Scent of Salvation coe-1

by Annie Nicholas

  She juggled the hot food between her hands. Juices ran from it and the smell… If she could shift to feral form, she could have gobbled it like the others. Instead, she needed to bite and chew. “I’m not going back.” She spoke with her mouth full. “Not until I know of Susan’s fate. I have not traveled this far to run home now.”

  “Spoken like a hunter, Kele.” Benic chuckled.

  “A hunter who can’t defend herself.” Ahote sliced another piece of meat from the roast. “I tire of the wilderness and want to return home. There’s a bath and better company at our den. No matter how long we stay out here, we’ll still have to explain the events of last night to your parents.”

  She grimaced and swallowed the lump of meat in her throat. This would make her parents even more determined to safeguard her future. Would they really send her away to some strange pack as a potential mate? Maybe she should have tried harder to find a male within her own pack. “I’m sure Peder will stay until his alpha returns.”

  The omega was reaching in the pit for more meat, his gaze on Ahote as if waiting for the hunter to pounce. When she spoke, he halted. “I will.”

  Ahote closed his eyes for a moment and wiped his muzzle. “I guess that means I must stay.” He sighed with a heavy heart. “I’ve protected your hide since the day you were set in your own cave. I’m not leaving you here with only an omega.” He glared at her then at Peder. “This better not be because you want another opportunity to pet him.”

  “Ahote.” She flushed so hard her toes curled. She didn’t need reminding of her attraction to Peder. Her reaction at his den was enough shame to swallow, but she hated the way everyone kept touching him. If he returned home she’d never see him again, and maybe she’d regain some sanity. Her gaze drifted over to Benic, who sat so still.

  Kele’s discomfort with her attraction to Peder made Benic chuckle in silence. If he laughed aloud, it would hurt too much. As it was, his hand kept his guts from spilling to the ground. The moist sensation against his palm made him queasy. He needed to find something to bind around his midsection if he ever planned to walk home.

  His wound would eventually heal. He’d had worse. The indignation of being injured with his own weapon would take longer.

  He couldn’t believe Sorin had kept his sword. The alpha didn’t have any use for the weapon. It was perfectly balanced for Benic’s hand. He’d owned it ever since he came to Amerigo over a hundred years ago. Finding a replacement would be time consuming.

  “Benic?” Kele stepped under the shadow of the tree and knelt next to him. “You’re hurt.” She pried his hands from the wound.

  Pain shot across his abdomen. He bent over and clutched his gut, breathing hard. “That’s an understatement. I’ll be fine with time. Don’t concern yourself with me.”

  “Have you fed?”

  Shifting his hips, he sat up straighter. “From whom? I doubt Ahote or Sorin would have offered since they’re the ones who impaled me in the first place.”

  “Here.” She presented her wrist close to his mouth.

  A shudder ran through his body. Instinctual hunger could drive a vampire mad. After his blood loss last night, it was a wonder he hadn’t torn out Peder’s throat upon his arrival. He possessed little love for the omega but he had to admire how Peder slipped into Kele’s affections so quickly.

  For someone who was supposed to be submissive and fulfill everyone’s needs, Peder seemed to always get what he desired. That required skill.

  “That’s very gracious of you, Kele.” He took her wrist in his hands, careful to be gentle, and brought it to his lips. With a meal close at hand, his hunger jumped up and roared. He met her stare as he pressed his fangs against her skin and licked the spot he planned on biting.

  Her gaze softened.

  With an expert’s ease, he pierced her. The salty flavor of her blood filled his mouth. Sucking at the dual puncture, he closed his eyes and moaned.

  Kele’s quiet gasp was pleasure to his ears.

  He could sense her leaning forward and deepened his feeding, taking longer, slower draughts. She tasted better than the finest wines. Rich and warm, her blood eased his pains. How easy to drain her, but he released his bite. His muscles trembled with restraint. She hadn’t quenched his thirst. A few more volunteers would be needed before his hunger was sated. With his thumb, he applied pressure to the wound and stopped the bleeding. It wouldn’t take long.

  Licking his lips, he rested against the tree trunk, savoring the aftertaste. She rarely agreed to feed him.

  Over her shoulder, Benic didn’t miss the glare directed at him from Peder. Let the games begin, little shifter. “Why would you feed me after all the wrong you think I have done?”

  “Sorin has Susan back, and I forgive your misguided attempt at rescuing me from an unwanted mating.” She stared at her lap and picked at imaginary lint. Her pale hair fell across her face, hiding her expression. “You were a friend once.” She whispered the last sentence.

  The words struck deeper than the sword. His smile faded, and he slipped his hand from her wrist. “I still am.”

  Ahote coughed, choking on a mouth full of hog. He hit his chest and swallowed with some difficulty. “You have an odd way of showing it.”

  Kele rose and sat next to the fire pit.

  Physical pain could be ignored. It would heal and become a faded memory. The sight of Kele taking a morsel from Peder’s hands branded a hurt on his heart that would never mend. Did he love her? Or was it her rejection? Only time would tell.

  He glared at the dark shifter. “You’re alive. I could have used a poison instead of a sedative on my blowdarts.” He pulled his knees up to his chest to ease the pain and gazed out into the forest.

  Ahote shook his head. “I’m sure in a sick, vampire fashion, this is considered a sign of friendship.”

  “As a matter of fact it is. You mean something to Kele. It would be rude to cause her unnecessary grief.” Though he could live with the loss of both these shifters.

  Kele raised her hands. “Enough. It’s a matter that is finished.”

  She said she forgave him but he could sense the difference. Their relationship was damaged. He’d have to find a way to make amends since he still wanted good ties to the Payami. Benic sighed, suddenly feeling all his years. He watched the forest. Where was Sorin? For an alpha, he sure was taking his time in catching his exhausted and weak mate.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Sorin, in feral form, followed Susan’s trail from the Temple. Once again she ran from him in a time of trouble, instead of to him.

  When they’d first met at the Temple, he’d forgiven her for running away since she’d never seen a shifter in feral form before. Rushing from his den, after Lailanie had confronted her, had hurt but he thought they had cleared their misunderstandings. Now this—once again she was distressed and ran from his care. Ran from him. Didn’t she know he loved her with all his heart?

  Her lack of faith in him stung more than any injury he’d ever suffered. He followed her scent and stayed in close proximity, to protect her, but didn’t intrude on her need to be alone. She ran for a reason and he let her. For the moment.

  She made enough noise in her supposed escape that it required little effort to follow. He hid in the brush and watched her collapse by the stream, her head bent and the ends of her hair trailing in the fast-flowing water.

  Quiet sobs reached his ears.

  They twisted his heart into knots. He took a deep breath to relieve the pressure. Why was she crying? She’d survived the infection and they could be together. When she woke this morning, he’d experienced a joy so deep it stole his breath.

  He sat hard on the ground and watched her. Nothing stalked the forest that he could hear or smell. She was safe from everything but his confusion.

  Should he go to her? He flicked his ear, swatting a curious fly away. In all the years since his mother passed, he’d never needed her advice more than now.

  “I know you’re ther
e.” Susan spoke with a broken voice.

  He sighed, somewhat relieved she’d taken the decision of contact from him. He rose to his feet and pushed through the brush until he reached the edge of the stream. “How did you know?” If she ran again, he wouldn’t chase. This kind of game had to end. He sat close without touching her, even though every instinct in his body cried out to cradle her in his arms.

  She chuckled and sobbed at the same time. “I could smell you.” She faced him, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks, and threw herself against his chest. Her shoulders shook as she cried in silence.

  Relief melted him against her. She still needed him, wanted him. He crushed her in his arms, burying his nose in her hair, and waited.

  Susan’s throat ached. She couldn’t remember ever crying like this before. She never had reason to, never lost anything important enough to grieve this hard. Her sobs eased into shudders as she clung to Sorin.

  Rubbing her face against his thick fur, she inhaled his scent. It eased the tension in her shoulders. The comfort his presence offered only reminded her of how much she would lose if she turned into a vampire.

  She wanted to cry some more but her tears had run dry. “Shift to civil form for me?”

  He leaned away to stare into her face, concern in his expression. The soft fur disappeared, and his stern face returned as he fulfilled her request. “Why are you so upset?” He brushed her hair from her cheeks.

  She crawled onto his lap and nestled her face into the crook of his neck. “I’m not human anymore. I don’t know what I am.”

  “You’re Susan.” He sounded so confused, she laughed. His response was so simple, as if it should solve all her worries.

  “Am I? Wasn’t being human part of me?”

  “Sure, but so will this.” He kissed her forehead. “Is that what all your tears were about?”

  “Yes. You make it sound silly.”

  “When you ran…” He squeezed her tighter. “I thought maybe you’d changed your mind about us.”

  She pulled away from him so she could observe his face. “Never.” The sorrow in his eyes tore through her grief. She’d hurt him unintentionally.

  “Is it so hard for you to turn to me in time of need instead of running away?” He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

  “No—yes. I’ve never really had someone t-to lean on.”

  “You do now.” He cupped her face.

  “What if I’m a vampire? What would you do then?”

  His smile faded. “I would love you.”

  Those words eased the sharp ache in her heart. The truth was evident in his eyes. Shifters didn’t lie. “Could you? I mean, you hate them so much.”

  “I do.” He sighed and leaned closer until his lips met hers. Kissing her slowly, he drew her back into his arms, the heat from his body a delicious comfort. “I hate them for what they did to my people. You were never part of that. I love you.” He slid his hands along her thighs, raising the hem of her dress. “I want you. Nothing will ever change that.” He kissed her again, deep enough to curl her toes. “Nothing.”

  “No more running.” She surrendered to him, leaning into his affection. Gazing into his amber eyes, she wanted to lose herself. “I love you so much.” She encircled his face with her hands. “You’re mine.”

  He gripped her hips, pulling her tight against him. “I almost lost you. I don’t know what I would have done—”

  She pressed her fingers against his mouth. “Don’t. You’ll make me cry again.” Finding a smile for him proved to be difficult. She wanted to believe him with all her heart, but knew she wouldn’t until the transformation was completed, and he still stuck around.

  Who knew how long before her change took effect? She imagined the virus would need time to corrupt all her DNA. Her canines were longer and her sense of smell more acute, but both species carried these traits. Time would reveal her fate. Soon, she hoped.

  Repositioning herself, she straddled Sorin.

  He moved his hands higher along her thighs until he cupped her ass, his hard cock slipping between her legs. “Can I have you?” Deep and rough, his voice caressed her ear.

  It sent a shiver down her spine. Rocking her hips, she rubbed his tip between her nether lips for an answer.

  He moaned and whispered, “Susan, I’m going to claim you now.”

  “Yes.”

  With a gentle thrust, Sorin buried himself deep inside her.

  She arched her body against him and cried out. She loved the sweet pleasure he gave her—the desire on his face, his wild amber eyes.

  His hands held her hips as he pulled back and pumped inside her. He moved her up and down on his body, plunging deeper.

  Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. Raw bliss was a hard, grazing want inside her belly. “Sorin! Please…” She shook with pleasure as wave after wave cascaded through her body. They needed this moment to reaffirm their commitment. She’d never leave Eorthe given the chance again, and he’d love her even if she became a creature he despised.

  Sorin ground into her, pressing her swollen clitoris against him.

  There was power in this male. Potent, unrelenting, brawny. But she couldn’t ponder it. Sensation took over, different than before—instinctual, carnal. She grasped his hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck.

  This male belonged to her. No other should dare touch him, and she needed to let them know. She bit him. The salty flavor of sweat and dirt met her tongue.

  “Fuck, yes.” He forged harder and faster inside her pussy, his rhythm becoming erratic.

  She growled, biting harder, and wouldn’t let go as her climax mixed in with his.

  He roared and bucked underneath her, guiding her hips to milk his cock and make her own him, until she no longer cared who or what she was as long as she had Sorin.

  They came together.

  Belonged together.

  Susan rested her head on Sorin’s shoulder, her arms around his neck, and caught her breath. Even though exhausted from the recent events, they both needed this moment—a reaffirmation of their love.

  Probing his neck with his fingers, he felt along her bite mark. “Nicely done. A proper mating bite.” He grinned as if she’d given him the best present.

  Her stomach went queasy. She turned away.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I bit you like a vampire.”

  “You didn’t drink. Do you desire my blood?”

  “No,” she whispered and searched deep inside. The idea revolted her. Smiling, she faced her mate. “No, I wanted to mark you as mine.”

  “That’s good.” His grin grew wider. “That’s very good. You’ve worried so much about becoming vampire, but what if you are a shifter?”

  She blinked. What if? Her heart raced. “That would be wonderful. I could truly be your mate.”

  “You always have been.” He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. “Let’s go home.”

  “Home. I’d like that. We should stop at the Temple and tell Ahote we’re leaving.”

  Sorin snorted. “You’re not allowed near him anymore. He’s not to be trusted around mated females. Let him go back to his own pack.”

  She laughed. “What about Kele and Benic?”

  “Let Benic rot, but I guess Peder and Kele may have returned in our absence. We’ll skirt around and reassure them.”

  Sorin rose from the ground with her still in his arms and shifted to feral form. He swung her on his back. “Hang on. I can’t wait for the pack to see your bite upon my flesh.”

  She lay across him, her arms around his thick neck, his fur a comfortable bed. “Me too.”

  Epilogue

  The sounds of birds singing vanished as Susan stalked through the forest. She raised her muzzle to the wind and caught the scent she’d been searching for.

  Sorin.

  Her ears came forward and she quickened her walking pace. After six months, she still had trouble running on all fours, and she did
n’t want to risk tripping. The cargo she carried was too precious.

  Howls flooded the forest air. The hunters were successful. It would be a good night in the Apisi den.

  She followed their song over a hill until she reached the meadow.

  Sorin and his hunters gathered in the center with their kills. He raised his head in her direction and raced at full speed, coming to a sudden halt when he reached her. “Is everything all right? Are the pups well?” He touched her swollen belly with reverence, and worry tinged his cinnamon scent.

  “Everything is fine.” She placed her hands on his. The dark brown of her fur contrasted with his silver. “I miss hunting.”

  He sighed and rolled his eyes. “You’re too swollen to run.”

  “You mean too clumsy.”

  “I worry.”

  She shifted to her civil form, not concerned with her nudity like she used to be. Ever since she learned to shift, her world had changed for the better. She’d never been so happy.

  The forest wasn’t a fearful place anymore. She welcomed nature now and loved the land. A new connection existed between her and the world— something humans were missing. She wished she could share it with them.

  Settling on a patch of moss, she watched the hunters carry their kills home.

  Sorin shifted and joined her. He laid his head upon her belly, caressing her roundness. “I can’t wait.”

  Born of Earth, she’d been lost in the world of technology. Susan didn’t miss any of it. She was a daughter of Eorthe now, female alpha of the loving Apisi, and mate to her Sorin. She’d bear his pups with pride and hopefully lead their people into a new age.

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