Outcast BoxSet

by Emilia Hartley

  She breathed his scent and let her fingers roam through his hair. He moaned, his head falling back, before his eyes flashed open.

  “Can your parents hear me?”

  “I don’t care,” she growled.

  Had she lost her damn mind? When was the last time they’d touched each other? When was the last time she’d had him inside her? She couldn’t remember. She could barely even think.

  Gage grabbed her wrists and forced her back. He studied her face. “What is wrong with you? I mean, I’m not complaining about the attention, but I want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I have no idea,” she breathed, trying to push him back onto the bed. She wanted him beneath her. “Is this…this need normal?”

  His eyes flashed. “I don’t know shit.” He leaned back and let his hands move up her thighs to rest on her hips.

  She rocked back and forth, feeling him rise into her. There were too many layers of fabric between them. They needed to go away. She needed skin on skin. Her emotions were becoming frantic. Her heart raced inside her, as if it might explode if she didn’t get what she needed.

  “Hold up,” Gage managed to say. He flipped them over and pinned her to the bed.

  Kaylee writhed beneath him. “Can’t we get this out of my system then ask questions?”

  Gage huffed a laugh. “Depends on how quiet we can be. This feels a bit naughty if you ask me.”

  She smiled. “Makes it all the better.”

  She dragged her hands along his bare skin, reveling in the sensation of it. Her body prickled with energy, sparking where they touched. She marveled at what was happening, even though a part of her was concerned.

  Gage sensed it and leaned back. He studied her face before holding the back of his hand to her cheek. “You’re awfully warm. And your cheeks are redder than usual.”

  A sound that was a mixture of growl and groan slipped up her throat. She closed her eyes and leaned into Gage’s touch. She wanted more. She wanted his palm pressed against her skin, wanted it to trail down her neck and chest. She wanted him inside her.

  “Kaylee,” Gage’s voice brought her back to the present. Her eyes snapped open to find his filled with concern. “I said your name three times. Did you hear me at all?”

  She hadn’t. Swallowing, she pulled away from Gage’s touch. The coyote whined. She rolled over and bared her stomach, begging for any kind of touch.

  “What is happening to me?” Kaylee groaned.

  The familiar smirk touched Gage’s mouth. It quirked the corners of his lips and made Kaylee angry.

  “Alright, talk.”

  His lips pursed together, fighting back the laughter rising through him. Why was he laughing at her? This was so rude. She trusted him, loved him, and he was laughing at her. There was something wrong with her. Now was not the time for laughter.

  Gage leaned forward, his hands brushing the bare skin of her arms. “You’re in heat, my little pup. That’s what’s making your body temperature hotter than normal. It might also make you… you know?”

  “Hornier than usual?” She asked, tossing out the word he’d avoided using. She pulled the hem of her skirt higher so that her skin could rest closer to his. There was still an infuriating layer of khaki between them. She needed it gone.

  “Yeah, that. I mean, I kind of like it, but we should talk about this first.”

  Her brows creased. She could barely form a thought that didn’t include his cock. She needed it inside her now. She needed him buried as deep as he could be.

  “Honey, stop humping me.” Gage caught her hips. She hadn’t even realized what she was doing.

  A sheepish look crossed her face.

  He sighed, the sound between desire and resignation. “I want to. Believe me, I want to find my way inside you and never leave, but being in heat also means you’re fertile. Before we fuck up and do something we might regret, we need to talk about this.”

  Fertile meant the possibility of children… but her mind could only focus on his cock. She gripped the sides of her head and groaned. Would anything make this feeling go away?

  “Alright,” Gage said. “I’ve got the solution for the time being. It’s going to suck for both of us, but I don’t think either of us are going to care for long.”

  He wrestled his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a foil square. It was a condom wrapper. She hadn’t used condoms since she met Gage. There’s never been anything between them. She made a sound in her throat. She wanted skin on skin, the real feeling.

  “You’re going to thank me later,” he whispered.

  Quickly and deftly, Gage unzipped his pants with one hand and slipped the latex sheath over his already burgeoning cock. His hand disappeared beneath her skirt just long enough to find her folds. She was already wet with need. He hissed through clenched teeth when he found it.

  She smiled and leaned into his touch. She needed this, needed him. Would the desire ever stop? It was like this all the time, even when she wasn’t in heat, she thought about Gage and his body. When her hands found the line of a new design, her mind was on the lines of Gage’s shoulders or the crinkle in the corner of his eyes.

  Gage was her everything and it was hard to imagine she’d lived a life that hadn’t included him.

  She lifted her hips and lowered herself on top of him. His thick head caught at her opening, but as she rocked her hips, he slowly made his way inside her. Once he was buried to the hilt, they both sighed. His hands held her back as she began to rock back and forth. He looked up and met her eyes. They burned with the intensity of the passion between them.

  There was a bond forged through hardship and trust. It had morphed into love, one that burned through both of them and lit up the night. Together, there was no darkness they couldn’t conquer.

  She was gentle as she moved, sliding him in and out of her opening. The pleasure built slowly, but Gage couldn’t handle it. He pulled back and thrust. His cock hit the deepest part of her and pulled a small groan from between her lips. She pressed her lips shut, remembering their need to be quiet.

  Beneath her, Gage took control of their rhythm. His pace quickened and slowed, teasing her orgasm to its peak. It would rise and fall with each thrust, threatening to spill over. His fingers curled against her back, as if he, too, could barely handle the passion burning between them. He bit his lower lip and the sight of it sent her overboard.

  Her orgasm burst and slammed into her. It hit every part of her body, rushing across her in uncontrollable waves. Her fingers tingled and her toes curled as she spasmed in his arms. Not long after, Gage grunted and thrust inside her. His motion sent another wave of pleasure through her.

  She slumped, letting her head fall against his as they struggled to catch their breath. A smile crossed her lips. Finally, her mind was her own again. She still yearned to feel the flex of his muscles beneath her hands, but the desire was no longer so strong it fogged her mind.

  “Will it always be like this?” she whispered.

  Gage responded by reaching to claim her mouth. His kiss was gentle as he explored the taste of her. It warmed through her like the summer sun.

  “Most likely. Although, I’m not complaining.”

  She smiled. There was a new strength singing through her veins. What had once confused and crippled her was now a huge part of her life. The coyote rose and peered at Kaylee, as if separate from her. A happy howl echoed through her mind. It, too, was happy with their life.

  “No kids. Not yet,” she said.

  “That’s fine by me,” Gage agreed. “More time for this.”

  He punctuated his sentence with a quick thrust before pulling out. The condom had done its job, but she was going to have to look into other options if they were going to make sure there were no miniatures running around. She wanted Gage all to herself for as long as she could get.

  “I think your parents are waiting for us,” he said once he disposed of the condom.

  “Oh, shit!” She scrambled of
f the bed, fixing her panties with one hand and her hair with the other. She’d completely forgotten where she was. Embarrassment crept up her cheeks.

  Gage laughed and leaned forward to lay a kiss on her forehead. “Good thing I think they like me.”

  She laughed, too, and pulled him close for another quick kiss. Her parents didn’t say anything once they returned, but she could see the laughter in her mother’s eyes. At least the woman was happy for her. It seemed as though they did approve of him. That was good, because there was no going back for Kaylee.

  She elbowed her mate. “I have a high school math teacher who flunked me because my mom dissed him in high school. We should pay him a visit tonight.”

  Gage’s eyes sparkled and a grin split his lips. “We most certainly should.”

  COHEN

  Emilia Hartley

  Chapter One

  Witchcraft burned through Ashe’s veins.

  Her Pack feared her for what she could do and hurt her to try to draw out the shifter she could have been, and yet, here she was, caring for a man who’d once demanded that none of his sons speak to her.

  She tiptoed around the room, her head down. Sampson Vancourt didn’t stir on his bed. He didn’t even cough. She let out a breath of relief and dropped a bundle of herbs into a pot of hot water, an old family remedy for a rough cough. It would help him breathe a bit better.

  Since forcing himself down the stairs to tell his middle son to chase after Joanna Bart, Sampson had lost a lot of his vitality. The coughs racked his body with spasms and pushed him to sleep more often than not. He hadn’t even had the chance to meet Gage’s mate, a firebrand of a coyote shifter. As Ashe poured the cup of tea, she thought Sampson would like Kaylee. She was headstrong and kept Gage mostly on a straight and narrow path.

  Mostly.

  She looked at the sleeping man. He would not want her for one of his sons. She was the enemy despite her being a part of the Pack, and despite her helping ease his final years in this world. Ashe would always be the enemy for something she could not control. The mug warmed her fingers until it was too hot to bear. Eventually, she set it down on the mug warmer, so that it would still be hot when he woke.

  The door creaked open and Ashe jumped. Without turning around, she knew who was there. The change in the air prickled across her skin. It was charged with power, potential. With magic. She ducked her head, veiling her face with a wall of black hair, and slipped around the end of Sampson’s bed. If she didn’t look at him, he might ignore her altogether.

  At least, that was her hope. It hadn’t worked yet, so she wasn’t sure why she thought it would work now. A force rose inside her, bearing a pair of wide eyes that spun toward Cohen. The force begged Ashe to turn to him, to look at him.

  She shoved it back down and felt claws rake against her mind in return. Grimacing, a shudder raced down her spine. She would not listen to a voice that hadn’t listened to her for most of their life.

  Cohen reached out and touched her arm, silently asking her to stay. As much as she wanted to recoil from his touch, she didn’t. It warmed her skin and reached her cheeks. She was thankful he couldn’t see. He paused, most likely regarding his fallen father, before quietly asking her to follow him.

  She’d seen Cohen in her cards.

  And, she wondered what she’d done to deserve such a fate.

  “Oh, uh, alright,” she mumbled, following him into the hall outside.

  Sampson stirred, but didn’t wake. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if the man pretended to sleep as a smirk touched the corner of his mouth.

  In the hall, Cohen tugged her chin up so that she would look at him. Still, her eyes stayed on the floor. Her heart thumped heavily inside her chest. She felt less like a cornered rabbit and more like the love interest in a racy movie. It was an unusual sensation.

  “You called us here.” Cohen’s voice was low and gruff, a sign that his temper was on the rise. The cursed bear inside him was close to the surface. What happened to tick him off, she wondered? “Tell me why we needed to return.”

  Ashe shut her eyes against him. She pressed her lips together. She wished she’d never called him. While it was nice having Gage and Archer home, she could barely stand being in Cohen’s presence. He terrified her.

  His hands slammed into the wall on either side of her head. She tried not to flinch, but failed. Cohen made a pained sound. His arms fell away, and she felt him back up.

  “I came here to help Archer, not to become the Alpha of my own Pack. That was never the future I wanted, but here I am. Because of you.”

  What could she tell him? That he was blind and dumb? The words rolled around her mouth but eventually fell back down her throat to land like a stone in her stomach. Ever since Gage and Kaylee pledged themselves to Cohen as his Pack, his bear had been easier to manage. It liked looking after the two idiots.

  So, what happened to set him off this time?

  Summoning whatever courage she might have inside herself, Ashe gradually opened her eyes. She met Cohen’s gaze. His eyes burned with a dark fire; it was the slumbering presence of his bear that was always ready to be released. She knew she should have felt fear looking into his shadows, but she didn’t. Instead, there was a kind of peace that scared her.

  As if they both felt it, Cohen’s shoulders dropped. He took a step toward her.

  “I called you back to Stonefall because this is your home.” Ashe ducked and ran. She slipped down the stairs before Cohen could think to recover.

  His voice was a distant whisper as she slammed the front door behind her.

  Damn this house and all who live beneath it’s roof. Damn this town and its shifters. Ashe wanted to hate all of them. She knew she had every right to for the way she’d been treated all her life. They pushed and teased her, trying to pull the animal out of her as if it was possible. They pushed her to the edge, hurt her and acted like it was her fault that she was weak.

  But, she didn’t hate them. She’d found it in her to forgive them and moved on with her life. She’d moved out of her father’s house and left the horrid memories locked behind its doors. She’d found her own place, a small apartment above a library. Her life was her own and the pain she endured was over.

  She told herself she didn’t care if her body would not bend to an animal’s shape. She told herself the life she would lead was fine. Then, the cards spoke a different story and she wanted to curse them, too. They told her of freedom and the spark of love. For a moment, her heart had soared.

  Then, Cohen appeared. The cards told her he was bound to her, the Emperor to her Empress. Hadn’t she lived through enough? Hadn’t she earned the freedom she so desperately wanted? To be bound to the cursed bear…

  “I need a break,” Joanna groaned as she appeared.

  Kaylee, her hair now a deep shade of purple, stepped into the yard beside her. There was a slight, still healing hickey on Kaylee’s neck. When she saw Ashe staring, her face darkened, and she moved to cover it with her hand. Ashe looked away.

  Joanna and Archer found a kind of sanctuary within each other, using each other to remain standing. Kaylee and Gage were always a bundle of laughter. No matter where one was, the other could find them with the brightness of their aura.

  It made Ashe bitterly jealous. Her jaw clenched, her mouth grew dry.

  “How about we head out for a girl’s day? Sushi, maybe?” Joanna’s voice was hopeful, tentative even. Had she seen the emotion that had slammed into Ashe?

  The back of her neck prickled, and she looked back. Cohen smoldered as he threw open the door. He wanted more answers, but she didn’t have them. She did what she thought was necessary to help her friend and her Pack.

  Ever since, he’d stalked her like prey.

  “Yeah,” she said, forcing a smile onto her face. She looked back to the house, searching the windows for a face she told herself she didn’t want to see. “That sounds like fun.”

  Chapter Two

  “Okay,” Joa
nna began. “Spill. Why does Cohen stalk you like a lost puppy?”

  Ashe’s head shot up. Her eyes were wide, and she knew it. Kaylee and Joanna watched her expectantly.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She dipped her California roll into a small bowl of soy sauce and jammed it into her mouth.

  Joanna gave her a look. They’d been friends for far too long for her to lie and get away with it. They both watched Kaylee smear a large chunk of wasabi onto her roll with a mixture of awe and disgust before turning back to the conversation at hand.

  “I think you know and you just don’t want to talk about it. You know everything, so for you to suddenly not know something is suspicious.”

  Her shoulders sank. Cohen was… terrifying. He was a monster, one she did not wish to have in her life. The shadows that swirled across his eyes echoed the violence of her childhood. Yet, when they cleared and showed the soul behind them, she thought she saw hope.

  He was confusing, at best.

  Yet, her cards seemed insistent that they were bound. There was no future for Ashe without Cohen. No future for Cohen without Ashe. It scared her. When she was around him, her mouth seemed to act independently. One of these days, she was going to say something that pissed him off.

  He was less the man she once knew and more the monster that lived behind his eyes. She didn’t know how to explain it. There’d been a time when the Vancourt brothers had been her friends. She’d hid with them when the Pack became too much, when her father wanted to try to pull out her shifter again. Archer would lie and say he hadn’t seen her. Gage would keep her father busy with his pranks. Cohen would… just exist beside her. He was the tall force that guarded the door, which used to make her feel safe. Even then, he’d been quiet and scary. They hadn’t tried to fill the space with small talk, hadn’t tried to get to know one another.

  The silence between them had always been enough.