“Really?” She raised her eyebrows and fought a smile.
“Really. Then I wake up, wanting you. But that’s not so unusual. I want you all the time.”
“I want you, too.” She leaned against me, and I held her in my arms.
I wanted to do more, but we were on watch. The Allencloth pack could be closing in. The thick trees that had camouflaged our position were growing farther apart with every step we took toward the edge of the forest. Even here, nestled between boulders, they could find us. The timing couldn’t have been worse. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s a promise of more. Soon as we get back to Emerald Pines.”
“Then I can’t wait to get home,” she said.
We sat for a while longer. A branch broke far in the woods and we stood up, immediately on alert. A few seconds later, the scent of a doe reached my nose. I listened harder, and I could hear her soft footfalls over the underbrush.
The clouds blew past the moon, and the forest lit up with an unearthly glow. Ariana was beautiful at my side. I was a simple man and I didn’t have the words for how pretty she was, but I knew Taylor could have described her better. I wanted to take a picture of her and remember her like this always. Knowing she wanted me. Experiencing her beauty.
She wiggled her feet. “I’m getting sleepy.”
Checking my watch, I said, “Five more minutes.”
“That’s all? Wow, that flew by.”
Four minutes later, my dad and Heather emerged from their tent.
“How’s it been?” Dad asked.
“Everything’s quiet,” Ariana said. “There was a deer a little while ago, but she’s moved on.”
My dad and Heather settled onto the same log Ariana and I had been sitting on. I followed Ariana to her tent.
She stood up on her tiptoes and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. Her lips were so sweet. The feel of them lingered even after she stepped back. I fought a growl of disappointment.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I want you. I want everything with you again.”
“Me, too. But Slade, we shouldn’t—”
I pulled her to me and kissed her, hard, channeling everything I’d been feeling about her into the kiss. Then I let her go. “That’ll have to do for now,” I said.
I waited while she touched her lips. Her eyes were sparkling with desire. I had done that, I realized. I made her feel that way.
She cleared her throat, then seemed to steel herself. She opened up her tent and clambered inside. Only when she’d zipped it up again did I go to my own tent.
I climbed on top of my sleeping bag and folded my arms behind my head. Too hot to climb inside the bag. It was going to take me forever to fall asleep with my hard-on throbbing. Ariana did it to me every time. All the time. Even when she was with the others.
I could hear her moving around in her own tent, trying to get comfortable. Stupid shifter hearing. Every time she moved, it reached my ears, and I imagined her taking her clothes off beneath the covers of her sleeping bag. I imagined her shoving her fingers down into her panties, touching herself the way I wanted to touch her. I imagined kissing my way up from her foot all the way to the place she wanted me most.
The noises in her tent stopped, but I heard the sound of the zipper opening. Then closing again. Then footsteps. I smelled her then, close. Female arousal, the smoky scent of dragon, and tart apples.
“Ariana,” I whispered.
She opened the zipper to my tent and climbed in. “I can’t sleep. I need you too much, Slade. What if something happens? What if we don’t make it home? If Koenig’s men catch us, they’re not taking prisoners, you know?”
“Shhh. It’s all gonna be fine.” I pulled her down so she lay half on me. I kissed the top of her head. At some point she’d taken off her hat, so my lips pressed against her wavy brown hair. I inhaled, craving her scent. I would never let anything happen to her. Not while my heart still beat.
Tilting her head up, Ariana pressed a kiss against my lips. She reached down and stroked my cock through my pants. “Make me forget, Slade,” she said. “I’m tired of worrying.”
I flipped her over so she was on her back, then I lifted her shirt up and kissed her belly. I knew my whiskers had to be rough, but she moaned and held my face closer to her skin and rubbed against me.
She was wearing fleece pajama bottoms. I slipped my hand under the waistband and cupped her sex. She moaned, lifting her hips to press herself into my touch. “Please,” she said.
My woman was pleading with me. I wouldn’t make her wait. I pulled her pants and underwear down and took them from her feet, baring her beautiful legs. Then I pulled her long-sleeved shirt up the rest of the way. When it tangled in her arms over her head, I left it there and held her in place with one hand. She looked so pretty that way, open for me. Wiggling like there was something she needed, but she was too breathless to ask for it.
“I love you, Ariana,” I whispered, then kissed her mouth.
She kissed me back hungrily and hooked a leg around mine, pressing me closer. With my free hand, I reached down to unfasten my pants. No time to get them all the way off. She wanted me now and I would give her what she wanted. Every time. No questions. I slid my pants down just enough to free my cock.
She whimpered when the head touched her entrance. Then she used her legs to pull my hips to hers. I pressed forward until her walls surrounded me.
“This is the best place in the world to be,” I whispered in her ear. “With you, inside you.”
“Slade, don’t stop. Ever.”
I moved within her, pushing inside all the way so that I could hit her clit with each thrust. I could feel her muscles getting tighter and tighter. She tried to move her arms, but I held her in place with one hand. I used my other to cup one of her breasts.
She moaned.
“Shh,” I said. “Everyone will hear.”
She stared at me with wide eyes. “But—oh fuck, Slade—it feels so good—”
I kissed her, swallowing her words. She gripped me with her legs, holding tight to my thighs and hips, urging me closer, faster, harder. I took every unspoken direction until I felt her arch stiffly in my arms, and she cried out into my kiss. The pulsing of her sex around me sent me to the same end. I held back my groan and felt myself break and reform, all while holding her in my arms.
Pressing my forehead to hers, I whispered, “I love you, Ari.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Taylor
Night faded away as sunlight kissed dew-coated leaves, and with it came a warmth that I hoped would dull the icy edge of the air.
I paced back and forth, as I’d done half the night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Ariana splayed out before me, her arms held up above her head with a shirt or fabric of some kind.
It was a strange thing, sitting beside Quentin as I felt the sensation of Ariana’s smooth skin against my whiskered cheeks.
No words were exchanged between us, but I knew he felt it, too. I’d had a hard-on since she’d entered Slade’s tent.
If I’d have been alone, I would have dealt with it. With Quentin here, I couldn’t.
I’d thought about unzipping the door. I was tempted.
It was better to stay busy. I got up and circled the tents again, passing Quentin as he sat at the base of a tall pine tree.
“You’re wearing down a path,” he said.
“It’s just—” What was there to say? He knew exactly how I felt. He likely felt the same way. It had been too long since I’d held Ariana, tasted her, felt the soft curves of her naked body.
“We’ll return to Emerald Pines soon,” Quentin said.
It’s what everyone was saying. I knew it was true, but it didn’t make the wait any easier. I wanted to shower her in poems and roses, I wanted to share a bath and massage her shoulders, her feet, her thighs. I wanted to kiss every inch of her, worship her the way that she deserved.
“Do you suppose those are the same berries
that Slade picked before?” Quentin pointed off into the woods. I followed his line of sight and saw a small bush with blackberries.
“I guess,” I said.
“Rations are getting low, we could use a fresh addition.” He picked some blackberries, and I joined him.
Quentin popped one in his mouth, then shuddered at the taste.
“Tell me you aren’t eating those.” Slade’s voice was firm, scolding.
I turned and saw him approach, brow furrowed.
“Those’ll make you sick,” he said.
Quentin spit the black mess out on the ground. “They taste like shit,” he said.
“And that’s what they’ll do to you,” Slade said. “If you’d asked, I’d have told you last night when I spotted them.”
“Can’t do anything nice,” Quentin said, face pale.
Slade slapped him on his back. “You’ll be fine.”
“I hate this damned forest,” Quentin said.
“Soon—” Slade said.
“We’ll be home soon,” I finished.
The scent of tart apples filled the morning air and I inhaled slowly, savoring her. Her footsteps were soft, silent on the moist forest floor, but I could feel her approach.
“Good morning,” Ariana said.
I turned and gazed at her. Down over her shoulders, her dark hair was loose and wild, a stark contrast from the pristine up-dos she wore back home. Her soft skin had a dewy glow, while the cold air brought a touch of pink to her lips and cheeks. I could stare at her a thousand years and never lose this sense of awe, affection, and desire that struck me every time.
“How was your shift?” She leaned into my side, nuzzled her nose in my neck. Her breath tickled my bare skin. My cock throbbed.
“Uneventful,” Quentin replied.
Ariana pulled away and squeezed Quentin’s hand. “Always good news.”
Ariana looked to Slade, then Quentin, then to me. It was almost like we were alone, like the quick bath in the icy stream, like we could finally explore this strange but wonderful connection we all shared.
“I’m soooo hungry. What do we have left to eat?” The voice belonged to Heather. The building sexual tension broke. “Don’t tell me jerky. If I never saw another piece of dried meat it would be too soon.”
“We could offer her the berries,” Quentin said under his breath. Slade elbowed him in the ribs, then headed back toward his tent.
“There’s not much left,” Slade said, as he dug through his bag.
Victor stretched as he climbed from his tent.
“I’ve got one Clif bar left,” Slade said.
“I did some hunting back at the cave,” Victor said, “but we don’t have time for that now.”
“I’ll happily trade my mystery meat for the bar,” Quentin said.
“It’s elk,” I said.
“So I’ve heard,” he replied, but I could tell he was trying to rile Slade up.
“Let’s gather up what’s left, ration it out,” Slade said.
It was the smart choice. The closer we got to the edge of the forest, the closer we were to the confrontation with Koenig and his goons, the harder it would be to secure a camp or hunt for food. With that danger came a quicker end to all of this. We’d be home soon.
Ariana reached into her bag and pulled out a packet of oatmeal, then handed it to Slade.
After everything was piled together, Slade put the oatmeal and half of Quentin’s jerky into his bag. He split the rest up.
I got two bites of elk and a quarter of a Clif bar. It wasn’t enough to curb my hunger, but it had to do. I could only imagine how Slade felt. The big guy ate four times what the rest of us did on a normal day.
After the lavish meal, we packed and headed out, following Victor’s lead. Heather stayed close to Victor. Slade and Ariana followed after, leaving me and Quentin in the rear. Most of the forest had been difficult to navigate, with thick brush and few wildlife trails for narrow footing. The closer we got to the edge of the forest, the wider the trail became, the thinner the brush grew, and the more exposed we were. The air changed, too. It was feral—fur and gunpowder. It made my skin crawl.
“There’s a hint of wolves in the air,” Quentin whispered.
Everyone ahead of us stopped.
I listened to the forest around me for signs of the enemy. Insects and birds buzzed and chirped, a woodpecker tapped a tree in the distance. There were rustling leaves, and gentle white noise. Nothing alarming.
Slowly, Ariana and Slade walked forward. The path opened to a small clearing and the remains of a camp. Although the clearing was small, several tents had been here. Ariana pointed at places where grasses had been flattened beneath tents.
A stone circle rested in the center of the clearing. No heat emanated from the abandoned fire pit.
“There were a lot of them here,” Victor said. His voice was quiet. We all were quiet.
Slade leaned down and touched the remains. Blackened wood crumbled between his fingertips.
“It’s not fresh,” he said. “One day, two maybe. Not much more than that.”
Koenig’s people were close. Too close.
The icy autumn air was heavy in my lungs. The morning had just gotten a hell of a lot colder.
Victor walked to the edge of the small clearing and stopped, staring off into the woods.
“What is it?” Heather asked.
“Tracks,” he said. “Same way we’re headed.”
I turned for Ariana, suddenly concerned about her exact position. Slade and Quentin already stood on each side of her, shielding her from what I hoped was only empty forest.
When Victor started down the path, Slade, Quentin, and I walked a little closer to Ariana than we had before.
There was no conversation, only silent movement. Everyone was on guard, watching, waiting.
“We made it.” Victor’s voice was pure joy as he ran toward a thick patch of brush. He grabbed huge branches from what appeared to be a bush, but was instead a forest-green SUV.
Heather threw open the passenger side door and hopped in, claiming her seat.
Victor dropped the last branch to the ground and stared down.
I looked to see what was wrong.
It was the tires. The tires were shredded.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ariana
Victor immediately took a step closer to Heather. “Everyone back,” he said.
She scrambled out of the car to stand next to him.
I stared at the tires, the scent of wolves thick in my nose. I could even smell Koenig. They’d found our way out, they were waiting for us to come. All that was left was for them to close in and ambush us.
Slade, Taylor, and Quentin all looked murderous. Quentin’s jaw moved as he ground his teeth together. Taylor’s eyes were narrowed. And Slade clenched his fists at his sides.
The Land Rover had been the plan. Now what the hell were we supposed to do? I traced back the path we’d traveled in my head, tried to recall something that could give us an advantage, somewhere that we could shift into our dragons.
Nobody moved, so Victor spread out his arms and began backing away from the Land Rover. As he went, Heather was forced to move with him.
Slade nudged me and whispered, “You have the best ears. Is anyone else around?”
I paused to take in the sounds of the forest. It was hard to focus on hearing when my nose was so inundated with the scents of the Allencloth pack. Chirping birds filled the silence, and the rustling sounds of squirrels stockpiling nuts and seeds for the winter.
“There’s nobody else around,” I said. Not yet.
Victor didn’t look so certain.
“I’m betting all our lives on it,” I said. “I’m absolutely positive.”
He gave a short nod. “Okay, we’re going to find somewhere safe, and then we’re going to go on the offensive. Hunt those bastards down. End this once and for all.”
Victor led the way, as if he knew exactly where he
was headed. It was a different path than we had taken, a different direction than we had been traveling. I hoped he had something in mind, that he was leading us toward a certain spot, instead of just away from here.
We quietly walked a few hundred feet until we reached a thicker copse of trees. On one side, a boulder loomed above us. We stopped in its shadow.
“Are we still alone, Ariana?” Victor asked. “I can’t smell anything—can you?”
I lifted my head to take in the sounds around us. Tiny woodland creatures—mice and squirrels. Trees and grasses rustling with the breeze but otherwise undisturbed. “We’re fine.”
“Good,” Victor said.
Slade added, “At the Land Rover, I picked up a few distinct scents. No more than four wolves.”
“There’ll be more, though,” I said. “Koenig was with them. I could smell him.”
“I can’t wait to see him in person,” Victor said with a cruel smile. It was disconcerting to see cruelty on a face so like Slade’s.
“Look,” I said, “Whitesong isn’t like some of the other shifter security agencies out there. We don’t kill our targets.”
“Sometimes it’s necessary,” Victor said.
“Well, we do everything in our power to make it not necessary.” I stepped toward him, my hands on my hips. I wanted to see us all survive this, not just our group, but Koenig and his men, too. Emily, and her mate. If the Lotus War had taught me anything, it was that life was precious and worth preserving—even for people like Koenig.
“So, what, you play catch and release?” He stood taller, looking more menacing than usual. “You think he’s just going to drop a chance at Heather?”
“No,” I said. “But we give him the benefit of the doubt, just like we were going to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
Victor’s response was immediate. His brown eyes flashed. “Right. Exactly how Koenig wanted you to do it, right?”
“No,” I said. “That doesn’t mean we need to sink to his level. We’re not the Curtis Corporation.” Off to the side, Quentin visibly flinched. “We work with integrity.”
Dragon Unbroken: A Reverse Harem Dragon Fantasy Romance (Spellbound Souls Book 2) Page 17
