Marcus: #5 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas)

by Madison Stevens

  He kissed her hard. Her mouth was just as hungry for him.

  She sucked in hard breaths when he pulled away and trailed kisses down her neck where her dress hung partially off her shoulder.

  A loud moan came from her as he nibbled along her exposed collar and then sucked the side of her neck.

  Warmth grew in her center, and her panties grew wet with need.

  In one movement, he lifted her in his arms and wrapped her legs around his middle, her wet center directly over his thick erection, only barely held in by his pants.

  His mouth was back on hers again. He fucked her mouth with his tongue as they moved against one another.

  She felt his hands creeping up the back of her legs until he had both hands firmly on her ass, her thong exposing her to him in all the right ways.

  He let out a low rumble. The more he did it, the more she wanted him.

  Lost in the moment, she trailed her hands over his hard chest covered by the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. She could feel the firm ridges there but wanted more.

  No. She needed more.

  Her hands traveled farther and farther until she rested just above the hard length concealed by his pants. Her fingers toyed with the button there before she popped it open.

  Another growl rumbled in his chest. It only pushed her further. She reached inside and was surprised to find there were no barriers. She tugged his pants to fully expose his thick cock. Her breathing turned heavy.

  Her fingers touched the soft skin of his hot cock. He yanked his mouth from hers.

  She stared at his glowing blue eyes as she stroked her hand over him, her own center just a fraction away. Still she couldn’t bring herself to make the next move.

  He shifted slightly. One arm held her against the wall as the other gently moved the scrap of lace between her thighs out of the way.

  She waited for him to enter her with a finger but moaned loudly when his thumb circled her clit. Courtney stroked her hand over him as Marcus moved against her.

  He watched as her small hand gripped him, moving up and down in the most delicious torture he’d known.

  He slowly swirled his thumb over her hard clit, pulling more of her juices each time he did so.

  More than anything he wanted to be inside her. Every part of him called to make her his and to show her just what he wanted to do to his woman. But she didn’t understand what it meant. Courtney had to know before he finalized their bonding what it would mean.

  It was so much more than just silly words in a movie.

  For now he would make her feel good. Let her know just what he could do for her. Marcus might not be what she expected in a mate, but he would show her he could be better than what she wanted.

  In one move, he sank a finger deep inside her. He watched as she arched her back and imagined how beautiful she would be if she were naked, bared enough for him to see everything.

  He could feel a few droplets leak out as she continued to stroke him, the slickness only adding to the need to be inside her.

  She ran a finger over the head and spread the cum around. Marcus gritted his teeth to keep from losing it too early. He wanted to savor this moment.

  He slipped another finger inside her and moved them around as he did so. A low, deep moan erupted from her, and it only pushed him to move on.

  He picked up his pace inside her. Each was pushing toward their own release.

  Unable to take it any longer, Marcus pulled his fingers out and pushed her hand back. He slid his aching cock between her wet folds, not entering her yet, but instead running himself along her hard clit.

  Courtney held on to him now as he slid between her sweet pussy lips. She’d closed her eyes, but her mouth hung open as she moaned his name.

  Hearing his name on her lips as he worked over her was all he needed. With two hard thrusts, he was coming all over them, making them sticky with his seed. Courtney shook in his arms as the last of her orgasm faded, and she returned to the moment.

  He sat her gently back to the floor and grabbed a paper towel from the counter. He wiped off the cum on her and zipped his pants back up.

  A flush filled her cheeks, and for a moment, he thought she might have regretted what they had done. Until he caught her eye.

  If it were possible, he could swear the hunger he’d seen there was even more prominent now.

  The animal in him begged to be let out. It begged to do to her all the naughty things he’d been thinking.

  Instead, he ran a hand over his head and glanced at the fireplace.

  “We’ve run out of wood,” he said. His breath still not near as steady as he would have liked. “I’ll need to get more if we’re going to make it till morning.”

  Courtney glanced to the dwindling fire and then turned back with concern. Worry replaced lust in her eyes. “Are you sure it’s safe? How can you be sure the animal isn’t still out there?”

  Marcus snorted. “I can assure you, whatever’s out there has nothing on me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Marcus stepped outside into the frigid night. The snow was still falling heavily, but the wind had died down some. From what he knew, this was supposed to be a somewhat short storm so that gave him some small hope of being able to get the car out of the ditch the next day. They needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

  He wasn’t worried about whatever crazed animal might be stalking the area. He was more than a match for anything that might live on the mountain, but he wasn’t sure if he could control himself around Courtney for too long, and things were moving far more quickly than he liked.

  As he trudged toward the wood, he was glad to put some space between himself and the sexy woman inside. He’d been so close to just sinking into her, but he didn’t want to go too far until she understood what it meant, that them joining would be far more than a night or two of passion.

  She didn’t get that at all. He understood that with the way she’d reacted to the movie. There was a disconnect between them about how they both viewed love. That was a big problem.

  Humans were so simple with how they viewed love. Even the word was so simplistic. For hybrids, it was so much more. It wasn’t just emotions and sex. It was like a bonding of the souls.

  Did she really understand that? He wasn’t sure if she did, and he wouldn’t risk bonding with her until he was certain she did.

  A growl bubbled up. He could feel the all-consuming truth of what it’d mean to bond with Courtney, not just some human woman, but his Vestal.

  All that time he’d questioned the old ways and never truly trusted that being bonded carried such a heavy weight, but now he knew. Every part of him understood that now.

  He had a hard time understanding how he’d managed to live so long without his Vestal. Before it was like he’d been sleep-walking through his life, and now he was finally fully awake.

  He couldn’t push the truth about his Vestal away or pretend it was nothing more than legend. The realization was both as satisfying as it was shocking. She carried a piece of his very soul.

  Marcus shook his head. He couldn’t expose himself like this and be so distracted. He’d gone outside because he needed to, but that still carried some risk. Of course, he would be able to take on an animal, but that’d require him to pay attention to what was going on around him.

  He breathed in deeply. The weather dampened his senses, and the fresh snow did its best to bury the scents around him. Never before had he hated something as much as he hated the wet, cold snow and hoped it’d stop falling soon.

  His quick checks suggested nothing out of the ordinary. Simple luck might have led to the animal already leaving or even freezing to death. He could only hope, but he wouldn’t let himself assume. That’s the kind of thing that got people hurt or killed.

  On high alert, he made his way around the back, the path from earlier all but buried under the white falling from the sky.

  Once he’d reached the woodpile, it was hard to miss the spot
where the old man lay. Even though his body was mostly covered with snow, it wasn’t right leaving him like that. Marcus needed to do something for him.

  He hurried to the shed and pushed the latch open. Inside, he spotted two blue tarps over some summer equipment. He came out and carefully laid one of the tarps over the spot where the man lay frozen on the earth.

  At each corner, he placed a log to keep it from blowing away. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. His own kind could do what they needed after the storm ended.

  Feeling somewhat better about the situation, Marcus laid out the other tarp and placed the logs on top. It wasn’t exactly the best, but it’d serve as a make-shift tool to pull a decent amount back to the house in one trip.

  He wanted to maximize his load per trip. Every time he stepped outside, he increased the risk of something coming after him. Confidence was knowing he could defeat an animal if necessary, but he wasn’t arrogant enough to risk a pointless confrontation.

  A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He froze and bit back a growl.

  Part of him wanted to charge after the movement, but this was not the time to rely on pure instinct. It could have just been a trick of the shadows.

  Marcus peered through the snowy haze into the darkened woods around them. Even his superior vision failed him in the difficult environment, and he seemed to miss whatever it was. One of his comforts was that the animal prowling in the woods was likely just as limited by the conditions.

  He wondered if his earlier thoughts about a pack of wolves was right. It might make sense as to why they had attacked. They were often territorial and aggressive in the winter.

  A loud rumble formed in his chest as the faint noise of something moving in the woods caught his ear between the howls of the wind, this time closer to the house.

  Anger shot through him, as rational thought threatened to abandon him. He would fucking kill anything that came for his woman.

  He didn’t care if there were a hundred wolves. He’d show them territorial and aggressive.

  Marcus turned as the noise came from behind him now, as if it were playing some sort of game with him. He was fucking tired of this.

  This time he let out a loud snarl, reaching deeply into his wholly inhuman side. The beast inside him paced to be let free. It wanted to show any animals who the real master of the mountain was.

  “You wanna come after me?” he shouted. “Then come after me.”

  A rustle came from behind him, and he spun to face the woods again. The more calculating part of his mind that remained active again wondered about a pack. He needed to be careful not to get overwhelmed by numbers.

  “You think this is a fucking game? You have no idea who you’re fucking with,” he roared.

  This time only the blowing wind responded.

  Marcus sat, poised and ready for action, as he listened for any other response. Nothing.

  He gave a satisfied smile. No animals were a match for him.

  The faint sound of the front door clicking open reached him. His heart dropped.

  Shit. Had he left it open? He hadn’t locked it, but he thought he’d secured it.

  “Courtney,” he said.

  His feet were moving before the words had even left his mouth.

  The animal hadn’t left. It was only waiting for its chance to go after the weaker prey.

  Marcus rounded the corner and nearly collided with her as he did so. He reached out to keep her upright so his massive body didn’t send her tumbling into the snow.

  “What are you doing out here?” he shouted, his heart still racing.

  Courtney frowned. “I heard shouting and got worried.”

  His heart hammered hard in his chest.

  “You don’t belong out here,” he said gruffly.

  She narrowed her eyes, and he knew instantly that he’d said the wrong thing.

  Courtney shoved hard against him. “You’re right,” she said as she stepped back. “I think I’ll just go back in.”

  He watched as she stomped back inside and noticed her bare legs nearly buried by the snow. Her feet were only covered by the sneakers she’d worn during their hike.

  Marcus cursed softly. He had scared the beast off, but had scared her as well. She was in no danger, so there was no reason for him to take out his frustration on her.

  He accepted the truth. He was an asshole.

  He shook his head. Since he’d scared off the animal, he might as well take his time and get all the wood they’d need for a while.

  * * *

  Courtney cursed and grumbled all through the hot bath she’d drawn after freezing her ass off outside.

  She huffed and frowned as she tried to ease her aching muscles and soothe her cold body. He made no sense. How he could switch from being the guy that rocked her world to the guy that pissed her off in less than an hour was beyond her.

  He was the one shouting like a maniac outside. She’d worried, and then he got mad at her over being concerned. It wasn’t fair.

  When she finally finished her bath, she climbed out and slid on the now dry sweat pants and a t-shirt she found in a basket. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than the dress. Given the weather, they weren’t getting out of the cabin anytime soon, so it wasn’t like she had a lot of choices.

  Barefoot, she padded into the living room, expecting him to be finished with the wood, but he was nowhere to be found.

  Worry took over once again, and she walked over to the window in the back of the house. From there she could see him loading up a tarp with wood. Beside him, another tarp lay on the ground.

  Something plucked at her heart, knowing he had taken the time to cover Mr. Martin. It was the least he deserved.

  She shook her head. Marcus was a series of contradictions. Playing like he was cold but being soft in other ways.

  Courtney yawned. It was nearly midnight, and she was exhausted. It had only been hours since they had gotten there, and yet it felt like days.

  Eyes droopy, she made her way over to the couch and covered up with a blanket. Maybe if she shut her eyes just until he came back in that would be fine.

  She watched as the embers of the last log crackled and sparked. Her eyes drifted closed, and she fell into a deep slumber.

  Chapter Twelve

  A loud pop summoned Courtney from her sleep. She bolted upright, eyes still bleary from sleep. Someone stood in front of her.

  Her heart raced. Was it not an animal stalking them after all, but some sort of human killer?

  She blinked a few times and then focused on the figure in front of her. She let out a sigh of relief as she realized it was just Marcus standing in front of the fireplace.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said softly. He looked at her for a few seconds then frowned. “Or scare you.”

  “I’m okay. I just got confused.” She shook her head, still trying to shake out the last cobwebs of sleep. “How long have I been asleep?”

  Marcus sat down in the chair next to the fire. “A few hours.”

  Courtney shifted and sat up all the way. The earlier bath had helped relax her sore muscles, and combined with the nap, she felt okay. That said, she could always use a decent full night’s rest. She resisted yawning.

  “You should go get some real sleep in the spare bedroom,” he said, as if reading her mind.

  She frowned. “Shouldn’t you get some sleep as well? You brought in all that wood, and haven’t slept at all.”

  She looked him up and down. He didn’t look as tired as she imagined he must be, but then again, she had no real idea about how much sleep the hybrids needed.

  Marcus shrugged and pulled out the little wooden figure she’d seen him working on before. “I’m fine here. I’ll get some rest later.”

  A choking silence settled between them. She watched as he turned the little figure around between his fingers. Though she was too far to make out the fine details, something seemed very fami
liar about it, but she chose not to ask.

  She worried that this was what it’d be like for the rest of the time there, cold and uncomfortable silence.

  It was a painfully familiar silence. This was mostly how he’d been with her ever since they first met. It’d only been the last day that she’d been able to drag so many words out of him, let alone share passion.

  It was as if talking to her somehow wounded him. It was only the strong pull she felt toward him, down to her soul almost, that kept her trying to get his attention.

  Now that she’d finally broken through to him and felt close, it was like everything was slipping away just as quickly as it had happened. Maybe she had no hope with him after all.

  He kept his attention on the figure. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to break the awkward silence, but it was Marcus who spoke first.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you. That wasn’t fair.”

  She was surprised to hear those words. It wasn’t something she expected from him. She’d thought he be too proud for such a straight-forward apology.

  He frowned and continued. “You were worried, and I should have seen that.”

  He stopped twirling the figure in his fingers and stared at her. His face suggested a sincere apology. After all, he didn’t strike her as the kind of man who could easily fake his emotions.

  Courtney nodded. She’d been angry with him when she’d taken her bath before her sleep, but now she could finally see the exhaustion on his face he’d been skillfully hiding before. He just wanted to keep her safe.

  When she thought about it, she realized it was a bit stupid of her to go outside. After all, he was a huge hybrid with special training. There was probably little she could do to help him when it came to fighting.

  If anything, she might have put them both in more danger. His words may have been hurtful, but that didn’t make them any less true.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. She watched as his gaze drifted back down to the little figure in his hand. “What is it?”