by Celia Kyle
Abby nibbled his wet flesh, tugging on his skin and nipping him with her cat’s fangs. She released a soft whine and wiggled in his arms, the feline asking for more. More than he’d give to her. Soon.
“There’s a blanket over here with our name on it. Once I lay you down, you won’t be getting up again for a while.”
Chapter Forty-five
Abby didn’t think she’d want to get up for a long, long while. And then his words penetrated her passion-glazed mind.
“You planned this.” She murmured the words against his shoulder, then licked away the nearest drop of water.
Declan snorted. “Can you blame me?” His deep tenor slid through her and caressed her spine from inside out. “I want you to be mine, but we’re surrounded by the team twenty-four seven.”
She grinned and nipped his shoulder blade, licking away any sting as soon as she was done.
His pace slowed, and she lifted her head from his shoulder, turning her attention to her surroundings and the plush blanket resting on a sun-dappled patch of grass nearby. A few colorful pillows added to the alluring picture, along with a basket she hoped contained food…for later.
For now she wanted to gorge herself on Declan.
He lowered to his knees in a smooth move and then laid her on the soft blanket before taking his spot beside her. They remained close, his heat searing her nude body, yet she still had room to look her fill.
“Can’t stand having those unmated males near you.” His words were gruff and low. Almost so garbled she couldn’t understand him, but the message came through.
“They weren’t ever going to take me from you.” Abby lifted her left hand and caressed his biceps, stroking him from elbow to shoulder and then across his collarbone before slipping behind his neck. “From the moment you caught me, I’ve thought of nothing but you.”
That was only a tiny lie. She’d thought about pain and death, too, but Declan had always been at the top of her thoughts.
His eyes darkened, a deep amber overtaking his vision. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
She ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his skull, soothing the growling beast. “I know.”
“No one will take you. No one will scare you.” More of the wolf came out, his obvious fury still present.
“I know.” She tugged, but he didn’t budge, so she pushed to her elbow and went to him instead. She inched closer and brushed her lips across his as she brought their bodies together. His thick hardness nudged her hip, proof of his desire.
For her. Only for her.
Her core ached, her own body making its need known. She wanted him just as badly, wanted to be possessed and taken by him. Their hearts beat in time, their souls calling to each other, and their bodies were desperate to tie their futures together.
Now.
“Mate me, Declan. Mark me so everyone knows I’m yours,” she whispered against his mouth, carefully slipping her fingers from his hair. She ghosted the tips over the flesh at the juncture of his shoulder and neck. “And I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re mine.”
He shuddered, and his length twitched, throbbing, while a drop of moisture escaped the tip to decorate her skin. He was on edge, not far from finding that ultimate bliss.
A bliss they needed to discover together.
“Abby…” All he said was her name, but there was so much more in his tone. A warning and a plea in one.
She hooked one leg over his, sliding her knee higher and foot along the back of his thigh. She opened herself more and more to him, not stopping until she was wrapped around his hip, heel coming to rest at his lower back.
“Come to me, Declan.” She nipped his lower lip, but he remained motionless.
“We…” He shook his head. “I’m…” The cool scent of his doubt drifted to her, suffusing her with the flavors of his emotions.
“Perfect for me.” She gave him a gentle, openmouthed kiss. “Everything I’ve ever wanted.” And another. “My mate.”
He shuddered once more, and she sensed his control faltering. He acted like a demanding, grunting male who wasn’t about to give her a choice, but he still fought to give her a chance to deny him.
As if she ever would.
Abby tightened her grip just enough to hold him, to pull him atop her when she rolled to her back once again. This time his hips settled between hers, skin to skin, bare hardness nestled to her slick heat. He shuddered with the new, intimate contact and she did the same, that single touch enough to push her near the edge of release.
Declan stared down at her, eye color flickering between amber and blue, his two halves battling for supremacy.
“Claim me, Declan Reed.” She forced herself to remain immobile, to cease teasing him and give him a chance to move away.
“Last chance to run, Abby. Once I make you mine I won’t let you go.”
He growled the words as if they were a threat, and it sent a tremble of need dancing over her nerves.
She quirked her lips in a soft smile. “And once I make you mine, I won’t let you go.”
She rolled her hips, rubbing her slick, bare center along his firm length. She shuddered with the caress, the feel of his veined shaft stroking her intimate flesh, and whimpered as the pleasure gathered inside her.
“Fuck.” He spat the curse and shifted his hips, that hardness changing position while he lifted away from her. He stared down at her body as the head of his length nudged her opening. “You’re so beautiful. So perfect.” He rolled his hips, gently sliding no more than an inch of his cock in and out of her.
The shallow penetration drew moans from deep within her chest, her whole body aching for more, aching for him. And then he gave her exactly what she craved.
Declan didn’t stop with his next thrust, didn’t cease penetrating her in a slow, tormenting slide until their hips met. “So mine.”
Abby moaned deep and grasped his shoulders, the cat’s claws emerging to scrape at his damp flesh. “Ahhh!”
Her sheath rippled and squeezed him, trembling around his thick, pleasurable invasion.
“Tight. Wet.” He adopted a steady pace, a gentle glide of his length in and out of her center. The rough and tumble assassin made love to her, his passion a series of gentle rolling waves.
Not the rough, feral passion she’d expected from him.
She met his stare, and the reason was quickly visible in his eyes. He worried for her, worried about her response to his rough need.
“Declan, give me all of you.” She scratched his back, knowing she left bright red lines in her wake. “Everything.”
“Abby.” His eyes seemed to glow, his wolf tugging at the end of its tether.
Next she broke skin, piercing the hard flesh of his shoulders with a small prick. “You won’t hurt me. You never could.”
She met his every thrust, bodies moving in a gentle glide and careful passion. She tightened her grip on his shoulders and lifted herself from the ground, then captured a bite of his flesh between her teeth. She bit down, not piercing him but showing him she was just as much an animal as he was. She had a cat inside her. A cat that was desperate to be his.
“Mate me.” She murmured the two words against his chest and then repeated the harsh nibble. “Take me or let me go.”
It was the push he needed, the final nudge that sent him over the edge into the uncontrolled passion she craved.
“Mine.” The voice was Declan’s, but the harsh rasp and growl was all wolf. The wolf who refused to let her go. Good thing she wanted to stay.
Abby fell back to the blanket and let Declan take control. She allowed herself to be swept away by his punishing pace, by the bliss he gifted her with each and every flex and relaxation of his muscles. His thrusts increased in power and rhythm, the slap of their bodies echoing through the clear forest air as they both sought release.
A release that would soon come. Her body shook, nerves alight with impending ecstasy and overwhelming pleasure. Her sheath rippl
ed and squeezed his long length and hard thickness. His veined shaft caressed the most intimate part of her, the head stroking her G-spot with an accuracy that drew cries from her with every thrust and retreat. She sobbed his name, begging and pleading for more and more from him.
And he gave her what she craved. His pace turned into a punishing race, their fight to the ultimate pleasure increasing with every beat of their hearts. She whined, begged, and pleaded for more, aching to reach the pinnacle with Declan at her side.
With Declan inside her.
He gripped her hip with one hand, holding her steady and forcing her position to alter just enough to…
“Declan!”
Enough to give her G-spot a hint more pressure, to give her a hint more ecstasy that had her hurtling toward the edge. She stood at the brink, at the delicate line between need and possession.
“Give it to me, Abby.” He growled and bared his fangs, the long white lengths of his wolf’s teeth shining brightly with the sun’s rays. “Now.”
He wanted her—all of him wanted her—and she was prepared to accept him.
Accept and take him.
She released the thick leash she had wrapped around her heart long ago, during her life of turmoil and pain, and let it fly free of her body. Now she embraced Declan, drew him to her chest, and accepted every battered and bruised inch of his soul. He was her mate.
Hers.
With that acceptance, she cried out his name, head thrown back and shoulder exposed as the ultimate pleasure overtook her. It suffused her blood, stroked her nerves from inside out, and stretched to possess every inch of her trembling body.
Then he gave her more, he gave her everything. Declan struck in that moment, in that very second she flew off the cliff of pleasure. A vicious pain tore through her, the jolting stab of agony breaking through the rising pleasure. But only for a moment. Only for a split second that stole her breath while he gave her what she’d craved for so many years. Fangs sank through flesh, teeth tearing into skin and muscle until he’d bitten as deep as he possibly could.
And he remained there, his body still drawing out her final release, his teeth in her shoulder and his mouth sucking at the wound he’d caused. Her cat roared in joy, the beast purposefully refusing to heal the damage. It had more important things to do. Such as copy Declan’s actions.
Just as soon as she was done coming. Her orgasm continued on and on, his every thrust and every suckle spurring the ecstasy to rise higher and higher. And she embraced it. Embraced the pleasure and the pain and the extra pleasure the pain gave her. Her body tingled and throbbed with the overwhelming joy, with the maddening, ultimate relief until…
Until his strokes faltered, until his rhythm stuttered and he whipped his teeth from her shoulder. Blood and saliva dripped from his lips, the ferocity of his beast right beneath the surface of his skin. Wolf’s eyes met hers, nothing but the beast in his gaze while he whispered a single word.
“Abby.”
He wanted it—wanted to be claimed—now. His body was there, dancing on the precipice just as she had. He held himself back, watched and waited for her, and she couldn’t help but give him what he craved.
Her cat rushed forward, fangs dropping in an instant as she rose and struck. Between one heartbeat and the next, blood filled her mouth, the bitter, coppery fluid pouring from his wound and sliding over her taste buds. Hints of his animal’s muskiness and the man’s pure sweetness flowed down her throat, coating her from inside out just as…
Just as his hips jerked once, twice, and with the third, he froze. His hips remained flush to hers, his roar filling the air while his seed filled her body.
The cat purred and chuffed at the idea, at the thought of carrying his cub or pup. It made her grip him tighter, pull him more firmly against her center so she didn’t lose a drop.
Abby slowly withdrew her fangs and lapped at the wound, licking away the trickling droplets that swelled along the wound. Now they could never be separated.
Ever.
Declan slipped out, and she whimpered with the loss just as Declan groaned. His breathing came in harsh pants, his chest heaving and brushing her breasts with every inhale. Finally he fell to the side with a groan, dragging her close as he dropped to the blanket. She curled against him, body slick with sweat and coated in his scent.
“Damn,” he wheezed, and lifted his head, kissing her forehead. “Just…” He inhaled deep and slowly breathed out. “Damn.”
Abby hummed, unable to say anything just yet. She would. At some point, she was sure. Just…not yet. For now she wanted to glory in the feel of his damp body on hers, the aroma of their passion, and embrace the knowledge that she had a mate. She had one person dedicated to her and her happiness just as she was dedicated to his.
No matter what the future held, they had each other.
A bellowing roar split through their content quiet, the bear’s fury followed by a chorus of barks, and then came a lion’s objection as well.
So, they had each other and his SHOC team.
“I’m gonna kill ’em,” Declan slurred, a hint of a growl in his threat, but she knew he was just as drowsy from their lovemaking as she was.
“After.” She sighed and snuggled closer.
“After?” He tightened his hold with a hum.
“Uh-huh. After a nap. And then after you claim me again. Maybe after you claim me twice.” She nuzzled his chest and then relaxed with a sigh. Yes. A nap and a couple more rounds of claiming sex sounded like a very, very good idea.
He squeezed her tight and hauled her atop him, tugging until they were nose to nose. “Wolf has never wanted anyone other than you, Abby.” He lifted his head slightly and brushed his lips across hers in the softest of kisses. “He never will.”
Declan looked at her with smoky eyes that promised her the world. The same way her father had always looked at her mother.
Everything was okay—everything would be okay. At least until Unified Humanity decided to strike again. For now she’d take her joy—and Declan—and hold both close to her heart.
Epilogue
It looked like Birch was going to let Declan’s post-mating glow last only until eleven. He’d roused Declan and Abby fifteen minutes ago—ordering Declan to get his furry ass moving. Now the team alpha had a look in his eye that said the team was about to be smothered by a load of Unified Humanity–Shifter Operations Command bullshit.
Declan held his mate close, one arm firmly around her waist, while she sat across his lap. He hadn’t let her get more than an arm’s length away once he’d gotten his fangs in her pale flesh. The wolf finally had her, and the beast wasn’t about to let her escape.
The team sat around a table on Birch’s back deck—the entire team. Which included Pike. Pike, who made sure his ass was next to the team alpha and as far away from Declan as he could get.
Abby had told Declan he couldn’t kill his brother. He wondered if she’d let him rough him up a little though.
“Now that the happy couple has joined us,” Birch drawled, “here’s where we stand.”
Grant raised his hand. “I’m sitting. Does that mean you want us to stand? Is this gonna be like church with all the praying and the ‘please rise, please be seated, amen’ shit? Because if it is, I’m gonna need a sandwich.”
Birch sighed. “Fuck my life.”
“Abby, will you make me a sandwich?” Grant flashed what Declan could only describe as “sad puppy” eyes.
Declan growled low, his wolf prowling and anxious to pounce on the male who dared ask his mate for anything. “Grant…”
“I wouldn’t mind a sandwich,” Ethan added.
“Potato salad, maybe?” Cole put in his own order.
“My mate is not cooking for anyone.” The deck vibrated, and his roar echoed across the lake, the still water shimmering with the sound.
Abby stroked his chest, her small hand tracing circles on his pecs, as she whispered, “Shh…Calm down.”
A
nd as it always seemed to do, his wolf calmed with her touch.
“I called it. She’s a dick whisperer,” Pike murmured, and that had Declan’s fury rising once again.
Declan ignored his brother’s whisper and kept his attention on the team alpha. The quicker Birch spoke, the quicker he could drag Abby back to bed. “What’s going on, boss?”
The team alpha took a deep breath and released it slowly. His gaze touched on each of them, attention even landing on Abby as he sought out the rest of the team.
“Quade is no longer a threat to Abby.”
Cole snorted. “He never was a threat to Abby. One of us would have killed him if he’d tried to go after our kitten.”
Declan’s wolf bristled at the nickname, and he let a low growl escape his throat. “Cole…”
The tiger waved him away. “Down, boy. Bad dog.”
“The director,” Birch growled between gritted teeth while he glared at Cole, “is under the impression that Grant was able to piece the tablet back together and part of the data was recovered. It reveals exactly what Abby reported—FosCo wired money to Unified Humanity. He’s withdrawn his request to speak with her in light of that as well as the fact that she’s now fully mated to a SHOC agent.”
At least Declan wouldn’t have to waste time killing Quade now.
“You going to share your ‘twitchy’ feelings with the class?”
Birch ran a hand through his hair and then gripped the back of his neck, massaging the muscles. The wind changed direction, a gust that snared Birch’s scent and blew it in their direction. Declan pulled apart the different flavors, quickly identifying each one…including the last. The one that had his stomach clenching and his heartbeat stuttering.
“Aw, shit,” Ethan mumbled.
“That bad?” Grant whined.
“Motherfucker,” Declan growled.
Cole groaned. “I need to order more C-4, don’t I? With or without notifying SHOC?”
Abby frowned, brow furrowed, and her attention drifted across the team before returning to Declan. Her sparkling blue eyes were clouded with confusion. “What?”
