by Tasha Black
Slowly, he began to move.
She felt her body clamp down on him, as if she were trying to milk him.
He moaned and reached around her to rapidly work her throbbing nodule.
“Oh, oh, oh,” she cried out helplessly, transfixed by his enormous cock and unable to relieve the sensation by moving her hips.
Ian gave her long, firm strokes.
By the third one she exploded with a pleasure so intense she saw stars.
She felt him brush her back with his lips.
“Good girl, beautiful angel,” he whispered to her, inhaling as she convulsed in helpless ecstasy on his steel hard cock.
As soon as she was coming down, she felt him swell larger still, and then pulse and jet inside her.
He bit down again on her neck, but lightly this time.
When their tremors had finally ceased, he pulled her down on her side with him, and wrapped his arms around her.
“Bianca Silver, you’re perfect,” he whispered into her hair as she drifted off to sleep. “I will always protect you. You will never leave me again.”
Chapter 14
Bianca settled comfortably into the upholstered chair back in the Files room. She looked out over the pond, trying not to think about the fact that Ian was there, right across the room from her.
Last night had been so incredible. They hadn’t made it upstairs before he’d made love to her on the living room floor. They’d done it again on the way up the stairs, once in bed and again in the shower afterward as they tried to clean up.
Finally she had gone to sleep in his arms, utterly spent and too tired to talk.
Morning came way too fast. He’d insisted on accompanying her here - he’d even stopped for coffee and bagels for the girls.
When they arrived, Addison pulled her aside.
“Did you read up on scenting ceremonies yet?” she whispered.
Bianca shook her head.
“Here,” Addison said.
A text popped up on Bianca’s phone and she followed the link it sent to Wikipedia.
A scenting ceremony is used by certain packs in the northeastern United States as a way for wolves to choose a mate. Held annually, the ceremony begins with wolves in their animal form. They sniff one another for compatibility. If compatible as wolves, they shift to sniff for compatibility in their human forms. If the couple is in agreement, they will move into the woods to consummate their mating. A mating consummated in this way between a shifter and a human can result in the human gaining the power to shift. See also: mating mark.
Bianca’s head had begun to spin and she’d excused herself to go to the ladies room.
Once she was locked inside, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes were the same as usual, weren’t they? That wasn’t a hint of gold, it was the lighting in the bathroom.
But she could still hear the hum of the lights in the files room from here. And the steady beat of Ian Anderson’s heart.
Had he really chosen her to become his wolf bride? Why hadn’t he talked to her about it first?
The questions swirled, but they were unanswerable without Ian.
Instead, Bianca searched her heart for her own feelings. After all, it was done, they had mated. It explained why they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, why he was hell bent on protecting her.
Was she happy about it? That was the most important question, when she really thought about it.
She was pleased to realize that she was.
No matter how they had gotten this far, Bianca was relieved that the strong feelings she had for Ian were returned.
And whatever his reasons for not talking with her about it first, he had chosen her. He wanted to spend his life with her. He wanted her to be his mate.
Mate.
The mere word made her almost feverish with lust.
And if that title came with superpowers she was all in. She was nervous, but who wouldn’t want to be able to shift into a wolf? She only hoped it didn’t hurt.
He was a good man, she knew that much. She just needed to be patient and trust him.
She could do that, couldn’t she?
“Bianca, are you okay in there?” Ian asked from just outside the door, a trace of concern in his voice. He didn’t startle her - she had sensed him coming somehow.
“I’m fine,” she’d said, opening the door and threading her fingers through his, “I’m just fine.”
The smile on his face filled her heart with sunshine, and she began calculating the hours in her head, trying to figure out how long until they could respectably call it a day and go back to his magical cottage for some alone time.
The morning crawled by.
When the other girls left to get lunch, Bianca decided to stay behind.
Ian came to sit next to her on the big chair.
She knew they needed to talk about the mating. And though it wasn’t exactly something she wanted to bring up in this setting, she figured the sooner they talked the better.
“What’s on your mind, love?” he asked, as if he were reading her thoughts.
“Why didn’t you talk to me about mating before, you know, before we did it?” she asked.
He cleared his throat and looked embarrassed.
“Well, Bianca, when you’re in the moment, it’s hard to explain, but instincts take over. It’s not common to talk during those times.”
“No, not then, I mean before. Before the ceremony,” she said.
He took her hand in his.
“Bianca, you were so young when I met you,” he admitted. “I wanted you terribly, but I knew I couldn’t come near you.”
“I know, it was hard for me too,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand.
“I’m sorry, my love. But you were too young - you weren’t ready yet. At any rate, I wanted you to have a life, a regular life, before you decided to become a shifter. It’s not always an easy path. I wanted you to choose.”
But that didn’t make sense. She had no idea what she was getting into with the scenting ceremony. It wasn’t like he had forced himself on her, she’d been more than willing, but he hadn’t really been clear about the ramifications.
“Thank you for that,” she said, starting to lose her patience. “But it still doesn’t explain why you didn’t talk with me about all this before you invited me to the ceremony.”
Addison slipped back in the door, with Mei right behind her. They must have just grabbed salads from the cafe across the street. So much for privacy.
“What do you mean, I invited you?” he practically growled. “You just showed up, out of nowhere. We were damned lucky I spotted you before anyone else did.”
“Y-you didn’t send me this?” Bianca asked. She pulled out the invitation from her bag.
“No, Bianca,” he replied immediately. “I never would have asked you to come straight to the ceremony.”
Bianca could feel her heart break a little. He hadn’t invited her.
“You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted as my mate,” he said, sensing her vulnerability at his admission. “You know that, don’t you?”
“If you didn’t send it to me, who did?” she demanded.
“What does it say?” he asked gently. “May I see it?”
She handed it over.
He studied it for an instant, bringing it to his nose and inhaling deeply, before a grim look marred his handsome features.
“What?” she asked.
“I recognize this,” he said darkly.
“Okay, great, who sent it?” she asked.
“Zachary Greenfield,” he replied.
“No,” Bianca breathed.
“How could you possibly know that just from smelling it?” Mei asked.
“It’s not just that,” Ian replied. “He was in my fourth period study hall. I’d know that handwriting anywhere - he spent most of study hall writing sentences for bad behavior.”
“So why would he want me to come to a scenting
ceremony?” Bianca asked.
Everyone turned to stare at her.
She could feel her skin turn beet red.
“You know what I mean, he didn’t like me, he called me fat, he teased me,” she pointed out.
“Do you really know nothing about boys, Bianca, like at all?” Mei asked.
“He’s not attracted to me,” Bianca said, giving up on Mei and turning to Addison.
“He seemed pretty anxious to make up with you when he stopped by yesterday,” Addison admitted.
“He stopped by here yesterday?” Ian demanded.
Bianca nodded miserably.
“I would have agreed with you Bianca. The things he said to you in school were beyond boyish awkwardness. He was cruel,” Ian said, his eyes burning. “But I can’t argue with the facts. He invited you to a scenting ceremony, he came here to apologize to you.”
Could Ian be jealous?
She thought again of that first night in the woods. The other set of eyes Ian had spotted. Could that have been Zach? Had Ian really just gotten there before Zach could?
Bianca shuddered at the thought and pushed it aside.
“Okay, pretend for a minute that you’re right,” she said. “Why did he do this stuff? Why not contact me before now? Why wait until I’m already in town again to try to win me over?”
But no one could answer.
No one said much of anything for a while.
Eventually, they found their way back to the work at hand. Bianca was glad to have the distraction.
They’d been engrossed in their files again for about half an hour when Addison squealed.
“What?” Mei asked, leaping up from her pile of files to see.
Bianca and Ian looked up from the files they were sorting.
“It’s not going to sound like a big deal to you,” Addison began, sounding apologetic. “But this document makes it sound like there is a journal somewhere with secret records of shifters.”
“Isn’t that what we’re already looking at?” Bianca asked in confusion.
“It’s not that simple,” Ian told her, “the files here are ordinary town records and family records of shifters. What Addison is referring to would reference the shadow shifters. Shifters who were mated in, but who never shared their shifter status even within the community.”
“Why wouldn’t they share their status in the community?” Bianca asked.
“A lot of reasons, maybe they were unhappy to have been turned and they fled the lifestyle,” Ian offered.
“Maybe they were public figures,” Addison suggested.
There was silence for a moment.
“Oh,” Bianca said, suddenly realizing that if there were records about Jackson or his family in Blue Creek, they might just be in the journal.
“So does it say who has the journal?” Mei asked.
“It not only says who has it but it references where it’s hidden,” Addison said, speaking way too fast in her excitement. “The only thing is that the page is marked with a paperclip. So someone saw this before we did. More than likely they already searched for the journal and if they found it, it’s already here.”
“Wouldn’t that have been, like, the first thing they told us about when we registered the subject of our research?” Mei asked.
“Yeah,” Addison admitted, crestfallen. “I guess it would have.”
“Where was it?” Bianca asked.
“Hidden under the thirteenth tread in the back stairs at the League of Women Voters,” Addison replied. “Do you know where that is?”
“Sure, but it’s not the League of Women Voters anymore,” Bianca said. “They meet at the library now. It was converted back into a house. I’m not sure who lives there.”
“It’s the Peterson’s,” Ian chimed in. “Good people, but they spend half the year in Florida now that the kids are grown.”
“Which half of the year?” Mei asked hopefully.
“This half,” Ian said, shaking his head. “They never make it to the Pumpkin Festival, so I know they’re gone by now.”
“Well anyway, the page was marked, so someone’s already been there to check, I’m sure,” Addison said. “Would have been a cool find, though.”
“For sure,” agreed Mei.
They all went back to their work as the afternoon sun began to set over the pond.
But Bianca noticed Addison getting up to pace more often, and fingering her dark braids as if in thought. Once she got a bee in her bonnet about something, she wasn’t one to let it go without a fight.
Chapter 15
Bianca stood in Ian’s living room, taking in the space as she hadn’t been able to do last night.
He’d run out a few minutes ago to meet with a parent from school. She had promised to stay put and wait for him.
The whole house smelled like a mesquite fire - he must use the wood stove often.
She studied the books in the built-ins. He had so much English lit, from Chaucer to Beckett and everything in between.
She had just slid an antique looking copy of Sense and Sensibility off the shelf when her cell phone buzzed.
Mei Cohen
Going 2 look for that journal 2night. U staying in with ur bf?
Bianca wondered briefly how they were planning to check it out when the homeowners were away.
She scowled, feeling irritated, but unable to figure out why.
The phone buzzed again.
Mei Cohen
That’s what I thought. C U tomorrow if he lets U out of bed LOL
Damn. That was the problem. She’d barely been with Ian for forty-eight hours and already her friends thought she was under lock and key.
Screw that noise.
Bianca Silver
I’ll be there in ten min.
The phone went crazy and she decided to ignore it. She hopped in her car and headed over to the former League of Women Voters building.
The sun was going down and she shivered a bit, wishing she’d thought to throw on a sweater.
Oh well, she wouldn’t be gone long. Just long enough to accompany her friends inside, pry open a stair tread and leave again, undoubtedly empty-handed.
She pulled up under the shade of the sycamore that marked the front lawn of the house on Hinkson. It was a massive stone colonial. An expansive front lawn with a circular drive now stood where the parking lot used to be.
Addison’s VW pulled up a moment later.
“In a hurry, much?” Addison asked.
“Mei texted me, I didn’t want to miss out,” Bianca replied, thinking to herself that she also wanted to be back before Ian got home. He wasn’t the boss of her, but there was no reason to upset him.
“How did you get away from Ian?” Addison asked. “I thought he was going to shadow you everywhere, you know, protect you?”
“How did you get us in?” Bianca asked instead of answering.
“I didn’t,” Addison admitted. “I thought we’d knock and see if anyone was here. Just in case.”
Bianca nodded, disappointed. It was pretty clear no one was home. This was a bust.
Mei joined them and they all climbed the stone steps to knock on the door.
They knocked. They rang the bell.
Nothing happened.
Then Mei bent to lift the mat in front of the door.
“What are you doing?” Addison asked worriedly.
“Just checking something,” Mei said.
Addison gave Bianca a worried look.
“Got it,” Mei said triumphantly, straightening up with a key in her hand.
“We can’t just go in,” Addison said.
Mei was already slipping the key into the lock.
Bianca stepped in front of her quickly, effectively blocking the view from the street.
“We’re in,” Mei whispered. “Where are the back stairs?”
“I’ll go,” Bianca whispered back, pushing her way past the other two.
“Are you serious?” Mei asked, looking impresse
d.
Bianca was already through the doorway.
“Someone’s feeling brave today,” Mei said to Addison.
“Just be my lookouts,” Bianca whispered behind her.
The door closed behind her with a click, and she was alone in the house.
Maybe she was being crazy, but somehow she did feel brave today. It was likely the wolf blood now running in her veins, making her feel a little quicker, a little smarter…
Light filtered through the stained glass windows and into the massive parlor. This must have once been a meeting room. The current owners seemed to be art collectors - maybe that’s why they had left such a large parlor instead of breaking up the space into separate rooms.
She was just glad they didn’t have a security system.
Bianca knew the back stair would be through the kitchen, so she crept down the darkened center hall, past a series of family photos, and into the kitchen.
The room was a mix of old and new - soapstone counters and a stove that looked like it was from the 1920s. The bell system was still on the wall in the servants’ room off the kitchen, with lights corresponding to each room of the house. Neat.
She continued into the rear corner of the room where the backstairs twisted around.
Someone must have gotten a bonus in the seventies. The whole stairwell was covered in cheap paneling and the stairs themselves were covered with matted shag carpet. Bianca doubted the current owners used these stairs often, they were too steep and curvy for the elderly couple.
She knelt at the thirteenth step, slipped her keys out of her pocket, and mentally thanked her grandfather for about the millionth time for giving her a Swiss Army knife on her tenth birthday. Her parents had flipped out, but she always kept it with her, and it had helped her in countless situations.
Though she wasn’t convinced her grandpa would be especially pleased with her today.
Bianca wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. Maybe it was that her friends thought she was tied to Ian’s apron strings.
Or maybe it was just the mystery - the fact that a puzzle like this one might be solved, unlike the mystery of the man who was chasing her.
