by Katie Reus
On a moan, she met his mouth, stroking against his tongue hungrily. He wanted to spend some time teasing her and getting her worked up before they bonded. But if she kept this up, he might throw his good intentions away.
Reaching between them, he cupped her mound, placing his thumb right over her clit. The little bud was swollen and begging for his touch. Satisfaction rolled through him when she let out a strangled sound. Using more pressure, he began circling right over her sensitive bundle of nerves with no reprieve.
When she began panting and grinding against his hand, he slid two fingers inside her instead of one. He’d planned to tease her a little, but he was so damn worked up it was all he could do to give her just one orgasm before thrusting into her. But he’d give her another during and plenty after.
God, he just wanted inside her.
Her inner walls tightened around his fingers with each stroke. She was so wet he knew exactly how tight and slick she’d be when he slid his cock into her.
The past year Erin had come so far, from being so reserved and introverted to this sensual, amazing woman about to come apart in his arms. The fact that she not only loved him, but trusted him so much meant everything.
Erin surprised him by wrenching her head back and tearing her lips from his. “I want you in me when I come.” A sharp demand.
One he was more than willing to carry out. Noah knew everything about the bonding process. Every shifter did. The male took the female from behind and sank his teeth into her neck during the full moon. It would solidify their bond and link them telepathically forever. But he didn’t want to take her from behind. Not that they hadn’t already had sex in that position and two dozen others, but right now it didn’t feel right to him.
Something primal in him told him that wasn’t for them. Pulling back so that he was sitting up, he drew Erin with him. Without having to say a word, she straddled him, sinking down onto his cock in one stroke.
He hissed in a breath at how good she felt. Grabbing her ass, he clutched on to her as she began to ride him.
Meeting her stroke for stroke, he thrust his hips up and into her tight body. Out of pure instinct, his canines descended. He knew what was coming. Her inner walls were convulsing around him so quickly he knew she was about to come.
A second later her climax hit fast and hard. Finally, he let go of his own control, letting the orgasm tear through him and pierce all his nerve endings. His entire body shook from the pleasure.
Burying his head against her neck, he sank his canines into her soft flesh. The moment he pierced her, she did the same to him.
He jerked even harder against her, emptying everything he had into her. It still blew his mind that she’d been ready to walk away because she assumed he wouldn’t want her. God, how could anyone not want this brave, strong woman? As his canines retracted, so did hers. Instantly he felt the loss.
As his orgasm fled his body, he didn’t move. Neither did Erin. She was plastered against him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her head still on his shoulder as she nuzzled his neck.
He did the same to her, kissing where he’d bitten her. Though he’d just climaxed, he was still rock hard and would be ready to go in another minute. Hell, he wanted to stay inside her all night if she’d let him.
Testing, testing. He heard Erin’s words loud and clear in his head.
Pulling back, he stared into her wide gray eyes. “Did it work?” she whispered, even though they were the only two people in the house.
Grinning he nodded. I think you and I can cause a lot of mischief with this new gift.
Erin laughed, the sound so rich and real it hit him square in the chest. She tackled him back against the blankets, still straddling him. “I love you more than anything.”
I love you too, he projected, loving this new link between them. What does my bonding symbol look like? he asked.
“Holy crap, I forgot about that!” She scrambled off him and practically shoved him face-first into the blankets as she got a look at his back.
Noah stretched out on the soft fur blanket, resting his chin on his hands. “Was that really necessary?” he asked, chuckling.
She straddled his back and traced her finger over where he guessed his new tattoolike symbol was. When she didn’t respond, he turned his head to see her. That’s when he realized tears were streaking down her face. Immediately his stomach dropped. Had the bonding not been completed correctly? Did he not have a symbol? He clawed against the panic bubbling up inside him. “What’s wrong?” he barely squeezed the words out.
She just shook her head. “Not a damn thing. You have two blades crisscrossed right on your upper left shoulder blade. . . . How do they, the gods or magic or whoever is responsible for this linking, know what the right symbol should be?” Her voice was impossibly thick with tears.
His own throat tightened at the knowledge that his mark was a direct representation of her. His strong enforcer. Now his bondmate.
He twisted so that she was straddling his stomach. She swiped away her tears and he could see the joy shining in her stormy gray eyes as she looked down at him.
“I have no idea, but it’s perfect. You’re perfect.” All he could do was stare at his lean mate as she sat there. The firelight created dancing shadows, playing off her beautiful features and naked body.
“I’ve never been more happy in my entire life,” Erin murmured before she leaned down and kissed him.
Me neither, he projected to her.
Chapter 23
Erin leaned back against the couch in Ana and Connor’s home. With her legs crossed and arms folded over her chest, she knew she probably looked defensive, but she wasn’t at all. This new energy was pulsing through her and she could barely contain it. She and Noah were actually bonded. He loved her for exactly who she was. No stipulations. He accepted her. Period. That knowledge made her giddy and she could only imagine how goofy she’d look if she wasn’t controlling all her energy. She wanted to tell everyone how amazing it was. Fucking shout it out to the world like a maniac.
After Noah had left to patrol this morning she’d been amped up. Even a seven-mile run hadn’t taken the edge off and she’d ended up being the first one to arrive at the house.
Ana and Connor were in the kitchen and Jayce was on his way. Well, Vivian was sitting on the ground in front of her with Transformer action figures and talking about something. The jaguar cub Ana and Connor had adopted raised her dark eyebrows. Erin knew they might not be related by blood, but when Vivian got into a snit, she looked so much like Ana sometimes it stunned Erin.
Erin blinked. “What did you say?”
Vivian scowled at her in the way only a ten-year-old could. “Were you listening to anything I said?”
Completely chastised, she shook her head. “Sorry, hon.”
Vivian sighed heavily. “I asked if you were back to stay for good. Lucas told me that Noah kicked everyone out of the guys’ cabin last night and that it was now yours and Noah’s.”
Erin felt her face flush. At least Lucas didn’t know the real reason they’d taken over the cabin. “No, it’s still the guys’ cabin. But, yes, I’m back for good. Mostly. I’ll still have to leave for assignments but this will always be my home.”
Vivian put a hand to her forehead dramatically. “Good! I thought Lucas was going to move in here.”
“I thought he was your best friend.” The blond wolf cub was adorable and would definitely be a heartbreaker in a few years.
“He is my best friend, but he always tries to steal my toys.”
“Uh, aren’t those his Transformers?” Erin nodded pointedly at the little plastic toys in Vivian’s hands.
Vivian’s grin widened. “Not anymore.” Then she jumped up and ran from the room, carrying the bundle of action figures with her.
As she left, Jayce strode into the room, his expression grim. Any humor she’d felt, left Erin in an instant.
Jayce gave her a tight smile as he collapsed on the couch
across from her. “Where’s your man?”
“On patrol.” Even though she wished she and Noah could stay holed up for weeks engaging in nothing but sex, eating, and sleeping, the real world would never allow that. Especially not since she was an enforcer now. She had a feeling that taking an actual vacation was something she wouldn’t be doing for decades. Not that she minded. And more important, Noah didn’t either. “What’s up? You look like you want to murder someone.”
He glanced at the doorway. “Let’s wait ’til Connor and Liam get here.”
She nodded, the stone in her stomach growing heavier by the moment.
“Congrats,” Jayce said, breaking the growing silence.
Now she did smile. No matter what she was about to hear from Jayce and no matter how bad it would inevitably be, she was now officially mated to Noah. Nothing and no one could ever change that. “Thanks. It’s kind of awesome.”
He snorted. “I know.”
“How’s Leila?” The young teenager whose parents had recently been murdered by vampires had come to live with Jayce and Kat. They were pretty sure that Leila had the makings of an enforcer too, though only time would tell.
Jayce’s lips twitched. “She’s a teenager full of hormones and she just met a human boy in town who rides a motorcycle.” He said the last word in disgust.
Erin’s eyebrows pulled together. “You ride a motorcycle.”
“Exactly. I don’t trust the little shit.”
She snorted. “Is there anyone you’d trust with her?”
His lips pulled into a thin line, but he didn’t respond.
She decided to change the subject. “So you really think she’s like us?”
He nodded. “Definitely. I gave her some sparring sticks to practice with and she’s almost as good as you. I’m almost afraid to put actual blades in her hands.”
Erin’s eyebrows rose at that. She was decades older than the young girl and had been fighting a lot longer. Erin couldn’t wait to see the young shifter in action. “Damn.”
Jayce just nodded again.
The front door opened, slammed, and Liam stomped in, scowling. He smiled as soon as he saw her though. “Congrats, short stuff! I heard the good news. Plus you stink like Noah now.”
She rolled her eyes but stood and hugged him anyway. Seconds later Connor and Ana entered, carrying a tray of coffee mugs for everyone. Her eyes lit up and she snatched one from Connor’s tray before he’d even set it down on the table.
After congratulations for her new bonding, they all settled around the table, Liam the only one standing by the fireplace. That wolf could never sit still.
“So what’s going on?” Erin asked.
Jayce and Connor exchanged worried looks. Uh-oh. That was definitely not good.
“Strange things have been happening all over the state, but it seems as if the majority of the cases are centralized near Winston-Salem,” Connor said darkly.
That was only a couple of hours from them. “What do you mean, strange things? This sounds like more than just vamp blood dealings.”
“It is. Or we think it is. Everyone involved in the past couple weeks has been hopped up on vamp blood.”
“Involved with what?”
Jayce’s gray eyes went almost completely black for a moment. “There have been cases of older vamps committing suicide, humans hopped up on vamp blood robbing banks but once they come down from their high they don’t remember any of it. That could just be something they’re saying as a lame defense, but it’s the same with all the humans committing crimes on vamp blood. Amnesia, or whatever, is not a side effect of taking vamp blood. In each case the humans said they felt as if they were in a fog, almost as if someone else was in control of their bodies.”
“What about with the vamps acting strangely?”
Jayce shrugged. “None of them are alive to question.”
Oh, right. “So what’s the link? If there is any?”
“The humans bought vamp blood from different suppliers, but those suppliers all have a source in Winston-Salem. Right now I’ve managed to follow a trail to a well-known club that caters to supernatural beings.”
The way Jayce said club was odd. “What kind of club?”
“Not exactly a strip club, but most of the employees don’t wear much clothing and they cater to every need a vampire or shifter or whoever could want.”
“You’ve been there, huh?”
Jayce rolled his eyes. “It’s all part of recon.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is that what you told Kat?”
Ana stifled a laugh and Liam just growled in annoyance. Surprised, Erin turned to look at him. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Jayce didn’t get in trouble, I did.” By his pained expression she could imagine he actually had.
Erin shut her mouth. Liam’s mate was pregnant and probably a little hormonal. What female would want their male at a place with a bunch of naked women? Not Erin. “Okay, then. What’s the plan?”
“Infiltrate the club, see what we can dig up,” Connor said immediately.
As Jayce started talking about different ideas they had, Erin listened and tried not to focus on images of Noah completely naked and waiting for her back in his room. She couldn’t wait until their house was built. Until then she figured they’d have to get creative about finding privacy. Realizing she’d zoned out, Erin quickly refocused on the conversation at hand.
The more Jayce and Connor talked, the clearer it became that this was going to be a big job for them all. As in the entire pack. If whatever was going on became widespread it could affect vampires everywhere—which would spill over to shifters and fae. Whether she liked it or not, what affected one supernatural being would inevitably affect them all. But she knew the real reason they were getting involved now was because of how close this was to Connor’s territory. The Alpha had a right to be protective and he took his duties seriously. “When do we start?”
She realized she probably sounded too eager, especially when Jayce’s lips quirked up. “I think I’ve created a monster.”
After what she’d just dealt with in New Orleans she figured she was ready for anything. She’d killed the monster who’d stolen something huge from her and for the first time in forever, she felt whole. As long as she had Noah at her side, she could handle whatever nastiness life threw at them.
Epilogue
Ned Hartwig tossed another log onto the fire he’d recently made. It was damn cold out here, but there wasn’t a soul hiking the Appalachian Trail this time of year. Too fucking cold. And right now he needed to stay hidden and away from everyone.
Ever since Jayce Kazan had forced him to blow up all his product a few weeks ago he’d been in hiding. Ned still mourned losing all that vamp blood. He’d had close to half a mil of unsold goods. People paid so much shit for vamp blood it was ridiculous. Good for his bottom line though. But that wasn’t his real problem right now.
His problem was the scary motherfucker he’d gotten the stuff from in the first place. Ned wasn’t sure what that guy was—vamp, shifter, or some scary-ass thing he’d never heard of—but the man’s eyes turned a wicked red when he was angry and he’d seen his teeth descend before. But he wasn’t sure if they were canines or fangs and he sure as hell wasn’t brave enough to ask. And those fucking eyes were the kind of red that made him think of brimstone and hellfire. Growing up in the Bible belt probably helped his imagination along, but damn, that guy scared him more than anyone. Even more than the feared enforcer for the North American Council.
At least out in the woods Ned was safe. Well, safe enough. There was no way anyone would find him out in this cave. He’d been here only a few times before and he’d never told anyone about it. It had the perfect ventilation so he could build fires to keep warm, but the structure also kept the actual fire hidden from outsiders’ eyes. If someone wanted to get to him they would have to venture deep into his cave and he’d set up half a dozen traps to ensure that didn’t happen.
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Satisfied the fire wouldn’t die out before daybreak, he lay back against his travel pillow and tucked his sleeping bag around him. The second he closed his eyes, a strange almost hollow feeling settled in his bones. As if someone was sucking the life force from him.
Sitting up, he glanced around the dimly lit cave. His heart had started beating overtime and he felt as if he was being watched. But that was impossible. No one would be getting past his traps.
Feeling foolish, he started to lie back down when a shadow stepped from the darkness. The figure came from the direction of the mouth of the cave. Ned instinctively reached for the gun he kept tucked under his pillow but didn’t pull it out yet. His fingers wrapped around the cold steel. He savored the feel as he watched the figure move with a lethal, supernatural grace that told him this was no fucking human coming to see him.
Which raised the question—how the fuck had anyone gotten past his trip wires?
“Are you attempting to hide from me?” The low, male—and unfortunately familiar—voice ricocheted through him like shards of glass.
As the figure came closer, Ned could make out a long, black coat and a hood pulled up over the man’s head. The guy often wore a hood, obscuring most of his face. But there was no doubt that this was him.
The man from Ned’s worst nightmares. Once Ned had watched him stare a human down until that very human scratched and stabbed his own eyes out. It had been the freakiest thing he’d ever seen.
He cleared his throat, never taking his hand off his weapon. “I’m not hiding from anyone.”
“That’s not what it looks like. It looks like you stopped selling my product, then ran away instead of coming to me.” The quiet note in the man’s voice was a hell of lot more intimidating than if he’d started screaming threats.
He was like a predator, going all quiet right before the final strike of death. Ned tried to think of a lie, but then opted for the truth. Sometimes that really was the best policy. At this point, he didn’t have anything to lose. Well, except his life. “I didn’t stop intentionally. My bus was blown up.” Technically true. It had been blown up. Of course, Ned had been the one to throw that grenade in it, triggering all the other explosives that sent that yellow rusted piece of junk sky high.
