Tempering Steel

by Lea Barrymire

  “Come on, grumpy-pants. We’re holding up the ceremony.”

  “First…” He leaned down and captured her lips with his in a light caress. It was a promise of more and a beautiful play of breath and soft nibbles. The kiss was over far too quickly. “Now we can go inside.”

  “Right. As if her legs would carry her after that little lip-lock. She snorted then grinned widely when he smiled down at her. “I really like this non-grump side to you.”

  He hummed. “You’ll see more sides of me tonight, right? ‘Cause you said something about me getting lucky.”

  She couldn’t help it. She laughed at the hopeful rise of his brows. “Oh, silly man. I said that to save you face.” At the crestfallen look in his eyes, she whispered, “But I’m pretty sure I can be talked into cuddling or something. Hell, I’m a lightweight with wine—get me to drink a few glasses and I’ll be putty in your hands.”

  Oh, the wickedness that stole into his eyes at her last sentence had chills running down her spine and pooling hotly in her pussy. Maybe she shouldn’t have admitted that. Even her inner voice knew that she wanted nothing more than to experience Connor naked and glistening with sweat under the full moon.

  A flush of arousal burned her cheeks. “Okay. We need to go in now before I self-destruct.”

  His chuckle was deep and sexy but he complied, leading her into the barn. They paused at the door and she gasped. “Wow.”

  The entire inside of the barn had been moved around. Tables lining the walls were covered in beautiful creamy cloth and topped with flowers. The scent inside was strong with spring. A door or window had been opened in the high ceiling, allowing the shine of moonlight to filter through gauzy lace strung from the rafters in white, flowing ribbons.

  A large circle had been created on the wooden floor with small gray stones. In the center, candles flickered and cast soft light that illuminated a roughly drawn chalk wolf head. Soft music played along the edges of her hearing.

  “This is beautiful,” she whispered, afraid to break the tranquility of the scene. She felt as if she’d stepped into a druid ceremony.

  Connor wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward one of the tables. When she could concentrate on something other than the decorations, she noticed they were some of the last people to sit. Each table had four settings, with champagne bubbling in tall glasses. Almost everyone from town was in attendance, but that made sense with the number of folks in Coyote Bluff who were of the shifter persuasion.

  Margie opened her mouth to ask Connor something but he pressed a finger to her lips and lightly shook his head. He pulled out a chair next to Zeke and ushered her into it. He quickly slid into the last open chair at their table. He leaned in to her shoulder and pressed his lips to her ear. “Just watch. I’ll answer questions afterward if you have any.”

  A shiver of need shook her to the core and goose bumps played chase along her arms. His breath was warm as it tickled the shell of her ear. A flick of his tongue against the sensitive skin had her swallowing a moan and trying not to melt into a puddle under the table.

  Maybe her pussy creamed. Maybe she didn’t. Either way, her thighs clenched on their own and she squirmed in her seat. When Connor’s hand lightly rubbed up her leg she fought the overwhelming urge to open for him and demand that he make her come.

  She groaned, closed her eyes and whispered her plea. “You have to stop before I make a fool of myself.”

  “I can’t help it. I want you, and pheromones in here right now are strong. My coyote wants to mark you to prove you’re mine. And you smell fantastic when you’re aroused.” His nostrils flared and his eyes slid closed. “Mmm, your scent is mouthwatering.”

  She was going to die. Right there. Either her internal temperature would cause spontaneous combustion or she’d die of embarrassment. If he could scent her, so could others. A quick side glance at Zeke had her hiding her face. He was beet red and obviously trying to ignore them by facing the other direction. Smacking Connor’s hand away had him chuckling.

  “Cut it out. I don’t appreciate this and no one sitting here does either. You big jerk.”

  He leaned in until his lips touched her ear. The moist whisper made her shiver, but the words he spoke created a pool of liquid heat in her belly. “Something to think about before we take this further, darlin’. I’m possessive, as are all shifters. We like to prove to everyone that our mates are sated and happy. If I thought you’d allow it, I’d have you on my lap right now and I’d be fondling you under the table. My animal and I want to prove to the world that you’re ours.”

  Even as she shook her head in denial, the image of what he’d said had a rush of moisture soaking her panties. To be spread open on his lap, in front of everyone, with his hand up her skirt… He’d touch her, rub her clit and whisper naughty things to her while licking her neck. He’d remind her about all the eyes on them, that everyone would see the flush of arousal on her face, and push her body toward an orgasm she secretly wanted to have. A shiver of lust rolled down her spine. ’It was as if he’d plucked the dirtiest fantasy she’d ever had out of her mind and served it to her on a silver platter.

  Connor blew a small breath across her neck and he nosed right behind her ear. “You like that idea, don’t you? I can feel the need vibrating between us. Would you let me do that? Would you let me finger your wet pussy while everyone in town sat around us? Would you try to hold back your release or would you shudder silently in my arms as you came apart?”

  “Please,” she whimpered. “Please stop.”

  She felt a full-body shudder work through his frame before he slowly peeled himself from her side. “Sorry. It’s really hard to fight the need I feel for you right now. With the ceremony, it gets everyone cranking on the sexy mojo.”

  “Like a big orgy?” Margie cleared her throat, hoping to get some of the airy, sexy gravel out of her voice. She sat a little farther from Connor, hoping it’d cool her down.

  He grinned, turning her gaze to his with a gentle finger under her chin. “Something like that.” His eyes roamed her face and a scowl set in between his eyes. “I am sorry. Well, okay, I’m not sorry, but I feel bad for making you uncomfortable. You’ve accepted all the shifter stuff so well that I’ve forgotten you’re new to it all.”

  When he sat back she fought the disappointment surging through her. She really didn’t want to have her first sexual experience with Connor at Cammie’s shifter-wedding. Nope. Even if her body was burning with the need to feel him. That guilty look needed to be removed from Connor’s face, though. With time maybe he’d understand just how open she’d be. “Okay. I’m okay. Really.”

  Chapter Nine

  Skip’s booming voice saved them both from saying anything else awkward and confusing. “Everyone. Thank you for attending this most joyous occasion. We are here to witness the binding of two souls together in a tradition that goes back to the very first of our ancestors. The moon is full, the Goddess herself calls to our animals and the power she gives to true mating unions encircles us all.”

  As he spoke, the hairs on Margie’s arm rose and a warm breeze flowed through the barn. Freaky. Skip had entered the circle of stones on the floor and stood off to one side, away from the wolf and candles. As he spoke, he slowly turned, making eye contact with each person. When his gaze connected with Margie’s she flinched and looked away. His pupils had changed to gold, showing that his animal was close to the surface. Even with a moment of connection, she’d felt the pull to show her throat. She’d always wondered why Skip was the leader and not any of the other strong men, but that one simple glance told her why. The man…shifter…Alpha was strong.

  “Ian and Camile, come forward and entered the blessed circle.”

  From the front and back of the barn stepped the pair. Cammie entered wearing a beautiful cream dress that floated around her legs like water, rippling and swaying with each step. She glowed in the moonlight, beautiful and calm. A niggle of jealousy tried to take hold in Marg
ie’s heart but she pushed it away. Her friend deserved happiness more than anyone else she knew. Cammie only had eyes for the man walking toward her from the back of the barn. Ian was wearing a white button-up shirt with black jeans and was barefoot. Margie glanced back and noticed that her friend was as well.

  The love shining from each of their gazes for the other was almost difficult to see. Margie’s chest ached with the sweetness of it. Would she ever be looked at like that?

  Ian stepped into the circle first and continued across it until he’d carefully clasped Cammie’s hands in his. They walked together into the center. The beauty and serenity had tears burning behind Margie’s eyes. She blinked to clear her vision and gasped.

  The candles within the circle flared brightly and went out, leaving the mating pair glowing softly in nothing but moonlight from above. She turned to Connor and whispered, “What? What happened?”

  He smiled at her and leaned toward her to answer. “The Goddess loves matings, but wants them bathed in only her light.”

  The Goddess? Like, for real? Sure, Margie had grown up in a mostly religious home. They’d gone to church a few times a year, said a prayer before eating holiday meals, but it’d been in the abstract. This? This was beyond anything she’d experienced. Squinting, she tried to determine whether someone had put the candles out or Skip had done something to make them extinguish themselves.

  Skip continued, but even his voice was reverent. “May her blessing shine upon us all. Ian and Cammie, I know you’d like to exchange vows to honor Cammie’s upbringing. Please commence.”

  Ian slid gracefully to his knees in front of Cammie, kneeling on the neck of the chalked wolf decorating the floor. He looked up at her, and even from Margie’s seat tears were visible on his cheeks. “Camile Henderson, from the first moment I met you, I knew you were the other half of my soul. I take this pledge in front of my pack and in full sight of the Goddess to always be there to protect and love you. When our souls are nothing but starlight, I will keep you safe and wrapped in my love. My heart beats for you, for your love and acceptance. Please take me as your husband and mate. I promise you happiness and joy from this day until the end of eternity.”

  Cammie’s sob was echoed by every woman in the barn. She lowered herself to her knees without taking her glistening eyes from Ian’s. When she spoke her voice was strong even if it was a little watery. “Ian Andrews, I take you as my husband and mate for all of eternity and beyond. I offer my love and caring to you as my mating gift. I can’t promise to always listen but I can give you my heart and soul from this moment forward. I love you more than life, death or anything in between. Our souls are already entwined. Please take me as your wife and mate. I promise you contentment and serenity from this day until the end of eternity.”

  Skip stepped forward with his hands outstretched. In each he held a shiny ring, glittering and sparkling in the meager light.

  Ian picked up one of the rings. While holding Cammie’s left hand, he took a deep breath before continuing. “With this ring, I thee wed. From today until the Universe dies, we will be bound together in heart, body and soul.” The gold band slid easily onto her ring finger.

  Cammie hiccupped slightly before following his lead. She held the larger ring in her hand for a moment, breathing deeply. “With this ring, I thee wed. From this day until the Universe dies, I will be bound to you by my heart, my body and my soul.”

  Every single person in the barn held their breath as Cammie slid the wedding band onto Ian’s finger. A flare of moonlight reflected off their rings as they wove their fingers together. Were they done?

  Margie’s question was answered when a single candle burst back into flame. Skip jumped slightly before looking up into the sky. “These two beings have pledged their love and devotion for each other in front of the pack. How say we?”

  As one, every shifter howled, yipped or yowled as their eyes changed and glowed in the low light. Sitting between two men who suddenly were otherworldly had every instinct in Margie’s body screaming run. But her mind and heart knew better.

  Skip let the noise go on for a while and Margie grinned back at Cammie when her friend finally looked away from her husband’s eyes. Happiness like she’d never seen was bright in Cam’s gaze.

  “Our pack is strong. This union brings us closer and we welcome Camile into our fold. As Alpha, I pledge our protection to you both.” Skip stepped back slightly before continuing. “As is with all things in our lives, we must share our decisions with our animal.”

  As Skip spoke, Ian slid his hands up Cammie’s arms until he rested them lightly on the outsides of her shoulders. He leaned in and whispered something for her ears only and grinned when she nodded. Margie gasped. Slowly his face seemed to elongate. His eyes changed to burnt gold and his teeth changed.

  “Don’t worry.” Connor’s voice in Margie’s ear made her jump and squeak. She turned on him, scowling, and he mouthed, “Sorry”. He crooked a finger at her and she bent sideways so he could continue whatever it was he was going to say. “Ian is going to bite her and leave his mark on her. It will heal almost instantly and is very pleasurable. Don’t freak out.”

  While Connor spoke, Margie turned her gaze back to the newlyweds and tried not to shriek. Ian’s entire face had changed and was now inches from Cammie’s. Margie’s heart raced. But even as she feared for her friend, she watched in amazement as Camile reached out and cupped the deformed wolf head with one hand and moved the tendrils of hair from her neck with the other. She slowly pulled Ian to her and smiled for a moment before he latched on to the skin between shoulder and ear.

  Strong arms wrapped around Margie’s shoulder when she attempted to get up, even as her analytical mind processed and understood that there was no pain for her friend. From what she could see, the bite was actually quite enjoyable—at least so the little moans and gasps could attest, along with the hands rubbing Ian and continuing to pull him against Cammie’s body.

  The bite was over as fast as it started, and everyone in the room whooped it up. Margie sat stunned. Blinking. She’d just watched someone bite another person, and that had made all these other people happy.

  Sure, accepting that there were shifters in the world had been easy for her. It made scientific sense to her that there was another race of humans. Or maybe it was the vet in her. She’d treated these creatures for two years and had already known something was different. But to watch her best friend welcome a bite from a freaking huge mouth full of sharp teeth and then look orgasmic about it… Her mind couldn’t get past it. Bites hurt. She could attest to that fact. Bites from something as big as a wolf could be life-threatening.

  “Don’t melt down yet. You’ve done so well.” Connor’s whisper didn’t even scare her this time. Her mind was mulling over what she’d just witnessed and seemed to be slowing her reaction to things. Shock? She wasn’t shivering. Overload. It had to be. Now she understood what people meant by “my brain exploded from all the information”. She needed to hang a “be back soon” sign off her nose. Give her mind some time to deal with everything she’d witnessed and was now getting to grips with.

  Ian’s face was back to normal and he stood, bringing Cammie to her feet in front of him. Margie watched as they kissed and everyone yelled again. Then Ian removed his shirt, showing off his muscular chest and a brand new tattoo over his heart. Cammie squealed. “Ian! Oh, it’s beautiful. My name.” She was sniffling and running tender fingers over the ink. “I love it.”

  He bent down and kissed her again before looking out over the audience. “I am not requiring Cammie to bite me back. I know in the past some of your human mates have partaken of the blood ritual, but both she and I know we’re meant to be together. Instead I’ve inked her name over my heart as a permanent talisman of my love for her.”

  “That was nice of him,” Margie softly whispered to no one in particular. She would’ve thrown up or something if Cammie had bitten Ian hard enough to draw blood. “You know, ‘cause dri
nking blood isn’t right. Nope. Not right.”

  Connor’s concerned face filled Margie’s vision. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  While her head continued bobbling like the little doggie in her car window, his scowl deepened. “You don’t look okay.”

  That ignited a spark of anger in her belly. Blinking a few times to clear some of the haze in her head, she felt a little better. “Hey. Watch it, buddy. I’m working through reality here, but until then I’m unstable. I’m not really a great person to irritate when I’m unstable. Especially after being sexually frustrated for over an hour. So stop scowling at me and give me a minute.”

  She must have said that a tad too loudly, because when she looked up every set of eyes was on her. Oops. Cringing, she looked at Cammie. “Sorry.”

  Cammie laughed, as did Ian. Her friend stage-whispered, “Don’t worry about it. I freaked out too.”

  Margie groaned and dropped her face into her hands. Her skin was hot to the touch and she was sure it rivaled her hair for color. Connor’s hand settled lightly on her back and rubbed in soothing circles.

  “You are a complicated animal, Margie. You’d have crawled in my lap fifteen minutes ago, but now you’re hiding your face for stating a fact. I don’t understand.”

  She turned her head enough to see him but not enough to see the rest of the people milling around. Mumbling against her hand, she tried to explain. “I don’t know why this is embarrassing and the other is a turn-on. But being humiliated in front of friends for saying something embarrassing is far worse than losing control and getting all worked up in public.”

  He grinned and leaned in closer, his breath once again tickling her ear. “So if I was to nip your neck and make you moan, you wouldn’t get more embarrassed and hit me?”

  Before she could respond, he did just that and she responded with a low moan. The feel of his mouth was hot and firm against her skin for an instant before the slight pain of teeth drove her insane. “Mmm. That feels good.”