Her frustration grew as Sable dipped his head to lick her nipples one by one. Fingers reached up and threaded through his hair, pulling him closer and eliciting a garbled chuckle from Sable. Face pulled tightly into her chest, he was well aware of her need, and amused that her efforts to speed him up were causing her more delay.
He delighted in the trembling of her long, lanky body. Her curves. Her delicious heat rising up and encircling him. Sable growled low in his throat, pulling away gently.
“Fine, wicked one. We’ll save the love-making for another time.”
She barely had a moment to smile before he pulled her clothes off, nearly ripping them in his haste. The control he had held dissipated with her longing. Kissing her, caressing, pulling her towards him, he slipped inside of her and began rocking her towards the greatest orgasm she’d ever felt. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him deeper, his hardness filling her and stretching her. The feeling as he took her roughly was at once painful and pleasurable, the urgency of his need driving her maddeningly closer to her climax as she held on for dear life.
When she couldn’t take another moment of his quick thrusts, she let her head fall back and let out a scream, stifling it with a desperate moan as the heat continued to build while she climaxed. Sable didn’t relent, riding her through the waves of pleasure and continuing as her nerve endings screamed for him to stop.
She whimpered and moaned, feeling as if she was beyond her threshold. Sable’s breath suddenly quickened and he reached his peak, spilling himself inside her, though he didn’t stop.
Olivia fought to breathe, struggling to inflate her lungs under the constant rhythm of his forceful thrusting. Without warning, she climaxed again, giant wave after wave of pleasure crashing through her and drowning her in ecstasy. Sable felt her quiver around him and knew that he’d given her more than she’d asked for, and exactly what she needed.
He slowed down, smiling as she trembled as the waves grew further and further apart. Spent and satisfied, he laid down beside her and pulled her into his arms. Her skin was slick and radiant, her satisfaction displayed like a medal on her sweet face. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t catch her breath. Sable smiled and brushed the now brown hair out of her face.
“The first thing we’re doing when we figure our way out of this mess is getting that flaming hair of yours back. Even brown-eyed and mousy, you’re the little firecracker I’ve always loved.”
Sable stopped, not intending to declare his feelings so boldly, especially not while they were both basking in the glow of amazing sex. Olivia saw his expression change and felt awful for all she’d put him through. Here was a man who loved only her, and yet she had treated him like a leper. He deserved better from her. He deserved better than her.
Hiding the pain she knew was evident on her face, she buried her head into his chest and closed her eyes. She allowed the darkness to swallow her, to take her to a place where she didn’t have to think of the mess she’d created. Where she wasn’t the stubborn woman who refused to admit the truth and instead fought the inevitable. She loved Sable with all her heart and soul, and she wanted no other man. The only thing she had to do to save their lives was agree to marry him. Even she couldn’t explain to herself why that was so hard.
Her brow furrowed and her eyes fluttered as the last of her thoughts got swallowed by exhaustion. Sable moved out from under her, hastily getting dressed in case Egan came back. He dressed Olivia, smiling down at her as she briefly roused from sleep to help him slip her shirt over her head before fading into slumber once more. If it took him the rest of his life, he would convince her to marry him. He couldn’t live his life without her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The sun was rising gently through the trees when Olivia woke up a short while later. Sable was sitting near the window, watching out the window, his hands working nervously on his leg while he scanned the tree line.
He heard Olivia stir and moved one finger to his lips to signal her to be silent. She nodded, pulling her pants and shoes on quickly and gathering her things. Sable was tense, and Olivia had no doubt that they’d already been found, though she couldn’t figure out how. With any luck, they could sneak out the back and she could ride Sable the few miles to Canada without getting caught. Or I could just marry him and end this all.
Olivia moved quietly to crouch beside Sable, trying to peek through the other side of the window frame to see what was going on. A tiny voice echoed through the woods, the screams hushed. But Olivia knew immediately who it was, and her blood ran cold as she realized in an instant how they’d been found.
“Grace!”
Sable covered her mouth, quieting her screams.
“Be quiet. I’ll take care of this.”
“Where is Egan?” Olivia whispered.
“I don’t know. He hasn’t returned yet. Maybe they have him, maybe he’s still on patrol. I can’t tell you. For now, it’s just us against them.”
The leaves moved violently as Grace was shoved into the tiny clearing in front of the cabin. From the shadows, Laskin emerged, his gun trained on the back of Grace’s head.
“Sable! Bring her to me!” he bellowed loudly, sending birds scattering from the trees and into the air.
“Oh my God, Sable! This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head, trying to reassure her that none of this was her fault, but tears spilled over her cheeks as Grace lay on the forest floor, too exhausted to fight the binding on her hands and feet to attempt to stand up.
“Coward! Come out of hiding and face me like a man!”
Sable stepped out towards the door, pushing Olivia’s hands away as she tried to hold him back.
“Stay here.”
He slid out the partially opened door and shut it firmly behind him. He eyed Laskin, surprised that the weasel had suddenly grown a backbone. He listened for Egan, hoping that his brother was lying somewhere in wait to help Sable in battle and not captured. Or worse. There was no sign of him, so Sable addressed Laskin.
“Where are the elders? Surely, they didn’t send the keeper of the tablet on such an important mission.”
Laskin’s face colored an angry red. Furious, he kicked Grace, her body flying a few feet before it thudded to the ground. She groaned but didn’t get up.
“I’ll marry him, just please don’t hurt my friend!”
Sable turned towards the cabin, shocked as Olivia struggled to pull open the heavy door while she screamed from the other side. “I’ll marry him, I promise. I’ll do it today.”
Finally, the door lurched inward and she stepped into the doorway.
“It’s too late for that, Olivia. You’re going to die, you’re all going to die.”
He turned to address Sable. “You’re nothing but a human-lover, a filthy human sympathizer. And that thing growing inside her is an abomination. The elders are fools, allowing humans to carry shifter children. I don’t care if she marries you or not, that demon-seed offspring of yours will never live to see the light of day.”
He raised the gun at Olivia’s stomach, moving his finger to the trigger. With a deafening roar, an orange blur sprang from the trees and landed on Laskin. Laskin lost his footing, his arm flailing wildly in the air as he went down with the tiger. The gun went off, tearing the bark out of a tree not far from Olivia’s head. She squeaked in surprise and then ran to her friend, pulling her toward the cabin and safety. Grace was weak and unable to help, each desperate tug from Olivia was sheer misery as her friend tried without success to pull her all the way to the cabin and inside.
Laskin screamed as the tiger attacked, trying in vain to shift so that he could fight on equal terms. Sable rushed to pick up Grace. Limp and breathing shallowly, he took her into the cabin and laid her by the fire. Olivia rushed to her side, her hands running over her friend’s broken body, her face wet with tears as she cried in agony.
“Stay here with her. Don’t open the door.”
Sable ran
out the door as the fight continued. The other tiger’s coat was faded to nearly-brown, not the vibrant orange of Egan’s young coat. Sable knew this wasn’t his brother, but he would deal with that once Laskin was defeated.
Laskin got off another shot, this one ripping through the tiger’s shoulder. The beast rolled off Laskin, whose screams turned into a roar as he shifted quickly. Sable was shocked by the color of his coat, the black and silver clearly evident even in the daylight. Only one type of shifter had that coat color, and Sable was instantly enraged.
“You’re a half-breed!” Sable’s declaration echoed off the trees. He was incredulous. The biggest detractor of human-shifter breeding was, himself, a product of that very thing.
The Laskin tiger stopped moving for a moment, roaring angrily at Sable before he advanced on the other tiger. Sable channeled his fury, shifting painfully fast and running to aid the mystery shifter, who was trying desperately to hold his shape as he bled profusely from the wound. Sable was nearly upon Laskin when the wounded tiger shifted, leaving a wounded Aldrich in its place. Laskin leapt towards Aldrich, but Sable swiped at him, knocking him out of the air and slamming him into a tree near the edge of a steep embankment. Sable jumped onto him and bit his neck, pulling on him in an effort to end Laskin right then and there. Laskin fought back, but his efforts were futile. He went limp, rolling off the side of the embankment and down the hill, coming to a stop in a thicket at the bottom.
Sable heard movement in the trees as the remaining elders emerged from the trees. He rushed to Aldrich, ready to fight the elders if they went after Olivia.
Aldrich was hurt, but the wound was superficial, nothing that wouldn’t heal on its own once his shock wore off. For now, Aldrich was in excruciating pain.
Sable kneeled beside him, hesitant to shift to human form while the other two were so close and ready to strike.
The door to the cabin opened and Olivia ran out.
“Please. Please just stop. I’ll marry him. I want to marry him. Just don’t hurt him.”
The two elders in the trees approached slowly, their large bodies shrinking as they got closer. Sable shifted too, though he was ready to fight at the slightest provocation. Olivia’s frantic words echoed in his head.
“Aldrich, are you okay?” The elder was concerned, reaching out to his friend to make sure he was okay.
“I’m fine.”
Sable offered his hand, helping the injured man sit up. “Did you hear what she said? She’s willing to marry me. Can you call off the search now, and let us live our lives?”
“I’m afraid that the events of today require some deeper thought into this. Laskin’s parents were married and vetted, yet he turned out to be a traitor. We might have to rethink the entire group of laws, and I’m beginning to question if hybrids are something we want running around this earth.”
Sable nodded. “Then at least give me a head start so I can get her to Canada. I won’t let you kill her.”
A movement to his right caught his eye. He hid his relief as he recognized his brother, arriving just in time to miss the fight. If Aldrich tried to hurt Olivia, Egan was poised and ready to step in.
Surprisingly, Aldrich agreed. “You have until sundown to get your family across the border. Our laws can’t touch you there, so it’s in your best interests to stay there. If we catch you in the US again, we’ll carry out her sentence without hesitation, as well as the child. The future of our species is bigger than one woman and one child. I’m sure you understand.”
The elders turned in unison and walked away, heading back out of the forest and leaving Egan and Sable to care for Grace and dispose of Laskin’s body.
Egan walked out of the trees and towards the cabin. “I’ll get our things packed and get ready to head out, you deal with Laskin.”
Sable nodded, walking over to the tree near the steep embankment. He reached the edge and looked down, wondering how hard it would be to just break a big chunk of the ground off so it could roll and cover the weasel up.
He peered over the edge and sucked in his breath. Below him, the thicket had been crushed with the tiger’s weight. But there was no sign of Laskin.
Olivia’s hand settled on Sable’s shoulder, startling him as he stared at the empty spot where Laskin should have been.
“He’s mortally wounded, Sable. Let it go. He’s not going to bother us again.”
“You’re right. I crushed his wind-pipe. If he’s alive, he won’t be for long.”
They walked hand in hand back to the cabin, mentally preparing for the trip north to safety. Sable looked around at the place that held all of his fondest memories. He was leaving his home behind, both here and in Florida. His accounts remained, and they’d buy a home in Canada that Olivia would adore. Home was wherever Olivia was, but he was sure going to miss this place.
“How is Grace?”
“She’s stunned and Laskin beat her pretty badly to get information out of her. It’s all my fault, I never should have called her.”
“I doesn’t matter now, and you aren’t responsible for him. He’s a self-hating hybrid.”
“He’s a shifter-human hybrid? But he—”
“I know. The bottom-line is, what’s going on with him goes deeper than any misstep you made. Grace will heal, and we’ll get through this.”
He wrapped his arm around her and walked into the cabin, ready to get as far away from the council, and this day as possible.
**
Sable moved around the nursery, putting the finishing touches on the brightly-colored room while Olivia directed the movers downstairs. The walls were a cheery yellow, which went great with the mahogany furniture. On the plush recliner, Sable had neatly folded an afghan that his mother had made for him when he was a baby. It still looked new, the yarn a vibrant and deep purple with black woven through like tiger stripes. Sable ran his fingers over the blanket, closing his eyes and remembering the softness of his mother’s voice as she sang lullabies. He wished more than anything that she were here to see his life; a pregnant wife on the verge of giving birth, Egan having grown up to be the fine young man they always envisioned, the two of them risking their lives to do what’s right. Rick and Edda James had given their lives in the name of justice, and Sable meant to honor their memories by standing up as they had against the archaic rules of the council and their human supporters.
Olivia had married him finally, and willingly. She had been radiant in a soft blue dress, her prominent belly drawing smiles from the city employees at the Kelowna Court House where they were wed. Sable had tried to talk her out of it, explaining that the laws had changed and their marriage wouldn’t save any one of them if they stepped foot on American soil again. As with everything, she’d remained steadfast, giving him no choice but to yield to her will.
He chuckled even now, thinking that the very thing that had sent them running for their lives was suddenly something Olivia wasn’t willing to budge on. Sable wasn’t going to complain, he got the girl, and on her terms. His life was complete. Well, almost.
He unloaded the heavy bag, stocking the changing table with tiny diapers, wipes and the various ointments that babies seemed to require. He folded the bag and tucked it under one arm, scanning the room to make sure everything was perfect before he went downstairs to help the movers with their furniture. His eyes stopped on the empty crib, the blue fitted sheet with white sheep bounding around tugging a smile from his lips. Any day now, their child would be in that very crib, a sign of hope for their future, and a testament to their love. He couldn’t wait to hold his sweet babe in his arms.
Footsteps bounded up the stairs, heavy and fast. Egan burst through the doorway, panting like he was out of breath.
“Are you about through with the room?”
“Yes I am; do you need help with the movers?”
“No, we need the hospital bag. Olivia says it’s time.”
Sable stood in the middle of the room, the words taking a moment to sink in. He blinked o
nce and then realized what his brother had said.
“Now?”
From the bottom of the stairs, Olivia’s voice came up the stairs, calm but loud.
“Yes, now!”
With that he headed out the door, grabbing the overstuffed bag on his way. He took one last look at the room, satisfied that it was ready for their new bundle of joy. Olivia moaned from the base of the stairs.
“Sable the room is perfect, let’s go!”
She was right, the room was perfect. And today was the perfect day to have a baby.
He jogged down the stairs and flashed her a winning smile.
“Let’s do this!”
CHAPTER NINE
Five years later
Olivia sat on the back porch swing, watching her boys as they moved around the yard. Her bare feet were tucked beneath her, her bright yellow sundress spread around her knees. Egan and Sable worked tirelessly with young Morgan, teaching him how to shift, and how to fight. The young boy was insatiable, mastering every skill with ease and moving on to the next lesson.
The fence in the back yard was six feet tall, and wrapped around the entire acre, with a locked gate opening up into the Okanogan Forest. Once a week, the three would train in the forest, running for hours, careful to stay away from the border and safely on the Canadian side.
Olivia sipped tea and laughed as the three frolicked in the lush grass. Their child was growing so fast, already the size of a normal ten year old. He was strong and quick, swift both physically and mentally. But, like his father, Morgan was sweet and kind.
Their voices were loud and boisterous, carrying in the air merrily as they played. Unlike back home, the neighbors here in Kelowna weren’t afraid of shifters. They were careful to teach Morgan to shift only when necessary, and never in anger. But the parents in the neighborhood had never shunned Morgan, and welcomed the entire family in with open arms.
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