Forbidden Claim

by R. L. Kenderson

  She wrinkled her nose. “Kind of gross, but I get your point.” She pulled his hand away from between her thighs and put it low on her pelvis. “It’s inside me now. I took it into my body. Into my uterus. And, hopefully, one of your little guys will find its way to my egg.” She smiled. “In theory anyway. Who knows if I will even ovulate? Or if your guys can find what they’re supposed to?”

  Zane sat up and pointed a finger at her. “Hey now. My guys are not little, and they sure as shit are going to find their way to your egg. Your little egg won’t know what hit her. She’ll be bombarded by so much sperm.”

  His blond hair was sticking up all over the place from her hands, and it was hard to take him seriously.

  She raised her brow. “You do know that’s not how it works, right? One egg. One sperm.”

  He scowled. “I know that.” His frown lessened. “But I didn’t realize the other stuff,” he said, pointing to her crotch. “You said you’d never done this before. How did you know?”

  “I’m a teacher. I make it my business to know things. I do have at least one shifter student every year, and I let them know that I’m available to answer any of their questions since there’s no shifter anatomy or shifter sex education in school.”

  He cupped the back of her head and kissed her. He touched his forehead to hers. “You’re amazing.”

  She blushed. “I don’t know about that.”

  Zane grinned at her. “Does this mean we can play strict teacher and naughty student?” He turned his back to her and pushed his butt out. “Ms. Talon, I’ve been a bad boy. I cheated on my paper, and I gave Saxon a swirly. I think I need a spanking.”

  Isabelle rolled her eyes, but it was impossible not to laugh. “Oh my God, you’re incorrigible.”

  He looked over his shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows. “So, how many spanks does that earn me?”

  She smacked his butt with a little more force than necessary. “One.”

  “Ow.” He rubbed his ass cheek.

  “You asked for it.” She laughed.

  Zane turned around and pinned her arms over her head. “You’re going to get it now, Ms. Talon. You might be my teacher, but I’m bigger and meaner.”

  That was the second time he’d called her Ms. Talon instead of Ms. Rand. Both times, she felt a warmth in her belly.

  She pretended to try to buck him off her. “I’m so scared. What are you going to do to me?”

  “I’m going to fuck you until you can’t see straight.”

  Too late. Her future was already a blur where Zane was concerned.

  “I can’t wait.”

  Her insides squeezed as another cramp took hold of her. She tried not to wince for Zane’s sake and forced out a chuckle.

  “I guess my body can’t wait either.”

  He let go of her arms. “Don’t worry, Ms. Talon; I’ll take good care of you. You are my favorite teacher after all.”

  And take care of her he did.

  QUENTIN WOKE WITH a jolt and an unawareness of where he was. It took him a second or two to realize he’d fallen asleep in Hunter’s room.

  The vampire was currently lying on top of him, the leg without a cast slung over one of his own.

  This revelation did not help his morning wood, but he didn’t dare wake Hunter for any fun and games.

  One, Quentin didn’t know how Hunter would feel about what they’d done the night before after a long, hard sleep. And two, if Hunter had slept for several hours at night—a time when he was normally awake—then he needed his rest.

  Quentin wished he could stay and enjoy being close like this with Hunter, but he probably had an hour at most before the house came alive. It was a damn shame, too, because he probably wasn’t going to end up back in Hunter’s bed anytime soon.

  Before Quentin rolled Hunter off him though, he ran his fingers through the vampire’s dirty-blond hair a few times and kissed him on the forehead. He wished he could figure out what was so special about Hunter, so he could fix it in his mind. Being infatuated with someone you couldn’t have sucked.

  Quentin slowly slid from Hunter’s bed, put on his jeans, and picked up his dirty T-shirt. He lightly padded to the door, giving Hunter one last look, and slipped out the door.

  Quentin had thought that maybe his fascination with Hunter was because he couldn’t have him. But Quentin wasn’t like that. He’d been interested in other males in the past who were taken, weren’t interested in him in return, or weren’t ready to come out of the closet. Quentin had moved on with ease.

  But something about Hunter had stuck with him. And he hated it.

  When Quentin reached his room, he threw his dirty tee in his hamper and grabbed clean clothes.

  He was supposed to work last night, but he had called in because of Hunter’s injury. Rather than taking vacation time, he had told his captain that he would work the day shift. He still had a couple of hours before he had to leave the house, but he might as well get ready. He wasn’t going to go back to sleep now.

  Quentin showered, got dressed, and went downstairs to find some breakfast. He was a little surprised to find Damien already up and in the kitchen.

  “Morning,” Quentin said.

  “Hey.” Damien nodded toward the counter from his seat at the table. “I made coffee already.”

  “Thanks.” Quentin poured himself a cup and raided the fridge for something to eat. He was starved, and it occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten much in the last twenty-four hours. “What was for dinner last night?”

  “Pot roast.”

  “Who cooked?”

  They took turns cooking dinner, but not everyone had the best kitchen skills.

  “Payton’s mom.”

  Quentin’s mouth watered at those two words. Mrs. Llewelyn was one hell of a cook, and she enjoyed doing it. Everyone loved when she came over to make dinner for her only daughter and the wolves as well. The cat-shifters were one lucky bunch.

  Quentin began pulling out all the leftovers from last night and loaded up his plate with food before sticking it in the microwave. “I wish she were looking for a job.”

  Damien pulled a second chair closer to him and put his bare feet up on it. “I would hire her in a heartbeat.”

  “Maybe we should look into actually hiring someone to come and cook for us. He or she could have the bedroom downstairs, so he or she would have their own space.”

  “I’ve been seriously thinking about it. Especially at a time like this when we’re down shifters. I can eat takeout for only so many days.”

  “Agreed.”

  Damien sighed. “But I also don’t want to put anyone in danger. It’s a tough call.”

  His alpha did have a point, but Quentin hoped Damien wouldn’t dismiss the idea completely.

  The microwave beeped, so Quentin grabbed his food and silverware and took it to the table.

  “You work today, right?”

  “Yes. I hope that’s okay. I had to trade because of last night.”

  Damien shrugged. “We’ll make do.”

  Quentin swallowed his bite of food. “First thing, I’ll see if I can get an update on Bram.”

  Damien nodded. “Good, good. Let’s hope the asshole stays where he is for now. I still haven’t figured out how to deal with him. Everyone wants a piece of him.”

  Quentin thought he should slit the fucker’s throat for hitting Hunter with his car. He grunted in response because Damien didn’t want to hear his idea.

  Damien traced the outside rim of his coffee cup. “How is Hunter doing?”

  “Pretty good. Healing well. He was able to come home last night after having surgery. I don’t think they would have let him if they’d had any concerns.”

  Damien nodded, still looking at his coffee. “I noticed you didn’t sleep in your room last night.”

  How did—

  Damn it, he’d left his door open last night. All anyone had had to do was walk by and see it was empty.

  Quentin set his fork down an
d sat back in his seat.

  Damien looked up, meeting his eyes. “Don’t fret; I’m the only one who knows.”

  Quentin blew out a breath. That was a relief.

  “How involved are you? Is it going to get in the way of your work?”

  Quentin laughed.

  “Complicated, huh?”

  “Very.” Quentin picked up his fork again. “We’re not really involved. Hunter has just realized he has feelings for…other guys. He doesn’t think the other vampires will understand, and he’s worried about losing his position as a Guardian.” He shoved a big bite of food in his mouth.

  “So, he wants to date in secret?”

  Quentin shook his head and swallowed again. “He’s so scared that he doesn’t even want to do that, which is fine by me. I’ve dated a couple of guys in the closet, and it sucks. And, after hiding it from your father for years, I’m not going back.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  When Damien had first gotten involved with his mate, the wolves and cats had still been at odds with each other. If anyone knew how Quentin felt about hiding a relationship, it would be Damien even if the situations were quite different.

  “So, last night…” Damien asked.

  Quentin chuckled. “A fluke, I suspect. He was injured. I was concerned about him.”

  Damien nodded in understanding.

  “You won’t say anything to anyone about Hunter, will you?”

  “No. It’s his secret. And, as long as he does good work and no one gets injured or killed, then it’s his personal business.”

  “Thank you.”

  And thank the universe for giving them Damien as their alpha. His father, Dwyer, had been a dictator. Damien always asked their input on things, and while he made the ultimate decisions, he trusted his sentinels to think for themselves.

  “Since no one knows, if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” He took a drink of his coffee. “And my mate gives pretty good advice, too, if you ever want a woman’s perspective.”

  “But can she keep a secret?”

  A knowing smile came over Damien’s face. “Oh, yeah.”

  Quentin laughed awkwardly. He did not want to know what Damien was thinking. “Good to know.”

  Damien shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. “Just know the offer stands.”

  “Thank you.”

  Quentin finished his plate and resisted going back for seconds. He might need to stop and pick something up on the way. His shifter appetite was not satisfied.

  He rinsed his plate, put his dishes in the dishwasher, and looked at the time. “I might as well go to work.” It was still early, but he didn’t have anything else to do.

  “Avoiding the morning after?”

  Quentin laughed. “I didn’t even think of that. But it might be better this way. I don’t feel embarrassed, but Hunter might.” He cleared his throat. “Will…will you check on him every once in a while? And try to get him to move around? I know you have enough to do, but I’d appreciate it.”

  Sympathy filled Damien’s eyes. “Don’t worry about Hunter; we’ll take care of him.”

  “Thank you. And I’ll fill you in on what I find when I get to work.”

  Damien nodded his appreciation, and Quentin took off for work. He took one last look at Hunter’s bedroom window. He hoped the vampire wasn’t mad about last night because Quentin didn’t regret a single second.

  TEGAN TRUDGED OUT of bed and into the kitchen. She was hot and uncomfortable and cranky. Her heat would be upon her very soon, and she didn’t know what she was going to do about it. If only she could run away from her own body.

  No one was in the living room this morning, which was good because she didn’t feel like saying hello. She walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and turned to lean against the counter while she sipped from her cup.

  She was wondering where everyone was when Zane walked into the room in only a pair of boxers with an exhausted expression on his face.

  “Wow. You look like you’ve been through hell.”

  He grunted and went to the fridge. “I need food. I need protein.”

  “I only grabbed a few things at the store last night for breakfast. You’re probably going to have to order room service.” She remembered something. She walked over to the fridge next to Zane and looked inside. “We should have some leftovers from last night.”

  Zane slowly rotated his head and looked at her. “I need you to go over there. I don’t have the energy to run away from you.”

  Tegan straightened. “What did I do?”

  “You’re giving me a fucking boner, and it’s creeping me out.”

  “Ew,” she said and backed away.

  “My sentiments exactly. I can fucking smell you, and even though my dick is about to fall off, it’s still getting hard.”

  “Time out. TMI.” She did not want to think about Zane getting hard, especially because of her.

  He shrugged and grabbed last night’s dinner from the fridge. “I’m just telling you the way it is. I don’t like it any more than you. It’s your hormones. I can’t help it.”

  Knowing he would need more room to make his food, she backed out of the kitchen. She stood, so she could still see him without encroaching on his space.

  “Is Isabelle still sleeping?”

  “Yes. She needs the rest.”

  “I bet you do, too.”

  “I do, but my stupid stomach woke me up. I’m hoping to eat something and then go back to bed. It’s going to be a long day.”

  “Are you sorry about what you’re doing for Isabelle?”

  Zane looked up from the food he was preparing like she was crazy. “No way. I feel…special, honored. It’s just a lot of work. I’m not quite sick of sex, but I’m getting there, and that’s saying something.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s just kind of weird.”

  “Hmm.”

  Movement caught her eye, and she saw Chase and a couple of guys she’d never seen before come into view through the sliding glass door. The two men had a security logo on their shirts. Chase must be showing them around. But Reid wasn’t there.

  A cold flash went through her body. What if he’d left?

  But then the three of them turned and looked behind them, and a second later, Reid came into view. The cold that had invaded her bones a moment ago was replaced with warmth.

  She noticed he was wearing one of the T-shirts she’d bought him, and it made her smile.

  He lifted his arms—it looked like he was telling a story—and his shirt went with him. His jeans were riding low on his hips. So low, she could see his V and the very top of his pubic hair. No one else seemed to notice. They were all laughing at what Reid had said.

  But she couldn’t stop staring. She wanted to tackle him to the ground, strip him naked, and push him inside her.

  “Are you going to let Reid take you during your heat?”

  She looked over at Zane. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she honestly told him. “I don’t even know if he wants to.”

  After all, he’d done the heat thing before with someone else. That surprise revelation had sure made her green-eyed monster make its presence known.

  “He is your husband,” Zane pointed out.

  “Yeah, but not my mate.”

  Reid’s wedding ring glinted as it caught a ray of light. It wasn’t the same as seeing her mark on his neck, but it still made her feel pride to see her ring on his finger.

  She was in over her head. “Everything is moving so fast.”

  Zane lifted his brow. “Maybe that’s what you need.”

  Maybe, but she wasn’t sure.

  A hot flash, so strong that it caused her to suck in a breath, swept through her. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, and she wiped more off her upper lip.

  “I’m going back to bed,” she told Zane.

  She didn’t want to be where everyone could see her when her heat hit.

  She just made it into
the bedroom and shut the door when her insides squeezed, and she almost dropped to the floor.

  “Oh, fuck.”

  She crawled over to the bed and climbed on top. She scanned both nightstands, looking for the medicine she’d gone out to buy last night when she realized what was going to happen.

  Both tables were empty. She hadn’t even been sure that she would take them, but now that she couldn’t find them, she panicked.

  She flopped back on the bed as another cramp racked her body. She needed to figure out what she was going to do before the pain became too much.

  The bedroom door opened, and Reid walked in, determination on his face.

  “You should have told me,” he said.

  “I-I…” she stuttered. She really didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told him about her heat. She didn’t even know what to think.

  Reid reached behind him and pulled off his shirt. Then, his jeans and underwear went next. His monster cock bounced out, hitting his stomach, and wetness coated her thighs.

  Reid climbed onto the bed and nudged her legs apart. He gripped the bottom of her T-shirt nightgown and pulled it over her head.

  “God, you smell incredible. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.”

  “Not even when you had sex with another female in heat?”

  Reid raised a brow, and Tegan snapped her mouth shut.

  Jeez, I sound jealous.

  “How many times do I have to tell you that no one compares to you?”

  She shrugged. “A lot?” she suggested.

  Reid picked up one of her legs and placed it over his hip. “I’m going to fuck you now, Tegan. I’m going to mark you. I’m going to make you mine. I will be the last one to ever touch you like this again. And I’m going to put myself deep inside you where I’m going to release my seed, and I’m going to fill you with my young.”

  Holy shit. The dirty talk coming out of Reid’s mouth was so hot.

  “I’m not going to make you do anything. I will leave you alone. I will go and get your meds and take care of you the best I can. If that’s what you want.”

  She swallowed. “And what if I want you to have sex with me but not mate with me?” she asked more out of curiosity than anything.