Every time Taggert stroked himself, Jackson reciprocated, flexing his hips, and she couldn’t hold back her groan, the combination of sensory and visual overload overwhelming her senses.
Taggert would move faster, then slow down, Jackson mimicking his every move, both of them tormenting her. She couldn’t help squirming against Jackson, then hissed out a breath when he cupped her breasts. One of his hands slid lower, skimming down her stomach. The moment his fingers touched her intimately, her world exploded.
Jackson grunted, his rhythm becoming erratic as he followed her over the edge, Taggert joining them not a second later. Warm arms picked her up, but Raven was too tired to protest, snuggling into Taggert’s warmth. She was deposited on the bed, and seconds later both Taggert and Jackson joined her, one on each side.
They ran their hands down her body, the effect calming, the scent of cut grass and forest blending to wrap around her, dragging her into unconsciousness…but she wasn’t alone there. A deep ache began in her bones, a burning heat that spread outward, consuming her flesh, searing her skin, until every inch of her was on fire.
Something stretched throughout her body, drowning out everything but the heat, like she’d swallowed flames, and it left her gasping for air.
Her body cooled gradually, the fever finally broke, and the dragon roused from its slumber.
Chapter Twenty-one
A sharp knock on the door jerked Raven awake. She stretched, but only cool sheets met her fingertips. The room was dark, which meant she must have slept the day away. She reluctantly scooted out of bed, noting her clothes were neatly folded at the end, no doubt thanks to Taggert.
The knock sounded again, and she called out, “One second.”
She hurried to the bathroom, splashing water on her face and dressed quickly, pausing when she saw the dragon tattoo on her side had once again grown even larger. Even as she watched, it flexed its claws, the creature slithering across her body, her tail lashing playfully, almost as if the little beast was swimming under her skin. The sensation should’ve sent agony twisting through her insides, but she only felt a tingling sensation.
Raven tried to sense the dragon, but all she felt was pure power.
There was no separation between her human self or the beast.
When she peered into the mirror, her pewter eyes looked like molten metal, stormy and full of power. And every so often a swirl of blue would move through their depths, resembling the crackle of lightning. Raven continued to stare in disbelief, but the image never changed.
She escaped the bathroom, not surprised that her powers had changed once more, but this time felt different. It felt complete. She wasn’t sure what it meant yet, but her normal fear was absent. Whatever the changes, she knew she would be better able to protect her pack.
Raven opened the door to her bedroom, surprised to find London waiting patiently in the hall. When he met her gaze, he inhaled sharply then bowed his head in submission, and she frowned. “You know I hate it when you do that.”
He straightened to his full height, which was only a few inches above hers, his powerful frame almost seeming to bulk up in the hallway. “Queen.”
Raven blinked at his strange behavior, then rested her hand against his forehead, checking for a fever. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
His normal grumpiness took over his face, and he snorted. “The visitors have made a decision.”
Raven fell into step beside him, easily keeping pace with him as they descended the stairs. When she would’ve headed toward the library, London hooked her elbow, gently guiding her toward the kitchen. The room was blessedly empty. The aroma of coffee struck her first, and she inhaled deeply.
To her surprise, other scents quickly filtered through her brain, everything from the people who’d been in the room that morning down to the little mouse scurrying under the stove. The overload of sensations was dizzying.
“Here.” London guided her to a chair, shoving it behind her knees, forcing her to sit, and she plopped down inelegantly. When she scanned the table, everything looked normal for a few seconds, then her sight sharpened, and she could count the individual grains in the wood.
The trickle of liquid pounded in her head, and she spun around to see London pouring her coffee. A sharp ringing echoed in her ears, and she shook her head. “What’s happening?”
“Your senses are coming alive.” London set a cup in front of her, carefully wrapping her hands around it. “Most shifters have months, even years to get used to them. You’ve only had weeks. They usually don’t come online all at once, either.”
Raven gratefully took a sip of the coffee, nearly groaning at the burst of flavor. “This is how you normally feel?”
“Most shifters have the ability to turn down their senses or tune them out.” London went to the fridge, grabbed an armful of food, and began to hack off a large slice of bread, putting together sandwiches, his specialty. “It can take practice, but you want to make sure you don’t cut them off completely, because they’re what keeps you alive.”
He picked up the ten-inch knife and cut the inch-thick sandwich in half, carefully placing the larger portion of it on a plate, and setting it in front of her, nudging it closer when she didn’t pick it up right away.
Even when he turned his back to retrieve the other half of the sandwich, he kept his body turned in order to watch her. Only when she grabbed the food did he grunt, his shoulders relaxing as he took a big bite, devouring his food in seconds.
Flavors burst on her tongue, and she realized she was just as ravenous, finishing off her share almost as quickly. She looked up, then froze when she saw London smiling slightly. She quickly rubbed her face, half-expecting to find it covered with mustard. “What?”
The old London quickly returned, and he huffed out a breath, as if exasperated. “You need people to take care of you.”
“You mean you?” She looked at him questioningly.
He shrugged, glanced down almost bashfully, a red tinge to his cheeks as he grumbled a reply. “Yes.”
“I thought bears preferred to be alone.” Raven couldn’t help her curiosity, but butterflies took flight in her stomach at what he was asking. She had to be sure.
“Small black bears are very sociable and immediate family members actually share a small pack. Brown bears are a little different, because once the children grow up, they’re chased off.”
“And the Kodiak?”
He stared at her intently. “Smaller animals are pack animals, because they need to work as a group to take down their prey. Kodiak bears are large apex predators. We don’t need the help.”
Raven thought about it, then nodded. She didn’t like being crowded either. But her pack was different. “Doesn’t that get lonely?”
London shrugged a massive shoulder. “Not really. We’re not territorial. As long as there’s enough food, we don’t really care if there are other bears or animals on our land.” He gave her a smile that showed off his very white, very sharp teeth. “The ones who try to take food away from a Kodiak are either desperate or believe they’re stronger.”
She’d seen the man eat. If anyone tried to take his sandwich, she had no doubt they would lose a hand. He would either bite it off or rip the arm clear out just to prove his point. The smell of leaves in the autumn surrounded her, and she was startled to notice how close he was standing.
He was a big man, not necessarily tall, but packed with muscles. His black hair was a little longer than his normal short cut, his thick brows drawn into a straight line, his unsmiling expression making him intimidating as hell. He lived life like he drove his cars—like everyone else should get the hell out of his way or he would make them.
“Why stay here?” She considered him a valuable member of her pack, but she honestly didn’t know why he stayed. “Did you claim this land before me, or did you stake your claim knowing I was here?”
“While we roam wide ranges of land, bears usually stay within our territories. Female
s are usually more territorial because of their cubs.” While he grabbed her plate and set it in the sink, she noticed that he hadn’t really answered her question.
“Why stay here? What would drive a Kodiak out of his territory?” She asked the question more to herself than him.
“A bigger predator, sometimes the human population, a lack of food.”
But nothing explained why he moved here. “You joined the pack the same way I joined…kicking and screaming. Dominick bullied you into helping the others.”
“No, Dominick didn’t even have to ask. He invited me to one meeting, and I never left.” He turned and leaned against the counter, crossing those big arms of his tightly, as if holding back his animal counterpart.
Raven frowned at him, trying to place when she’d first met him. “We were on a case.”
“And you were in over your head.”
Raven snorted. “I’m not sure that’s ever changed.”
He gave her a brief smile. “No, it hasn’t.”
“You stayed—”
“Even back then you were a little bit of a thing, but you had the tenacity of a juggernaut. You wouldn’t relent, wouldn’t give up, insisted on doing the right thing, determined to help others despite the danger to yourself.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “You should’ve run when you had the chance.”
“I did.” He stared directly at her, never once shying away. “I ran right to you, and I’ve never left.” Raven gaped at him, and he continued before she could form a coherent thought. “Even after the rest left to work other cases, I remained close.”
“Where?” She was bewildered. No one else stayed in the mansion until a few months ago.
“The woods.” He shrugged, as if it was no big deal.
“You kept the predators away, protecting me all this time.” She wasn’t sure how she knew it, but she had no doubt she was right. “Why?”
“I protect what’s mine.”
He said it so calmly, she blinked at him, not comprehending at first. He valued his freedom…didn’t he? “And when did you decide that?”
“The first day we met.” He straightened slowly, as if afraid that she might run. “My bear immediately knew that you were the bigger, stronger predator in the area, and he was extremely curious. He’s never met anyone stronger that he didn’t have the urge to fight. That you are female only made you more interesting. From the first day, we claimed you as ours.”
Raven shook her head, floored by his answers. “Why did you never say anything?”
“You would’ve run.” Such a simple, heart-wrenching answer. “Bears can be very patient when they want something enough.” He walked closer until he was looming over her.
Heat swamped her cheeks at his confession, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. “Why now?”
He reached out, rubbing strands of her hair between his fingers. It was one of the very few times that he’d touched her outside of beating the crap out of her and calling it training. “Things are changing. Danger is closing in around us.”
He brushed the back of his knuckles under her chin, raising her face to his. “You’re ready.”
When he dropped his hand, she breathed a sigh of relief, not sure if he was right. Things were changing so fast her head was spinning.
“Come.” London held out his hand to her.
He was asking for more than just her hand, and her heart thumped hard against her ribs. When she looked back on their life, she was startled to realize that London had always been there, hovering in the background, protecting her. He was silent, never getting too close, but he was always there when they needed him…when she needed him.
He never asked questions, never complained, a silent companion she trusted with her life. And he’d somehow snuck past her defenses when she wasn’t paying attention. Though the man was impossible to miss when he entered a room due to his size, she had never been afraid of him.
He was her protector.
She trustingly placed her hand in his, and he pulled her to her feet. Instead of releasing her, he gathered her tight against him, and she blushed like a schoolgirl with a crush on the teacher. It was both exciting and terrifying. With the others, falling in love happened fast, the attraction immediate.
London was so intimidating, she’d always avoided him.
In fact, she’d assumed he considered her an annoying pest.
She now suspected her uncomfortable feelings around him had been unrequited attraction, not intimidation and unease. Raven rested her hand on his chest, the solid wall of him warm beneath her fingertips.
“I want to be more than just a member of the pack. Let me prove to you that you want the same.” He reached down, grabbed the backs of her thighs and picked her up with an ease that made her breath catch. He turned and set her on the countertop, pinning her in place, but Raven was too enthralled to want to escape.
What she didn’t expect was for him to pull his shirt over his head, baring himself to her.
He was massive.
All muscle on muscle.
Dark hair covered his chest and tapered down to his belly button, the smell of him sharpening, the leaves turning musky and addicting. She couldn’t look away, fascinated by the heat radiating from him, the urge to touch curling through her like a craving.
He then lifted his arms away from his body, not the least bit shy, letting her inspect him, and she snorted at his lack of modesty. Shifters weren’t shy about nudity, but she hadn’t grown up around them. It still took her by surprise.
As she studied him, she was flabbergasted to realize that this was him courting her. He didn’t give her flowers or offer her candy, take her to the movies or out on dates.
He was offering himself.
“You don’t need my permission to touch me.” He ducked his head so their eyes met. “Any of us would welcome the attention at any time.”
Raven blushed to realize that the rest of the guys had to know exactly what was going on in the kitchen. Of course they knew…it was probably the only reason the whole pack hadn’t barged in to join them.
He read her expression and smiled gently. “My decision isn’t a surprise. We’ve been dancing around it for a while.”
The fuck it wasn’t!
Because it sure in hell took her by surprise.
When he asked to be part of the pack, she agreed.
She never expected him to want more, not so soon.
“In fact, the guys knew the truth the second they saw me.” He lowered his arms, resting them on either side of her, leaning into her personal space as if he didn’t like the distance between them. “There is only one reason a bear shifter remains in one area.”
The smile he gave her was slow and intimate, and she found herself leaning closer, her heart suddenly fragile. “Me?”
“You.”
She edged forward, expecting a kiss, when he straightened abruptly, and she found her face practically smashed against his chest. She peered up at him in confusion.
“I want my bite.”
She bit her lip, shocked to realize that she was seriously thinking about claiming him when they hadn’t even shared a kiss. For some reason, it mattered to her. “Kiss me.”
He immediately shook his head. “Bite first.”
A light dusting of red swept across his cheeks at the demand.
He was completely serious. He was so tense she half-expected his bones to crack under the strain. He wanted her mark, proof of her claim, and he was holding himself away from her, using the only leverage he thought he had.
He expected to be found lacking and rejected…like she did when she’d taken his blood earlier and hadn’t marked him, and she suddenly realized how much she must have hurt him.
Very slowly, she cupped his jaw, waiting until she was sure she had his full attention. He stilled so completely, she wasn’t sure if he was even breathing. His brown eyes were so dark, they appeared bottomless. She’d always thought they were hard and judgmental, but sh
e realized that they were simply guarded.
“You are part of my pack, bite or no bite.” Raven ran her fingers over the rough stubble on his jaw. “Bears are solitary creatures. Are you sure this is what you want? My life is only going to become more hectic. More people are noticing us. You’ll be dragged into the spotlight with me. If you bear my mark, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to let you go. You’ll be more than a pack member, you’ll be my mate.”
He reached up, gently rubbing her hair between his fingers again, seemingly fascinated by the strands. “You will never be able to run from me. I’ll have the right to protect you openly…touch you whenever I want.” He lifted his heavy gaze and met her gaze directly. “It’s a fair trade.”
A compromise.
Something she never thought would’ve occurred to him.
That’s when she knew he was completely serious. Pure joy burst to life, her heart squeezing at the thought of this huge, occasionally grumpy bear being hers alone. “You love me.”
He scowled. “Of course.”
She snorted at his matter-of-fact attitude. She wanted to know why he didn’t tell her sooner, but she’d been a fool. He’d been telling her every single day by simply remaining at her side, unflinching in the face of the dangers. He told her every time he fed her. He told her every time he saved her a cup of coffee in the morning.
Almost giddy, Raven couldn’t hold back any longer, allowing her legs to curl around and lock behind the backs of his thighs. “Where?”
His chest expanded abruptly, his breathing erratic, his pupils dilating. He looked down at himself, as if he couldn’t decide. When he tapped her thigh, she reluctantly released him. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but for him to turn his back on her wasn’t it.
Then he pointed to his right shoulder, right where it met his neck.
So it would be visible above his collar.
Bragging rights.
The sleek lines of his back were magnificent, complete masculine beauty only an artist could capture, and she found herself suddenly fascinated by the pair of dimples where his spine ended. His jeans were slung low on his hips, revealing the faint globes of his ass, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to trace the skin just above the edge of his pants.
Electric series- Raven Investigations BoxSet Page 80
