by Ramona Gray
The door opened and Raina appeared in a swirl of cold air and snow. She shook the snow from her hair and stomped her feet. “Reese? Can I sleep in yours and Kane’s cabin tonight? Radek is still not home and I –“
She stopped and stared at the people in the cabin. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t,” Reese smiled at her and Raina put her arms around her waist, “and yes, you may sleep in our cabin tonight.”
“Thank you, Reese,” Raina said before hugging her tightly.
Kane snorted irritably and Reese grinned at him before kissing Raina’s forehead. “The bed is made up in the second bedroom. Go and climb under the covers and I’ll be in to say goodnight in a few minutes, all right?”
“All right,” Raina agreed happily.
She went into the second bedroom as Kane muttered into Reese’s ear, “You will regret letting the girl stay the night when you have to be quiet while I’m fucking you.”
She blushed and whacked him lightly on the arm before turning to Abby. “Abby, I’m sorry. Really I am.”
Abby didn’t reply and Val put his arm around her waist and led her to the door. “Come with me, little dove.”
* * *
“What do you want?” Faren said rudely.
The woman pushed past him and he shut the door of his cabin as she tugged back the hood of her cloak. Her pale cheeks were flushed with the cold and she was covered in snow. She shook her cloak lightly and clasped her hands nervously in front of her.
“Adina? Is that your name?” Faren asked.
She nodded and he paced back and forth in front of her as she watched him carefully.
“What are you doing here?” Faren said softly.
“You know why I am here,” she said.
“I want to hear you say it.”
She took a deep breath. “I want you to feed from me.”
He stopped pacing. “Do you? And why is that?”
“Does it matter?” She asked. “You’re hungry and I have what you need.”
She shrieked in surprise when he moved across the room in a blur. One strong arm wrapped around her waist and pinned her body against his, while his hand tangled in her hair and drew back her head. He stared at the pulse beating in her neck and licked his lips.
“I am very hungry,” he muttered.
She was trembling against him and he could see the fear on her face but she tilted her head to the side. “Do it. Bite me.”
He bent his head to her throat and she stiffened against him in anticipation. She made a sharp cry of disappointment when he pressed a light kiss against her cold skin.
“Wh-what are you doing?” She whispered when he kissed his way up her throat. He licked behind her earlobe, making her entire body tingle. She jerked against him helplessly when he cupped one full breast.
“You smell good, Adina,” he muttered into her ear before taking her mouth in a hard kiss. She moaned and returned his kiss, touching his fangs with the tip of her tongue as he pressed his erection against her belly. He wormed his hand under her shirt and cupped her naked breast. He traced circles around her nipple with his thumb as she moaned again.
“Do you want me, Adina?” He whispered.
“Yes,” she whimpered. “Please.”
A shudder of desire went through him. The woman was unbelievably soft and he suddenly, desperately wanted to strip her naked and bury himself within her. Her blood was singing sweetly to him and his fangs lengthened as he lowered his face to her throat.
Bite her. Take her blood and her warm body and she’ll be yours forever.
He hesitated. If he bit her, she would want him and the thought of having her in his bed every night was oddly pleasurable. The woman was a stranger but fuck, he wanted her badly. She would be his, drawn to him by her obsession to be bitten repeatedly but it would be a false need.
He stared down at her flushed face. She wanted him right now – an honest and true desire. He could take her to his bed without biting her and the pleasure she would feel from his touch would be real. He could make her feel good. When she sought him out again, it would not be the compulsion from being bitten that would be leading her to him but rather the pleasure he brought to her with his mouth and his tongue and his cock.
Bite her!
He pressed his fangs against her smooth skin and her body immediately stiffened. She was frightened. She wanted him to bite her, for whatever reason, but it also scared the hell out of her. He squeezed her breast lightly but instead of a soft moan of pleasure, he could hear her panting harshly as the scent of her fear bloomed between them.
He pushed away from her so suddenly she stumbled and nearly fell. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said hoarsely. “Leave me.”
“What? I – you need to eat,” she said in confusion.
“You need to leave,” he said.
“But you need blood, do you not? I am offering mine,” she said. “Why aren’t you – “
“Go!” Faren suddenly shouted at her. “Get out of my cabin before I change my mind and drain you dry, human!”
She staggered back with a white face and huge eyes before fleeing from the cabin. He slammed the door behind her, blocking out the wind and the snow. He made a harsh noise of anger before picking up the small table and throwing it across the cabin. It crashed into the wall and broke into pieces as he clenched his fists and paced restlessly back and forth.
Chapter 3
Radek shifted the human in his arms. He had been walking for nearly two hours and as light as the human was, his arms were growing tired. The wind was blowing and he glanced at the dark storm clouds. It was going to storm but whether it would be rain or snow, he couldn’t tell. Either way he needed to find shelter that was large enough for the both of them.
He stared down at the woman in his arms and muttered a curse. His time around Kane’s human mate had made him soft toward the humans. He should have left her to her fate. The three humans they had in their pack was already too many.
He bent his head and sniffed at the female. Her scent wasn’t completely unpleasant. In fact, she had a light almost flowery scent that his wolf found oddly intriguing. It urged him to sniff her again and he lifted her a little higher and buried his nose in her hair. He had never seen such curly hair, and his wolf made a soft growl of happiness at the smell and softness of it.
He thought briefly about what it would be like to sink his hands into that mass of soft hair. How she would look as he guided her mouth to his cock and her hair draped across his thighs. It would –
He suddenly growled and shook himself all over. What the hell was he thinking? The woman was a human and while he may no longer have such a deep hatred for them, he had no interest in them. Humans were weak and this woman in his arms was obviously no exception.
He checked her leg. He had found some liptus leaves and wrapped them around the deep scratches in her leg and plastered them to the wounds on her back. The liptus plant had large broad leaves that were used by healers. At least he thought they were. He had seen the blonde woman, Adina, using them on Theran’s human mate when she had been badly scratched by a poison tree. No blood oozed from beneath the leaves and he breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he cared if the human bled to death but he did care about leaving a trail of blood that would lead predators right to them.
He snorted to himself. How humans even survived to outnumber them, he would never know. They must fuck and breed like bunnies to make up for their losses to injury and sickness. Based on the woman’s outfit she obviously had no problem with fucking. Her skirt barely covered her ass and he could easily see her nipples through the thin material of the odd-looking shirt she wore. He studied the thin leather collar she wore around her neck. What kind of human would allow herself to be collared like a dog? His eyes dropped to her small chest again. Thanks to the cold air, her nipples were hard and pressing against the thin material. Without thinking about it, he rolled her in his arms until her chest wa
s pressed against his. The human was freezing cold and if he didn’t find shelter soon, she would -
His wolf made a warning growl and he froze and lifted his head. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened. Holding the woman tightly he turned and slipped into the thick brush. He scanned the area desperately, the slow burn of panic beginning in his belly, as he moved quietly through the thick bushes. Branches scratched his naked body and he grunted impatiently when one got caught in the woman’s blonde hair. He pulled it out roughly and continued on, his eyes darting back and forth and his nose sniffing the air constantly.
He stopped and turned to his left, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. There was a dark shadow against a large dead tree about twenty feet away. Praying he was right, he strode quickly toward it. The tree was, in fact, hollow and he released his breath harshly. The bugs were drawing closer and with no time to check if there was anything else living in the dead tree, he turned sideways and squirmed into the tight opening.
There wasn’t enough room for him to stand. He sunk to the ground and moved the woman until she was straddling him. He grunted at the feel of her naked center pressing against his cock. The woman wore no underwear under her short skirt. He ignored the feel of her damp, warm skin as he shoved her face into his thick neck and pressed himself as far back in the tree as he could.
He cocked his head, listening for the faint flapping of wings. After a moment he heard it and his wolf growled. By the sounds of it, there were at least five of the mantorians and he couldn’t slow the rapid thump of his heart.
As the sound of the wings grew louder, he groaned inwardly when he realized the woman was stirring on his lap. She moaned quietly and he threaded one hand through her thick mass of hair and clamped the other one over her mouth. She made a muffled noise of fear and he placed his mouth to her ear.
“Make not a sound, human. Our lives depend on it.”
She froze and then nodded in understanding. He released her, dropping his hands to his side and she sat up. It was dark in the tree but he could see the fear in her eyes. Her body was already beginning to vibrate but to his surprise, she kept her mouth shut and allowed no whimpers of fear to escape.
The flapping grew louder and the tree creaked alarmingly above them. He groaned to himself again. It sounded like the damn mantorians were roosting on the fucking tree. A thousand trees in the forest and they had to choose this one. The buzzing began, a sound felt more than heard. Although he had heard it a hundred times before, his teeth began to ache and he could feel the adrenaline surging through his body. It was a sound meant to disarm an enemy and he watched as the woman’s shaking intensified. She bit her bottom lip and stared wild-eyed at him. He put his finger to his lips and she nodded but he could see the fear growing in her eyes. The buzzing grew louder and the woman clapped her hands over her ears. He watched in alarm as she swayed back and forth and he yanked her against his chest. She buried her face in his throat, keeping her hands firmly over her ears, and he stroked her thin thighs. She was freezing cold and her teeth were chattering so loudly he worried the mantorians would hear it.
“Be quiet!” He hissed into her ear.
She nodded and with a snort of disgust, he put his arms around her in a desperate bid to warm her. The buzzing continued and after nearly ten minutes, even he wanted to bolt from the tree. The buzzing of one mantorian was bad enough but the sound of five was excruciating. His wolf howled miserably, the woman moaned softly, and he squeezed her so tightly she made a low gasp of pain. Loud flapping of wings signalled the mantorians’ descent from the tree to the ground. The woman stared at the long white legs of the bugs, her eyes growing rounder and rounder. He gripped the back of her neck and forced her face back into his throat.
The buzzing grew and his wolf howled madly. As suddenly as they appeared, the mantorians rose into the air and flew away. The buzzing faded and then disappeared completely and he released the harsh breath he was holding as the woman made a soft whimper. They waited silently for nearly fifteen minutes and when he shifted beneath her, she sat up and stared at him.
“What was that?” She whispered.
“Mantorians,” he muttered. How the hell the woman knew nothing of mantorians or florans he didn’t know.
“What was that horrible noise?”
She was almost crying and he realized that he was stroking her upper back, trying to soothe her.
He dropped his hands and scowled at her. “It’s how they communicate.”
“It was so awful,” she whispered before shuddering all over.
He didn’t reply and she gave him a tentative smile. “Thank you for helping me.”
“Aye,” he muttered.
“Your name is Radek, right?”
“Aye.” He wished she’d stop talking. Her low voice was doing weird things to his insides.
“Is it – can we leave now?” She asked him.
He frowned at her and she licked her lips nervously. “Is it safe to go out? I need to find my friends.”
“It’s late. We will spend the night here,” he said gruffly.
She looked like she might argue and he glared at her. She gave him a frightened look and bowed her head immediately, cupping her elbows as her thin body trembled. Her lips were turning blue. The only part of her that was warm was resting against his cock, and he studied her mouth as she gave him another timid look.
“Do you have any food?” She asked suddenly.
He scowled at her. “Does it look like I have food, human?”
She stared at his naked chest and blushed miserably. “Sorry, that was foolish of me to ask. I didn’t even think that you were naked and – “
She stopped, her eyes widening, and he almost laughed as it finally sunk in that her pussy was resting against his cock. She tried to scramble back, making a soft cry of pain when her head and injured back scraped across the tree.
He gritted his teeth as her pussy rubbed against him, and willed his cock to behave as he grabbed her arms and shook her lightly. “There is no room for you to move, human. Stop it!”
“Please, I’m not wearing any underclothes,” she whimpered and tried to squirm away again.
With a soft snarl, he gripped the back of her neck and pulled her forward. “I am well aware of that, human. Lucky for you I am disgusted by humans in general and have no interest in what you have to offer.”
She flushed and he gave her a predatory grin. “But if you keep squirming the way you are, I may be persuaded to change my mind. My cock cares not that the warm pussy rubbing against it belongs to a human.”
Her eyes widened and she froze on his lap. He grinned again at her. “Unless that’s what you want. Is it, human? Do you want my cock deep in your naked little pussy? Do you want to be fucked?”
“No,” she whispered.
“No what?”
“No, I don’t want to be fucked.”
Tears were sliding down her cheeks to drip on to his naked chest and self-loathing flooded through him. The woman was injured, freezing, and clearly frightened of him and he was suddenly deeply ashamed of his treatment of her. If his mother was alive and saw how he was acting she would be angry and, even worse, disappointed in him.
“Do not cry, human.” He made his voice gentle and wiped the tears from her cheeks with a rough swipe of his thumbs. “I will not harm you, I promise.”
She nodded and he didn’t stop her when she rose up on her knees so that her pussy was no longer touching him. She balanced stiffly on her knees, trying to keep as much of her thin body from touching him as possible. He sighed loudly. She would not be able to hold that position all night and even if she could, the cold air would soon send her back to the warmth of his body.
He leaned his head back until it rested against the tree and closed his eyes. “I’m going to sleep, human.”
“All right, I’ll keep watch,” she said anxiously.
He cracked open one eye. “Keep watch?”
“For the mantory things or the gia
nt birds,” she replied.
He snorted. “Even asleep I will hear them before you do.”
“Oh. You have good hearing, huh?”
“Aye, human. I have good hearing,” he said sarcastically. “Now quiet your tongue, I want to sleep.”
“Okay. Good night, Radek.”
He grunted in reply and closed his eyes.
She lasted longer than he thought she would. For an hour and a half, she balanced above him on her knees but eventually the cold and the pain drove her back into his lap. As she settled against him, he kept his body still and his breathing even. She rested her head on his broad chest and he kept his arms at his sides even when he felt the warm tears dripping on to his skin. She cried silently for nearly half an hour before she fell asleep. Her cold body went limp as she drifted into sleep. When she slid sideways he caught her before she could smack her head against the tree.
He pressed her against his chest and she made a soft sigh and wrapped her thin arms around his waist. He rubbed her thighs and her upper back until her cold skin was warmer and then closed his eyes and waited for sleep.
* * *
In her dream she was as naked as the wolf shifter. She was lying on her back in a soft bed and a large fire was crackling loudly and sending delicious waves of heat over her naked body. Radek was lying beside her and she moaned when he traced the tip of his finger across her breast. Her nipple hardened immediately and she arched her back when he dipped his head and sucked lightly on the dark pink bud.
“You’re so beautiful, Sara.” Instead of his usual anger, his voice was filled with a hoarse desire that heated her insides into an aching need.
“Please touch me, Radek,” she whispered.
“Whatever you want.” He smiled at her and traced her flat abdomen before making tiny circles in the soft, blonde curls between her legs.
“Open your legs,” he murmured.
She spread her legs immediately and made a soft cry of excitement when he stroked the lips of her pussy. She moaned his name as he slid his finger between her wet lips and rubbed her clit. The roughness of his fingers felt amazing and she couldn’t stop the rise and fall of her hips.
