Lure of the Blood

by Doris O'Connor

  “For the record, Marnie, no, they’re not. I prefer to have my hands when I have sex, as you well know.” Her blush deepened and her eyes darted down his chest, before she jerked them back up to his face. “I found the wolf’s mate in a trap a few weeks ago. I tracked her down and have been keeping an eye on them ever since. Full wolves are rare and protected. I’m glad they’re doing so well, I was worried for a bit.”

  “And the trap?”

  “Destroyed, of course. I put up more patrols to keep the humans out. This is my territory and no damned hunter is going to set foot on it.”

  He let go of her, as he was talking, reliving the talk he’d had with the snotty-nosed kid, who thought it was fun to put up illegal traps on his land and the small hand on his arm jerked him back to the here and now. There were fresh tears shimmering on her eyelashes.

  “I’m so sorry, Ion.“

  “Hey, little one. This isn’t your fault.”

  The pressure on his arm increased and her voice shook with emotion.

  “I know, but humans have hurt you so many times in the past.”

  ****

  Marnie held her breath, watching the myriad of emotions flit across Ion’s face. Surprise, pain, denial. His whole body went taut with the sudden tension.

  “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve had my revenge several times over. I’m sure Lucas has filled you in.”

  The eyes of his wolf were staring back at her slight nod.

  “He has, but it doesn’t change things, Ion. I’m still not afraid of your wolf.” His low growl vibrated through her and she squared her shoulders, taking his head between her hands. He went very still. “Lucas told me about your Zoe. It wasn’t your fault she freaked out and couldn’t handle it and I’m sorry she did such a number on both of you. I can even understand you two sharing women, sort of. It was your way of protecting yourself, right?”

  He pulled away from her then and she could have sworn he was blushing. He wasn’t looking at her when he mumbled: “It seemed a good idea at the time. I wasn’t going to risk being bound by any prophecy. The fucking thing killed my mother. She was forever searching for the elusive human to make it come true. “

  Marnie’s heart constricted painfully at the emotion in his voice. It dropped a few octaves and he looked lost in thought, the small muscle in his clenched jaw the only movement in his powerful body.

  “What happened, Ion? Lucas told me, but I would like to hear it from you, please. I’m not sure I understand this whole prophecy thing, or even if I believe it. Lucas seems to think it’s me, but that can’t be right, can it? Ion?”

  She didn’t think he was going to answer her and when the words finally came, his voice was so low, she had to lean in to hear him better.

  “My mother was given a prophecy when I was born. She’d had trouble conceiving and lost several babies before I came along, so she went to see a witch, known for her fertility charms. It worked, because she fell pregnant and I stuck. But the night after I was born, that witch paid her a visit. The price for me was a curse on the bloodline. I was destined to be mated to a human. If I gave in to my desires, any babies my future mate and I would have would be full humans, as would their descendants. There was a get out clause: If I found a human with ancient bloodlines, one who could track her ancestry several generations to the origins of our species and if this human would accept me, then the curse would be broken. My mother, bless her soul, latched onto that fact and made it her mission to find her. My father was more sceptical. No alpha can afford to dilute the bloodlines by taking a human mate. We need full shifters as our offspring. No ancient family would allow a union such as the one needed to produce that elusive human my mother searched for. So basically I’m fucked either way. As alpha I need an heir and the only female I am destined to want to procreate with is human.”

  He glanced at her with such longing in his eyes she had to scoot closer to his warmth. A sigh went through him when she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder. He relaxed into her embrace at her whispered, “I know. I understand, Ion.”

  “Do you, little one? Really?”

  She swallowed at the intense heat in his eyes, when he turned in her arms and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, before touching his forehead to hers.

  “I have had this hanging over me from the first time I shifted and my parents told me my destiny. Well, mum called it my destiny, I believe my dad’s words were hocus-pocus and mum threw her frying pan at him.”

  Marnie had to smile at the image and Ion drew her in a bit closer. His eyes searched her face and his hands went in her hair as he leaned in closer still and inhaled deeply. Ion’s unique scent surrounded her and it was her turn to sigh. A brief smile lit up his craggy features at her whispered words. “Guess I know who wore the trousers, your mum, right?”

  “My father loved her to distraction, so yes. I guess in the privacy of our home, she did. He would have done anything for her as long as it didn’t endanger the pack. But the pack came first, always. It had to. That’s the only reason he allowed her to visit the witch. He needed an heir and at least on that, she delivered. He knew there would be a price to pay, there always is with magic, but my mother was desperate for a baby. He would have gladly forsaken children, were it not for the bloodlines.” The expression in his eyes made Marnie’s heart skip a beat, before it turned into a jackhammer at his next words. “I understand how he felt. It’s not easy being torn between your duty and the woman you love.”

  “Ion, I…” His kiss stopped her response and for the life of her she could not resist the gentle caress of his firm lips. When their tongues touched, Ion’s wolf growled low and he deepened the kiss with an urgency and desperation that matched her own. She shuddered when he broke away, the determination in his eyes so intense she forgot to breathe altogether. His fangs descended and he tilted her head with a muttered curse. Marnie could feel the heat of that gaze setting her alight. The temptation to give in to the silent question in his glowing eyes as his head descended towards her and his fangs scraped along her neck was almost too much to resist.

  But they couldn’t do this. She wasn’t right for him, no matter how much every single cell in her body screamed at her to submit. With clarity, she suddenly knew that her destiny was to stop him, to save him from himself. She had to leave and in time he would find a shifter female; he had to. His furious howl, when she put one hand on her neck and pushed against his chest at the same time, echoed around the tall ferns. He had never looked more like a wolf than at that moment, the veins in his neck standing out, his body coiled for action. The air around him shimmered and Marnie held her breath at the leashed power in front of her, his features barely human as he growled at her.

  “Fuck it, little one, do you have any idea how much I want to claim you and say to hell with the consequences?”

  She tried to scramble away from him, but the arm of steel around her waist yanked her back on his bare lap. The heat of his naked body enveloped her, pitching her own arousal to meet his. She gasped at the feel of his fully erect cock nudging against her core and instant moisture seeped through her thong. Her stomach flipped in anticipation and her womb clenched painfully, sending a spike of pure lust to her instantly throbbing clit. There was no way his shifter senses wouldn’t pick up on her body’s immediate response and the heavy scent of her arousal in the air between them. She buried her face in his chest, unable to look at the fierce heat in his eyes, as his hold on her tightened and his breathing grew heavy.

  “Ion, we can’t… please.”

  The grip on her waist grew painful and his voice was a strained plea in her ear.

  “I want you, little one. I cannot let you go.”

  Marnie screwed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply of Ion’s scent. Oh he smelled so good and this felt so right, but they couldn’t do this. She could never be his and she had to leave.

  “We…we can’t, Ion. I’m endangering the pack just by being here, you know that. They’ve cha
rged me with murder and they will find me eventually. I cannot be here. You would risk exposure and it’s my stupid fault this happened in the first place.” She placed one hand on his mouth to stop his immediate denial, her heart skipping a happy hop at the fierce protectiveness she saw in his eyes.

  “No, Ion, it is my fault. Not yours, not even Lucas’, but mine. You both just reacted to my stupidity and tried to save me in your own way. If I hadn’t insisted on walking, none of this would have happened. The man wouldn’t be dead and you wouldn’t have felt obliged to bring me back here and…”

  He silenced her with a kiss, his tongue demanding entry, his body crowding her. His low growls turned the blood in her veins to molten lava as her body went up in flames, until she simply kissed him back. She melted into his body, when he licked himself down her throat and when his teeth closed around one of her nipples through the fabric of her shirt, pure shards of pleasure shot straight to her clit. Her hips moved restlessly, rubbing her swollen folds against the head of his cock and they groaned in unison, when he lifted her in one fluid move. Shoving the flimsy barrier of her underwear away, she moaned low in her throat when he drove into her wet heat in one powerful thrust. He held himself perfectly still, his muscles trembling with the effort, his eyes like hot coals devouring her.

  “Still think we can’t do this, little one?”

  She barely managed a feeble shake of her head, before he moved them both to their knees, the move lodging him deeper inside her. The breath whooshed out of her lungs, when he grabbed her hips to pull all the way out, only to thrust deep with a low growl in her ear. His chest hair tickled across her back and his warmth enveloped her, as he licked himself up her neck. The bite on her ear, as he pulled all the way out, only to enter her again in one slow, deliberate move, pure pleasure mixed with pain. Marnie felt every agonisingly slow thrust, as her internal muscles clenched around him, desperate to hold him in, to seek the release only he could bring. Every move scraped against her G-spot building the sweet pressure to unbearable levels, until she begged him to move faster, yet still he kept it slow. Every thrust punctuated with the same growled words over and over.

  “You...are…mine…little…one…and…I…will…never…let…you…go.”

  When Marnie thought she couldn’t possibly take anymore, her whimpers filling the falling shadows around them, his touch on her clit sent her spiralling into the abyss and he finally lost control. With an almost brutal yank on her hair, Ion pulled her up against him, the shift in position lodging him so deep his cock scraped her womb and she was lost in the frantic assault on her senses, as waves and waves of intense pleasure consumed her. The wet sounds of their bodies slapping together, their harsh breaths and Ion’s growl of completion reverberated around the small clearing, before they both collapsed on the forest floor and Ion pulled her sated body atop his.

  “You’re mine, little one. Whatever happens, you’re mine!”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The sudden wetness on his chest, coupled with Marnie’s agonised cries, woke him up in instant, all his senses on full alert, his body coiled for action. But there was no danger, just the two of them in his room back at the pack house with Marnie caught in the grips of a nightmare. The sun was just rising, casting a golden glow on her and she had never looked more beautiful to him. He pulled her closer into his side, murmuring soothing nonsense into her ear, and her breathing returned to normal, as her body relaxed back into sleep. He lay holding her, his emotions in turmoil, as the sun rose higher still. Soon she would be awake and insist on that crazy plan of hers.

  He wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool just like he’d wrapped her up in the soft towel after the bath they’d shared last night. He wanted to hold her captive right here in his bed and never let her go. But he had his duty to his pack and her mind was made up. The rational part of his brain knew this was the only option, but every fibre of his being screamed at him to throw caution and duty to the wind and make her his. It would be so easy to run his fangs along the exposed column of her neck and sink home, but he couldn’t do that to her. She had to be willing and she wasn’t.

  His hold on her tightened and he swallowed the curse bubbling on his tongue, mindful not to wake her. Every time he’d tried to convince her to stay (and boy had he tried), her eyes filled with tears and she pulled away.

  “Ion, this is the only way. Even if I didn’t have this murder charge hanging over me, I couldn’t stay. I can’t be your mate, not ever and I know if I stayed I wouldn’t have the strength to keep on stopping you. I’m not what you need and I…I love you too much let you throw it all away.”

  “And I love you too much to let you go, little one.”

  Her eyes huge, she’d scooted as close to him as was humanly possible. “You have to, Ion. Your pack needs you and you need them.”

  His immediate denial had died on his lips, when she kissed him, her tears mingling with his own. “Let’s not argue Ion, please. Make love to me. If this is the only night we have left…”

  His wolf had needed no further invitation. He lost count how many times they reaffirmed their love for each other, each time growing more desperate and urgent as the night wore on. His cock stirred to life, recalling her passionate responses, the way her eyes clouded over in the heat of passion, her moans and sighs urging him on, until he lost all control. The way Marnie turned the tables on him, her mouth and hands driving his wolf wild, as she took him into her mouth, her sweet pussy and her delectable ass. His fingers itched to wake her up now, but it was dawn. She would insist on leaving, once she was awake. He settled for watching her sleep, the slight fall and rise of her breasts, marked by his stubble and his hands and the surge of emotion had his wolf whine his frustration.

  Unable to stop himself he ran one claw down her throat, over her collarbone and down to one rosy peak, which puckered even in her sleep. He smiled at her low moan when he trailed that claw lower, swirling it round her belly button, over the quivering skin of her lower tummy, before sheathing it and letting his fingers sink deep into her moist, wet heat. His balls tightened and his gut churned at her body’s immediate responsiveness. He needed this woman like he needed the air to breathe. How was he ever going to find the strength to let her go? He inserted another finger, stretching her wider, whilst his thumb circled round her swelling clit and her eyes fluttered open with a breathy, “Ion?” He lost himself in the dark amber of her eyes, as they clouded over with desire and love for him. He increased the pressure of his fingers as his mouth sought hers. She sighed into his kiss, their tongues setting a passionate dance and her hips rose as he increased the pressure further, her breath coming in short gasps, a rosy blush spreading all over her body. Her nails dug into his back as she trapped his hand between her thighs, pushing herself further against his fingers and his cock throbbed painfully at the sensation of her aroused nipples scraping across his chest.

  “Ion, please…” her needy whisper skimmed across his heated flesh and his cock surged higher still, when she sunk her small teeth into his shoulder. “I want you inside of me now, please…”

  With a growl of surrender he pushed her back onto the bed his eyes locking with hers as she lay back and spread her legs wide in silent invitation, the scent and sight of her swollen, wet pussy driving his wolf wild. He took her outstretched hand in his and her eyes grew wide as he fisted his fully engorged cock and slowly ran the tip along her slit in lazy circles. His breathing grew as ragged as hers, when she raised herself up slightly and her other hand closed over his, guiding him into her wet heat with a simple lift of her hips. They stayed locked together, not moving as he grew bigger still inside her and her muscles clenched around him, making beads of sweat break out across his forehead with the sheer effort to hold himself still. He wanted to stay here forever––joined to the woman he loved, and was destined to never have. Marnie’s eyes filled with tears and her breathing hitched further as she moved slightly, bringing her clit in direct contact with his knuckles, still hol
ding the base of his shaft. Ion clenched his teeth as her muscles contracted around him.

  “Damn it, little one, no. I want this to last.”

  Her breathy “I…I…can’t,” as her climax hit, had him too losing control and setting a ruthless rhythm, he drove himself into her again and again, oblivious to anything but the fierce need to brand her as his and to never let her go. Lost in her muttered moans and sighs, as needy as his own, Ion sought his own release and when he too finally hit that peak, his wolf’s desperate howl was echoed by those of his pack and Marnie’s tears.

  Spent, he collapsed on top of her, licking her tears away.

  “Stay with me please, little one.”

  He felt her withdrawal before she said it, her voice heavy with tears and regret.

  “I can’t, Ion, but I will always love you. Be happy for me, please be happy and find someone else; you have to.”

  Ion’s fists balled around the steering wheel, remembering that scene now. They had dressed quietly, not looking at each other and foregoing eating breakfast. Marnie had said her goodbyes to the pack, regret visible in every tight line of her body. It had taken all of his will power to not shift and howl his frustration, tearing the place apart. Jenkins’ hand on his shoulder had been firm, the man’s wolf whining at the unfolding scene.

  “I know it sucks, boss, but it’s for the best to let her go.”

  They were five minutes away from their destination now and the tension in the cab had reached unbearable levels. Marnie had resolutely stared out of the window during the long drive back to town, the occasional swipe of her hand to wipe away a silent tear the only movement.

  His guts felt as though he’d been eaten alive, seeing her in such turmoil, but every time he reached across she just shook her head and shrunk away. “Please, Ion, no. Don’t make this more difficult for me.”