by Ruby Madden
The fear that had been riding her for months, lifted. Everything left her except the sensation of his lips mashing against hers, the bite of his teeth on her swollen lower lip.
He cupped the full round softness of her breast, pressing his palm against the center. Immediately her nipple responded, hardening with need. She arched into his hand. He used his other one to pull her closer, rubbing his stone hard cock against the softness of her lower belly. “I want you underneath me, panting, your cat scratching to get out. I want you so damn eager for me. And then I want to get so deep inside you I can’t see daylight. Are you ready for that, Emma? Are you ready to take me inside your body?”
“Yes.”
A shudder whipped through him. An instant later he yanked her to him with delicious roughness. Before she could catch her breath, his mouth took hers with an urgency that stopped time. Next, he kissed her chin and cheeks, her ears, down her neck, nipping, then laving and soothing. She threw back her head, exposing her throat for more of his touch.
Emma ran her hands down his torso, touching him with mind-numbing intimacy. She caressed, she stroked. She touched him as no woman ever had. She touched both his body and his soul. She slid her hands over his shoulders, urging him down to her.
He was more than willing to comply.
Pressing one of her legs to her chest, he opened her for his possession. He guided the head of his aching cock to the heated entrance of her pussy. Pushing forward with his hips, he groaned as she took him inside. Her heat swallowing him whole. He wanted to bury himself inside her. Hard. And fast. And deep.
His breath rasped through his lungs. Fire exploded in his head and coursed through his body, settling in the heavy weight of his cock. His hands dug into her buttocks, lifting her up so his cock sank deeper and deeper. She was so tight, an almost painful pleasure spread through him.
Passion was thick and molten in him, outreaching his reason. His bear rose and he lost control. He pounded inside her, taking, possessing her. She gloved him with her heat, so tightly that every thrust brought a friction so exquisite it bordered on pain.
Ryland’s heavy weight covered Emma and her cat went wild. She felt the head of his dick pushing at the hot, wet cave of her entrance. Her claws burst from her fingertips and sank into the golden skin of his shoulders, biting into the muscle. Wild lights danced in her head, shooting and crackling like sparks. Emma matched his movements, wanting the flames to burn her, sear the feel and power of him into her very soul. She thought she could feel no more, go no higher, but with every thrust he took her higher than she’d ever been before. He took her to the top of the pinnacle…and then she fell with a high, thin cry.
“Emma.” He groaned her name, burying his face in the curve of her neck, fighting with his bear not to claim her. They fit together so tightly he felt their heartbeats in the pulse of his cock. With a final pounding of his hips, he emptied himself inside her, spilling his seed inside his mate, sating his bear at least for the moment.
Emma panted as her body cooled. She was dazed by the sensual storm that she’d just experienced. They lay together, holding each other in a tangle of arms and legs. His face was still buried in the curve of her throat. She’d felt a sharp sting, a scrap of his fangs, but knew he hadn’t marked her. She stroked his cheek, thinking idly that he needed a shave. His skin was rough against her fingertips.
This man, this wonderful, special man was her mate—a mate, she might never be able to claim.
~*~
Ryker threw Abigail on his bed, his anger just barely contained. He grabbed the belt he’d worn earlier that day from the top of the dresser. Placing a knee on the bed, he jerked her hands up and wrapped the leather around her wrists. He made sure it wasn’t too tight, but tight enough to prevent her from escaping. He looped the belt through the specially made ring in the center of his headboard. To others, the three rings—a large one in the middle and two smaller ones on each side—would appear to be ornate decorations.
But they served another purpose. They could hold a lover in place for a night of punishment and pleasure. Or in this case, a disobedient mate.
His gaze roamed over the picture his mate made on top of his bed. Her silky dark hair spread out behind her, the strands fanned across his pillow. Her lips, lips that had held a passion he’d never before encountered, were slightly parted. Her breathing, rapid and shallow. Her cat’s fear mixed with the woman’s natural scent and the overwhelming fragrance of her arousal.
Alright, his bear grinned. His mate liked to be dominated.
It also proved, no matter what, that she trusted him, despite the natural reaction of her animal when faced with an alpha predator.
Sorrow, sadness, and anger played across her face. Then lust. That’s the one he wanted right now. The others, they would address later.
The belt around her wrists hindered his ability to get her naked. But only briefly. With a little help from his bear, he shredded her clothes, stripping her. The vision of her body, the sweet curve of her hips and the tender rise of her breasts, seared his brain. Her skin was ivory, a sharp contrast to the darkness of her hair. She was gorgeous. Made for loving. Made just for him. He thanked the fates who had given him this beautiful mate.
Abigail had to get control of her body and its outrageous response to the hunk of a man who was playing out her most erotic fantasy. She wanted nothing more than to turn over the control of her body, her pleasure to him. For so long she’d had been on guard, protecting her sister.
She watched as he dropped his clothing on the floor at the foot of the bed. His natural skin color was a dark, warm earth tone. Every inch of him was beautiful. Broad shoulders jutted out over muscled arms. Two discs of dark skin surrounded the lighter colored nipples. He had a light pelt of hair covering his chest. Well-defined abdominal muscles tapered past his waist, forming that mouthwatering slope on both sides of his hips.
Watching the man—her mate—as he stripped away his clothing, she could feel nothing except gratitude and lust. Oh my, how the man made her feel things she’d never felt before. Or had ever dreamed of feeling. She’d resigned herself to never being able to mate. Given up hope that her mate would find her. That she’d spend her life running. Or that she’d die young. Tired of the fight.
“Baby?”
Ryker’s rugged features now wore a concerned expression. She knew he could feel the anxiety, the fear that lay just beneath the surface of her arousal. She didn’t want those negative feelings tonight. She’d trusted Ryker. Acknowledged him as her mate. As did her cat. The cat that was presently purring so loudly inside her, she was surprised he didn’t hear. Or maybe he did. She felt the presence of his bear. A large, shifting shadow intertwined with the man. One that was full of strength. One that made her feel safe.
And horny as hell.
She shifted on the bed, bringing her legs together in an attempt to quell the rising fever in her blood. The ache in her pussy. Goodness, but she wanted him.
“Please, Ryker. Love me.”
“I plan to, baby. Over and over again.”
She could feel the shifter heat radiating from him, flooding the room with his sexual energy. An answering fissure of heat swept over her and she felt her pussy gush with moisture. He took his cock in hand, stroking the thick length until pre-cum coated the purplish head. His breathing grew ragged as her eyes followed the movements of his hand. She moistened the tip of her tongue and knew, just knew, she would taste him before the night was over.
“Damn,” Ryker cursed, squeezing the base of his cock. The look in Abigail’s eyes had him about to come. He crawled onto the bed, loving the way she grinned up at him. She knew her gaze had almost pushed him over the edge and was proud of the power she had over him.
Just as it should be with a mate.
He caged her body with his. His knees on either side of her thighs, his weight supported on one hand by her shoulder. He leaned close, his teeth nibbling on her earlobe a
s he whispered all the dirty, erotic things he was going to do to her. And have her to do him. Soon they were lost in a world all their own. His hands exploring every part of her as she twisted and turned, her hands bound, her body his for the taking. Hid hand glided down her rounded belly and curved thighs. He lingered at the wedge of dark hair at the apex of her legs, dipping inside to test her readiness. Then started all over again.
“So pretty, baby. So damn pretty.” He rubbed the top of his finger across her breast then moved to the other. Once they puckered, the nipples diamond hard, he bent his head. Abigail arched into the heat of his mouth, giving a half sob of pure longing.
The velvety softness of his tongue lashed at the center of her breasts, sending her body into a frenzy of need. He suckled and nibbled until she was arching into him.
“Let me love you, Abby.”
Abigail nodded in answer to his question, slowly opening her legs to accept the hard, hot weight of his body against her softness. His touch grew hard and urgent as he took complete control. One by one he gripped the back of her knees, ordering her, without words, just an animal grunt, to fold them, to open herself to him. He looked every inch the wild, hungry predator. The alpha male. An alpha male about to devour his mate.
Her cat purred at the thought. Nasty little bitch, Abigail thought. Seeing the deepening gold of his eyes, she had to agree with the animal though. Devour away baby, she thought silently. She was ready. Her need for Ryker made her feel energized and shy all at once. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest.
He ran his tongue over the curve of her breast one more time before he lowered his head. He kissed his way over the rounded slope of her stomach, the width of his shoulders holding her legs open. Every part of her screamed with need. He found the center of her body. So slowly it made her tremble, he tasted her, his tongue sliding through the juices of her pussy.
His touch swept away all other thought. She focused only on the feel of his tongue on her clit. He caressed her with his wicked tongue, deeper, faster, harder. He gave her exactly what she needed until she cried out, a primal orgasm sweeping through her. She felt lost in it, swept away by the pure and relentless force of nature.
“That’s it, baby. Come on, my tongue. Let me taste your pleasure.” He continued to stroke through her folds as the shudders racked her body, urging her to ride the tidal wave, licking and biting until the feeling subsided. As she returned to normal, or as close to normal as she’d ever be again, he pressed back up her body. His hands and mouth touched and caressed her, building her pleasure again.
She felt shattered. Aroused. Overwhelmed. She was frightened by the powerful emotions Ryker incited. Ryker was all she had ever dreamed of and more. Her mate. Her salvation. He didn’t mince words. He didn’t play games. Well, he did play games. In the bedroom. Like now. The feel of leather around her wrists kept her cat on edge and the heat in her pussy simmering.
Her breath felt trapped inside her and she was sure he could feel her heart thundering against his chest. She opened her eyes, biting back a whimper at the twisted expression of need on his handsome face. She felt the tension gathering inside him. Sexual heat. The sort that met her head-on, man to woman. Woman to man.
“What are you hiding from me?” He pushed the hair back from her face and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
“I’m not hiding anything.” She resisted the urge to lick her lips, begging for another taste.
“The fuck you aren’t.”
The big warm heart he tried desperately to hide behind his tough exterior shone through his eyes. She knew his animal was close to the surface. The beautiful brown color that reminded her of milk chocolate now held swirls of gold. And a look of possession that warmed Abby through and through.
She vowed that she would find a way to eliminate the threat of Panthera once and for all. Before, she’d had nothing in her life but her sister and her family. Now she had him. And a future.
She wanted a future for herself. And for Emma.
“Whatever is going through that mind of yours, forget it.” Ryker’s voice was low and rough against the raw surface of her senses.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Oh, yes, it is. You are mine. I protect what is mine. End of discussion.”
He pressed his lips to the edge of her collarbone. She wanted to free her hands and press his mouth to her breasts. They were burning for his touch. She gave into his touch, moaning her acceptance of him as her mate. As the other part of her soul. No matter what the future brought, this was their moment of destiny. His lips, warm and firm, captured hers. He lit a blaze inside her that she had no hope of putting out. Had no desire to extinguish.
With a cry, she allowed her cat to come forward and help claim their mate.
~*~
Outside his two story house that some would call a fortress, thunder boomed. The last of the fading twilight was swallowed up by the heavy storm clouds. Tonight the storm swept down the mountain to the lower altitude, dumping water and wind on everything in its path,
Beneath his feet, Liam Hart felt the rumble of the thunder like the heartbeat of the mountain. The mountain he’d called home for so many years, decades, had turned into a living, breathing, evil entity with the loss of his sister on its treacherous slopes.
Or at least in his mind it had. Her disappearance had taken away the heart of the pack.
It had taken away his heart. She was the last of his family, having lost his parents to a rogue alpha and his insatiable appetite for power when he’d still been a teen and no match for the shifter. The pack had lived two long years under the mad wolf’s rule until Liam had grown strong enough to challenge him. He’d wanted to demand a challenge the moment this father had fallen, defeated, into a pool of his own blood, but the elders had held him back. Preventing, he acknowledged now, another senseless death. His own.
He stepped outside on the porch that surrounded the first level of his house. The power of the storm ripped through him, urging him to shift and run through the night. To dodge the spears of lightning as he gathered strength from the roar of the wind and the power of the rain. The brooding atmosphere of the forest, the sense that here another law prevailed, called to his wolf. Called to the alpha inside him.
An alpha who had failed to prevent the abduction of his sister. One of the youngest members of his pack. What the fuck good was he if he couldn’t protect those weaker than himself? He gripped the wooden railing, crushing the edge beneath his hand as the feelings of helplessness overwhelmed him. No wonder fate had yet to trust him with a mate.
For the last month, ever since his sister had been taken on her way home from school, he’d denied his body’s most basic instincts. Instincts of warmth when it was cold, food when he was hungry, rest when he was tired. He had even tried to deny his wolf the most basic of things the animal needed to survive—touch, touch of a female. Not that he had done more than scratch an itch the last few years. But now, he even denied himself that.
A noise sounded behind him, the opening and closing of his study doors. Liam turned, a dark brow arched at the wolf standing just inside the doorway. “Did you forget how to knock, Gabe?”
“Umm, no, Alpha, but… you need to come with me.”
Liam’s wolf rose inside him. His beta was usually calm and clearheaded. Something had the man’s wolf on edge. Striding from the room, he followed the other wolf to the front of the house. Inside the foyer, dripping water and smelling of sickness was a bruised and broken man. A human.
“What the hell happened?” So help him if one of his wolves had caused this—
“Damn.” The smell of cat hit him hard.
Liam hated cats. They were usually mean and viscous, especially the males in charge.
“Are you Liam Hart?”
A dark brow rose. The human knew his way around the shifter world if he knew Liam’s name and had been able to find his house. Apparently, the man showing up on his doorstep was no
accident. He wanted to know how the hell that had happened. Seeing the man swaying on his feet he realized that would have to wait.
“Gabe, get him cleaned up and something to eat, then bring him to my office.” The sooner he found out what was going, the sooner he could return to his own problem. Finding his sister.
Allen Sorenson felt the ever-present blackness try to consume him yet again, but he called on the last of his reserves. His heart was telling him there was no time to lose. His daughters needed help and they needed help now.
“My daughters.” Pain stabbed him as he inhaled. He felt the ribs the Panthera’s hit men had broken rubbing together as he breathed.
Strong hands on his arms supported him.
“My daughters need your help.”
“Who are your daughters?”
“Abby. Abigail and Emma Sorenson.”
“Are they in trouble?”
“Yes. Yes.” He tried to clear his mind, but the pain rose, overwhelming him again. “Need help. Panthera.” Those were the last words he uttered before the blackness consumed his world.
~*~
Emma walked to the bus stop and stood, waiting. She knew the Panthera’s henchman was nearby. The fur on the back of her cat’s neck was standing on end.
Easy, she cautioned her animal. No matter how much she’d like to, she couldn’t engage the man. She needed him to capture her and take her to the Panthera.
It was late at night guaranteeing no one would see him when he abducted her. Her sister and the bears wouldn’t be able to follow her. This was something she had to do on her own. Already shivering, she ducked her head to avoid the stinging rain and forced down her fear. When she’d left Ryker’s, it had still been warm. She’d refused to take the jacket she’d worn to the Blackwoods’ house, knowing Abigail would need it when the weather turned colder this winter. Or maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe by that time she’d allow Ryker to mate with her and provide for her. The bond would help her recover from the loss of her twin.
