by C. D. Gorri
Abel mouthed a hot trail of kisses over her jaw and down her throat. He nipped her shoulder, not hard enough to draw blood or claim her as he’d promised, but the anticipation simmered in her veins.
He cupped a breast, and with the same hot, open-mouthed kisses, made his way from her neck to the plumped swell. His fingers stroked her as his lips closed around her nipple. Tongue and teeth worked the tight bud before switching to her other breast.
His free hand slid down her middle, over her belly, and straight between her thighs.
Dakota arched into him as his fingers delved into her core. Abel growled against her breast, tongue and hands setting her on fire with every lick and thrust.
She writhed against him, hips seeking his hand on every withdrawal. Gasps and groans poured from her lips. Every inch of her felt screwed down tight. She neared the very edge of pleasure, had it within her fingertips, but it still stayed just out of range.
“More.”
His answering chuckle was hot against her skin.
Dakota groaned at the empty feeling his fingers left behind, but Abel didn’t leave her hanging. He settled between her thighs, his thick cock driving into her with one smooth stroke.
“Fuck,” he groaned into her shoulder.
She nodded, fingers twisting in the blankets. Sweet fuck, she loved the feel of him. He stretched her, filled her, on every hard thrust forward. Every drag back left her craving more.
He was everything. Wild passion and sweet kisses. Soft caresses and a good, hard fuck. His grunts and groans and breaths filled her ears. His touch sent her reeling. She’d never, ever get enough.
“Say it,” he growled in her ear. “Say you’re my mate.”
“Abel.” The slam of his hips turned his name into a moan. She dragged her nails down his back, trying to center herself, needing to find a path to clear thoughts that weren’t the jumble of sounds he pulled from her throat. “Mate. Mine. Make me yours.”
His fingers dug into her thigh. His thrusts sped up. Shorter, harder, bringing them both to the edge.
And his eyes glowed the bright, inhuman green of his inner animal.
Pleasure ripped through her body, arching her back and tearing a scream from her lungs.
“Mine,” he growled.
The sharp sting of pain against her collarbone was nothing against the onslaught of bliss that rushed over her. She shattered, breaking against him as he slammed into her again and again.
Dakota dragged down a deep, cleansing breath and cracked open her eyes to find Abel braced above her, staring down with complete, devastating awe written on his face.
“Say it again,” he breathed against her lips.
“You’re mine, and I’m yours, and we’re mates.”
No words ever sounded as true, tasted as sweet, or made her feel as deeply satisfied as she did right then.
Her mate. Her pack. Her new life.
Run with the wolves.
She couldn’t wait.
Epilogue
“Harlan is going to take second tonight.”
Dakota tied her braid off and flicked it over her shoulder. A peek out the bathroom door confirmed what she suspected. Abel stood at the window and peered down at the yard below. She didn’t need to stand next to him to know what he watched. The loud guffaws and faint music of the pack painted a clear picture of the gathering that took place every full moon.
Not that the wolves needed a reason to get together. Every little thing seemed to spark some celebration. But the monthly party followed by a midnight run blew those small shindigs out of the water, she’d been told.
Tonight would be her first. And technically Abel’s coronation.
Not that her mate felt any hint of nerves. Nope, not him. She must have him confused with a different wolf.
Even though he’d defeated Rasmus, even after he’d freed the pups and mates, even after almost a full month of managing everything an alpha had his fingers in, stepping in front of the pack and declaring his claim would be the official start of his reign.
Tradition, he explained. With a human mate at his side, keeping to one of the least harmful ones was an easy thing.
She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his back. “How do you feel about that?”
“Honestly?” Abel pushed his hair out of his eyes and reached behind him to draw her to his side. “I’m relieved. He knows this pack. There needs to be a changing of the guard from my father’s choices, but keeping a few around might ease the transition. What do you think about that?”
She cocked her head to the side. While she had some very bristly feelings over Harlan giving Rasmus a heads up on where to find Abel, she couldn’t deny that he’d had his options ripped out from under him. In his situation, with Abel and their future pup in enemy hands? She wasn’t sure if she’d do anything differently.
He’d also helped in the final battle. She still found herself feeling the heat of Rasmus’s breath on her leg. Harlan literally hauled her out of a biting range.
“I think he carries enough guilt that he’s going to be trying to make it up to you for the rest of his life.” Which might not be such a bad thing.
Abel hummed his ascent, then gave her a once-over. “Ready?”
At her nod, he linked their arms and led her out of their room.
They descended the stairs together, the sounds of the evening growing louder and louder until they stepped through the back doors. Lights hung nearly everywhere, climbing up trees and looped around railings. Tables were piled high with treats, and she spotted Jenna shooing away grabby hands and a sneaky pup trying to steal sweets before they were allowed.
Abel blinked in surprise. “They really went all out.”
“This isn’t normal?”
“For the solstices, yeah. But the monthly run? Those aren’t such a big deal.”
Dakota nudged his side with her elbow. “They are getting a new alpha tonight. Seems like a big deal to me.”
That brief flash of nerves played out over his face before he stuffed them down deep. Still, he leaned close and asked, “You’re sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Go!” she laughed, giving him a little shove. “Someone needs to make sure Adella doesn’t spoil the pups rotten.”
“You think that’s you?” her mate snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Dakota shoved him again. Harder. He caught her hands before she could manage a third and dragged her close enough for a too-quick kiss.
A glance over her shoulder was the warning she needed that they weren’t alone. She turned to find his mother waiting for her moment to cut in.
Adella had chosen to remain in her cabin, offering Dakota a sly smile when she said she wouldn’t want to get in the way of the newly-mated. Not that the distance was permanent. She’d outright threatened to be an overbearing grandmother simply to hassle Abel when pups came along.
A year away, at least. She wanted to settle into her new role as alpha’s mate and get her legs under her as a ranger in the preserve bordering the Blackthorne lands. Until then, she and Abel were enjoying their time with just them.
Adella took his face between her hands. Water swelled, but not a single tear fell. “Your father would be proud.”
Abel cupped his mother’s hands, and Dakota’s heart cracked wide. The tender moment was everything she wanted from her own father in the aftermath of losing her mother.
Adella slashed her eyes at Dakota, then opened an arm wide to draw her into the embrace.
“I hope so,” Abel said thickly. “I hope you are, too. Both of you.”
“We are,” Dakota promised.
With a final squeeze, he eased out of the hug. Her wolf gave his mother a nod, kissed her cheek, and walked into the middle of the circle laid out in the center of the clearing.
Hushed quiet descended over the pack as nearly every eye turned to him.
Nearly. At a tug on her shirt, she looked to find Sam watching her.
&n
bsp; The small pup whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “You look prettiful tonight, Miss Dakota. That’s what my daddy tells my momma. Prettiful.”
Feeling the weight of all those eyes turn her way, she knelt down and gave the pup her biggest smile. “Thank you, Sam. Do you want to watch with me?”
He gave a very big, dramatic nod. Standing, she maneuvered him in front of her and rested a hand on his shoulder.
Abel stared at her with glowing green eyes for a long, long moment. She didn’t need any words to know what he was thinking. The warmth in her chest matched what was written on his face.
She was his, wherever their road took them. Just as he was hers, for as long as they lived.
He broke their look and swept his gaze over the pack. “I, Abel Blackthorne, claim my right as alpha of the Blackthorne pack. Does anyone challenge me?”
Silence. Beautiful, glorious silence.
Abel swung around to fix her with a triumphant grin. “Then join me in welcoming my prettiful mate to the pack!”
Laughs rippled through the pack, then a clap. Another. Two howls launched into the night as Dakota made her way to Abel’s side.
Right where she belonged.
Thank you for reading!
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About Cecilia Lane
Cecilia Lane grew up in what most call paradise, but she insists is humid hell. She escaped the heat with weekly journeys to the library, where she learned the basics of slaying dragons, magical abilities, and grand adventures.
When it became apparent she wouldn’t be able to travel the high seas with princes or party with rock star vampires, Cecilia hunkered down to create her own worlds filled with sexy people in complicated situations. She now writes with the support of her own sexy man and many interruptions from her goofy dog.
Feral Protector By Amy Pennza
Feral Protector © copyright 2021 Amy Pennza
Feral Protector
He’s the most savage of them all. A shifter who takes what he wants. And now he’s my best hope for surviving the dangerous journey between the fortified cities.
After the Lykos-D virus ravaged the world, the survivors were left with a choice: suppress the virus with drugs and retain your humanity, or give in and embrace the shift.
My forebears chose the former, which means I grew up behind the wall, where I was safe from the warring lycan shifters and their animalistic appetites.
No one leaves the cities. Step outside and you can expect to get killed or claimed.
But now I have to leave. Lives depend on it. So I’ve made a dangerous bargain. Rurik will escort me between the cities. He’ll keep me alive and fight off any lycans who try to claim me.
But bargains have two sides. And Rurik’s protection comes at a far higher price than I imagined. Because he doesn’t want to keep me safe.
He just wants to keep me.
Chapter One
The fortified city of St. Louis
Seventy years after The Fall
The wind tugged at my hair as I stood on the battlements, my eyes trained on the lightning forking across the sky in the distance. The white bolts lit up the night, illuminating the plain below in bursts.
I curled my fingers over the rough stone, which was still warm from the day’s sun. The air reeked of ozone, and I found myself leaning forward and inhaling more deeply as I anticipated the next strike. It came a split second later, giving me a brief flash of cracked, barren ground and a cluster of withered trees.
The Alterlands. Forbidden territory. It stretched as far as the eye could see and then some, its sweeping emptiness a stark contrast to the dense tangle of humanity at my back.
In the museum in the heart of the city, there was a whole room of books with pictures from the Before Time. That was how my grandmother always referred to the way things had been when she was a girl—before the droughts came and the plagues spread.
Before Lykos-D changed the world.
In school, they taught us to call it The Fall, but I always liked Grandma’s phrase better. It seemed more hopeful. Even after everything she’d seen, she never stopped believing we could “set things right” and “go back to before.” That the blue skies and green fields in the museum’s books would return. That we could live without walls and serum.
Lightning flashed again, revealing the broad, dusty channel where the Mississippi River once flowed. Some years, enough rain fell to puddle in the middle and create a silvery snake that reflected the sun. When the water got deep enough, the city’s children waded in, screeching and splashing while their anxious parents watched from the banks. Occasionally, a frowning mother would call out, reminding the youngsters none of them knew how to swim.
But St. Louis hadn’t seen rain like that in a long time. And the lands beyond the walls held worse fates than drowning.
There were also fewer children now.
The wind gusted harder, its insistent fingers pulling strands of dark hair from my ponytail. On impulse, I yanked out the rubber band and tipped my head back, my gaze trained on the inky sky. The city’s lights behind me blotted out the stars, but I’d long since memorized their locations. Every norm child learned celestial navigation. Maps were only good when you had time to plot a course. If you were outside the walls, you probably didn’t have time.
Lightning flashed—closer this time. I glanced up at the watchtower with its lookout post and tall lightning rod. When no one emerged to wave me off the wall, I leaned against the stone and sighed. Thunder boomed, its low rumble echoing across the plain and up the wall to vibrate under my hands. The wind howled, and I let my eyes drift shut. Lightning flashed behind my lids.
Boom.
Again.
Boom.
My heart rate picked up.
I dug harder into the wall.
Another flash.
Boom.
My lips parted, and my heart went faster. With my head back and the warm wind in my air, it was almost like flying.
“Eden?”
I spun at the low, familiar voice. Michael stood a few steps away, his large frame silhouetted by the glowing city behind him. He had an olive-green pack slung over one broad shoulder, and his dark brows were drawn together. “What are you doing up here?”
As I started to reply, a lock of hair whipped across my mouth. I spat it out and gathered the heavy, dark mass, holding it at my nape with one hand. “Nothing. Just taking in the storm, I guess.”
He flicked a glance toward the lightning raging in the distance, and his frown deepened. “There’s a storm like this every night.”
“I know.”
“So what’s different about this one that makes it worth missing our last dinner together?”
My heart sank. He still wanted to fight. Tension emanated from his big body like he was broadcasting a signal. He’d been like this since I volunteered to travel overland from St. Louis to Black Rock, another fortified city a day’s journey away.
I took a deep breath. “It’s not our last dinner, Michael. You make it sound like I’m never coming back.”
He dropped the pack on the ground. “You know damn well if you leave these walls, there’s a chance you won’t.”
Irritation rose, but I tamped it down. He was worried. Not everyone had someone to worry over them. On the heels of that thought, love swelled inside me like a balloon.
I went to him and put my hands on his chest. Looking up at his handsome face, I made my voice soft. “I thought we decided not to ar
gue about this trip.”
He made no move to reciprocate my touch. Jaw tight, he said, “You decided, Eden. You’ve decided everything. You decided to go in the first place. To put yourself at risk unnecessarily.”
“It’s necessary.” Some of the irritation rushed back. “I have an ethical obligation to save a life—”
“There are doctors in Black Rock.”
“Not surgeons. The governor’s wife is sick with what’s probably appendicitis. She doesn’t have to die from it.” An airship had delivered the message three days ago, its hull smoking from a lightning strike.
Michael’s eyes glinted. “The governor’s wife isn’t the governor.”
It took a second for his words to sink in. When they did, I stepped back. “You think I should let her die because she’s a powerful man’s wife instead of a powerful man?”
For a beat, he just stared, his expression defiant. Almost cold.
Alarm raced up my spine. “Michael?”
As fast as it arrived, the hardness fled his gaze. “No.” He reached for me, but I took another quick step back. He dropped his hands to his sides, frustration flaring across his features. “That’s not what I meant. I just… Dammit, Eden, there has to be another way. You’re too important.”
I held myself rigid as I repeated words drilled into me since I was a child. “There is no hierarchy inside the walls. We’re not ferals. No one’s life is more valuable than anyone else’s. You of all people should know that.”
“Of course I know that,” he shot back. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”
“I thought I was talking to the man who supports me and my work. Or does that only apply when it’s something you approve of?”
His lips compressed in a thin line. “You know that’s not the case. I’ve supported you through everything. I put our wedding on hold while you finished medical school.” He let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’m beginning to think the hold is indefinite.”
