by May Sage
What. The. Hell.
Had she actually said that? She’d never been that forward. Ever. Yet the words had flown out of her lips like she was just saying hi.
“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me…”
Daunte had stopped laughing; he looked at her intensely, without any humor in his amber gaze now.
“Do you take it back?”
Oh, that voice. Again. Right to her clit.
She shook her head. Daunte tilted his, slowly ogling her. It was only under this observation that she realized she was entirely naked.
Fuck.
Daunte took a step forward, slowly. And another one. And another one. When he was right in front of her, he lifted his hand to her neck, pushing her hair off her shoulder, uncovering her breast. The eager nipples stood to attention, begging for his mouth.
“You’re a shifter, darling. You’ll crave touch. You’ll crave sex. You’ll crave everything you’ve ever wanted a thousand times more.”
That sounded about right.
“If it had been Coveney or Ian following you, you would still have begged to be fucked. I don’t matter to your gorgeous, slutty pussy.”
She wasn’t sure how the hell she did it, but, the next second, she’d jumped up, wrapped her legs around his neck, and flipped him down on the ground.
“If you’re gonna spout nonsense, might as well keep that mouth of yours occupied,” she growled, her voice as cold as his, before shifting her hips forward and sitting on his face.
“There’s a good boy. Eat.”
To be entirely honest, she had zero clue what the fuck was happening; but she liked it. Especially when, after glaring at her for a good minute, Daunte opened his mouth, and flicked her folds with his tongue, arms around her thighs, holding them in place until she yelled.
Scratch him.
It wasn’t words, not really, but she could feel what the creature inside her wanted just as clearly as if it had said it out loud.
Mark him.
That was stupid. Why would she hurt him?
Mark him.
The creature needed her to.
Clari remembered when she’d been locked in the darkness, unable to make her body move; she’d needed the animal to let her back, and she had. So, stopping herself from questioning it, she moved her hips down to his torso, and tore through the fabric of Daunte’s shirt, uncovering his naked skin. Then, softly, she slid her finger down his muscles as her lips dropped down to his neck.
“I wouldn’t have fucked anyone else,” she whispered.
“Poetic.”
He sounded breathless, a little stunned.
“But you’re about to cross a line you don’t understand, beautiful,” he said, eying her right hand.
She saw her fingertips had been replaced by sharp claws. Strange. She hadn’t even felt it.
“You see the mark Ace gave Rye? Scratch me with this, and it will be just as deep. Just as permanent. And I’ll scratch you back.”
Clari noted that he wasn’t exactly telling her to stop, though. Which was crazy because they didn’t know each other. Plus, he’d seemed to hate her not even a couple of weeks back. So yeah, no scratching.
Her cat hissed in protest.
“Enough of that,” Daunte said.
And just like that, without any sort of momentum, he flipped them around, throwing her on her back.
“You know what you were doing, Clarissa?” he asked, forbidding. “You were taking control. You were demanding my submission. Mine.” The last word came out as a growl as his eyes changed, making her freeze underneath him. That didn’t last long, but by the time she was kicking and screaming, he was holding both of her hands over her head, and practically sitting on top of her naked frame.
“And you almost had it, too, sweet. Almost. But this isn’t how it’s going to work. You’re never going to try to bully me again.” She hissed. Was hissing her thing, now? “And, in exchange,” he added, “I’ll return the favor. I won’t make you open your mouth and take me without asking your permission, like you just did to me.”
Oh. Well, said like that, she’d sort of been an asshole. And a half.
“Deal?”
She inclined her head in sign of agreement.
“Good. Now, if you’d please open your legs, I’ll fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked, because, frankly, your display of dominance was as hot as it was infuriating.”
Her mouth opened in shock as he smirked down at her. She’d genuinely believed he’d been pissed for a second. But it looked like he’d just messed with her to keep her on her toes - and to reassert his dominance. Her cat was both impressed and calmed down by it; she didn’t push the urge to take a chunk out of his arm now, in any case.
Glancing left, she saw that her hand was back to normal.
“Come on, sweetheart. We haven’t got all day. And I can’t wait to get inside you.”
She parted her legs, and immediately moaned as he shoved a finger deep in her pussy without preamble.
Chapter 16
Running Away
Ola spent most of the afternoon with the kids, ignoring the strangers who wanted a place in this large, dysfunctional, yet beautiful pride. She loved every single one of them. She even loved Zack. How could she not?
But that didn’t matter. Nothing did now.
She’d seen it with her own eyes - before Daunte rushed to rescue her like she was a damsel in distress. A gorgeous tigress who smelled like Clari. Or rather, what Clari would have smelled of if she hadn’t been born human.
So, that was that. Zackary was a Turner.
There were reasons why Turners were killed - good ones, or no one would have condoned the slaughtering of children. It was a sacrifice for the greater good; one child in hundreds of thousands died so that their entire race may carry on living in peace, without being persecuted.
And that was what would happen to Zack. Because she’d seen war, she wouldn’t let it be the fate of her entire race out of attachment. She couldn’t.
No one paid attention to her leaving. Rye was a good Alpha, not too controlling. She was allowed to come and go as she pleased, when she wasn’t on an assignment. But they might have noticed that she was carrying a large suitcase, if they hadn’t been distracted by Zack, the potential new recruits, and the news that Clari and Daunte had mated.
Ola was lucky she got away, though. She knew there was a chance Hsu might have seen - and prevented - her departure. Not that it would make any difference. She’d already sent an email to the Shifter Council. She was only leaving because, if she didn’t, there was no doubt that the members of the Wyvern Pride would kill her for what she’d done.
Her car just passed the borders of their territory; she breathed out in relief.
She’d made it.
Then, all of a sudden, an all too familiar silhouette appeared in the middle of the road.
Shit. Shit.
She can’t stop the car, Ola told herself. She hit the accelerator, driving at high speed.
The woman didn’t move at first; then, she started running towards the moving vehicle.
What the hell?
Before her astounded eyes, Ola saw Aisling Cross-Wayland jump up to the hood of her car, then heard her land on the roof. With a single punch, her first tore through metal, and her claws sliced through it like it was made of cardboard.
The Alpha female grabbed her by the throat as she screamed.
“I’m glad it’s you. I liked you the least,” she told her, before punching through her ribcage and clawing her heart out.
Ace jumped down from the car before it swerved out of control, and disappeared into the woods.
There was no denying it, no words needed to try to justify it. Clari was his. She may not have been born his fated mate, but she’d been changed into it. Her dominance level was equal to his - which meant she’d win when she pushed, he’d win when he did; but, together, they were going to be perfect. Eventually. Like, not half an hour aft
er her first shift when she had zero clue what world she’d been launched into.
He’d claim her - or she’d claim him - soon enough. Hopefully, not right now.
He undid his fly and placed his hard dick right at her entrance, before pushing it in with a grunt as the wet, hot folds took him all in. Fuck. Was it supposed to feel like this? He pulled out, and thrust in again, hard, fast, entirely without volition. Releasing her arms, his hands found her ankles and pulled them onto his shoulders to get even deeper inside, angling his body until he hit a spot that made her beg for release.
It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t last long. Hard, fast, and primal, their first mating was about relinquishing control. If they hadn’t done it, their animals would have been driven to the brink of madness. They needed it. Just like their human counterparts.
“Please,” she begged, as he pinched her clit between his fingers.
He could barely see a thing, his vision blurred, all his senses fading, leaving nothing but this. But them.
Funny how he’d told her off, and stopped her from marking him, yet now, almost over the edge, he yelled out in frustration, willing everything in him to stop himself from marking her. He knew all the reasons why he shouldn’t.
Fuck reason.
“Clarissa?”
Her eyes snapped into focus, watching him with attention, as her breasts bounced with each of his thrusts.
“Come here. Mark me now.”
She didn’t hesitate, dropping her legs to each side of him, and sitting up without breaking their insane rhythm. Both her hands reached around his back and clawed from just above his shoulder blades, while he bit down on her shoulder, hard. He fucked her right through their first orgasm, his dick never going down. And again. And again.
Eventually, he scented an intruder. Ian.
“Erm. Rye asked me to check on you. The second wave of applicants is here and-”
“Busy.”
The growl had come from Clari. His mate. And he was, indeed, busy fucking her from behind.
“I see that. Well, shall I tell him you’ll be along…”
“Get the fuck out of here, Ian,” he growled, panting hard.
Not that he cared about him seeing them. At all. Let everyone see Clari was his. Everyone.
It was nightfall when they fell on the grass. She immediately went to sleep, but he caressed her hair and licked at the mark that had long ago started healing. It would never disappear.
Discarding his soiled clothing on the ground, he gathered her in his arms and carried her home.
Chapter 17
A Stranger
The next morning was perfect, at first; then she had to remember the thousands of reasons why it wasn’t.
There were no hypotheses now. She was a shifter. Zack was a Turner.
Shit, what was she going to say to her family?
“We’ll tell them you’ve decided to move in here with your boyfriend.”
Oh.
And there was that, too. The gorgeous, brooding male laying down next to her and playing with her hair. She had zero clue what to make of him. None. Hell, a week ago he didn’t even like her. Now, they were- what…
“Bonded. Or mated, actually, I can’t tell. I feel your worries so clearly – I wouldn’t if this was an ordinary bond. Either way, you’re mine.”
He sounded way too smug about that. Shifting to look him in the eyes, she glared and added, “And you’re mine.”
“That goes hand in hand, beautiful. For the record, I always wanted you,” he punctuated that with a quick kiss on her lips. “I just figured I’d better stay away; you weren’t as durable back then. And I’m not exactly gentle.”
He smirked, looking down at her naked body.
Hell. She was bruised all over. “That should be hurting like hell.”
“Accelerate healing rate. One of the perks that comes with being one of us. Tell your cat she’s one pretty beast.”
It was all so weird; because she could feel someone – something – reacting to those words. The animal was… purring.
“I have a cat in my head.”
“That somewhat oversimplifies it, but, for all intents and purposes, yes, you do.” He cupped her head in his hand. “How are you feeling?”
Freaked out. Weird. Horny.
She settled on, “Good.”
And strangely, she was feeling good.
“Awesome. Now, my phone’s been blowing up for an hour, which means we’re needed downstairs.”
Instead of moving from the bed, he moved to top her, and pushed her legs apart with his.
“We’re gonna have to make this round quick.”
She laughed and curved her hips up as he entered her.
I don’t get it.”
Hsu normally shared her vision with Rye or Ace first, but as the Alpha hadn’t made any sense of it, they’d switched things up. She’d also shown what was to come to the rest of the pride.
The first part of the vision made perfect sense; there were people coming at them from all sides, surrounding Lakesides - but unable to cross the barriers Ace’s witch friend had erected around the town to provide them with a layer of protection. Some people were coming for them - that much was clear.
Then, nothing. It was as if they hit a wall and bounced off it.
A wall made of mist.
Zack was as small and frail in that vision, just a little bigger than he was now, which means it would come to pass anytime soon; within days, weeks at most.
They were running out of time, and they needed answers.
As their problem was magical, and none of them could boast to know much about the ins and outs of witchcraft, Ace had called Rain.
It didn’t bode well that the strongest witch they knew stared at them, as baffled as they had been.
“What, so you don’t know how her visions could be blocked?”
“No, that part is easy. There are plenty of cloaking spells that could hinder Seers - but the thing is, if it was an easy spell, I should be able to break it. I pushed, and it didn’t budge. And as I’m sure you don’t want me to go hardcore on Hsu’s mind…”
Daunte glared at her for even mentioning harming the kid.
“That’s what I thought. I can’t try anything else. But, what I don’t get is the feel of that magic. I can tell you right now, it’s not ancestral or elemental magic. Ancestral magic is based on words and spells. You’d hear whispers, chanting. Elemental - well, we’d feel if it was water, fire, wind, or earth; we’d smell it. This is something I’ve never encountered. And I’m going to be honest- I don’t see any way around it. It hasn’t only blocked the vision, it’s possessed it. That red and black mist…”
“What did you say?”
The kids were normally excluded from this sort of conversation; no one wanted to worry them unnecessarily. But as Hsu was at the centre of the issue, Rye had told Niamh she could come in and observe. The two girls were inseparable, but it wasn’t only that. Niamh was slowly getting more time during the adult meetings. Daunte hadn’t asked why, but recalling the way she’d protected her adopted sister during their previous attack, he could guess. Rye saw potential in her; she’d make a decent Enforcer, one day, if she wanted to be.
“Nothing to worry about, sweetie, just because it’s powerful doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily bad,” Rain told the teenager, reassuringly.
But Niamh didn’t look like she needed to be reassured at all. In fact, she seemed excited, and confident, too.
“Show me the mist,” she asked Hsu.
“That might not be the best idea,” Daunte stated, concerned about frightening her with visions of hundreds of enemies.
“I can handle it,” the kid replied, rolling her eyes. “And, more to the point, I think I know what’s blocking you.”
That made everyone in the room more sceptical than hopeful; to their credit, she was thirteen.
“Sweetie…”
“No,” Clari interrupted Rain, with a firm author
ity. She turned to Hsu, and smiled. “Show her.” When Ace waggled an eyebrow at her, Clari just shrugged. “We’ve been talking about attacks for hours, anyway. I’m pretty sure that what Niamh’s imagining is worse than reality. Besides, if there’s a chance she can help, we need to listen to her.”
Niamh looked like someone had just announced that they were pushing Christmas forward, and, after a second, Daunte smiled, pretty proud. Clari probably doubted her just as much as the rest of them, but she didn’t let it show, treating Niamh like any other member of the pride.
The previous day, she’d suddenly become Beta of the pride because of their mating; most females who accessed the rank through bonding to a Beta, rather than fighting for it, were ill suited for it. Not his girl. She’d taken to it like a fish to water.
Hsu’s hands went to Niamh’s face, on either side of her forehead, and they remained perfectly immobile for a time.
Then, Niamh broke into a grin.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, straightening her spine.
She turned to the Alpha, and announced, “That red and black mist? I’ve seen it before. It’s Tria’s signature.”
Chapter 18
Betrayal
Tria. Clari immediately recognized the name, but no one else seemed to.
“The woman who saved you when you were ten?”
She’d only heard the story a few days ago, yet it felt like a century had passed since. Last Monday, she’d been human. Now, it was Saturday, and she was a feline shifter mated to the Beta of a small, yet powerful pride in danger.
Headtrip.
Niamh nodded.
“Yes. First time she appeared, there was a black and red mist - and she burst out from it, out of nowhere. I asked her about it, later, and she said it was how her power manifested itself. It was pretty cool, so I said I wanted to do the same thing, but she just laughed and said no one could. That it’s her symbol. God knows I tried - but when I make mist, it’s either gray, or the red is lighter, or darker. Basically, I can’t copy her mark. Trust me, that was hers.”
