Animal Attraction

by Paige Tyler

  Once outside, he had immediately run over to Eliza. To his immense relief, she had seemed completely unharmed, but then he had smelled the blood and seen the wound on her arm. Pain had torn at him then. He had known immediately what the bite meant.

  Even now in the SUV, Hunter’s fingers shook a little as he did up the buttons of his shirt and tucked it into his jeans. The bite meant that she would become a werewolf like him. And he had no idea how she was going to react to that.

  Abruptly realizing that the sirens were getting closer, Hunter shrugged into his jacket and got out of the SUV to quickly make his way over to Eliza. She was standing with Andy and Nate, her arms wrapped around herself, and she turned as he approached. Without a word to the two men, she closed the distance between them and threw herself into his arms.

  “I was so afraid for you,” she said hoarsely, the words muffled against the curve of his neck.

  “Shh, sweetheart,” he soothed softly, stroking her hair. “Everything’s all right now.”

  Hunter wondered if the words sounded as hollow to her as they did to him. How could things be all right when she had been bitten? But apparently Eliza must not have noticed because she only pressed against him more tightly. Closing his eyes, he rested his cheek against her silky hair. He wanted to hold her like this all night.

  They weren’t going to be afforded that luxury, though, not when there were police cars and fire trucks pulling into the clearing. Sighing, Hunter reluctantly lifted his head in time to see Fred Newman making his way toward them as firemen began dragging hoses toward the burning cabin.

  “What the hell happened here?” the curly-haired detective asked. “And what are you four doing here?”

  Hunter’s arm tightened around Eliza as he explained about the photo they had seen in the diner, and the connection between the men that had been attacked. When Hunter came to the part about coming up to the cabin to warn Ken Marberry, he was relieved when Eliza stepped in to continue the story. Hunter listened with amazement as she told the detective about Marberry’s yearly hunting trips to the Yukon and the downed plane full of drugs and money, both of which were still in the shed behind the cabin. While Hunter knew she was deliberately leaving out the part about how Tom Porter became a werewolf, he was able to piece enough of the story together to figure it out.

  “What Ken Marberry didn’t know was that Tom Porter didn’t die out there, but had come back and was murdering them one by one,” Eliza finished.

  Newman said nothing for a moment. “How does that explain the fact that those men were killed by a wolf?”

  Shit. He had no way to explain that.

  “There never were any wolf attacks,” Eliza said quickly. “Porter made some kind of weapon from the skull and jaw bone of the wolf that had attacked him in the Yukon, and then used it to make it look like an animal had done the killings. You’ll probably still find it in what’s left of the cabin.”

  Newman frowned, but she hurried on before he could say anything.

  “I’m guessing that Porter planned to take the money and the drugs for himself once all of his friends were dead,” she continued. “Porter showed up after Marberry told us everything. They started to fight, and one of the kerosene lanterns got knocked over. We barely made it out alive. Neither of them did.”

  Though Hunter couldn’t help but be impressed by Eliza’s quick thinking, he wasn’t so sure Fred Newman would buy it, but to his relief, the detective merely nodded. “That sounds too crazy not to be true,” he said.

  “She’s lying! That’s not what happened at all!”

  Hunter stiffened at the man’s voice. His eyes narrowed at the bespectacled, blond-haired man hurrying over to them.

  Fred Newman eyed the blond man curiously. “Who the hell are you?”

  “My name is Carson Emery and I’m a reporter with Strange Times magazine,” the man said. “The people who were attacked weren’t murdered by some guy wanting revenge, they were killed by a werewolf!”

  Beside him, Hunter felt Eliza tense.

  Fred Newman, however, simply stared at Carson Emery as if the man had lost his mind. “A werewolf?” he said dryly.

  The reporter nodded his head emphatically. “A werewolf! You know, the monster made famous by Lon Chaney.” He pointed at Nate. “He knows what I’m talking about. Tell him,” he said to Nate.

  Hunter clenched his jaw, but Nate only shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I was there. It happened just the way she said.”

  “Liars, all of you!” Carson Emery gave them a baleful glare as he turned to Newman again. “They’re lying, I’m telling you! They’re trying to cover it up for some reason! Give them a lie detector test! You’ll see I’m right!”

  Newman’s mouth tightened. “Olsen,” he called to the detective who had been talking with a female police officer nearby. “Get this guy out of here.”

  “W-wait a minute!” Carson Emery sputtered as the burly detective took his arm. “You can’t just throw me out! I have a right to be here! Freedom of the press!”

  Fred Newman shook his head. “What a fruitcake,” he muttered as Olsen dragged the protesting reporter away. After a moment, he turned back to them. “Obviously, I’ll need the four of you to hang around for a while so that we can get your statements.”

  Hunter nodded and breathed a sigh of relief as the detective walked off. He supposed he shouldn’t have been concerned really, considering that Carson Emery had sounded like a raving lunatic.

  “So,” Nate said. “You’re a werewolf, huh?” His mouth curved. “I knew it the whole time.” Before Hunter could reply, Nate walked off to talk to the female officer who had been standing with Olsen.

  “You don’t think he’ll say anything, do you?” Hunter asked Eliza curiously, his gaze on Nate.

  She shook his head. “No. If he were going to say anything, he would have backed up Emery. I think he’s more thrilled to find out that he’s actually been right all along.”

  Hunter nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” His gaze went to Andy. “What about you?”

  The photographer gave them a wry smile. “Nah. I like the story Eliza came up with better. It won’t get you the cover of Paranormal Today, but the local papers will eat it up for sure. Let me know if you’ll need any photos to go with your story. I work freelance, too.”

  Giving them a nod, the photographer walked off to join Nate and the female officer. Eliza stood gazing at the trio for a moment, and then turned to face Hunter. It was the first time they’d been alone with each other since he had gotten there.

  Eliza reached up to gently brush his hair back from his forehead. “You’re hurt,” she said softly, running her fingers over the cut there.

  The corner of his mouth edged up. “It’s just a scratch.” He took her hand in one of his and gazed down at her arm. The bite had healed and was now just a series of jagged scars. “Your wound is a little bit more serious, Eliza. You’ve been bitten.”

  She nodded. “I know. And I know what that means.”

  Eliza had been cool and collected through all of this, so Hunter supposed he shouldn’t be surprised by how calm she was being now. Still, he couldn’t help but frown.

  “Do you really?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. It means I’ll be werewolf.”

  His frown deepened. “And you’re okay with that?”

  She was silent for a moment, then offered him a small smile. “Well, I should probably be freaking out, but right now, the only thing that comes to mind is all of the advantages that come with being a werewolf. I mean, I’ll be able to eat more without worrying about getting fat. And I’ll be able to see and hear better, not to mention be able to smell when the milk has gone bad. The healing thing is really cool, too.” She sighed. “But then on the down side, I will have to get over my phobia of nature if I’m going to be out running around in the woods all the time. That might be kind of difficult. And of course, I’ll have to get used to the cold w
eather if I’m going to be living up here.”

  Hunter stared at her, dumbfounded. Was she saying what he thought she was? “Living up here?”

  She looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “You did say you were serious when we talked about it before. Does your offer to share your bed include the rest of the house as well? I mean, I know you mentioned the hot tub and the bearskin rug, but I’m going to need some closet space, too.”

  Hunter chuckled. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Not only had Eliza been able to accept him being a werewolf, but she seemed to be handling her newly turned status pretty well, too. In addition to that, she wanted to stay with him. Pulling her into his arms, he gave her a long, slow kiss. “You can have all the closet space you want. Anything, as long as you stay with me.”

  “You might regret that when you see all the clothes I have.” She laughed, but then looked at him more seriously. “Really, though. I’d be lying if I told you that I’m not a little scared about going through that first change, especially since you said it was kind of frightening. You’ll be there to help me, won’t you?”

  Hunter bent his head to kiss her gently on the mouth again. “The first time, and all the ones after that, sweetheart. I love you, don’t you know that?”

  She looked up at him in obvious surprise. “Y-you do?”

  “Of course,” he grinned. “I thought it was obvious.”

  Eliza’s smile was shy. “I had hoped, but I didn’t know for sure. But I like hearing you say it. And I love you, too, by the way. Very much,” she told him, pulling him down for another kiss.

  Chapter 10

  Eliza arched her back and sighed with pleasure as Hunter ran his tongue along the slick folds of her pussy. That morning, they had gone out for a run in the forest behind his house—their house—she corrected, letting out another sigh as he slid his tongue deep inside of her. After running for hours, they had changed back to their human form, and one thing had led to another. Now she was on her hands and knees in the grass while he licked her from behind. And it felt absolutely incredible! She dug her fingers into the soft earth beneath her as Hunter swiped his tongue across her pussy over and over again. If someone had told her a couple of months ago that she would be making love with the man of her dreams out in the middle of the forest, she would have told them they were crazy. After all, the great outdoors had never really been her thing. But now that she was a werewolf, being outside was the most natural and exhilarating feeling in the world.

  Letting out a little moan, Eliza leaned farther forward and thrust her ass even higher in the air, hoping that wonderful tongue of his would find its way to her clit. He must have read her mind because a moment later, she felt his velvety tongue on her plump, little nub. She caught her breath as he began making slow circles round and round the sensitive flesh. God, that felt unbelievable! While she always loved it when Hunter went down on her, there was something about him doing it in this position that was decidedly primal.

  Ever the tease, however, Hunter only licked her clit for a moment before going back to what he’d been doing before. Not that Eliza minded, of course. The teasing always seemed to make her orgasms that much more intense, and she moaned once more as he ran his tongue along her pussy, and then dipped it inside again. Good heavens, she might actually come just from that. Before she could find out, though, he had moved back up to her clitoris again.

  Instead of making slow, little circles on the plump flesh like he’d been doing before, he flicked his tongue over her clit once, and then twice, before closing his mouth over the sensitive bud and gently suckling on it. She gasped, sure that what he was doing would immediately send her tumbling headlong over the edge into ecstasy, but just when she was certain she might, Hunter backed off and once again began to make light, circular motions with his tongue. Damn, the man knew how to get her going!

  Her clitoris was even more sensitive now than when he’d first begun licking her, and Eliza closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in how good it felt. The forest seemed to disappear around her as she gave herself over to the sensations claiming her. It was like every nerve in her body was concentrated in that one little spot, and her breath started to come in little gasps as she moved closer and closer to climax. She was barely even aware of what he was doing as he lapped her clit with his tongue.

  Her orgasm swept over her like a slow building tidal wave, and she dug her fingers into the soft earth, her cries of ecstasy echoing through the forest as Hunter’s tongue coaxed every possible trace of pleasure from her body.

  Only when every last tremor had left her did Hunter stop what he was doing. As she felt him shift behind her, she knew that his hard cock would be sliding into her any moment. Her breathing quickened with anticipation.

  Grasping her hips, Hunter teased the opening of her pussy with the head of his cock. Her arousal was musky on the air, and as he inhaled deeply, he thought he might explode from the intoxicating scent. Sometimes, it was good being a werewolf. It was very good.

  Unable to resist the temptation of her hot pussy any longer, he tightened his hold on her hips and plunged his hard cock inside her in one smooth motion. Eliza gasped, but he barely heard the softly uttered sound over his own low groan. She was so unbelievably tight. It was like his cock was being squeezed by a velvet glove, and as he felt her pussy clench around him even more firmly, he knew there was no way he was going to be able to last unless he fucked her slowly. With that in mind, Hunter began to gently thrust in and out of her extremely tight pussy.

  But watching his hard shaft slide in and out of her wetness was almost his undoing, and it took everything in him not to pound into her as hard as he could. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on something else, but it did no good. His werewolf senses were too keen, and even with his eyes closed, he couldn’t concentrate on anything but how damn good she smelled, and how hot and wet and tight her pussy felt around his cock. It didn’t help when Eliza began to rock back against him, letting out little cries of pleasure with every movement. Each time her heart-shaped ass came into contact with his hips, he edged a little closer to orgasm.

  Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. Gripping her hips, he began to pump into her as hard as he could. Though he wasn’t sure how, he managed to hold off until he heard Eliza’s screams of pleasure echoing in his ears. Only then did he allow himself to find his own release, and he groaned long and low as he poured himself into her.

  Afterward, Hunter stayed where he was, his cock still pulsing inside her pussy. Then finally, with a groan, he slowly slid out of her. Taking Eliza’s hand, he pulled her down with him onto the soft forest floor.

  “That was amazing,” he breathed.

  As she lay there with her head pillowed on his chest, Eliza couldn’t help but smile. It had been amazing. And it wasn’t just the sex, either. Everything with Hunter was amazing. They were perfect together, and she was completely and hopelessly in love with him. She would have never dreamed that it could happen so fast, but it had, and she had never been so happy in her life. She had fallen hard and fast for the hunky werewolf, that was for sure.

  Actually, everything had moved so fast since that night she’d been bitten. As Andy had predicted, both of the local Fairbanks’ newspapers had immediately approached her, begging for an exclusive interview. Instead of agreeing, she had done them one better. She had written the story and offered it to the first paper that would give her a full-time job as a reporter. The Daily News-Miner had not only eagerly accepted the deal, but had printed her story on the front page, along with Andy’s photos, of course. They had definitely added a nice touch.

  The Miner had offered the photographer a job as well, but Andy had declined. Apparently, chasing after ghosts, monsters, and legends was more entertaining than freezing his butt off in Alaska. He had been more than happy for Eliza, though, and had reminded her that if she ever needed a photographer, to look him up.

  The werewolf version of the story did actually make it in
to print. Carson Emory got his byline on page thirty-two of Strange Times, right above an advertisement for a male enhancement supplement. Eliza almost felt sorry for the man, until she remembered what a jerk he was.

  As for Nate, he’d never brought up the subject of werewolves again. However, the fact that one of his strongest beliefs had been confirmed was enough to encourage him to start chasing down some of his other paranormal theories. The last she’d heard, he had signed on with an expedition to the Himalayas that was hoping to prove the existence of the Abominable Snowman. Eliza had been even more surprised to learn that he wouldn’t be going alone, but that a certain female police officer would be accompanying him. Apparently, the woman not only had a thing for Nate, but was just as big into the paranormal as he was. Who knew?

  Things had moved even faster where she and Hunter were concerned. After deciding to move in with him, Eliza hadn’t even bothered going back to San Francisco at all. She had quit her job at Paranormal Today, had her sister pack up her stuff and send it to her, and then canceled the lease on her apartment. To say her family had been surprised by the whole thing was an understatement. Actually, they thought she’d either gone insane or been abducted by some cult. But she had finally convinced them that neither of those things were the case. Putting Hunter on the phone had helped; her mother had thought he sounded absolutely charming. Now, her whole family couldn’t wait to meet him.

  Eliza had been so busy getting that part of her life straightened out that she’d barely realized how quickly time had passed until Hunter had reminded her that it was almost time for her first change. While she had been nervous, it didn’t seem nearly as frightening with him there to help her.

  When the full moon arrived the next night, she and Hunter had gone out to the woods behind their house, where they had waited for her to turn.

  “I’ll be with you the whole way,” he’d told her, and he had been.

  That first time had been painful. Though she’d tried not to, her body had automatically fought what was happening to it. As it had begun to change shape, she’d instinctively tried to hold on to what her mind said was normal and fought the pull of her muscles as they found their new form. Of course, that had just made it hurt even more. But Hunter’s soothing words and gentle touch had finally gotten through to her, and she’d forced herself to relax and give in to the change. Once she’d done that, the pain had immediately lessened, and almost before she had known it, the change from human to wolf had been complete.