by Ashlee Sinn
What was she fucking thinking?
That question raced through my mind as I tracked her and Roman to Lexington and then finally learned that she lived in Frenchburg. It would take me an hour to drive there, but that was after I rented a car and looked up directions and all that shit. So, the minute the plane landed, I rushed out of the airport, found a hidden spot, and shifted into my panther. He wasn’t as fast as a car, but we could take a more direct route to the little town. There were enough trees to keep me covered, and plenty of back roads to follow. I’d glimpsed at a map on my way from Alaska, but now I could tell where she was because of our mate bond. I could feel her, I swear it. And as I got closer, that deep pain in my gut intensified, telling me she needed me just as badly as I needed her.
It was probably what distracted me so much that I hadn’t even noticed the guards hiding in the grounds around the funeral home. So, when I clawed at the front door, it was no surprise that I’d fallen right into their trap. They were shifters. All of them. Ravens. But they carried large guns and wore earpieces like they belonged to the fucking secret service.
I only got a few swats in before I felt the needle pierce my neck. And it was a big fucking needle, full of some kind of drug. Hissing and growling, I clawed at them as they closed in. Guns still pointed at my face, I hated the way my limbs felt heavy and my eyelids wouldn’t stay open. With one last call into the air, I cried out for my Fawn before slipping into the darkness.
“Max?”
The small voice sounded so far away.
“Max, big man. Please wake up.”
Fawn? My mind was foggy like the early mornings in Seattle. And in that haze, I saw someone walking toward me. The reddish tint to the air shimmered with the form of a…of a woman.
“Max?” she said.
The hazy world started to clear. A black raven flew toward me, flipping in and out of focus as she drifted through the fog. With every beat of her wings, a new sound would fill the space. Her voice, her breath, her animal calling to me. Those green eyes staring straight into my soul. “Fawn?” I whispered.
“Max! Oh, my god, Max. Wake up. Please, wake up.”
Something slapped my cheek. Again and again. The sting of the hit helped clear the fog until I could finally open my eyes. A large, white light shone down on me. The cold steel from something hard and flat pressed against my back. Machines with tubes hung on the walls around my head. And something really smelled like death.
“He’s coming around.”
A male voice. I hated him already.
“Max, stop growling,” Fawn chuckled. “Open your eyes.”
I thought I had. So, with great effort to push the heavy lids up, I opened them again.
“There you go,” Fawn said, rubbing my face. “Can you talk?”
I looked at her, eyes going in and out of focus. Then I turned my head and spotted a tall man with dark hair about Fawn’s age and started growling again.
“Max, that’s Roman. And he’s helping us.”
Brain swirling with thoughts, I tried to ask the one question I needed to. “You left me. For him?” There were those damn tears again.
“No, Max. No.” Fawn kissed me over and over. “Not for him. For my parents. But I can’t do it, Max. I can’t live without you.”
She pressed her cheek against my chest and sobbed. Trying to move my hands, I eventually got my fingers to cooperate so I could stroke them up and down her back. Her body felt so warm and so perfect against mine. And even though I was drugged out of my mind, my dick started getting hard.
“Um,” Roman said from the other side of the room. “Fawn?”
She lifted her head, and when he pointed to my crouch, she covered her mouth with a laugh. “Max!” she gasped. “You must be feeling yourself again.”
Fawn climbed on top of me, straddling my hips and making that boner grow even larger. She held my face as she kissed me over and over, using her tongue and sucking on my bottom lip. I pulled her tightly against me, not caring that Roman, the fuck-face-raven-that-tried-to-steal-my-girl, was still standing in the room. In fact, I grabbed Fawn’s ass and pushed my tongue into her mouth just make sure he knew that she was mine.
Roman cleared his throat. I let out a warning growl.
“Max,” Fawn chided with a giggle. “Roman isn’t our enemy.”
“I beg to differ.”
“He’s going to help us.” Still sitting on top of me, she turned her head to look at Roman. “Right?”
He sighed and shrugged. “I can’t marry you, Fawn. I’m sorry about your parents but I can’t do it. I love Amy too much.”
“And I love Max with all my heart,” Fawn whispered.
“I can see that,” Roman said with an eye roll.
“So, what do we do?” she asked.
Roman pulled out his phone and started typing on it. “I have a plan but I need about twenty minutes. Meet me upstairs then.”
“Okay.” Fawn said with a confused look as Roman jogged out of the room and his feet clanked up the stairs somewhere nearby.
“Where are we?” I asked, studying the strange room again.
“In the morgue,” she teased.
“What?” I tried to sit up, but dizziness pushed me right back down.
“Shh,” she giggled. “You’re in my family home. In the basement.”
My eyes widened when I realized what she was saying. “Oh my god, am I on the slab?”
Fawn’s laughed warmed my soul. “Yep. You are. But don’t worry. It was clean when I had them bring you down here.”
I wiggled my body, feeling out the large, stainless steel table we were laying on. The tubes and the lighting now made sense. “Why am I in here?”
“Well, it would appear that you tried to attack some of the guards outside—”
“No!” I interrupted. “I didn’t even know they were there.”
“Well, either way, you needed a place where you could wake up and not kill everyone.” She smiled with her eyes, knowing me all too well. “I told everyone else to stay upstairs and stay away until I say otherwise.”
“And they listened to you?”
She shrugged. “They’re all still trying to process that Roman and I are not getting married. I have no doubt they’re trying to finagle another way to make this happen…” Her voice drifted off as she looked up at the ceiling.
“You said in your note that they were blackmailing your parents?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“What will happen to them?”
Tears fell from her emerald eyes and I immediately wiped them off her cheeks. “I don’t know.” She bent forward and kissed me gently on the lips. “But I do know that I can’t live without you, Max. I am so sorry for running away yesterday. I thought it would solve so many problems, but it didn’t. It only made them worse. My soul hurt so bad. You’re my mate and I can’t live without you.”
Her tears landed on my bare skin when I pulled her close. “Fawn, you don’t have to explain. As long as I know you’re coming back with me forever, I can move on from this.”
“I want to be with you forever,” she said, sucking on my bottom lip.
I let my hands roam down her sides and over her hips. She still had on the skirt and blouse she’d worn to work, and I slowly started to slide the skirt up so I could feel her skin.
Fawn giggled against my mouth. “Everyone’s upstairs,” she breathed.
“I know.”
“We have to be quiet.”
“I’ll try my best,” I said, boner ready to go and heart pounding in anticipation.
She wiggled her hips as I lifted her skirt over her ass and moved her panties to the side. Without saying another word, Fawn lowered her sex onto my cock and let out a breath. She stayed glued to my chest as she moved her hips up and down over my shaft, grinding them slowly against my skin. I held her head tightly on my chest while she rode me hard and quietly. Her pace quickened with her breath, and when she nipped at my peck muscle,
I grabbed her ass and squeezed.
She let out a breath and sat up. Knees firmly planted on both sides of my waist, she lifted up and down as she caressed her own breasts. “Max,” she whispered into the air. “I love you so much, Max.”
Our skin slapped together and the table started to creak under our movement. “I thought we had to be quiet,” I teased.
“Fuck that,” she said, running her hands up and down my naked body.
With a laugh, I pushed my dick into her as far as it would go. Over and over I thrust up inside as she pressed down. I was so deep and it was so warm. My muscles tensed as the heat in my chest grew. I pounded her from below and she slammed into me from the top. In just a few short moments, I felt her sex squeeze me tight with orgasm and I let mine explode too. Over and over I pulsed inside of her, holding her firmly against my cock so I could fill her up with my warm seed.
Fawn closed her eyes as she rode the wave of her release. I tried not to think about the fact that we’d just had sex where they put dead people and instead watched the way her lips parted and committed that look to memory.
My Fawn. My little bird.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Fawn collapsed on top of me, kissing my neck and nuzzling in close. “I’m so glad you came for me, Max.”
“Did you actually think I’d give you up that easily?”
She laughed and kissed my chest again. “I didn’t know.”
“Well, now you do.”
Footsteps pounded on the stairs again, but stopped right before they came to the door. “Fawn? I’m not coming in, but when you’re finished, can you come upstairs?”
She giggled and flushed when she sat up. “Be right there, Roman.” Wiggling her eyebrows down at me, she smiled. “Well, I don’t think we can make that any clearer.”
“Nope. You’re mine.”
After several more kisses, Fawn climbed off the table and went to the sink to clean up. I tried to sit, still feeling a little woozy but really wanting to get out of this house of horrors. “This place is creepy.”
Fawn huffed a laugh and shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
“Fair enough,” she said. Opening a closet door on the side of the room, she pulled out a pair of pants and a jacket. “I think these might fit you.”
“Did they come off a dead guy?”
“Maybe. But do you want to walk around Kentucky naked?”
“It’s better than wearing a dead guy’s suit.”
“Oh, stop,” she said. “They’re my dad’s clothes. I don’t have a dress shirt so you will look a little sexy just wearing only the jacket.”
“Maybe I can start a new trend.”
“The girls around here would love it.”
Holding out my hand, I let her place the clothes in them. “I don’t care what any other girls say.”
“Good,” she huffed and then kissed me on the mouth nice and slowly. “Come on, let’s get this over with so we can go home.”
“Sounds good to me.” And even though we couldn’t keep our hands off each other, I finally managed to get dressed, find my balance, and let Fawn escort me upstairs.
We walked through a long hallway before turning to the right and stepping into an open room used for viewings. The colors were somber. The fake flowers all over screamed depression. And I was seriously ready to get the fuck out of this house right now.
“Good, you’re here,” Roman said. He was standing next to a petite woman of Latin heritage whose eyes widened when she saw me and Fawn. She cowered behind Roman and held on to him tightly. But he whispered something in her ear that made her smile and she visibly relaxed in front of all of us.
“I’m going to make this quick,” Roman said, looking at two sets of older people I assumed were the parents. “Fawn and I will not be getting married. I am engaged to Amy and she’s engaged to Max.”
Mrs. Marlow gasped and covered her mouth. And her dad, who I assumed was the one in the wheelchair, smiled.
“Mother, you will stop blackmailing the Marlows and let them be. In exchange, I will run for Senate and be the poster boy for the ravens. But Fawn gets to leave and I get to be with Amy.”
“Roman, you’re tired. You should think about this some more,” his mother said.
“I have thought about it, mother. The shifters are out. It’s no big deal anymore to breed with those not of our line. Amy can still have a raven baby and that baby will be the next generation of successful Kaplans.”
“Roman!” she gasped. “How could you—”
“It’s done, mother. This isn’t up for negotiation. And if you don’t like it, this will be the last time you see me.”
Fawn squeezed my hand tightly as she watched Roman take a stand. I imagined he was saying everything she wanted to say, and I knew it always helped when you had solidarity.
“Roman, I—”
“Let him be, Margaret,” Roman’s dad said. “We can concede to his terms.” Mr. Kaplan looked at all four of us and nodded once.
“Fawn,” her mother whispered.
“We’re leaving,” she told her mom. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t home anymore.”
“We love you, honey,” her dad said. He didn’t look well, but something about his tone had me thinking things would be better for him now.
“Come on, Max,” Fawn said, tugging on my hand. “Let’s go home.”
I gave a curt nod to Roman as I followed her out the door. I was sure there was more to be said. But Fawn and I had said enough, and I was ready to leave the funeral home.
“Do you think there’s a flight to Alaska tonight?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out,” I said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. And I meant every word. As long as she was by my side, we would be okay.
I laid back on the rock by the lake and basked in the satiated feeling I got after Max and I had sex. We’d only been home three days, but it had felt like a lifetime. Rubbing his thigh as he snuggled next to me, I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d ended up being so lucky.
“What time is it?” he asked, voice draggy and ready for a nap.
“At least two,” I guessed. “When is Sarah dropping Micah off?”
“Three.” He rolled closer to me and sucked on my nipple. “I guess we should probably get back, huh?”
“Mmm,” I responded with a moan. Being back here with Max was like being high on life all the time. I couldn’t get enough of him.
“Okay,” he said, jumping to his feet. “A swim first.”
As he scooped me up into his arms, I groaned, anticipating the shock of the ice-cold water. “Do we have to?”
“Micah’s a panther. He’ll smell sex on us.”
“Well, he’s old enough to learn about the birds and the bees.”
“No, he’s not,” Max said all seriously. “Not yet.”
I wrapped my hands around Max’s neck. “No?” I intended on hearing an answer before he plunged us into the water, but he’d been too fast. And as I scrambled to the surface, gasping for air because the freezing lake had knocked my breath away, I started to laugh. I loved our little spot on the lake and I loved that this had become a daily trek for us. Well, hiking, sex, swimming, sex, nap, and then one last dip before heading home.
And today was Friday. Which meant Micah would be spending the weekend with us. Sarah found an apartment in town and she said she’d stay here as long as she needed too. Apparently, she could work from home, so it made it easier. I think she was a website designer or something. But more importantly, she wanted to be here for Micah. So he could spend time with his dad and learn about his animal. I had a feeling Micah was going to be a permanent fixture of Eagle Creek soon, but hadn’t voiced my suspicions to Max just yet. He was still trying to adjust his bachelor life to a mate and a child. And he was doing a pretty good job with it. Although he still hated the way Micah messed up his things.
Smiling and thinking about how Max had p
acked up all of the breakables this morning, I sucked in a deep breath. I’d talked to my parents every day since I returned. Mrs. Kaplan accepted Roman’s offer and had wiped the slate clean with the Marlows. I was sure poor Amy had a lot to deal with, but that wasn’t my problem. I only needed to worry about my dad, and thankfully, his health had improved greatly since he found out his debts had been cleared. He was already out of the wheelchair, off the oxygen, and had started working again. I begged my mom to come for a visit and told her I would schedule the wedding around their availability. She hadn’t committed just yet, but I think I was starting to wear her down.
By three o’clock, Max and I were ready for our weekend visitor. My stomach twisted with nerves since I hadn’t officially met Micah yet. Max assured me he would love me, but little kids were tricky. They could love you one minute and hate you the next. So, when Sarah’s truck bounced down the old logging road toward our cabin, I had to wipe my hands on my jeans several times over to deal with the sweat.
“Calm down,” Max laughed. “He’s not that scary.”
“I know,” I said. “But what if he doesn’t like me?”
“He will.” Max kissed the top of my head as Micah hung out the truck window and waved. When his mom pulled to a stop, he jumped out of the front seat, through the open window, and landed awkwardly on his side. But he immediately rolled to his feet and ran straight for Max.
“Dad! Dad! Guess what? I almost changed at the grocery store today because this stupid kid kept poking me, but then I remembered what you said and I was able to put my panther back to sleep!”
Max picked up his son and held him out in front of his face like he weighed nothing. “Wow, really? That’s great!”
Max and I shared a look, surely both thinking about what could have happened, but then Micah wiggled out of his arms. “Oh! And I have something for you.” He ran back toward his mom who was walking around the front of the truck with a backpack and sleeping bag and yanked something out of her hand. Then he ran back up the stairs and shoved a piece of paper in my face.
