by Unknown
“Oh.” She crouched in his lap and crushed the desire to ask him to open to her again. She would not beg.
Her inability to trust seemed so petty and petulant when compared to Jared’s courage. “I’m so sick of being afraid. I’m such a coward.” She rubbed her eyes, attempting to scrub away the tears.
“I know you are. But you’re not a coward, Josie. You’ve survived three years in this hellhole. That took courage. Believe me, I understand.”
Josephine shook her head. “I don’t know how you can, Jared. You’re not afraid of anything. Not even dying.”
“I don’t like flying.”
“That doesn’t count. A werewolf worried about damaging an airplane is like an elephant afraid of crushing the scales.”
Jared chuckled. “Touché.”
“Name one thing you’re truly scared of. I dare you.”
He hesitated. Subtle tension passed through his muscular frame, then he lowered his head. “I worry about the people under my protection getting hurt.”
Josephine drew back to meet his gaze. “You mean as a fireman—the people you’re trying to help.”
His topaz eyes were inscrutable. “Yeah. That’s what I mean,” he agreed. He lied.
Hours later, she lay awake wondering why he’d chosen to lie about that, of all things.
Just after sundown, Evangeline arrived in her usual fashion. The vampire drank from Jared’s arm, and the werewolf once again submitted. Josephine watched the entire exchange with a horrified fascination, feeling like a bystander at a train wreck. She understood better than ever how Jared fooled the vampire. He chained Evangeline with a primal animal magnetism, the seductive energy he wielded to both awe and dominate.
Jealousy ate at Josephine until Jared turned his head away from the feeding vampire and stared at Josephine with eyes so cold it chilled her blood. His expression revealed callous hatred—directed at her. Her precarious trust in the werewolf collapsed. Frightened senseless, Josephine flattened her ears and crouched as far from reach as possible.
Once she finished feeding, Evangeline dabbed at her mouth with a linen handkerchief. The vampire’s malevolent gaze turned on Josephine. “Why isn’t the cat dead yet, Jared?”
From her corner, Josephine emitted a slick hiss, and her fur bristled, standing on end. As fast as she was, there was nowhere to run. Then, to Josephine’s confusion, Jared stepped between her and the vampire.
The werewolf lowered his head and captured Evangeline’s gaze. “She’s the only thing I have to fuck in here,” Jared growled.
Evangeline’s face twisted with disgust. “Don’t be crude!”
“I’m sorry,” Jared apologized with soulful eyes. When he tried, the werewolf could employ his good looks with devastating effectiveness.
“It’s just that I’m bored,” Jared complained. “When are you going to let me out?” He offered a seductive glance from beneath lowered eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to feed from my throat, Evangeline?”
The vampire laughed. “Be patient, my wolf,” she teased. “Two more nights, I promise. I’m throwing a little soiree and inviting some friends over so that I can show you off. I’ll bring you out of the cage then.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Jared said, projecting boyish excitement. “I just love parties.” He waited until Evangeline departed with her minions and then spun, pacing hard and restless. He thrummed with contained violence.
Josephine watched him with a sinking feeling in her stomach because she knew his opportunity to escape would come sooner than expected. She lay awake all night worrying. When the vampire fed, Jared looked at Josephine with pure hatred. He might even believe they were okay, but deep down he despised her for betraying him.
When the time came, he would leave her behind.
Day 5
“What’s the first thing you plan to do when you get out of here?” Josie asked. She’d finished the meat and cheese but left the bun and toppings.
In contrast, the werewolf ate everything in front of him and still managed to look hungry. Intrigued that Josie would breach the taboo topic, Jared decided to indulge her. He cocked his head. “Kill vampires.”
“I meant after that.” Delicately, Josie began to groom her paw and used it to clean her face.
The sight of her small pink tongue moving across her silken fur called to mind other unsatisfied hungers. Jared got hard watching her, forcing him to draw up his knees to conceal the erection straining against his blue jeans.
“Drink a beer.” Jared was sick to death of water and soda. Carl refused to bring him anything but, claiming Evangeline disliked the taint of alcohol in the blood.
“I’d have thought it would be to shower.” Her superior look was nothing short of catty.
Jared chuckled. “Okay, shower and then a beer.” He finished his French fries and eyed Josie’s unfinished food with predatory greed. With a sigh, she shoved the container toward him.
“What about you?” Jared watched her for any sign of fear or deception. It was risky, but maybe he could use the ploy to convince the silly cat he was committed to winning her freedom as well as his own.
Josie stopped grooming. Her huge blue eyes got bigger. “I’d like to go to school or get a real job.”
Jared performed a double take. “You’re kidding?”
“No.” Her expression was dejected. “I’m sick to death of being someone’s pet or possession. My entire life, I’ve never been independent.”
She glared at him, expecting to be laughed at or mocked. Instead, Jared regarded her with renewed respect. “You should pursue that. What would you like to do?”
Her ears perked up and her tail lifted. “I’d like to drive race cars or become a dancer or maybe wrestle alligators like that Australian man on TV.”
Jared choked as he swallowed a mouthful of French fries. He coughed into his fist and tears threatened. “Crocodiles,” he said when he could speak again.
Josie stared at him. She did not blink.
“In Australia, they have crocodiles.”
Her ears flattened and her tail lashed. “Whatever.”
“Josie, do you even know how to drive?”
She huffed. “No.”
Jared’s laughter subsided. “When we get out, I’ll teach you.”
Josie gazed at him, hopeful and distrustful all at once. “Promise?”
“Promise.” He crossed his heart.
She beamed and blushed and then changed the topic. “I’m sick to death of cheeseburgers.” She crunched the paper bag with appropriate passion and cast the crumpled ball between the bars.
Jared laughed. “I thought all cats loved cheeseburgers.”
“Internet lies and fabrications.”
“I’ll complain to the staff.” The werewolf disposed of his own garbage, scoring a slam dunk in the trash can across the hall.
“No, seriously,” Josie said. “Can’t you ask for chicken? Or fish? Anything but cheeseburgers. I’m ready to eat my own tail.”
Jared stood and his humor took a turn for the grim. “I guess I always have the option to eat a little cat,” he teased. It pleased him when the werecat regarded him with distinct irritation. A few days before, such a remark would have sent her into a panic. In a twisted fashion, it had become their personal inside joke.
“Asshat,” she snapped.
“Your bones would stick in my teeth anyway.” Jared grimaced and braced. They both knew what came next; he suspected he dreaded it more than she did. He closed his eyes and then opened them again and reached for her, securing a firm grip on her shoulders.
As if a switch had flipped, Josie erupted in loud hisses and growls, coming at him with a whirlwind of claws. Those feline talons connected with his chest, and he ground his teeth, bracing for the familiar lancing pain, but trusting her to keep her promise. Instead of gouging him, she left behind light welts that began to heal immediately.
The scuffle continued for a while, but it lacked the vicious conflict of days past. They w
ere both creatures of supreme speed and sublime strength. The confrontation fell somewhere between rough housing and a courtship dance. Jared ignored the implicit eroticism and concentrated on the end goal.
He cornered Josie and secured a grip on her waist. He hauled her into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind them. To spare her the floor, Jared sat her on the sink and stood between her legs, pressing his torso against her upper body.
The swell of her beautiful breasts against his bare chest was torture. His cock strained full and hard against the denim of his jeans. His nostrils flared, drinking in the pungent scent of her arousal. She wanted him. The knowledge sent his fragile self-control spiraling. A shudder passed through Jared’s body, and he steeled his will. She was going to kill him.
“Thank you,” Jared said, reaching up to scratch behind her ear. It was a curious gesture, and she submitted to his caress. A purr emanated from deep within her chest, causing Jared to grin.
“You’re welcome.” Her hands sought and settled upon his shoulders.
He couldn’t resist the temptation to turn his face against her throat, rubbing his cheek against her downy soft fur. He inhaled her scent. So familiar. So right. The rumble of her purr continued, a rich and vibrant sound reverberating through his entire body, pitched to make him ache.
Against him, the little cat was restless, writhing and twisting, unable to sit still. Each bump and grind of her pussy against his crotch was torment. Hell, days of holding her like this were torture. His reasons for restraint grew more elusive with each passing second. In desperation, he clung to his resolve not to take advantage of her.
A roll of her hips smashed his balls so hard that a warning growl rolled from Jared’s throat. He yanked his head up, flashing fangs, and pulled away so a couple inches separated them.
“Sit still,” Jared snarled, glaring. He made eye contact and attempted to dominate her into submission. His ego fell flat when she laughed at him.
He sighed, committed to enduring in silent agony, staring straight at his reflection in the mirror behind them. His eyes went wide with disbelief when her small hands tugged open the fly of his jeans.
“Josie.” He said her name as a warning.
“Stop being such a stick in the mud, Jared. I wanna play.” Josie had his pants down around his knees before he could react. He always went commando to make shifting easier so there were no barriers between them.
Boldly, her tail snaked between his legs and wrapped about his thigh. The furry end brushed against his buttocks—whisk, whisk, whisk—and then dipped to caress his ball sac, feather-soft and wispy. Her dense fur felt like mink on his bare skin.
“Jesus, ahh. Fuck, Josie,” Jared swore. “You’re making this hard.” He thrust his hips against her, penetrating the outer folds of her pussy with the head of his cock as his hands dropped to her shoulders and then her hips. He intended to stop her; he wound up dragging her toward him.
She laughed at him. “Hard is the operative word, isn’t it? Poor Wolfy, is you frustrated?” The tail stroking his balls pressed harder; her pussy creamed against his cock.
“You can’t tease me and expect to get away with it,” he threatened. Jared shot her a killing look. Unfortunately, at some point, the damn cat had stopped fearing him and decided to tease the hell out of him.
Josie dropped her gaze to his chest. “Are you going to hurt me, Jared?” She tilted her hips forward. “Are you going to…eat me?”
“Fuck, yes,” he said, because he could no longer stand it. “I’m going to eat you.” Startled, the wide-eyed cat jumped, attempting to get away from him, but Jared had anticipated her movement. His hands locked on her hips, pinning her in place.
He went down on his knees and slid his hands to the insides of her thighs, splaying her legs wide and exposing her heated core. Her pussy was pretty and pink and glistening. Jared opened his mouth and tasted her with his tongue. He started at her anus and licked forward to her clit. The stroke of his tongue caused her hips to buck.
“Jared!” Josie yelped and reached for his head. Her claws pushed from their delicate sheathes, gleaming sharp and wicked in the flickering light, and scraped across his temples. Then her fingers laced through his dark hair. “Wait, please. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—I only wanted to play—”
“You wanted to tease, but no worries, Josie,” he drawled. “Now we’re playing. My my, look at you. The prettiest little pussy I’ve ever seen.” He parted her labia to expose her clit and flicked it with the tip of his finger. She gasped and thrummed, and he used the reverberation of her body to set his rhythm.
Mouth open wide, Jared thrust his tongue into the delicate folds of her pussy, tasting her spice and heat. Josie mewed and moved against his face, fucking his mouth with her rocking hips. Her tail twitched like crazy, communicating a rhapsody of need.
Jared eased one finger inside her silken channel. He fucked her with the single digit, moving in and out at an easy pace, well aware that it wouldn’t be hard or fast enough to arouse anything but frustration.
Josie arched against him and gazed up with amazed blue eyes. Her hips begged for more, lifting toward his mouth. “Jared, please,” she pleaded.
He chuckled, a low and throaty sound emanating from deep in his chest. “Tell me what you want.”
Josie whimpered, and her tail thrashed in aggravation, lashing his leg. Abruptly, her tail wrapped serpentine about his thigh, constricting with impressive strength. The fingers in his hair punished him for his audacity, yanking hard on the captive strands. Jared withdrew his finger and her resistance crumbled.
“I want to come,” Josie begged. “Please, Jared. Fuck me with your mouth…”
Pretty begging deserved to be rewarded, and Jared returned one finger to her pussy and then another, entering her with a firm, twisting thrust. She moaned her satisfaction and he repeated the motion. “Fuck, I could play with you all night, Josie.”
On the fourth thrust, her vaginal muscles went into spasm, a small contraction at first. Then another followed, faster and harder, and Jared laved his tongue across Josie’s clit, savoring the honeyed ambrosia.
Josie climaxed, and her tiny body writhed in ecstasy. She arched her back so her hips lifted from the counter, every muscle drawn taut. Jared stroked his hand across her hip and lower back, massaging the straining muscles.
Jared kept pace on her clit, tormenting the tiny bud without mercy, and used his long tongue to penetrate her tight pussy, exploring every nook and cranny of her sex. He held her fast as she reached a second orgasm, feasting on her pretty pink clit.
“More? Do you want to go again, Josie?” Jared asked, tilting his head. The sound of Josie’s racing heart filled his ears, a most erotic music. When he turned his face, the soft fur of her abdomen rose against his cheek, the product of her heavy panting. As Jared eased his ministrations, Josie’s body subsided.
“No,” she said. Her fingers tugged on his hair, urging him higher along her body. “Jared, I need you. Fuck me.”
Jared rose and tilted her hips back on the counter to get a better look at his meal. His compliant, pliable werecat rolled her hips, obeying his touch, limp and gorgeous in the awful artificial light. Josie wore his scent—his pretty little pussy, his treat, his toy, his friend. He ran his hands over her beautiful breasts, agitating her nipples with calloused palms, deriving satisfaction from the way she mewled and gasped.
He locked his hands on her hips and pulled her toward his erect cock, which stood straight out from his body. He positioned the head against her pussy. Josie’s blazing blue eyes opened, and she blinked until her vision focused on his face.
“Jared—” she whimpered.
“Ah, Josie, you were made for fucking.” Jared gripped her hips and yanked her to him. He rammed his stiff cock home to the balls. Those slick, tight muscles grabbed hold of his rod, leaving him panting. He remained still, allowing her body to adjust, relishing every small contraction of her pussy.
“What do you th
ink now, Josie? Are we playing like you wanted?” Jared asked, running praising hands across her small breasts. Her nipples were perky nubs, begging to be tasted, and he lowered his mouth to flick one with his tongue.
Her head came up, blue eyes blazing. Josie regarded him with a wicked smirk. “I got what I wanted,” she boasted. With the uncanny limberness that blew his mind, she sat forward and twisted. Her hand snaked between them and gripped his balls and the base of his cock.
His ability to think, to speak, dissolved into a red haze. Jared’s jaw worked but he submitted to her touch. Obligingly, he slid a few inches out of her pussy to enable her exploration. Her clever fingers caressed his balls and then encircled the base of his shaft. The all-consuming throbbing between his legs demanded satisfaction—to take, to impale, to use her for his own pleasure. The violence of his beast frightened him, and he muzzled it with his last ounce of self-control.
Josie satisfied her curiosity and smiled up at him with her eyes and her lips. “My, what a big tool you have, wolf,” she teased as her hands settled on his hips.
“All the better to penetrate you with, kitty.” Jared laughed, savoring her submission, for however long it lasted. He thrust his hips against her core once, taking great care not to hurt her.
Then he caught a glimmer of determination in her eyes and her legs wrapped tight about his hips, locking at the calf. She rocked against him, and he responded with a shallow thrust of his hips.
“Josie,” he ground out.
“Jared,” she snapped. “Shut up and fuck me.”
Damn cat intended to kill him. Jared closed his eyes, breathing slow and deep. He restrained his impatient wolf and shoved it deep down, suppressing his worst impulses. It was difficult, but when he opened his eyes again, only the man remained.
He stayed in her for a long time, riding her with small, controlled thrusts. Sweat created a vibrant sheen on his skin, and the exertion became painful. And Josie fought him, straining to take more of his cock, pulling him to her with her hands and legs, pitting her not inconsiderable strength against his.
