Fire & Gasoline: A Shifter Romance (Audax Pack Book 1)

by Colette Rhodes

  My feet seemed to have a mind of their own as I made my way around side streets with little mind to where I was going. The longer I was outside, the more my body acclimated to the frigid temperature. Soon, the burning heat was back and my clothes chafed painfully at my skin.

  “Wren!”

  I vaguely registered Archer’s voice calling my name, but I couldn’t focus on it. My skin was so tight, it felt like it was being stretched taut over my bones.

  “Wren!”

  Archer’s hand on my wrist felt like a cold bucket of water against my skin. I turned into him and immediately reached under the collar of his jacket so my palms lay against his bare skin and hummed happily. So, so good.

  “Little bird? Care to tell me why you’re wandering around my street, barely dressed?” Archer asked carefully, scrutinizing my face. I probably looked crazy.

  “This is your street?” I asked absentmindedly, wondering how open he’d be to stripping down on the sidewalk so I could reach more of his skin.

  “Wren? Baby? Are you okay?” he asked, frowning.

  “Not your baby,” I murmured, leaning up so I could nuzzle my cheek against his. “So nice, so cool.”

  Archer cursed under his breath. “Come on, we need to get you back to my place. Shit, I’m sorry, Wren. I didn’t think this would happen. Not yet, anyway…”

  I had no idea what he was talking about, but he took my hand in his and it felt glorious so I let him lead me forward.

  We were in his house within a few minutes and he let go of my hand so he could take his jacket off. I bit back a growl at the loss of physical contact. Fates, something was seriously wrong with me.

  Ugh, Archer would definitely get the wrong idea if I kept carrying on like this.

  He led me to the couch and pulled me down next to him. So far away. I crawled onto his lap instead, straddling him and letting my hands drift up underneath his shirt. At some point, while I was nuzzling his jaw like a cat, I realized I was acting strangely again.

  I sat back, still on his lap, and frowned at him. “Did you drug me or something last night? What the fuck is happening to me?”

  “Ah, there she is,” Archer said cheerily. “Right, you’re going to be pissed so let’s just get this conversation out of the way while you’re still lucid.”

  My eyes narrowed, and I tried to climb off his lap, but two firm hands clamped down securely on my hips, holding me in place. “Trust me, little bird, you’ll feel more comfortable touching me.”

  “And why is that?” I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “Because you’re going into heat. Your body wants its mate.” He looked altogether too smug about that.

  “Excuse me?” I asked, my voice sounding low and dangerous even to my own ears. I’d only learned the very basics about mating heats when I was a kid — they hit once a year in winter, all the mated couples of childbearing age vanished into their homes for a few days, and it made everyone crazy.

  “We’re not mated, you can’t have triggered my heat.”

  “We’re fated mates, Wren. Maybe your body didn’t need the claiming bite to trigger your heat. Having your strong, virile mate nearby was obviously enough,” Archer said unapologetically.

  “You’re not my mate,” I spat back pettily, even as my hands made my way back underneath his shirt to rest on his gloriously defined abs. This whole situation and my own body were careening out of my control and I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to burst into tears or strip Archer’s clothes and ride him like a pony.

  “Not yet,” Archer conceded, tilting his head to the side and examining me, shifting slightly so I could pull his shirt up higher.

  “Did you know this would happen? Did you sleep with me to trigger my heat? I’m not going to claim you, no matter how crazy the heat makes me,” I promised vehemently, my hands rubbing aggressively at his chest of their own accord.

  “What?” Archer’s eyes snapped to mine, full of hurt. “Wren, do you really think I’d do that? Of course I didn’t know. I’m not going to take advantage of your heat to claim you either, I would never bite you unless you were on board with it.”

  “Right,” I sighed, deflated. “That was a horrible thing to accuse you of.”

  “I believe ‘sorry’ was the word you were looking for,’ Archer said with a snort. As if he’d ever apologized to me. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss against my collarbone. It was heartbreakingly tender, and as he moved back on the couch I followed him, burying my head in the crook of his neck.

  “We should head to my cabin, little bird,” Archer suggested softly. “The next few days will be unbearable if your wolf doesn’t feel like she’s in a safe environment. My cabin has my scent all over it, she’ll like that.”

  “I have a job. I need to go to work,” I mumbled into his neck, flicking my tongue against his skin. Had he always tasted so good?

  “Yeah, that won’t be happening,” Archer chucked, tipping his head back to give me better access. Through the haziness of my thoughts, I realized the extraordinary amount of trust he was showing me. He was as alpha as they came, and he was giving me access to his throat. I doubted anyone except me had that privilege. “I’ll call Miles from the road, he’ll take care of everything.”

  I hummed against his skin. I wasn’t about to argue with that.

  “I can stand guard outside the cabin until your heat ends if you don’t want me there with you.”

  “Excuse you? You brought the heat on, you stay until it goes away.” Until you fuck it out of my system. “What the hell kind of mate are you?” I groused, sitting back to glare at him again.

  “Yours, apparently,” he said with a cocksure grin.

  “No. Not mine,” I whined, leaning forward to feel him up again and rubbing my head along his jaw. He didn’t smell enough like me. What if some other females got ideas about him? He was mine.

  “No biting,” I slurred, a reminder to both him and myself.

  “I want our claiming bite to be something we both remember,” he agreed, sounding very certain of himself. “Hold on, little bird. You’ll be miserable if I put you down.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as he stood, easily moving around the house with my weight hanging off him. Vaguely, I was aware of him on the phone with Miles and grabbing a few things to chuck in the truck, but I was too enamored with the smell of his skin to care about the details.

  “Fuck,” Archer muttered. “Fates knows how we’ll manage this drive.”

  He opened the driver’s door and put me down on the bench, encouraging me to move along the bench seat to make room for him as I tried to climb back out into his arms. “Shhh, it’s okay. I’ll be right next to you.”

  Eventually he got in the cab with me pressed right up against his side, buckled us both in before pulling out of the driveway. His eyes were determinedly on the road and occasionally a high-pitched whine would break me out of my haze, only for me to realize the noise was coming from me.

  “Little bird, I think the proximity is making it harder for you. Try to sit on the passenger side for a bit, okay?” Archer gritted out. I nodded while my brain was still functioning, moving to the passenger side and securing my seatbelt. One thing I recalled about the mating heat was that the males were more lucid since they were responsible for protecting their mates.

  I also knew that it was almost impossible for them to deny their mate anything during heat. Archer was probably pretty uncomfortable too.

  Determined, I focused on staring out the window, not taking in any of the scenery, but digging my nails into my palms to keep my mind clear. No touching, no touching, no touching.

  “Baby, really need you to stay on your side of the truck,” Archer bit out. I stilled, surprised to find myself halfway across the cab already, seatbelt unbuckled, my hand resting possessively on the bulge in his jeans.

  This was mine. It was for me. Why did he want me to move?

  “Little bird,
it’s not safe. Your wolf knows. This isn’t safe for us,” Archer instructed gently. My wolf was agitated, she felt vulnerable. I moved back into my seat and buckled my seatbelt mutely while my wolf fretted.

  Rage started unfurling in my chest, rippling through me like fire. I could smell his arousal. He was hard for me. Why was he denying me what was mine?

  “Stop growling at me, little bird,” Archer groaned. “We’ll be there soon and then I can take care of you properly. You know it’ll get worse if I touch you and there’s no fucking way I’m letting you go into full-blown heat on the side of the road.”

  The second we got in the cabin, I pounced. My wolf recognized that we were in a safe place and recognized Archer as her mate, even though she hadn’t claimed him. For now, that was good enough.

  Fuck. Had Archer always smelled that good? Had he always looked that strong? Virile. That’s how he looked. So fucking virile. He could give me the best babies. Strong babies. We should make some of those.

  His clothes were ribbons by the time I’d finished with them. I clawed them off his body, desperate to get to my prize. I made sure to knick his skin a few times too; I wanted him and everyone else to know he was spoken for.

  Archer attempted to get the upper hand, trying to maneuver me onto the bed and undress me, but my wolf rose to the surface and I snarled at him in warning. I knew what I wanted.

  I dropped to my knees, still fully clothed, and licked my lips in appreciation of the fucking perfect cock in front of me. Oh yes, all mine. Greedily licking at the precum leaking from the tip, I savored the taste of him on my tongue. Such a delicious mate I had.

  “Don’t fucking tease, Wren. Do you know how hard it was fighting you off me in the truck for the past hour?” Archer moaned, tangling his fist in my hair and guiding my mouth forward to take him. This time I didn’t snarl. This was exactly what I wanted. Just a little taste, before all the baby making started.

  I took him deep into my mouth, relaxing my throat so I could take all of him. Archer groaned — a deep, masculine sound of satisfaction that made me preen. I was doing this to him. I may be on my knees, but he was at my mercy.

  “That’s it, baby,” Archer growled. “Fucking take me. Finish me so I can spend hours between your thighs.”

  The whole cabin reeked of my arousal. The potent combination of his words, his presence and the hormones from my heat were making me dizzy with desire.

  Archer brought his other hand to my head to hold it steady and picked up his pace, brutally fucking my mouth. We maintained eye contact the entire time and while his movements were savage and impatient, the warmth in his gaze made it feel intimate. Pride swelled in my chest. I could be a good mate. I could make him happy.

  A few more punishing thrusts and Archer stilled, his grip on my hair almost painful as he came with a roar, spilling down my throat. I swallowed every drop like it was mana from the heavens, licking the sides of his cock to make sure I had missed none. I wouldn’t waste any of this gift my mate was giving to me.

  “Such a perfect little mate,” he crooned, caressing the sides of my face with his fingers. I sat back on my heels, spine straightening under his words of approval. My mate was proud of me.

  “On the bed, little bird,” Archer ordered. “This entire room smells of your arousal and I want to taste it.”

  I stood, and Archer guided me with a hand on my nape to the bed. It was a dominant hold, a possessive hold. My wolf approved. He paused before the bed to roughly yank off my clothes, and I groaned in relief to get the restrictive fabric off my skin. Every inch of my body felt too hot, too tight.

  “Shhhh, it’s okay baby, I know. I’ll make it better,” Archer soothed.

  I crawled onto the bed on all fours and rested my weight forward on my elbows, looking back at Archer over my shoulder. He grabbed my ankles and yanked me back to the edge of the bed before dropping to his knees and burying his face in between my legs from behind. It was lewd and filthy and I should hate it, but in my lustful heat haze, it felt like the best thing that had ever happened to me.

  He wanted this. I had to stay still. To give him this. It made him happy.

  This wasn’t how we would get the babies made, though.

  The higher Archer's tongue drove me, the more I felt my awareness slipping away. Archer would make it okay. I was safe, he would protect me. He would make the ache, the itching, the burning go away.

  My first orgasm almost made me pass out in delirious ecstasy. It felt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Muscles clenched, then let go. Nerves that were once dormant exploded into life. Everything that was bad was good, everything that was wrong was right.

  Archer moved me like a doll, lying me on my back in the center of the bed. I whimpered at the loss of contact, but he shushed, and crooned, and told me how perfect I was. That he would always take care of me. Everything would be okay.

  His hands tangled in my hair as he thrust into me, swallowing my scream of relief with a kiss. Finally. This was what I needed. The powerful, controlled movement of his hips and the dominant grip he had on my hair made my entire body relax, open to him. My strong, virile mate. My fertile mate. Yes. This was what my body needed.

  Time blurred together.

  Occasionally I would wake up on Archer’s chest, angry that he wasn't fucking me. Why wasn't he fucking me? I needed him. What if I wasn’t pregnant yet? Worse, sometimes he would leave the bed to eat, and I would scratch him to ribbons as I dragged him back to the bed. I didn't want food. Why was he trying to give me food? Bad mate. Disobedient mate.

  Archer was unerringly patient. If he ever felt frustrated, he never took it out on me. If he was exhausted, he didn’t let on. When I wanted him, Archer was there, giving me everything that I asked for.

  My gratitude for the way he cared for me was the first and last lucid thought I had before I fell into a deep blissful sleep, my hormones finally giving me a moment’s peace.

  Chapter 17

  Archer

  It took four days for Wren’s heat to finally break. A week ago, I would have said four days of almost constant sex with a beautiful, insatiable woman would be my dream come true.

  Now I’d experienced it, I was glad mated female wolves only went into heat once a year. I felt like I’d run seven marathons in a row and I was fucking starving. Miles had arranged for food to be left outside our door each day, but Wren went crazy whenever I tried to get out of bed. I’d shoved in a few bites over the past few days, and she had eaten nothing at all. It had been a miracle to get water into her.

  Wren was having a very well deserved sleep while I slowly chewed the dry granola bars we had left from the care packages. It was rapidly approaching dinnertime and I was fucking starving, but I couldn’t bring myself to wake her. Fates, Wren was so beautiful it hurt. Especially right now with her tangle of just-fucked hair, lips bruised from days of kissing, skin all gloriously marked up and flushed from exertion.

  Wren’s skin glowed with sweat, and she’d be incredibly grossed out when she came to, but the smell of sex that practically poured off her was getting me high. The only thing that would make it better would be if we were actually mated. Then her scent would still smell like heaven to me, but would warn other shifters that she was taken. She’d smell like a mated she-wolf.

  She had so many marks on her, I may as well have carved Property of Archer on her forehead. Fortunately, the possessiveness was mutual. I had a fantastic set of matching claw marks down my arms and chest, and I could tell my back looked like a game of noughts and crosses.

  We had all the marks except the ones that mattered. My gaze honed in on the beautiful unbroken skin where her pulse fluttered in her neck. I’d left a hickey there but kept my promise not to claim her. I fancied my testicles attached to my body and if I’d broken that promise, Wren would have made a pair of earrings out of them.

  Wren stirred, and I noted with glee the way she immediately reached across the bed to where I’d been lying. Her eyes snapp
ed open when she couldn’t find me, and I saw a flash of relief when she spotted me at the small dining table at the end of the bed before she covered it up with her usual scowl.

  As much as I had enjoyed her sex-glazed, eager-to-please expression during her heat, I much preferred this Wren. The one that was fully aware of the world around her, even if it meant being fully aware of how much she disliked me most of the time.

  “There she is. My grumpy little bird is back,” I chuckled. I swiped another granola bar off the table and my mug of weak instant coffee and brought them over to Wren. “Here you go, you need to build your energy back up. We’ll head over to the main pack territory later today so we can have a decent meal and proper coffee.”

  “Excuse you, Archer Ellery,” she muttered, glaring at me. “Who died and made you king of everything? I’m not going to play happy families with your pack just because you helped me through my heat. You triggered it in the first place.”

  “I triggered it because I’m your mate,” I pointed out.

  “Not yet, you’re not,” she retorted snappily. I’d take not yet. That practically meant soon. “This was a one-off deal.”

  “I feel like I’ve heard that before.” I made a show of tapping my chin thoughtfully, enjoying the way her eye twitched.

  Wren was grumpy, sure, but I could see the panic she was trying to repress. She was probably at least a little curious about meeting my pack, but her experience growing up had seriously screwed up her perception of pack life.

  And she feared admitting how much she wanted me. Obviously.

  “Sorry, little bird, we’re on pack territory so you have to show your face to the Alpha whether you want to or not,” I told her unapologetically. “We don’t have to play happy families, as you so eloquently put it, but I will definitely tell them you’re my fated mate. They’ll expect you to challenge me at every turn, anyway. Future Luna and all.”

  Wren flopped dramatically back onto the bed and pulled the pillow over her face. “Nope. It’s too early and I’m too hungry,” she mumbled.