When she entered her chamber, Chase was leaning against the bed’s backboard. A sheet covered his lower body. She couldn’t take her eyes off his naked chest.
Since he was a werewolf, she expected him to be hairy, but his chest was bare, except for rippling muscles. How she longed to run her hands down the contours of his upper body. Her mouth became suddenly dry.
She headed toward the bed, his arousal evident underneath the sheets. She placed her knees on the bed and crawled toward him, never taking her eyes off the bulge underneath the linens.
“I feel better,” Chase cooed.
“I can see that.” Her eyes were still on his hidden erection.
Harmony pulled back the sheet and greeted the evidence of his desire for her. She boldly took ahold of his rod, taking what she knew belonged to her.
Waves of color shimmered from Chase’s chest. Her attention was now diverted by something she never expected to see. The indisputable evidence he was her Chosen One.
***
Chase had been unable to stifle the groan when Harmony grabbed his engorged penis. Now it was as if she was frozen in place, her eyes glued to his chest. He glanced down to see what had stolen her attention.
As far as he could tell, there was nothing extraordinary about his upper body. Perhaps other aliens she had been with were formed differently. That was a disturbing thought. Was his body a disappointment to her?
“What is wrong?” he managed to ask without the concern he felt reflected in his delivery.
Her eyes shifted from his chest to meet his gaze. He sensed she was debating how to respond. Seconds felt like hours.
“The swirling colors,” Harmony muttered.
He once again looked down, lost related to what she was talking about. Was she expecting to see a lightshow reflected on his chest? He let out a frustrated sigh.
A brilliant smile lit Harmony’s face. “Glacierians can identify their Chosen Ones from swirling colors only their mates can see. As soon as I touched…you, I saw proof of what we are to each other.”
Chase was speechless. Prue was Dreyden’s Chosen One. He never imagined the same would be true of him and Harmony, regardless of how attracted he was to her from the beginning. He was beset with an overwhelming sense of wonderment.
Her smile waned in response to his reaction. He never again wanted to see any negative emotions cross her face where he was concerned.
Chase clamped his hands on her hips and flipped their positions. As soon as Harmony’s head hit the pillow, his lips were adhered to hers. Her mouth opened in surprise. He took advantage of her momentary reaction and invaded her mouth with his tongue.
She tasted sweet with a touch of spice. A hint of the cinnamon roll she had for breakfast still lingered. He continued to devour her lips.
Her hands grabbed his when he started to remove her shirt. “Later, she muttered between kisses. I want you inside me.”
Harmony wiggled beneath him, removing her pants. She wore no undergarments to further slow his progress. He knew she didn’t want him to see the scars on her chest and wanted to distract him. She certainly succeeded.
His hands explored her bare hips. She was soft, curvy, and feminine. Her uniform certainly hid the wonders underneath.
The wolf within him was silent, not pushing for a quick release. Chase wanted to savor the experience, but the woman underneath him had other ideas. When she grabbed his rod again, any thought of taking it slowly evaporated.
Urgency to make her his consumed him. His fingers found her feminine folds and a single digit entered. A near silent cry escaped from Harmony. He moved within her already wet passage, further preparing her for his girth. He was rewarded with a louder moan when a second finger joined the first.
Harmony wrapped her long legs around his hips. It felt right having her body wrapped around his. She was ripe and ready to be taken.
Chase braced his right forearm against the mattress and with his other hand, he guided his shaft between her folds. From her behavior, he knew Harmony wanted to be taken fast. He entered her with a single, powerful thrust.
For the first time in his life, he was truly home. Being inside Harmony was unlike anything he experienced. Pure joy engulfed him as he withdrew and entered her again. With each subsequent thrust, his enjoyment heightened and Harmony’s screams became louder.
Harmony slid her legs up his hips to capture his waist, driving him farther than before. His moans harmonized with her screams. He set a frantic pace, not seeming to be able to get enough of her.
He felt her nails dig into his back. It hurt so good. He found his true mate. The wolf was quiet, but he felt his presence and what he believed to be true confirmed.
Harmony’s breathing had become labored, as was his. Still, he continued to love his mate. They were building to a climax that would catapult them both into a realm of sensations he’d never achieved before.
A female’s scream echoed with his as they both climaxed within seconds of each other. It felt like every nerve ending in his body pulsed with pleasure.
Exhausted, Chase fell on top of Harmony and then rolled them both onto their sides. He held the woman he would follow throughout the galaxy if need be.
His hands ran across her sweat clad back. Her shirt was saturated. He ran his tongue along her neck, enjoying the salty taste of her. In the past, he left after his wolf was appeased. Now, he enjoyed the aftermath of making love to Harmony.
His mouth watered to taste her breast. He maneuvered Harmony back against the mattress and began to push the material of her jersey off her body.
“No!” Harmony cried.
Chase released the material as if it was electrified. He had forgotten about her scars. Surely at this point in their relationship, some scar tissue on her chest was insignificant.
Chapter 9
Harmony had been so lost in the sensations still rocketing through her body, she almost missed Chase’s attempt to remove her shirt until it was almost too late. Panic ran through her, spreading like a wild fire.
The look of confusion and hurt on Chase’s face would haunt her for the rest of her life. Their lovemaking had been extraordinary. She expected nothing less, considering he was her Chosen One. How could she spoil it with her own insecurities?
“I’m sorry,” Harmony choked out. “My chest is deformed and I don’t want to ruin our first time together by you seeing it. Sex with you was wondrous. I don’t want to sour the incredible way I feel right now.”
Chase stared at her clothing covered upper body. She knew he was looking at how the material clung to her perfect mounds. Her breasts weren’t the problem, but the skin above was marred with horrible scar tissue.
“Close your eyes and let me look.” Chase ran his fingers over her cheek. “You are my true mate. I accept the whole package, even your few imperfections.”
She laughed to herself at his word usage. It was better than crying. Harmony did as she was instructed, she closed her eyes. It was a leap of faith she had to make. As she felt the material pushed upward, she squeezed her eyes shut with more pressure. When the jersey brushed against her breasts, she held her breath. Any time now, she’d hear his groans of repulsion.
Nothing. There was no audible sound to Chase’s reaction to her scarred upper chest. Had he turned in disgust?
Harmony nearly bucked him off the bed when his lips captured one of her breasts. Its nipple hardened in response and he sucked harder, sending sensations of pleasure throughout her body. Her shock at his reaction overshadowed her body’s physical reaction to Chase’s actions.
She nudged Chase’s shoulders, wanting his attention. “Didn’t you see the scars?”
Chase released her breast and met her gaze. “What? Those barely visible white lines that crisscross your upper chest? I barely noticed them. Your lovely breasts were too much of a distraction.” Once again, Chase proceeded to enclose his mouth around her breast.
In her mind, the scars were still red, swollen, festering
claw marks. She dressed and undressed every day, never looking at her body. When she bathed, she used a cloth, never touching the scars. Had the ripped flesh healed as the doctor promised it would?
Chase lifted his mouth from her breast and ran his tongue along one of the scars. There was no pain. If anything, his actions aroused her.
Harmony looked down and gently moved Chase’s head away from her chest. She needed to see it for herself. The angry red marks were now white scar tissue. When she returned her gaze to Chase, she was rewarded with a knowing smile.
“Tell me what happened,” Chase placed his lips against the scars and sprinkled kisses along the rough edges.
Her body hummed with sensations as his mouth worked its wonders. One of her greatest fears had finally come to light and Chase found a way to make it enjoyable. Now he drew her out of the dark place she always went when memories of the attack haunted her.
“An animal attacked me when I was a young girl. My skin was ripped to shreds,” a tremor made her voice unsteady. On the rare occasions she talked about the worst day of her life, she never was able to control her emotions. “I can still see the ice painted red with my blood. To this day, I have nightmares about what happened. That is why I travel and live alone. No one can hear me cry out in my sleep.”
Chase nodded his head in understanding. “That is why you fear animals. Anyone would who experienced what you did. But you have nothing to fear from my wolf. Harmony, he would kill to protect you.”
An invisible mask lowered over his face, leaving a blank expression on his otherwise animated features. It was obvious something was troubling him. She had bared her soul to him. It was only fair he do the same.
“What is wrong?” she asked.
“It’s nothing,” Chase answered too quickly.
Harmony jabbed him in the shoulder with her fist. “You’re lying to me. Chase, you can’t even look at me.”
In order to prove her wrong, he returned his gaze to her face. But she knew he was holding something back. The wrinkles at the sides of his eyes were more pronounced. Whatever he was keeping from her was causing him pain.
“Trust in me, the way I trusted you,” she told him. “You are my Chosen One. You can tell me anything.”
His eyes were hooded as he took in her words. A large sigh escaped him, indicating she had won this battle. She braced herself for what Chase was about to share.
“Shape shifters and werewolves often mark their mates with a bite on their shoulder,” Chase admitted. “It is our way to announce to other males in the pack our female is off limits. Pati carries Danyal’s mark.”
Harmony could feel her face drain of color. She had studied wolves on her ship’s computer. They were beautiful creatures, but they had big, terrifying teeth. There were depictions of the legendary werewolf with glowing red eyes that had grabbed her attention.
As if reading her mind, Chase said, “My wolf wouldn’t bite you, I would. At the height of passion, a male werewolf in human form will leave his mark on his mate. I understand the female will climax after the claiming. But understanding your fears, I would never do such a thing.”
“Did you hold back today?” Harmony asked.
“My wolf was silent.” Chase shrugged his shoulders. “He couldn’t complete our bonding.”
Harmony’s heart sank with that information. Her fears would prevent Chase from completing a mating ritual. She was denying her Chosen One the ability to claim her in the ways of his people.
“Maybe it’s time we return to Earth and I meet your wolf,” Harmony announced.
“I don’t believe that would be wise,” Chase admitted. “The moon will be full in five nights. My wolf is nearly uncontrollable the night of the full moon. Maybe we can stay out here a little longer.”
Dreyden ran the port without her assistance up to this point. What would little over a week matter? She had enough supplies on the ship to sustain them both. Harmony knew the answer before she finished thinking about the question. She would be putting off the inevitable. Chase was her Chosen One. Every part of him. It was time she stopped running from what occurred that night so many years ago.
***
Chase couldn’t let their interlude end on a sour note. His wolf was part of him, but he needed to bring his mate back to a sexual high.
His lips were once again upon hers. She immediately opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to enter. He loved the taste of her and reveled in it. He would never tire of kissing her.
His fingers were about to once again breach her feminine folds when an alarm went off. Chase immediately pulled back his arm as if he was burned. The bed shook with Harmony’s laughter.
“I have some kind of message,” Harmony advised him. “It wasn’t a proximity alert.”
They quickly dressed and hand-in-hand walked to the cockpit. Whatever awkwardness temporarily existed between them had been forgotten. Dreyden was possibly concerned about the length of their absence. A full day on Earth had passed.
After Harmony took her seat in front of the control panel, she pushed a couple buttons. A voice speaking a language he didn’t recognized ambled on. Whatever he communicated didn’t seem to concern Harmony. She merely sat back and listened.
“I have been ordered to return to Earth,” Harmony advised when the recorded message was completed. “There has been activity at some kind of quasi-governmental facility everyone believed was destroyed. Do you know anything about it?”
“The Department of Paranormal and Extraterrestrial Division of the U.S. government had a facility outside of town,” Chase informed her. “When Frost originally entered the Earth’s atmosphere chasing a fugitive, both their ships were detected by government radar. That brought Agent Redman and Dr. Barker to town. They imprisoned Frost and the doctor dissected the vicious reptilian alien one of our witches had neutralized by shrinking it with a spell.”
“How did Frost escape?” Harmony leaned toward him, entranced by the story.
“They made the huge mistake of also taking Lacey—the witch who changed the alien. You don’t want to piss off a family of witches. Between Topper and Lacey’s sisters, they singlehandedly took over the base. The sheriff and the other townsfolk helped, but the witches had things well in hand.”
Chase had not been involved in liberating Frost and Lacey. Each time he heard the story, Topper and her nieces’ roles became grander. Frankly, he never underestimated any witches’ powers. They had even created a magical portal to the far side of the universe to rescue one of Tory and Simon’s twins.
“Then it sounds like we need to return immediately,” Harmony surmised. “Our secret port may be at risk. The threat needs to be eliminated. Not all the directors were in favor of the relationship that was forged with the residents of Magic. There is a lot of politics involved in offering a new planet membership into the Coalition. I try to stay away from politics, but unfortunately, it can’t always be avoided.”
For the first time, Chase considered what Earth’s membership with the Coalition would mean to the citizens of Magic, New Mexico. Currently, both parties had reasons they didn’t want the area under the scrutiny of the United States government. The secrets of the citizens of Magic could not be revealed. Chase had a feeling the people of Earth would have an easier time believing and dealing with extraterrestrials than werewolves, vampires, powerful witches, and the other beings who called this part of New Mexico home.
If Earth was brought into the Coalition, what would that mean for Harmony? Would she be re-assigned? If she was, would he be able to go with her? So many questions ran through his mind and he didn’t have an answer to a single one.
“How much choice do you have in the assignments you are given?” Chase asked.
“My supervisor is a friend and generally he assigns me to space stations.” Harmony stared at him for a moment. She clearly understood the reason for his question. “My latest assignment was at the request of the Ruling Director. One of the residents of Magic, New Mexico
, made the request according to my father. You wouldn’t know anything about it, would you?”
Although he didn’t know for a fact Topper was involved, it was a logical guess. One of the meddlesome witch’s nieces was involved with the Ruling Director. Topper had a talent of knowing things before they happened. She had foreseen Pati being dragged to a parallel dimension where Danyal was on the other side of the portal.
“I can’t be sure,” Chase admitted. “Topper had stopped by Pati’s store and informed her I would not be alone much longer. It had become Pati and Prue’s mission in life to play matchmaker where I was concerned. Whether Topper just foretold our union or actively got involved in getting you to Earth, I can’t say. Either way, I’m happy with the outcome.”
Harmony rose from her chair and closed the distance between them to sit on his lap. “To answer your real question, if I have to, I will resign from the Space Rangers if that is what it takes to stay with you. If for that reason alone, my father is going to love you.”
Chase leaned forward and brought his lips to hers. He wanted to do nothing more than continue kissing Harmony, but there were pressing matters on Earth. His mate had a job to do and he respected her abilities. There was more at risk than just the clandestine port. Magic and its secrets were once again in danger.
Chapter 10
Fortunately, the trip back to Magic was not as hard on his body as their ascent. The whole time he stared at Harmony and pondered what to do about his wolf. She said she wanted to meet him, but he could feel the hesitation behind her words.
The physical scars on her body were easy to deal with once she trusted him. However, the psychological impact of her childhood attack wasn’t going to be as easy to overcome. Not for the first time, he wished he hadn’t been born a werewolf.
Magic, New Mexico: A Touch of Harmony (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 6
