by S. K. Yule
“I think I can help you, if you really love him, and you are really sure this is what you want.” Janine squeezed Sherry’s hand. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.”
“I’ll forget all of it if you help me.” Sherry grinned.
“Deal.” Janine stood. “I’ve got everything ready. Let’s start for home.”
“But Piers doesn’t know where we live.” Sherry was confused.
“He doesn’t need to. Trust me.”
* * * *
“Raze, if you ever lie to me again, I swear I’ll kick your ass.”
“I did not lie to you, Janine.”
“Technically, no, I guess you didn’t. But you let me believe that Piers had left. You lied by omission. Sherry loves him, and while I too thought it best at first to keep them apart, she quickly made me see that it wasn’t my decision.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what Anthony and Brent would choose to do with him, and I didn’t want you involved. I was feeling guilty. This all came about because of me.”
“Well, if it’s your fault, then it’s mine too because I was with you when you ran away from the pack.”
“How do you figure it was your fault? You were kidnapped, and I helped you escape. If I hadn’t run, they wouldn’t have tracked me to Sanctuary and Daniel would have never been killed.”
“I figure it was my fault too because you and I are a team now. Remember? We have to be honest with one another, Raze. You can’t protect me from everything. I love you, and I love that you want to keep me sheltered and safe, but you can’t keep me in a glass cage.”
“I know. I just hate to see you upset about anything, and you were already so stressed about the whole ordeal with Sherry. I didn’t want to put any more on you to deal with.”
Janine sighed and walked into Raze’s arms when he held them out to her. She knew he loved her and would never do anything to intentionally hurt her. He hadn’t really outright lied to her about what had happened with Piers, and he was obviously regretting the decision to keep it from her. She couldn’t find it in her heart be mad at him.
“I know, but don’t do it again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He bent his head and captured her lips, and she surrendered to him.
* * * *
After Piers woke up from being clubbed in the head, he had been furious. Anthony and Brent had him imprisoned in an iron cell. Iron was a lycan’s only weakness. When he’d been informed that Sherry never wanted to see him again, a murderous rage had built deep in his chest. He hadn’t believed it at first. He was the only man she’d ever let make love to her. If she didn’t care for him, she wouldn’t have given herself to him.
When he was told Raze would be taking her someplace he would never find her, Piers had laughed at that and informed them there wasn’t anyplace on earth that he couldn’t find her. He’d explained to them over and over that he’d made a mistake by trying to attack Anthony, tried to convince them that he’d realized only after the fact that the information he’d gotten about his brother’s murder wasn’t all the truth.
To make matters worse, Anthony and Brent relayed information they’d received from Raze about how depraved the pack was that Daniel belonged to. Daniel had participated in rapes, murders, tortures, and had also been present when Janine had been dragged into the den. His own brother had put his mate’s sister in danger. Piers would have killed him himself for doing that alone.
In the end, none of it had mattered. He’d been kept in the cell until the next morning before they’d finally let him out. By then, Sherry was gone and any chance of him tracking her scent had vanished. If she did want him, wouldn’t she have gotten word to him somehow? Left him some kind of clue? She was just gone, as if she’d never been there at all. Maybe she didn’t want him. Maybe they had been telling him the truth.
Maybe they had kept him in the cell because they knew he’d come after her, and when she refused him, he’d try to take her again, an act which would have probably led to his or someone else’s demise when they tried to stop him.
Two days later, he sat in a hotel room. He’d already sucked down half a bottle of Jack and was working on the other half. He wasn’t drunk—his high metabolism burned the alcohol out of his system about as quick as he downed it—but he was trying like hell to get sloshed out of his mind so he could forget about her if only for a moment.
He’d been searching for her since they’d let him out of the cell. He was exhausted, his chest ached at the emptiness left behind from her absence, and he wanted to beat the shit out of something. He hadn’t slept or eaten, and anger boiled inside him. Claws shot through his fingers, and he could feel the long slide of canines from his gums. Only ancients could partially change, and the complete helplessness and rage was calling to the predator in him.
He growled and let out a sound that was a mix between a cry and howl. He needed her. He was lost without her. Despair settled in his soul. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He wanted a family, someone to love, someone who would love him. He wanted to hold someone at night when he slept. That wasn’t the whole truth. He didn’t want to do all of those things with someone. He wanted to do them with Sherry.
Why would fate let him find his mate only to rip her from him? Exhaustion sank deep into his bones and he sagged back on the bed. Within minutes, he’d drifted into a deep sleep.
“Piers.”
He groaned. No. She really wasn’t there. She was just a figment of his wishful imagination.
“Piers.” Her soft voice soothed him.
“Is that really you, Sherry?” He knew he shouldn’t believe she was here, for any moment, she’d disappear and he’d be left alone with only his dead heart to keep him company.
“Look at me, baby.” She knelt beside him on the bed and cupped his face.
His eyes fluttered open and his breath nearly stopped as his heart stuttered. He sat up on his elbows, a lump in his throat.
“Is it really you?”
“Yes. I’ve tried to come to you for the past couple days, but I couldn’t find you. Are you okay?” She frowned when she trailed a finger under his eye. The black tinge underneath no doubt betrayed his exhaustion.
He reached a shaky hand toward her, thinking she’d vanish when he tried to touch her, but when his fingers came into contact with the soft skin of her cheek, he sighed.
“It is really you.” He sat up and hugged her to him. She squeaked when he held her a bit too tight, and he immediately eased his hold. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” She kissed his face.
“Why did you leave me, Sherry?” He pulled back, a frown tugging at his mouth.
“I didn’t.” Tears glistened in her green eyes. “They only told you that. I could never walk away from you.”
“Why? I really have nothing to offer you.”
“You have everything to offer me. You are all I need. I never got to tell you, but I love you. I love you so much.” She framed his face with her hands and kissed him.
“Mmm. I missed you so much. I need you.” He slipped his tongue inside her mouth and groaned when her sweet taste hit him.
“I need you too, but not here. I want you for real. That’s why I’ve been trying to find you to tell you where I am.” She whispered in his ear. “Come to me, Piers.”
He sat up in the bed, wide awake now. She wanted him, and he wasn’t going to disappoint her.
Chapter Thirteen
Her apartment over the garage of Janine’s house was small but comfortable. She had wanted her own space when she’d moved in, but had also wanted to stay close to her sister. This had been a great compromise. Instead of taking the money Janine paid her for working at her cupcake business and blowing it on rent, she had had the space renovated.
She lit candles around her room and dimmed the lights. She cast a worried look at the bed. It was queen-sized, but Piers was big. They were going to have to get a king
-sized bed. She wondered if he’d want to live here with her or if he’d want to live at his place, assuming he had a place. She would be willing to bet he did, and would also bet that it was in the middle of the woods somewhere.
She was a bit nervous as she’d thought about him changing her, but wasn’t ready to take that step just yet. She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready, but Janine and Raze had waited, so she hoped Piers would be just as understanding about her decision. If he loved her as he said he did, he would. She was willing to commit to learning his way of life, to learning about nature, and to giving it an earnest shot. Only for him would she do this.
She nervously smoothed her fingers down the black satin teddy she’d picked out just for him. She’d been so worried when she hadn’t been able to reach him through her dreams. It had been Janine’s idea to let him know where she was that way, and a brilliant one at that, but after awhile, she had become afraid that something terrible had happened to him. When she’d finally found him, relief had ripped through her.
She backed up to admire the flickering candlelight in the dimmed bedroom and bumped into a solid wall of man. She squeaked and spun around. Her man.
“You scared me.”
His golden eyes glowed down at her, and her breath hitched in her throat when he reached out and sifted his fingers through her hair. He leaned down, brought the strands to his nose, and sniffed.
“You smell so damn good.” He stepped back, ran his gaze from her head to her toes and back again. “Look at you. I’ve never seen such a beautiful sight. It’s enough to bring a man to his knees.”
“How about if I’m brought to my knees instead?” She smiled when he quirked a brow at her.
She led him to the bed and pushed him down to sit on the edge before kneeling between his legs. She tugged his boots off and reached for the button at the top of his jeans. He covered her hand and she looked up at him in confusion.
“Kiss me first, baby. It seems an eternity since our lips last met.”
She framed his face, pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him without hesitation. She kissed him with all the pent up worry she’d had when she couldn’t find him, with all the stress she’d endured over the thought of losing him, with all the love she felt for him. His spicy, male taste hit her tongue and swept through her like a thunderstorm. He growled, cupped her nape, and held her to him as he slanted his mouth over hers and deepened the kiss. Their tongues danced, dueled, and sampled until their breaths came in pants, and she squirmed against his hard body, aching for his possession.
She placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed. When he frowned, she giggled and reached for the button on his jeans again. This time, he didn’t stop her, and watched from under half closed lids as she released him and he sprang free, thick and hard. She knew he was big, but he still stole her breath. She circled him in her hand and stroked once before touching her tongue to the tip. He groaned and she licked him from top to base and back before closing her lips over the thick head and sucking him down the back of her throat.
“You’re going to kill me, Sherry.”
When she mumbled without releasing him from her mouth, he groaned again. Realizing the vibrations had enhanced the sensation, she hummed around him as she circled her tongue along the thick vein that ran the length of him. He tangled his fingers in her hair, arched his hips as he encouraged her down over him, and she swallowed him again and again. She felt such power at being able to pleasure him this way. She wanted to lick and suck on him until he came, but he gently pulled her away before she could finish.
She began to protest, but his mouth swooped down on hers as he picked her up and tossed her on the bed. She stared up at him as he pulled his T-shirt over his head, and her mouth went dry at the expanse of muscular chest exposed. He was a work of art, and she wanted to learn every line of him with her fingers, mouth and tongue. His erection stood proud and lay against his stomach, stopping just under his navel.
His eyes glowed brighter when he saw where she was staring. “Baby, if you keep looking at me like that, there won’t be any more foreplay, and I’m dying to taste you again.”
When his eyes swept down and rested between her legs, her cheeks flamed. She remembered what his mouth felt like on her, what his tongue felt like slipping between her folds and circling her clit. She grew wet just thinking about it. He sniffed the air, groaned, and closed his eyes as if reaching for some modicum of control.
He opened his eyes and pushed the denim the rest of the way down his legs. She was glad he didn’t wear underwear because it would only take longer to get him completely naked. He kneeled at the end of the bed, circled an ankle in each hand, and pulled her toward him until her knees were draped over his shoulders.
He pushed the black silk up over her hips and gasped when he saw the matching thong. He ran a finger along her slit over the fabric, creating a delicious friction that made her hips buck in response. He bent and licked her through her panties, and she cried out as sensation pulsed through her. When he reached up and cupped her breasts, her nipples pebbled in response. He rolled them gently between his fingers, and invisible strings of pleasure shot to her core each time he pinched them, and her body caught fire.
He kissed the insides of her legs and ran his hands over her thighs before pushing the silk scrap of panties to the side, exposing her to his now probing tongue. He ate at her until her orgasm neared and then he retreated, as if he knew she was teetering on the edge of release. He stood, yanked the panties off, and tossed her to her stomach before covering her with his big body. He pulled her hips back, placed one arm under her belly, his other hand flat in the middle of her back, and pushed her against the mattress, keeping her ass high in the air and pressed against him.
His cock teased at her opening and her moisture coated him until he slipped easily back and forth along her delicate folds. She pushed back against him as he slid inside her, stilling after he went as deep as he could while he groaned and she cried out his name.
He held perfectly still for what seemed like an eternity before rotating his hips against her. She pulled forward until only the head of his thick cock remained inside, then arched to meet his thrust as he slammed back home. She stretched around him, and her muscles gripped him so tightly he growled.
“My God. You are so wet and tight for me.” He stilled again, as if savoring the way their bodies fit together, and she groaned in protest.
“Piers!”
“Impatient, baby?” He chuckled.
She turned her head to gaze up at him, gave him the wickedest smile she could muster, and flexed her hips back and up at the same time until he slid even further in her. His eyes glowed, and he growled right before he started pumping into her at a frenzied pace.
She bucked back as he slammed into her. He jerked her to him each time he thrust in her, their bodies slapping together with each grind of his hips. Within moments, her orgasm shot through her, her muscles clamped around him, and she cried out as she rocked against him, riding out the waves crashing over her as he yelled out her name while his release pulsed in hot jets inside her.
Afterward, he lay on his back, and she sprawled across his chest while he toyed with her hair. Once her body calmed a bit, she propped herself up on him.
“What?” He smiled at her.
“I meant what I said in the dream. I love you, Piers.”
He stilled, and stared at her for long moments.
“What?” She was worried she’d said something wrong.
“I just didn’t think you’d ever say it. I love you so much, Sherry. Say it again.”
“I love you.” She kissed his chin. “I love you.” She bent, licked his nipple, and his breath caught. “I love you.” She ran her hands along the muscles in his chest and up and over his shoulders. “You are a gorgeous man.”
“And you are a beautiful woman.” She frowned, and he ran a finger over her lips. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to be with you, but I-I’m
not ready to-to—”
He placed one long finger over her lips. “I won’t ever try to force you into anything you aren’t ready for. If your sister told you everything, you are aware that lycans’ life expectancy is much, much longer than humans. That’s the main reason we change our mates. I honestly can’t see living without you now that I’ve found you.”
“Oh. I see.”
“I’ve lived a long time. If you decide you’d rather not ever be changed and grow old and die a human, I’ll go when you do.”
“What? You can’t do that. Wait, would you still look like this when I’m old?”
“Probably.”
“I’m not ruling anything out, I just need some time. I want you to show me how it would be, and I need to get accustomed to the outdoors.”
“I’m not worried about it and neither should you be. The most important thing is that I found you. Let’s be happy with what we have now instead of worrying about what might or might not happen later.”
“Deal.” She kissed him.
Chapter Fifteen
Two years later . . .
A cool breeze blew over them as they sat on the hill overlooking a pond reflecting a full moon hanging lazily in the sky. They were naked and Sherry sat between Piers legs, her back to his chest. His arms were around her, and he held her snugly against him. He’d taken her to his favorite campsite tonight so they could be alone on this momentous occasion.
Over the last two years, he’d shown her the beauty of nature. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed out on. She still didn’t care for bugs all that much, but she loved watching the deer, rabbits and other animals in their natural habitat. She’d asked Piers to change for her several times, but he’d always refused, saying he’d wait until she decided to be turned. She’d grown to love him even more, if that were possible, and had realized that she couldn’t bear to grow old and make him watch her die.
