Savage (Rise of the Pride, Book 3)

by Hissong, Theresa

  “Yours?” she asked. There was no way he could know that. Could he?

  “In our world, it only takes one touch to solidify the urge to mate and to know who we are destined to belong to for eternity.” He swallowed hard. “I feel it. Hell, you should be feeling it too.”

  “I don’t know what I feel,” she whispered.

  “Touch me,” he said. “Touch me and tell me what you feel inside.”

  “I’m not the right woman for you,” she blurted. “There is no way that you can be mine, Savage. There’s just no way.” If she was being honest, which she was, Savage Corvera was better off without her. She’d never be able to be close to him.

  “Why in the hell would you say something like that?” he growled. His head raised and his eyes were completely amber. They glowed in the soft light of the room, and Mary Grace had the sudden urge to hold him…calm him. The thing inside of her pushed at her human skin, wanting to get free. The animal in front of her was angry and she wanted to do whatever she could to calm him down.

  “Look at me,” she mumbled, but he must’ve heard her loud and clear, because his nostrils flared and his thick canines peeked out from his full lips. “And look at you.”

  “I see you, Mary Grace,” he admitted. “I’ve seen you for months, but you haven’t seen me.”

  “You have?” she asked in disbelief.

  “You are beautiful, and whoever put that thought in your head that you are anything but should be torn to shreds.” When she began to argue, he held up his hand, halting her from saying more. Mary Grace pinched her lips together and waited for him to continue. “Touch me, Mary Grace Browning. Touch me and know that you are mine.”

  “I want to touch you.” It was her turn to swallow hard. “This thing inside me is demanding that I do it.”

  “I will warn you that when you do touch me,” Savage began, “I’m not responsible for what is going to happen between us.”

  “What will happen?” she asked, confused.

  “Our nature will take over and we will mate,” he answered. Mary Grace gasped, pulling the covers tight up over her chest. “Don’t hide from me.”

  “You don’t understand,” she said sadly, but Savage’s face hardened and she pressed her lips together, again. He was getting angry.

  “I already know,” he breathed out, closing his eyes as if to calm himself. “I haven’t seen your scar, but the healer did.”

  “Oh, God,” she blushed.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Savage said, shaking his head. “To me, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on in my entire life.”

  “You say that now,” she snorted.

  “Touch me,” Savage urged once more. “Just touch me. Let your panther convince you.”

  Mary Grace felt the push inside her mind and body, a snarl echoing through her head. The urge to touch Savage was overwhelming and she released the sheet, letting it pool in her lap. Her fingers shook as she reached out to touch the side of his face. Once the tips made contact, she felt an electric jolt shoot through her body. The animal inside her roared its happiness and a feeling of warmth settled over her. She’d touched him earlier, but this was different…this was real.

  “Savage,” she whispered, her eyes going wide. An ache settled in her lower stomach and her breasts tingled with the need to be touched. An amber haze coated the room around her, but even with the shift of colors, everything was in sharper focus.

  “Mary Grace,” he growled, his eyes sparking amber. “Tell me what you feel.”

  “It’s true,” she said, curling her hand around the nape of his neck. She was surprised when he moved closer. His breath was warm against her face as he rubbed his nose against her cheek. “I feel it.”

  “You are mine,” he whispered, taking her lips with his own.

  His tongue was slightly rough and she shivered when his sharp canines raked against her bottom lip. She moaned when her own set thickened in her mouth. Savage hummed low in his throat when he took his tongue and tested the sharpness of her teeth. Fuck! She wanted him so much, but could she?

  Savage continued to kiss her, leaning in so he could carefully push her against the mound of pillows at her back. His hand clasped onto her thick hips and Mary Grace groaned when his fingers tightened against them. His thumb found its way under her shirt, making circles on the exposed skin right above the elastic of her sweatpants. He pulled back, allowing both of them to catch their breath, but the connection was only lost for a second before he leaned in again to nip at her earlobe.

  “You are beautiful and mine,” he growled in her ear. The rumble from his chest vibrated through her body where he was pressed against her and she felt it in her sex. Wetness pooled between her legs and the animal inside her pushed at her mind, but she shoved it back. Right now, she needed to feel him…touch him even more.

  “I’m not beautiful,” she said, shaking her head.

  “You have no idea how much that pisses me off,” he barked, startling her. His hand moved up her side, his calloused hands rough against her skin. “I want to see you…all of you.”

  “Savage,” she warned, but he shut her up with his tongue in her mouth. The beast inside her prowled, demanding she allow Savage to mount her. His lips worked their way over her jaw and onto her neck, her collarbone.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned when he nipped at the skin where her neck and shoulder met. His sharp teeth raked against the area again and Mary Grace almost came unglued. Her sex ached for his touch. That scent that surrounded him was stronger now.

  “My panther is in control,” he mumbled as he kissed a path to her collarbone. “I will see you and I will make you mine in all ways.”

  Mary Grace covered her mouth after a snarl left her lips. The animal inside caused her human body to buck against Savage’s massive chest. When he moved closer, she felt his hardness against her sex through their clothes.

  Ripping fabric and cool air on her chest was the only warning she had before Savage leaned in and kissed the puckered scar that marred her skin. Before she could protest, his tongue licked a path to her nipple, his teeth biting at the tender flesh. Her body began to shake from the pleasure.

  “More,” she begged, closing her eyes. Never in a million years did she think Savage Corvera would be seducing her.

  “Look at me, sweetheart,” he urged, taking the other nipple between his teeth. “Feel how much I desire you.” He followed up his statement with another push of his cock against the inside of her leg. He moved lower, stopping to press his lips to the skin just below her belly button.

  A knock at the door had her scrambling for cover. Savage roared when his lips left her skin. His body covered hers in an attempt to keep whoever was on the other side of the door from seeing her naked body.

  “Who the fuck is it?” he yelled.

  “Talon,” the leader of the pride replied. His voice was muffled by the wood of the door. Mary Grace blushed hard and wanted to melt into the bed, praying it would swallow her whole.

  “Let him in,” she whispered, reaching out to touch Savage’s hand. He was on edge and she could feel it.

  “If it’d been anyone other than Talon,” Savage growled, “I’d have killed the son of a bitch.”

  “Answer the door, Savage,” she encouraged, looking around for another shirt.

  “We are not done here,” he promised, finding her bag sitting on a chair across the room. He tossed a gray hoodie at her and stood guard at the door until she was dressed.

  “How is she?” Talon asked as soon as the door opened.

  “She is doing fine,” Savage answered and stood back so his alpha could enter the room.

  “Mary Grace,” Talon smiled, walking closer to the bed, “how are you feeling?”

  “Tired,” she sighed.

  “You’re weak.” Talon frowned, his eyes swinging toward Savage. “Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet.” She frowned, eyeing the plate of food that had been left cold and untouched. “I’
m good for a while, though.”

  “You’re also weak because you will need me to survive,” Talon informed her.

  “Need you?” She frowned in confusion.

  “A panther must have an alpha to keep from dying. It’s who you are now,” Talon answered. “If you want to be a part of my pride, you must accept my blood and oath.”

  “Blood?” she snorted. “Are you part vampire, too?”

  “No,” Talon chuckled.

  “Explain, please?” she urged.

  “Are you willing to accept me as your leader?” Talon asked, moving closer to Savage’s mate. The panther inside her stilled when she felt the push of power from the alpha.

  “Depends,” she replied hesitantly.

  “On?” Talon asked, raising a brow.

  “What the hell does all of this entail?” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I won’t be a slave.”

  “No one is going to hurt you here, Mary Grace,” Savage snarled. “I will kill them if they even look at you wrong.”

  “You will always have your own free will.” Talon sighed, obviously put out with the newest panther. “Is there another pride you’d like to visit? One you’d like to live with besides us?”

  Savage’s snarl of fury caused Mary Grace to yelp. Her eyes flashed amber as her body jerked from the force of her panther reacting to her mate in distress. “Savage?”

  “You won’t be leaving me,” he ordered, his canines obstructing his speech, but not enough where the alpha and his mate couldn’t understand what he said.

  “Put your fangs away,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “So, you’ll freely accept the Shaw Pride as your own?” Talon asked.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “It’s going to take some getting used to, but I want to stay here.” Her eyes flickered over toward Savage and his panther rumbled in approval. She wanted him to teach her everything she needed to know about this new life.

  “Are you ready to do this now?” Talon continued with the questions.

  “Yes.” She smiled, reaching out to take Savage’s hand. “You’ll help me, right?”

  “Always,” he promised.

  Talon stepped back, raising his wrist to his mouth. The sound of flesh tearing echoed in the room. Mary Grace scented the fresh blood before the alpha turned his bleeding wrist for her to see. He held it up in front of her face, only inches separating them.

  “Take the blood of my pride and you will be one of us. Refuse and you will die. I will honor your place in my pride and protect you as you will be one of my blood,” Talon said, then a weird sense of power swirled around her body and mind.

  On what could only be described as instinct, Mary Grace grasped the alpha’s wrist and pulled it to her lips. She lapped at his blood and felt her panther push forward. She squinted her eyes and whimpered when she felt her body convulse. Savage’s hands wrapped around her upper arm as she crumbled to the floor.

  “You’re going to shift, sweetheart,” Savage warned, kneeling beside her. As she fell to her side, he pushed the hair away from her face. “Don’t fight it.”

  “No,” she whispered, but the sound came out more of a whine than actual human words. Her face ached as it changed, the panther pushing at her mind, fighting for dominance.

  “I’m shifting with her,” Savage said somewhere behind her. Talon quickly left the room as Savage started pulling at her clothes in a frantic rush.

  His scent swirled around her as her body changed, her bones rearranging. The panther scrambled backward as hair sprouted from her human skin, a tail appearing from her backside as she twisted out of the rest of the clothes she’d been wearing. The panther inside pushed at her human mind and took control of the body for which it was made.

  The alpha stepped aside after reopening the door to the room when Savage called out to him, allowing the panther to run free of its confines. Padded feet trotted behind her as she found the stairs leading to the main level of the house. Talon followed them down the stairs and opened the front door so the two panthers could run free. A few of the pride milled around the front yard. Four teenage boys were tossing a football when they stopped and noticed the new panther walking down the steps. All of them nodded, resuming their play after Savage came to stand next to her. Her panther felt at ease with the scent of other panthers so close by.

  What do I do?

  Run!

  Hunt!

  The panther’s head swung to the right, seeing the dense forest and knowing that was the place it needed to be. To be in the wild, free of the human world. Inside the woods, the panther could run and hunt without being confined.

  She yelped when her mate nipped at her flank, indicating he wanted her to stay close. Birds flew from the tops of the trees, abandoning their nest making for the upcoming warmer weather. Savage nudged her again and that was when her panther raised its nose to the sky, feeling the breeze tickle its whiskers.

  And then she ran…

  She ran for hours, only stopping when her legs gave out and she fell to her belly under the cover of a tall shade tree. Savage prowled in a circle around her. His eyes scanned the area, looking for any threats.

  Mary Grace’s human mind pushed against her panther, but not enough to force the shift. She wanted to see and hear everything that was going on around her. The one thing she wasn’t ready to do was shift without clothes readily available.

  That wasn’t Savage’s intentions. One second, he was standing over her, watching her with keen eyes. The next, his panther shimmered and in its place stood a man…a very naked man. He stood tall, the red sunset casting light around his massive body. He was stunning, even though she tried not to look with her human eyes. She was fighting her panther’s need for dominance in her mind.

  Savage was one of the strongest men she knew next to her bosses’ mates. His muscles were defined so much so that his body looked like he had the strength of a hundred men. His tattoos stood out in stark contrast against his tanned skin. His cock was long and thick…and rock hard.

  “You need to shift,” he ordered. “I want to feed you and you should rest.”

  She didn’t want to rest. The panther growled low in her throat to voice its displeasure of being told to let the human out.

  “Now, Mary Grace,” he urged with a hard glare. “No one is going to look at you in any way that will make you uncomfortable.”

  If a panther could laugh, Mary Grace was sure that hers would. Instead of shifting there in the woods behind the alpha’s home, she stood and took off at a dead run for her room and her bag loaded with clothes to cover her human body.

  She didn’t sense Savage behind her and that was good. The last thing she wanted was to have him follow her up to the room and see her again without clothes. Once was enough.

  As soon as she stepped on the porch, a young girl opened the door, stepping aside so she could pass. Once she was inside, the panther hurried up the stairs; and the moment Mary Grace was inside her borrowed room, she pushed against the panther, demanding the shift.

  It didn’t hurt that time and she breathed a sigh of relief as she reached for her bag, but the bedroom door flew open, startling her. Mary Grace gasped as Savage entered the room.

  In his hand, he held a length of thick rope.

  “You will not run from me again,” he snarled, looping the rope around his large hand. “I will prove to you that anytime my eyes fall upon your skin, all I will see is your beauty.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice shaky.

  “Get on the bed, Mary Grace,” he ordered, walking toward her. “Do it now.”

  “Please, Savage,” she begged, moving away from the bed instead of toward it. “Don’t.”

  “You have three seconds,” he barked.

  “Savage,” she warned, her eyes as wide as half dollars. He wouldn’t tie her naked to the bed…would he?

  “Two seconds,” he smirked, taking a step toward her. He was still naked
and the more he ordered her around, the harder his cock swelled.

  “Fuck,” she groaned, knowing she couldn’t outrun him again. The only reason why he didn’t catch her outside was because he’d taken a damn detour to find the rope.

  “One second,” he smiled, knowing he was going to win.

  As soon as her knee hit the mattress, Savage was on her, pushing her over to lay on her back. The naughty smile he gave her sent a fluttering through her abdomen. One large hand grasped her wrist and she looked up when she felt the rope touch her skin.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, knowing damn well what he was doing.

  He didn’t speak as he secured her wrists to the headboard. As soon as he was satisfied that she was secure, he threw a leg over her waist and straddled her hips. Hands slid from her wrists, down her arms and around her collarbone.

  “Tell me how this happened,” he whispered, using his thumb to trace the scar that ran between her breasts.

  “I…I fell as a teenager.” She shivered. His touch was like fire and ice, sending pleasure throughout her body. Her panther purred and the sound came out of Mary Grace’s chest. “It almost killed me when it tore my heart.”

  “How exactly did you tear your heart?” he frowned, continuing with the questions. At no time did his eyes stray from the ugly scar between her breasts. His touch was tender and totally unlike Savage Corvera. He was the epitome of a predator, and this soft side was a little unnerving. She liked him better when he was growly and giving orders.

  “I was playing in my grandfather’s barn,” she began. “He had this hook and wire system that was used for hoisting hay bales into the loft. For some reason, he had a bundle of old lumber on that hook and it was secured to the side of the loft window so it would be out of the way. Somehow, the rope holding the bundle snapped just as I was standing in front of the opening. It struck me in the chest before I could move out of the way. I blacked out and was thrown from the second floor of the barn. I not only took a hit to the chest, but my fall made it worse because I landed face first on the ground. The doctor’s told my grandparents that I had a small tear in my aorta, and the only way to repair it was to open me up.”