by Sage Hunter
Chapter 16
Jenny
The night wore down and I clung tightly to Oberon’s body. It had been a close call out there, and I had truly thought I was going to lose him. It was even more terrifying than when I had believed he was a human and that the man with the gun was going to rob me of his presence forever.
No, this time, I knew just how dangerous and difficult it was going to be for him to fight the legions and the two terrifying creatures that had decided that shifters did not make compatible citizens on the planet they were hoping to colonize. It had been a fortunate twist of fate that Oberon’s weapon had suddenly come to life, a coincidence I knew could potentially be linked to the fact that I was carrying his child.
When the battle was over, I had run to him as quickly as I could, shocked that things had taken such a dramatic turn for the best. I was free. I suddenly had no weight on my shoulders at all. My debts erased, and those who had been trying to destroy me were going to be destroyed in turn. It was a beautiful justice, and I felt lucky to have it.
Now, we were lying in my bed, both of us hushed and attempting to process the events of the day. I shifted, a frown tugging at my lips, and finally faced Oberon, my eyes meeting his in the darkness.
“And you’re sure it’s over now? For good?”
Oberon chuckled and held me tightly, kissing my brow.
“I’m sure. It is over for good.”
“And you’re sure you want to stay on Earth with me instead of going back to your own planet?”
Oberon turned to his side to look into my eyes. “I want to stay with you. I truly do. I believe the ship crashed over the earth so we could be its defenders. We were put here, all of us, for a reason. And whether we ever find our ship or not, or I find and meet up with the others or not, for the time being, if nothing else, we are going to stay here and defend the earth. As long as it takes.”
He gathered me on top of his broad body and I knelt down to kiss him. It began as a tender kiss and slowly evolved into one that burned hotly against our lips. The tender passion turned to heat and we were suddenly consumed by powerful longing.
I moaned softly as I felt the bulk of Oberon’s member begin to harden beneath my thigh, and I shifted on top of him so I could feel the length of it along my middle.
His eyes glared at me, golden and impassioned by the heat of my body against him. I moaned involuntarily as he gave his hips a small thrust and I felt him heavy against my middle. I had never wanted anybody so badly in my life, and I stared at him, and he at me, as we began to embark upon another long, passionate journey together.
The delicate fabric of my nightgown was lifted off my body and I felt it whisper above my breasts, until Oberon’s hands were hot and gentle against my nipples. He stroked them tenderly as I moved my body languidly on top of his, almost as if it were moving of its own volition. I was burning with desire to be closer to this man, and the only way my body knew how to fill the void was with intimacy.
Oberon sat up, his impressive muscles rippling as he gently flipped me over onto my back. I gasped in surprise and pleasure as he climbed over me, stripping us both fully so that I could feel the heat of his member against my skin.
I shuddered in delight as he began to press himself against my opening, taking his time as he showered me with hot, tender kisses. Each one sent snakes of desire surging through my body and we closed our eyes together and relished in the moment.
Finally, I opened them again to find Oberon staring at me.
“What?” I asked, smiling. I was perplexed by this.
“I think you are so beautiful,” he said, kissing me gingerly, running his broad hands through my hair.
I let out a soft cry of surprise as he plunged himself within me. Everything I felt was heightened intently by the feeling of his body pressed hard against my middle, and I wrapped my legs around him gently, kissing Oberon passionately as he made love to me, our bodies giving and taking the pleasure, until finally I found myself climbing closer to the height of my arousal.
He seemed to be able to sense this and began to increase his power, his body dragging against me and the sweet friction sending me nearly out of my mind with the pleasure of it all. He didn’t mind that it was overwhelming me; in fact, he seemed to want it to.
I closed my eyes, my entire body on fire. I had always wanted a lover like this, and now, I had one for the rest of my life. How had I gotten so lucky? He had saved my life and made it all better at the same time. I was blessed. Truly blessed.
I moaned in ecstasy as he began to speed up the power of his thrusting, my body arching languidly as I attempted to keep up with his rhythm. But he was overpowering me, and I laid back, consumed and thrilled by the deep pleasure of this sensual game between us.
Finally, I felt a bubble of ecstasy welling deep inside, one that Oberon was dangerously close to bursting. He held me close, his hands trailing along my sides and sending fire in their wake. I cried out sharply as I gazed into Oberon’s eyes, catching a quick flash of the dragon within him as he completed his act.
My orgasm was powerful and earth-shattering as he went all out, releasing the powerful torrent of his own ecstasy deep within my core. I was shocked into rapture, gripping the sheets of the bed as I squirmed beneath Oberon’s body in delight.
Again and again, he helped me climb to the peak of my pleasure, and we both jumped off at the same time and caught one another in our arms.
I panted hard when he finally spent the last of himself within me and collapsed, grinning at me with a sly but sweet smile.
“This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, human,” he said, giving me a firm, happy nod.
“Yes it is, dragon.”
He was thrown off by this, and then laughed heartily.
“This is a great place to raise a child, don’t you think?”
He kissed the top of my head tenderly and sighed contentedly, looking out into space as he imagined the life laid out before us.
“One day, you and I are going to really make this world worth living in for little Loki.”
“Loki?” I asked, a small smile tugging at my lips.
“The name of our son. If that is okay with you.”
“Loki is a god of mischief here,” I said with a quiet laugh. “Are you sure about that name?”
“In my world, it is the name of great warriors. I am sure.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “Loki it is.”
Oberon beamed and we kissed tenderly before he pulled away.
“I will tell you his story, now.”
I listened to him speak until my eyes grew heavy, and then, the deep rumble of his voice lulled me into a contented sleep. I had never been more satisfied in all my life, and now, I had Oberon by my side. He was right. Things could only get better from here.
And with Oberon as my mate, that was exactly what was going to happen. We were going to take care of each other, through thick and thin, and truth be told, I had never felt safer.
He sensed me edging toward sleep and gathered me up in his arms, kissing me tenderly. “I love you, Jenny,” he whispered. He had probably thought I was asleep, because he seemed surprised when I opened my eyes and smiled at him.
“I love you too.”
And with that, we fell asleep together, both of us with the lingering impression of a smile on our faces. Life was good. And it could always get better.
Shifter Romance Bonus
Under Fire
Chapter 1
Corinne jumped back as the sauce splattered on the counter.
“Shit!”
She couldn’t afford to speckle her new white dress with red Bolognese spaghetti sauce. She was determined to make everything perfect. Tonight was the night she was going to fix her marriage.
Having averted near disaster, she wiped up the spill and turned off the burner. The clock on the microwave blinked 7:53, which gave her exactly seven minutes to put the finishing touches on the table. Her new heels clicked as she hurried to th
e apartment’s tiny dining room –just a square of the great room, delineated by the back of the sofa. The tiny table was set with the best plates she had and the tall silver candlesticks, one of the only things she had left of her mother, gleamed brightly and newly polished. She’d worked on this moment all day. For a week, really.
She had to do something. It had been almost five years since the wedding, a day she’d thought was the happiest in her life. But lately, Marcus barely paid attention to her. It was worse than when his hot temper flared and they argued for hours. That meant he was at least engaged, plus it usually ended in hot sex, and with a wolf-shifter like Marcus, it was worth the yelling.
But he hadn’t touched her in weeks.
She knew why, and she was ashamed. He wanted pups, and she was happy to give them to him. After all, she’d always dreamed of being a mother. But for some reason, her voluptuous body that looked perfect for bearing children seemed to be a dud. It wasn’t something she could argue either. If only she could show Marcus that it was as disappointing to her as it was to him.
Corinne brushed a tear from her cheek as she set the matches down on the table. The tiny flames seemed to blur. She checked her watch – two minutes!
Corinne rushed to the bathroom and checked the mirror for the fiftieth time. Marcus wouldn’t be happy about her blowing so much money on the designer dress, but he would appreciate the final look. Innocent, white, and flirty with tantalizingly sheer layers that billowed out as she moved, yet hugged her in all the right places. And she hadn’t worn anything beneath, anticipating it being ripped to shreds in seconds.
Thankfully, her momentary crying session hadn’t ruined her makeup either. The sound of Marcus’ key in the door prompted a last deep breath and she fluffed out her long blond hair one more time before scurrying back to the living area. He adored her long hair so much she never cut it, which meant a lot of maintenance, but she loved that he loved it so much.
This was it – the moment she’d been daydreaming about for days. He’d never be able to resist her.
“Welcome home,” she said in a breathy voice as he walked inside.
He froze; his dark eyes fell on the table and the candles and his expression was unreadable behind his rough, unshaven face and wild brown hair. She waited as his gaze slid from the table to her. He lifted his eyebrows, letting out a low whistle.
“You like?” she asked, twirling. “I know you’ll like dinner. It’s your favorite. I thought we could open a bottle of that nice red we got as a gift from your boss last year and—”
“Babe. I told you, we’re saving that for a special occasion. What’s all this about?” He asked, his gravelly voice that usually sent shivers of anticipation over her made her heart skitter with nerves instead.
“What’s all this about?” she echoed. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Babe, you are crazy. Nice dress though. Where’s this dinner you spoke of?” Marcus’ lopsided grin wasn’t going to smooth things over this time.
Corinne seethed as the legs of his chair scraped against the beat-up hardwood. He sat at the table and pulled out his phone.
Don’t blow this. Breathe. Just breathe and move on to phase two.
Some part of her anticipated things not going the way she dreamed, so she’d taken additional steps. Corinne smirked as she retrieved her special dinner. But when she rejoined him at the table, the candles were nothing more than wisps of smoke and the overhead light glared down.
She nearly dropped the pasta.
“I thought,” she said, trying to control the bite in her words, “that it would be more romantic with the lights out.”
Marcus didn’t glance up from his phone. In fact, he grinned at something he was reading. “What? Yeah, I couldn’t see, babe.”
Corinne plopped some spaghetti on his plate. He reached over automatically and started twirling some noodles with his face still in the phone.
“What are you doing?” she asked, words slightly clipped.
“Huh? Oh, just business stuff.”
Business stuff? He was in construction. How much business stuff could there be after hours on a cell phone?
Corinne cleared her throat and tried again. “I tried something new today. I was reading up on the Internet about fertility treatments, and I found this acupuncture place. It was a little freaky at first, but it really didn’t hurt when they stuck the needles in. Anyway, the lady said I’m primed and ready to receive your sperm within the next few days.”
She waited, biting her lip.
Slowly, Marcus looked up from his phone. “And how much money did you spend on this quack?”
Heat flooded Corinne’s face. “Not as much as I spent on this dress,” she snapped.
Marcus growled and his eyes glowed yellow. “What the fuck, Corinne? You know we’re saving up.”
“For what? For pups? Because newsflash – if I don’t try something like this, it’s never going to happen.”
“That’s not my fault. It certainly doesn’t run on my side of the family.” Marcus gave her his full attention now, slamming his phone down on the table and making the whole thing shake.
Low blow. Corinne sniffed. Her mother had died having her and as far as she knew, there wasn’t a great track record otherwise.
“You know what else might increase our odds?” she asked, smiling. “If you actually fucked me once in a while.”
She couldn’t believe she’d said that.
“Funny, I don’t feel like fucking you when you’re being a bitch.” Marcus flipped the table so suddenly Corinne barely had time to jump back. The sauce she’d been so worried about an hour ago splattered the floor, the wall, the back of the couch and her dress.
“Where are you going?” she demanded as Marcus grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
“To get some dinner where I won’t be nagged,” he growled. “And clean that shit up.”
Corrine’s mouth hung open as he slammed the door behind him. Staring around her at the impossible mess, she sunk to the ground and finally let the tears flow free.
Chapter 2
“Wanker,” Corinne muttered as she wiped the last bit of sauce off the hardwood. She’d been calling Marcus every horrible name she could think of and had moved on to English terms she’d learned on cable.
She smiled, sitting back on the floor. She liked the sound of that one. That’s when she noticed it. Marcus’ damn phone must have skittered all the way into the corner beside the bookshelf. Sighing, she stood and stooped to retrieve it.
About to start playing How Hard Do I Have to Throw The Phone to Break It, it buzzed against her palm.
Who was texting the wanker?
It wasn’t a text though, it was an alert from some app. Corinne narrowed her gaze and read the name: ComeShift. Something inside of her went a little numb as she typed in Marcus’ password. He’d never given it to her, but he was idiot enough to use his birthday. 0428.
It was some kind of shifter dating site. Corinne’s vision went red as she examined his profile. The first thing she noticed was his profile pic – the asswipe (time to go back to some tried and true American names) had actually used a cropped version of their wedding photo!
Her eyes trailed down the screen. Status: Single and searching. Corinne barely noticed the breath coming faster through her nose as she continued on. His inbox was full, but it seemed he’d been having a conversation with someone over the in-app messenger before he left.
Corinne hurriedly scrolled back to the beginning.
I so want to meet you! *hearts and flowers*. Corinne gagged but kept going.
Why are you so interested? Marcus wanted to know, followed by a winky face.
Because wolves are so cute and cuddly. I’d love to make you thump your leg.
Idiot. That was a dog not a wolf. And Marcus was far from cuddly.
Well, then you’ll have to scratch in all the right places, he replied.
Don’t tease me. When and where?
&nbs
p; The Tiki Club. 9 PM.
Corinne glanced at the time. It was almost ten. Had he actually met this skank? Did it matter? He’d gone so far as to download the app and put up a profile. Hell, he’d had a ton of messages. Who knew how often he did this?
Corinne marched to the kitchen and dumped his phone down the garbage disposal, turned on the water, and let her rip. Pieces flew out, making her duck, but when she’d finally turned off the power, she was feeling slightly better.
Now the question was, what did she do?
As sick and betrayed as she felt inside, she knew she’d never be able to trust him again. He was an alpha male, after all – at least that’s what he was always saying. “Babe, I’d be the head of the pack if I decided to run wild. But I’d rather run wild with you in the bedroom.” Then he’d growl for her.
That always sent shivers down all the right places.
Creep. Dog. Fuckwad.
Corinne repeated as many names as she could think of as she ripped her stained dress off and dug through her closet to find her sluttiest outfit. It had to be the little red skirt that landed mid-thigh and crop top that dipped so low it made her nervous her breasts would simply pop right out of the tight halter.
Corinne fluffed her hair out long and loose, then applied some bright red lipstick to match before slipping on her tallest fuck-me pumps.
Two could play at this game.
Corrine pulled up a seat to the old computer, ignoring what remained of the overturned table and spaghetti. He could lick it up as a midnight snack if he wanted to. She wouldn’t be cleaning up after him anymore.
She downloaded some free divorce forms from the Internet. It wasn’t like they had money or kids to fight over. She wanted to make it as simple and clean as possible. While those were printing, she started her own profile on the Shifter App.
Single and ready to mingle, she wrote as her status, trying to keep her fingers from shaking as she typed. She took a quick selfie with pouty lips and lots of cleavage and popped it in the picture space, then she hit the button to make it live before she could second guess it.
Corinne put her phone aside and retrieved the bottle of wine from the liquor cabinet. If this wasn’t a special occasion, then what was? She popped it open and poured a large glass to sip while filling out the divorce paperwork.
