The women stopped what they were doing and stood silent, wearily watching the new wolves.
“Meet Reece and McDonald. They’re ours and they’ll take the back bedroom. Sorry Madayah, but you have two more mouths to feed.”
“They’re skinny and need fattening up.”
“She says that about everyone.” This came from Talya. She walked forward and put her hand out.
Nicolas had given the two new wolves a rundown on everyone during the drive over. Both knew Talya was off limits, but they had no problem shaking her hand.
Nicolas continued the introductions. As he expected, Esta gave only a nod of her head and refused to shake hands. She also stayed back from the hair cutting, but her eyes didn’t appear to be as openly hostile as the day before. It was a start.
“Dinner will be ready in an hour. I hope you boys like Mexican food, because it’s what I cook best.”
“Ma’am, we’ll eat anything you make us.”
“Call me Madayah. I’m too young to be a ma’am.”
Neither wolf argued.
Laughter filled the dinner table caused from a play-by-play of Troy and Bernard cheating at Monopoly.
Troy shook his head. “We didn’t have a choice. They thrashed us.”
“If you cheat again we’ll make sure you’re bald,” Sheeba said in her quiet voice.
“You’re blind. How in the hell did you figure it out?”
She didn’t take offense. “Your smell changed once you started cheating.”
“Our smell?”
“Yes, you stunk a little more than normal.”
“Not fair. We haven’t mentioned your smell.”
“You asked me how I knew. I told you. It’s not my fault you stink.”
“If we smell so bad, how did you put up with Nicolas?”
“We put him in cat clothes and made him bathe.”
Nicolas saw where this was going. “Men and women are switching rooms tonight. We can all sleep where the others slept the night before and start mixing our odors.”
“That’s just gross.” Talya’s expression showed disgust.
“If you don’t watch your mouths, I’ll have everyone exchange clothes.”
This caused good-natured laughter.
Nicolas was happy for the banter, and the relaxing feel of the room allowed his mind to shift to Zenya. He wondered if he would need to seek her out or if she’d be waiting. He was lost in his thoughts and it took him a minute to realize the conversation stopped and all eyes were on him.
“What?” He looked around at his pack.
Reece asked the question first. “You’ve mated?”
“Is that what the smell is?” Talya looked intrigued.
Heat traveled up Nicolas’s neck.
“Our alpha’s face is turning red.” Troy laughed loudly.
He disregarded Troy and answered Talya. “I’ve never mated before so I’m not sure about the smell.”
Reece jumped in again. “I was around Brandt and Emily after the attack. You smell the same way. I don’t think it’s a choice anymore. Who’s the lucky wolf?”
All eyes turned to Reece.
“The lucky she-cat is Zenya,” Nicolas said.
“Is that possible?” Reece just wouldn’t shut up.
For the first time since she entered the room, Esta spoke. “Why wouldn’t it be possible? Is there something wrong with us?” Her voice froze them all for a moment.
“No, but hey, we’re just stupid wolves and we know nothing about cats. Do you mate the same way we do?” Reece realized too late what he’d just said. “That’s not what I meant. I… I...”
“We get it.” The youngest she-cat spoke up, “Some of us like to stand up when we do it, and some prefer lying down. I’m sure you guys prefer doggie style,” she said in a deadpan voice.
“That’s enough, Talya.” Nicolas couldn’t believe the turn in conversation and the other wolves were now suffering from red-face syndrome, too.
“True mating is rare with the cats, but it happens.” Madayah, the consummate mother, continued, “I think we now know it can happen between cats and wolves.”
“Would all of you mind changing the subject? This really isn’t something I want to discuss at the dinner table.” Nicolas put a touch of command in his voice.
“Yes, alpha.” They all went back to eating with an occasional grin here and there.
Chapter Twenty-two
Nicolas couldn’t sit still. The clock didn’t seem to be moving. His pack ignored his grumpy mood and got to know each other. Between ten and eleven o’clock they began drifting off to bed. They took him at his word and switched rooms to mix their scents.
“If it’s okay with you, alpha, McDonald and I will bunk with Troy and Bernard.”
Nicolas looked over at Reece. “I’ll take a separate room. I plan to have Zenya move in shortly.”
“Yes, alpha. Good night.”
“Get some rest. We’ll start adding our own guard rotation to Columbus’s tomorrow night.”
Everyone finally left him alone. He looked at the clock and decided he couldn’t sit or pace until midnight and would check on the wolves guarding the perimeter.
He undressed then shifted to wolf. Walking upwind, he quietly listened to three guards discuss his new pack.
“I don’t understand why everyone accepts cats so easily into our territory.”
“They’re female. Just what do you think they’ll do?”
“I don’t know, but they’re still cats.”
The third voice finally spoke up. “We need all the help we can get. I’ve heard what the South American cats do to their women and children. If you don’t like having them here you can leave.”
“Fuck you man. I’m not talking about leaving. I’m just saying I don’t trust them.”
“I’m relieved we have a new vampire on our side.” This came from the second voice.
“And you’re convinced he’s on our side.”
“Nicolas’s wolf accepted him and I’ll follow that alpha anywhere.”
“He didn’t protect his own pack.”
“They sent two vampires. What could he do?”
“Brandt survived against two vampires.”
“And almost lost his mate.”
Nicolas decided he’d heard enough. Two wolves were on his side against a third. It would take time and he understood the distrust. He managed to back away and head toward the main cabin trying to keep his guilt under control. He didn’t protect his old pack.
The site of Zenya waiting in human form immediately lightened his mood. The dress she wore softly billowed in the breeze. Her scent drove his wolf crazy and he rubbed his body along her side, pressing firmly against her partially bare legs. Her hand came down and smoothed over the fur on his back.
It was frustrating not to communicate. He circled behind her, shifted, and placed his hands on her shoulders. His human nose sniffed her neck. “You’re beautiful, but my wolf wants to smell you in cat form.”
“Your wolf?”
“Yes. Please.”
Her dress came over her head. Taking it, he let it drop to the pine needles before noticing she wore nothing underneath. Keeping his hands off was impossible and he pulled her naked body into his.
“We’ll run in a moment.” His mouth came down and took possession of hers. It wasn’t a nice kiss. He wanted to taste her and run his hands over every inch of her body. Pulling back he whispered, “I need you.”
She looked up into his eyes and then looked down. “There are things you must know.”
“Probably, but let’s run first.”
They shifted and took off. Her cat form was just as beautiful as her human form. He remembered her panicked eyes peering at him when he had his fingers wrapped tightly around her throat. Thinking back, he realized his wolf recognized her immediately. His hatred had eaten away at his human mind, but his wolf wanted to sink into her scent and absorb it into his pores.
His beastkin
d form was larger than hers, though her sharp, retracted nails held lethal ability that would give anyone pause. He ran by her side for a short distance then used his larger form to push her in the direction of his pack’s cabin. He nudged her away when they drew closer. He didn’t want curious ears anywhere close by. When they arrived at the small cabin he discovered earlier, he shifted and opened the door.
In a blink Zenya stood before him but didn’t enter.
“I’m afraid.”
“A simple ‘no’ will stop anything you don’t want to happen.”
“Will it make you stop hurting me?”
“I will never hurt you.”
“But you don’t know what I’ve done.”
“Come inside and tell me.”
She ducked under his arm and entered the sparse room. There was a large bed in the corner, a counter across the room that doubled as a tiny kitchen and a single door in the back. A small table with two chairs took up another corner.
Nicolas walked to the back door and revealed a small bathroom with a compact shower, toilet, and sink. He turned on the light and stepped out. The glare cast a shadowed glow across the inner cabin. He watched as Zenya walked over and took the quilt from the bed and wrapped it around her naked body. He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair, completely unconcerned with his own nakedness. She looked scared and it bothered him.
“Sit down.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Then tell me and get it over with. It won’t change how I feel.”
“It will.”
“Tell me.” She wasn’t his pack… yet, but he let his calming alpha power flow into the room. A single bare arm stuck out from her blanketed body and he watched goose bumps travel across her skin. It made him smile.
She turned away and spoke softly.
“There were things I had to do to live with the cats. It was my only hope to save you.”
“I’ve already figured this out, Zenya. I want to kill every cat that touched you.”
“I let them touch me.”
He stood and walked over. She turned, looking at him with shame pouring from her eyes. He backed her against the wall away from the light of the bathroom. His arms came up and his hands landed on either side of her head. He breathed in the scent of her hair before speaking. “You didn’t let them touch you. You did what you had to do. You saved me. I just don’t understand why.”
She wouldn’t look at him. “I had to.”
“Why?”
She took several shallow breaths. “I remembered you from Marcus and Amy’s wedding.” She didn’t continue.
He tilted her chin up. “And?”
Her green eyes pierced through the partial darkness. “I don’t know.”
“You know.”
More breaths, and when she spoke her voice trembled. “My cat wanted you.”
He couldn’t help his grin. “My wolf wants you.”
“But I’m dirty.”
He took her hands and slowly placed pressure on her fingers, making her release the blanket.
“There is nothing dirty about you yet.” His grin turned wolfish.
“You don’t understand.”
“But I do. Do you think there is nothing I wouldn’t do to save my old pack? Sex would be a small price to pay. I have a new pack now and I care just as deeply. I want you to be part of my new life.”
“They made me do things.”
He sighed and then lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. Sitting with his back against the wooden headboard, he pulled her safely into his arms, kissing her cheek. “Tell me everything. I will listen this one time and try hard not to react with the anger I feel at the thought of anyone touching you. We’ll do this together.”
Tremors racked her shoulders, but she cried silently. Minutes passed. Then she began to speak.
At times he could barely hear the words. She cried harder and he clenched his teeth through her suffering. He didn’t want to hear what happened, but they needed to start fresh and he had to know everything.
When she mentioned Raykon, his anger turned to scorching fury. Her entire body shook with tears of grief and shame. Nicolas loosened his arms because he was afraid he would squeeze too tightly. Raykon tortured her, he let his cats hold her down while he beat her, then raped her. Zenya’s words became lost in tears and finally drifted into ragged breaths.
He moved her to his side and then got up from the bed. He had to.
She wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Walking across the room, he struck the log frame of the cabin. His fists hurt with the first strike, but he punched again and again.
A warm hand on his shoulder stopped the forward movement of the next blow.
“Nicolas, please no.”
His arms came down and he dropped his head, looking at the floor. “I’m not worth it, Zenya. I’m not worth that.”
Her body pressed against his back and her arms now held him. In a soft whisper she said, “I remembered your anger with your pack-mate that first time we met. Your eyes burned into mine for only a moment.” She took a deep breath. “When I heard of your death, I cried. I knew you for only a few minutes but it was long enough to weep for your clan, your pack, and you. Some of Marcus and Amy’s wolves don’t trust me and I understand. I couldn’t believe you lived when Vorlyk made contact. I had to try. I didn’t have a choice. Our beastkinds are different, but my cat recognized you. You sent a jolt of electricity throughout every nerve in my body.” A soft kiss fell on his back.
The pressure of her lips sparked against his skin and he turned. “You know you’re my mate. I didn’t recognize the bond the first time we met but I did feel something. Raykon will die. I don’t want him to ever harm another woman, but I’m selfish, too. I want you now, all of you. I want to remove every bad memory and replace it with my body touching yours. I need to kiss every inch of your flesh and mark you when I finally take you. I don’t think I can be soft or gentle when it’s time.” His eyes stared deeply into hers. “Say yes.”
The gold flecks ignited throughout the green as she stared back with an electric intensity. “Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Nicolas picked her up and carried her to the small bathroom. Setting her feet on the floor, he turned on the water in the shower and waited for it to warm. He never released her completely and finally stepped under the spray pulling her in beside him. Taking the bar of soap from the recessed dish, he lathered his hands, then cupped her breasts.
Their eyes stayed locked until he squeezed her flesh and she looked down at his hands. Her breasts fit perfectly. He massaged and then pulled at her nipples, bringing them to stiff peaks.
Her head fell back and he pressed his body to hers causing her back to hit the shower wall. Leaning forward, his tongue licked the drops of water falling from her lips. Slippery hands left her breasts and traveled down the curves of her waist then to the rounded globes of her bottom.
His words came out on a groan. “I want to hear you scream my name and feel your body clench around me when you come.”
“Yes please, Nicolas.”
She groaned when his mouth took hers and his tongue invaded.
She tasted divine and pulling back was next to impossible. She groaned again when he lifted his head. He turned her body to face the wall and proceeded to wash every inch of her skin, every curve, and each soft mound.
His own frustration made him bite her earlobe and then circle his tongue before sucking the pinched flesh.
“Please.”
He laughed low and throaty, then stepped back under the water before changing their positions so the water ran over the soap suds covering her. His hands, quick and efficient, washed his own body. When she placed her hands on his chest, he tucked them back to her sides.
“No, not yet.”
“Why?”
“Not in here. Not the first time.”
Her growl made him laugh until her hand went to the stiffness jut
ting out from between his thighs.
“Please don’t say no to me.”
His hand covered hers and applied pressure, then moved her fist up and down his length. “You’re a wicked feline.” He spun her so she faced the wall and placed a hand against the center of her back holding her there.
“Not fair.”
“I don’t play fair.” He rinsed himself quickly, turned off the water, and grabbed a towel. Pulling her out, he quickly dried her and then himself. Her hand shook when he took it. He walked her swiftly to the bed, pushing her down so she sat on the edge.
His hands moved her thighs apart as he sank to his knees. He leaned forward, his nose resting against the juncture of her thighs, and breathed deeply, inhaling her clean scent, smelling the essence of her cat. He looked up with the question in his gaze, longing for only one answer.
“Yes.”
His tongue came out for the first taste and traveled over the folds of her womanhood. Her sigh was music and he began a steady rhythm of his own—lick, suck, breathe. She tasted sweet and earthy. His woman, his mate.
“Please.” She practically screamed.
He took his eyes from the pink lips he kissed and looked up. At the same time, his finger entered her tight channel. Her closed eyes squeezed tighter while her muscles contracted around his finger. Sliding it out, he pushed two fingers back in.
“Look at me.” It wasn’t a request, and her eyes suddenly opened.
“Watch what I’m doing.”
“I don’t know if I can,” she gritted through her closed lips.
His fingers stopped their deep slide. “You can.”
Her eyes dropped and his tongue came out again licking, seeking, and then suckling her clit. She screamed. Her legs shook, the trembling causing her to fall backward on the bed.
With her final clench around his fingers, he followed her up and crawled over her body.
“Look at me.” His breath whispered against her sensitive skin.
Green eyes opened wide, and with one forward thrust, he buried himself deep inside her body. When every inch of their bodies lay connected, he pulled back, and then plunged in again.
Fang Chronicles: Zenya's Story Page 9
