Buck Naked

by Evangeline Anderson

  “Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, Mathis, please!” As the silvery moonlight poured down on them, she lowered her head and spread her thighs wider, opening her pussy as much as she could to receive him. Giving herself completely and without reservation to his shaft and his seed.

  And then she felt it as she never had with her ex—a hot, wet jet that shot directly into her, directly against the mouth of her womb. She moaned and pressed back against him, wanting to take it all, needing every last drop inside her.

  Yes, oh God, yes—finally!

  Though he had been reluctant earlier, Mathis now seemed wholly committed to the act. He pressed even deeper and continued to spurt. Jet after hot jet of his seed poured directly into her, filling her up in a way she’d never been filled before. There seemed to be more and more of it and Sadie thought hazily that it should be running down her thighs. It wasn’t though—it was almost as though her body was soaking it up like a sponge—soaking it up and begging for more.

  “God, sweetheart—your pussy is so tight!” Mathis groaned. “Love to fuck you and fill you up. Love to come inside you and breed you.”

  “Don’t stop,” Sadie begged him. “Keep filling me, Mathis. Make me yours. Breed me completely.”

  Suddenly it was as though the long, ongoing orgasm reached an even higher peak. An unbearable pleasure pierced her—as jagged as a shard of glass impaling her from within. As it crested within her, Sadie lifted her head and wailed her need and desire to the sky and the moon drifting far above.

  Breeding me . . . he’s breeding me . . . bonding me to him, she thought and knew it was true. Though Mathis had thought it was impossible, she could feel a connection growing between them—a chain forged by the heat of their lust and need for each other, the golden links wrapped inextricably around both of their hearts.

  As soon as she became aware of the connection, she felt not only her own pleasure, but Mathis’s as well. She felt his enjoyment of how tight she was around him, the delicious way her inner channel gripped his shaft like a velvet glove, as well as his desire to bring her pleasure but not hurt her. Even in the middle of his own orgasm, her welfare was his main concern. Sadie knew it, and loved him even more for it.

  For a long moment they strained together and then, finally, the passion began to ebb and the monstrous, marathon orgasm released its grip on her. With a gasping sigh, Sadie collapsed, her heart drumming in her ears as she fell to her side on the mossy ground.

  “You all right, sweetheart?” She felt Mathis’s concern as he followed her to the ground and withdrew carefully. Now that the breeding fever was over, the autumn wind was cold on her exposed flesh. But she had barely started to shiver when his warm, strong arms encircled her and she was drawn close to a broad, muscular chest. “Was it too much for you?” he murmured, cradling her in his arms. His musk filled her nose and Sadie breathed it in gratefully—it seemed to make things better somehow.

  His scent, she thought vaguely. The scent of my mate.

  “I . . . I’m all right.” Her voice was unsteady and breathless, belying her words.

  “You don’t seem all right.” He cradled her tenderly, worry filling his eyes. “Talk to me, Sadie.”

  “I . . .” Sadie swallowed hard. “I just thought for a minute I might pass out. That’s all.” She tried to laugh but somehow it came out as a sob. Turning, she pressed against him and buried her face in his broad chest, shoulders heaving.

  “Sadie? What is it? What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” He sounded anxious as he pulled her to him. “Is the breeding fever not satisfied?”

  “Extremely satisfied.” Sadie sniffed and swiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry—I’m really happy, I swear. That was just so incredibly intense. It was scary. I . . . I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

  “I haven’t either,” he admitted. “Maybe it’s just because you’re a Juvie but I’ve never felt that with a female before. Never felt such an intense connection, I . . .”

  He stopped for a moment and when Sadie looked up to see what was wrong, she saw his eyes were wide with wonder.

  “Mathis?” she asked anxiously.

  “The connection—I feel the connection. The life-bond!” He took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Sadie, I feel what you’re feeling. The chilly wind on your skin, the way you like my scent, the tenderness after having me inside you, the feeling of finally being satiated. I feel all of that.”

  “I felt what you were feeling too, a minute ago.” She smiled at him tentatively. “Does this mean Fiona was right and we were able to form a life-bond?”

  “That’s exactly what it means.” Mathis crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair. “God, sweetheart—I was so worried I would hurt you. That you’d become one of the Unformed!” His voice was muffled and after a moment, Sadie realized he was actually crying.

  “Mathis? Honey?” She stroked his big shoulders, which were trembling slightly.

  “Sorry.” When he pulled back from her, his eyes were damp. “I just . . . after I lost Kathleen, I gave up hope of ever having a female again. Especially one I care for so much. God, Sadie—I love you.”

  He hugged her hard again and Sadie pressed herself against him, feeling loved and cherished and right in a way she never had before. Even back before her marriage had gone to hell, she’d never felt such a connection to her ex. What she had now with Mathis was special—different in a way that was hard to define.

  As she hugged him back, breathing in the scent of his warm, spicy skin and loving the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her, Sadie tried to understand this new feeling. There was something inside her, she thought, something she’d been carrying all her life like a strangely shaped puzzle piece. It hadn’t fit with Jeff or any other man she’d ever been with because none of them had the matching piece. But Mathis did—he had a part in him that fit perfectly with her own part. And once the two jagged shapes had been joined, a connection had been formed between them—a bond that could never be broken.

  “Mathis,” she whispered wonderingly in his ear. “I feel different than I did before we made love. I feel . . . whole. I’ve never felt like this before. Not with anyone.”

  “That’s because you’ve never been with another Shifter before,” he rumbled, smiling at her. “It’s the Gene—it brings us together in a way that’s impossible with anyone else. It forms the life-bond.”

  “The Gene—of course.” Sadie nodded. “Now I see why you said a life-bond is so important. You couldn’t get this kind of connection—feel this kind of intimacy—without it.”

  “Exactly, sweetheart.” He cupped her cheek and looked tenderly into her eyes. “Are you feeling more settled now? I know a first breeding can be intense—especially with a Juvie.”

  “But I’m not a Juvie anymore,” Sadie pointed out, smiling. “Or at least, I’m over the Rejuvenation process. Now I’m a full-fledged Shifter . . .” She frowned. “Aren’t I?”

  “Why don’t we find out?” Mathis was suddenly up on his feet, and pulling her up too.

  “What do you mean?” Sadie asked, looking up at him.

  “I mean it’s time for your first Shift. Do you want to try it?”

  “Will it hurt?” She looked at him uncertainly.

  “Nah—not for a female. The males are the ones who have to bear the pain when Shifting—it was the trade-off they made with Lady Moon during the start of the Shifter Gene, back in the caveman days.”

  “Lady Moon, huh?” Sadie arched an eyebrow at him. “I thought you said you didn’t believe in her.”

  Mathis grinned and shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders glinting silver in the moonlight. “Maybe I changed my mind. Maybe Fiona was right and my other bonding was so brief I was able to form another bond. Or maybe . . .”

  “Maybe there is a Lady Moon and she did have a hand in it,” Sadie finished for him, thoughtfully. If that was the case, she was ready to convert to Moonism. Or Moony-ism. Or whatever you called it—she should ask Fiona, she
would know.

  “So do you want to try it? You ready for your first Shift?” Mathis asked.

  Sadie felt a thrill of fear and excitement mingling in her belly.

  “I do want to try it—but how?”

  “Close your eyes,” Mathis directed. “Feel the forest. And then feel the moon—let her tug on you—tug you into another form.”

  Sadie closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She felt the chilly autumn air around her, smelled the green, loamy scent of the forest at night, heard the crickets chirruping and the birds calling. When she opened her mouth, she swore she could taste the moonlight—airy and sweet and tempting.

  Come, child, she heard a high, silvery voice calling her. Come find your true form . . . come run with the moon.

  Yes, Sadie thought. Yes, that’s what I want—to run with the moon!

  Suddenly, she felt herself changing—almost as though her body was made of modeling clay and some hand much larger than her own was remolding her into a new shape. The process felt strange but it didn’t hurt at all. In fact, it made Sadie tingle all over. Somehow she knew that the piercing pleasure-pain she’d just experienced had been for this purpose—to get her body ready for the transformation. It wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

  The thought was there and gone so swiftly she barely had time to examine it. So much was happening to her. Her arms were growing longer and her legs were bending in a new and exciting way. Her ears were moving to the top of her head and her nose and mouth were elongating, turning into a long soft muzzle. As she watched, her fingers fused together into hooves and a soft, warm coat of fur flowed over her body, covering her human skin in a layer much warmer and thicker than she was used to.

  At last she felt the process was finished. Stamping one hoof in the soft moss of the forest floor, she turned to face Mathis.

  He was looking at her with love and pride filling his eyes.

  “God, sweetheart—your Doe is beautiful.” His deep voice was hoarse with emotion and he reached out one big hand to stroke her, just as Sadie had stroked him when he was in his Buck form.

  Sadie liked the feel of his big warm palm and long strong fingers stroking her hide. Snorting softly, she nudged his hand, asking for more caresses. He laughed and complied, rubbing around the sensitive bases of her ears where Sadie found she now loved to be scratched. She stamped again and nudged him harder, wanting more. But to her disappointment, Mathis stopped and pulled his big hand away.

  “It’s time, Sadie.” He was looking at her seriously, his eyes filled with a quiet joy louder than a shout. “Time for me to Shift so we can run together.”

  Sadie snorted and nodded her head eagerly. Yes—her mate! In human form he was a man she felt a connection to. But in Buck form he would be her mate—the one she wanted to run with.

  Mathis took a step back and let his own Shift overtake him. Sadie watched impatiently through the eyes of her Doe, waiting for him to finish. She was suddenly filled with energy and she wanted to run! To leap and bound across the forest, feeling the springy turf give under her hooves as she raced like the wind, swifter than she could ever be as a slow two-legged human.

  Bones shifted, muscles moved, hands and feet became hooves, and fur flowed. At last Mathis stood before her, the moonlight glinting off his huge antlers. He pawed the ground with one immense hoof and snorted a question, Are you ready?

  Yes! Sadie’s heart leapt within her. Yes, ready—so ready!

  Then come!

  The huge Buck took off, bounding over a fallen log and crashing into the underbrush. Sadie sprang after him, feeling incredibly fast, impossibly light, and endlessly happy.

  It was time to run under the moon and race with her mate. It was time to be free.

  Twenty-four

  Mathis didn’t know how long or how far they ran that night. He only knew when he brought Sadie back to his cabin and they both Shifted back to human form, he was damn near worn out.

  Sadie, when she shrank back down to her regular self, looked all done in too. Mathis knew how she was feeling—the first Shift was always taxing. She was going to need a lot of TLC to get over it. Which he was more than happy to provide.

  “Hey . . .” he murmured as she took a step and wobbled, nearly losing her balance. “You okay?”

  “I think so.” Sadie put a hand to her head. “I’m just a little dizzy. That was amazing!”

  “You’re amazing,” Mathis growled, swinging her into his arms. “C’mon, sweetheart, a hot bath and then to bed.”

  “Sounds perfect.” She relaxed in his arms and let him carry her into his huge bathroom.

  Mathis ran a steaming bath with plenty of bath salts to soak away the muscle aches. He got in first and then beckoned for Sadie to climb in with him.

  “Mmm,” she murmured, settling between his legs and leaning back against his chest. “This is nice.”

  “I always take a soak after I Shift.” Mathis wet a large porous sponge and began to squeeze the warm water over her body in a leisurely way. “Helps with the post-Shift aches and pains.”

  “I don’t feel that achy,” Sadie protested drowsily. “I just feel all stretched out somehow—like I just did the most amazing yoga class in the world.”

  Mathis laughed and squeezed some water over her head.

  “Hey!” She sat up and turned around, splashing some water at him to get him back.

  Mathis grinned and flicked water at her. “Feeling frisky again, sweetheart?”

  Sadie blushed. “I might be—in a minute. But first I want to examine you.”

  “Examine me? What are you talking about?”

  But she was already up on her knees and bending over to look at his shoulders and neck.

  “I couldn’t see very well in the moonlight,” she explained. “But I wanted to make sure there aren’t any deep wounds where Keller’s Cougar bit you.”

  Mathis submitted to her inspection easily enough. Her current position put her full, swaying breasts and tight pink nipples right in front of his face—she could inspect him all night if she wanted to. Unable to help himself, he tilted his face up and sucked one dark pink nub into his mouth. Circling it slowly with his tongue, he drew hard, taking her peak deep as he reached up and cupped her other breast. Idly he flicked her other nipple with his thumb.

  “Mathis!” Sadie protested breathlessly. “Be serious! I’m trying to see if you’re hurt.”

  But Mathis couldn’t help noticing she made no move to draw away from him—and the inspection of his shoulder and neck seemed to be taking an awfully long time. Not that he minded.

  At last Sadie drew back, moaning a little as one tight nipple slipped from his lips and he released her other tender nub reluctantly.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, frowning. “I only see a few scratches here and there. How can that be? That Cougar had fangs like a freaking saber-toothed tiger and I saw him sink them right into your throat! Why aren’t you more injured?”

  “You’re complaining?” Mathis raised an eyebrow at her. “You wanted to nurse me back to health or something?”

  “No, of course not. I’m grateful.” Sadie put her hands on his shoulders and stared at him earnestly. “I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

  “Well, I told you my Buck’s hide is a hell of a lot thicker than human skin,” he pointed out.

  “True.” Sadie looked thoughtful. “I felt that when I turned into my . . .” She looked at him shyly. “Into my Doe. But still . . .”

  “He did get me pretty deep,” Mathis admitted. “Those fuckin’ butcher knives the Cats have for teeth are nothing to mess with. But my Buck’s hide protected me some and Shifting back and forth from human to animal helped with the rest.”

  “Really? You can—I mean, we can heal ourselves that way?” Sadie looked surprised and pleased.

  “Only to a certain extent,” Mathis cautioned her. “Really traumatic injuries—broken bones, skull fractures, internal organs being crushed or torn—those are a lot
harder to heal. We Shifters are tough to kill but we’re still mortal, Sadie—still vulnerable.”

  “You mean . . .” She bit her lip and looked down, splashing aimlessly in the bath water. “Like the kinds of injuries you gave Keller tonight?”

  “I only did to him what he would have done to me if he’d been able,” Mathis said grimly. “It was a fair fight over a female and I won—are you sorry about that?”

  “No, of course not!” Sadie looked up, her eyes wide. “I don’t want to be with anyone but you, Mathis—you know that. I would have never been happy with Keller. I just . . . just wish no one had to die on my account.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Mathis stroked her flushed cheek, loving her for her compassionate heart. “Keller’s a top Alpha and a tough son of a bitch. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not dead. Wasn’t your sister, the famous trauma surgeon, seeing to him before we left?”

  “Well yes, but she’s a people surgeon, not a vet,” Sadie objected. “I don’t know how much she could have done for him in his Cougar form.”

  “Keller would know that,” Mathis said. “He’d try to Shift back so she could treat him. I’d say if he survives or not will depend on if he could manage another Shift, both to help knit some of his injuries together and to let your sister work on a human body instead of an animal one.”

  “But do you think he could?” Sadie asked. “I mean, I heard his bones breaking and . . . and there was so much blood.” She shivered.

  “Don’t know,” Mathis said honestly. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t mean to get so rough with him. I would have been able to control myself better in human form but when some fool shot a hole in the ceiling and let the moonlight in, well . . .” He shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself. Every Shifter, young and old, male and female, has to answer the call of the moonlight when it touches you on a full-moon night. When that happens, you’re powerless to stop it.”