Breaking Fate: Book Three: Black Claw Ranch

by Lane, Cecilia

  Sloan hooked her legs around his waist and pulled him down on top of her, mattress dipping under their weight.

  Lorne rested his arms on either side of her head, lowering his mouth to sip at her lips. She nipped at him, biting down and burying her fingers in his dark hair. Anchoring him to her, inhaling his breath as the kiss deepened, their tongues tangling together in an intimate dance.

  They’d been so close to losing each other. Her fingers tightened in his hair, her kiss growing more desperate. She didn’t want to waste any time. She wanted him.

  Forever.

  Strong hands wrapped around her wrists and pressed her arms into the bed above her head. Lorne glanced up quickly, checking to see if she showed any signs of pain, and Sloan melted. Even in the midst of everything, she was his first concern. He had her back, always.

  Forever.

  She bucked, hips grinding against him. “I’m fine,” she insisted. Panted, even. Her skin felt on fire, his every touch raising the temperature a thousand degrees more. She’d combust soon if he didn’t give her more than the rolling of his hips against hers and the attention of his mouth.

  “Of course you are.” He transferred her wrists to one hand and dipped his face to her shoulder, leaving a trail of biting kisses to her earlobe. “Tough Sloan. Sexy Sloan.”

  A shiver worked down her spine. Hot breath and scratchy beard felt so good against her skin. Too good. Almost as good as the fingers Lorne delved under her top. Fabric bunched and inched up until she lifted slightly. He tugged her shirt off just enough to twist around her wrists and keep her captive for an extra second.

  “Lorne,” she huffed.

  “Had to find a way to keep you gentle,” he insisted with a laugh.

  Her retort died when he pulled down the cups of her bra and took a stiff nipple between his lips. She tossed her head back, eyes closing, and melted into his touch.

  She wiggled her hands out from the shirt trap and trailed them over his head, shoulders, anywhere she could reach. “Need to feel your skin.”

  Lorne inhaled, gaze as bright as the stars in the sky, his lips hitching up in a sexy, indulgent, promising smirk that said she may have said the words, but he only acted because he wanted to. That silky smooth confidence of a man who knew he was in charge dried her throat.

  He reared back, rising to his feet to shed his clothing in jerky movements. Sloan wet her lower lip, taking in every square inch of his hard, toned body. Packed muscles were defined by deep lines, solid chest, tapered waist.

  Hers.

  Desire coursed through her at the sight, even more at the obvious signs saying he wanted her as much as she did him. She doubted she’d ever wake again and not find the man attractive. He hit every mark on a checklist designed specifically for her. Tall, dark, broody, good.

  She could feel red brushing over her cheeks and down her body. She slammed her thighs closed to ease some of the tension, and drew the eyes of her beast.

  “No,” he said, voice hoarse. “Off.”

  The order vibrated through her and her hands moved to obey, only to be knocked aside by his. All teasing had disappeared from his expression, leaving only dominance and a slightly animalistic need.

  He rolled her jeans down her thighs, taking her panties with them. She kicked the clothes off her legs as he knelt at the foot of the bed.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  Again, the witty words she tried to push past her lips died the moment he touched her. He licked a long line up her slit, then lapped at her clit, breath hot on her flesh.

  Lorne’s hands caressed her body, stroking over her hips, her stomach, kneading her breasts. Fire trailed under his hands, and his mouth worked her into oblivion. Air exploded from her lungs when he pushed a finger inside her.

  Soon her entire body writhed beneath him, his flicking motions bringing her to a peak of pleasure. Her fingers curled into his scalp, digging in as he licked and stroked. A throbbing pulse beat between her legs. Ready to explode. She teetered right on the edge as he thrust another finger inside her, swirling and swiping until, until—

  Her moan morphed into a cry. Lorne held her open, refusing to let her back away from the pleasure he built inside her, licking and tasting until her aftershocks rolled over into another release barreling down upon her.

  “Mine,” he declared again.

  All she could do was nod and suck down breath after breath. Pain ceased to exist. She’d been taken to another plane of existence, one where she and Lorne were the only inhabitants. All the better, because she didn’t intend to let anything come between them again. Pasts be damned. She wanted their future. She wanted him.

  He rose up, pressing tiny, soft kisses and sharp, not so tiny bites onto her skin along the way. He avoided the mass of bruises still on her ribs, growling when he nuzzled against them for a brief second, then laid another blistering kiss on her lips.

  Lorne settled between her thighs, the head of his cock pressing against her. Yes, yes, now.

  “Sloan?” he whispered against her lips.

  The last, final question. His voice was hoarse with holding back, she could hear, but he still gave her the chance to change her mind.

  Gentle bear. Crazy bear. She’d made her choice.

  “Lorne, now,” she groaned.

  With a growl, he thrust into her.

  Sloan cried out. He filled her, stretching her, surging past the point of gentle and into that of pure pleasure. Her body scrambled to adjust, to keep up with the intense bear. Her nails dug into his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his waist.

  He was a bear, a beast. Devouring her one atom at a time, inflaming every nerve ending until even her hair crackled with wild energy.

  “Yours!”

  * * *

  His.

  And she wanted him. Madwoman. Crazy, crazy, crazy. Tying herself to him, with all his problems. But there she was, spread out for him, offering herself up to him, whimpering her need in his ears.

  He would take care of her. Now, tonight. And forever. That was what a good mate, a good partner, did. He swore his promises to her body. He’d make the same ones with words later, if she wanted. She would have everything.

  Gentle. Gentle. He tried to keep steady, slow. The bruises along her side and the ones still coloring her face weren’t as awful as when his cousin put them there, but they were still a reminder of how fragile the human in his bed could be.

  Sloan was having none of that. Hard nails dragged down his back, and she set her teeth against his skin.

  A high moan left her lips as she arched into his thrusts. Trembling hands trailed up and down his back, his arms, wherever she could reach. He reveled in the touch, not just as his soon-to-be mate, but as her being there.

  Too close. He’d come too close to losing her. He hated the feeling that boiled in his stomach. Even more, he hated the idea of stripping that power away from her and urging her into something safer, something that guaranteed her home every night. She wasn’t made for cages. She was made to slam through walls and terrible ideas and transform the world into a place he’d be proud to bring cubs into.

  Lorne dragged himself back until only the tip remained in her heat, then slammed home again. And again. The bed rocked under the force, headboard pounding against the wall at the top of each blow.

  He grabbed her hands and stretched her out underneath him, fingers twining together as a proxy for their connection. He stared into her big blue eyes, utterly captured in the moment. Flesh slapped against flesh, her moans punctuated his groans, her body pulsed and clutched at him with every slide and slam of his hips.

  His.

  Perfect woman. Tough woman. His.

  Running headlong into danger put her in his path. Refusing to back down kept her in his way. He wouldn’t change anything about her.

  At the precipice of another shattering orgasm, Lorne lowered his head to the upper swell of her breast. His gums ached with the press of fangs; his bear roared to complete the connection
. Their bond would serve them both, tie them together, forge their lives onto a path they walked together.

  “Mine,” she whispered, nipped at his skin, too.

  By the Broken, he nearly came undone right then and there.

  His fangs pierced her skin, delicate beads of blood touching his tongue. He licked the scarlet liquid and tasted the salty moisture with a groan. Light flared behind his eyelids as the bond took hold in his head and heart.

  His.

  Warmth flooded through him, filling her. Lorne lifted his head and roared, dark tips of claws digging into the blankets by her head.

  Peace flowed over him. Not the kind that came from a contented afternoon, or a long shower, or a quickie with someone he’d never see again. No, the peace that took hold was the lasting kind. The kind that soothed the rough parts of his soul and filled the cold spaces of his heart.

  She’d taken him, damage and all, and made him into a complete person.

  “Mine,” she whispered against his shoulder.

  Lorne rolled off her, gently tugging her over his chest. He never wanted to let her go. “If anything had happened to you…”

  She kissed his shoulder. “Nothing did.”

  “Nothing ever will.” His bear surged inside him, thickening his voice. “You’re mine now, Sloan. Forever.”

  She grabbed his face between her hands and pecked him on the lips. “Forever.”

  Epilogue

  “This is what you do for fun?” Sloan took a sip of her wine and squinted at the glossy polish on her nails. Serviceable and not against any uniform regulation, they didn’t look half bad. The gloss was nothing like the neon green on Tansey’s fingers or the navy on Joss’s.

  “Whenever we can manage,” Joss answered between handfuls of popcorn. “It’s nice to just be normal for a few hours.”

  Normal. What a word. She used to have a definition for it, but the time since supes entered the world changed the meaning. So she changed her definition, and again found the word turned on its head when she witnessed someone who should have upheld the law doing unspeakable things. Once again, she was forced to shift her idea of normal when she found herself in Bearden and surrounded by the Black Claw clan.

  Normal, now, meant brawling shifters and the background moos and neighs of the ranch. Her new normal was actually protecting and serving the supernatural population, instead of standing by while others trumped up charges or put their own will above all else. With her place on the shifter squad restored and Agent John Espen behind bars, Sloan aimed to correct as many wrongs as she could for the rest of her life.

  Absently, she traced the upper edge of the mark Lorne left on her skin. Her skin prickled at the touch and the memory of how she felt when Lorne traced the scar. Hot. Needy. It was like an on switch. Dangerous, that mark. And incredible.

  Just like her mate.

  That last was the best bit of the new normal.

  The word still felt unfamiliar when she said it, but the meaning behind it never changed. Her mate was love and support. Lorne wrapped her up in strong arms when she needed, and helped her to her feet when she needed that, too. He had her back, and was her partner through it all. Murderous relatives and revenge-seeking assholes couldn’t break them apart.

  They found their place, together.

  The front door burst open with loud guffaws. Ethan stormed inside. Hunter and Lorne took up flanking positions on either side.

  “Get ‘em,” Ethan ordered.

  With roars and laughter, the three men rushed into the room. Canisters appeared in their hands and sprayed white fluff. The couch took the first hit.

  “Interlopers!” Tansey shouted. She snapped to her feet and tried to grab the canister from Ethan. He simply shoved her back onto the couch and into a mess.

  “Raiders!” Hunter corrected with a grin, circling the couch with Joss on the other side.

  Joss stepped to one side, then another, Hunter mirroring the movements. With a wild squeal, she climbed over the back and threw herself at him, riding him to the ground with a thump.

  “You ruined mani and movie night!” Joss yelled, fighting to get a hold on the canister Hunter kept from her.

  “We made it better!” Hunter defended and squirted her with white.

  Sloan eyed the last man. Her mate stalked around the struggles of the others, fingers twitching on the plastic top of his can.

  “You’re losing your touch, Agent,” he said, menace in his voice contrasting with the teasing smirk on his lips.

  She cast around for anything to use against him or throw him off balance. Her cohorts were useless, Joss still wrestling with Hunter and Tansey throwing back handfuls of goop at Ethan. The movie kept on playing, utterly forgotten in the chaos. “We’ll have armed guards posted outside next time.”

  “You think we don’t have a plan for that?”

  Lorne slid a look over her shoulder and Sloan cursed. At both doors, Jesse and Alex stood guard, also holding canisters of their own. Both had drawn dark lines under their eyes like they’d prepared for war.

  Sloan wasn’t helpless. She dove toward the wrestling couple on the floor and grabbed up Hunter’s can with a yell. Lorne looped his arms around her waist, but it was too late. She turned the can upside down and covered his head with the sweetness.

  “Tansey! The popcorn!” she laughed.

  Tansey dodged Ethan and tripped over her own feet, spilling the bowl of popcorn over Hunter and Joss. Pieces settled into the whipped topping and gave them the look of pocked snowmen.

  The room erupted into madness as the other men joined in the fight. Cans were thrown and dropped, changed sides, and emptied while the mates defended themselves against the greater numbers.

  When the laughter finally died down, the mess was everywhere. Grins touched every face.

  “Is that whipped cream?” Joss asked in the quiet of heaving breaths.

  Hunter dragged a finger through a glob on Joss’s shoulder, then stuck it in his mouth. “Mhm. You can’t expect us to waste our shaving cream.”

  “But you’ll waste whipped cream.” A clump fell from Tansey’s ear to the floor with a quiet splat.

  “Be glad it wasn’t canned cheese.”

  “Ethan Ashford, you are responsible for cleaning this mess up. You want to act like some drunk frat boy, you get to clean like a sober one.” Oh, she tried her damnedest to sound like a harsh taskmistress, but laugh didn’t quite stay out of her voice.

  Ethan tackled her to the couch. She screeched and slapped away his hands, but he pinned hers under his knees. Devilish grin on his face, he squirted some into his mouth, then leaned forward to give her a sloppy kiss.

  “And I’m out before this gets even weirder,” Alex grumbled.

  Tansey picked a piece of popcorn off her arm and threw it at him. “Not so fast. You’re on cleaning duty, too. Just following orders isn’t an excuse.”

  Crazy clan. The night was just what she needed after the weeks of trouble. Sloan felt the strain of work melt away with every full-bellied laugh.

  “Hey.” Lorne caught her chin between his fingers and tilted her face to his.

  “Hey, yourself,” she echoed. Her cheeks hurt from her smile.

  Only human in the SEA shifter unit. Only true human in the clan.

  Sloan was right where she belonged.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Breaking Fate! I hope you loved Lorne and Sloan!

  The Black Claw clan will return with Wild Fate!

  Next in Series

  Wild Fate: Black Claw Ranch Book Four

  One night was all it took for Alex Carter to lose his humanity.

  And everything important in his life.

  A bear shifter attack left him nearly dead in the woods. His only choice—embrace the animal within. Forget his job, his future and Liv.

  Olivia West has spent years putting the past behind her. After her boyfriend suddenly disappeared she swore off love forever. But that was years ago. Now, Liv belie
ves she might have seen Alex. Determined to track him down and get answers, she confronts the man who broke her heart.

  Face to face once again, nothing is the same.

  Alex is a shifter. Liv is a scientist, studying men like her former love.

  The danger is just beginning.

  Alex’s enemies are closing in.

  He’s in a battle with his bear and his heart.

  Above all, he’ll do anything to keep Liv safe this time around.

  Wild Fate is available on Amazon!

  Newsletter

  Want updates on new paranormal/fantasy romance releases and special sales? Want to receive an EXCLUSIVE ebook available nowhere else?

  Sign up for my newsletter!

  http://cecilialane.com/cecilianews

  About the Author

  Cecilia Lane grew up in a what most call paradise, but she insists is humid hell. She escaped the heat with weekly journeys to the library, where she learned the basics of slaying dragons, magical abilities, and grand adventures.

  When it became apparent she wouldn’t be able to travel the high seas with princes or party with rock star vampires, Cecilia hunkered down to create her own worlds filled with sexy people in complicated situations. She now writes with the support of her own sexy man and many interruptions from her goofy dog.

  Connect with Cecilia online!

  www.cecilialane.com

  Also by Cecilia Lane