Cry of the Pride

by Lacey Thorn

  She did that long, slow blink again, and Aleksy knew it was time to claim her.

  “I’m not sure what you know of our kind, and the last thing I want to do is add to your fear, but there’s only one way to make sure you survive. I’m going to claim you, Lyra, to mark you as my mate. Once I do, my antibodies will move within you, helping to heal what they’ve done.”

  He saw the doubt in her eye and smiled.

  “You will be healed. Once you’ve rested and regained your strength, we’ll complete the mating and you’ll mark me. After that, I’ll always be able to find you. No one will ever take you from me again. Do you understand?”

  Never…alone…

  “That’s right, sweetheart. You’ll never be alone again. I’ll always be with you. Trust me.”

  He hadn’t meant it as a question, but her affirmation filled his head anyway. He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, needing that kiss more than he should have. He moved his lips across her jaw then down the column of her neck to the base. The taste of her was intoxicating, making his canines elongate as the beast let his presence be felt. Without pause, Aleksy bit down, piercing her skin and sucking at her flesh, using his tongue to rasp against her. He eased back then licked over the wound he’d made, knowing it would never heal. From this day forth, she would be marked as his. His scent would coat her skin as eventually, hers would his.

  “Rest,” he commanded. “Rest and heal.”

  The sooner she did, the sooner he’d bear her mark, as well.

  Chapter Six

  Lyra blinked her eyes open slowly. She was still naked, still lying on a surface, but this time, it was soft, and a sheet was pulled over her. Over her and the person lying beside her. Costas. The man who’d changed from animal to man right in front of her. Unless she’d been so far gone she’d imagined the whole thing. She had to admit that was a possibility.

  His arm lay heavily over her hip, the palm of his hand flat over her lower abdomen. Several of his fingers brushed the apex of her thighs, and she bit back a moan as her sex betrayed her, her clit swelling as her folds grew slick with desire. She’d never wanted a man before. Never been attracted to anyone. She’d never had much of a sexual appetite at all. She’d touched herself, but with more of a sense of exploration than one of seeking pleasure.

  She felt the tickle of breath at her ear as his voice filled her head.

  “I know you’re awake. Shh,” he crooned when she went to shift away from him.

  His hand tightened on her belly, holding her to him, and there was no missing the solid length of his erection where it lay against her. Still, she didn’t feel threatened by him. She moved to roll again, and he guided her so she turned toward him, winding up on her back while he loomed over her, his forearm bracing his weight beside her.

  “How do you feel?”

  How was he doing that? His voice filled her head much as the other man’s had the night before. And she understood his words. There was no way she’d read his lips the first time, when he’d been at her back. How the hell was she able to understand what he was saying?

  “We’ll talk about the other man later. You can hear me because we’re linked now. It began the moment we saw each other. As for understanding me, I’m not sure. I’m glad you can. We’ll figure it out. We need to focus on your healing first, though. We’re connected, Lyra. With my mark on you, it will only get stronger.” He dipped his head to her throat and licked over the base of her neck by her collarbone. Fire lanced through her, and she arched toward him, head falling back while her breasts lifted to him. Desire ripped through her, leaving her gasping for air.

  He dropped his head lower, catching a taut nipple between his lips and sucking it into his mouth. She thrashed her head back and forth on the pillow as each tug of his lips sent a pulse of pleasure to center between her legs. What magic was he working?

  “No magic,” he whispered, licking his way over to her other breast. “We’re fated, Lyra. Two halves that will only be whole when we’re together.”

  She shook her head, not understanding.

  “We’re mates.”

  She didn’t even know his name other than as the Costas mongrel. What did he mean mates? His gaze narrowed, and she sensed anger and…hurt.

  “Aleksy. My name is Aleksy. Mates means you belong to me and I belong to you. Two hearts beating as one.” His hand covered her left breast, fingers tapping on her chest. “My whole life I’ve dreamed of finding you. I…I doubted your existence.”

  Aleksy. She let his name roll around her head, enjoying the way it felt almost as much as she enjoyed his touch. What was happening to her? She was naked in a bed with a man who claimed to be her mate but was essentially a stranger. Memory crashed into her, and her palm dropped to her side, touching the closed skin she knew had been punctured by a blade. She flexed her fingers. Not broken. She inhaled. No more broken ribs. She was seeing out of both her eyes.

  “My antibodies helped you heal,” Aleksy told her. “You’ve been out for almost forty-eight hours, longer than I expected.” He bent his head, shaking it as he spoke. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you before they touched you, hurt you.” He glanced back up at her, and she was caught by the swirling pools of brown and blue that colored his irises. His eyes were mesmerizing. “I promise you I’ll make sure each of them pays for what they did, and they’ll suffer before I avenge you.”

  She shook her head, but his gaze only narrowed.

  “They will die for what they did. It’s not negotiable. No one will ever hurt you again, or they’ll face the consequences. I’ll protect you, Lyra. Always.”

  She reached up and cupped his cheek, loving the way he turned into her touch, noting the way his eyes seemed to calm. She wondered who had protected him and made a vow that from this day forth she would.

  He turned and placed a kiss on her palm. “I’d like for you to protect me, love.”

  None of this made any sense. She shouldn’t be hearing this man’s voice in her head. Hell, she should be dead after what her captors had done to her. Aleksy growled over her, and she noted the flash of his teeth. They looked wickedly sharp, and she dropped her gaze to the mark he’d licked over earlier. He’d bit her. She saw the puncture marks, the red color of the flesh surrounding the bite, and the word mate resonated inside her. She wanted to give him the same mark, wanted to taste his flesh, lick his skin and drink him in.

  “Soon, my love,” he promised, and she realized she was getting used to him answering her thoughts. “When your animal is stronger, I’ll teach you how to embrace the beast within you, how to let it emerge. Once that happens, you’ll be able to mark me.”

  For some reason, his reply angered her. She sat up, taking him by surprise, and sank her teeth into his pectoral, biting hard while sucking his flesh into her mouth. He groaned, moving over her, his thighs nudging hers apart. She felt the heat of his cock along her inner thigh. She wanted him with an intensity that scared her.

  He moaned, cupping her head against his chest while sliding his hips higher until his cock nudged her folds. He released her head, moving his fingers down to the slick lips of her sex. He coated his digits in her juices then sank a finger deep inside her. Her hands came up and gripped his shoulders, holding tight while he brought her to the brink of a pleasure that was terrifying in its intensity.

  “Let go, love. Fly for me. I won’t let you fall,” his voice crooned to her. She wasn’t sure how she knew he was crooning, only that he was. Holding tightly to him, she followed his encouragement and flew. Warmth flooded her womb, surging out in waves to her limbs until every part of her was heated and tingly. Her nipples throbbed in rhythm with her core as she contracted around his finger.

  He took her lips, his tongue plundering her mouth, leaving no part of it untouched. He pulled away only to lift his fingers to his lips, licking the cream that coated them then trailing them along the lower curve of her lips. She flicked her tongue out to taste, and his nostrils flared before he dipped
to take her mouth again. He sucked at her tongue, and her taste buds exploded with the tang of her sex and his lust.

  His cock nudged her opening, and she spread her thighs wider, lifting one leg to clasp his hip. He pressed in, the head stretching her tissue, giving a slight burn to the flesh that had never known another man.

  He pulled free of their kiss and dropped his head to her neck, pinning her beneath his massive body. She loved the size of him, the feel of him over her, in her, and she craved more. She ran her hands under his arms, curving her fingers along his sides and trailing them down his back to his hips. She dug her nails in, urging him to sink farther within her, to take and claim her.

  She felt the vibration of his groan along her skin, heard it in her mind. Then he pressed deeper, filling her with slow, easy strokes that gave her tiny increments of his shaft. She panted, lifting her other leg and wrapping both around him, wanting more. He pulled back, and this time when he surged deep, he didn’t stop until every inch of his cock was buried in her pussy. Her mouth dropped open, no sound coming out as she fought to breathe. It was too much. She was too full. She swore she felt him at her cervix. It was a pleasurable pain she hadn’t expected and had no idea how to handle.

  They lay that way, joined completely, for a long moment. Their gazes met and held. Aleksy’s face had softened, his features smoother, calmer, and his eyes mesmerized him, the way they were each perfectly split into a combination of blue and milk chocolate.

  She lifted one hand to trace his cheek, a soft smile touching her lips. Nothing in her life had prepared her for him. She still wasn’t sure what was happening or even if she was dreaming. She only knew that she didn’t want this moment to end or this man to disappear from her life.

  “Never,” he swore and turned, kissing her palm just as he had earlier. “I’m yours forevermore.”

  He moved then, rocking his hips back, the thick width of his cock dragging along the tight clutch of her pussy until only the head remained in her grip. His eyelids fluttered down as if the pleasure he felt was too much to bear. Then he thrust deep again, filling her with a similar sensation. She stopped thinking and focused on what her body experienced.

  He forced her toward another orgasm then held her on the brink for the longest moment before throwing her into the storm once more. He robbed her of breath as he fucked her core with hard, deep thrusts that drove her harder against the mattress. His body tense, and she watched as his jaw dropped open. His canines flashed before he dipped his head. She felt the pierce of his bite, the lave of his tongue and the rush of his cum as he filled her while he continued thrusting. His semen overflowed her, leaking out around his cock while he fucked. And she held him to her, riding each sensation with him as her anchor.

  “Can’t stop,” he whispered as he lifted his head from the mark he’d made. “My dick’s as hungry for you as my heart is. I need you. God, how I need you.”

  I’m yours, she vowed and crazy or not, it resonated deep inside her. And for the first time since Lyra had lost her mother, she felt protected and loved.

  “Yes,” he agreed on a ragged groan. He dropped both hands to cup her hips, his chest pinning her to the bed. He was heavy, like the weighted blanket she’d had as a child, and he made her feel just as safe. Actually, safer.

  With his chest so close, it was easy to lift her head and suck at the red place she’d left on him. She bit his pectoral, frustrated that her teeth couldn’t pierce his skin. She licked and sucked and enjoyed the sexy sounds he made.

  “Look at me.”

  She glanced up at Aleksy’s growl and found her lips captured by his. His tongue fucked her mouth in rhythm with his sex, and she sucked hungrily at it, much as her pussy was doing to his cock. It was as if a lifetime of lust and desire and need had been waiting for him to release it. Now, her body was on overload as orgasm after orgasm ripped through her, leaving her pliant and…vulnerable. It was a sensation she’d spent a lifetime avoiding.

  “I’ll never hurt you,” Aleksy said as he broke the kiss and nibbled up her jaw line to the curve of her ear.

  Pain was inevitable. It was one of the things life had taught her.

  “No,” he growled, his canines flashing. “I will never hurt you.”

  She wanted to believe him, but a lifetime of solitude, of having no one to trust overrode his assertion. He wouldn’t mean to hurt her, but everyone she’d ever cared about had left her. The father she’d never known. The mother she’d loved beyond reason. The one friend she’d made who’d ended up dead in her apartment of a drug overdose, though Lyra knew the other woman had never done drugs in her life.

  “I will find who took her from you and make them pay,” Aleksy swore.

  Her lips twitched into a brief smile. If he planned to avenge her against every person who’d ever hurt her, he’d be busy for a long time.

  He stilled inside her, dropping his forehead against hers so their gazes met and held. “I would spend the rest of my life hunting them down if it brought you peace.”

  She gave her head a slight shake. More death wouldn’t bring her peace. She needed answers. Who exactly was Aleksy Costas? What was he? Who was the man who’d taken her, claiming she had a brother she knew she didn’t have? There was so much she needed to know, and instead of asking questions, she was underneath the man who’d rescued her, with his cock buried deep and her limbs wrapped around him.

  Aleksy pulled out of her, rolling to the bed beside her. “If you want to talk, we’ll talk.”

  She glanced pointedly at his swollen cock, slick with a mixture of their releases. How were they supposed to talk with that waving around?

  He smiled. “I’ll always be hard when you’re around. My body craves you and you alone. One smile from you, one touch, the smell of your skin in the air, and I’m primed to claim you.”

  Her body throbbed with need, her pussy clenching in hunger for his cock to fill her once more. What the fuck was happening to her?

  There was a knock at the door, and a male voice carried through.

  “Hey, Costas, Sandman wants to see you when you’ve got a sec.”

  “Tell him to wait,” Aleksy hollered back, his gaze centered on Lyra.

  “It’s important,” the guy argued.

  “I said he can wait,” Aleksy snarled then she heard footsteps retreating.

  Aleksy watched her face, and his eyes widened in synchronicity with hers. Her hands flew to her ears, covering them, her mouth falling open as realization dawned. What had Aleksy done to her?

  “I didn’t think…” He trailed off with a shake of his head.

  The bite he’d given her, the one that had preceded her rapid healing after what had been done to her, had ignited another change within her. She shook her head in denial as her heart pounded with fear. She’d heard the footsteps. She’d heard the knock. She’d heard the sound of another man’s voice. Heard.

  A keening moan split the air then tears filled her eyes as she realized it was coming from her.

  Chapter Seven

  “Shh, Lyra,” Aleksy said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “I’ve got you.”

  He held her tightly, hating the panicked sounds she made. He’d never fathomed his bite would heal her hearing. He knew his genetic makeup was different even from other shifters thanks to whatever the hunters had done to him as a newborn before discarding him with the trash—thanks to them and the man who’d saved his life. Aleksy knew he needed to reach out to that man for the answers he and Lyra needed.

  He picked his phone up and thumbed up Sandman.

  “Can’t discuss this over the phone,” Tony said when he answered. “Get your ass down here so I can go over what I’ve found. Or should I say who.”

  Aleksy figured he was speaking of Blane and his men. As much as Aleksy wanted to get his hands on Blane, it would have to wait. “I need you up here. There’s been a…development. We’ll have to put in a call.”

  “Ephraim?” Tony asked.


  “Yes,” Aleksy agreed.

  “Making the call as I head up,” Tony vowed.

  “Bring some earplugs,” Aleksy ordered. “And be quick.”

  He hung up before Tony could question then focused on Lyra once more.

  “Focus on my voice, love. Only me. Let everything else fall away. Just you and me. We’re an island.”

  He had no idea how overwhelming it must be to go from a lifetime of silence to suddenly hearing. He could only imagine. He wasn’t even sure if it was what she heard that had her panicked or the realization that she could hear. Even worse, he wasn’t sure how to fix it for her. If her animal senses were kicking in, earplugs would only block so much. Had his antibodies been the culprit? Or had his beast awakened hers? Was that it? Her animal had finally arisen within her and was healing her. They’d find out soon. He figured it was just a matter of time before Lyra shifted into her beast. He couldn’t wait to see the animal she held inside.

  I hear your heartbeat.

  Lyra’s voice filled his head, and he glanced down to see she’d removed her hands from her ears. Her eyes were closed, her lashes a dark brush against the cream of her skin.

  I feel it. I’ve always been able to pick up the vibrations of sound through touch. Know the words spoken by reading lips. But I hear it now. A strong, steady thumping I find calming.

  “Then listen, love. Use any part of me you need to. I’m yours.”

  She clung to him, her ear flat against his chest. Two of her fingers tapped against him, mimicking the rhythm of his heart, and slowly, he felt her tension fade.

  There was a brief knock at the door then Tony opened it and stepped inside.

  “Whoa, kids, let’s get some clothes on or cover up or something.” He flipped around so he faced the wall. “I didn’t see anything, Costas. I’d like to keep my insides on the inside, thank you very much.”