The door to the left of the bed led to the bathroom. Like everything else in the cabin, it was small. Almost too small for the sink, toilet, and shower crammed into the space.
Her gaze lingered on the bed. Abby couldn’t curl up in that cozy space… not without thinking about the last time she’d seen Reese.
Reese. Now that she’d had time to process what had happened, what she’d done in reaction to her infertility, she was scared. Not that she thought she’d made the wrong choice—she’d done the only thing she could do. If she hadn’t traded places, the Hunter would’ve come for her husband.
In the Valiant colony, there was one belief held by all: The colony was protected by one of its first ancestors. The Hunter. Every year while most of the world celebrated All Hallow’s Eve, the werecougars of Valiant called upon the Hunter. To show homage. To give thanks. To renew shifter strength.
And that’s when the Shaman pulled her aside and told her the bad news: the Hunter was displeased with the alpha’s inability to have an heir. That hadn’t been Reese’s fault.
It was hers.
Abby rubbed her arms, chilled despite the heat emanating from the crackling fire. The waiting was killing her. After the Shaman had performed the spell needed to trade Abby’s life for Reese’s, she’d left Texas quickly. She hadn’t wanted her death to be in the colony’s territory. At least that’s what she told herself. Some small, cowardly part wanted Reese to find her. To save her.
Which was pointless. Because he was determined to keep her as his mate. The water splashed Abby’s hand, and she looked down. When had she started to fill the teakettle? She shut off the water then put the kettle onto the burner and turned it on. Next, she opened the cabinet looking for a snack she didn’t really want. But such mundane tasks couldn’t take her mind off Reese.
The night of the argument, in their bedroom, the ghosts of their grief hadn’t tempered their lovemaking. Certainly they’d both been haunted by all the visits to various doctors, obstetricians, and fertility specialists, but it hadn’t stopped Reese from taking control.
She closed her eyes and remembered their last time together. The last time she lay with him in their marriage bed.
* * *
Three weeks earlier...
“No, Abby. I will not divorce you,” Reese said as he stood in their kitchen. “I will not choose another mate.”
“You’re stubborn!” she cried.
He calmly prepared tea, ignoring her vibrating anger. The way he moved, graceful and deliberate, simply ratcheted up the anguish clawing her throat.
“Every alpha has been born from your family. Your bloodline… it’s sacred. Important.”
“It’s not more important than you.”
“Yes, it is.”
He stopped pouring the water and turned toward her. In that moment, she’d seen the truth flash in his eyes. His own heartbreak. The knowledge that the wife he loved could not bear him the heir he needed.
Her grief washed over her again. She had failed him. Her body had failed him. She couldn’t have his children. He had chosen the wrong female, because the stupid fool listened to his heart.
He strode forward and gathered her into his arms. He held her tightly until she relented and accepted his comfort. She wrapped her arms around his waist and wept. His grasp tightened, and his chest heaved as he leaned down to press his face against her hair. Together, they grieved for the family they would never have.
Abby taken by the moment, and still fully clothed, sank to her knees. Reese, needing to control and uncontrollable situation, warned her to not make eye contact unless he gave her permission. He removed a pillowcase and rolled it lengthwise and used it to bind her hands behind her back.
He undressed, removing each piece of clothing casually, as if he had all the time in the world. He ignored her, neither looking at her nor coming near her. His blatant dismissal had been designed to thin her patience while it increased the desperate wanting that pulsed through her.
By the time Reese stood naked before Abby, she hungered for the slightest look of approval or the merest whisper of recognition. Aching need curled through her, conquering her despair.
Reese stepped so close his toes brushed the tips of her knees. Then he demanded, “Suck me. I want to feel your mouth on my cock.”
Giving a blowjob on her knees without the help of her hands was awkward at first. But she got him hard and made him tremble under the onslaught of her tongue, teeth, and lips.
He pulled away from her, his thighs shaking. However, his expression was placid. He moved behind her and grasped the pillowcase binding her. He led her to their massive dresser and untied her. “Bend over and put your palms flat against the top.”
Without question, she pressed her hands against the solid, beautifully carved wood. He pulled down her jeans and her silk panties. His fingers, slightly trembling as he controlled his lusts, grazed her hips.
He rested the tip of his length at her slick opening for no more than a breath before he slid his thick shaft into her wet heat. She thought the rocketing sensation might kill her.
He fucked her without mercy, telling her unequivocally that she was not allowed to come. Being told not to find pleasure had the opposite effect. Bliss coiled tight and hard, threatening to send her over the edge with every rough stroke of his cock.
Reese came, his fingertips biting into her hips as his cries of completion filled her ears. For a long moment, there was nothing but the harsh sounds of his panting and her own low, needy whimpers she couldn’t silence.
“Stand up.”
She did as he demanded. She was overwhelmed by the need he inspired. She loved him so much. So. Much. Her body was damp with sweat and quivering with desire. His hands coasted over her belly, down her thighs, and around her ass.
But he denied his touch where she wanted it the most. Her swollen, drenched pussy.
“You are so beautiful, so responsive,” he whispered. “You are my wife, Abby. I will not lose you.”
His thumb brushed her clit and pleasure jackknifed. Two fingers danced along her tender folds then dipped inside her. She felt the erotic press of those digits on her G-spot.
Reese pushed her to the brink. He was ruthless. His thumb stroked her tortured sex while he worked two fingers inside her. She bit her lower lip, begging her own body not to give in. Not until he told her.
“Come for me, Abby.”
Her orgasm was instantaneous, the pleasure so intense she lost her ability to breathe, to think. Her legs collapsed. Only his arm wound around her waist kept her upright as her body convulsed. His lips pressed against her neck and his hard body cradled hers as she rode the wave to fulfillment.
* * *
The whistle of the kettle startled Abby out of the delicious and painful memory. She got out a mug and a tea bag then turned off the burner and poured the hot water.
Shifters were not like humans. They didn’t just worry about themselves as individuals. She and Reese were not an ordinary couple who, faced with infertility, might choose to adopt. Other shifters had different methods for breeding, but in the Valiant colony, bloodlines were important. For genetics, yes, but also to continue an alpha’s line, which was sacrosanct. For all her thumbing her nose at traditions and the archaic beliefs of her community, especially in the modern world, she wanted the honor, the duty of carrying the alpha’s child. But beyond that, she wanted to have Reese’s baby.
And she could not. And that flaw had endangered the man she loved. There was no turning back now. Prayers were for the dying. The living were expected to handle their own problems.
The shame of not being able to produce children would undermine Reese as the alpha. Her barrenness would dishonor her family, too. At the very least, they would be ridiculed, and at the worst, they would endure abuse, maybe even expulsion. Not even Reese would be able to shield her family. No one would listen to him if they found out he’d put his love for her over the needs of the colony. Her mate would lose ev
erything, because he was too stubborn to do the right thing.
The ache in her chest weighed so heavy on her that she slumped onto the couch. She had no destination when she left. She’d just drove—randomly taking roads without purpose or direction. She only stopped for gas when the tank was empty, for sleep when exhaustion overwhelmed her, and to eat when her stomach became so gnarled with hunger she felt lightheaded and nauseous. She had wandered a confusing path so that finding her would be difficult if not impossible for Reese. But the Hunter would find her. Of that, Abby had no doubt.
And tonight, she’d finally stopped running.
The Hunter would come soon, and she almost preferred facing the ancestral spirit rather than her furious, worried spouse.
Almost.
Chapter Three
Reese Valiant drove through the blinding snow. His fingers gripped the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles turned white. After Abby left, the day after their All Hallow’s Eve celebration, it didn’t take long to wrangle a confession from the Shaman. To protect the colony, the Hunter would kill him and chose another alpha—one that might well not be a Valiant. He’d nearly torn the man’s head off his neck when he revealed he’d bonded Abby to the Hunter. She would give her life so that he could live and mate again.
He wanted to do things different than the alphas before him, but he knew bringing the colony fully into modern times would be a slow process. That’s why he’d chosen the town’s only judicial building, the courthouse, for the day of the scenting, and insisted the women remained dressed. The proceeding took place in the largest courtroom, the judge on standby to perform the human tradition of marriage for him and his mate.
Reese had noticed Abby first among all the eligible females in the room. She was curvy with a bright, curious gaze and an energy that drew him like a moth to the flame. She was so beautiful he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She had dressed well, but not provocatively. Her simple dress showed off her sweet curves. She’d worn black shoes, flat and comfortable, rather than trying to totter on high heels. She hadn’t tried to be sexy, offering bedroom eyes or knowing smirks, or posturing with wiggling hips and thrust-out breasts. Her long, silky hair was worn straight, shoulder-length, in a very no-nonsense way. She had straight-cut bangs that touched her eyebrows, and she’d worn very little makeup. Later, when he introduced himself, he could smell the light floral scent of her perfume and the faint hint of strawberries of her lip balm.
It was her lack of artifice that had made him notice her. Truth be told, though, he’d noticed her long before then. She kept her head down and did her work, but her occasional looks his way hadn’t gone unnoticed, and no matter what clothes she wore, her sexy curves hadn’t escaped his attention as well. He’d wondered many times what she would look like naked, and he hadn’t been disappointed.
The night of the scenting ceremony, Abby had looked around the room in open curiosity, her gaze cataloging the architecture and the furniture. She hadn’t glance at the other women, who sized each other up while they tried to make goo-goo eyes at him.
Reese had worked his way down the line, not really listening to introductions, and ignored the bold touches on his arms and hips as the other females vied for his approval.
When he’d finally reached her, she’d looked him in the eye, and held out her hand. She’d given a firm handshake, answered his questions point-blank, and teased him without a thought about his rank. He’d heard the pounding of her heart. It had matched his own.
Reese’s phone beeped, turning his thoughts to the present. As part of the colony’s revamping of security, tracking devices had been placed on the alpha’s cars. Abby didn’t know about the trackers, or she would’ve never taken the SUV. Despite knowing where she was, he’d been unable to catch up to her. She’d been running non-stop, and he couldn’t predict her moves. The red dot on his phone verified that she was only ten miles away. She hadn’t moved for about an hour, and he hoped it wasn’t because she ditched the car or worse, the Hunter had caught up with her. He was so close now. His pulse raced with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
Abby was the missing part of his soul.
His other half.
His mate.
And nothing, no rules or traditions, or summoned spirit, would keep them apart.
* * *
Abby stretched on the couch, tucked a worn pillow under her head, and drew the quilt over her body. She stared at the flickering flames, watching them dance as the wood crackled. She drowsed there, her eyelids eventually drifting closed.
She slept deeply, dreaming of her husband, of the baby they would never have, when the child started wailing.
The wailing turned into screaming—inhuman sounds she’d never heard before.
Abby jolted awake.
The lamp on the nightstand glowed brightly, but the fire had burned down to embers. Reluctantly slipping out from the warm quilt, she padded to the picture window next to the front door—the only window in the whole cabin. She flipped on the porch light and stared out in the darkness.
All she could make out from the gray mass of falling ice and snow was the spindly shapes of trees. Everything else, including the lake, was lost in the dark and the storm.
Was the Hunter out there?
Would it come for her now?
Her heart jumped into her throat, and she backed away from the window. Coward. She was such a fucking coward. She hadn’t realized how much it would hurt to be without Reese.
Cords of wood were stacked next to the fireplace along with a pile of newspapers. A box of extra-long matches rested on the mantle. With all the tools at her disposal, Abby had a new fire going in no time.
She wished the window had curtains or blinds for privacy. Most people probably liked the view, but she wanted to feel covered. Protected. Watching the snowstorm encapsulate the cabin was like watching gravediggers bury her coffin.
A loud, fearsome roar echoed.
Abby froze.
Her werecougar instincts kicked in, and she whirled toward the front door, throwing it open to sniff at the wind.
The rusty scent of blood, and the sickening stench of death overwhelmed her.
The Hunter.
Even prepared, she couldn’t hold back a gasp as a tall, gaunt creature emerged from the tree line. Its gray skin hung in tatters off blackened bones. Its eyes were desiccated hollows, and its mouth a ragged gap filled with sharp, gray teeth. The old rusted scent of blood clung to its awful form. Okay. That was not the same spirit that had shown up to the All Hallow’s Eve party. But maybe this was its true form.
Abby fought to catch her breath.
This was it. The only way to make sure Reese stayed safe.
The Hunter rose to its full height, lifted its head, and emitted a blood-curdling scream.
Abby hurried to the bed where she’d shed her winter clothes earlier. She threw on a sweater, thick socks, and boots, but the heavy thud in her belly told her it was too late. Next, she shoved on her coat and pulled up its hood. Finally, she pushed her trembling hands into fitted gloves.
Where was the spirit? Why hadn’t it come for her already? Why was it waiting? Why wasn’t it busting down the door or crashing through the window?
Abby hurried back to the door and opened it again.
The Hunter was gone.
The biting wind and freezing snow battered her. She shut the door behind her and hurried off the porch. She sank to her knees. Damn.
As she slogged her way toward the tree line, she tried to prepare herself. She hoped it didn’t hurt. And that it didn’t take long. And that Reese would forgive her.
She entered the thickest part of the forest and trudged onward. “Hey!” she yelled “I’m here!”
Her jeans got soaked and snow wiggled into her boots and made her socks cold and squishy. Her heart raced and sweat dotted her brow. Vaguely she recalled that sweating in freezing weather was a bad sign. She’d overexerted herself, and in her human form she could get hypothe
rmia if she didn’t get into a warm environment and out of her wet things.
She reached the top of the slope and looked down at the cabin. She rested against the nearest tree and tried to even out her breathing.
Neither her human nor cougar enjoyed the cold. She’d been a fool to venture out into the snowstorm. She turned around and headed down the slope toward her cabin. She couldn’t see anything in the cursed whiteout, and it seemed her coat snagged on every tree or bush she passed. The wind howled so fiercely it chilled her to the bones.
The wind… or the Hunter?
As she stumbled out of the tree line, she whirled around and saw the gaunt gray figure stalking her through the trees.
You give your life for that of your alpha?
The voice, both male and female, was calm. Colder than the snow, it echoed inside her mind.
“I do,” she said.
You honor the Valiant colony with your sacrifice and ensure its future. For this, your death will be merciful.
“Thank you.” Abby’s tears fell. She watched the creature stalk closer, slow and methodical, its eyeless gaze on her. I love you, Reese. I love you.
She felt hands on her shoulders, and then she was yanked backwards into the solid chest of a man who wrapped his muscled arms around her waist. He scooped her up and ran with her into the cabin, his long legs and strong body unimpeded by the snow.
Once inside, he put her down, slamming the door and locking it behind them.
The white ski mask covering his face muffled his voice, and his eyes were hidden behind goggles. But she’d known who it was the moment he’d put his arms around her. She’d recognized the scent of earth and wind. The scent of home and husband.
Reese.
“Hiding in here won’t do any good,” she said in a shaking voice.
“It’s all we got, sweetheart.” He went to the end of the couch and pushed it against the door as a barricade. He grabbed the other end of the sofa, and together, they pushed it against the door. “That window’s a big problem. Maybe we could rip off the closet and bathroom doors and nail them across.”
Sassy Ever After: All By My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Pride Command Book 2) Page 2
