Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3)

by Lauren Lively

  She nods. “According to the lore, yes.”

  I run a hand through my hair and nod. And then lay out the plan in my head for them. It's rough and probably not the most sophisticated plan ever, but then, it doesn't need to be. We're not dealing with the most sophisticated enemy on the planet.

  When I finish, there's a small smile and a determined look in Neesa's eyes. She likes the idea. And judging by the looks on everybody else's faces, they seem to like it too.

  “I think that actually stands a chance,” Mariana says.

  “Good,” Asher says. “Then we all have our assignments. Let's get to it. We'll meet back here tomorrow at noon.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Neesa

  I disconnect the call and drop the phone on the table. Jackson looks up from his spot on the couch expectantly.

  “He's in,” I say.

  “Good.”

  Jackson takes a drink of his beer and sets it down on the table in front of him. I drop down onto the couch next to him and grab his bottle, taking a long pull of it. I lay my head on his shoulder and we sit in a companionable silence, content to just – be.

  It's a new sensation for me. A new feeling. I don't know how it's all happened, but somewhere along the line, I realized that I feel comfortable around Jackson. I feel more able to be myself. To not have to have my guard up all the time. I feel like he enjoys being around me. Enjoys – well – me. I don't need to posture or put on airs. I don't need to be strong. I can be weak. I can even let myself fall apart.

  I can do all of that – or none of it – and I know it will be okay. I know that Jackson accepts me for who and what I am. He doesn't judge or expect me to be something I'm not.

  It's a strange and yet very welcome feeling. Something that deep down, I think I've wanted for a long time. Something I never thought I would have. But now that I do, now that I'm immersed in it, the feeling is indescribable. Yeah, it's a little uncomfortable at times. I find that I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop or have the rug pulled right out from under me. But the contentedness and even happiness I feel just being in his presence makes it all worth it.

  As I look into his dark, soulful eyes, I realize that despite all of my calls to keep this casual and not make it more complicated than it has to be, things are getting really complicated in my own head. I realize that I'm coming to care for Jackson quite a bit. And I'm no expert on the subject, but I think I may be falling in love with him.

  Just that thought is enough to send a cold chill sweeping through my body. But also a welcome warmth that I embrace. Sitting there with him, my head on his shoulder, his arm around me, for the first time in my life, I feel – content. Satisfied. Happy.

  And it's a goddamn amazing feeling.

  “You think this is going to work?” I ask.

  He shrugs his massive shoulders. “Well, look at it this way,” he says, “if it doesn't, we won't be around very long afterward to deal with it.”

  I laugh. “That's comforting, thanks.”

  He places a soft kiss on the top of my head. “I think it's going to work,” he says. “I think we're going to come through this fight just fine.”

  “I hope so,” I say. “I – I think we have a lot to look forward to when this fight is done.”

  He looks down at me and holds my gaze. I see questions in his eyes, but I also see – hope.

  “We?” he asks.

  I nod. “We.”

  “You saying what I think you're saying?”

  I shrug. “I don't know what I'm saying, honestly,” I reply. “All I know is that when I'm with you, I feel different. I feel – happier. More alive. More – complete.”

  He nods and laughs softly. “I've been thinking the same thing,” he says. “I never realized that there was a big piece inside of me that was – missing. Not until you came into my life and started to open my eyes, anyway. These last few days, things have been changing.”

  “They have for me too,” I say. “And I know that I can't go back to the Packs. Not because of Umak, but because that world suddenly seems too small for me. I feel too closed in and confined –”

  “And I suddenly want more,” he says, finishing my thought. “A lot more than life among the Packs or the Clans can offer us.”

  I nod. “That's exactly it,” I say softly.

  “I'm really happy to hear you say that,” he replies.

  “Who would have thunk it?” I say, giving him a grin. “Wolf and bear. You and me. Talk about two people on opposite ends of the spectrum.”

  “Romeo and Juliet have nothing on us,” he says. “And one thing I've learned these last few days is that you and I aren't all that different.”

  I sit up and look him in the eye. “No, we're actually not. Shockingly enough.”

  I climb into his lap, straddling him, and wrap my arms around the back of his neck. Leaning forward, I kiss him. It's a kiss that's soft, gentle, and sweet – but still filled with all of the fire and passion as our animalistic rutting the night before.

  He tangles his hands in my hair as our tongues dance with one another in my mouth. I can feel him growing harder beneath me, so I grind myself down on him. Jackson pulls my hair hard, forcing my head back. He kisses my neck, running the tip of his tongue down to my cleavage line. I quickly take off my shirt and fling it aside. He watches me with eyes filled with desire and longing as I strip off my bra and toss it to the floor as well.

  The way he looks at me – like I'm the most beautiful woman in the world – sets my insides on fire. I feel myself growing hotter and wetter as his eyes travel up and down my body, as he drinks me in and that look of need seems to consume him.

  Jackson leans forward and begins sucking on my nipples as his hands cup my ass. I grind myself on his lap, rubbing the suddenly hot, wet center of me on his stiffening cock. With his tongue on my breast and the feel of his cock pressing against me, I moan softly, overcome by a wave of sensation.

  I stand up and slip my pants off, Jackson's hands gliding along the soft skin of my body, the feel of his fingertips on my flesh making me shiver. I stand before him, completely naked, completely exposed and vulnerable. And yet, he looks at me with such passion, such raw need – and such love – that I feel like the most powerful woman in the world in that moment. The fire inside of me is burning out of control and I'm wetter than I think I've ever been in my entire life.

  “Get up,” I say.

  He quickly complies, getting to his feet. I unbuckle his belt and push his pants and boxers down. He steps out of them and I kick them out of the way, looking at him with hunger in my eyes, my most intimate parts ablaze with desire.

  “Sit down,” I say.

  Jackson sits down and I keep our gazes firmly locked as I sink down to my knees in front of him. He draws in a sharp breath when I run the tip of my tongue around the head of his cock. I circle and lick it and he watches me the whole time with a look of near awe on his face.

  He moans when I wrap my hand around the base of his dick, squeezing it as tight as I can. Gripping him hard, I start to slide my hand up and down his shaft, jerking him off while I lick the head of his thick, hard cock. When I finally take him into my mouth, I hear his breath catch in his throat, which is followed by a groan of absolute pleasure. He's watching me working his shaft with both mouth and hand, the look of pure ecstasy on his face absolute.

  “This feels so amazing,” he gasps as I jerk and suck him a little harder and faster.

  I tighten both my hand and mouth around his dick and start bobbing my head up and down, taking him into my mouth deep and fast, my hand stroking him in unison. He calls out my name and tangles his fingers in my hair, giving it a firm pull. I take his cock as deep into my mouth as I can, looking him square in the eye as I slide it back out of my mouth.

  “I need to feel you,” he moans. “I need to be inside of you, Neesa.”

  I bite my bottom lip and give him a salacious little smile as I get to my feet and then straddle his la
p again. I grab his cock as I sit down on him, rubbing the head of it against my clit, moaning and throwing my head back as waves of pleasure roll through me.

  Jackson's hands are on my breasts, squeezing and kneading as I keep stroking his cock against my clit, feeling the pressure building up low within me. He says my name softly as I squeeze him tighter, rubbing him harder against me. My eyes roll back into my head as I keep stroking him against me, feeling my body tingling and shuddering.

  “Oh, Jesus,” I gasp. “This feels amazing.”

  I tighten my grip on his cock – which he obviously likes – and stroke my clit harder with the tip of his cock. The sensations coursing through me are intense – more intense than anything I've ever felt. My body is tightening and I know it's only a matter of moments –

  I don't even finish the thought when my orgasm, intense and powerful, comes crashing down over me like a wave. My heart stutters in my chest and my breathing is suddenly ragged as ripple after ripple after ripple of pleasure washes through me. My skin feels like it's on fire and I'm spasming incredibly hard on Jackson's lap. All the while, he watches me with desire. With hunger. His eyes tell me I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever seen – and it makes my breath catch in my throat.

  Slowly, my orgasm subsides and I lean forward, pressing my head to his chest.

  “Shit,” I say. “That was – incredible.”

  “You are so damn sexy,” Jackson purrs in my ear.

  I look him in the eye, his hard dick still in my hand and give it a firm squeeze. He moans softly as I raise myself up and slip the head of his cock between my wet, swollen lips. I lower myself down, taking him in inch by amazing inch. When Jackson is finally sheathed deep inside of me, I moan and put my hands on his chest, pushing him back against the couch.

  The sensation of him filling me up so completely is overwhelming. It makes me lightheaded and dizzy but fills me with a hunger I've never known. Slowly, I start to rock my hips, adjusting to the feeling of having his hard, thick cock so deep in the warm, wet center of me.

  Jackson's hands are on my ass, squeezing, his fingers pressing into my flesh as he helps guide me up and down on his cock. Leaning forward, I kiss him hard and start to pick up the pace. I ride him nice and hard, grinding myself up and down on his thick, hard shaft. His mouth is suddenly on my breasts, sucking and licking at my stiff nipples as I bounce myself on his cock hard and fast. I throw my head back and moan loudly, calling his name, savoring the feel of him so deep inside of me.

  I lean my head down, pressing my forehead to his shoulder as I ride him, my pace growing faster – almost frenzied. My breathing is ragged and my pulse is off the charts as I slam myself up and down on his hard prick. He feels so amazing buried so deep in me and my every nerve ending feels like it's on fire.

  Seeming to come out of nowhere, my entire body feels like it clenches up for a moment. And then my orgasm hits with the force of a train. I stutter, lose my rhythm and can do nothing but cling to him, my forehead pressed against his chest as my body shudders and pleasure explodes in every square inch of me. As I moan, giving myself over to the ecstasy, I softly whisper his name and plant a soft kiss on his hard chest.

  I let out a long breath as I sit up and look at him. He smiles wide, his hands still roaming my body, the look of desire in his eyes burning brighter than ever before.

  “You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met,” he says.

  I kiss him softly and then stand up. I crook my finger at him as I walk around to the side of the couch. He looks at me curiously as I turn around and bend over the arm of the sofa. With my ass in the air, I look over my shoulder at him, giving him a dirty, flirty little smile.

  “I need you, Jackson,” I purr. “I need you inside of me now, baby. Fuck me. Please, baby. Give it to me.”

  As if he needed the prompting. Jackson steps forward and takes a handful of my hair in his fist. He gives my head a hard, firm yank as he simultaneously, drives his thick cock straight into me. My eyes open wide and I gasp as his thick, hard cock slams into me and fills me up so completely. Still pulling my hair, Jackson begins to thrust into me again and again, his cock moving easily thanks to how wet I am for him.

  With each thrust, he drives himself deep into me, setting off a small explosion of pleasure each time that makes me moan and shudder. He starts to pick up his pace, his cock slamming into me harder and faster.

  “Yes, Jackson, yes,” I call. “Harder, baby.”

  He grunts as he powers himself into me as hard and fast as he can go. The sound of our flesh slapping together blends with our cries of pleasure, filling the room with a chorus of ecstasy. I can feel him starting to pulse within me and know that he isn't going to last much longer. I squeeze him tight with my vaginal muscles, making him growl with unexpected pleasure.

  I savor the feeling of him driving his cock into me so hard and so fast. It's pure bliss and makes me feel like electricity is running beneath my skin. The fire inside of me is burning out of control and I'm screaming out his name over and over again.

  Jackson slows his pace and when I look back at him, I can see his jaw clenched and his eyes squeezed shut. He's trying to hold back, wanting to delay the inevitable. I push myself back against him at the same time I squeeze his cock with my Kegel muscles again. His eyes fly open and an animalistic groan escapes his throat.

  His hands are on my ass, his fingers pressing into my flesh as he holds tight to me, driving slowly and deeply into me. But then, all at once, his rhythm falters and his voice cracks. And before I know it, I feel his warm, sticky seed flooding into me.

  “Yes, baby,” I purr as I feel his cock pulsing inside of me. “That feels so good.”

  He pushes himself forward, his teeth gritted as he obviously relishes the feel of shooting his entire load into me.

  A moment later, he steps back and collapses onto the couch, totally spent. With a smile on my face, I sit down next to him and lay my head upon his chest. We sit like that, our naked bodies intertwined, enjoying the silence between us. Enjoying the feel of our flesh pressed together and the aroma of our sex filling our noses.

  Jackson places a soft kiss on the top of my head and runs his hands through my hair.

  “You are an amazing woman,” he says quietly.

  “You're not so bad yourself, you know,” I reply.

  We lean back on the sofa, our breath and our heart rates slowly returning to normal. Eventually though, we start to drift off, the warm and comfortable blanket of sleep covering us both and pulling us under.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jackson

  The room is dark when my eyes fly open and I sit bolt upright. I look around, my body tense, my mind on high alert. Neesa is curled up beside me, her breathing even and soft, wrapped up in the throw blanket that usually sits on the back of the couch. There are no other sounds in the house that I can hear.

  But something woke me up. Something pulled me out of a deep sleep. Had it been Neesa talking in her sleep? Had she moved suddenly? I strain my ears to listen and scent the air around me – and come up with nothing.

  I'm about to write it off to a bad dream when a sound draws my attention. It's outside and it's faint, but I can still hear it. Furtive footsteps moving across the gravel driveway. But the low chittering noise I hear next chills me to the very bone. It's so unfamiliar and alien that I can't help the fact that it slightly unnerves me.

  “Neesa,” I say softly, gently shaking her. “Neesa, get up.”

  She opens her eyes and in less than a heartbeat, is sitting next to me on the couch, alert and ready for action.

  “What is it?” she asks.

  “Listen.”

  She strains her ears and as she listens, I can see the look of concern spreading across her face. She looks to me with wide eyes filled with alarm.

  “It's them,” she says. “The vampires. They're here.”

  I nod. “Sounds like it.”

  Standing up, I move to the window and move t
he curtain aside just a little. The light of the moon is shining down, casting the world in a silvery light – a light that makes the unnaturally pale skin of the creatures lurking in my driveway seem to glow. There are four of them gathered around, poking at my truck, sniffing the air, and making that disturbing chittering noise amongst themselves.

  “How in the hell did they find us?” Neesa asks.

  I shrug. “Doesn't really matter at this point,” I say. “I count four out there.”

  “But there may be more in the woods,” she says.

  I nod. “It's possible,” I reply. “But we need to get out of here – which means that we're going to need to break for the truck.”

  “Where are our blades?” she asks.

  I give her a rueful grin. “In the truck.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  We both sigh, realizing that we have no other choice but to fight our way out. I don't know how they tracked us to my cabin, but they're out there all the same. And it likely isn't going to be long before they're in here with us, rather than out there. Which means, we're going to need to act quickly. The last thing I want is to be caught inside if there are more of those things out there and they decided to storm the cabin in force.

  But, without our weapons, we're going to have to use the only weapons we have at our disposal – ourselves.

  “Are you ready for this?” I ask.

  A slow smile spreads across her face as she starts to limber herself up. “Always,” she says. “It's been a while since I've had a good fight.”

  I smile and shake my head. We are absolutely a lot more alike than either of us would have thought just a few days ago. Creeping over to the front door, I put my hand on the knob and turn to her.

  “Okay then, put your game face on,” I say.

  “Gladly.”

  I watch as Neesa throws her head back, a growl filling the room around us. Her body – that amazing specimen of strength and femininity – starts to change. Her limbs grow longer and as she drops down onto her hands and knees, a dark fur begins to cover her body. She opens her mouth like she's going to scream and her snout elongates, starts to fill with long, razor sharp teeth. And I look into her eyes – eyes I've gotten so comfortable and familiar with – change. There is a yellow glow in her eyes. They're so different and yet, as I look deeply into them, I can still see Neesa.