by Marian Tee
When he pulled his cock off my pussy completely, I let out a protest, but the sound was swallowed by his kiss.
“Don’t make a sound if you don’t want the others to come running here,” Alejandro growled against my mouth.
He let go of my hands to cup my breasts, and I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck. He choked, laughing and groaning against my skin when my legs also curled around his waist and I tried to get him to fuck me.
“Behave, princess,” he gritted out as he snaked a hand between our bodies.
I shook my head. No. I was not going to behave. I wanted this night – just this one night to have a taste of Alejandro’s possession. I writhed under him, trying to have his cock slip inside me but instead I felt his fingers, stroking my folds.
I moaned in protest, but again his lips were there, swallowing the sound into silence.
“Behave,” he growled just before he sank his fingers inside me, all three at the same time.
I arched against him with a soundless whimper, the unexpected penetration making my eyes roll back in pleasure.
Oh my God, oh my God, it felt so good.
He started to fuck me with his fingers, faster and harder with each thrust. He gave me no time to relax or even breathe – my body was enslaved by him the moment he claimed my pussy with his fingers.
His eyes locked with mine. “Don’t make a sound.”
It was the only warning I had before he was moving down on me. I looked down as he pushed my legs wide open.
Oh my Goooooooooooooood—
I let out a voiceless scream as he pulled my folds wide open and thrust his tongue inside me. His wet fingers found my clitoris and began pinching it in rhythm with his thrusting tongue. My hips jerked up and down, and I found myself clutching my breasts as they ached with heavy need.
Our eyes met, and his darkened with fierce desire as he saw me holding my breasts.
Without thinking, I started to play with my nipples.
His fingers pinched my clitoris hard, and then he was fucking me faster and harder with his tongue. The pleasure spiraled out of my control in my body, and I knew I was just seconds away from climaxing. I clutched his head hard, and Alejandro seemed to understand because the next thing I knew, it wasn’t just his tongue inside me. His finger slipped inside as well and it was like two Alejandros taking me at the same time—
My body curved up as I came, Alejandro gripping my hips hard as he lapped up every drop of my release. I shook with every second that passed, everything in me completely shattered by the force of it. When I slowly collapsed back against the bed, I saw Alejandro on his knees, furiously stroking himself.
I touched my lips, unable to find the strength to speak.
But it seemed Alejandro understood, his eyes widening at what I was asking.
I parted my mouth.
In a second, he had my body between his legs and he was looming over me. All I could see was his engorged cock, red veins popping as Alejandro’s fingers moved faster and faster. I reached for his balls, squeezing—
Alejandro’s lips parted in a groan, his face twisting in agonized pleasure. His eyes locked with me just before he came, his powerful hard body jerking as he shot a stream of creamy white liquid into my mouth.
Looking at him, I swallowed as much as I could and every time I did, he shuddered above me, as if aroused by the sight.
My eyes drifted closed as I licked away the last drops of his come. Surely, I thought drowsily, he knew now. This thing between us was too special for either of us to give up on.
When I woke up, Alejandro had a hand over my mouth. He was fully dressed and, a second later, I realized I was as well.
Vampire, he mouthed at me.
My eyes widened.
He placed a finger over his lips. No matter what happens.
I nodded.
Taking my hand, he whisked us out of the tent and sheltered us in the darker shadows of the forest. Above us, dawn was just breaking, leaving streaks of purple light against the skies. When I looked at Alejandro, I found him already in wolf form, having shifted silently.
He cocked his head towards our left.
A shadow streaked past us—
Alejandro lunged towards it. The battle was fast and bloody, but it was clear right from the start who would win it. When it was over, Alejandro shifted back into human form, naked. He held the vampire by his throat. “You only have one chance to tell me the truth. Lie and I will punish you with a slow, long death.” As Morettis were known never to mince words when fighting, I knew the vampire understood it was no idle threat.
Alejandro’s fingers tightened around his throat, making the vampire choke. “Who hired you?”
His fingers eased.
“A scarred man—”
“Did he say why?”
“No,” the vampire gasped. “Only that the human monster was to be killed, and the reward claimed from Pasquale Hernandez—”
Alejandro’s eyes met mine just before he snapped the vampire’s neck, keeping his promise.
Chapter Five
ALEJANDRO
The town of Midway was aptly named, being the only town located at the halfway line of the Everglades. Before and beyond it were pine trees, hundreds of them, their gnarly limbs and tall thin bodies eternally blurred by cold mists.
But unknown to the human hikers who ate at the town’s cozy-looking restaurants and rented rooms from their bed and breakfasts, Midway was a shifter town, a melting pot of non-human races. Bear shifters served as the local police and gossipy birds worked at the exclusive boutiques lining the streets.
Wherever Alejandro looked, a different kind of shifter would be greeting him with a smile. It was as if every shifter race was represented in Midway, with the possible exception of the near-extinct race of the Mariposa.
“Is it your first time to be here?” Calys asked.
“Yes.”
She looked at him hopefully. “And how do you find it so far?”
“It’s nothing like I expected,” he answered honestly. He had heard others talking about Midway being an open town of sorts, but the harmony that existed between the different races was still surprising. Normally, birds and rodents were instinctively antagonistic toward each other but if he wasn’t mistaken, the couple at the bakery across him was exactly that: a male rodent and a female bird.
“Princess?” Pasquale suddenly appeared in front of them. Unlike him and Calys, the panther prince still insisted on dressing formally even while trekking through the forest. As such, his fine white shirt was spotted with dirt and his expensive pants were caked with mud.
Hernandez made a ludicrous picture, but instead of amusing Alejandro, the fact only served to make him testy. Was his hellcat truly serious about marrying the most idiotic panther on the planet?
“Yes?” Calys smiled at her fiancé.
The smile made him crack his knuckles.
The sound had Pasquale moving away from him, which was good. But it also made him crowd closer to Calys. That was not good.
“Are you sure we need to stop for the night here?” Pasquale was unsuccessful in keeping the irritation out of his voice. Stopping at Midway was not a part of his plan, and all these delays were making it harder for him to nail down a time and place for Calys’ assassination. When the vampire he had paid to kill her last night was a no-show, Pasquale realized that her death was just something he had to take care on his own. It was the only way to get to the next step of his plan.
Calys had a painful grimace on her face. “I’m afraid we do. It’s that day for me.”
It took a while for Pasquale to understand what his fiancée meant, and when he did, he had even greater trouble hiding the fact that he found her condition grotesque. She was really a human monster, lacking even the delicacy not to talk about things like that with a prince like him.
“I’m already feeling weak as it is. Later, I’ll be taking medications to knock me out.”
The last
words caught Pasquale’s attention. One of the reasons why he had other assassins take care of Calys was because of her freakish strength. But if today meant she’d be bedridden all day, maybe this unscheduled stop would work in his favor.
Alejandro was more disgusted than surprised when Pasquale suddenly appeared in high spirits. The panther really did want his hellcat dead. And he was so narcissistic that he didn’t even care how obvious he was being.
“If that is the case, Your Highness, then bed rest is in order.” He was all solicitous warmth now as he fussed over Calys’ condition, asking about her medication. “Maybe you should increase your dosage,” Pasquale was murmuring helpfully. “You would not want to be waking up in the middle of the night in pain.”
Alejandro watched Calys nod, her big blue eyes full of trusting agreement. Well, there it was. Apparently, she could lie if she deemed it for a good cause.
“I’m going to rent one of the cottages at the end of the road.” Calys pointed to the location she and Alejandro had decided on using to set their trap for Pasquale. “I’ve told Alejandro to stand guard while I rest. He’ll be at the other house to ensure that no one comes to disturb me.”
Pasquale nodded. “I see, I see…”
Yes, they did see. They saw how his mind was now working furiously, going over the information Calys provided him. It was like watching a man tie a noose around his own neck to hang himself. When Pasquale left, he and Calys gazed at each other.
“It is done.” But he was saying it to give her a chance to back out. Because if she really wanted to save the panther’s damn neck, Alejandro would make it possible, even if it went against his good judgment.
Calys shoved her hands into the pockets of her cargo pants. “I know.”
He said quietly, “You’re not to blame. You know that.”
“I know.” Her smile was clearly for his sake. “You’ve told Juriaan to go ahead of us?”
It was a deliberate change of subject, and Alejandro obliged, knowing that the princess’ too-soft heart made her feel guilty over Pasquale’s inevitable fate.
“Yes. He didn’t ask questions.” Alejandro had a feeling he knew why it was so, but he held himself from voicing his suspicions. There was time enough later to talk about the ranger. For now, they were better off concentrating on trapping Pasquale and finding out why he wanted Calys dead.
Calys’ answering smile was more genuine this time and tinged with relief. “I’m glad. I wouldn’t want him harmed.”
Privately, Alejandro doubted the younger man was easily harmed. Someone who could so easily mask his footsteps, even against shifter hearing, wouldn’t be the kind that was easily killed.
“He will be all right, princess,” he said.
“I hope so.” She sighed, and Alejandro found his gaze straying towards her breasts and the way they heaved against the scooped neckline of her tight shirt. His gaze moved downwards, Alejandro taking in how her boyish pants only served to emphasize her tiny waist.
His cock stirred to life, and when he heard Calys gasp, he saw her looking at his crotch.
Alejandro felt himself flushing. It was no proper response from a Cavaliere to his lady, but he didn’t think there was any way for him to kill his erection without cutting his dick off.
When Calys swallowed, licking her lips, his cock strained harder against his pants and he heard himself asking, “Would you like to take a drink with me?” It was stupid to spend more time alone with the princess. He knew that, but even so, he could not help it.
When she smiled at him, his chest tightened, yet another proof that what he was doing was stupid. Dangerously so.
“I know just the place,” she told him.
Moments later, they found themselves in a bar reminiscent of an Old West saloon. Even its staff was dressed in costume, the men sporting tall cowboy hats and the women outfitted like milkmaids.
“Howdy,” one of the servers tipped his hat as he came to their table. “What can I get you fine folks?”
“Just orange juice for me, please,” Calys said.
“Ice-cold beer,” Alejandro said.
When the waiter left, they looked at each other, and an awkward silence was born.
“This is like our first date.”
Clearly, his hellcat had a knack for making things even more awkward.
Alejandro shook his head firmly. “We are not going to talk about that.”
A crestfallen expression fell over her face.
He steeled himself against that look. “No.”
“But—”
Before she could finish talking, the doors of the bar swung open and a group of shifters swaggered in. Panthers – and drunk, by the smell of them. They kicked chairs out of their way before settling on the stools behind the bar.
“Do you know them?” he asked Calys under his breath.
“I think they’re from the Cortez pack. Mean drunkards, almost all of them,” she whispered.
As the panthers shouted for beer, one of the newcomers slapped the behind of a milkmaid passing by, causing her to drop the tray she was holding and splash water on the panther.
“You’ll pay for that, slut.”
At the words, Alejandro’s fingers wrapped around Calys’ wrist, knowing she was the type to interfere.
Her blue eyes were fiery with superhero fervor. “He must be taught the error of his ways.”
A sense of déjà vu hit him, and he immediately checked the princess’ eyes for any signs of a dark fit coming over her.
Calys made a face. “No, I’m not going to change just like that.”
He said readily, “You did before, the moment you saw someone about to be bullied.”
“That was different. I wasn’t sure about you helping me right a wrong. But now I am. You will—”
“Look who’s here.” A mug of beer was slammed down on their table, forcing Alejandro and Calys to lean away from each other.
“It’s The Human Monster and the Moretti Dog.”
CALYS
The way Alejandro’s jaw tightened made my chest squeeze in pain. It was so unfair how everyone treated him when he hadn’t even done anything to deserve being called like that. It was his brother, Domenico, who had caused his clan to be the butt of everyone’s jokes. But even what Domenico Moretti had done wasn’t a sin. He had only chosen to love his human wife with all his heart, and for that, the other wolves had called him a dog.
Before I could think of what I was doing, I had already shot off my seat and slapped the panther’s face.
“Apologize to my Cavaliere now.”
The panther rubbed his jaw. “You fucking slapped me, bitch.”
I glared at him. “I’ll do more than that if you don’t say sorry to him now.”
He looked at his companions, and in unison, they jumped off their stools and stalked towards us, menacing scowls on their faces.
Alejandro gently pulled me back. “Princess, let it go.”
I shook my head. “No. I was wrong to let them call you that before. I promised you, remember? I won’t let it happen again.”
“Even if you fight them off, it won’t change a thing.”
I winced. Wasn’t he basically dumping me right now – in public – for the nth time?
Alejandro cursed.
“What the fuck?” the panther roared. “Are you actually having some stupid lover’s quarrel right now?”
“No!” Alejandro denied.
“Yes,” I snapped at the same time. Then I realized what Alejandro said. Riiiight. He really was dumping me in public.
The panther burst into laughter. “I think The Human Monster just got dumped.”
I was so depressed I couldn’t even muster enough strength to get mad. Yay for you, Cortez panther. Way to go, rubbing salt on my wound.
Alejandro’s cheeks had stained with color. “It’s not like that, dumbass. The princess is engaged to Prince Pasquale.” He took my hand, surprising me. “Also, I think you’re right.”
/> I blinked. “I am?”
“They should be shown the error of their ways.”
****
It was already evening when Alejandro and I came out of the bar. It had taken us longer than I expected to knock everyone out. The panthers had put up a good fight, and there was also the fact that they did outnumber us ten to one.
“Why didn’t you have one of your fits, dammit?” Alejandro bit out as we headed to the cottage I had rented for the night.
“I told you, it doesn’t work like that. She only comes out when I feel angry. Or I’m in real danger.”
Alejandro was incredulous. “You were fighting off ten panthers and that’s still not enough danger for her?”
I shrugged.
His teeth audibly gnashed against each other.
“She knows how strong I am.”
“I don’t think she knows how weak you are.”
Sighing, I changed the subject, knowing there was no point convincing him that my darker half knew what she was doing. “Did you notice that none of Pasquale’s pack came to help us?”
Alejandro’s face became grimmer. “I did.”
When we reached the cottage I had rented out, he said quietly, “Good night.” His eyes spoke a different message. Take care.
“Good night,” I said quietly. I will.
Inside the cottage, I took my time showering. Under the stream of water, I also found myself praying. I had a feeling tonight might be the last time I’d ever see Pasquale.
Our plan to trap Pasquale was simple. It had to be since there were just the two of us. Alejandro would circle the town, waiting for whomever Pasquale would hire to kill me. No matter how many they were, we both knew he would able to handle it. He was not The Den’s #1 fighter for nothing.
