Clark leapt forward, pinning Alexander to the ground with his heavy paws. Alex thrashed and bit at him but missed, and, although Clark regretted having to do so, he bit Alex firmly on the neck. He yelped in pain and grew limp. Clark waited for a moment before he let go.
“If he gets back up, take care of him!” David yelled from the crowd.
Clark turned away, only to be immediately tackled by the other three wolves that had been following Alexander’s command. They were originally from Clark’s pack, like Alexander, but had always had their own ideas about things. In fact, they could have been related to Alexander.
But Clark didn’t have the time to think about that. Instead, he focused all of his efforts on battling their vicious attacks. He was used to being outnumbered, but it was overwhelming to try and field off attacks while keeping an eye on Carmen beyond the crowd.
“Sold for $2,050!” Thames declared, shoving the first woman back and grabbing the second, the brunette. The next woman to be dishonored would be Carmen. He would kill Thames before he let him touch her.
With the fire inside of him stoked, Clark tore through the next three wolves. The fight was grueling, but he persisted on his own despite being outnumbered. It was crucial that he get through this without inciting a riot. Shifter riots were notoriously destructive. No doubt it was all part of the master plan – turn the shifters on themselves and pick up the pieces. It would be the easiest way to make the next horrific shift in power. Then every resource their pack had fought and died for in the past would just be handed over to someone else without question.
Clark’s anger powered him on, though he was beginning to feel fatigued from the fight. His shoulder and nose were bleeding by the time he finally left the third wolf, the largest and most ugly of them all, limp on the ground at his feet.
“So you want the girl for $3,905, do you?” Thames was saying into the microphone. “So be it!”
Clark snarled at him ferociously as he dropped the girl’s arm and reached out for Carmen. Carmen shrank away from his touch.
“Next up, we have quite a pretty little thing –”
Clark surprised himself with the power of his legs as he leapt on the stage and inserted himself between Carmen and Thames.
“And it seems we have a rude little man attempting to interrupt the festivities. I think you all know that this is a royal offense. Anybody who interferes with these proceedings will be persecuted.”
The crowd shifted uncomfortably as Clark stared Thames in the eye, his hackles raised and his brilliant teeth shimmering with blood as he snarled at him. The outsiders who had come along with Thames were shocked by the quick bloodshed and seemed to be waiting for a cue from their master. But if they weren’t ordered to fight, Clark knew they wouldn’t. They were cowards who would save their own skin. The real prey here was Thames. Even the outsiders weren’t that loyal to him.
“I recommend that you leave at once,” Thames cautioned.
Clark snarled in response, but instead of backing down, Thames jeered.
“All right,” he said, removing the crown and setting it gingerly onto the wooden stage. “Have it your way.”
The crowd gasped as Thames began his transformation, and Clark’s heart sank. He should have fucking known it. Thames wasn’t a wolf shifter at all. He was a bear.
***
Clark’s hackles rose as Thames glared down at him. He towered above Clark now, and unleashed a godawful roar into the air. Most of the wolf shifters cowered away from the stage.
“Calm down!” David cried. “Everybody stay in position. Only attack if I give the word. And even then, remember the strategy!”
The crowd held fast, though it was clear that everybody was terrified. Shifters had an unspoken rule that they would avoid each other and all conflicts whenever possible, because the power difference was too vast and fights between the two races ultimately tended to be bizarre and gruesome. It was a pact that Thames seemed all too eager to destroy.
“Clark!”
He barely heard his name before his body was filled with pain. Thames had struck hard with his hand, slicing Clark’s back open. The deep gash bled profusely, but he wouldn’t stand down. With Carmen just inches away from him, he would stand strong, even in the face of this powerful adversary.
Thames slashed again and Clark dove out of the way, staying close to Carmen. Thames stood slowly on his haunches, and Clark suddenly realized that his speed was his strength. Bears were slow but powerful. He had to use his speed to his advantage.
Thames growled and readied himself for another attack, but before he could finish, Clark ran behind him and leapt onto his back, latching his teeth into the thick skin of Thames’ neck. The bear roared violently, slicing at Clark with his powerful claws, but Clark held fast.
“Now!” David cried. One by one, the five most powerful wolves in the pack shifted and leapt onto the stage, tackling Thames as Clark held on tightly to his neck. Thames roared fiercely in agony as their sharp teeth settled into his body and finally, Clark felt the satisfying snap of his teeth pushing through the skin and reaching Thames’ jugular.
The bear fell forward on the stage, and the three virgins cried out and scrambled away just in time for Thames to land. Clark refused to loosen his grip until he could feel the life leaving Thames’ body. When he did, he immediately released it and shifted back into his human form, eager to get Carmen the hell out of there.
The keys to the locks were in the bundle of clothing that had been discarded when Thames shapeshifted, and he sorted through them until he found the keyring. He released all of the captive women, coming at last face to face with Carmen.
“It’s going to be all right now,” he said, and took her hand. “Let’s go home.”
18.
Falling asleep had never been harder for Carmen than it was the night that Clark had saved her. He had taken her hand in his own like it was the most natural thing in the world to do and led her to the motorcycle.
“I’ll come home later with Bobby,” Rachel said, immediately realizing that she wouldn’t be able to fit on the bike with the two of them. “Just get her home where it’s safe, will you?”
Clark and Carmen rode silently through the town; Clark in just his jeans, as his shirt had been torn beyond repair during his shifting. Carmen had never seen anything so powerful. It had left her in a daze.
Now she could think of nothing but the heat that had consumed her when Clark’s naked, muscular body strode toward her through the chaos and released her from the chains. His hand was warm as it engulfed hers, and his eyes, so full of warmth and caring.
It was the same way he had looked at her that night in the bedroom. When every one of the feelings she was having now had found the right place. What she wouldn’t give to be with him right now, close to the man who had saved her. The man she could see herself loving, when no other man on earth seemed worthy of such a gift.
Carmen tossed and turned, unable to fight the desperate longing mounting in her loins. What would happen if she went in, right now, where Clark was sleeping? Was she ready to give him all of herself?
The house was theirs alone. Rachel could be home at any time and hear them making love if she did it. But she didn’t think she could wait another second for Clark to call her his once and for all.
Carmen sighed and threw the blankets off her body. That was it. She was ready.
The hallway was silver in the moonlight as she crept quietly to Clark’s room. He was sure to be sleeping, getting his energy back after such a brutal fight. It would be cruel of her to wake him, wouldn’t it…?
And yet, she gently pushed the door open and snuck inside. Clark was sleeping, his torso bared in the moonlight. She took a moment to study him, the power of his body giving her chills. All she wanted was to feel that body close to her, inside of her. And nothing would stand in her way. Not now.
“Carmen?”
Clark’s voice mumbled her name and he turned to face her, his ha
ndsome face even more striking in the silver glow.
“Shh,” Carmen whispered, taking the thin straps of her satin nightgown and letting them loose over her shoulder. She took a deep breath as it fell to the floor, and her body was revealed to Clark in the moonlight.
“What are you…?”
Before he could finish, Carmen was in the bed on top of him, the connection of their bodies too powerful for either of them to deny. Her middle was immediately met by the huge bulge of Clark’s erection, and she pressed herself experimentally against it, shocked by the delight that flooded her body.
“Are you sure?” Clark choked out, gripping her delicate shoulders firmly.
“I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life,” Carmen whispered. “And I’ll want you forever.”
Clark’s mouth met hers passionately, and she was swept away by the tenderness of his kisses as he lifted her easily from his body just long enough to strip off his pajama pants.
Carmen sighed in pleasure as their sexes touched for the first time, and Clark moaned in pleasure as his shaft was consumed by her heat. Carmen tilted her head back, breathless as Clark massaged the tender nape of her neck with his tongue, sending thrills of pleasure to electrify every inch of her body as he slowly began to push himself inside of her, all trace of his self-control gone out the window.
Carmen was pried open by the massive muscle, and she gripped his shoulders with a blissful gasp as the head of his cock made its way inside of her.
“Are you all right?” Clark whispered. “Do you need me to stop?”
“I’m fine,” Carmen gasped. “Keep going. I need this.”
Clark growled, his dark eyes flashing with desire as he shoved himself in a little deeper. Carmen’s body was electrified with a combination of pleasure and pain. She wasn’t sure how much of him she could take, but she was excited to find out. She already knew how big he was.
“Still good?” Clark asked, his voice strained.
Carmen grinned down at him, and instead of answering, she thrust into him so that he was almost fully inside of her. They both cried out in pleasure, and Clark’s eyes widened with surprise as they both felt her hymen break.
“Well, if that’s what you want then let me do the fun part,” he said with a grin.
Carmen gasped in surprise as Clark flipped her onto the bed and pinned her, his eyes shining mischievously. He laced his fingers into hers and hot pleasure cut through her core as Clark plunged deep inside of her, beginning with slow, steady thrusts. The blissful friction of their bodies nearly brought her to tears.
Again and again, he pushed into her, until the pleasure mounted enough for her to grind against him, urging him silently to speed up. Clark grinned.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” he asked.
Carmen raised an eyebrow at him and she could feel him swelling inside of her.
“You’re a hell of a woman,” he mumbled.
Carmen cried out in shock as Clark began to unleash his full power on her body. His cock plunged into her again and again, sending hot tendrils of pleasure all throughout her body. Heat coursed through her, and a feeling beyond her control began to build in her abdomen, a deep climax unlike anything she had ever felt before.
“Fuck,” Clark whispered as she tightened around him. The contractions had already begun, even though she didn’t want to let go yet. “Let it happen.”
Clark buried his mouth against her breast and stroked it lovingly as his mouth found her nipple. She moaned deeply as her pleasure was intensified, and Clark’s powerful hips began to thrust against her in earnest.
Carmen was overwhelmed by the hot sensation of his body pressed against her, the shaft of his cock stimulating and teasing her, and she gripped his shoulder blades tightly as a tingling sensation overcame her whole body. Clark hissed, his orgasm spilling out deep inside of her, and the heat of his seed released the powerful explosion that had been building inside of her.
Carmen cried out loud, her earth-shattering orgasm completely releasing all of her inhibitions. Clark’s powerful body continued massaging her sensitive nerve endings, until both of them were completely spent.
“Can I sleep in here with you tonight?” Carmen whispered, laying her head on Clark’s chest. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“You can sleep in here every night,” Clark said, kissing Carmen’s forehead. “I love you. And I’ll take care of you for the rest of our lives.”
Epilogue
“What do you mean you two are together?” Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow at Clark. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
“Some things are beyond our control, Rache. And you just go with it. You know?”
“I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t weird,” Rachel said, turning her gaze to Carmen. “But I always knew there was something better out there for you, Carmen. I guess my dad’s the best there is. Except for Bobby. I guess this is a good time to be out with it…Bobby and I are engaged!”
Carmen squealed in delight and she and Rachel embraced. When they pulled apart, Rachel met her dad’s serious eyes and she stopped bouncing and cleared her throat.
“I think he intends to ask you for my hand,” Rachel said. “But if he doesn’t bother, it’s just because he thinks you’ll say no and we’re going to do it anyway. He’s pretty sure you hate him.”
Clark laughed deeply, surprising both Rachel and Carmen.
“I’ve always thought of Bobby as a son. He’s one of the best betas in the pack. He’ll make a fine mate for my little girl.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “I can’t wait to tell him you said that.”
“Oh, sure, tell him all you want. Just remember to include that if he hurts you, I’ll kill him,” Clark said in a cheerful voice.
Rachel’s face fell slightly, but Clark grinned sincerely.
“No, really. I’m happy for you, kiddo.”
“I’m happy for you two too…I think,” Rachel said with a laugh. “You’ve been on your own for such a long time, dad. I was starting to worry about you. You couldn’t keep pining after mom forever.”
“I have a feeling your mother would understand,” Clark said.
It was true. He had done a lot of soul searching after he met Carmen, and he knew that his wife had been a free-spirit who believed in fated attraction. Who knew it could happen with a human mate too?
“Are you guys coming to the crowning tonight?” Rachel asked. “Bobby and I have great seats.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss cheering on King David for the world,” Clark said. “I don’t know anyone more fitting of the honor.”
“Why did you turn down the invitation to be king, anyway?” Carmen asked. She never did quite understand the shifter hierarchy the way a native did. But they were all confident that with a little bit of time and practice, she would get the hang of it.
“Well, honey, I think my place is a little more subtle than all that. David is a brilliant strategist with a keen eye for politics. He truly cares about the pack and values every member equally.”
“Besides, dad’s just reckless. You can’t have a reckless leader, right?”
Clark grinned. It was just what he had always told his daughter growing up.
“Exactly right.”
“Well, we still have some time before the ceremony. Who wants to get something to eat first?” Rachel asked. “Bobby’s buying. The shop is doing really well. He’s looking at another promotion.”
“That sounds great,” Clark said, walking to the closet and grabbing his coat. “There are a few things I wanted to go over with my future son-in-law.”
Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Sure, dad. Whatever you say. You’re just lucky I don’t have a thing or two to say to my future step-mother.” Rachel shivered. “God that’s weird to say.”
Carmen grinned and laced one arm through Rachel’s and one through Clark’s.
“Just remember, I’m Carmen, and I’ll never even tr
y to replace your mother. Not to you and not to your father. If we just play it by ear, then everything’s going to be fine.”
Clark grinned and kissed Carmen on top of the head.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
THE END
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Lost Creek Shifters
ARLO
Samantha Leal
Copyright ©2016 by Samantha Leal. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work!
1.
Poppy felt like high-fiving her boss as she walked out of work on that miserable Thursday afternoon, but it wouldn’t have been on his hand… It would have been right in his face. She tried not to scowl at him as she brushed past and made for the exit, but her feelings were too strong to hide. He was everything she hated about men, and yet, she was stuck with him day in and day out with no way of escape. He was arrogant and rude, and completely inappropriate when it came to flirting with her outrageously, and yet, she felt as if she had to grin and bear it just to stop herself from becoming the target of even more cringe-worthy advances.
She had worked at the store for six months, and although it had originally been as a stop gap, she was starting to fear that maybe working the cash register at a convenience store was going to become her destiny. Nothing else had presented itself to her in the time that she had worked there, and she still found herself in the same position at home. She was working the same shift every day and living with her crazy family. She couldn’t help but wonder when life was going to pick up and she could really start to live, instead of just existing.
Dragon Protector (Dragon Dreams) Page 18
