A Shifter's Fevered Heart (Distant Edge Romance Book 3)

by Chloe Adler

  Sadie was a sesso, a sex witch, and to fully charge her powers, she needed orgasms. A lot of orgasms. Plus, it was a sesso’s nature to be polyamorous, so to make it as a couple, she included Ryder in her threesomes and foursomes. Sometimes I was envious of their relationship but I didn’t know if I could do that myself, with a lover. I’d been monogamous with my first boyfriend in high school but that had barely counted as a long-termer. Maybe my slutty approach to life wasn’t as natural to me as I liked to think, fueled as it was by the drive to fuck hypocrites out of the closet.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow,” Sadie was saying as they backed out of the door to my room. “Night, Sam.”

  “Good night, Sadie. Good night, Ryder,” she called after them.

  Burgundy came back in, carrying the double futon mattress with one hand. Gotta love that vampire strength. She placed it down on the floor between my bed and the windows and then kissed me good night. “I’m glad you’re here, Sam,” she said as she walked out and shut my door.

  “Make yourself as comfortable as you can,” I said to Sam. “I’ll wear pajamas because you’re here.”

  She giggled. “That would be nice.” Then she turned serious. “Jared, there’s something I have to tell you.”

  I shook my head. “Can it wait? Too much has happened today. I really need a break.”

  “Of course.” Her eyes darted around my room. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow or when you’re less stressed.”

  “Thanks. I just want to go to bed now. This,” I waved my hand around my room, “has been too much.” My eyelids were heavy and I was having trouble focusing.

  “Still the same, I see,” she said kindly. “Your brain and body turn off when you’re stressed.”

  “Yeah, I just need to sleep.”

  “I understand.” She turned her back while I changed.

  “Do you have anything to sleep in?” I asked, realizing for the first time that she hadn’t arrived with a suitcase.

  “I don’t.”

  “C’mere,” I said, throwing her a T-shirt from one of my platform bed drawers.

  “Thanks.” She caught it in one hand without looking. The reflexes of two of her shifts combined, a mongoose and a leopard.

  Chapter Nine

  I had fallen asleep the minute my head had hit the pillow, but I wasn’t out enough to miss the tapping at my bedroom window. Immediately Rex was growling. But he didn’t bark. I hadn’t memorized all the commands yet, but I had read that he was trained to emit a low growl instead of a bark if there was an intruder. Sam didn’t move next to me; she always had slept like a rock.

  I slid out of bed, squashing the urge to jump under it and hide. But I couldn’t help shaking, and for the first time in my life, I wished I had a gun. The tapping came again. Would a killer tap quietly at my window? Unlikely. “Rex,” I whispered. “On alert.” The dog was immediately by my side, staring intently at the window.

  I twisted my black venetians open slightly. Alec? He was waving at me, wearing a very large grin. I held up my index finger, turned the LED on my bedside table on low and scanned the list of commands. “Rex, stand down,” I whispered and he went back to his spot at the foot of my bed, turned around twice and lay down. What a good dog.

  I slid my window open and helped Alec climb through. Rex lifted his head and watched. With one word, he would go for the jugular. Knowing that did a lot to assuage my fears.

  “What are you doing here?” I whispered to him once he was safely inside.

  “I ran away.” He looked around my room, blinking in the low light and gasped, “Oh my god, what happened?”

  “You should see the rest of the house,” I whispered.

  Alec’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as his head swiveled. They got even bigger when they landed on the futon in front of us. Immediately he turned around and reached for the window. “I didn’t know you had company. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so stupid.” He reached for the latch but stumbled and fell to the ground instead.

  “What’s what?” came Sam’s sleepy voice.

  “A woman,” Alec hissed. “Oh, no. No. No. No.” He scrambled to his feet and managed to get the lock undone.

  “It’s Sam, my sister,” I cried out, no longer caring if I woke her.

  He stopped scrabbling with the window and turned around.

  Sam was now sitting straight up in bed, blinking. “Oh, hallo,” she said sleepily. “I’m Samantha.” She waved feebly and then looked at me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to have company? I would have slept on the couch.”

  “Unexpected,” I said and Alec groaned. “But not unwelcome,” I quickly added. “Sam, this is Alec.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the futon.

  “Nice to meet you,” said Sam politely.

  “And you,” said Alec, shaking her hand.

  “Look,” I said, “Trackers came and trashed the house.”

  Alec sucked in a breath. “Trackers? In the Edge? How is that even possible?” He was visibly shaking and his lovely olive skin whitened.

  “I don’t know. Burgundy told Benedict and he called an emergency Council meeting for tomorrow.”

  “But, why would they come here?” asked Alec. His head darted this way and that, like a little monkey or a lizard. “They don’t go after Signum communities. It’s why we moved here. They flush Signum out of highly populated human communities.”

  “You moved here to escape the Trackers?”

  Sam’s breath audibly quickened.

  “Sam?” I said.

  “What?” Now she was bouncing her leg.

  “Is this because of you?” I tried to keep my voice down but it was not easy.

  Her eyes widened. “No. Of course not.”

  I may not have seen my sister for years but I still knew when she was lying. But why? “Earlier you mentioned they might come here. What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Um.” She pulled at the edge of my T-shirt and looked at the ceiling. “They’re after me. I can’t tell you any more.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” I asked.

  Silence.

  “Is that why you left Sitka in the first place?” I asked.

  She nodded, chewing on her lip.

  “Oh, Sam.” I pulled her in, hugging her tightly.

  She stiffened in my arms. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered into my hair. Tears cascaded down her sallow cheeks.

  My body was suddenly heavy and my focus faltered. “Is there anything else you need to tell me now about the Trackers? Your involvement? Our safety?”

  “No,” she sniffled, the strength of her clutch increasing.

  “Do you want to stay in here with Alec and me? We don’t mind.” I glanced at Alec, who nodded.

  “No, no,” she said. “I really need to be alone right now. I’m going to sleep on the couch and let you two have some privacy.” She kissed the tip of my nose just like she used to when I was a little boy.

  “Whatever it is, we’ll fix it together. Okay?”

  She nodded, sucking in her bottom lip, and moved toward the door.

  “Take Rex with you,” I called.

  “That would be great. Rex, come.” She padded out of my room with the dog at her heels.

  When she was gone I turned to Alec. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, looking shell-shocked.

  “What’s going on?” I asked him. “I’m thrilled you’re here but what happened?”

  “I think I barged in at the wrong time. You’ve obviously got your hands full. I really should go.” He got up and walked toward my door.

  I tackled him from behind in a bear hug. I would have thrown him to the floor but—the mess. “You’re not leaving.”

  He didn’t move.

  “Unless you really want to,” I added. “I just don’t want you to leave because of anything that I’m dealing with.”

  His body relaxed in my arms.

  “If anything,” I said, “I want you to stay because of what I’m d
ealing with.” I nuzzled his neck. “Help me forget about my problems?”

  He spun around sharply. “Is that all I’m good for?”

  I shut him up with my mouth, nipping his lips playfully between my teeth and then kissing him passionately. When I pulled back he looked a little stunned. “Can’t you see how much I want you here?”

  “I’m sorry, things have been intense at my house too but nothing like this.” He waved his hands around my room.

  “Hey.” I pulled him back in for an embrace. “I want to hear about what’s going on with you. You’re important too.”

  He offered me a tentative smile as he pulled away, moving to sit on my futon. “Mom said I should follow my dreams. She’s always been the supportive one. She told me that no matter what my father threatens, she’ll still let me see the twins.”

  “Your father’s pretty intense.”

  Alec nodded gravely. “He wants what’s best for me or what he thinks is best. Being raised in China has given him a different sensibility than you might be used to. He can’t help putting a strong emphasis on a strict work ethic and family.”

  “I see. Maybe I don’t understand that, but I can respect it.” I sat next to him and rubbed his back. He melted toward me.

  “I wanted to see you. I don’t know if we have a future. I know you’re not looking for anything, but I . . .” He turned and locked eyes with me. “I just kept thinking about you and how much I wanted to explore . . . us.”

  “I like the sound of that.” I tilted his chin up and kissed him. His lips yielded to mine and before I could plan my next move, he’d pushed me down onto the futon and straddled me, rubbing his body against mine and grinding his mouth against my lips. The fervor was completely unlike our first time together. This was passionate and urgent. He tore at my pajamas, practically ripping them off my body. In a second he was on my cock, sucking it, tugging it, his teeth scraping it with expertise. A warm hand explored my hips, my buttocks and my inner thighs.

  “If you keep that up, I’m going to shoot down your throat,” I moaned.

  His head lifted. “No you’re not. You’re going to come inside me.”

  Oh, yes.

  He stood on my bed, flanking me with his feet. First he unbuttoned his jeans, opening the flap to reveal the small curls of his pubic hair. He turned around and swiveled his hips, slowly pulling the fabric over his ass. As he bent to remove them completely, his ass practically touched my face. My cock grew even harder, bobbing against my stomach, and I reached down to stroke myself. Alec turned around, his eyes on me, sucking his lower lip into his beautiful mouth.

  When he was fully naked he fisted his own cock and then got down on all fours, presenting his backside.

  I shook my head. “I want to see you.” I stood up and reached for his hand, leading him over to the fireplace. Throwing him against the cold stone hearth, I held up his arms, locking his wrists with mine. We both knew it was a ploy. This man was far stronger than me but he let me hold him there while I admired his bulging biceps.

  “I’m tasting you. Don’t move,” I growled in his ear.

  Wending my way down his body, I licked and nipped. When I reached his plumped cock, I wrapped both hands around it and feasted. He thrust into my mouth, slamming into the back of my throat with garbled moans. Delicious. Utterly.

  “Don’t make me come in your mouth,” he spat. “Fuck me!” he cried, his voice guttural and thick.

  “Oh, I’ll fuck you but you won’t come until I tell you,” I commanded. “Don’t move.” I retreated to my nightstand trunk and found what I was looking for.

  His erection had grown softer in my absence but only slightly, and after I took him in my mouth again, he stiffened, filling up my cavity. I nipped and played, squeezing his balls and licking up the length of him to suck hard on the tip.

  “Oh. My. God.” His knees gave out and he started sliding down the fireplace.

  “Oh no you don’t,” I reprimanded, bending down to grab some items and then shimmying up his body. I held him in place with my abs while readying my own cock, first sliding on a condom and then using the lube I’d grabbed from the nightstand. Heaving my body against his and forcing him back up against the glass, I lifted him slightly, guiding my cock between his legs.

  “Yes, Jared, yesss,” he hissed.

  Bending my knees to accommodate the angle, I pressed against his entrance. He opened up for me easily, which was surprising as he hadn’t had sex in years. But he was ready, so ready, and his groin rocked forward to claim my cock. Once inside I started a slow rhythm, reaching down and stroking him in concert with my thrusts. His head slammed back into the glass as his knees sagged.

  My body holding his up, I pressed into him over and over again, as deeply as I could go. His body yielded to mine, his mouth demanding more. The rapture was so intense, so complete and unlike anything I’d previously known.

  When I was close, I panted in his ear, “Come with me.”

  He needed no more encouragement. We exploded together, eyes locked, and the room melted away, like we were floating in an endless, empty void. He was the only thing in my entire vision, my entire universe. His eyes locked with mine, equally entranced, wide and unblinking. For a moment I fell into them, as if our connection was something visceral. Inside of those eyes I saw whole worlds repeating and dissolving together.

  Was this . . . bonding? On occasion, I’d caught my parents staring into one another’s eyes, their skin flushed, their hearts beating so loudly even a human could have heard it. No. Couldn’t be. As fast as it came to me, the idea dissolved again in the face of rationality and I dismissed it.

  Alec leaned in and crushed my mouth with his, silencing my stuttered thoughts. Not soon enough.

  I woke to Alec snuggled up against me. I could get used to this. It was early, I’d only slept a couple of hours, but my energy was surging. I slid into my slippers to make sure I didn’t get glass in my feet. Everything looked worse in the bright light of the morning and I padded out quietly to look in on my sister and Rex. I wanted to know what she’d been talking about last night, and I entered the living room, finally ready to hear her out. But she wasn’t there. The couch did not even look like anyone had slept on it, and Rex lay snoring in front of the door, though he woke almost immediately and ran over, tail wagging.

  “Good boy. Do you need to go outside?” I asked the dog. His big brown eyes blinked up at me and I opened the front door for him. He ran outside while I waited. The weather was lovely at this time of the morning and I left the door open. It would heat up later in the day. August was usually a very warm month for Southern California. Though I soaked it up as much as possible, I didn’t think I’d ever get used to heat; Alaska’s cold was permanently in my bones. I looked in the kitchen for Sam but she wasn’t there. There was, however, a note on the table, etched in her elegant handwriting.

  I’m sorry. It’s all I can say. I should never have come. I’ve put everyone here in jeopardy. Always know that I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’ve been so selfish. Everything that’s happened has been my fault. It’s best for everyone if I leave and don’t return. You won’t be able to reach me so don’t try.

  -Sam

  “What?” I was fuming. My whole body shook, heat rising in my throat, which clenched up so tightly I couldn’t even swallow. I had just gotten my sister back and now she had left again? Why? She was so selfish, so stupid, so monumentally blind to what she did to those around her—

  A wet nose poked one of my balled fists, followed by a little whine.

  “Sure, buddy.” I took a deep breath and wrenched myself under control. It was a massive effort to keep the mess of emotions out of my voice, but it couldn’t be good to show intense anger around a trained guard dog.

  “I don’t think we have dog food for you. Let’s see what I can find.” I went to the fridge, thankful that the dog was a distraction. I found some hard-boiled eggs and a nice portion of leftover chicken, all of which I threw in
to a bowl and put down on the floor for Rex. He sat in front of me, maintaining eye contact instead of lunging for the bowl. Oh crap, I didn’t know the command, so I winged it. “Go ahead and eat, buddy.” Nothing. He was straighter than a soldier. “Food?” I tried. Nothing. “Mangia?” Still nothing.

  “Consume,” said Burgundy as she entered the room and Rex jumped on his bowl.

  “How did you know?”

  She held up the list of commands. “I’m a fast learner.”

  Normally I’d have a clever comeback but instead I just stood there.

  “Where’s Sam?” asked Burgundy.

  “Exactly.” I handed her the note. She read it quickly and then stood there, shaking her head. “I want to call her a rude name right now but I’m going to refrain.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “What a bitch.”

  I sighed and practically fell down but Burgundy caught me, leading me to a kitchen chair and placing me in it carefully. “Stay. I’ll make coffee.”

  “Thank you,” I managed to say, gulping in air. “Now I’m pissed and worried. What if something’s happened to her? I thought she was going to explain things this morning and now she’s just gone. Again. If I let my imagination run wild, I’d suspect the Trackers are after her. She looked like she’d been on the run without food, or even showers, for a decade.”

  “She did look pretty bad,” Burg said from the stove, “and maybe they are after her and that’s why they ransacked our house, but . . .”

  “What?”

  “Why would they write those slurs on our walls? Why not write something directed specifically at Sam?”

  “Maybe they were trying to scare her by obviously threatening me. Like when you’re chumming in the ocean.”

  “Chumming?”

  “Yeah.” I tossed my head. “Fisherman term. You throw fish guts or anchovies overboard to attract bigger fish.”

  “Your roots are showing,” Burgundy teased. “And how is that related to the vandalism?”

  “It’s their bait and she took it.”