Riding the Veil

by Claudy Conn

  He moved into position as he spread her thighs wide open with his free hand and his tongue lapped at her clit and his teeth nibbled her nub. This sent Jacie into overdrive. She wiggled against this erotic action and small sounds she could not control escaped her lips.

  He moved with a frenzied purpose and her body responded to him. She called his name, “Ret…Ret…yes, oh, yes.”

  “Ah, baby, do you know how you light me up?” he said as he raised his head to look at her face, before he resumed his tongue action at her sex.

  Retaal’s finger joined his teeth and lips as he worked her nub and sent her into a high arch. “Yes, oh, yes…” she cried out as feral and erotic sensations took over her body.

  He held her rump in place as he worked her fast and hard, groaning with pleasure as he told her how delicious she was.

  She could feel a tingle that started in her toes and it shot through her body with a thoroughness that made those toes curl as she braced herself for a climax that took her into a series of delicious tremors.

  Aftershocks soared through her from her belly to her sex, and her eyes opened to find her love whispering praises.

  She was flooded with a primal release she had never known was possible and for a long moment could do no more than say his name. “Ret…Ret…oh, Ret…thank you.”

  He chuckled even as he moved into position and rubbed his cock over her thighs and then further up to her belly, and told her, “Thank you? Oh, Jacie love, I am going to make you go off over and over and then with me.”

  He slowly moved up from her sex to her stomach, kissing, nibbling, caressing as he made his way to her breasts and took their fullness into his hands.

  He worked her from her relaxed moment into a new heat, nibbled at her mouth and said, “Do you taste yourself…on my tongue?”

  His tongue entwined with hers, and all she knew was that she wanted more, so much more of this, more of him.

  “Retaal…I want you inside, inside me now,” she said hungrily.

  “First…” he said, and took his cock to her nipples and brushed over them gently, and then with some force. “Ah, baby…your skin is like silk. I love the feel of you.”

  She watched as he moved his dripping dick over her body and then all at once he picked her up and positioned her on her hands and knees on the bed. He was right behind her, rubbing his hard shaft on her ass, and his voice was full with hunger.

  “Your butt is beautiful…I love the shape and feel, oh, baby…you couldn’t want me inside as much as I need to be,” he said, and put the tip of his dick at her opening.

  “Yes…now, inside me now,” she agreed.

  “Ah, sweet!” he said, and shoved deep inside of her, drew back and shoved inside again, pumping into her fast and hard as he gave her rump a quick staccato slapping. He bent over her back and slid his hands to her breasts, taking her nipples between his fingers and gently teasing her into a frenzy as he rammed into her with a force that made her reel with pleasure.

  Jacie pumped back against his thrusts. Oh, but it felt so good! It was so easy…going off with him was so easy. He worked her body into an eruption of pleasure that swept through her. She slumped in his hold, coming back into life and action as he rolled onto the bed with her and positioned her above him, moving his dick into her again.

  “Ride me, baby…anyway you like,” he said.

  And she did, rocking his cock with a force that made her stiffen with yet another climax that took her over the edge and made her scream out his name. He didn’t stop his hard fast movements inside her, and her pussy clenched at his cock as she rode him.

  He was in a heat. She felt it and knew he could no longer hold back when he breathed out her name. “Jacie…oh, baby…oh, baby.”

  She felt him as his hot seed shot deeply into her and she was amazed that this made her squeeze her thighs as she went off with him.

  He held her tightly, spooning her afterwards and said, “Jacinta…”

  “Hmmm.” She snuggled back against him.

  His arm hung over her breasts and he took her nipples. “We aren’t done…”

  “What?” she said, surprised at his stamina.

  “Turn around and take my cock and use it, you perfect beauty, you.”

  She laughed and did in fact do as he asked. She took his hard rod and stroked it, bent and licked it before taking it in her mouth to lightly suck. She had never done this, though she knew a great deal about it, and her actions were tentatively encouraged by his groans.

  “Yeah, baby…” he said as she sucked harder and then harder still.

  The sound of his pleasure excited her and she found herself getting hot and then hotter.

  He pulled her up and put her on her back and said, “You’re good, Jacie…so good, but I need to get inside you again!”

  ~ Nine ~

  HOURS LATER, JACIE MADE AN attempt to slip out of bed.

  Retaal moaned softly and took her hand. “No…stay…let me…”

  “I have let you,” she said, and laughed. “And…you have let me. Now you and I have other things to attend to. We have spent the day in bed and soon the night will be here and we have to get to work, remember?”

  As his answer, he grinned.

  She laughed at his boyish expression and dropped a light kiss on his lips. “Ret, we have to get up and get to work. Now—right now.” She was fully aware as she padded across the room that he was staring at her naked body. “Enough, you! I’m for a nice hot shower. I’ll get dressed while you take yours. Also,” she frowned as she added, “I want to contact Dog before we get up with Niall. I need to get him and his mate out of here.”

  Retaal’s brows drew together as he sat up. “You’re right, baby. I don’t know what got into me…I forgot about everything. Nothing seemed to matter but you…here with me.”

  She blew a kiss his way. “Ret, I can’t tell you how you make me feel and how much all I want to do is forget the world and stay in bed with you.” She sighed. “But we can’t.”

  “I’ll come take a shower with you,” he said, grinning wickedly.

  “No.” She pointed at him. “You stay right there. If you come into the shower with me, we’ll never get out.”

  He groaned and sank back onto the tussled sheets. She laughed and raced into the bathroom. Oh, she thought as the hot water rained over her, was she dreaming? Had she really just been making love to the one true love of her life?

  Yes, she had, but this was no time to waste on dreaming about an uncertain future. Life was about to get even more complicated.

  She had to get Dog and his mate to safety before she and Ret implemented their plan. He would be too easy a target for ACE.

  In fact, she told herself, she shouldn’t wait, and should contact him now with their mind-link. She smiled because he wouldn’t like it. She had promised to only use it during an emergency. Well, this qualified.

  She and Dog had practiced this a few times and she knew he had it down pat and was confident he would hear and respond.

  Dog? Dog…hear me. Say you can hear me, she called to him, just to let him know she was linking.

  Yes, I hear ya, kid, but we are in trouble here. I don’t know how, but the colonel found out…he knows I am a mole. He will guess about you eventually, Dog answered.

  Something in the sound of his voice blasted in her head and told her Dog was in pain. What had happened? What? Had he been beaten? Where was he? ACE had very effective weapons against shifters…even immortal shifters.

  Where are you, Dog?

  My place, and Jacie…

  She didn’t wait but interrupted him. Are they with you?

  Yes…they came here with my Reena. They have us both and…

  Look, you have to stall them. Tell them you will give them whatever information they need if they free Reena. We’ll be there in a few minutes.

  I tried that, they didn’t believe me. They have Reena…I can’t let them hurt her. Jacie, you have to rescue my mate.


  We will, I promise. Hold on, Dog.

  Don’t know if I can. Jacie, I’m losing control. My wolf is raging because they keep slapping Reena, my brave Reena. I can’t take it. I don’t know how much more I can take watching them hurt her. Jacie, I don’t know how they found out we are the Alpha wolf shifters, but they know. The next thing they will do is hunt my pack. If you are coming, you better hurry.

  Jacie had already shut off the shower, jumped out and with a thought was dressed.

  How many ACE members are with the colonel?

  Just Beth and Shark are with him, he answered.

  There was no time to waste. As soon as Thomas decided he couldn’t get any information from either Dog or his mate, he would kill them…if only to set an example. Dog had infiltrated the ACE unit. That had never happened before. The colonel would be in a rage, and she had heard that when he lost it, he was more vicious than usual, which was hard to imagine.

  She was an immortal witch, and she would be damned if she hid that any longer. Jacie had promised to use her strongest magic only during life or death—well, this was the worst kind of life and death she could think of. Dog and his mate. Not on her watch!

  It was time for magic, potent magic the likes of which the colonel and ACE had never seen.

  Jacie’s lip curled as she called out to Retaal to dress.

  He stood frowning. “What…what is it?”

  “No time to talk…they have Dog and his mate…they know.”

  Ret was at her side and ready. Glitter radiated in his warrior silver eyes. He had the look of a soldier about to take on an army. “You have to shift me. I don’t know his location,” he said on a clipped note.

  “Thank the stars, I do!” she said.

  He hugged her close. “Come on then…let’s go.”

  “There are three of them…and I am certain they will call for backup as soon as we arrive on the scene,” she answered.

  She took his hand and shifted to Dog’s apartment.

  As they stepped out of the shift, she sized up the situation.

  The colonel and Shark had Dog silver-chained to a chair. She could see his flesh where the chain touched, sizzling and smoking. He had burn marks on his face and his naked torso. Shark was holding a branding iron. The smell of burnt flesh was in the air and made Jacie’s temper rage through her body, she fisted her hands.

  At the moment of their arrival on the scene, Shark jumped behind Dog and held a knife to his throat.

  The colonel stood in front of Dog, his versatile weapon resting on his arm, his other hand on the trigger. Beth had her weapon pointed at the pretty wolf shifter chained to a chair. Reena’s face was badly bruised. She had a black eye and a narrow but long cut at her throat, where a fair amount of dark blood dripped down her neck. They were immortal shifters. They would heal, but even the healing would be painful.

  The colonel and Shark looked at each other and the colonel said, “Ah, of course.” He shook his head, and had a smile that Jacie thought pure evil.

  “Well, damn…what have we here? What are you, little lady? A dog, like them?”

  “She is…just a bitch like this one,” Beth said with a curl of her lip as she kicked Reena’s shin.

  “No,” Jacie said. “Sadly, not a beloved shifter…but most certainly I am something you have never seen. And this big man at my side…well, he is a full-blooded Cuma, a prince actually. You would do well to step away from our friends.”

  Beth laughed and instead, slammed the butt of her weapon into Reena’s stomach.

  Reena snarled, but did not show the pain this had obviously caused. Jacie marveled at the woman’s fortitude.

  Dog was enraged by Beth’s action. His curses were slurred with fury as he lunged, still human, still chained, still burning from the silver chains around his waist holding him to the chair.

  Jacie looked at Retaal. Beth had to be handled immediately. “Sorry, Apollo,” she said, and with a wave of her hand sent Beth flying across the room.

  The ACE woman hit the wall and fell to the floor. With another flick of Jacie’s wrist, Beth’s weapon was taken apart.

  “What the hell?” the colonel growled.

  Retaal shifted to Shark, who never saw him coming. He gave the man a punishing hit that brought him down.

  Beth was up and on her feet, raging at Jacie, “I’ll kill you, bitch…I’ll kill you!”

  Jacie could have ended Beth’s life with Dark Magic. She thought about it, but that was a route her mother and Apollo would lament. Instead, she smiled and said, “You wouldn’t be able to do that easily.” Jacie lifted her hand and put Beth to sleep. As the woman dropped in her tracks, Jacie said, “Witch here…”

  With another flick of her finger, Jacie undid Reena’s chains.

  Shark was on his feet and his weapon was back in his hands. He pointed the weapon at Retaal as the colonel pointed his at Jacie.

  “Kill him…I have this one!” the colonel shouted.

  Reena was up and charging the colonel, thinking that Jacie might be shot and the next few moments sped by so fast, Jacie wasn’t able to stop what happened then.

  The colonel turned his weapon on Reena. Jacie, without thought, stepped between Reena and the spray of bullets as she put up her palm to defray them. Most of the deadly bullets were captured with Jacie’s magic and went into the wall…but Jacie had been in motion and some of the bullets had got past her magic and hit her full on!

  Jacie couldn’t believe the force and the impact of the shots to her chest. The pellets tore through her clothes and her flesh, and blood poured out over her body.

  She had been diving and with the impact of the bullets, landed heavily on the floor. A groan escaped her as she tried to prop herself up and see what damage she had sustained.

  The pellet spray was made of pure silver, but silver would have no effect on her system. However, the bullets had torn through flesh, muscle, and nerves. It would take time for her immortal body to heal itself.

  The first thing her body did was expel the silver pellets and then immediately began the process of healing her insides. She looked over and saw that her impulsive move to dive in front of Reena had not spared the wolf shifter. Reena had still been hit with a couple of silver pellets. The projectile device had been set on wide.

  Reena was squirming on the floor and in terrible pain. Blood poured out of the shifter’s wounds and Jacie knew she had to do something to help her or she would die. Shifters and silver do not mix.

  The colonel and Shark were on Retaal, who was holding his own as he tried to bring them both down without killing them. Tricky business.

  Jacie was beginning to think that they needed killing.

  Dog had lost control. He was turning.

  Unlike a werewolf, shifters can turn with a thought, at any time of day, and without the need of a full moon. The change doesn’t cause them pain and takes place in just a couple of moments.

  Dog’s wolf exploded from the chains and Jacie could smell his fur burn where the silver touched it. He was a force and Jacie couldn’t help but be relieved. He was huge, auburn with Alpha markings on his face and chest. Most impressive, she thought, but her concern for Reena was paramount, as she tried to still the flow of blood and draw out the poison. Then all at once, in the flash of a moment, time took the players in its field and set them on a course Jacie could not stop.

  Beth had shrugged off the spell Jacie had put her under while Jacie was focused on Reena. Oh, but timing can be a blessing as well as a curse. Timing at that moment was lousy.

  Beth was on the move.

  Shark had dropped his weapon during the altercation with Retaal. Beth took it in hand and pointed the deadly thing at Reena’s stomach. Reena was already down and in trouble from the silver poison. This would kill the immortal shifter.

  Jacie was at a crossroad. One life for another? Who has the right to choose?

  Life and death are the two ends of a pole that humans often use to measure their existence. Those two e
nds were about to collide.

  It was as though it all happened in single-slotted frames, slowly moving to create a video in her mind. Everything moved in slow motion, and yet too fast for Jacie, wounded, not quite healed, to prevent.

  However, what Beth did not see was Dog. Beth was in Dog’s direct line as he lunged. All he cared about was Reena, thus Beth was his target.

  He didn’t have a choice to make about life and death…who dies or who lives. That choice was already written.

  Dog reacted as the Alpha wolf he was. He had but one purpose, save his mate.

  Jacie knew and understood. Dog would protect his Alpha mate at all costs, even at his own peril. Everything he was, everything that Reena was to him commanded his actions.

  Beth was about to fire her weapon. Jacie saw it all in one horrible flash. Reena stretched out her hand towards Dog for one final touch. Jacie screamed out desperately, “Reena…down, get down!”

  Reena collapsed.

  Dog dove over her limp body in a lunge that was meant to destroy the object in his path. Jacie heard the thought in his mind and even as she called out, “No…Dog, NO!” She knew there was no stopping him.

  Dog’s anguished howl filled the atmosphere as he flew across the room and brought Beth down onto her back.

  The huge shifter was in a killing mode that could not be stopped. He had no choice. His auburn fur was hackled around his body. His yellow eyes were filled with the primal call to save his mate and in this case, philosophy had no ground.

  Beth couldn’t even struggle beneath his weight. Jacie saw Beth sneer at the wolf, then spit at the wolf’s nose so close to her face, just before Dog’s canines ripped into Beth’s neck and tore open her throat.

  Dog was in a feral state. He had Beth’s head in his clamped jaws and shook it before he threw it across the room.

  Jacie was horrified. She knew it had been a choice of Beth or Reena. She knew it had to be done and still, killing a human so viciously opened up her eyes. Killing, just as Apollo had taught her, was a final action only to be used when there was no other choice.