Belonging to Hayden (Tales of Moonspell 1)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “I’m sure, Hayden. My place is by your side. Not just because I’m your mate, but because that’s where I want to be. When they hauled you out of the mansion and Julian was dragging me in the opposite direction, all I could think was ‘what if I never see him again’?” She scooted to the edge of the sofa and rested her hand on his cheek. “I fought against him the whole way to Aiden’s suite. But it didn’t do me any good.”

  “You’re here now, that’s what matters. And I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you stay here, by my side, for as long as you wish.”

  She leaned closer, her lips a whisper from his. “I thought you were taking me to the bedroom.”

  “Someone will be bringing your clothes by shortly. I thought we should wait for them.”

  Threading her fingers through his hair, she pulled his lips to hers. She meant the kiss to be soft and sweet, but after just one taste, she knew she needed more. Opening her mouth, she invited him in, and with a groan, he complied, his tongue plundering, tasting, teasing.

  * * *

  Hayden felt his inner wolf clamor to the surface. Just the taste of Daniela was enough to drive him crazy with need. They hadn’t even known each other days ago, and yet she’d become an essential part of his life, more important than his next breath. He craved her, wanted her with an intensity that damn near scared him at times. He wondered if there would ever come a time when he didn’t want her, or need her as much as he did now.

  Breaking the kiss, he stood and lifted her into his arms. He carried her to his bedroom, nudging the door open with his foot. The bed was still unmade from earlier that morning, and he deposited her in the middle of the rumpled sheets. He made quick work of his clothes, watching as she removed her own. When he stood before her completely naked, he joined her on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.

  She lay back and opened her arms to him. He lay on his side and pulled her to him, cuddling her close. Just the feel of her skin against his was bliss. Their hearts synced, beating as one. This was what he’d missed last night. Not just the intimacy of making love to her, but having her in his arms, the closeness. He’d felt like a part of him was missing. Even though she’d been returned to him, he knew he could lose it all again. The thought of living without her was unbearable.

  He kissed her softly, slowly, savoring every glide of her tongue against his. He wanted to surround himself in her, breathe her in, wrap her in his embrace and never let go. She was his entire world, and while he wasn’t certain how to go about telling her that, he wanted to show her. They’d made love several times, but each time was like it was the first, new and special, unique.

  Hayden looked into her eyes and saw his feelings mirrored there. She might not have said she loved him, but he was sure she did. For some, it might be too soon. Most people would say they were rushing things, but with werewolves it was different. Once you found that special someone, you knew you were going to spend the rest of your life with them. There was no guessing, no divorce. Just a guaranteed lifetime of contentment and happiness. True, there would be arguments and times they wouldn’t see eye to eye, but they would always make up.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “How perfect you are.”

  She blushed. “I’m not perfect, Hayden.”

  “To me you are.”

  She kissed him tenderly. “Show me,” she whispered.

  He buried his nose against her throat and inhaled her scent before kissing her there. He rolled her over so that she lay on her back and looked down into her eyes. Slowly, he inched down the bed until he settled between her legs, his shoulders pushing them wide. With his heated gaze on hers, he lowered his lips to her pussy. He inhaled her tantalizing scent and licked her slit, gathering her nectar on his tongue. She was already wet and ready for him.

  He speared her with his tongue, lapping up more of her honey. Dragging his tongue up to her clit, he rasped over the sensitive bud, drawing a gasp from Daniela. She quivered beneath him, and he could tell from her scent that she was close to orgasm. It amazed him how little it took to light her on fire.

  His mouth worked her pussy, licking, sucking, nibbling, until she was whimpering and trembling. He eased a finger inside her, and her inner muscles clenched down on him, dragging him in farther. She was hungry for him, greedy, wanting as much as he could give. As his finger thrust in and out of her, he sucked on her clit hard, making her shatter. He licked and stroked her until she came down from her high, her inner walls still fluttering around his finger. Easing the digit from her body, he rose over her.

  Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, “Roll over.”

  She looked up at him in surprise, but did as he bade. Rolling to her stomach, she rose on her hands and knees. He smoothed a hand down her right ass cheek then lightly slapped it. He heard her indrawn breath, but the scent of her arousal told him she’d liked it. A thought to put away for later.

  Gripping her hips, he lined his cock up with her slit and eased into her, stretching her a little at a time. When he was fully seated, he felt her push back against him. He pulled out and slowly slid back in, savoring the feel of her pussy gloving his cock. He flexed his hips, driving into her again. She felt like liquid heat surrounding him, and he wasn’t sure how long he could hold on. He began pistoning in and out of her, harder and faster. He felt her tense a fraction of a second before she came apart, her muscles trembling as she called out his name. Thrusting into her one last time, he spilled himself inside her, allowing himself to find his release.

  Withdrawing from her body, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He started the shower, and after making sure the water was warm, he helped her inside the glass cube before joining her. He closed the door and pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly.

  “Hayden, if they come tonight and take me away…”

  “They won’t. I won’t let them have you.”

  “You can’t stop them and you know it. If that happens, if they take me, I want you to know that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  He caressed her cheek. “I love you, too. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you by my side.”

  She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Hayden drank from her lips and wished the moment could last forever. If only night wouldn’t come.

  Chapter Eight

  An hour before nightfall, Seamus arrived at the house. Daniela was surprised by the wiry man. She had expected someone closer to Hayden’s height and build, not a man well under six feet. There was definitely a hidden strength there though, and she supposed that was what made him a good choice for Hayden’s second.

  “Where’s Serenity?” Hayden asked with a frown.

  “Isn’t she here yet?” Seamus asked.

  Hayden shook his head. “No, and I expected her to arrive at the same time as you. I actually thought you were walking her over.”

  “I did stop by her place, but she wasn’t home. That’s why I’m so surprised she didn’t beat me here.”

  Daniela had a bad feeling. “Maybe one of you should go looking for her.”

  “No, I’m not leaving you,” Hayden said.

  “Then ask someone else in the pack to find her,” she suggested.

  “That’s not a bad idea, Hayden,” Seamus said. “I could give Spence a call and see if he’s available.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Seamus hurried to answer it. When he pulled it open, Daniela stared in shock. A woman who did resemble her, despite the fact she was quite a bit heavier, stood on the other side. But the truly shocking part was the shape she was in. Bruises mottled the skin of her face and arms. She held an arm around her stomach and hunched forward.

  “Serenity, what happened?” Hayden asked, ushering her into his home.

  “I was jumped by some street kids on the way here. I never should have responded to them, but they made some fat jokes when I walked past and you know me, I just had to open my big mouth and say somethin
g.”

  Hayden led her to the sofa and urged her to sit down.

  Daniela sat beside her. “Can we get you anything? Ice? Tylenol?”

  “I think I’d have to soak in a tub of ice for it to do much good. I think I could’ve handled one or two of them, but not five.”

  Seamus growled. “They should be punished.”

  “Don’t go starting any fights,” she said weakly. “Besides, we have pressing matters to discuss. I somehow doubt your vampire is going to want me while I look like this.”

  Daniela hadn’t thought about that, but the woman had a point. You could still see her beauty under the purple and blue marks on her skin, but would Aiden want someone who was damaged? Of course, following that bit of logic, would he want her knowing she had a bad heart?

  “If he doesn’t mind your heart condition, I don’t know that a few bruises will scare him away,” Daniela said.

  Hayden looked uneasy.

  “He isn’t going to know about my heart problem,” Serenity said. “There’s a chance he’ll kill me before I die from heart failure anyway so it won’t matter.”

  Talk about a depressing thought. Daniela didn’t want to think about this woman dying, whether it was at Aiden’s hands or from her own body betraying her. It didn’t seem fair that her life should be cut short.

  She looked outside and saw that night had fallen. Moonlight filtered through the window, and her heart skipped a beat. How long had the sun been down? How long did she have left by Hayden’s side?

  “They’re coming, aren’t they?” she asked of no one in particular.

  The door burst open.

  “No,” Aiden replied as he and three other vampires stepped inside. “They’re here. I told you what would happen if you left with the wolf.”

  “I didn’t leave with him. I ran away,” she told him.

  Aiden’s gaze took in the occupants of the room. He lingered on Daniela, looking both relieved at having found her and annoyed he’d had to come and get her. She only hoped he wouldn’t harm Hayden. There had to be a way to make the vampire see reason. She belonged by her werewolf’s side, and she was going to do whatever it took to stay there.

  The vampire’s gaze settled on Serenity for a moment, and he looked startled. He glanced at Daniela before looking back at the battered woman.

  “You’ve taken to beating your women now?” he asked Hayden.

  “She was jumped on her way here. Not even a little bit curious as to her presence in my home?” Hayden asked.

  Aiden shrugged. “She looks to be a relation of Daniela’s.”

  “No, no relation,” Daniela said. “But she is here for a reason.”

  Aiden moved closer to Serenity until he stood before her. Tilting her chin up, he looked her over. He caressed the bruises on her face before glancing at his vampire friends. They seemed to have an unspoken communication between them before Aiden turned back to Daniela.

  “It’s time to come home, both you and this woman. I won’t leave her here in the werewolf’s care if he can’t make sure no harm will come to her.”

  “I’m not going with you, Aiden. I belong here,” Daniela said.

  Serenity placed her hand on his arm. “Please, take me in her place. Let her stay with Hayden.”

  “Why would I trade when I can have you both?” the vampire asked.

  Hayden pulled Daniela behind him. “Have you no honor? We met the terms of the agreement and still you kept Daniela from me. If you need a bride, why not take one who wants to go with you? And if you don’t want Serenity, then wait until you can find another woman.”

  “I have no honor?” Aiden hissed. “I’ve never gone back on my word.”

  “Until now,” Daniela said softly. “Please, Aiden. Let me go. I’ll never want you -- I will always look for a way out. There won’t be a single day that I won’t think of Hayden and miss him. I love him. Surely you can understand that?”

  The vampire’s gaze flicked from Daniela to Hayden and back. He glanced at Serenity once more.

  “And you’re willing to come in her place?” he asked the woman.

  Serenity nodded. “I have no family to miss me, and there are no romantic entanglements in my life.”

  Aiden studied her a moment, as if he was weighing her words.

  She gently placed her hand on his arm. “I realize I’m not as beautiful as Daniela, that I’m not the one you want, but I won’t fight you. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who will go with you willingly?”

  “You’re just as beautiful as she is -- that isn’t the problem. Don’t doubt your worth,” Aiden told her.

  “Then take me instead. Please.”

  He looked at Daniela again. “I think you would come to love me. We would have eternity together, after all. Sooner or later you would have forgotten Hayden.”

  “Or I would live the rest of my life with regret and a broken heart. Are you willing to take that chance?”

  “I could fight for you. It would be all too easy to start a war. You know the werewolves don’t stand a chance. Your alpha doesn’t. With him out of the way, you’d have to turn to me.”

  Daniela shook her head. “It would just make me hate you.”

  “We would have an eternity together. Sooner or later, you would have to forgive me.”

  “Aiden, I can never love you. Forcing me to be by your side is only dooming yourself to a lifetime of misery and heartache.”

  Aiden sighed. “I never meant to bring you harm. You were meant to be pampered, cherished. At my side, all the area vampires would have bowed to you. Are you sure you want to give that up?”

  She looked up at Hayden and smiled before looking back at Aiden. “I’m sure.”

  He nodded. With an unreadable look at Serenity, he held his hand out to her. “Come, it’s time to go.”

  The other woman put her hand in the vampire’s. She looked at the werewolves and Daniela one last time before being whisked out the door and into the night.

  Daniela stared into the night, looking at the empty spaces the vampires had taken up just moments before. Had it all ended so easily? She’d expected more of a fight, had honestly thought a war might have to break out before she would be free of the vampires. But in the end, Aiden had been reasonable. She was surprised, pleasantly so. He hadn’t seemed as willing to listen before.

  She crossed the room and pushed the door shut before turning to face the werewolves. “Now what?” she asked.

  “Now we live our lives in peace, I guess,” Hayden said. “We’ll have to host a celebration to introduce you to the pack, but other than that things should be pretty quiet around here for a while.”

  She rubbed her belly. “Well, for about nine months, anyway.”

  He grinned. “Any regrets?”

  Wrapping her arms around him, she tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “Not a single one. Being kidnapped by vampires was the best thing that ever happened to me. If not for them, I might never have met you.”

  Seamus moved to the door. “Now that I’m no longer needed… well, actually, I wasn’t needed at all, now was I? It seemed you called in backup for no reason. I’ll tell the pack to give you a day or two before they start coming by. You know they won’t wait until a party to meet your mate. They’ve waited too long for you to find her.”

  Hayden grinned. “Yeah, I know. But she was definitely worth the wait.”

  Daniela pulled his head down for a kiss. She couldn’t think of anything better than belonging to Hayden.

  Jessica Coulter Smith

  Award-winning author Jessica Coulter Smith has been in love with the written word since she was a child writing her first stories in crayon. Today she’s a multi-published author of over seventy-five novellas and novels. Romance is an integral part of her world and spills over from her professional life into her personal one. When she went on that first date with her husband, she never expected to hear the words “Marry me” pop out of his mouth -- and judging by the shocked look on his fac
e, he hadn’t meant to say them either. But, being the hopeless romantic that she is, Jessica said yes, and they’ve been married since 2000.

  Jessica firmly believes that love will find you at the right time, even if Mr. Right is literally out of this world. She’s often gazed at the stars and wondered what, or who, else might be out there. Who’s to say that hunky model on the hottest romance bestseller isn’t really from some far-off galaxy? Maybe that blue Martian you saw at Halloween wasn’t really in costume. After all, there’s an awful lot of space out there for us to be the only ones living in it. Jessica loves to hear from her readers! You can follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessicacoultersmithauthor/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/kitcatjms.

  Visit her website: http://www.jessicacoultersmith.com. Want to be notified of new releases or special discounts? Sign up for her newsletter! http://eepurl.com/bwPvbT. Find more books by Jessica Coulter Smith at http://www.changelingpress.com/author.php?uid=144.