Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 1)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “I think this is the best spot.” He put down his pack and started pulling out blankets before unrolling a sleeping bag.

  It looked and felt just like the one in the truck. “How’d you find this?”

  “The wolves must have pulled out some of our stuff before they burned it.”

  “Are we going to use it again, for old times’ sake?” My body warmed thinking about exactly what memories we made inside it.

  “It does hold a special place in my heart.”

  I laughed. “Our first time together was undoubtedly memorable.”

  “Easily my most memorable experience.” He slipped his hand up under my sweater. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I’ve missed you too.” I ran my fingers over his arm.

  “I need you.” He kissed me hard on the mouth taking away any restraint I had. I kissed him back. He tasted so good, so strong, so intoxicating. It felt like a lifetime since the last time his lips had been on mine, and I needed every touch of his I could get.

  “You can have me.” The setting wasn’t ideal, but I knew exactly how he felt. Every inch of me craved him, and a week of bottled up emotions left me desperate for more of his touch.

  “I promise I’m going to take care of you. I promise that I’ll never let you down again.” His lips brushed against my ear.

  “You didn’t let me down. None of this was your fault.”

  “Yes it was, but I’ll make up for it. I promise you that.”

  “And I promise the same.” If I was getting another chance at freedom—at Gage, I wasn’t messing it up. I pushed away any doubts Hunter had put into my head. He was only trying to upset me, to make me feel alone.

  There was something real between Gage and me. It went beyond my crazy fantasies and the years of pining. If we were going to make it work I’d have to move past those old dreams, to accept the real Gage—the one whose lips were currently moving to my neck and setting me on fire.

  “Make me forget everything, Gage.”

  “You can forget everything except what happened in the truck. I’m not letting you forget that.”

  “I don’t ever want to forget that.” I slipped my hand under the back of his sweater. “And I couldn’t possibly forget it. As crazy as this sounds, it was probably the best night of my life.”

  He chuckled. “It’s not crazy, because I feel the same way. But, MaryAnne?” His hand cupped my chin.

  “Yes?”

  “Contrary to these first few times, I will make things romantic.”

  “I don’t know what you mean. What could be more romantic than the back of your truck or an abandoned house?”

  He laughed. “Just wait and see.”

  “I plan on it.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Gage

  I needed her. I didn’t care about where we were, I needed Mary Anne, and I was going to have her. I pulled off her sweater and cami in one motion, discarding her bra just as quickly. She pulled off my sweater and rewarded my bare skin with tiny kisses all around my neck and down to my chest.

  I snapped myself out of the fog created by her touch long enough to slip off her jeans and panties. I needed her naked. I fondled one breast while my lips settled on the other. She moaned, turning me on more. My jeans tightened, but she gave me relief moments later when she undid my belt and released me. She took me in her hand, gently stroking me without saying a word.

  I slipped a hand between her legs. She opened right up to me. Gone was the hesitation she’d shown in the truck. It’s as though our time apart had made hesitation pointless, and it made me realize how quickly something could be taken from you.

  She was never being taken away from me again. During the week we spent together as captives, I discovered my feelings for her went far deeper than a passing attraction. I’d have given anything to protect her, and I wanted her—no needed her in my life.

  “Gage.” She said my name so softly, so gently. It matched the way her hand worked over me, but it was at odds with her heavy breathing.

  “Yeah?”

  “I need you.”

  “I know.” I grazed my teeth over her nipple. “I need you too.”

  “I don’t want this to be it for us.”

  “It won’t be.” The room was too dark to look directly into her eyes, but she needed to know that this wasn’t a passing fling for me. “We’re going to make it through this, and then we can be together anytime we want.”

  “Anytime?”

  “Anytime. You better get used to having me around, because you’re going to be seeing a lot of me at home and school.”

  “Good. That almost makes all this hell worth it.”

  “Only almost?” I moved my lips to her neck.

  “It got a little scary there for a second.”

  “Just a second?”

  She laughed. “Let’s stop talking about that. I just want to think about us.”

  “Me too.”

  She sighed as I positioned myself over her. I didn’t say anything, I just looked down at her, wishing there was more light. I wanted to see her—I wanted to memorize every inch of her body. There’d be time for that later, but at the moment the only thing that mattered was having her, connecting with her in a physical way again.

  “Gage.” She moaned my name as soon as I thrust into her. She opened her legs, welcoming me back to what I knew was becoming my favorite place. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. The action drove me wild. She’d told me she wanted things hard, but I wanted to take her gentle this time, I wanted to show her that there was more to me than animalistic sex. After being with the wolves I wanted to remind both of us that we were human.

  My resolve lasted all of a minute. She dug her nails into my back, and the primal side of me took over. I needed her, and she needed me. She moaned her agreement, encouraging me to continue with harder and deeper thrusts until neither of us could hold on any longer.

  I stayed on top of her, not willing to pull out and leave the comfort that only she could provide. When I did move, it was only to shift next to her and hold her in my arms. I wasn’t letting go.

  ***

  I could get used to waking up with Mary Anne in my arms. Very used to it. Her body fit so perfectly in my arms, and her soft breathing made it seem like everything was okay, even if just for a moment.

  Sunlight streamed in through a crack in the boards covering the windows. She stirred. “Gage.”

  I grinned. Goofy grinned. She was dreaming about me. At least I knew I was making an impression.

  “Morning, beautiful,” I murmured into her neck, brushing my lips gently over her skin.

  She mumbled again. “Gage?”

  “It's me.” I resisted the urge to add ‘who else would it be’? It was too soon to mess with those wounds.

  “It’s morning?” She rubbed her eyes in an adorable way.

  “It is. We survived the night.” I trailed my fingers down her side.

  “Is it still snowing?”

  “I can't tell yet.” I reluctantly slipped out of the sleeping bag and peered out, not bothering to get dressed yet.

  “It should be illegal to have an ass like that.”

  I turned and laughed. She blushed slightly. “What? Not going to say the same thing about my front?”

  She blushed even more. “Is it snowing?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” She sat up. “Can you hand me my clothes?”

  “Hey, don't I get to ogle you too?”

  “It's too cold.”

  “Oh, you’re cold?” I got back into the sleeping bag.

  “We need to go.”

  “If I’ve learned anything the past few days it's that you never know when you’ll get another chance.” I cupped both of her breasts with my hands.

  “Gage.”

  “Mary Anne. Is this when you tell me no?”

  “No. This is when I tell you yes.” She moved on top of me, “All that control talk with Falcon made m
e want to try this.”

  “Wait. You've never been on top before?”

  “How much sex do you think I've had?”

  “You said you weren't a virgin.”

  “I wasn't, but let me put it this way. You've officially doubled the amount of times.”

  “Nice.” I pulled her head down to mine. I didn't want to corrupt an innocent girl, but I liked knowing she'd been with me way more than any other guy.

  She fumbled under the blankets, trying to line us up. I waited as patiently as possible. There was something so cute about her inexperience, and I was afraid offering to help would kill her confidence.

  A few moments later I got the pleasure I was waiting for.

  She moved slowly on top of me until she got frustrated by the sleeping bag and unzipped it. Freed from the confines of the bag, she moved faster, navigating me inside her with precision. I closed my eyes and let her do whatever she wanted. Being inside of her was a pleasure that nothing else could compare with.

  All too soon I felt myself nearing release. Her breathing picked up, and I hoped she was feeling half as good as I was.

  She yelled out right before I shuddered, and she fell down on top of me.

  “Still cold?” I asked once my breathing returned to normal.

  “Nope.” She smiled. “Was that ok?”

  “Okay?” I ran my hands up and down her back. “No.”

  Her face fell.

  “Babe, it was great. How could you not know that?”

  She buried her face in my shoulder.

  I ran a hand through her hair. “You’re incredible and I can’t wait to keep exploring with you.”

  “So you're serious? You want to see where things go?”

  “No. I don't just want to wait and see. I want to be with you. I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight for a while.”

  She shivered. “We should go.”

  “I know.”

  We got dressed quickly and packed up our stuff. It was only after we stepped out into the cold that my fear returned. We needed to find the road before the wolves found us first.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mary Anne

  Sex with Gage set me on fire. The last two times there was something else there too. An emotional connection that was impossible to ignore. I followed him along the snow covered railroad tracks with a mix of anxiety and elation. I knew we weren't out of danger yet, but the thought of a future with Gage made everything else feel okay.

  A few miles down, a road came into view. “We made it.” If my feet weren’t already freezing I probably would have jumped up and down.

  He exhaled loudly. “Finally.”

  “Did you doubt it?” I wrapped my hand around his arm, loving the feel of his muscles. Genevieve would be rolling her eyes, but I couldn’t help it. I loved how strong he was.

  “Not exactly, but I couldn't stand thinking I’d let you down again.”

  “You didn’t, and this isn't all on you. I'm supposed to be helping too.”

  “Oh, you're helping.” He smiled. “You're keeping me sane and satisfied, all the important things.”

  “Same to you.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Good. I'm glad I’m doing both, it means you like me for more than my body.”

  “How do you know? Maybe it's your body keeping me sane?” I smiled.

  “Nah, that would be the part driving you crazy and making you anything but sane.”

  I laughed. “Good point.”

  We walked along the road, not sure exactly how far away the next town was and wondering when a car would come by. It was a rarely used back road by the looks of it, but there were a few track marks on the snow.

  “Do you think people will believe us? I mean we have no IDs or phones, so we’re going to have to rely on someone else for help.”

  “Someone will let us use a phone. That’s all we need.”

  “True. Hopefully no one found your truck yet.” I needed to believe my parents were spared the heartbreak. I couldn’t even imagine what my parents were going through otherwise.

  “I know.” He looked off into the distance. “I'm going to miss Bessy.”

  “I'm guessing insurance doesn't cover crazy wolves burning it in the woods.”

  “Nope, but we weren't in it when it burned, so I can't complain too much.”

  I leaned into his side, so grateful that we were both alive and together. “Exactly.”

  The sound of an engine behind us had us both turning. Gage pushed me behind him. A large green SUV slowed down in front of us. What would have been a welcome sight before meeting the wolves now had us both tense.

  “Need some help?” A light female voice asked from the partially opened window. The window was tinted so we couldn’t see anything.

  Gage and I looked at each other. Neither of us were feeling particularly trusting.

  He answered for us. “I think we're ok. How far is the next town though?”

  The driver rolled down the window more. I watched Gage's face relax when he saw the speaker. She was a beautiful brunette not much older than us. “It’s a good six miles further. Let me give you two a lift. It's freezing out.”

  “No. it’s okay.” A pretty girl didn't make me more trustful, it made me less.

  Gage squeezed my hand. I expected him to argue with me, but he didn’t. “That’s all right, but thanks.” He tugged on my hand slightly to get me walking.

  “I think you might want to change your mind,” the girl called from the car.

  “We're fine.” I replied without turning around.

  The engine cut, so I started walking faster. What could these people want? After everything we’d been through, I knew it probably wasn’t anything good. I was never a particularly trusting person, but after my experience with the wolves I was skeptical of everyone.

  Seconds later there was a hand on my shoulder whirling me around. “Ignoring us was a big mistake.”

  I took in a breath. I was looking into the face of a girl who looked remarkably similar to me. She had the same long red hair and green eyes.

  I just stared at the girl in front of me. “Who are you?”

  “Who am I? Shouldn’t the question be ‘who are you’? I mean you do reek of my ex, which seems silly when you have a man like that available.” Her eyes raked over Gage.

  “Uh, we really don't want trouble. So if you don’t mind we'll be going.” Gage put his arm around me.

  “No trouble? Oh honey, you'll be no trouble at all. I’m sure you’ll be fun.” She licked her lips before turning to me. “This tramp will be trouble though.”

  “Tramp?” My eyes probably bugged out of my head.

  “Let's go.” Gage started to turn around.

  “You're not going anywhere, honey.” She grabbed his arm. “And to think Hunter tried to keep you from me. He was always a jealous boy.”

  “Hunter?” Gage exhale loudly.

  “I take it you aren't a fan of his either?”

  “He tried to steal my girlfriend and kept us captive. Not really.”

  Was this the same ex that got taken by the witches?

  “You should have let him have her. I assure you, you'll have more fun with us.” She wrapped her hand around his bicep. “Come along, now.”

  He shrugged her off. “We're not going anywhere with you.”

  “Oh yes, you are.”

  “Not a chance.” He stepped toward her. “Get out of our way.”

  Her eyes locked on his, and she held her hand out in front of her.

  “What the hell?” Gage stood frozen. “I can't move.”

  I reached for him. “Leave us alone.” Was she a witch now too? Damn it, were we ever going to catch a break?

  She turned to me. “Now what do we do with you? What do you think, Helen?” she called to the driver who was now outside the SUV. “Can we use her for something?”

  “I don't know… why not give her back to Hunter? Maybe the guy deserves a toy. We all know he likes red h
eads.” Helen laughed.

  “I wonder how much he wants her…. maybe he'd pay.”

  “I bet he would.” Helen chewed on her fingernail.

  The red haired one held out her hand in front of her while she looked at me.

  I felt a strange tingling sensation. I tried to move, but every inch of me was stuck. Including my mouth.

  “What's the problem, cat got your tongue?” She laughed.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Evidently Gage's mouth still worked just fine.

  “Stop trying to play the hero honey, that's not what we want from you.”

  “Then what do you want?”

  Please let someone else come by, I said over and over in my head.

  “You'll see. I knew Hunter had caught me a new pet, I had no idea how nice though.” She grabbed his arm and tugged him toward the back of the SUV. He wasn’t fighting it, but by the confused and angry expression on his face, he wasn’t going on his own accord.

  Hunter’s ex turned to me. “I'm trying to decide whether to leave you out here to freeze or bring you home. I'm not sure which would be better.” she pushed Gage in and slammed the door.

  “Tough decision.” Helen laughed. “Leave her, Vanessa. Maybe Hunter will find her body. That would piss him off, wouldn't it?”

  Vanessa grinned. “Good idea. That way we don’t have to dispose of her.” She walked around to the passenger side of the car. “Have a nice day, tramp. I can't wait to find out just how good your boy here is. I'm sure he'll forget about you in about what… hmm five minutes.” She slammed her door. Helen walked over and spit in my face before she got in the driver’s seat. Moments later she started the SUV and drove away.

  This was it. Gage was gone, and I was going to freeze to death on the side of the road. Tears slid down my face. Evidently she hadn't frozen those.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Gage

  “No! You can’t leave her here!” I screamed on the top of my lungs as I listened to the girls taunt Mary Anne as they drove away.

  I was thanked by losing the ability to speak. These had to have been the witches Hunter had warned Mary Anne about. I guess he wasn't lying.

  My heart nearly beat out of my chest as the girls continued down the road. The red head turned to the driver. “Now that we got rid of the garbage, we can head home.”