by Kate Douglas
She couldn’t speak. How could he know exactly what she needed? “Tell me what to pack. I can be ready in five minutes.”
He wasn’t going to give her a chance to know fear, not this time. Anger, hot and heavy, boiled just beneath the surface, anger he struggled to hold under control. Anton had Keisha’s single bag loaded in the back of the rental car just minutes after his arrival. If the reporter were watching, he’d have a hard time following the nondescript sedan up busy Highway 101.
If he followed them, actually found them, Anton figured Burns would regret it…but only for the time it took Anton to kill the bastard. Anton would rather deal with an angry Chanku bitch any day than let the reporter expose her.
Within half an hour, Anton was skillfully negotiating the rush-hour traffic across the Golden Gate. Once they got through the heavy commuter traffic in Santa Rosa, they sped through the wine country, took a jog to the west at Cloverdale and caught the twisting, narrow coast highway heading north. Just past Rockport, they cut east through miles of stately redwoods to Benbow. At Garberville, Anton took another road back to the west. It was growing dark, and Keisha had long since fallen asleep.
He studied her throughout the long trip, wishing he could find the secret to help her overcome her fears. It was such a temptation to use his mind, his powers to mesmerize, to compel her to want him, to help her forget the attack.
If he did that, he would be every bit as guilty as the men who had assaulted her, would always wonder if she were drawn to him of her own accord or because he had planted the compulsion within her heart.
That was unacceptable. Keisha would love him on her own…
Or not at all.
And that’s just as unacceptable.
Many narrow, unnamed roads, locked gates, private thoughts and private roads later, he pulled up in front of a small, well-kept cabin. He’d called ahead to have it stocked and prepared for his arrival. It helped that he’d owned the property for years, and the caretakers were trusted friends.
Keisha stirred in the seat beside him, stretched, opened her eyes and looked about her curiously. “Where are we? How long have I been asleep?”
“We’re at the cabin. It’s not all that far from the King Range National Conservation Area and about as private as can be. There’s no way your reporter or anyone else can find you here. You’re safe, and I want you to relax. Think you can do that?”
She stared at him for a long moment, her amber eyes like golden disks, glinting in the pale starlight. “I always feel safe with you. Always.”
He nodded, deeply moved by her trust. “C’mon, we’ll get something to eat. Then the Chanku are going to run for as long as they want. No one will disturb us.”
Everything was as he had expected. The generator was fueled, the refrigerator was stocked, and the stove was working fine. The cupboards had plenty of provisions. Anton fixed a quick meal, while Keisha unpacked their few belongings, wrapped herself in a comfortable sarong and explored the cabin. There was a single room for the kitchen and living area, one bedroom with an enormous bed and a serviceable bathroom with a tub-and-shower combination.
Her eyes were constantly drawn back to the bed. Was she ready? Could she make love to Anton without flashing back to her attack? She wanted him. She knew she could experience sexual pleasure. Xandi had certainly proved that.
Somehow, some way, she had to get over her fear of men and of sex.
Anton called her to come and eat. He’d prepared fresh salmon, a salad and pasta, skillfully using the gas range that dominated the small kitchen.
“Ah, and he can cook, too! I didn’t know you were so talented.”
“I’m a man of many talents, my love.” He tapped her nose with his fingertip, and she rewarded him with a smile.
“Actually, I love to cook. It’s easier to let Oliver take over when I’m at home, but cooking is a pleasure I enjoy.” He leaned close and kissed her, a light touch of lips to cheek. “I enjoy it almost as much as running through the forest with an alpha bitch at my side.”
Keisha giggled. “I guess Xandi talked, eh?”
“Alexandria did more than talk. She showed Stefan exactly what you did with those nylons of yours. And the flat of your hand. He couldn’t sit down the next day, though I didn’t hear him complaining. In fact, he smiled an awful lot. It was truly disgusting. I chose not to join them that night.”
Keisha’s laughter shifted to a contemplative smile. “I had no idea I could find sexual pleasure with a woman. It was absolutely amazing. Xandi said the Chanku…” Her voice trailed off.
“The Chanku are a polyamorous people. We find sexual satisfaction with both sexes. It’s part of who we are—an important part.”
“It’s a part of me, but I’m still not whole. Anton, can you love me the way I am?”
She looked desolate, as if her soul were shredded. Somehow, some way, he would bring her through this. The Chanku were a strong and powerful race.
A vengeful race…yet adaptable. He would find a way.
They finished their meal in silence. His thoughts were anything but quiet.
Chanku? He set down his fork and neatly folded his napkin, then touched the side of her face, gently forced her to look at him. My love, when you shift, when you are the wolf, do you fear your sensual nature then? Do you fear me?
Slowly, eyes unblinking, she shook her head. I have no fear when I am the wolf. No fear at all.
Run with me tonight. The forest calls us. I also think it heals that which is broken. Are you willing?
Keisha stood and shifted in the same motion, then waited uncertainly in front of the closed door. Anton laughed, stood up and walked to the door. “It’s always a good idea to open the door first. Paws are no good for that sort of thing.”
He opened the door and stepped out onto the narrow front porch, carefully removed his clothing and shifted. His muscles bunched, and he leapt over the railing, landing lightly in the thick ferns beyond the cabin.
Keisha followed, her leap almost as far, her body primed and ready to run.
The night called them. The forest and its myriad scents beckoned. With a sharp yelp and a nip at her shoulder, Anton took the lead.
Chapter 21
She lost track of the miles they ran, the trails through the towering redwoods they followed, on soft, spongy earth that was damp and pungent beneath her paws. It was new and fresh, a rebirth to feel so free. How she’d missed this!
At one point, Keisha scared a buck, a huge creature with spreading antlers. It raced away, and they followed, no threat this night, as they’d both fed so well at dinner. Still the run was exhilarating and left both of them panting, tongues lolling, eyes bright with wolven laughter.
After the chase, Anton kept the pace at a comfortable speed, so the miles disappeared beneath their feet but Keisha never felt pushed or stressed.
Finally he paused in a small, secluded glade. He circled the meadow, sniffing for any sign of danger, lifted his leg and pissed to mark territory along the perimeter. Nothing would intrude where wolves rested.
They might have been on another planet, so far from human habitation, so deep within the primeval forest.
Trees older than recorded time towered above them, their roots cushioned in beds of thick, springy moss. Ferns grew six feet high and more, and thick vines made bridges over creeks and fallen logs. It was a place of magic, truly a place of healing.
The forest heals that which is broken.
Anton’s words had become her own private mantra. I am broken, she cried. Heal me!
They flopped down in the thick bracken, tongues lolling, eyes glowing in the pale starlight. Keisha had never felt so aware of her wolven body before, nor as aware of the big male beside her. The strength of their muscles, the thick pads on their paws, the dark nails they used to dig and climb and run.
She rolled over on her back and nipped at Anton’s muzzle. He licked her face. She nipped again.
He rolled over as well, so that his fu
rry body pressed against hers, nose to tail, tail to nose.
She felt his tongue between her legs and jerked at the contact. He’d never approached her sexually in wolven form before. He licked her again, slower this time. She might have been frightened, had she been human.
She was wolf. An alpha bitch.
She lay back and spread her legs.
Anton rolled over and stood up, his shaggy head hanging low, his eyes intense, watching. His mind was closed to her, but his intentions were obvious.
He meant to have her.
She was Chanku, the wolf. Not a victim of rape, not human. Her fears couldn’t touch her now. Powerful, in control, the alpha bitch.
Growling, the snarl a low rumble in her chest, Keisha rolled over and rose to all four feet. She presented her bushy tail to Anton, swinging it slowly, enticingly, back and forth.
A deep growl emanated from Anton’s wolven throat. He raised his foreleg and pawed her hip.
His claws were sharp. They left ruffled furrows in her pelt.
Keisha refused to give ground. Instead she turned and looked at him over her shoulder, linked with him.
Take me now, as a wolf, not a woman. The woman is broken. The wolf is whole.
He shook his head, denying her words.
You are not broken. Never, in my eyes. I love you. You must know, my love, that among the Chanku, if I take you as a wolf, you are mine forever. Have you noticed that Stefan and Alexandria mate as wolves? I do not join them. Only in human form are we so promiscuous.
I love you, Anton. Do you truly want me?
For all time, my love. Forever.
Then take me now. Make love to me. Show me your goodness and your strength. Wipe out the memories and give me new ones, fresh, loving memories, of you and me together.
He needed no further urging. Nipping at her shoulder, he established his dominance with a single slash of his teeth, the rake of his paw across her back, as he mounted her.
The frustration he’d felt as a human male was intensified in wolven form. He found her soft opening on his first thrust, driving deep, hard, entering Keisha as she braced her legs to take his much heavier weight.
He heard her soft grunt as he filled her, a sharp yip when he finally buried himself deep inside. He tried to link and found a barrier thick as a stone wall. Then the sensations took over, the clenching heat of her channel, the coarse fur along her spine rubbing against his chest. He pumped quickly, taking her as a wolf takes a mate, filling her with his rapidly swelling cock, readying her for his seed.
Once embedded in her warmth, Anton thrust hard and deep, over and over, until his swollen cock tied the two of them together. He felt her body stiffen, knew the sexual knot in his wolf’s penis could frighten her with her loss of control, the sense of entrapment.
He took his chance then—prayed it was the right move—and shifted. Still tied to Keisha, he resumed his human form.
And realized she’d done the same thing. He held a woman in his arms, her buttocks pressed against his belly, his cock buried deep inside her hot sheath. They lay together in the soft bed of moss and bracken fern, tied together in love and passion.
He shuddered with the last tremors of his climax and felt the lingering spasms in Keisha’s body. Gently he brushed the tangled hair away from her face and held her close, her back fitting perfectly against his chest, her hips seated in the cradle of his. She turned her head and gazed back at him with so much longing in her eyes, so much love, he buried his face in the hollow of her throat, broke down and wept.
She twisted her upper body so that she could see him, looked into his face, into the amber eyes of the man she loved, and marveled at his tears. With her hands still shaking from the tremors of her climax, Keisha brushed the moisture away from his eyes, leaned closer and kissed Anton on the mouth.
Whatever fears, whatever worries, she’d had melted away in the beauty of his tears, in the depth of love she felt for this most amazing man. His cock was still embedded within her heat, and the connection felt right. It was perfect. When she kissed him, she felt him swell once more within her, knew he wanted her again.
“I love you. Forever. Make love to me again. Love me as a man loves a woman.”
His body trembled, and he closed his eyes as if in prayer. Very gently, he withdrew from her clasping sheath and rolled her to her back in the crushed bed of ferns. Kneeling between her legs, he brushed the hair back from her face.
He started to speak, cleared his throat and tried again. His eyes glittered in the starlight, filled with unshed tears. His voice broke, cracked, strengthened. “When I first saw you, your hair was so tightly braided, I had no idea how thick it was, how beautiful.”
She frowned. All she could think of was putting that beautiful cock of his back between her legs. The fear that had held her for the past month felt like a bad dream. She wanted him inside her, now. And he wanted to talk about hair?
“It’s changed. I’ve changed.” She knew she sounded impatient. She couldn’t help it. “My hair was so kinky, I had to wear it braided or keep it short. Becoming Chanku changed it. It’s softer now, more like Xandi’s.”
“You’ve always been Chanku. Shifting to the wolf must have altered your hair, much as it’s altered the rest of you.” He ran his hand over her tousled mass of black curls and waves, leaned over and held a handful of her hair to his face and inhaled, then smoothed it back from her face once more.
“You are stronger, more powerful. You will never be a victim again.” He laughed as he leaned down and kissed her, his lips moving skillfully over her mouth, his tongue barely teasing hers. She felt his hard cock brush against her belly, and her pussy wept.
He ended the kiss and sat back on his heels. “You truly are the alpha bitch in the pack. Even Xandi defers to you in many ways.”
She tightened her knees against his hips. “What are you driving at, Anton? Why aren’t we making love? You’ve been wanting this for weeks.” She bit back a nervous giggle. “I’m ready, okay? So are you. Just look. Your poor cock’s standing there, looking very impatient with both of us.”
She tilted her hips once more in blatant invitation. His erect cock grew even larger, pressed upward against his lean belly. What was he up to? His introspective comments made her uneasy, unsure of herself. Her pussy was wet and waiting, her nipples puckered into tight, sensitive little buds, and all of a sudden he wanted to talk?
Why did he still look so sad?
“I’ve dreamed of this since the moment I saw you. I’ve slept with you in my arms, knowing you were afraid of anything more than my support and companionship. Let me savor this a minute, okay? Let me look at your body, taste your flavors, inhale your scent. I want it all, my love. All of you. I want your love, your passion, the very thoughts in your mind. I don’t intend to rush until you’re ready to drop all your barriers.”
“Oh.” She gazed up at him, understanding for the first time the true depth of his need. She’d blocked his thoughts so thoroughly, seeking the one protection left to her, the sanctity of her fears still locked in her mind.
The fear was gone because of Anton. The trauma, the assault, the brutality, no longer controlled her heart, her mind and her soul. Finally there was truly room for love in her heart. She dropped her barriers, linked with Anton and gasped with the intensity of emotion roiling within his thoughts.
Gasped, then smiled, finally accepting his need, his desire, his unconditional love.
Accepted, and returned every bit as much.
Love washed over her, spilled out of Anton and bathed her. He leaned close and took her nipple into his mouth, suckling it deep, and she felt reborn. His tongue licked the very tip, his teeth nibbled and nipped, and she cried out at each fresh sensation.
He quickly kissed his way down her belly, nuzzling in the thatch of tightly curled hair between her legs, licking her swollen lips like a starving man at a feast.
She was almost frantic when he lifted her with broad palms beneath her b
uttocks, raised her hips to his mouth and curled his tongue inside her, lapping like the big wolf he was.
Moaning, body trembling, Keisha reached for his arms and held on tight, practically curling herself into a ball as he licked and sucked her tender folds.
He took her to the edge, took her one step closer, then stopped, raised his head and leaned over to kiss her. She tasted herself on his lips, suckled his tongue into her mouth, groaning with each new taste, each new sensation.
Her pussy clenched, wanting. His cock bumped against her, just as desperate.
What are you waiting for? She glared at him.
An invitation?
Oh, shit. Fuck me! Now, Anton. I can’t wait any longer. Gasping for breath, she lay back in the soft ferns and grabbed onto the stems, anchoring herself. He drove deep and hard, his cock finding its way home in one sleek thrust. He bumped hard against the mouth of her womb and sighed.
I feel as if I’ve come home.
You are home. We both are. She reached up and touched his beloved face, felt the emotion in his heart and mind, and accepted, finally, what Anton had told her all along. He was the one, her mate, the single most important person in the world for her. Lifting her hips to hold him even closer, she wrapped her arms around his lean, muscular back and hung on tightly.
In the deep woods in the dark of night, in the strong, steady arms of the man she loved, Keisha healed.
Chapter 22
Four days later, just at sunset, they crossed back over the Golden Gate Bridge. The lights of San Francisco glittered against a pink and mauve sky, and the buildings faded from peach to gray in the dying light of the sun.
Keisha stared at the familiar skyline and missed the mountains of Montana, the tall trees of Humboldt. She definitely missed the little cabin.
She and Anton had truly discovered one another over the past few days. There wasn’t an erogenous zone on either body that had gone untouched, an orifice that hadn’t been stimulated, a taste that hadn’t been sampled. She felt well and thoroughly fucked, as wonderfully satiated as she’d ever been in her life.
