Katrina was running away, or more like to the woods and not towards the cabin. With a sigh, Thorn went after her. Giving chase this close to a full moon didn’t help his mood one bit. He needed to be in a little bit more control than what he was now when it came, not giving chase to a female who just finished a damn cycle that he was still struggling with to not jump again.
“Katrina!” He yelled at her.
“Go away!” she yelled back.
“Damn it, stop!” he yelled again. “Don’t make me chase you down. You won’t like what happens next.”
“Fuck off!”
“Son of a bitch,” he grumbled. “I just can’t catch a fucking break here.”
Catching up to her didn’t take much of an effort, but he did know, once he caught her, there would be a fight. He just hoped the outcome would be different.
Deeper into the woods he ran after her and with a low growl, Thorn jumped up in the air and came down right on top of her, knocking her down to the ground. He grunted and tried to absorb as much of the impact as he could for her. Something he should’ve thought about before he landed on her.
On the ground, Katrina seemed to turn on him, as if she was a full-blooded shifter. She twisted her body and kicked him hard in the chest. Thorn went falling backwards, landing hard on his back and ass.
“I’ve so had enough of this shit!” he snarled. Sitting up he had to lay back down fast when a log came swinging at his head. He glanced with his eyes only, waited for her to finish her swing then he flipped up back to his feet. “Are you crazy?” he yelled at her.
She breathed hard and fast, giving him such a pain and hate filled look. “There is no way in hell that man is her father.”
“Katrina, you need to calm down.”
“No, no, no!” she screamed and shocked him by dropping to the ground, bent over on her knees. She didn’t start crying, like he sort of thought she might do. Instead, she hugged herself, rocking back and forth. “He beat me,” she said very low. “And she let him. She watched him do it.” He reached for her and she snapped out of whatever it was she was in and slapped his hand away. “No! I don’t want your damn pity.”
“Wasn’t going to give you any.” he reached again, ignored her protest and had her up on her feet, only to have her push him away hard.
“What is your fucking problem!”
“You. You’re my problem. Your father is my problem. All of this is my God damn problem!” she finished with another loud yell. “I want my life back.”
“And what kind of life was that?” he yelled back. “Watching your crazy ass mother bring young males into her cages and letting them get fucked until their damn dicks fell off? Or was your life one of the participators?”
That seemed to do it for her. She went after him again, and this time he was ready for it. He caught the arm as it went up to come down on him. He took hold of it tight, twisted it and turned her so he had it pinned at her back. On instinct again, Thorn also had his hand on her throat. That move stilled all her fight.
“You want to fight, then fight,” he growled low in her ear. “But pick your opponent better.”
Then he stilled. He saw something that felt like a hit to the gut and had him almost shaking in his shoes. Releasing her throat, but keeping hold of her arm he pulled her shirt down off her left shoulder. What he saw just about took him down to his knees.
“When did I do that?” he asked the question low and a bit deadly.
His distraction was enough for her to be able to twist out of his hold, give him another shove and take off running again. This time she headed back toward the cabin.
“Katrina!” Thorn bellowed her name as loud as he could, turned and didn’t run but walked at a fast pace right behind her.
She got to the cabin before him. She slammed the door and he heard the lock turn. It didn’t stop him at all. Sure, by the time this was all over, his father was going to want to kill him, and it might be worth it in the end. Up the steps, to the door and with his shoulder he pushed until it broke open. He scanned the place quickly and saw her standing next to the stove with a pan in hand.
“Not this time,” he told her, walking right up. She swung and he caught the pan before it could make any contact. He jerked it right out of her hand and grabbed her arm with his other. A low growl and he shoved her over to the sofa, bending her over it, taking hold of her hair, pulling her head to the side and now ripping her shirt down her shoulder. “When did this happen?” he demanded.
Katrina hissed, “What?”
“This mark!” He grabbed the top of her arm, right next to her shoulder. “I didn’t bite you. I know that. So who gave you this?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re hurting me!”
Thorn snarled, pressed her even more down into the back of the sofa and bent over her as well. He sniffed at the mark and just about pissed his pants. The scent he picked up was his own. But that wasn’t possible! He’d know if he had marked her, and he knew he didn’t.
“When?” he bellowed.
“You didn’t bite me, you bruised me like you’re doing now. I’ve got them all over my body.”
Her squirming suddenly got to him, just as the knowledge of marking her began to sink in. Instead of giving into it, Thorn jerked away from her, backing up, wiping his mouth then his face, trying to get himself under control. Taking another step back when she turned and fixed his shirt, his hands started to shake. His eyes went right to her shoulder and true to what she said, it did look somewhat like a bruise, but when did he do it? That is what had him struggling the most. He couldn’t mark her. Couldn’t mate with her. He couldn’t mate with anyone. Period!
“You’re out of your damn mind, you know that,” she huffed at him.
Thorn raised his eyes up from her shoulder to her face. What the hell is happening to me? “Yeah, I must be.”
Thorn charged up to her, backed her up to the wall, fisted his hand into her hair in order to pull her head back and he kissed her. It wasn’t a gentle kiss either, but one with need and hunger all wrapped in a tight little package about to burst open any moment.
He pushed his tongue into her mouth, let her hair go, grabbed her shirt by the neckline and ripped it right down her shoulders. Katrina gasped into the kiss and he wasn’t sure if she was going to push him away or grab him. It didn’t really matter. He took her wrists and pinned them both up over her head, up against the wall as he kissed her even deeper. He felt as if he could eat her alive. The urgency to be as close as he could get overwhelmed him.
Moving one of her wrists closer to the other so he could hold them with one hand, Thorn then grabbed the front of her jeans and pulled hard. They ripped as well and she jumped, then she raised his arm and bit him, which ended the kiss and helped him to calm down some.
They looked at each other, both breathing hard and fast. He knew that he should really stop and walk away, but he couldn’t. Another hard jerk from him and he had her at the back of the sofa, slightly bent over. Thorn wrapped his arms around her, kissed at her throat, her shoulder, and the whole time he moved his hands all over the front of her body. With a low growl, he ripped the bra off, closing both hands over the swell of her breasts. Katrina moaned and arched herself back against him. Her arms came up, fisting into his hair, pulling at the locks. He growled low again, let one breast go and grabbed her by the hair again, turning her head so he could kiss her once more. She shocked him by kissing him back. Letting go of her other breast he slid his hand down her belly to the jeans and quickly pushed them down her hips along with her panties.
Once more, he got hit with an urgency, one that demanded he be inside her right now. Thorn pulled at his belt, tugged it open as well as his jeans, nudged her legs wider apart and in one hard motion, he buried himself as far into her as he could go.
The kiss stopped, she turned and hung her head down, he did the same, resting his forehead on her back. Both hands gripped her hips and he moved not so fast but h
ard. So many things were going through him as he moved inside her. So many new feelings, new sensations, things that he had buried so long, alone.
Shaking his head, shaking them away, he reached around and touched her clit, picking up the pace of the strokes. Harder, faster he pounded into her and at the same time rubbed fast on the swollen clit. She cried out without any kind of warning. Her sweet, tight and hot pussy contracted around him, triggering his own climax. She milked it out of him, another one of those things that he just now noticed. No one had even been able to trigger his orgasm like this.
She’s perfect for us! Thorn again shook off the voice in his head. He refused to admit to himself or to the animal inside that anyone would be perfect for him. Once this shit was over they would part, end of story. It’s how it should end, always would be. He’d be a loner, an untamed beast now and forever. Then why are you sucking on her shoulder as if you want to mark her? Thorn opened his eyes and jumped back some. Sure enough, he was sucking on her shoulder.
Slowly he pulled from her, picked up his jeans and began to fix himself as he stared at her, still backing away. He didn’t know what to say to her, didn’t know what to do now? Having sex again wasn’t supposed to happen.
“I, I need to get some air,” he said quickly, rushing for the door and walking outside. On the porch, he stopped and took a deep breath of the air, then hunched down, head in hand. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”
Thorn stayed outside, just walking around for a long time. When he finally did go back into the cabin Katrina had taken a shower, fixed something to eat and was now sleeping in the bed. He didn’t wake her. He just turned and went back outside. On the railing of the porch, he stretched out, balancing perfectly with his ankles crossed. He stared out at the woods, deep in thought, coming up with a plan he thought might work.
“Thought you were going to nurse her and protect her, not fuck her until she drops.” Kane stated, coming around from the back. “She’s exhausted. It shows in her eyes.”
“This is not a conversation I really want to be having with you right now.”
“Little late to be playing a shy game, don’t you think, boy?” Kane crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes on Thorn. “I can smell you all over her. What the hell is going on?”
Thorn rubbed his face but didn’t move. He didn’t even look at his father. “That damn cycle of hers is what’s going on. It changed me and I can’t figure it out. She told me that she does have it every month before she bleeds, but this one came early and it was stronger. I’ve never heard of anything like it before.”
“Half-breed,” Kane grunted. “You never know what you’re going to get with them.”
“I’m a half-breed.”
“In a way, no, you’re not. You picked up all the shifter genes. And it seems you’re just like me as your mother feared.” Kane looked up at the sky. “Full moon is coming. Got a plan?”
“I’m working on one now. I can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous.”
“Won’t disagree with you about that.”
Thorn looked at his father. “Why did Ma fear it?”
Kane put one foot up on the step, leaned in and rested his arm on his knee. “Listen to me and listen carefully. The past is the past. It’s where it belongs. I don’t go back to mine and you need to forget about yours. Not every female out there is the same as her. I see the change coming in you and it isn’t a bad thing, Thorn. The coldness you carry is. That darkness you carry with you, it will eat you up, change you, turn you into something that you won’t want to be. Trust me. I’ve been there. I’ve fucked up with your mother so many times I’m still shocked as hell that she has stayed. I’ve learned that there is someone for everyone. That little bitch wasn’t it. Katrina, maybe, I don’t know. But know this, you push people away, then you will wake up alone one day. And alone is the worst thing there is for guys like us.”
“You make it sound like I should go in there and mate with her.” Thorn snickered, trying to brush off how serious his father was with him. Normally it was his mother who had the advice to give.
“Mating isn’t such a bad idea, Thorn. It completes us.”
Thorn sighed. “I don’t want to be forced to mate anyone. I want it to be my choice.”
“Yeah, I said that same bullshit once. Doesn’t work that way. Told you that when you tried with her.”
“Katrina isn’t my mate any more than she was.”
“Are you sure about that? You care about her. It shows in your eyes.”
Thorn went quiet for a few minutes before speaking again. “That bitch isn’t going to just stop. She’s going to do everything she can to get Katrina and Dannie back and I have to focus on that and only that. I don’t need this other shit right now.”
“Maybe, but what if mating her helps to keep it all straight for you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, right now you can’t focus on shit. This bitch, she’ll play dirty. This partner of hers is a nasty fucker, Thorn. He’s killed our kind before, so don’t underestimate him at all. You don’t have all your wits about you right now. You can’t go out there and fight them when Katrina is on your mind, and before you say it,” he pointed a finger at Thorn. “I see it. She’s all you’re thinking about, no matter how you try to think of other things. I know. I’ve been there with your mother. Before I even realized the shit I’d done, before anyone really explained it, she was all I thought about and wanted. I didn’t give a damn about anyone. Even Sasha was far from my mind at times. The urge to be near her, to touch her, just to hold her or put my hand on her was a struggle at times. And the more I fought it, the worse it got until one day it all just blew up in my face.”
“What’d you do?”
“I lost my control. That’s all I’m going to say. So trust me when I tell you don’t lose your control.”
“I’ve seen this guy’s handy work already. I know what kind of guy he is. And I want to kill him for what he did to Katrina.”
“I see how torn you are with wanting to go back out there and take this prick down, yet want to stay and protect her also. Don’t run out there without thinking. That will only get you into trouble.”
“What would you do if you were in my shoes?”
“Me?” Kane grunted, scratching his chin. “When I was your age I was a mean fuck, and that was before your mother. I did things that were pure animal only. Didn’t use my head much, just the animal in me. Did a lot I’m not proud of, even to this day, and a few of those things happened to be towards your mother like I said. You are a lot like me, except that you use your head first, which is what you should always do. That is where we are different and that is a damn good thing. If it were me, I’d be going out there and killing them all. But this isn’t me. What does your gut say?”
“It says just that. Go out there and kill the fuckers.”
Kane snickered. “Yeah, kind of what I thought. What are your plans for the moon?”
“I’m going into the woods, alone.” Thorn swung his legs over and stood up, getting off the railing. “In fact, I’m going to head out tonight and stay until it’s over. I need to really think and I need to do it away from her. I think you should take her up to the house.”
“So you really are going to do this alone then?”
Thorn nodded. “I’m not going to mate with her.”
Kane took a deep breath and also shook his head. “Damn stubborn kid,” he grumbled. “Well, if you’re not mating, then go once it’s over. You’re nastiest then.”
Thorn smiled and watched his father walk back towards the house. When he couldn’t see him anymore, he also got up and went back inside. He checked in on Katrina. Still sleeping deep. Deciding to leave her be, he went into the bathroom, stripped down and dressed in a loose pair of shorts. In the kitchen, he sat down and decided to write her a letter, letting her know that she would be spending the full moon up at the house and that he was going into the woods for his heat. Once h
e finished with that, he stood, glanced once more at her sleeping form, then left the cabin. After his heat was over, Thorn had no doubt that he’d be able to think better and then go and finish this shit with that bitch. Once and for all.
Chapter Seven
Katrina woke to a pounding at the door. Flinging the covers off, swinging her legs around she got up and walked to the door, looking around for Thorn. He wasn’t in the cabin. She stopped at the door when she saw some paper on the table. Going over to it, she picked it up and read the short note. Thorn went into the woods for his heat and she was to go up to the house. She frowned at that then jumped when the banging started again on the door. Dropping the note, she went to it and wasn’t at all surprised to see Kane standing there.
“Yeah, I just got the note. Let me get dressed,” she said, turning and walking away, leaving him at the doorway. Grabbing some clothes, she went into the bathroom and got dressed. When she came out Kane was still standing where she left him. “So why am I being passed off to you? Thought he was the only one big enough to protect me,” she smarted off.
“He doesn’t trust himself around you this close to his heat,” Kane said.
She snorted, “Kind of late for that shit.” Katrina followed him out and down the path to the house. Kane didn’t say anything the whole walk back. “So this thing happens tonight then?”
“Yeah,” he answered.
They got to the house, and up the stairs, but before she went inside, she grabbed his arm, stopping him. “So what about you then? Isn’t me staying with you kind of like the same thing as staying with him? Won’t you just attack as well?”
“No,” Kane said. “I’m mated.”
“But she isn’t here.”
“I know. It’s hard to explain. Don’t worry. Stay up in Thorn’s old room and you’ll be fine. Besides,” he said, walked inside and headed for the back part of the house. “His scent is all over you. That is enough to keep my animal inside away.”
Untamed Beast Page 8
