It wanted blood.
Gliding from the room, he padded on naked feet to the front door. He considered locking it, changed his mind. The lock was linked to thick floor and ceiling bolts, the noise of them sliding into place would disturb her. He would stick close to the property. Nothing would be able to get within a few hundred feet of his land without him knowing about it.
He dropped to his haunches, summoning the wolf, letting the raw power of his beast flow through his veins. Leaves and gravel crunched beneath his paws and he took off, giving the wolf his head.
He ran.
Relishing the feel of the wind stirring his fur, the silence preceding him as creatures fell quiet the moment they sensed the predator among them. Crisscrossing the entire length of his property, he ran until his sides heaved. His path took him close to the edge of the clearing surrounding the cabin.
He considered calling it a night; Silver was waiting for him all warm and curvy. The thought of sliding in bed behind her, lifting her leg, and slipping his cock in her pussy pulled a deep growl from his throat. Movement distracted him, and the scent of a cottontail drifted on the soft breeze.
A flash of white fur betrayed the rabbit’s path into the undergrowth. His wolf’s hunting instinct kicked in. He launched himself forward, attention focused on the terrified creature. A little snack would take the edge off, settle the wolf further. He broke right, angling his path to cut the rabbit off. An extra burst of speed and the glorious taste of life filled his mouth. He flicked his head, snapping the rabbit’s neck, silencing its desperate squeals. He settled on his haunches to eat.
His meal was over in a few mouthfuls. Belly full, muscles aching with exertion, he padded back toward the cabin. Blood coated his muzzle, filling his senses as he shifted forms in the shadow of the cabin. A thump came from inside, and his head snapped up. Light shone from the bathroom window. Shit! Shaking off the lingering traces of his shift, Kirk crept up the steps and into the cabin. He headed for the kitchen, rinsing the taste of raw meat from his mouth under the tap.
The bathroom door opened, and he turned, glass in hand. A soft glow from the light illuminated her beautiful hourglass shape, and his cock stirred in response. Thirsty after his run, he drained the glass of water and placed it on the counter. He closed the short distance between them, pausing when he noticed the flush on her cheek and the rapid beat of her heart. Fear and confusion twisted through the layers of honeysuckle and sex.
“What is it, kitten? What has you so spooked?” He cupped her chin, lifting her face until she met his eyes. She glanced away, making him growl, and her eyes flicked back to meet his. Her pupils were dilated, and not in response to his touch. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
“I, umm…I had a bad dream. I woke up and you weren’t there. I guess I panicked for a minute.” Her tongue peeked out, and she licked her lower lip.
Distracted by the wet glisten of her mouth and eager to drive the fear from her eyes, he bent his knees to brush his lips over hers. She stiffened, tried to pull away, but he followed her retreat, pressing her back to the wall. His hands shifted, drawn to the silky mass of her hair. He loved everything about it, the texture, the color, the length. He stroked his way down the soft strands to the ends where they rested at the base of her back.
The tension melted from her limbs, and he captured her sigh of surrender in his open mouth. He deepened their kiss, thrusting his tongue between her lips, tasting, claiming. Her arms came around him, tracing the oblique muscles down his sides. Her touch fluttered against his skin like butterfly kisses, and her scent bloomed from fear to arousal.
He kissed her mouth, trailed his lips across her cheek to the stubborn jut of her jaw, lower to the delicate skin of her throat. She turned her head, giving him better access. The act of trust and submission left him gut shot, even if she didn’t understand just how vulnerable it made her. Dropping to his knees, he cupped her breasts, pressing them together to bring her nipples to his mouth. He sucked the left one, using his teeth to draw it to a sharp peak, teasing the other with the rough pads of his fingers.
“It’s you, it’s really you.” She sighed, dropping her hands to stroke his head.
He paused, glancing up her body. “Who else would it be, baby? That dream freaked you out, huh?”
She bit her lip then nodded.
“I’ve got just the cure for that.” He moved lower, kissing every inch of sweet flesh, lingering on the gentle swell of her belly. She giggled, trying to squirm away, and he nipped her with his teeth. “I think this might be my favorite spot on your body.”
“Stop it, silly.” A delicate blush heated her throat.
“I’m serious, Silver. I love your softness.” He nuzzled the indent at the top of her thigh.
“Fatness,” she whispered.
He sat back on his knees, shocked. “What the hell? Don’t talk about yourself like that, kitten. I love everything about you.”
He cupped her ankles, stroked his hands up the back of her calves to her thighs. She shivered, the defeated look easing in her eyes. Slow, slow, show her how you feel. He’d been so caught up in his need for her, reveling in her eager responses to the pleasure he wanted to share with her. Wolves were sensuous creatures; touch was everything to them. Words were secondary, often unnecessary, and Kirk was less refined than most of them.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” He coaxed her thighs wider, slid between them until his chin rested on the top of her pubic bone. Moisture glistening in her eyes, she stared down at him. A shimmering drop hovered on the rim, fell, and he darted his tongue out, catching the tear. He tasted the salt, wanted more, wanted to sip and savor every fluid from her body.
Gripping her thigh, he lifted her leg over his shoulder, opening her pussy wide to him. He ran his tongue the length of her sex, moaning at the taste of her. He pressed closer, thrusting deep into her channel, gathering more of her cream. Her nails dug into his scalp, urging him on, and he let go. Let the wildness in him rise and claim his mate.
She wobbled above him, and he used his hand to hold her up, not willing to be distracted from his feast. He ate at her, mouth roaming everywhere, sucking her clit, probing her entrance, even tracing lower to lick the puckered entrance to her ass.
“Kirk, you can’t,” she whimpered.
He turned his head, sinking his teeth into the soft meat of her thigh. “I can do anything I want, baby. You’re mine now.”
She shivered, but didn’t protest again. He took her clit between his lips, sucking hard to distract her. Sliding a finger deep inside her pussy, he coated it in her cream. The muscle in her thigh twitched against his cheek, and he knew she was close. Increasing the suction on her sensitive bundle of nerves, he drove her to the brink then grazed the edge of his teeth over her clit.
Her name flew from his lips, and she grabbed at his head, rocking her pussy into his face. He teased his wet finger against the tight hole of her anus, pressing the tip just inside. She cried out, bucking her hips, soaking the lower half of his face with her juices.
“No more, no more,” she whispered.
His hand against her belly held her in place. He pressed a final kiss against her clit and lifted his mouth, letting her slide down into his lap. She curled into him, snuggling like the kitten he called her. Lifting her easily, he carried her into the bedroom. They could both do with a shower, but she was already asleep.
***
“I’m not sure I can do this.” Bright red stained her cheeks, and he suppressed a grin. He turned his face into her stomach to hide his expression.
“I want you to, baby. Please?”
Rain spattered against the window, and she shifted her legs under his head. “You promise not to laugh?” He nodded, and she began to speak in a soft voice.
He crossed his bare feet where they rested against the end of the sofa and settled his head in her lap. If the pack could see him now, they’d never believe it. The two of them had slipped into an easy d
omestic routine over the past week, doing the few chores they had together. Evenings were spent researching his latest project online while she worked on her crochet, or read one of the books he’d included with her things. The little smile playing on her lips piqued his curiosity, and with some gentle cajoling he’d persuaded her to read to him.
He knew it wasn’t real, knew something would happen to shatter their peaceful bubble. But until the second it did, he was determined to make the most of it. Live in their little corner of make-believe where he was a decent guy, and she wasn’t hiding from a criminal gang.
“The brush of his teeth against the pale, delicate skin of her neck sent a shudder of pleasure through her. ‘I want to taste you,’ he growled. ‘Let me bite you. Feed me and I will show you untold ecstasy.’”
He laughed, tried to cover it with a cough, but she whacked him on the forehead with the paperback.
“You promised!” She tried to frown, but he could see the humor dancing in her eyes.
“Vampires? That’s your kink, kitten?” Flipping over onto his front, he crawled toward her. “I vant to suck yoor blud,” he lisped, burying his facing in her neck.
He nibbled the tender skin behind her ear, making her squirm and giggle some more. The sound of her laughter filled the room, sending his heart soaring. She should laugh every day. He had a new life mission.
“So, they’re not real, then? Vampires, werewolves, things that go bump in the night?” He lifted his head, assuming she was still joking until he saw the serious question in her eyes. What the hell?
“Vampires? Have you been drinking the Twilight Kool-Aid, kitten?” He forced a laugh, wincing at the hollowness of it. I’m fucking this up. She’s just teasing, be cool.
“Okay, no vamps. Is it just wolves, then, or are there other shifter types?”
The blood froze in his veins. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He’d planned to tell her. Would have done it the night she gave her statement to Jesse had Derek not warned him off. He hadn’t needed words to warn Kirk; his tone of voice had spoken volumes. Losing himself in her body, it had been easier to pretend he was just a normal guy. Same as any other she’d met.
He turned his focus back to Silver. She didn’t look scared, more curious, interested even. But what could he say? Hey, baby, I’m a wolf. He hesitated too long, sadness filled her expression, and she turned her face away.
“My mistake,” she muttered.
Placing her book on the arm of the chair, Silver rose and moved toward the kitchenette. Disappointment tainted her scent, making his nose itch, driving the wolf inside him crazy. She was the one person in his life who believed in him, who smiled when he entered the room rather than looking for an escape route.
He couldn’t stand it.
Vaulting over the back of the sofa, he stalked across the room, cornering her against the refrigerator. She kept her eyes averted, resisted his efforts to turn her face to him. Forcing her would leave a bruise on her delicate skin. Her hips might bear the imprint of his fingers, her left breast carried the outline of his teeth, but he would never cause her deliberate harm.
He dropped to his knees, curled his arms around her waist, and pressed his face into her belly. A strange sensation gnawed his gut, and he tried to place it. Fear. He was afraid. The scourge of the pack, the blunt-force trauma who held the line, providing the final point of defense was scared out of his mind.
“Talk to me,” he begged.
“I thought this meant something to you. I thought we could be honest with each other.” She kept her hands by her sides, not touching him.
He couldn’t stand it. His Silver was tactile, petting, soothing, or stroking him whenever they were within touching distance.
“It does mean something; it means everything. You mean everything. Let me show you.” He lifted her shirt. Pressing kisses to her torso, he fumbled with her top button.
“Stop it!” Her sharp cry stilled his hands. He slumped to the floor, at a loss at what to do next. He loved her, loved her so much, and he was fucking it up so badly.
“Tell me what to do, baby. Tell me what I need to do to make this right.” His eyes burned, and he blinked hard.
She folded her hands around her middle, body language closed in, defensive. “Be. Honest.”
He opened his mouth, closed it again with a snap. He’d never been around anyone who wasn’t like him. Not anyone who lived long enough for him to have to try and explain the otherness of his nature. He didn’t know where to start. I am a wolf. Four words, it’s not fucking rocket science. He didn’t speak.
She shook her head, stepped around him, and opened the front door. She can’t leave, she can’t! He listened to the wood of the porch creak under her feet and waited for her to climb down the steps. His heart ached, a physical pain, as though it were tied to her by an invisible string, and she was ripping it from his body.
Her feet are bare!
He jumped up, flung himself through the door, clearing the steps in one bound. Sharp stones dug into the soles of his feet, but he didn’t care. Too panicked to use his senses properly, he stared bewildered around the empty driveway. Wood creaked and he spun to find her standing on the porch. She pointed across the clearing.
“The wolf came from over there. I woke up and you were gone. I checked through the window when I couldn’t find you, and this huge wolf came trotting out of the woods and stopped right there.” She moved her arm to the exact spot where he’d shifted back to human. “There was a weird light, and then the wolf had vanished and you were there.”
“Silver, baby, it’s not what you think.” Bullshit. It was exactly what she thought.
She ignored him. “I ran to the bathroom. I thought I must still be dreaming, and you acted like nothing happened. I tried to put it away, tried to convince myself I imagined it.…”
“Silver—”
She held up her hand. “Think very carefully about the next words you say, Kirk.”
He hated the way her body shook. Every protective instinct within him screamed to go to her, to gather her up in his arms and protect her. Turning his back, he paced away to the edge of the clearing. What to do, how to explain it? He wasn’t a man of words; he was a man of action. Show her.
He strode toward the porch, uncaring of the stones pricking his feet. Stopping less than six feet from the steps, he stripped his clothing. The color rose on her cheeks, the way it always did when she saw his body. Ignoring his stiffening cock, Kirk reached for his wolf and shifted.
The miracle of what he was reflected in the wonderment in Silver’s eyes. He kept the distance between them, turning in a slow circle to show her his wolf from every angle. Tilting his muzzle, he tested her scent for any sign of fear or disgust.
She moved to the edge of the porch and sat on the top step. Taking his cue, Kirk trotted over and rested his muzzle on her knees. Soft fingers brushed the fur between his ears, and the dread encapsulating his heart shattered. He raised his head, pressing into her hand, begging for a firmer touch. She scratched harder, digging her fingers into the thick ruff behind his head. His tongue lolled out, panting in ecstasy.
“You’re beautiful,” she breathed.
Turning his head, he licked her hand, and she giggled. He settled on his haunches, facing her. A frown creased between her eyes, and with a total lack of fear, she grabbed his muzzle, tilting his head to the side.
“Your scar is still there.” Her fingers traced the white line, which neither fur nor the hair of his beard could cover.
Needing to touch her, to reassure himself of her acceptance, Kirk pushed back the wolf and resumed his human form. His muscles twitched in discomfort at shifting back and forth so rapidly, but he shook it off. One of the reasons he’d been chosen to protect the pack was his ability to handle multiple shifts in a short space of time.
Kneeling in the gravel, he stared up at her. “Tell me everything is okay between us,” he pleaded.
She held
out her hand to him. “Everything is okay.”
Chapter Nine
Kirk held open the door of the diner for her, the expression on his face even grumpier than usual. She ducked beneath his arm and paused to take in the scene. It was a strange experience seeing the place open. A scattering of people occupied tables, including a small group of women. They turned toward the door with beaming smiles of welcome, easing the butterflies in her stomach. Having explained a little about the structure of the pack, it had been less of a surprise when Kirk told her he’d been summoned by Derek.
The alpha had decided to make some adjustments to Kirk’s role in the pack. He played things close to the vest and was even more recalcitrant when it came to his past. He hadn’t gone into detail, and she didn’t press too hard. Things were still delicate between the two of them since he’d revealed his true nature. The man I love can change into a wolf. It blew her mind to think about it for too long.
The pack had a security company, and Derek wanted him to get involved in investigations. Jesse and Charlie were having problems running Razor to ground, and had asked The Defenders to check out some of the potential locations they’d been turning up as part of the investigation.
It had taken a direct order before Kirk would agree to leave Silver, even for a few hours. The alpha’s mate and a few of the other female members of the pack had offered to keep her company and provide more insight into pack life. They’d chosen the diner because the sheer number of wolves present would alleviate his stress at not being there to protect her.
Although she loved every moment of their time together, she was glad of the break. His presence overwhelmed her, and Silver needed a little bit of breathing space to sort through her emotions. She loved Kirk; she knew that much at least. He acted like they were a permanent fixture, seeming to take it for granted that she would give up her whole life and integrate with his.
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