by Marcy Jacks
“Oh, finally!” he cried out.
He felt his mate’s warm seed inside of him within the next few thrusts. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one who was close to the brink, and that was exactly what Edward wanted. He wanted to know that his mate was as desperate for him as he was for Craig.
Edward followed behind him not long after, feeling satisfied and rightfully claimed.
“Are you mine now?” Craig asked, his lips ghosting over Edward’s skin as he spoke.
“Fool. I was always yours, but this does make it seem better, yes?”
“Yes,” Craig agreed.
They stayed in the shower, still connected, until the hot water ran out and Craig was forced to turn off the water so they both didn’t freeze. He was gentle when he pulled out of Edward, which he was grateful for, even if he was already healing from being loved so well.
Edward was still learning that intimacy had less to do with sex than it did with other basic things that they did together. When Craig put a towel around Edward’s shoulders and began drying him off before he could get cold.
Edward did the same for him, and because their bedroom was still thick with the smell of wolf’s bane and silver, they did not retire in there.
Edward was in fact pleased when Craig brought him to the main room of the cabin, the one that was connected to the kitchen where those two worthless hunters had been making themselves at home.
He revealed that the couch could also be lengthened into a bed, but Edward had done that for him when Craig began removing some of the cushions.
“I’ll start a fire as well,” Edward said, noting the empty fireplace, and though they didn’t need the heat, even he was aware of the soothing powers of a nice fire.
“Already got that covered,” Craig said, and he grabbed a bit of plastic, a remote, Edward realized, and he pointed it at the fireplace.
A fire immediately sprang to life, and all Edward could do was stare at the spot where previously there had been no fire.
He looked at his mate, knowing there had to be some technologic explanation for it, as there was for everything in this world.
“It’s gas,” Craig said, and he put his knee up onto the bed right before he stopped. “Actually, I just had a great idea.”
“And what would that be?” Edward asked. He folded his arms, but he was smiling as he watched his mate rush into the kitchen.
He came back with three small boxes of varying colors, and he set them on the bed before moving to the fire past Edward with a big grin on his face that showed off the whites of his teeth.
“What are you doing?” Edward asked as Craig grabbed two pokers from beside the fireplace. They had to be fire pokers, but they were longer and thinner than what Edward thought was necessary.
“Your baby is giving me some severe cravings,” Craig said. “S’mores, being one of them.”
“Some mores?” Edward said, and he was fairly sure he was missing something here. “That sounds familiar.”
“This is a marshmallow,” Craig said, pulling a puffy white thing from one of the boxes. “You’re going to love these. You pike it on the stick,” he said, and he did one for each poker before handing one to Edward.
“Then you get the chocolate and cookies ready,” he said.
Edward brought the marshmallow to his nose for a curious sniff. It smelled sweet, and he opened his mouth to take a small bite.
“Not yet!” Craig said quickly, stopping Edward before he could taste the treat. “You have to roast it first, in the fire.”
Edward looked behind him to the fire, and he grinned. “I was under the impression that no one cooked over an open fire anymore,” he said.
“Well, just be careful when you’re cooking that. They burn and catch fire really easily, and if you try and touch it after cooking it then you’ll badly burn yourself. They can get stuck to your skin.”
“I will roast this little thing better than you have ever seen one roasted,” Edward boasted, and he quickly got to work.
He was annoyed when the thing actually did catch fire on him, and the white outside turned black.
Craig laughed at him as Edward stared at his masterpiece. “These marshmallows require more care than I thought,” he said, lifting the stick and staring at what used to be a marshmallow.
“Told you,” Craig said, but he lowered Edward’s hand so that the small burning fire was right in front of him, and he quickly blew it out.
Now it merely looked unappetizing and was billowing dark smoke.
Craig, however, was still looking at it as though it could be useful. “All right, now hold still,” he said. Craig lifted a small plate, and with two fingers he quickly pulled the burned skin right off of the marshmallow, leaving only a melted white interior on Edward’s stick.
Craig quickly dropped the burned skin on the plate, shaking his fingers out before licking them, but he seemed to know what he was doing, so Edward didn’t ask after the burn, he just watched and attempted to learn.
“Now,” Craig said, and he lifted the cookie and chocolate squares in his hands. “These are what we’re going to use.”
Edward leaned in to give the cookies and chocolate a sniff, and they smelled as sweet as the cooked marshmallow, but different somehow. “I’ve heard people speak of these things, but have never had them myself.”
“Never?” Craig asked, and he looked almost horrified that such could be a possibility.
“Never,” Edward agreed.
“Well, you get the first bite then,” Craig said, and he placed the chocolate square onto the top of one of his cookies before turning it about. He then squeezed the white lump between the second cookie piece and the chocolate, sandwiching them together.
“You said you were craving this. So it should be you who has the first bite,” Edward said.
“You won’t be saying that after you’ve tasted it,” Craig replied, and he put the messy looking thing up to Edward’s mouth.
Edward looked at it, and then back down at his still smiling mate.
“Well, who am I to question the food of this time?” he asked, and he allowed Craig to hand-feed him his bite.
At first all he noticed was the heat of the marshmallow, but then it melted in his mouth and he couldn’t believe how nice it tasted. The cookie crumbled, and the chocolate and marshmallow came together to create the greatest treat that Edward had ever had in his life.
“Good, right?”
Edward’s mouth was stuck shut, and there was so much inside there that it would be rude to simply answer while his mouth was full. He had to nod and make noises of approval instead.
Craig looked as pleased as could be as be brought the treat to his own mouth and bit down. The satisfied noise he made as he ate was damn near sexual.
Edward’s cock twitched between his legs, which was going to be very noticeable very soon because he only had a towel wrapped around his waist.
He finally managed to chew the rest of the food that was in his mouth and swallow it down, but traces of the chocolate and cookie lingered in his mouth.
Craig was still chewing, a hand was to his mouth, partially covering his lips, as though he was either trying to hide the fact that he was chewing, or that he was smiling up at Edward.
“This is going to be an interesting night,” Edward said.
It was going to be an interesting life, as well.
Epilogue
Five Months Later
It was the dead of winter once more, and Edward was faced with the fear that he might once again lose his mate. Not because of hunters and other shifters, no, things had been quiet at Craig’s cabin despite what had happened to the other hunter.
It seemed the one that Edward had showed some mercy to had apparently decided that he also had something of a thinking brain if he was able to possess the smarts required to leave them alone.
But now there was an even worse threat. Craig was in labor, and Edward was running with him in his arms, as fast as his
feet could carry them. Rowan was at his side. Brishen was ahead of them both. He was in his blue form, but in the storm it was difficult to even make out his blue glow.
Edward had returned to his brothers shortly after he had decided it was safe, and though part of him had still been weary, at least when it came to Alistair, his two other brothers had been nothing but kind and welcoming. They had offered their services for whatever Craig would need for his and Edward's pup, and Edward found himself slowly becoming friends with his brothers again.
Alistair had also been kind and welcoming to the new member of their family, but he had clearly been anxious and nervous the first time Edward introduced Craig to him. When nothing terrible had happened, Edward had sighed and decided that the curse must finally be over with.
Now, however, he wasn't so sure. There had been nothing but blinding snow for the last five weeks. For that, getting Craig to the alpha luna werewolves they had met up with, who could help him give birth, had been put on hold.
Roarke had been very generous when Edward and his brothers went to him and explained the situation. Edward and Craig were supposed to be at the man's house two weeks ago, preparing for the coming birth. The snow had stopped them, but there was no putting it off now. They had to do this, brave the elements and risk freezing to death, or else Craig would most assuredly die anyway.
“It hurts,” Craig said, and there was blood on his teeth.
Edward held his mate closer, wishing with everything inside of him that he could take the pain, or that he could be the one to cut his mate open, but then Craig would surely be killed because Edward was not a luna werewolf.
Alistair had run ahead yesterday, but he could have gotten lost in the storm already. Edward and his brothers could also get lost on their way to Roarke’s pack. Brishen was the blue wolf, but this storm might be too much for him to handle.
“We’re almost there, love,” Edward said, and he hated that he didn’t know if he was telling the truth or not. Everything looked and smelled exactly the same. “We’re almost there.”
“If we’re not there in the next five minutes,” Craig started.
“We will get there,” Edward insisted.
“You have to cut me open. You’ve got to do it before the baby dies.”
Edward pretended he didn’t hear that, but Craig was having none of it. He reached for the collar of the jacket that Edward was wearing, and he yanked on it. “Promise me. He wants out. He’s suffocating.”
Edward couldn’t even take his eyes off of his brother’s glow for the one second he wanted to look down into his mate’s eyes. If he looked away, then he was going to lose Brishen in the storm, and then they would be out of luck. “I promise,” he said, still staring ahead.
Craig kept his grip strong on Edward’s jacket. He was also bundled up against the storm, but considering how Edward could feel the cold coming from his body, he knew that the heavy garments weren’t helping.
“There it is!” Rowan shouted, pointing the way. By the time the houses of Roarke’s pack were in sight, they were damn near running into them. Better than that was when vague lights flashed from the flashlights that the inhabitants were carrying around outside, and Edward suddenly felt his shoulder being grabbed by one of the alphas who resided here.
It was Maddox, the man with the piercings on his face. “We were waiting for you,” he shouted over the ghostly howling of the wind.
“Is my brother here?” Edward said, and he allowed the other alpha to lead him inside. There were others outside as well. It seemed they’d come out with their lights to try and prevent Edward and his two brothers from rushing past the houses and going on to the frozen lake.
That would have been even worse.
“We found him a couple of hours ago. He got lost in the storm, but he made his way here and told us you were going to try and come.”
Alistair. Edward’s heart went out to his brother. He had gotten lost, but instead of burrowing into the snow and making himself a den where he would be safe, he’d risked the storm and kept on going for Craig’s sake.
Edward's heart swelled with affection for his brother.
“When did he start?” Maddox asked.
Edward looked down at his watch, which had been a gift from Craig. It had taken them four times as long to get here in the heavy snow compared to what it should have been. “Two hours ago,” Edward admitted, and he could hardly believe it when a door was opened and he was invited into a warm space with lights and no snow. After being out in the blinding storm for so long, it was a beautiful thing to be able to see where he was going.
He looked behind himself and sighed when Brishen stepped into the house, still glowing in his blue wolf form, and Rowan, in his human shape, followed behind with the other alphas who’d been outside.
Roarke had been one of them, and he immediately turned to his alphas. “Is everyone inside?” he asked.
There was a show of hands, which Roarke counted before he was satisfied, and then he immediately turned to Edward. “All right, let’s get him seen to.”
Edward followed closely behind the other man, who shouted out that he wanted bowls of warm water and towels.
“Ash and Ross are going to be in there with you, and he’s not a doctor, but John is a vet with first aid training and he’s going to make sure that everything stays clean and calm.”
“Where’s Alistair?” Rowan asked.
“Josh? Would you take them to him while we do this?” Roarke asked.
The alpha he spoke to didn’t say a word, the man just nodded, and he went to Rowan and Brishen before leading them in the other direction. To the room where Alistair was recovering, no doubt.
“I know we should have done this before the labor started, but it was too late with the storm,” Edward said, and he looked down into Craig’s face, which appeared as pale as the falling snow outside.
He was breathing and blinking his eyes, at least. He was still aware.
“You don’t have to explain to me. I can see that’s it’s been coming down hard out there. I get it,” he said, and they finally entered an empty bedroom with a large, plain bed with white sheets.
Edward imagined that, for what was about to happen, they didn’t exactly whip out their best with the intent of having it destroyed with the blood that was about to be spilled.
“Put him on the bed,” said another alpha. The man was removing his clothes, and Edward knew he was about to go into his much larger luna form.
Edward looked to Roarke. “You won’t be doing it?”
“Jason’s delivered my three boys, along with a few of the others in the pack. He didn’t set out to be taught how to do this, but he has the most experience.”
That sounded all right to Edward. He brought Craig to the bed and put him on it. The man was panting for breath, but he still insisted on helping himself out of his jacket. Edward removed his boots and pants for him, leaving him only in his boxers.
His stomach looked ready to burst, but there was nowhere for the child to go, so it was crushing Craig’s lungs and liver as the womb it had been protected inside of for so long came apart around it.
Craig reached for Edward’s hand, and he took it. “I’m scared,” he said.
“Don’t be, it’s almost over,” Edward said.
Craig tried to smile, but it was a pained one. “After this, no more. I’m not made for this,” he said.
“That’s what Westley said,” Roarke replied, and then he turned to Jason, who had grown taller and larger than even Edward was. Dark fur sprouted over his body, and while he stood like a man, his head was that of a wolf, and his tail swished.
Edward looked down at the claws that were going to cut open his mate, and he almost had second thoughts.
He forced himself to look back down at Craig, and he kissed the man’s hand before stepping aside, still holding on to him.
Craig also saw those claws, and he paled even more. “Oh God.”
“It won’t hu
rt as badly if he does it compared to me,” Edward said. “Remember, there’s a venom in his claws that only omega luna werewolves can benefit from. You will be fine, you will survive this,” Edward said, but he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or his mate.
Either way, Craig nodded, and Jason stepped forward to the foot of the bed.
He put one clawed hand down on one of Craig’s ankles, holding it down. Roarke held down the other ankle, and that was when Jason put the pointed end of his claw down onto Craig’s lower belly.
One quick swipe and the way was open. Craig made a pained noise, but he didn’t scream until Jason put that hand inside of him, and although Edward worried about what was going to happen if any of those claws touched his pup, he didn’t dare voice any concerns lest he break the man’s concentration. He just held on to Craig’s hand, allowing the other man to squeeze his fingers tightly as he fought through the pain.
“You’re almost there, Craig. Doing so well,” he said.
Craig just screamed harder, and that was when Edward was beginning to have some serious doubts about the supposed numbing venom that an alpha had in his claws that only an omega in labor could feel.
Then Jason pulled his large hand out of the hole he’d created, and there was an infant resting on his palms.
“Let me see,” Ross said, and he quickly came forward to take the baby, turning it over and swiping his finger into the mouth to remove anything that could be inside.
The baby cried, and Craig made a sound of yearning. His eyes were bright as he looked at his son.
There were so many people on or around Craig now. The human veterinarian was near his stomach, cleaning away the wound that Jason had created, and Edward only looked away when the man pulled out a needle and thread and began to sew him up.
Another man, Ash, if Edward remembered his name correctly from the brief time they’d met those months ago, arrived to take Craig’s temperature, but Edward grabbed the cloth from the man’s other hand and used it to remove the sweat from his forehead. He wanted to do that.
