by Honor James
“Shh,” he whispered quietly against her throat. Nibbling slowly over her shoulder he breathed her in. As she started to come down off the orgasm, Zaidu adjusted his position and hers thrusting again. Nipping the spot between shoulder and neck, the spot he would bite her to join them for all time, he moved faster, pumping his cock into her again and again.
Her legs loosened on him. She relaxed her hold ever so marginally, but when he began to move faster, driving against her body she whimpered. His chest moved against hers. Her nipples pebbling and her body leaking from sheer pleasure, she tilted her head to the side in a subconscious gesture of submission. Biting her lower lip, she begged once more by simply whispering his name.
Growling low as he drove into her deeper, Zaidu whispered her name softly before sinking his teeth into her flesh. Snarling at the light taste of blood, he slammed into her as he came, his cock swelling as it began to pump seed into her body.
She felt his cock swelling and gasped in surprise. That she had never experienced before in her life but there was more than that. In that moment she could swear she felt his soul reaching out and stroking hers, felt as if their very bodies were being bound by more than flesh. On instinct alone she reached out and tugged him closer, her mouth closing over his shoulder and biting him hard as she came in another blinding flash.
His cock swelled more, the knot forming to lock him into her body and she felt another spurt of his seed shooting deep into her body. Growling, his arms wrapped around her tight and held her close to him as he slowly eased his teeth from her flesh.
Gasping for air, Bethany simply held onto him, her tongue easing the hurt that she caused him and holding him as close and tight as she could. It was the weirdest thing but she still felt as if she could feel his soul brushing hers, his mind seeking hers out, and Gods, the way that her body kept giving off little mini orgasms she was ready to faint. “That,” she gasped. “Was. Amazing.”
That it was, he breathed into her mind softly. Nuzzling at her throat lightly, he nipped her ear and lifted his head. Brushing his lips to her cheek he sought and found her mouth. Kissing her lightly and gently, he sucked on her tongue, nipping her lip with care before lifting his head to look down into her eyes.
“Oh.” She stilled, her body suddenly tense. “Uhm.” He knew she had been told what bond-mates were, told that they were a part of each other, but no one said anything about mind-speaking with each other. “I could so get used to this,” she admitted finally. “But how can you talk in my mind?”
The bond, he said without vocalizing the words. Pressing up on his arms so he could see more of her face, he tipped his head. It’s permanent, unbreakable even by the Goddess, and you, too, can speak to me like this. It will take a little practice but in time—he shrugged—“It will become second nature to you. The pathway is already there, started the moment I bit you, cemented the moment we orgasmed.”
“I think I’m totally going to have to work on trying to be able to talk in your mind then.” Reaching up, Bethany’s hand caressed his cheek. Her eyes softened as she looked up at him and then she moistened her lips before asking, “Are you upset with me for this? For our connection and bond?” Lifting her leg she caressed him, pulled him closer, and thought to herself, because it would kill me if you were unhappy with us being together. I want and need to be in your life, Zaidu. I want to be able to love you.
“I don’t get upset.” Much, he amended in his head. He seemed to have more emotional upset around her than he’d had in his entire life. “Given I am a Hunter it’s a good idea not to, plus we are heavily”—and brutally—“trained not to lose our cool.” Or show emotions at all. “You are in my life, Bethany,” Zaidu said, running a lazy finger down her cheek. “Permanently, and I’m very fine with that, but are you? You are bonded to a Hunter after all,” he said, quietly watching her eyes.
She smiled, her happiness all but spilling from her. “I’m happy to have you in my life, Zaidu. Hunter, human, Wolf, however I can have you I’m very happy that I do.” Truth rolled off of her as she spoke. “You’ve never had anyone in your corner but now you do. Now you have me, honey. I will always, always be there beside you.”
“And you will always have a target on you,” he warned softly. He was going to have to do something about that. He didn’t want her as a target. Trailing his finger down to where his bond bite was healing, scabbing over, he let out a breath. The mark would be permanent. Unlike others, a Hunter’s bond mark remained visible to all. “This”—Z ran a finger around the perfect mark of his teeth—“will warn you of danger though. If it ever burns or pulsates like pins being jabbed into your flesh constantly, head for the hills and call for help. If it throbs low and deep it means I’m close.” He likely shouldn’t have told her that part but he didn’t want her getting any of the sensations confused.
She shivered as his fingers moved over the mark and her body clenched his cock once again. “Oh, I love how that feels,” she admitted to him. “Right, so if it hurts I should run but if it feels good I should know you are close.” Opening her need-filled eyes she looked up at him. “I really think you should kiss me again to make sure that you know my taste and I know yours.”
He knew her taste by heart but he wasn’t going to argue with her. Dipping his head down, he paused, his lips just brushing hers. “I should warn you of something else but it can wait a moment.” There were more important things to attend, like kissing her. Dropping his head he took her mouth in a demanding kiss. Nothing soft, gentle, or coaxing, it was an all out assault.
Unable to hold back or be left behind, Bethany kissed him back. Once more her leg began to move up and down his, her body pulling him tighter to hers, and moaning when she felt him moving inside of her again. “Oh God.” She panted against his lips when she pulled back slightly. “God that feels so freaking good.”
“Just trying to ensure you feel thoroughly satisfied,” he told her quietly against her cheek. Lifting her one leg he hooked it over his shoulder as he pressed up to watch her as he pumped into her over and over again.
Arching back, she cried out a deep and desperate sound. “Oh God.” She began to pant. “Oh God that’s so good,” she whimpered. “Please. Harder.” Once more her nails began to bite into his shoulders, once more her body began to move in time with his, and her desperation was clear as she did so.
Finding a fast rhythm that seemed to satisfy her, he growled softly as he watched her jolt from each invasion of his cock into her hot, wet pussy. She couldn’t move much, little jerks of her hips, but he had her more or less at his mercy. He’d have to take her from behind next, where he could slam into her, his balls banging into her tight little clit with each push.
Bethany screamed a yes in the room. “God I want that, too.” She panted. “So much.” She wanted to be everything for him, and damn she desperately wanted to bow down to him now. “Please.” She reached between them and began to stroke her own clit, her fingers moving down between them to encase his cock as she did so. “I’m so very close.” She growled and pressed the heel of her hand against her clit while he pounded into her.
Watching her fingers he leaned in more, opening her further. “That’s it,” he growled as she tightened her fingers around his cock. Starting to swell it was getting harder and harder to drive into her. Pushing in deeper, he forced himself through her tightening canal until he bellowed out his release and he knotted in her rippling pussy again.
Bethany screamed as she came. “Oh Gods, yes.” She panted. I don’t know how you do it but I swear it is as if you are swelling inside of me and I love it. God, I love it so much. She couldn’t speak. Her lungs wouldn’t expand enough to do more than breathe.
Shuddering as he spilled into her body Zaidu let her leg go slowly and eased very carefully over her. Rubbing his nose against her neck he groaned as more seed spilled into her body. “I do swell,” he admitted as he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.
“Oh I love it,” Bethany
whispered and held onto him. Her eyes were closed now and she rubbed her cheek to his chest. What else did you want to warn me about, Zaidu? Bethany asked him softly and continued to all but rub her body against his as she did so.
There had been something else but his brain was still a little scrambled. Frowning slightly he thought a few moments to try and recall what he’d wanted to tell her. “Oh yes,” he murmured. “You will likely be insatiable for about the next month or so. Anything and everything will make you feel extremely sensitized and in need. The smallest touch will set you off. We’re not sure why but with Wolves there is something different in the bloodlines. Plus”—he nipped at her chin lightly—“I’d stay away from males for a while. Apparently Hunters are slightly psychotic for the first while of any relationship, should they attempt one that is. Hell if I know what will happen with a mated one.” It had never been done.
“Well the first part I’m totally fine with.” And lord she was so fine with it. The man knew how to play her body like a violin and she purred for him every time. “The second part, not a problem. I won’t mind staying away from men.” She only wanted him happy and if that meant staying away from men, she would do it. “As for the last part…” Reaching up, she stroked her fingers to his lips lightly. “Why do you think that they put the two of us together? Why now when it hadn’t been done before?”
“I don’t know if it wasn’t ever tried before,” he said quietly. “But someone’s decided to give it another go. I’m just not sure why.” With him being a Hunter and having a mate, the odds were extremely high they would produce another Hunter.
“That idea bothers you a great deal, doesn’t it, Zaidu?” Bethany asked softly as she stroked her fingers over his cheeks and into his hair. “The thought of creating a son like you, it really and truly bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“I’m not entirely sure. “I’ve never once thought about it, never even considered it,” he said softly, closing his eyes to enjoy the soft touch of her fingers to his skin and hair. “I suppose I am a little concerned. It’s not an easy life or one I would wish on another.”
“I know and I hate that you’ve had to live it alone,” Bethany whispered quietly. “But you are no longer alone and…” She hesitated and wasn’t sure if she should say this or not, but finally honesty won out. “I don’t think you were truly alone, honey. You have friends, very good ones in fact. I just don’t think you see them as that where they clearly see you as such.”
“Friends are a luxury that a Hunter, that I, don’t want in my life. Those friends could potentially be my next target one day,” he told her. “I’ve hunted down one friend. It shattered what little generosity and kindness I had left. Since that day I’ve never made another and I’ve kept as far out of the others’ lives as possible. It’s just easier that way should I ever get the call to hunt them.” While Hunters were usually pack oriented or race oriented, in some rare cases not all races ended up with a Hunter and the others had to cover the gaps.
“You might think that you don’t have friends but you do. Those men are your friends, honey, they really are,” she told him quietly. “And now you have me. You will never have to hunt me because I’m human, purely human.”
Staring down at her he stroked his hand down her arm and caught her hand. Lifting it, he pressed a kiss to her inner wrist lightly. “There is more than one way to hunt someone,” he told her, nipping very carefully at her inner wrist. Meeting her eyes, he slid his tongue along her skin. “Some ways are much more pleasurable than others.”
A shiver raced over her skin and she found herself nodding. “I couldn’t agree more. Being able to have you chasing me would be a truly wonderful and delightful thing. I think that perhaps we should try it one time or another, darling.”
Blinking at that he lifted a brow slightly. “You sure it wouldn’t be too reminiscent of what happened in the woods?” he asked gently. “I don’t want to frighten you, Bethany.”
“Oh crap, I hadn’t thought of that. Okay yeah, that would bug the hell out of me,” she admitted to him. “I know you would never hurt me like those men clearly wanted to hurt me, but still, yeah, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Then we won’t do it,” he said simply, which it was for him. While he didn’t know what to do with a mate, he’d never hurt her that way, emotionally. Brushing a kiss to her cheek, he pressed up on his elbows. “You do know we still have to go shopping or we’re both going to be starving tonight and you’re going to be naked.”
“Crap, yeah we need that.” She watched him and smiled. “I don’t know though, it’s pretty awesome to have you here with me like this.” She had to admit. “But you are right. Especially since you only have meat and I just cannot do meat.” She shuddered. “We can pick up again when we get back,” he pointed out softly. Easing back slowly, he slid from her body and sat back on his heels between her legs. “But you need sustenance or we’ll be ordering in and, I hate to tell you, it’s hard to get anything but a salad that is truly vegetarian.”
“Yeah, that would be very bad,” she said with a grin. “Okay so we will make sure to go shopping so that I can have clothing and food. “Come on.” She held out her hand to him. “Come on, honey, help me up here so that we can get ourselves cleaned up and dressed once more.”
Taking her hands, he tugged her up and into his lap so he could snuggle her close. Brushing his lips to hers, Z eased off the bed setting her down. “Dress quickly and then we really need to go.” Climbing off the bed, he began to hunt down his clothing which was a bit of a task since not all of it seemed to be visible or in the same room.
She dressed, her clothes looking more than a little worse for the wear, and looked down at her shirt. “Okay, honey, I need for you to please lend me one of your shirts because mine seems to be sans buttons for some odd reason,” she teased him.
“Not that odd,” he pointed out. “I did get a little enthusiastic in getting you out of it.” Finding his shirt in the hall he pulled it on. “Come on, you can pick whichever one you want.” Leading her to his closet he pushed the door open and then turned the light on.
She grabbed the first shirt that she came to and smiled as she did so. Tugging it on she turned to look at him. “Okay, honey, do I look presentable?” she asked quietly. “At least enough to be able to shop?”
Moving to her he fixed a few strands of wayward hair. “You look perfect,” he said. “Come, we will go get you clothing, stop for lunch, and then go shopping. I’ve learned over the years that shopping while starving is not that great for the wallet.”
“I think that sounds utterly perfect to me,” she said with a grin.
Chapter Eleven
Zaidu vowed never, ever to go shopping again with any female. They all thought their asses too large, their breasts too small, and bemoaned things they thought they couldn’t wear. After twenty minutes of that Z took Bethany to the changing room and told her to stay put. Collecting things he had a feeling she’d look amazing in he gave them to her. “Try them on and if I’m wrong I won’t say another thing the entire shopping trip. But if I’m right, then you will try on everything that I bring to you.”
Bethany frowned but nodded all the same. “Okay, I will do as you have asked,” she assured him. “I will try them on but if I don’t look good I think I’m going to cry. So please don’t laugh.” She knew that he wouldn’t. He would never laugh at her and she knew it. “Now out, love, out so that I can try these on.”
Shaking his head at her he stepped out and closed the door, moving to stand with a shoulder to the wall as he waited. Women were seriously weird creatures. They had no real concept of how they looked, human women anyway. Changers were much more practical and saw what was truly there. Three minutes later he tapped on her door. “Bethany, show me,” he requested quietly, knowing she was feeling nervous and unsure.
Opening the door, she allowed him to see her in the skin-tight outfit that he had chosen and smirked. “So tell me, love, is
this something that you find me looking good in?” She wanted to hear it from him. Needed to hear it from him that he liked what she was wearing and all.
“Turn,” he ordered and let his eyes move over her body as she spun slowly. “I like,” he said, pulling her close for a kiss, hard and fast. “Try more on,” he ordered her quietly, slowly letting her go so she could do that. He hadn’t gotten all tight things, just a few items that should be worn close and snuggly to the skin.
She grinned and nodded. “I’m glad that you like it. I won’t question you again, I promise,” she told him with a smile. “I only want you to like how I look in clothes, but no more being down on myself, promise.” Moving back, she began to peel out of the first outfit and into the next, a soft and actually very, very comfortable dress.
Glancing up when she opened the door to reveal the soft cashmere dress he smiled faintly and nodded. Moving in, he rubbed a hand over her hip. “Soft,” he murmured. It had been the main reason he’d chosen it. While he was a Wolf he did like soft and textured items to tease the senses.
Bethany stepped back from him and then grabbed him, pulling him in close as she did so. “Close the door behind you,” she whispered with a grin. “Because I want you to help me pull it off and put on the silk one next.”
Pushing the door shut, he blindly locked it as he watched her, feeling the Wolf roaming under his skin. The beast liked her, wanted to play with her but knew she feared it. It didn’t fully understand but knew to be patient and take its time to woo her. “Silk next?” he asked softly, running his finger down the curve of her back slowly.
She pressed against him and nodded. “Oh yes, silk is next.” She purred. “Because I think I really will enjoy the feel of the silk on my skin, enjoy feeling your hands putting it on me as well. I want that, darling. I want to feel you sliding your hands over my naked body, will you?”
