Harliss (The Watchers Book 2)

by M. D. Stewart

  “Then yes. Unequivocally yes.” Anaya’hana smiled as Micah heard the sound of distant roars of large cats, howls of wolves and the cries of large birds of prey. The large Cougar that sat by the goddess stood on all fours and walked to stand beside him. Micah knelt beside the huge beast, reaching out a hand to run along his noble head and stroke his deep golden fur. The cat head butted his chest, purring loudly.

  Micah pulled the animal’s head close, scratching behind his ears and nuzzling his face. The Cougar chuffed in his ear, tickling the skin. Micah laughed at the sensation and with the joy that this gorgeous animal was now attached to his soul. “You are an amazing cat. I am proud that you belong with me.”

  “He doesn’t belong with you Micah. He is you. You are him. He will live inside you, guide you and you will depend on each other to fulfill your needs. You are the beginning of something new and wonderful and I am pleased your family and friends are here to witness this creation. Lifelong blessings of peace, love and joy to you.” Anaya’hana backed away from the man and his Cougar before disappearing in the fire. Micah couldn’t stop touching the animal. Both man and beast seemed to enjoy getting to know each other. The only time he’d ever felt so loved and accepted was with Harliss.

  “Well big cat, we must go to our mates and help them.” The cat seemed to nod as he backed up then jumped at Micah, disappearing into his chest. Micah closed his eyes searching for the big cat inside him. He was there, purring in contentment. Both man and cat felt complete. He hadn’t realized the Cougar needed him as much as he needed the Cougar.

  He smiled as he looked around the yard. The fire was still bright, the men still standing around him. Shaela was standing still, her head bowed so her hair blocked her face. Nothing seemed to be moving, even the flames seemed to be frozen. Micah walked around the fire, turning when he heard a cat growl behind him.

  A small Cougar trotted gracefully toward him. Without thought, his body dropped to the ground on all fours. He called on the cat and began to reform. He felt the same but different, more aware and in touch with the world around him. He could smell and see in ways he never could before as he approached the female. He lifted his head and sniffed, smiling to himself as he recalled the scent of his mate. The small Cougar head-butted him. They rubbed their cheeks against each other, sharing their scents while purring loudly.

  I’m your mate, Harliss. Nothing will ever take you from me. You’re mine. Nothing will ever take me from you. I’ll claim you for my own, just as my male form has claimed you. I’m coming to you, Harliss.

  *****

  Micah opened his eyes slowly, as the sun was dipping below the horizon and the flames of the fire had died down. Flynn was staring at him and broke into a huge grin just as Aoki and Kia let out howls that could bring down the house. Shaela moved to his side, pulling him into her embrace.

  “Anaya’hana has been good to us this day. When your Cougar mates Harliss’s Cougar we will celebrate your union and your ascension to Clan Leader. And,” Shaela grinned as she touched his chest, “your new tattoo.”

  Micah looked down seeing his own tribal tattoo covering his chest, left shoulder and arm to his elbow. The tattoo on his left chest surrounded the mark of a roaring Cougar. He remembered Anaya’hana touching him as they spoke. He was more humbled that she would mark him with her touch. He ran his hands over the black marks, as he looked up to those surrounding him.

  “I never expected this. I never knew such peace and pride.” Aoki pulled him into an embrace. Kai grabbed him, laughing as Aoki stepped back.

  “You’re not just Being now, but Otronian. Not by mating but by the decree of the goddess. If I’m not mistaken, we’ve just witnessed a birth!” Kai had his arms around his waist, holding him off the ground, swinging him like a kid’s doll. Everyone was laughing, including Micah. He had never felt so free, so happy. This was his people. He felt more kinship with them than those of his birth. By the words of Anaya’hana he would make his life on Otron. He opened his arms, threw back his head and let his cat roar in happiness.

  *****

  Warm lips moved over her forehead, down her cheek and to her lips. She slowly floated to awareness, scenting her mate. “Wake for me, Harliss. I need you. My Cougar needs his mate.” Fingertips skimmed her body from her shoulder, down her collarbone, over her left breast before stopping and rolling her nipple. Her body arched as she moaned in need. “That’s my girl. Open yourself to me.” His words opened her eyes. He never spoke in contractions. No Being did.

  Everything slowly focused from fuzzy to clear. Micah was smiling, his eyes so full of love it brought tears to her own. “It’s about time those gorgeous green eyes opened for me.”

  “You’re talking different.” She pulled back to take more of him in. His fingers still rolled her nipple distracting her.

  “Yes. I am. But I need you now. My Cougar needs you.” His eyes were swirling back and gray and beginning to glow. He kept them open as he brought his lips to hers. Soft brushes of his lips turned to open-mouth kisses. He moved his body to cover hers before closing his eyes and deepening the kiss. His tongue dueled with hers, tempting her to fight for domination. His low growl brought her Cougar to the surface. Heat flared inside her along with the need to submit. But Harliss wasn’t one to give in so easily. She felt him smile when she pushed against him, trying to toss him to his back.

  “You want to be a little hellion and fight us.” Micah grabbed her arms and pulled them over her head. He pulled his head back, staring her in the eye. He smiled wickedly. “Challenge accepted.” Her heart beat quickened as fear spiked her arousal. She could feel his chest begin to vibrate and hear his purr. The scent of his arousal slammed into her. Vanilla and lavender mixed with something exotic and wild. He was her mate, but he was more. His eyes turned completely gray. She was so caught up in the changes in her mate she forgot to fight him. She took a deep breath, confused that she didn’t recognize the scent of the room she was in. Glancing around she didn’t recall ever seeing the walls or the feel of the bed beneath her. The room was really a large bed surrounded by walls on three sides and a door on the fourth. The bed took up the entire area with no spaces between it and the walls.

  “What’s going on, Micah? Where are we?” He spread her legs, pushing his erection against the opening of her pussy.

  “You want to discuss this now?” But he was smiling. “I’ve had my Spirit Walk while you were incapacitated. Some things have changed.” He released her hands and propped himself up on his elbows to look down at her. He spread her legs farther apart and pushed himself to sit on his knees between her legs. Even in the low light she could see his tattoo on his chest and left shoulder and arm.

  “Oh Micah!” She sat up and traced the lines of the artwork on his body. “This is beautiful work. I’ve never seen such detail. How long have I been unconscious? This looks new but not fresh.” Fear slammed into her. How long had it been since she’d gotten sick? Had it been months? Years? She looked up to him, with fear in her eyes.

  “Relax, Harliss.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back to the bed. “I just brought you to the above ground Exchange House a few hours ago. I have a lot to tell you but first,” he reached between them and began to play with her clit. Her body arched as desire reignited in her system. “My Cougar needs his mate. He’s driving me crazy. Give in to us and let him claim his mate. We’ll talk later.” She reached up pulling him down to lay on her, trapping his hard cock between them.

  “Much later.” Something about his cat demanding submission put her libido into overdrive. Her own cat was clawing at her, needing her mate. But Harliss liked causing trouble. She grinned before she arched her back hard, throwing Micah off her and onto his back. She let her cat out enough to growl as she straddled him. “But you have to work to get me to submit to you.” She grinned at his surprised look and the feel of his cock hardening even more between them.

  They stared into each other’s eyes for moments before the s
truggle began. He must have reined in his strength to not hurt her. She knew he was stronger anyway, but he let her take the lead in their play. They wrestled and fought for dominate positions in the large bed. Rolling, pinning then kissing, then they’d begin struggling for dominance again. They were sweating, laughing, kissing, growling, purring, all while their desire built into an inferno of need.

  Finally, Micah had pinned her to the bed, his body as taut as his hard cock. He grabbed her hands and exerted some of his strength to hold them above her head with one of his own. They were both panting hard. He roughly parted her legs with his and slammed his cock deep inside her. Both growled but lay still staring into each other’s eyes. His eyes narrowed as he brought his nose to hers.

  “Submit.” His lip curled up and his growl rumbled through her body, sending every nerve ending into a frenzy.

  “No.” She really had planned to say yes, but the troublemaker in her couldn’t be so easily cowed. She smiled when his eyes glowed and his nose flared. He began to move inside her, so slowly she arched, hoping to make him speed up. He growled again and pushed his body against hers to pin her down. He snarled as he lowered his head to her neck. She knew a moment of fear when his teeth raked over her throat. Perhaps she’d pushed him too far. Her quick breathing turned to pants when his tongue replaced his teeth, licking circles over her sweat-covered skin.

  “I’ll lick you into submission Harliss.” He pulled out of her causing her to whimper in protest. He jerked back off her body wrapping his hands around her waist and tossed her to her stomach. He was on top of her so fast she didn’t have time to react until she felt his cock come between her ass cheeks. She gasped as his breath fanned the sensitive skin next to her ear.

  “Don’t move.” His voice was more growl than words. His hands moved from her sides to her shoulders, pushing her hard into the bed. When she tried to push up she heard his growl and felt his teeth biting into her neck. She immediately stilled. Being pinned down with his cat in control flooded her system with need. She needed him to control her, to dominate her, fuck her. Claim her.

  He released his bite and began to lick her where his teeth had left imprints on her skin. He raised up to nip, lick and suck his way down her back. He took his time kissing each vertebra, his fingertips barely brushing her skin raising goosebumps over her entire body. When he reached the globes of her ass, he roughly grabbed her waist and pulled her ass into the air. He shoved pillows under her stomach to force her to stay in that position.

  “Mine.” His tongue traced a line down her body, swirled over her tight anus and then continued to her clit, flicking it lightly. Her body shivered. “I’ve dreamed of taking you with my mouth like this. So exposed. Every inch of you on display for me.” His warm breath fanned across her wet, heated skin. His fingers ran down her slit, pausing to dip into her pussy then ride back up to her ass, pushing slightly into her virgin hole. His finger wet her with her juices slid in with little resistance. She grabbed the sheets, nearly shredding them when his tongue slid inside her pussy, tasting her before he sucked her clit deep in his mouth.

  He popped off her clit, still pushing his finger in her ass. His tongue moved fast as his teeth pushed against her body, exposing her bundle of nerves. “Please. Micah.” So caught up in her need, she didn’t recognize her own voice. He continued to lick and suck her while he fucked her ass with his finger. Her orgasm was just out of reach and he kept her riding that edge building her pain and pleasure.

  He pulled away from her, breaking contact. She cried out in protest, moving her body back to force his mouth back to her pussy. She could feel him moving behind her, his finger left her ass a moment before he lay on top of her. The feel of his hard cock so close to her pussy nearly drove her insane. His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling it away from her face as his lips traced kisses over her ear. He moved on her, rubbing his cock against her. Inside, her cat was mewling for her to submit to her mate.

  “Submit.” His tongue traced her ear, her body in near frenzy for release made the decision for her. Relaxing then pushing her ass hard against him, she heard his rumble of approval. He pulled off her and flipped her to her back and entered her. She sighed in relief and arched in pleasure as he began to fuck her in long, hard strokes. Every movement rubbed her hard clit, stimulating it bringing her closer to the edge.

  Nothing could stop the orgasm that was starting, burning her from the inside. Micah began to vibrate inside her pushing her sensitive body to a place she’d never been. Her cat bowed down to her mate just as Micah’s teeth bit hard into the juncture of her shoulder and neck. She wrapped her hands around his back, bringing her fingertips to the top of his shoulders. She sunk her nails deep into his skin and raked down his back, marking him just as his teeth punctured her skin, marking her. The cries of their human selves and the growls of their cats mixed, filling the room with the sound of ecstasy.

  *****

  Micah still shook from the orgasm he’d shared with Harliss. He laid his forehead against hers as they panted, trying to calm their bodies. He opened his eyes to see hers still closed. He swallowed, tasting her blood on his tongue and drew his attention to the spot he’d taken her blood. The bite marks would scar but he needed to clean the blood from her skin. Leaning in, he ran his tongue over the area, removing her blood. They both groaned at the sensation of his tongue working on her body. He smiled as he pushed up from her body and felt the deep scratches on his back. He knew his blood had ran down his back and on to the bed but felt pride in that fact.

  “I need to clean your back for you.” Her voice was soft against his shoulder. “You’re my mate. Let me care for you.” He was shocked that those words would bring tears to his eyes.

  “Okay.” When he looked up, she was staring at him. He was filled with such tenderness he wasn’t sure he could move away from her so she could tend him. “I love you, Harliss.” He moved his hands to cup the sides of her face. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs as he stared into her beautiful eyes.

  “I love you, Micah.” She smiled then began to laugh. “I never thought this was possible when I first saw you standing there in your suit and tie. Then seeing you box in those shorts with your muscles flexing. Who knew?” He grinned thinking back to the man he had been just days ago and how much things had changed.

  “I told you that you changed me for the better. We just didn’t know how much at the time.” He moved off her slowly and sat on his knees on the bed. “Let’s take a shower then head to the surface.” He winked.

  “Why do you talk differently? And, where are we?” Micah moved off the bed by standing at the door. Reaching down he held out his hand for her.

  “I needed to claim you in privacy. This is one of the trains that runs in our underground network. I brought you to the above ground Exchange House so you could be healed. Aoki and his mates are here, along with Kai and Mace and their mates. Your aunt Shaela is here and Talia too.” He pulled her to the small bathroom area and pushed her into the small shower stall. Only one of them could fit in at one time, but he stood there watching her.

  “After my Spirit Walk they stayed on the surface to prepare food and await the eventual arrival of the military.” He could scent her fear when she paused in soaping her luscious body. “An Otronian ship landing where the military monitors the area isn’t going to go unnoticed. The fire Shaela built for the Spirit Walk would draw attention too.” He grinned as she rinsed off and stepped out into the small room.

  “Aren’t you worried about the reaction of Earth’s military to one of my people’s ships showing up without permission?” He grabbed her by the waist and turned her so he could back into the shower stall. He pushed the buttons to start the flow of water.

  “After what they did to Aoki I doubt they’d cause too much trouble. Besides with Mace and Kai here with Aoki and Flynn, I think everyone is safe. And, now that my Cougar is under control, I’d be fierce in protecting my mate and my people.” The warm water washed the sweat and bl
ood from his body. He moved his shoulders, rolling them to test the marks Harliss had made on him. He knew she’d be surprised with all that had taken place, especially when she got a look at his back.

  “I really do have a lot to catch up on.” He looked up to see she had activated the overhead air vent to dry herself. “I can’t wait to see Aunt Shae. Wait, you said that Talia was here? Why?”

  “She wanted to investigate what she thinks are attacks on her people. First Aoki was assaulted and kidnapped by the military, then you were poisoned.” Harliss gasped at those words. “She’s concerned for the Otronians that are here on Earth. I can’t blame her. I’d be disturbed too.” Just the thought that someone had poisoned Harliss made Micah go a little crazy. He had to calm his Cougar down.

  He shut off the water and stepped into the small bathroom. Just smelling Harliss had his cock swelling. She looked down and smirked. “Turn around and let me check your back.” He grinned, knowing she’d be surprised. He turned and looked over his shoulder. It reminded him of the first shower they’d taken together.

  “Oh goddess! Micah, they’ve healed into scars already. How?” He turned and cupped her face in his hands.

  “That’s part of the changes Anaya’hana granted me. She gave me so much I struggle with it all. I not only have my Cougar but when we get to Otron, I’ll be the leader of the Cougar Clan. We will birth a lineage that will bring Anaya’hana back to The Beings on their home world. And as her emissary, she has blessed me with gifts, one being healing.” Her eyes grew wide and tears spilled rolling down her cheeks. She pulled him down for a kiss that rocked his world.

  “All I can say is, you better be able to block labor pains.” He stood quickly staring down at her, and his confusion must have been evident.