Forever Werewolf: Forever WerewolfMoon Kissed (Harlequin Nocturne)

by Michele Hauf

  He patted the bed beside him but she didn’t move to sit. Not that he shouldn’t expect her reluctance. “I don’t want to go anywhere without you, Lexi.”

  “My home is here at Wulfsiege, you know that.”

  “I know. And I’d never ask you to accept me now that things have changed drastically.”

  “What? Because you’ve learned you’re half vampire doesn’t change much with me.”

  “Lexi, you’re lying to yourself.”

  “Don’t tell me what I’m thinking. I know how I feel about you, Tryst. This…” she stroked her neck where the bite wound had faded “…doesn’t change that.” She smiled a little. “Despite the fact that you once told me you didn’t bite.”

  He had said that. Hindsight was a bitch. “I’m going to start drinking blood because my body will demand it. I can’t even wrap my head around that. How can you?”

  “I have lived with a debilitating condition for years. I have an insider’s look at being different. Being vampire may change your needs but it doesn’t change you as a man. And I love the man you are, Tryst.” She sat on the edge of the bed, facing him, and touched the back of his hand, tracing from one freckle to another.

  Her touch was too soft, too perfect. He didn’t deserve acceptance from her. The monster inside him didn’t deserve it.

  “It will change me. This strange new part of me is too fresh yet to even be clear what will come of it. You can’t want what I can give you now.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  “No.” He sighed, longing to pull her against him but not knowing how to do that now. What if he felt her heart beat against his chest? Would the scent of her blood push him over the edge? “I want you as my mate. I just don’t want it to be something you agree to because you feel sorry for me.”

  “Please, Tryst, you’ve got quite the ego. Feel sorry for you? You just defeated the strongest wolf in the pack. You are healing rather rapidly because you are so strong, and you’re the sexiest hunk of wolf I’ve ever laid eyes on. That’s absolutely nothing that demands pity. Not even your weird mixed-blood family.”

  She smiled at that, and Tryst’s face softened. “You’re kind of weird, too, Princess.”

  “I know, but I’m probably a lot more interesting than if I were plain old normal. We can’t all be perfect like Lana.”

  “Alana is far from perfect. Who would want perfection when weird and imperfect offers so many fascinating details?”

  “You have a point. And Lana has been dealing with a lot. I shouldn’t have said that about her. She needs strength right now. I know, as much as she and Sven were at odds, she’ll take his death hard. I checked in with her, but she was resting so I didn’t want to disturb her.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken justice into my hands like that. All I could focus on was you. You were in danger. I had to get you free.”

  “You didn’t kill him, Tryst.”

  “I know that, but—”

  “But nothing. Sven’s death was the only way Wulfsiege will ever be safe. Had he succeeded in poisoning my father, pack Alpine would have grown monstrous under his direction. Now eat your supper, my big strong wolf. You need strength to mend those wounds.”

  She pulled the cover off the meal and the delicious scent of beef gravy and mashed potatoes curled up to Tryst’s nose. He grabbed the fork but didn’t dig in. “I’m not so sure about the potatoes.”

  “I watched the chef prepare them myself. And, I tested them. They’ve got parmesan and butter in them,” she said with a teasing lift of voice.

  “You tested my food? You really do love me.” He dug in, devouring the creamy potatoes.

  “That’s my man. And when you’re finished, there’s dessert.”

  She got up to collect his torn clothing from the floor, and Tryst inspected the tray for the mentioned treat. “I don’t see any.”

  “Is that so?” With a flick of her wrist, she unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall open to reveal the inner curves of her breasts.

  “Almost finished,” he said, shoveling in the food so he could get to the dessert.

  * * *

  Lexi turned on the shower to warm up the water. It had been a long day. One flick of Sven’s hand could have seen her the bloody mess across the snow instead of the Nord. It was hard not to think about.

  She wouldn’t. There were still too many other things to worry about.

  But knowing that her father was on the road to recovery, she could now finally take a breath and relax. And she needed it. She dropped her clothes into the hamper and left the bathroom door open, because she expected her man to come looking for a treat after he’d eaten.

  Her man. Her werewolf.

  It sounded too good, because she wasn’t sure he was completely hers yet. She wanted Trystan Hawkes. Werewolf or vampire. Okay, to be honest, she would prickle if he were completely vampire. But a trace of vampiric tendency mixed in with the true werewolf he was? The vampire thing freaked her a little, but it was something she could accept. Yes, even knowing that it would go against pack rules. Her father would be horrified to know she was in love with a half-breed. Her heart hadn’t given her any other option. She’d fallen for him.

  She’d wait until he’d fully recovered to spring that one on him. But she wasn’t blind, she knew her father had his suspicions about her and Tryst; otherwise, he would have never warned the wolf away from her. And hell, she’d told him he had been the catalyst to her shift. She couldn’t regret the truth.

  And she knew Tryst wanted her. He loved her. But things had altered over the past few days. Much as she believed, in his heart, he hadn’t changed his mind about her, she couldn’t be sure how his emotions would react with this new vampire part of him.

  And now that she could shift, that meant she could become pregnant. What kind of child would she have with a man who was werewolf and vampire? The notion disturbed her, but if that meant the child would be like Tryst, a werewolf who craved blood, then she had to accept that.

  Could she accept that?

  Was it the right choice to make, to abandon the pack and family simply because she was in love? Did love blind one’s senses? Of course it did. That’s why people got divorced after a few years, because the love eroded and they began to look at their mates in a new light. Or that was how she figured things like that went.

  “You’re getting ahead of yourself,” she thought.

  She wasn’t sure about anything, but her heart screamed that, yes, what she had started with Tryst was right, and that together they would figure out how to walk toward the future.

  She hoped he wished the same.

  The water streamed over her skin and she let out an audible moan of pleasure. It seemed as though since Trystan had arrived at Wulfsiege nothing had gone slow or normal. To grasp but a moment of silence and pleasure now felt too good to be true.

  Leaning forward under the shower stream, she tilted back her head. The water beat upon her breasts and down her stomach. She soaped up and just when she almost dropped the soap, it fell into a wide, strong hand that cupped it near her hip. Sneaky. She hadn’t heard the stealthy wolf enter the bathroom.

  Kisses bulleted down the back of her neck and across her shoulders. His hand slid up the soap to glide over her breasts and tightened nipples. Her body reacted with a sensory tickle all over.

  “Have a good meal?” she asked.

  “Not as good as dessert is going to be.”

  “You healing?”

  “You tell me.”

  Lexi turned and he put up his palms on the shower walls to let her look over his back. She ran her hands along the wounds that had scarred into tight ridges of skin and would be completely gone by morning.

  “All good?” he asked.

  She slipped her hand around his hip and circled her fingers about his slick, heavy erection. “Mmm, all good.”

  Hugging up against his slippery body, she pressed her cheek to his back, her lashes blinking at the
water streaming over their skin, and glided her coiled fingers up and down his shaft. With a groan of encouragement, her wolf kept his hands to the wall, allowing her free rein over his body. It didn’t take long for her to bring him to climax. Tryst howled as he came, his voice bellowing against her body that limned his torso.

  “You are a nut,” she said. “Someone probably heard that.”

  “Then let them be jealous. I’ve got the sexiest female in the pack, and she’s all mine.”

  “Are you finally starting to believe that? That I am yours?”

  “For now.” He turned and threaded his fingers through hers. So much unspoken. They would talk about it. Later. Now was for contact, connection and lovemaking.

  He kissed her and lifted her so she could wrap her legs about his slick hips. “You don’t have any of those sticky things on the floor of this shower. Let’s get out.”

  He carried her out and set her on a towel strewn on the floor in front of the vanity. Lexi caught her palms against the vanity rim, and before she could turn, he grabbed her hips and his cock slid along her thigh. Tryst’s hand lifted her chin and she twisted back to kiss him. He snuggled his slippery erection against her back.

  “Put that inside me,” she said to his reflection in the mirror. “Right now.”

  His hand slapped the counter beside hers while the other directed his bold length inside her. Lexi bent forward, taking him in fully. The thickness of him filled her and it was the best feeling. Owned, she, and happy for it.

  “Hot.” He plunged in and out quickly, but he did not ignore her needs, slipping a finger around her hip and down to slide over her clitoris. “You’re so hot, Lexi. On fire.”

  She wiggled her bottom, and he gripped her hips tighter. “Right there,” he said, and she had to agree. He’d found the exact spot that was making her gasp and bite her lip and…release.

  And when he heard her powerful cry, Tryst rammed one last time, spilling inside her. Lexi thought about birth control. She wasn’t using any, she’d never had a reason to because the pack males shunned her. And then she didn’t care because she wanted to give her mate a child. Half werewolf or full-blooded wolf. It didn’t matter to her. It really didn’t.

  And then she didn’t worry at all, because she knew she could only get pregnant while in werewolf form. That was something they’d yet to explore, but if she had her way, it would happen soon.

  When she felt Tryst skim a canine tooth along her neck, the sensation shocked sensual shivers down her arms and to her breasts, teasing her hard nipples. A bite a sensual experience? Possibly. But only from her lover.

  Dare she risk developing a hideous blood hunger as a result of his bite? She hadn’t from the first bite, so maybe his bite was not so potent? It made a weird kind of sense. On the other hand, what did she know? Or him, for that matter?

  If you love him, you love all of him, and will take whatever comes along with that love—fangs and all.

  She spread her fingers back through his wet hair and tilted her head against his cheek. “If you want me, you can have me. I trust you. Whatever happens.”

  “Oh, gods, Lexi, I crave the taste of you. It’s so strong.” He clenched a fist against her stomach, obviously fighting the craving.

  “Don’t fight it. I give you permission.”

  He nodded. “I want you, but not with my teeth. Vail said if I don’t use my teeth, the vampire taint shouldn’t affect you. Won’t give you that nasty craving for blood.” He pulled open the vanity drawer and shuffled around inside, his cock still embedded deep within her. “This.” He pulled out a straightedge razor that she used on her legs. “You willing to give this a try?”

  She nodded and thrust up her wrist. “Do it here.”

  The blade’s cut stung for but a moment, but as soon as her lover’s mouth sealed over the wound, Lexi again cried out. The one being bitten was supposed to experience a swoon, and this must be it. Dizzied by the sensation, she gasped and bit her lower lip. Her core tightened, her clit tingled. It was as if she could feel her blood moving through her veins, tickling her insides in the most sensual way.

  While Tryst gently moved his cock back and forth inside her, he sucked out her blood, moaning and muttering how sweet she was. It felt…a little wrong, but mostly too good for her to ask him to stop.

  Tryst thrust back his head and he shuddered in climax against her body, and then he twisted around, holding her firmly in his arms and settled to the floor as they both succumbed to a heady, loopy kind of blood bliss.

  Chapter 21

  Tryst rolled over in bed, snuggling against Lexi’s warm cinnamon-scented body. They’d made love without words. Kissing, touching, joining, becoming. There wasn’t a spot on Lexi’s body he hadn’t explored with his fingers, skin and tongue. He knew the shape of her lips when they were opened in ecstasy, and the heat of her pleasure when her skin rubbed against his. He knew that she mewled sweetly when he nuzzled his nose at the back of her knee, and that she really squirmed when he tongued the arch of her foot. She cried out boldly when she came, and he liked to think it was her wolf unleashed and proud.

  The woman’s color was so bright he could never drown in her because she’d always light his way.

  He drew his nose along her neck and down her arm to her wrist, scenting a faint hint of blood from the cut. The smell sweetened the air, and stirred up a twinge of guilt. He’d hurt her to serve his own twisted desire for a taste of her sweetness.

  She put a hand back to run through his hair, which sent shivers down his spine.

  “Can you do this with me?” he asked. “I cut you, and I didn’t even give thought that I was hurting you.”

  “I told you it was okay. Tryst, I know this is new to you, and I’m willing to go along for the ride. I thought about it, and I’m willing to learn right alongside you. Look what you’ve done for me. You’ve fixed a broken werewolf.”

  “Yeah.” He rolled to his back, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. “But now I’m broken.”

  She slid a hand down his abs, toying with the curls nestled around his cock. Her hair skimmed his chest, tightening his nipples. And he got another hard-on. So he was easy. Blame it on sexy Lexi.

  “You’re something even more,” she whispered. “I think you’re going to be so strong and powerful now, you won’t even know what to do with yourself.”

  “You are so positive. Here I thought I was the positive one. Karma has really been screwing with me lately.”

  “How do you know your newly discovered vampirism isn’t a gift from karma? A new kind of energy for you to share with the universe.”

  He tilted a look down at her bright eyes. “Never thought of it like that.”

  “Well start.” She kissed his chest. “Because I cannot endure a man who feels sorry for himself.”

  “I would never do that.”

  “You’ve been treading pity lately, buddy.”

  She saw things in him before he even saw them—and she was right. “Fine. I’ll call it quits on the pity party. But there’s still your father to face. We have to be truthful with him. I won’t lie to the principal.”

  “I agree. I…told him we made love and that I shifted because of it.”

  “Oh, great. How’d he take that? Bet the man has had a silver bullet fashioned with my name etched on the casing.”

  “No, not that badly. He said we needed to talk when he got stronger. Let’s give him a few more days.”

  “To carve my name in that bullet? Oh, Lexi.”

  “We can spend the time in bed.”

  “Mmm, I like that suggestion. Though, I should probably check with Liam, see if he needs help with anything today. And weren’t you going to check on your sister?”

  “Yes, I should do that.” She kissed the head of his cock, which tightened at the blissful tease. “But she is a late sleeper. And you’re still recovering from all the beatings you’ve taken lately, and those deep talon wounds.”

  “But—”

&
nbsp; She squeezed her fingers about his shaft, silencing him much faster than a finger to his mouth would have. The woman did know exactly how to control him.

  “And if you even think of leaving this bed, I’m going to have to wolf out on you and show you who’s boss.”

  “Please?”

  She nipped the head of his shaft playfully and sat up, stretching back her shoulders to lift high her pert, tight breasts. “We need to do that. Make love as werewolves. Let’s do it tonight in the forest with the moonlight shining through the trees. Yes?”

  “I can never think of a reason to deny you a thing, Princess.”

  “Good. Until then, I’m still not letting you out of bed.”

  * * *

  Her lover’s rhythm hypnotized her. He held her up against the wall, her legs wrapped about his hips, his hips pistoning his cock in and out. Eyes closed, Tryst had arrived at another realm. Teeth biting down on his lower lip, he’d give a little smile, then open his eyes and wink at her.

  Lexi dragged her fingernails down his neck and over his chest, pinching both nipples so his satisfied smile switched to a wince of pain.

  “For that,” he muttered against her ear, and nipped the lobe, “you must be punished.”

  Setting her on the bed, he disengaged their intimate connection and turned her over with a flip of her hips. He swatted her across the derriere. Crawling over her, his strong, powerful arms curled up under her torso and clutched her up against his sweat-slick body. And then he pushed her forward, her palms catching on the bed, and spread her legs.

  “Mmm, doggie style,” she said. “Hardly a punishment.”

  He gave her another swat that stung hotly. “It is if you don’t get to watch.”

  “Watch? Watch what?”

  She tried to turn her head to look over her shoulder, but his hand gripped her neck, keeping her from doing so. She felt him slide his hard-on between her legs, so close to her folds, but not close enough to touch. Squiggling, she tried to direct him higher but realized this was her punishment. Tryst moaned as his hand moved up and down his shaft.

  Lexi clutched the sheets and shifted her hips. Still no luck. She reached back, but he moved just out of her reach, so she instead slid her fingers into her sex and found her own rhythm.