by K. N. Knight
“Here.” He paused at a particular page and skimmed the paragraphs with his index finger. “A shifter belonging to the fifth element who experiences physical pain upon separation from a potential suitor has undoubtedly found her permanent match. Typically, this scenario continues until the bond between the two has been consecrated.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. Permanent match?
“So, it follows that physical pain will no longer be an issue if you and Zain are separated for a while,” he continued. His tone was matter-of-fact, but I thought I caught a hint of sadness beneath it.
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “But I’m not sure if I want to test that theory out by wandering off in the middle of New Vegas.”
“That’s wise,” he said, nodding at me seriously.
Was he jealous of Zain? No, that was ridiculous. Still, the air was heavy with something that made it difficult to breathe. I leaned against the back of the wagon, trying to act casual, but I was uncharacteristically light-headed from the wine and somehow I slipped and stumbled sideways.
Rael’s hand shot out and caught my hip. “Steady.” Then both his hands were around my hips, guiding me back to a vertical position again.
He didn’t let go of me right away, and I tilted my head and looked up at his face. His eyes were narrowed, irises like green glass. I inhaled and smelled his fresh, zesty, cool-water scent. I knew his smell already, I realized. I’d gotten subconsciously attuned to it. I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding in my throat. “Would I feel the way I do now if I was bonded to my permanent match?” I asked with an effort.
Something changed in his face. It was his animal rising to the surface, and his breathing was a big cat’s purr. “I don’t think so,” he muttered, “but I don’t know.”
Keeping my eyes on his, I stretched up on tiptoes and clasped my hands around his neck. He responded, drawing me against his body. I felt his heat, those bulging muscles beneath his thin T-shirt. Then I pulled his head down to my level and kissed him. It was purely academic, I told myself as I tilted my head so my parted lips would meet his at the perfect angle, my tongue seeking out his to see if my body reacted the same way as when I’d kissed Oran and Zain. My clit sparked. Holy hell. It sure did. My nipples ached in a very similar way, and that spark soon turned into a deep throb that was becoming all too familiar.
Before long, I’d shifted to the side a few inches so Rael’s strong thigh could slide between mine. I tangled my fingers in the hair at the back of his head, pulling him closer, while kissing him more and more deeply, as if I couldn’t get enough of him. I was dimly aware I was making little sighs and sucking on his tongue as it probed my mouth deliciously.
His hands slid beneath my shirt, those long fingers light and skilful as they caressed my skin. I copied him, desperate to feel him, to get a measure of that sexy body. Absently, I reached for his belt, and he broke off from the kiss.
“Shall we?” He tilted his head to indicate the interior of the wagon.
“I—yes.”
His eyes blazing with desire, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up, kissing me all the time, before placing me on the back of the wagon.
Someone was approaching, but I didn’t want to stop. Maybe they’d keep going.
“Don’t let me disturb you,” a loud, sardonic voice said, and Rael and I broke off, guiltily.
Oran was standing in front of the wagon, holding a huge tray of grilled meat, his features lit with a curious expression, somewhere between amusement and hurt.
I jumped down from the wagon and pushed past them both. It was all too much. First I’d kissed Oran, very accidentally, then I had sex with Zain, and now this. In the past, I’d rarely felt a strong attraction to guys, and it never felt anything like how it was described in romance novels. But now I wanted all three of them. Like crazy. I ran into a clump of trees at the edge of the lot and hid myself, trying to get the thrumming in my body to stop. They must have put a spell on me. That was the only possible explanation. And now they were enjoying seeing how turned on I was by all of them. It was dark in the trees and comforting, and I put my hands over my face, trying to compose myself.
I didn’t know how long I was there, my thoughts whirling, but when I was about ready to return to the wagon and face them, my name was being called in Zain’s deep, rumbling tones.
“Hey,” I said, stepping out of the trees and coming face-to-face with him. His eyes were big and soft with concern…and questions.
“Are you okay?” he said.
“Yes. I am now.” I straightened myself up, put my shoulders back. But I sensed him hesitating, as if there was something he wanted to say, so I waited.
“Zain, what did the other night mean to you?” I asked when he didn’t fill the silence.
His broad, smooth forehead furrowed, and he seemed to be weighing up different replies. “I’m not sure,” he said at last. “I didn’t plan it.”
“Neither did I,” I said with a hint of defensiveness.
He nodded. “But I don’t regret it.” His gaze was full of longing, and I knew he was reliving it.
I gave him a small smile. “Me neither. It was very…intense.”
He reached out, and his fingertips skated my hipbones. My desire surged again, but for Zain this time instead of Rael.
“I’m attracted to Rael, too,” I told him. And Oran, a little voice said in my head. But I wasn’t about to acknowledge that.
Zain nodded, a little muscle in his jaw flickering. “Multiple mates are not uncommon in shifter society,” he said.
“Really?” I murmured. This was news to me.
“Yup. Things are more fluid than in human society.”
“Then—” I broke off, not sure how to frame the questions crowding my mind. “How would you feel if I explored this with Rael, too?”
He took a big breath, his huge chest heaving. “I admit the thought makes me a little jealous.” He gazed up into the canopy of trees for inspiration. “I guess I’ll have to be okay with it, though.”
I watched his face for a moment longer, unsure what to say to that. I reached for his shoulders and pulled him down, before kissing him softly on the lips. Then I turned and walked out of the trees.
Back at the wagon, Rael was unloading the tents and passing them to Oran. Dusk had already arrived, and New Vegas was winding down for the night. There were a couple of faint electric lights in the distance, but apart from that, it would soon become pitch dark. I helped them out, and we worked together companionably, no one mentioning the tension that was so strong it was almost tangible.
When we were all set up, I climbed into the wagon as usual, the guys rejecting my offer to sleep in one of the tents instead.
I burrowed under the blankets and lay there for an hour, listening to the sounds of other people returning to their wagons and tents, stumbling around in the dark. A lot of them were drunk and raucous. When the noise started to die down, I was wide awake. I tossed and turned for another half hour, but it didn’t help. And then I heard a very soft, low call, little more than a whisper on the breeze. I sat up, recognizing it instantly.
“Ranger?” Rael whispered again. I crawled out of my blankets and over to the entrance of the wagon and unzipped the flap. He gazed at me silently, eyes like black opals. Without saying anything, I came forward into his arms, my legs naturally wrapping around his waist. The press of his body on mine reignited my desire for him, and I trembled.
He let me slide to the ground and took my hand. “Come on,” he purred into my hair, closing the tent flap with his free hand. One arm around my shoulder, the other clasping my hand, he led me through the darkness, my feet sometimes catching in undergrowth as we entered the trees. The moon wasn’t visible, and it was very dark. We kept going, all my other senses heightened by the poor visibility. My nostrils were full of him, of that fresh, zesty scent, and I was hyper-aware of his pecs brushing my shoulders.
“Where are we going?” I said at las
t when we didn’t seem to be arriving at any destination.
“Somewhere we can relax,” he replied with a throaty chuckle. “Where we don’t have to feel restrained.”
I thought I grasped his meaning: he didn’t want less of me than Zain had had. A weird situation to be in, but understandable.
At last, we came to a spot deep in woodland.
“Here?” I said, suddenly shy.
“Here.” He held me against his body, running his hands up and down my back, as if sensing that he needed to calm me. “No one’s going to disturb us.” He stroked my neck, then my hair, before holding my head in both hands and kissing me so tenderly that it made me tingle all over. “You drive me crazy, little wolf,” he murmured. “Ever since I first laid eyes on you, my tiger’s been going wild. Generating enough heat that I was surprised I didn’t turn into a fire source all by myself.” He chuckled.
I gazed at him wordlessly. He seemed so confident, so smooth, so self-assured; I’d never pictured him being out of control. But I liked what he was saying to me a lot. I kissed him harder, my wolf rising to the surface, and all self-consciousness evaporating.
“Are you cold?” he purred.
“I don’t think so,” I replied.
“Good.” He began to strip me, slowly at first, as if he was trying to be patient. But soon my shirt, leggings, bra, and panties were gone, and I was standing naked before him. “I’ve dreamed about this for so long,” he said, holding my hands and gazing at me. You look like one of those famous paintings of red-haired nudes by Rossetti or Waterhouse or someone, with your hair all loose and wild like that, so bright against your skin.” I stood still, trying not to be embarrassed as his gaze roved over me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my pale pink nipples standing to attention, begging for his touch. And the ache between my thighs was becoming unbearable.
“You deserve satin sheets and soft pillows,” he murmured.
I gave a short laugh. “I’m not going to wait until we come across those. I want you now, Rael.”
He let off a big cat growl, and we lunged at each other. I unfastened the buttons on his black shirt with impatient fingers, before yanking it off his shoulders. Wow. That fantastic body again. His torso was big and muscular, and his biceps huge and bulky. His skin was soft, although marked with scars, and it felt hot beneath my fingers. He lifted me up high, then dipped his head, taking my nipples into his mouth one at a time. I moaned at the feel of his mouth on me and squeezed my thighs tightly around his body. Slowly, he walked me backward until I was pressing against a tree trunk. “I want to taste you,” he growled. “Grab that branch when I lift you up higher.”
“Uh—” I looked up. There was a branch, just out of reach.
Suddenly, I was shooting up another foot. I grasped the branch with both hands, and he lifted my thighs over his shoulders. And then he licked me. I gasped. No one had ever done that before, and it was so sensitive. “Little red wolf,” he murmured. My cheeks heated. I’d always been embarrassed that the little tuft of hair between my legs was the same red as the hair on my head. Then he kept licking me, and I stopped thinking about anything else. I let my weight fall back against the tree trunk since I felt so secure in his grasp and surrendered myself to the sensation of his tongue sliding back and forth across my clit. He was very skillful, knowing exactly when to speed up and when to maintain the pressure, and soon, I began to shudder. I could feel an orgasm building, slowly at first, then the tingles got more and more intense before suddenly reaching a crescendo, and I came, right on his tongue, while he continued to lick me. “You taste so good,” he whispered.
I smiled down at him, dazed from the force of my climax. “I need you inside me,” I replied.
“Let go of the tree. I’ve got you,” he said. And when I relinquished my hold on the branch, he drew me down into his arms until my thighs wrapped around his waist.
Holding me up effortlessly with one arm, he unfastened his belt and the zipper on his jeans with the other, and a moment later, he pushed himself inside me. I cried out as he filled me up in a single thrust. He kept one arm around my shoulders, between the tree and my back, and he wrapped the other around my ass, and he began to move in and out with slow, powerful thrusts. It felt so good. My orgasm had made me extra sensitive, and every movement set my insides on fire. He was so big, but I couldn’t get enough of him, and I held him tight, willing him to go harder and faster.
I sensed him getting close to orgasm when he stopped, pulled out, and turned me around. Almost before I knew what was happening, my palms were braced against the tree trunk and he had entered me from behind with a growl. It was so primal, so intense that I made all kinds of animal sounds as his hips butted against my ass. He cupped my breasts as he drove into me, harder and harder, until finally with a roar he orgasmed deep inside me.
We stayed like that for a while, gasping for breath, until he gently turned me around and embraced me. “Next time, we’ll be in a bed at least, I promise,” he whispered.
“I’m not complaining,” I said with a grin. “That was incredible.”
“You’re incredible,” he said, stroking my face.
He picked up my clothes and helped me get dressed, slipping each item of clothing back on almost reverently. On the way back to the camp, he kept his arm around me as I stumbled in a daze. It was so different from how it’d been with Zain—rougher, more animalistic—but also tender and intimate. I’d always wondered if I’d like having a guy go down on me, and I’d never dreamed it could be so incredible, hanging off a tree, my weight carried so easily on his shoulders.
“Shall I sleep with you? I’ll leave before the others wake up,” Rael suggested when I arrived at the wagon.
I hesitated, knowing he needed something more from me, that he was a little offended that Zain had been first. “Okay,” I said.
He gave a soft purr and followed me into the wagon. We found our way onto the mattress in the darkness, and he snuggled up behind me, spooning me, his breath sweet on my neck. “Mmm,” I sighed. It was nice. More than nice. And before I knew it, I fell asleep in his strong arms.
Chapter 10
Rael was leaving when I woke up the next morning. It was barely light yet, and I watched sleepily as he unzipped the door flap, those big muscles flexing. Then he climbed out, closing it behind him. I touched the mattress where he’d been sleeping. It was warm, and I wished he was still beside me. Instead I turned over and inhaled his scent on the pillow—a lot like the air in a lush city street after a rainstorm; heady yet fresh and laden with promise. I was so content that I passed out again, and the next thing I knew, the sun had heated the day and there were sounds of activity outside.
I got up blearily, trying to smooth down my hair, and climbed out of the wagon. Zain was tending to the horses. When I called good morning to him, he gave me a long, thoughtful look. I almost said something, but what was there to say? I was as confused as anyone.
“Where is everybody?” I said.
“They went to get breakfast. Oran keeps going on about bacon.” He shook his head. “I told him it’s not happening, but he won’t listen.”
I smiled. “I think I’d settle for lukewarm porridge. Anything that’s not stone cold, really. Did you eat already?”
He nodded. “There was some grilled meat left over from yesterday.”
“Or grilled meat for breakfast. That works. Are we planning on staying here all day?”
“Yeah. There’s a couple more things I want to buy. And Rael mentioned that you were planning on working today?”
“That’s right.” I nodded slowly, thinking it was a good sign they were speaking to each other. “Okay, if you don’t mind, I’ll see if I can find somewhere to freshen up and get some breakfast.”
“Take your time. I’m all set.” He raised his hand in a wave and turned back to the horses.
I walked toward the entrance to the town, yawning and pulling my hair back into a ponytail as I went. Crap. It had twigs
in it; quite a lot of twigs. I wondered if Zain had noticed. I followed the signs to the public bathrooms and discovered they had showers. I paid the fee out of my surprisingly large amount of winnings from last night, locked myself in the cubicle, and reluctantly washed Rael’s scent off my body.
When I was done, I felt much more awake and ready for a cooked breakfast. With a spring in my step, I followed my nostrils to the stall where we’d had dinner yesterday. They only had a little bit of meat left, but it was better than nothing. I also ordered a bowl of oatmeal and wolfed it all down. Then I made my way back to the wagon. The sun was shining, New Vegas was already beginning to fill up with people eager to be entertained, and I was fired up to earn some money.
As I returned to the wagon, the guys were speaking to two men in identical black uniforms.
“There she is!” one of the men in black exclaimed. I gulped, aware that they could only be referring to me. My hair had been down since my shower, but I tied it up quickly as I turned a one-eighty and began speed-walking in the direction from which I’d come.
There was the sound of pounding feet behind me, and I closed my eyes. What the hell was I being accused of this time? Four big hands clutched my upper arms and squeezed, hard enough to hurt.
“Get the hell off me!” I hollered. I thrashed and kicked, and when I got each of them in the shins, they released me, swearing. But then the slightly taller one pulled a gun on me, and I froze.
“You need to come with us, Carrie,” he said in a rough, ugly voice, regarding me with deep-set, swamp-colored eyes.
“My name’s not Carrie,” I spat. “And why the hell would I come with you?”
“Carrie Stillwater, you are being arrested for thieving, which I warn you is a very serious offense, attracting the heaviest penalty,” the other guard said. He had bulging brown eyes and a greasy-looking black moustache.
