Marked
By
Jennifer James
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By: Unbuttoned Press
http://www.authorjenniferjames.com
Marked
© 2013 by Jennifer James
Cover by Mina Carter
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Unbuttoned Press publication May 2013
Dedication
For Arianna K. Gray
Unbuttoned Babe, gorgeous Irish girl without a Dublin accent, and the person I will always think of as my first fan. I can’t express how much I love chatting with you and enjoy your enthusiasm.
I think you need to let Tom out of the cupboard. I hear Abby is looking for him.
Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Covert Craving
Hunger Embraced
Long Time Coming
Love Kinection
Chapter One
Kayla thrummed with tension as she crouched in the underbrush ringing the man’s property. Her hind legs trembled under the pressure of remaining still for three hours. A young buck grazed in the woods, his scent an enticement to leave her hiding place and feast on warm, sweet flesh. A family of rabbits scrabbled underground, the noise of their movements loud to her sensitive ears. Her wolf wanted to feed and approach the man and his wolf with a fresh kill digested and absorbed into provocative assets to help her snare her mate.
She sucked in a breath. Her mate. If he’d have her. If he still wanted her. If he’d forgive her for bolting without explanation.
Pain and loneliness coalesced into a tight ball in her throat. A low whine escaped and she tucked her tail in tighter. Each and every night of the last five years she’d fought her fears and lost to them, her desire to be with her mate never strong enough to overcome them.
Agony stabbed her chest. She scented the air and parceled the smells. The musk of a wolf rode the air here in a heavy blanket. He used an opening in the tree line to her left often.
Her mate exited his back door for the second time that morning, barefoot and shirtless. She forced herself to relax and stayed low beneath an overhanging bush. Blue highlights glinted in his black hair. A heavy, defined chest and shoulders tapered into a rippling abdomen bisected by a thin line of hair that disappeared in his low-slung jeans. He retrieved an armful of firewood and strode back into the house. The door gaped open and her wolf overrode her desire for caution.
Sticks and twigs popped and cracked below her paws as she nearly flew across the ground toward the small one story cabin. The closer she drew, the stronger his scent grew until it flooded every sense.
Jack.
Her wolf rejoiced, yipped and barked as she barreled into the kitchen and skidded across the worn linoleum.
He waited for her at the end of the narrow galley-style kitchen, his eyes the same piercing blue she remembered. Fear of rejection swamped her and overcame her wolf’s enthusiasm. She regained control, scrabbled on the slick floor, and spun to leave the house.
Pain prickled in the back of her neck and she registered the pressure of strong fingers around the ruff of her neck. He hauled her off the ground and against his torso.
“I don’t think so. You took the bait. Now you’re mine.”
She struggled and squirmed, her legs pedaled the air. A low growl emanated from his diaphragm, deepened in his lungs, and gained life in his vocal cords.
The warning vibrated her spine, and she tucked her tail up tight and collapsed her ears. Jack loosed her to the floor and she crouched with her tummy flattened on the cool flooring.
While he stalked to the door and closed it, she drank in the sight of the flexing muscles in his back and the way his faded jeans molded to his ass. He turned, and she knew his wolf regarded her; his blue irises glowed from within. Although an alpha female, she cringed from the censure in his expression. Disgrace bubbled up. He’d never looked at her that way before.
She rolled over, let her skull rest on the ground, and exposed her throat in a display of total submission.
The soft padding of his steps reached her until he stood near her ear, his bare feet tantalizingly close. “Change, please.”
Despite her shame and fear, she called to the magic within her. Warm tingles spread from her nose to her tail tip and the she-wolf bounded to a corner of her mind. Limbs changed shape and fur disappeared to leave her naked before him. No pain accompanied her shift, as a born werewolf she slipped forms with ease.
Their gazes locked and she resisted the urge to cover her breasts. The pulse of his magic pinned her down. A tremble started in his fingertips and he clenched his fists. He took a deep breath, the air chased out forcefully. Tears pricked her eyes.
“Jack—”
“No.” He stooped, gathered her to his chest, and stood in one swift movement. The rigid hold crushed her to him and all the air whooshed out of her lungs. She wriggled and he uncurled his biceps to let her breathe. Hot air fanned her neck when he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder and smelled her. “You left me. No warning. Left nothing behind but a toothbrush. I thought you’d been taken. I damn near killed . . . it doesn’t matter.”
Five years without physical contact with her mate left a craving for all the skin on skin contact possible. She snaked her arms around his neck and clamped her eyes shut. So many things to say to him, apologies and love words, and how good he smelled . . . .
“I’m sorry Jack. I . . . I don’t know what to say. I got scared.”
“You got scared.” He snorted and swore under his breath; ground his molars until she heard the clack of enamel. The familiar pressure of his hand stroking over her bicep helped calm them both. “Why were you scared?”
“I panicked. I had to get away. I just had to go. Right then. I thought I’d die if I didn’t.” They’d never spoken of her past in the nine months she’d stayed with him. He didn’t question her about the nightmares, and she didn’t offer to tell him. Each terrible moment of her past lay locked behind closed doors in her mind.
“Die? I would never harm you. Never.” She heard his heartbeat speed up, and then slow down once more. “I never believed I’d have someone. I was alone for so long, so many years.”
Grief and shame swamped her. “Jack, I’m so sorry. Please. I don’t know how to explain— you’ll never know how much I regret what I did. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”
He rocked his weight back and forth and remained silent until she craned her neck to see his face.
“We’ll talk more about it later.” His magic beat at her and tried to erode her wi
ll, but he tamped down the compulsion so the command became a statement instead. The control he exhibited over his magic, to be able to turn an Alpha’s natural drive to order the weaker wolves around themselves, helped soothe her anxieties. The act indicated a respect and care for her feelings her father had never exhibited.
But how could she explain it to him? Make him understand? It wasn’t him. It was her.
If she told him everything, he might not want her anymore. She shook and damn near choked him.
“Shh . . . you’re safe. I will always want you, understand? No matter what happened to you.”
Old memories and pain tried to surface, but her wolf half clamped them down. The wolf could read the emotions in the air and knew Jack told the truth.
He stood in the kitchen for minutes or hours, she didn’t know. The passage of time blended into one long moment. Fireplace smoke, sap from the evergreen trees in the woods, the musk of his wolf, and soap clung to him in layers of scent. She inhaled and kept the fragrances on her tongue, in her lungs, until they were a part of her. Finally, she quieted and leaned her head back. Their gazes met, and he brushed his lips across hers. She smiled and cradled his cheek with one palm. This time she pressed her mouth to his.
He skimmed her neck, then nibbled on her lower lip. A possessive sweep of his tongue parted her lips.
Electricity swept across her, danced on every nerve ending, her nipples hardened, and her clit pulsed. His grip tightened on her leg and rib cage. Measured steps transported them to the bedroom and he climbed onto the bed one knee at a time.
Nothing quenched her thirst for him after the five year drought. Rough stubble scraped her lips as she brushed his cheek and captured his earlobe. His abdomen bunched below her fingertips, steel encased in silk. She tried to devour him, laved his throat and collar bones. He canted toward her pelvis and brought their groins tight together. The fly of his jeans rubbed her swollen folds and she squirmed against his trapped erection. God, he still knew how to tease her.
He buried his fingers in the curls above her ear and stared in to her eyes as though studying her.
“Kayla.” Her name sounded like a whispered prayer. “Are you sure?”
“I’m okay.” She twisted her head and bit down on the meaty part of his hand at the base of his thumb.
“That’s not what I asked you.” He crawled backward so his weight no longer rested against her.
Rejection tried to surface and douse the moment, but the love in his expression and the warm cocoon of his magic banished it. This, him, her mate, these were the things she’d returned for. To let go of old hurts and embrace a new future.
“Yes, I’m sure.” The worn denim of his jeans shredded from the force of her grip on his hips. The thin fabric gave way with pops, snaps, and satisfying rips. She sighed in delight when the heat of his bare skin collided with her questing digits. “Come back. I need you.”
He acquiesced by degrees in a creeping collision of limbs and torsos. He tickled the nape of her neck and circled one nipple, then the other. The warmth of his tongue delved into the shell of her earlobe. He licked his way across her tummy, to her inner thigh, and even the back of her knee. She dug her heels into the mattress in frustration and slapped his ass.
“Hey now.” One lightning fast move and he trapped her wrist. “If anyone is doing any spanking around here, it’s going to be me.” He grinned and released her.
The promise brought a shiver of arousal over her. The sharp sting of his palm on the side of her hip surprised her, the warmth sliding across the area even more. She moaned and he kissed the red skin.
“I’ll keep that in mind for later.” The desire in his expression drove her higher and she lifted her hips from the bed. In a few quick movements, he popped the button of his jeans and eased his zipper over his swollen cock. After kicking free of the restrictive material, he slipped the engorged head through her slick flesh, and over her hood.
“No more teasing,” she gasped. “Please.”
With a single swift thrust he entered her, the thick length too much, too tight inside her. The sudden fullness burned.
Before she adjusted, he retreated and rammed home again. God, it was so good. The heavy slap of his pelvis ground her into the sheet. She clasped her legs around his hips, met and accepted his fierce and uncontrolled tempo. He kissed her, his tongue as ruthless as his hips.
Tears brimmed in his eyelids, and he blinked them away. She wove her fingers into his hair and tugged. Anger, love, and fear all warred in his expression. An apology lurked in her throat, but she couldn’t catch her breath to give it life. He licked his thumb and stroked it over her clit, once, twice . . . orgasm coiled and unfurled in a shower of sparks.
A few more thrusts and he tensed and jerked once or twice with his own release.
He let his weight rest on his forearms and buried his face in her shoulder before he withdrew. Emptiness clawed at her heart, and she rolled over to face him. He gathered her up and kissed her forehead, nose, and mouth. With his free hand he palmed her ass and tucked her pelvis tight to his, his muscled pecs rose and fell under her palms. He slid the soft cotton comforter up and enveloped them both. Sleep reached up and sucked her under. Here, with Jack, she could rest.
Chapter Two
“Why did you run?” He whispered, the brush of his lips a butterfly sipping at her shoulder.
She snuggled her pillow and pretended she hadn’t heard him. His sigh changed tone and became a low growl. He bit on the crease where neck met shoulder. Goosebumps erupted on her arms and back.
“I know you’re awake. I can hear it in the way your heart beats.” His chest expanded against her back and she heard him take a deep inhalation. He caressed the curve of her hip, then back up again until his thumb skimmed her breast. “I can smell it on your skin.”
She whimpered and repositioned to encourage him to enter her, but he denied her penetration.
“If you want this, you have to tell me.” Air fanned her ear, followed by the graze of teeth on her earlobe. His fingers traversed the slight roundness of her stomach and flicked her clit. When she reacted to the tease, he stopped, and drew a pattern of slow circles on her leg. A single, deliberate thrust stroked his shaft between her pussy lips. “And you do want me. You’re wet, and hot. Are you aching, like I am?”
She groped for his thick cock but he pinned her hand with his instead, capturing her wrist with damnable ease. Spare, careful, elegant movements provided sharp relief to his inhuman muscular power. Even though she was a mature werewolf, much stronger than a human male, his physical strength far outstripped her own.
“Answer me, Kayla.” He scooted away until a few inches of air were cushioned between them.
Emotions zinged around and swallowed her. It took two tries to clear her throat of the lump threatening to choke her. The power he exhibited by confining her wrist scared her until she regained control of her thoughts. This was not the past. Jack was nothing like her father.
“What are you thinking about?” His hot breath fanned her neck, his voice a low rumble of vibration.
“I’m afraid . . . afraid I will lose myself in you.” Like her mother did with her father. “I know you aren’t him. Aren’t like him at all. But what he did . . .”
He kissed the top of her spine. “Your father.”
Any werewolf living in North America knew the story of her parents. But she needed to say it anyway, give voice to the memories that had driven her to leave him. “My father crossed the line. He was . . . too old or something. Crazy. He had no limits. Abused my mother.”
She swallowed and snuggled into Jack. When as much of their bare skin touched as possible, she began again. “That’s why I ran, Jack. You’re my mate; my wolf knew it in minutes . . . the only thing remaining was a Marking. And you never pushed it . . . and I started thinking about the things he did to her . . . how he hurt her, forced her. And she is bound to him not only in this life, but in the next as well.”
�
��If your mother and father were true mates, he’d never be able to hurt her.”
“I know. But I started thinking, doubting . . . I mean, she made that choice. That mistake. What if I did too?” She traced the fine hairs on his forearm. “I’ve always been at odds with my wolf. I think it’s because a part of me believed my mother’s wolf lead her into that relationship. Logic tells me it can’t be true. But fear is hard to override, especially when you’ve seen the things I’ve seen.”
“The wolf is a creature of instinct. Your mother ignored her wolf when she mated with your father.” He nuzzled her hair. “For the very old among us, like your father, sometimes the wiring between human and wolf gets messy.”
Hearing him give voice to the ideas she’d pondered for years helped settle some of the turmoil swirling in her head. “The night you saved me from those males in the woods. Did you know then?”
He’d brought her to his home after saving her from an attack by two male werewolves who had stalked and then beat her to near-unconsciousness. Ditching the guards her father had assigned her left her fair bait for any males outside her father’s pack. At the time she didn’t care. Any fate seemed preferable to witnessing even one more moment of her mother’s pain. Jack’s blood spattered feet were the last thing she remembered seeing as he approached the place she’d collapsed in the leaf litter.
“My wolf knew you were coming.” The scratchy hairs on his upper thighs tickled her. “Then I saw you, and I knew for sure.”
“Just like that? Even though I’d been tenderized?”
“Yes. I’ll admit to being a little disappointed by the hair, but you can’t—”
Her heel connected with his shin and he barked out a laugh. When they’d been together he’d spent hours playing with her curls.
The day they met, she’d woken up in the spare bedroom down the hall several hours after passing out. Her track pants and the old T-shirt she’d shucked in the bushes before her run were folded neatly on the floor next to the bed. A single piece of paper rested on the pillow with two lines scrawled in hurried cursive.
Marked (BDSM bondage, Howl) Page 1
