Until I Make You MINE (Wolves of Amrok Hollow)

by Jeanette Lynn

  Swatting my hand away, he grunted, his nose scrunching up in distaste. “You stop reading, I stop moving,” Ansel warned, his lips at my neck nipping one of many mating marks he’d left behind. I shivered as his tongue laved the spot.

  “Ahem. Where was I?” Clearing my throat, I cracked the book back open, sitting up straight. He groaned as I clamped my inner muscles down around his cock, grinding my backside into him. I was sore, so fucking sore, but I didn’t care because this was way too much fucking fun. For a moment I wondered if I’d be walking funny tomorrow. Meh. Totally fucking worth it.

  “Read.” His husky murmur tickled my ear. One thick hand slid down my belly, dipping below the water, drawing a long moan from me as he worked the hidden pearl nestled in my folds.

  “That’s cheating,” I muttered, my arms starting to tremble as I gripped the book, loathe to see it fall into the water. My head fell back as he began to manipulate my hips, grinding me up and down on his cock as much as our joined bodies would allow without strain. He was locked deep inside me, but that mating frenzy was upon us and our wolves didn’t give a single shit.

  “Think it’ll always be like this?” he asked suddenly, nuzzling his way up my face as he took the book from my hands and set it on the towels sitting on the lid of the toilet. Strong arms wrapped around me as I came, crushing me to him as he pressed me down on his cock hard enough I cried out softly.

  “No,” I mumbled as I turned my face towards his and his lips found mine. Nipping his lip, breaking the skin to lap at it when he would have growled something at me for being a bitch, I pecked the sweetest of kisses to his mouth and whispered, “I think it can only get better.”

  Hunching over my back, forcing me to lean forward, he hugged me to him like he never wanted to let go. I made a mental note to remind him of this, and myself, when the urge to murder one another and the victor buries the body in the backyard overwhelmed us.

  Ah, love. Sweet, mated love. May the grave be deep enough, and the buried wolf actually be good and dead first.

  Chapter Ten

  Grunting, then growling, as sunlight threatened to blind me, streaking into my room at who knew what ungodly hour, I squinted, scowling. There was a moment of panic as I felt the body at my back, his warm breath coasting over the back of my ear, but then I remembered, last night coming back to me in a flash of still images in shades of green. Ansel was wrapped around me like I was his favorite bed time snuggle plush, his thick arm curled around my waist, one leg slung over mine, the top of the other pressing into the bottom of my foot, his wide chest flush with my back.

  My body protested any and all movement as I sat up. My room was trashed, utterly ransacked, broken pieces of furniture, scraps of material, shredded bedding, clothes, feathers stuck to everything. The crocheted blanket beneath us, laid out over the shredded bedding and mattress, was the only whole thing in this place but for the contents of my closet, my dresser with all my books, and my laptop and small TV atop it. Everything else was pretty much toast.

  A small, cold, plastic piece dug into my knee. Hands swatting the blanket, finding and lifting it, a cat that got the canary grin lifted my smug mug. Recapping the opened bottle of lube, I searched around for the other items involved in our adventurous love play. “No butt stuff, my ass,” I muttered.

  “I think you mean my ass,” my mate muttered suddenly, then snorted. “And yours. Whatever, duck-wolf.”

  “Gander. I said gander.” Reaching over, I flicked his shoulder. “Get it right, goose-mate.”

  “Whatever.” His head lifted slightly, looking for the alarm clock we’d accidently decimated. “What time is it?”

  Peeking over at him to find him lying there watching me, his dark brown eyes soft and warm, I raised my brows. “Time for me to get a new alarm clock. Among other things.”

  His grin was genuine, no hint of a snarky smirk in place. “I’ll replace it. All of it. Don’t worry, Roly.” Sitting up straighter, he urged me to rest my head on his chest. When I did, he made a happy, rumbling sound. “It was worth it.”

  “Wrecking my room or letting me peg you?” I taunted.

  His massive shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Both.” Leaning over me, he gave one of my ass cheeks a squeeze. “You have a sweet ass, baby.”

  “You’re going to smack it. Don’t.” My teeth grazed his chest warningly. “I bite.”

  “So I’m learning,” he said on a laugh and sat back.

  “I smell bacon, and it’s Saturday, meaning mom’s making her big breakfast. It’s around six, seven, give or take. She’ll be shouting down the roof for me to get my rear in there any minute now.” Placing a kiss to my mate’s chest, I lifted my head. “Here’s your chance, An. Better get sneakin’ off while the going’s good.”

  Ansel made a grumbling noise but got up when I rolled away from him in search of clothes. “I’ll fix the shit on the side of the house,” he was saying, digging through the ruins of my room for his jeans. “Call around and send someone out when I find a guy.”

  “I’m sure the old man’ll appreciate it.” Tugging a shirt on over my head, I hobbled, happily, to my closet. Snatching a pair of jeans off a hanger, I went to the dresser for underwear. Saturdays were girls swing free days. I glanced down at my breasts, teeth punctures marring them. There would be no over the shoulder boulder holders taming these wild beasts today.

  “I’ll be back,” he said, catching my attention.

  “Of course you will, wolfinator.” Grabbing socks, I sat down on the bed. My smile came easily as I tossed him a wink. I felt light, lighter, the lightest I could ever recall feeling. He did that for me—to me.

  Holding up one boot, his socks and shirt lost to the madness, he arched a brow questioningly.

  “Don’t look at me.” Socks on, I walked to my dresser. Digging through the fat drawers, I reluctantly handed him a t shirt I loved to sleep in and ratty old sweatshirt.

  “These are mine,” he said with surprise. Lifting it to his nose, a happy rumble vibrated his barreled chest.

  “Your mom was going to give them to goodwill. You already had them broken in. I... confiscated them.”

  When he raised an eyebrow at that, I sighed and flopped back on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, I conceded. “I think, on like a subconscious level, I must have always known you were mine. Like, the bond, I’d get this feeling sometimes...” My hand went to my chest and I rubbed the spot. “It was more than knowing you were near, so much more than that.” And going along with his theory about me fighting it if it was thrown at me, perhaps that’s what I’d been doing all along. Can’t fight fate, ya dumb ass, I chastised myself, but I’d apparently, unknowingly, tried to.

  “I’m glad you came to your senses,” he grunted out, when I could sense he really wanted to say more.

  Rolling to my belly, my legs dangling over the edge of the bed, I cupped my chin in my hands. “Like I honestly had a say once you decided it was go time.”

  Ansel frowned, halfway to the window to slink out of it, and paused. “You always have a choice with me, Roly. Just know, no matter what, you’ll always be my choice.”

  “Please.” Rolling my eyes, I snorted. “I’m as gone as you are. Face it, Ans-hole, you’re stuck with me.” Getting blasted with all them love vibes from my mate at my words, a sappy smile tugged at my face and my cheeks flushed darkly.

  “I will be back for you, Roly,” he swore.

  “When? What’s the rendezvous point? Code word? Should I keep my eyes peeled for cyborgs pretending to be super cops?”

  “No.” he grimaced. “You could keep it quiet about my coming here, though.”

  Right. Spent the night with a jail bird. “I swear not to call the pack popo, ho.” Lifting my hand up and out while the other slid over my heart, I gave him a jaunty salute.

  “Shut up,” he muttered, shaking his head when I clucked my tongue and flipped him off.

  “Love you too, handsome,” I tossed at him, rolling to stand. Thick, fluffy socks
adorning my feet, I wriggled my toes in them. Then noticed the blood drops staining my cream carpet. Crap. I was going to be spending the majority of my day cleaning up this mess. My ass had a lot of explaining to do.

  “What the hell happened to the trellis?” Dad’s voice boomed from the side yard.

  “Welp, looks like the window is out,” I felt the need to point out unhelpfully.

  Ansel mouthed a curse word that had me grinning. Yes, fuck, we did. All night long.

  “Don’t panic, dog on the loose. I’ve got a plan,” I whispered, motioning him over.

  “This is gonna be good,” he muttered, and reluctantly held his tongue while I laid it all out to him. “That’s actually not a bad idea,” he murmured, staring at me, impressed. “Good thinkin’, Roly.”

  “I do find myself useful from time to time,” I mused, beaming.

  “You’re very useful.” Pulling me in for a surprise hug, his lips plucked at mine in a quick kiss. The kiss and the hug were over before I could blink.

  Frowning as I watched him walk to the door, he tossed over his shoulder at the last moment, his hand on the door knob, “You ready for this?”

  “Asshole, I was born ready.” Feeling a mite gypped, wanting more than just a quick hug and kiss goodbye, I scowled. My hands lifted and I cracked my knuckles.

  “And, Roly?” he murmured softly, his eyes flushing turquoise as he peeked over his shoulder.

  “Hmm?”

  His face lit up as he grinned, pleased as fucking punch. “I love you, too.”

  Chapter Eeleven

  It was much easier than I’d thought it was going to be, sneaking my overnight lover out of the house. Had I known just how easy, I wondered if I might have been a more rebellious child.

  Watching as Ansel slid quietly out the front door, I waited, watching out the front window until he’d cleared the gate to descend the lower half of the stairs. Stomping loudly down the steps with fuzzy abominable snowmen socks adorning my feet, I paused at the base of the stairs and inhaled deeply. Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy. Walking into the dining room, I stole a peek out the window as I passed. Aaand, my man was nowhere to be seen. I already missed his crazy ass.

  “Oh, good. You’re up. Just in time.” Breezing past me, Mom shoved a stack of napkins and silverware into my hands. “Set these out, would you?” She’d cut her hair recently, her thick, dark locks framing her round face prettily. Taking a cue from my less slicked back and more keep it short but let it free new hair style, she was embracing her natural hair, the mixed wavy, almost straight lengths along the top and tight, springy curls closer to her nape making her look younger somehow. Carefree hair, don’t care. That’s what it was. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I was loving the ‘do, but that wasn’t something barely awake me would do. Later, then.

  “Sure,” I said easily, to her utter joy. I couldn’t say I was a particularly docile person in general, but I was too love-drunk buzzed to scowl at anyone or anything.

  The front porch screen creaked open and then slammed shut as I finished setting the last spoon out. Expecting to see Dad, not bothering to turn around, my nose wrinkled suddenly and I sniffed. Ooh. Biscuits. Stealing one, I was one small nibble into the biscuit, held up to my nose, when the scent hit me immediately. Recognition was instantaneous. I’d know my mate’s scent anywhere. Fluffy bread nirvana in hand, I whirled around to find Dad leading Ansel in. One muddied wet boot and a dried one clutched in his meaty paws, my mate scowled at my old man.

  “Would you look what I found, going to the front yard to turn on the sprinklers,” Dad proclaimed loudly. Too loudly.

  Mom came in holding a boat load of gravy just then. “Oh, good, you caught him,” she commented as she strode past me and set the bowl in the middle of the table. She didn’t even try to pretend, forget acting surprised.

  “Caught him?” I spluttered.

  “Don’t look so shocked, sweetie,” Mom pinched my cheek as she passed, “half the neighborhood probably heard you two last night.” Waving a hand over her shoulder as she headed back to the kitchen, she trilled in a too happy for me right this moment singsong, “Hope your place is better sound proofed, Ansel, dear, or perhaps close the windows before you start making so much noise, hmm?”

  Ansel’s eye was twitching and his shoulders were fidgeting, jerking in his discomfort. Stepping off to the side to hug the wall while things unfolded before me, I spotted Dad’s hand, partially shifted and digging into the barely closed gashes my claws had left behind raking down my male’s back in our frenzy. Just thinking about last night had me breaking out in goose flesh. If I wasn’t amused by my father’s antics, and if it wasn’t my father, I can’t say he’d be keepin’ that hand. My male. Mine.

  “Why the rush? You haven’t even eaten yet!” Dad was way too happy to have the dude who’d just defiled his daughter three ways to Sunday over for a little brekkie. “Here we are!” Dad gave Ansel’s back a sound thwack that had my wolf wincing. Striding past Ansel, headed to the kitchen to help Mom bring food out, he turned, facing us, and pointed a finger at Ansel, then me, warningly. “Stay put.” Soft brown eyes I’d inherited from him narrowed and he grunted. “Both of you. Judith and Fred are already on their way over.”

  And I’d just bet Fynn was rushing over as well to wallow in this bullshittery.

  Glancing at Ansel, who was glaring daggers at Dad while my old man pretended not to notice, I waited until Dad disappeared past the swinging door that led to the kitchen to lift my biscuit at my mate in salute. My mate. I had a fucking mate. “I’d say let’s get the fuck out of here,” I murmured, “but my parents would be pissed at me.” Tapping my biscuit to my lips to nibble off another tiny bite, I sighed heavily. “I could never just up and leave, you know, agree to it? They’d never let me live it down...”

  Grimacing as we heard the sound of the front door next door shutting, Ansel’s eyes were starting to get that same nervous, don’t want to deal with this bullshit right now instead of basking in the afterglow of last night, cornered animal kind of look going on. Throat working, he swallowed hard, grunted, and nodded. “You’d never consent to it,” he said loudly, then smirked suddenly, his gaze slowly sliding to meet mine, and nodded.

  “I wouldn’t,” I agreed solemnly.

  Rushing me, he gripped my shoulders and, staring down at me when I just stared up at him and lust reared its horny head, he blinked, then scowled down at me. Protest, he mouthed. Oh, right. Mock kidnapping in progress. Lust later, Em.

  “Ohhhh,” I mumbled, like an idiot.

  “Fuck this. We’re short on time and you’re a horrible actress,” I thought I heard him mutter, right before he bent down and grabbed two handfuls of my generous derriere and just squeezed. Squeaking, then shrieking out indignantly as I was lifted off my feet and then unceremoniously dumped back onto my feet, Ansel used my surprise to snatch a biscuit from the table, stuffing it into my mouth like a fucking gag, and just up and scooped my ass up and chucked me over his shoulder.

  He was running to the door before the room had stopped spinning for me.

  Gripping my ass with one hand, he jerked the screen door open with the other and sprinted down the front porch steps. “Hope you don’t mind getting a little wet, Roly,” he called, and that was all the warning I got as he leapt, thumping down the last step and shooting off across the wet lawn. The sprinklers gave me a good dousing as I mumble-shrieked, gripping the waistband of the back of Ansel’s jeans for leverage. The things looked painted on at this point, just plastered to his fine ass. Crouching, preparing to jump the front yard’s short, wrought iron fence, he leapt, easily clearing it, bypassing his folks, who were coming down the opposite end of the walk and paused, jaws dropping.

  Fynn in tow, as I’d guessed, they gaped as I lifted my head to stare at them, mouth full of biscuit, bouncing around on their eldest’s shoulder like a sack of flour, one of my hands gripping the top of his ass for dear life while the other crushed the biscuit in it. F
ynn got one good look at me and burst out laughing. Judith and Fred were still struggling to pick their jaws up off the ground.

  Pulling out his keys and unlocking his big gold truck, he left me to precariously dangle there over his shoulder for a moment while he rushed to get the door open. Sliding me down his chest, he practically threw me inside. I went sliding in, right across the cracked, old leather bench seat, my soggy socked feet flailing toward the dash as he shoved my legs out of his way and crammed in past my squalling butt into the driver’s seat. He had the doors locked, key in the ignition, firing this puppy up to slam it into drive, tires burning rubber as they shrieked our getaway, before I’d had a chance to put my seatbelt on.

  “Where’s the fire, Smokey!” I barked, righting myself to wrestle with the passenger side seatbelt.

  “I think we lost ‘em,” he muttered, stealing peeks out the rearview.

  “This isn’t Cops. They aren’t going to jump in their cars on some hot pursuit. I mean, maybe Fynn would, but just to be a dick...”

  Glancing my way, taking one look at me in my muddled state, he chuckled softly. Reaching over, he scooped my hand up, planting a smacking kiss to the flat of my hand to place my hand on his thigh. “You did good, Warhola.”

  “No thanks to you,” I mock huffed.

  “As your official kidnapper,” inclining his head my way, he tossed me a wink, “you’re welcome.”

  Glancing down at the decimated baked goods gumming up my soaked clothes, I grimaced. “Ansel?”