by Bonnie Vanak
Ready to mate.
She felt no fear. Nothing but fascination and a burning desire to surrender to the lust simmering inside her since she’d turned twenty-one, and let him take her, fiercely or not.
“I’m not a nice man, Katy. Not a nice wolf, neither.” His glittering gaze held hers, kept it captive. “I’ve held onto my control by a thin thread only because I waited for you to realize the truth about yourself, and who you really are. Now you know.”
Katy took a step forward, driven by her own arousal to this Lupine. Approached him until she could see his pupils widen, could smell the sex oozing out of his pores. Rich and dark and spicy, it made her pant with her own need.
She’d heard male Lupines using the scent lure to coax women into their beds, but never experienced it. Grayson’s scent stroked between her legs, making her limbs loose and pliant.
Making her wet and slick for him.
“I want to take you hard and fast, fill you with my seed.” He fisted a hand in her hair, but she felt no pain. Felt nothing but this burning need clawing at her.
“I want to fill your belly with my seed, watch you as you grow round with my child. Be at your side when you birth him, and then watch you suckle our son, and then I’ll get another one in you. I want to fuck you and never let you out of bed. Make you scream with need and pleasure until you beg me for mercy. And then when you’re limp and sated, I’ll let you rest and start all over again. You’re in my blood and bones, Katy, and stamped into my heart.”
Now she could see the wildness in his eyes, the pulse jumping in his throat. “Fighting for you has heated my blood, thickened me with the urge to mate with you, sweetheart. We’re not gentle wolves. We’re damn beasts. But I’ll always take care of you. Your needs come first. A male protects his female, and services her so her sexual needs are always met, and there’s no way you’d ever seek another’s bed because you’ll be too damn worn out from all the hard loving I plan for you.”
He stepped back, watching her. Waiting for her to make the next move. Katy undressed. When her clothing hit the wood floor, she let her hungry gaze travel down the length of his tall frame. He was magnificent, all hard flesh and muscle.
She looked at his shaft. His penis, erect and thick, became impossibly larger. How could she ever fit that large shaft inside her? Katy shivered with anticipation and slight fear.
Grayson looked straight at her. “I’ll fit nice and snug, Katy. You were made for this, made for me.”
And then she was in his arms, and he was kissing her, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. Grayson swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. He kissed his way down her naked body, dipped his tongue into the tiny indent of her navel, all the while his hands caressed her.
Pushing apart her trembling thighs with his strong hands, he gently parted the wet cleft of her sex, inhaling the tangy scent of female arousal. Grayson licked her dampness, evoking a low moan from her. She arched as he traced his tongue slowly across her soaked, wanting cleft. When he gave her clit a slow, delicate kiss, she nearly came undone.
When his mouth encased it and he began flicking it with tiny, expert licks, she screamed. It was too much, the pleasure threatening to tear her asunder. But his hands firmly held her legs open as he swirled his tongue over her clit and then suckled it deeply. She cried out from the erotic torment, her body tightening as each time she came close to climaxing, he sensed it and slowed down.
Making it last, drawing it out, teasing and commanding her response with each slow and then faster stroke of his tongue. Finally he increased the tempo. Clutching his thick hair, crying out his name, she exploded in a shattering climax, feeling a warm gush of her body’s release.
He kissed her slowly and kept kissing, tasting her moisture as she shakily fell back onto the mattress. Pure male satisfaction gleamed in his gaze when at last he slid over her. Grayson captured her wrists in his hands, pinning her down.
Katy spread her legs and tensed, waiting.
He pushed at her entrance, the knob of his penis barely entering her. Then he thrust. The burning pressure became real pain and she screamed, clawing at the sheets. Grayson leaned close, wrapping his arms around her so she could not move, pinned by his muscled weight. But his mouth upon the bare skin of her shoulder was gentle, and his voice was soft.
“Don’t fight it. Relax, Katy, or it will hurt worse.”
He penetrated deeper, and deeper still until she lost all sense of self and only knew him, claiming her, taking her, making them one. And then, when the pain abated, he began to move. Slow at first, and then she wrapped her legs around his lean hips and pushed up, making demands of her own.
He moved harder and faster inside her. This was what she was intended for, raw, earthy sex, not the polite kisses and hugs of the Skin world.
He groaned, the sound loud in her ear, as his penis became even longer and thicker inside her, as if trying to claim every inch of her. Seed pumped from his cock, pulsing in jets, each warm wash hitting her womb sending fresh pleasure through her, little orgasms that coaxed more screams from her throat.
Locked inside her, Grayson held her close for a few minutes, until his shaft finally shrank and he could pull free. He collapsed, gathering Katy into his arms. Pillowing her head upon his shoulder, she wept, not for the pain, nor the blood streaming down her thighs. The loss of her virginity was nothing compared to the loss she felt inside her heart.
For she knew this could not last, and Grayson would never be her true mate.
Picking her up in his arms, Grayson carried her to the indoor/outdoor bath. He twisted both knobs of the outdoor shower and set her on her feet. Warm rainwater gushed over her, pulsing much as his cock had pulsed inside her only a few minutes prior.
Gently, he washed her with the soap and the clean cloth, soaping her breasts as her nipples tingled from the contact, taking extra care between her legs where she was still quite sore.
Then he got on his knees and put his mouth on her, spreading her wet cleft and delving his tongue there. He licked and kissed in long, slow strokes, much as his throbbing cock had slid between her cleft in teasing motions before he’d fucked her. He kept pleasuring her until the sensations built again between her legs and orgasm seized her. Katy threw back her head and gripped his shoulders, screaming as she came.
She had barely recovered when he lifted her by the buttocks against the stone wall and kissed her, kept kissing her until she clawed at him in her wild need. Then he drove his shaft deep inside her as she clung to him and moaned. This time when she came, he was with her, shouting out her name and shooting his seed deep inside her.
Katy clung to him as he gently pulled out, and then he gathered her into his arms. Wet, shaken from the intensity of her climax, she stroked her hands across his back.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “I want you to be happy in my world, Katy. Not just great sex, and lots of it. I want more for you. There’s a lot of good here as well as the bad.”
Dazed with pleasure, she lifted her head. “I’m a cowgirl, Grayson. How can I fit into a pack that doesn’t have that lifestyle?”
He sighed deeply. “Come back with me to my ranch here tomorrow before you give me a final answer.”
“You have a ranch?”
Nuzzling the top of her head, he cupped her breast and thumbed her nipple, making it hard all over again. “The Gray Wolf Ranch. Reckon you’ve never seen the likes of it.”
As she snuggled deeper into his arms, a troubling thought surfaced. Grayson was taking her to his ranch, his pack.
But would she ever return to hers?
Chapter 13
Grayson told her his ranch was a good half-day’s hike from the cottage, but they didn’t walk there.
Instead, Grayson called in favors from the fairies who watched over his cabin in the woods. Stunned, she watched the fairies use their magick to create a lush carpet of twigs, lined with soft moss. When she sat upon it, dozens of fairies took hold and flew her.
“A magick carpet, like Aladdin,” she called out to Grayson, totally delighted.
On a similar carpet flying next to her, Grayson grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
When they reached the ranch, the sight took Katy’s breath away. Acres and acres of green fields stretched before them. Ringing the fields were the jagged purple tips of majestic mountains.
The fairies gently set the carpets down and she stood, thanking them. Grayson took her hand as they walked toward a two-story log cabin set amongst a copse of trees.
Katy turned to Grayson in astonishment. “It’s almost a replica of the Mitchell Ranch back home.”
Grayson released her hand, snapped his fingers and conjured a black Stetson upon his head, and then a white Stetson for her. “Reckon so. It can be anything we want here, Katy. This is the magick of the Dark Kingdom.”
He stroked a thumb over her cheek, making her tremble anew with need. “You’ve seen the Dark Forest and the ugly side of magick when it corrupts. Now see the good side, the light that is inside all of us, and coaxes us to remain here in this world.”
He led her to a small corral where five white unicorns pranced, their golden horns glinting in the sunshine. The pastoral lands of the ranch were enchanting as the fairies who transported them there.
“Who took care of all this while you were away?” she asked.
Grayson nodded toward a distant cabin. “Chase. My best friend. He oversees the ranch, and brings in the cowhands to work here. But there’s a different kind of wrangling we do here, darling.”
He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “We use our magick to keep things in order, help us get the work done.”
“Is this where you learned to rope and ride? This is your home where you learned to be a cowboy?”
He grinned. “I am a cowboy, darling. Just not in the traditional sense.”
“You ride unicorns?”
He curled a hand around her neck, massaging her muscles. “Out here, we herd deer. They run wild, and we tend to them, and then round them up and sell them to other packs. And hunt them. Fair hunt, though. Release ’em into the forest and give chase.”
“I can see how you would want to stay here,” she mused.
“It makes me feel closer to the earth, to nature. Like a Lupine is supposed to feel.” Grayson skimmed his hand down to the curve of her shoulder, his touch warm through the thick blue fabric. “Like you, Katy. You’re one of us.”
A unicorn trotted over to the fence, whinnied at her. She gave Grayson a questioning look.
He grinned. “Want to ride? This one likes you. She’s got good taste.”
Grayson opened the gate, and Katy ran and leapt on the back of a beautiful white unicorn. The mare whinnied and bounded off. Laughing, she leaned forward, the wind whipping at her long hair. This was freedom and power and real magick. Not the magick of the Skin world, where Lupines had to force themselves to fit in in order to disguise themselves from humans, but the unbridled magick of the Dark Kingdom, where she could be fully wolf and never worry about the Silver Wizard punishing her for accidentally exposing her powers to Skins.
Grayson, mounted on a white stallion unicorn, galloped alongside her. Spotting a boulder the size of a car in her path, she went to steer her mount around it.
“Use your powers,” he called out. “Fly over it!”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she called forth her magick and envisioned the unicorn sailing over the boulder. Wind rippled her hair, and when her eyes flew open, they were flying. Katy laughed with pure delight.
The unicorn landed lightly on its hooves and she gently tugged on its mane to stop it. Grayson pulled up beside her. “Head for that copse of trees over there,” he directed.
As they galloped toward the trees, she mulled over each new experience. Flying horses, freedom to be fully wolf—how could she leave this temptation? And Grayson himself, sexy, handsome Grayson. The worry lines finally eased from his face, making him look even more rugged and handsome than ever before.
Finally, they arrived. As they slid off the unicorns, the majestic creatures began cropping the vivid green grass in the pasture. Katy stared at the sweep of plains and the mountains. “What powers do I possess, Grayson?”
He pushed back the brim of his Stetson. “You carry the dark light inside you, the power of ten Lupines.” A wry grin touched his face. “You have more power than me, sweetheart.”
Marveling, she stretched out her hands. “I can’t feel it.”
“You will. I can teach you to harness it, use it now that you’ve fully matured.” He scratched the bristles on his chin. “’Course, it’ll take some training. And you’ll have to promise not to fry me once you’ve learned.”
A good-natured wink accompanied that last comment. It took a self-confident male, a male who wasn’t intimidated by females, to admit she was much stronger than him.
Katy glanced at her hands again, remembering how he’d taken out the older alpha. Such power and responsibility. She had barely mastered the art of shifting into wolf and controlling her beast. How could she control this magick?
“Will I have to stay here if I use this dark power?”
Grayson sighed. “You can’t belong to the Mitchell pack if you do, sweetheart. You have to choose. Dark magick means you stay in my pack.” His voice dropped a notch. “Or you can return to the Mitchell pack, but never use your dark magick.”
“That’s not fair.”
To finally find out her origins, and then discover she’d have to abandon the pack that had raised her? All her loyalties remained with Aiden and his people.
But there was sexy, handsome and strong Grayson who risked all to save her. The Lupine she loved more than anyone else. The wolf that made her blood sing and her desire rise. How could she live without him?
Grayson gestured to the nearby woods. “C’mon. Reckon you can’t make a decision until you find out exactly what you’ve got to lose.”
They walked into the forest until reaching a small clearing. The trees ringing the glen were scorched, as if a terrible fire had raged here.
“Our training ground. The fairies who care for the grounds understand the trees had to be sacrificed so more would live. But these trees are warded with special magick for our purposes,” Grayson said.
He clasped her hands and gently turned them over to reveal her opened palms. Shock filled her as she realized a soft purple light surrounded them.
In the center of each palm was a Celtic knot with elaborate swirls, glowing pink.
“This is the symbol of your power of dark light, Katy. You have tremendous magick. Use it wisely.” He lifted her hands and kissed her palms, one by one. “You can destroy someone from the inside out, causing them an agony of slow death as their internal organs burn up. Or you can heal someone, as you did to me. The choice is always up to you.”
Grayson’s gaze grew distant. “But know that if you choose to use, or abuse, your magick, you must remain here. You can’t use your dark powers in the Skin world.”
“Is that why you never shifted into wolf in front of my pack? Or me?”
Nodding, he dropped her hands. “I feared the beast would cause me to lose control.”
But she knew others, Fae like Jaeden, were able to manifest in the Skin world and use their dark magick. When she asked about that, Grayson rubbed the nape of his neck.
“I reckon Fae have a different set of rules because they don’t carry the beast inside them. Far as I know, only full breed, not half breed, shifters are banned from using their dark magick in the Skin world. Makes sense to me, if you think about how dangerous we are in our wolf form.”
Katy understood. The feral wildness tugging at her could easily be misdirected back on her ranch, her wolf instinct overriding all else to direct her to tear up prey, destroy not only her enemies, but everyone the wolf eyed as a possible threat.
“Let’s teach you to work your magick. Close your eyes.”
When she did, he told he
r to imagine a pure white light burning inside her. “Now think of a word that makes you feel good…”
“Sex,” she blurted out, and flushed as he laughed.
“Not that kind of word, darling. Something that connects you to your wolf, and your magick. Like you’re getting ready to shift and you focus all your thoughts on the change, all your magick. That kind of word. Cross your hands over your heart and focus.”
Not easy. She’d struggled with the shifting part of her Lupine nature for years, until Aiden himself taught her to release all the feral wildness inside her by surrounding herself with other pack members. That had worked.
Katy closed her eyes and thought of her wolf, and how wild and free shifting made her feel. She thought of Grayson, who made her feel safe and cherished and…loved.
Love. The word flickered in her mind like a blinking neon sign.
She crossed her palms over her heart and closed her eyes, pulling on all her magick.
“Now stretch out your arms, open your hands and your eyes,” he said softly.
Two bluish-white globes the size of baseballs hovered in the air above her palms.
“This is your dark light, Katy,” he said solemnly. “Any time you need to summon your dark magick, think of that word. You don’t need a crisis, darling, like you did when you healed me. It can come to you when you will it.”
Fascinated, she stared at the energy balls. “What can I do with this power?”
“Anything. Heal. Create.” His mouth flattened. “Destroy.”
Such power awed her as she remembered how Grayson had used it to kill Cedric. Uncertain, she flicked her wrists upward, causing the energy balls to gently bounce. “What if I don’t release it? Can I take it back inside?”
“Yup, but it’ll make you woozy. Not a good thing when you’re needing it. Throw them at the trees.”
Hating to hurt the trees, Katy hesitated.
“It’s okay, darling. It’s been done dozens of times before when the pack comes here to practice. The trees can take it. Just aim one ball of light and throw, like you’re tossing out a baseball.”
