
"Well, I popped into the laboratory unannounced. I needed some silver nitrate. I was out. They were standing toe to toe, and suddenly, Tirigan just grabbed David's hair and laid one on him." She fanned herself. "It was pretty hot."
"Good for them." Parker nodded. "Maybe if his mind is on David, he won't be thinking about murdering me."
"Ah, no. He's always thinking about murdering you, I'm pretty sure" She smiled. "Maybe not always. I actually get the impression he likes you. Who would've thought?"
"Who would've thought, indeed."
"Westwood!" The sound of a small child echoed down the hallways.
"Noah is here?" He was supposed to be tucked away at boarding school to keep him safe from the war.
"A weekend visit."
"Did you give me his cookies?"
"No. Those were for you. I have his here in my pocket." She morphed into a small, black fox. "Catch me if you can, Noah."
A tiny roar echoed through the halls and Westwood took off, a tiny blur of fur following close behind her.
He ate his last cookie before making his way to his brother's study.
The door was open, and he found Blake outside on the terrace that overlooked all of Aphelion. His domain.
His kingdom.
Blake's eyes were hooded and dark, but his shoulders sagged with a giant exhale.
"You absolute shit," Blake said without any real heat and grabbed him for a fierce hug.
They didn't bother with some of the posturing that human males did when they hugged, the shoulder slapping, and back pounding. This was an embrace. Brother to brother. Alpha to pack. A pure, shining bond.
"I thought you were going to die. We all thought you were as good as dead."
"Sorry about that. Some things have to be done, you know?"
"I do know." Blake nodded as he released him. "It's damn good to have you back."
"So, I guess you want the debriefing."
"What actually happened? I mean, I have the progenitor of the Asakku under my roof, and that's not something I ever expected to happen. I've got dragons patrolling the skies and news that Remus is advancing this way with an army of undead."
"Fuck. Those things Ondrej was telling us about?"
"Possibly. Or it could be to distract us from other targets. I wish I could send Randi to Mars until this was over."
"You could send her to the goblin realm."
"She wouldn't go. I know she's strong, but she's pregnant and I..." Blake sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.
"How's our bottom line? What's the board saying?"
Blake waved it off. "Happier than pigs in shit. We're up two points and poised to climb. Our assets are solid and Woolven Industries is safe."
"Good."
"But you know what I need right now? And I blame you. She wants more of those Bissinger’s truffles we had at the wedding. She wants them, and I acquire them, and then she's mad at me for shoving chocolate at her. I don't kno
w what to do here."
"You know what? Buy the whole goddamn company. Then she can take them or leave them as she sees fit." Parker shrugged. "Yeah, maybe I'll do that for you guys for a wedding gift."
Blake nodded in agreement. "I actually feel like she'd accept that coming from you. Although I seem to recall forbidding you to gift her with anything else. Ever."
He was referring to all the weapons he'd hidden in her room that she could use to maim or cause egregious damage to him. Parker snickered. "That was pretty awesome, wasn't it? And hey, without those weapons, her learning that you're a werewolf would've been much harder on her. I'm pretty sure I'm the reason you two ever got together." He smirked.
From the look on his face, Blake still wasn't amused.
But Parker was, and that's really all that mattered.
"Okay, let's get to the debriefing. What do you remember?" Blake handed him a glass of whiskey. "Here, have a drink."
"Don't mind if I do. Wait, it's not that Wolfsbane stuff, is it? That's how I got into all this trouble to start with."
"No, I don't live on the edge like you do."
"Just checking." He took a long pull off the glass and it burned on the way down. Smooth like velvet. "I don't know what I can tell you that you don't already know. The Asakku tracked Belle to the spa and, when I did some recon, I met Tirigan."
"Where did the hunters come from?"
"They had a witch. They were in an alleyway gearing up to storm the fucking castle."
"So it was obviously planned. Organized."
"Well, I'm pretty sure there wasn't a hunt club next door to a supe spa."
"Listen, smartass," Blake growled. "I need every detail so I can protect this pack."
Parker suddenly felt the weight on his brother's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Blake. I just don't remember much."
"Tell me what you do remember."
"The witch had a crystal skull. They knew exactly who and what Tirigan was."
"It will comfort you to know that your mate and her father left no one alive."
"It does comfort me, but why are they targeting us now? We've had a good relationship with the hunters, except for that Breslin freak, for ages. They weren't Breslin's brood."
"That's what I needed to know."
"Have you heard anything from Lenore?"
"No, nothing. But she's in good hands with both the demon wolf and the boogeyman at her side. Peter has gone to ground."
The Mate Mistake (The Woolven Secret Book 3) Page 13
