by T. S. Joyce
With a sigh, he made sure the bedroom door was still closed, then padded across the room to the other bedroom and lowered his voice. “You don’t think I’ve done enough? The answer is no.”
A beat of silence led to a huffed and cruel-sounding laugh. “Fuck being nice about it then. Keller, you’ll do the mission. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. We have a target, and we know where he’ll be tomorrow night.”
“I’m not your fucking assassin, Krueger. I’m a firefighter.”
“No, you’re a weapon. A weapon we’ve created, and one we’ll destroy if you push our hand. All of the fight training and your time in the field have made you invaluable to me. And your unique abilities and heightened senses, your instincts…well, those are what have made you the perfect assassin.”
“I’m not going to kill for you anymore. I served my time. You said you’d out us and make us register publicly as shifters if I fought my orders, and this is me calling your bluff. Out us, and you’ll have no weapons left.”
“I’d never out you, Keller. But if we have a superior race, a genetically enhanced one, that has suddenly gone rogue and out of control, we won’t hesitate to annihilate your entire species to keep the American public safe.”
Cody’s heart hammered against his sternum. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means you’ll do this mission and every other one we need you for, or I won’t stop until every crew of bear shifters has been eradicated. Don’t test me, Keller. The continuation of your species depends on your pliability.”
Cody stared at the wall, chest heaving as his bear clawed him from the inside to escape.
“Oh, and Keller? I know about Rory Dodson and your cub.”
The line went dead, and Cody barely stifled the urge to throw his phone against the wall just for the satisfaction of watching it splinter into a hundred fractured pieces. He flipped it onto the couch instead and gripped his hair. “Fuck.”
“Cody?” Aaron said from right behind him. “I don’t feel good.”
Cody turned just in time to see the boy’s eyes turn gold. His little body jerked inward, and the sound of snapping bones filled the room.
“No!” Cody gasped, then grabbed him around his middle as fur sprouted from Aaron’s skin. Dodging furniture, he raced out of the house and settled Aaron’s shifting form onto the softest looking patch of grass in the front yard. Pulling frantically at his shirt, Cody undressed and kicked out of his jeans just as Aaron stood fully Changed and swaying on all fours.
The little brown bear cub looked up at him, eyes round and mouth hanging open. He spun and bolted, and Cody cursed as he gave the bear inside of him permission to have his skin. Pain, blinding and bright, made him lose sight of the cub for a moment, but he was thundering after his scent as soon as the Change was through.
Damn, his cub was fast. The tiny pants and snarls of fear that drifted to him on the wind drove Cody to charge after him faster. It wasn’t until he came to a bottleneck between two boulders and a patch of brambles beyond that he caught up to Aaron. The cub was caught in the thorny vines, squalling in pain.
Cody rattled a low, comforting sound from his throat as he pulled the baby bear from the thorns. Aaron struggled against him—not surprising since he’d never been around an adult bear before. Cody hugged him tighter and sat on his haunches as he rocked him gently from side to side. It took a long time, but eventually, Aaron wore himself out fighting, biting, and scratching. And after time, his snarls of terror faded to the baby noises of a cub who was comfortable. He nuzzled against Cody’s chest, snuffing as the humming grew louder in the little cub’s chest. This was as close to purring as bears got.
With a deep sigh of relief, Cody settled Aaron down and turned away immediately, leaving the choice to his cub whether to follow or not. If he could smile in this form, he would’ve when he heard the soft footsteps following right along after him.
Cody showed Aaron his forest. Time was nothing out here in the woods where everything had a smell and a sound. Where he could watch his cub explore the rocks and moss. Where he could witness Aaron scenting a deer trail or raking his tiny claws down a sapling just to feel like a powerful wee bear. He would grow brawny and tall someday, but here in his woods, Cody witnessed a first—Aaron’s first Change out of a cage and in the wild where he belonged.
As the sun began to set behind the trees, Cody called a short bellow for Aaron to leave the shallow creak rapids he’d been chasing minnows in and follow him home.
Rory waited on the porch steps as they cleared the tree line, and Aaron immediately charged. He wasn’t thinking straight in his animal form, and that had to change. Keeping his head while he was a bear would make Aaron’s life easier, safer.
Reaching forward, Cody clipped his tiny legs out from under him with a gentle rake of his giant paw. And when Aaron got up, eyes intent on Rory, Cody pulled him back and slammed his feet on either side of the cub as he let out a deafening roar to break his focus on Rory.
Aaron crouched, ears flattened and eyes startled. Cody looked down at him, blasting breath through his lungs and daring the little beasty to charge again.
Rory was now standing in the yard, still as a stone and pallid as a ghost. Understandable since Cody was twice her height if he stood on his hind legs. He wouldn’t ever hurt her, though.
She didn’t know it yet, but she was his to protect.
Aaron followed slowly, and as Cody approached, Rory put her hands over her face and whispered, “Please don’t hurt me.”
Cody pressed his forehead against the warmth of her stomach and rocked her back gently, then ran the side of his face against her ribcage. Tentative fingers touched the fur at the scruff of his neck. Rory sniffled as a drop of wetness patted against his ear.
Cody looked over his shoulder, giving Aaron permission to approach. The scent of Rory’s fear thickened the air. She’d been hurt by her cub before. If Cody hadn’t seen the scars on her arm, he would’ve known it from the acrid smell of her terror now.
Aaron charged a few feet, bluffing, and Cody swatted his behind and let off a low, rumbling warning.
Slowly, Rory knelt down and offered her closed fist for Aaron to sniff. He wove back and forth, nervously shifting his weight from side to side, but at last, he came close enough for Rory to touch his fur.
“My baby bear,” she crooned.
The look of recognition that sparked in Aaron’s eyes had Cody taking a step back to give them space. Aaron latched his mouth onto her arm, but it wasn’t an attack. The humming sound reverberating from the little cub’s chest gave away his intentions. He wouldn’t bite her hard enough to pierce her skin or Turn her. This was a sign of affection for his caregiver. The whites of Rory’s eyes shone all around her mossy green irises, but she didn’t balk or run. His brave human. No, she sat down in the dirt and pulled Aaron into her lap as the cub mouthed her arm and hummed.
When she looked back up at Cody, her eyes were filled with tears. His first instinct was to blight out whatever had made her upset, but the grateful smile on her lips settled him.
“You don’t even know what you’ve done for us,” she said, voice hitching. “Thank you.”
And as he sat back, watching his accidental family cuddling in his front yard, Cody knew he would accept Krueger’s mission. He’d do anything, even at the cost of his own soul, if it meant Rory, Aaron, and the rest of the Breck crew were safe.
The weight of being alpha had been great.
The weight of being a father was greater.
Chapter Eight
“Did you see me, mommy?” Aaron asked in that tiny voice of his. “I wasn’t even in a cage, and Cody said I did good.”
“Baby, I did, and I’m so proud of you. Was it scary being out in the woods?”
Aaron frowned and shook his head slightly. “I don’t remember. Cody’s bear is giant,” he said, stretching his arms wider than the pillow he was laying on.
He’d scarfed down a grilled cheese sa
ndwich and mixed vegetables but had barely been able to keep his eyes open at the dinner table. Cody said it was normal, and that he needed to get sleep now.
She pulled the burgundy comforter from the foot of Cody’s guest bed up to Aaron’s chin and gave him tiny kisses all over his face. He giggled, then stifled a yawn. The poor kid had dark bags under his eyes like he always did after a Change. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, but at least this time, he seemed happier.
“Cody?” he called softly.
His father appeared in the doorframe and smiled. “What do you need, kiddo?”
“Can you sing me that lullaby?”
“Uh.” Cody dropped his gaze and ran his hand over his short hair. If Rory didn’t know better, she could’ve sworn he was blushing. “Sure.”
Rory left them to it, kissing Aaron’s forehead once more before she left the dark room. Sitting on the couch, she could hear the lyrics of the heavy metal song drift through the house, and she smiled despite the stress of the last few hours.
It was nearly half an hour before Cody emerged. He’d been quiet since his shift with Aaron. She thought he’d come sit on the couch with her, but instead he wouldn’t meet her eyes as he strode into the laundry room. Earlier, he’d thrown the clothes from his fire department duffle bag along with Aaron’s jeans into the washer and now seemed busy transferring the damp garments to the dryer.
Standing from the comfortable cushion of the couch, she made her way toward the laundry room. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked as she leaned against the doorway.
“No.”
“But you’re upset.”
“I’m fine.” Cody closed the dryer door and turned it on, then leaned back against it and let off an explosive sigh. “Ma wants to throw a big barbecue tomorrow for you and Aaron.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
“So,” she said, kicking the corner of the doorway with the toe of her wedge heel, “you’re throwing a barbecue.”
“Basically.”
“But that’s not what you’re upset about,” she guessed.
Cody shook his head, but didn’t offer an explanation.
“Is it me?”
Another shake of his head, and he looked as tired as Aaron had.
“Is this one of those things like the tours you served? You don’t want to talk about it with me?”
This time he nodded his head once and left his chin on his chest.
“That’s okay,” she murmured, sliding her arms around his waist. She rested her cheek against his thrumming heartbeat. “I stormed your life, and you don’t owe me explanations. I know it’ll take time to trust me.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “This has nothing to do with trusting you. It’s about protecting you.”
She arched her face back and searched the worry in his eyes. “Do you remember the first time we were together?”
“Do I remember the only time we were together? Yes.” His brow winged up in a challenge. “Do you?”
“I was completely sober.”
He laughed and ran both of his hands through her hair now. “You were drunk as a skunk. I wanted to wait until we were both sober, but you weren’t having any of that. Temptress.”
“I wanted what I wanted,” she mused unashamedly.
“Regrets?”
“None. You gave me Aaron that night. You?”
He shook his head slowly and searched her face as if he’d never seen anything like her. “None.”
Spinning her so fast, her stomach dipped, Cody set her up on the dryer. The metal was warm under her legs, heated from working. The vibrations felt surprisingly erotic as he pulled her knees wider and settled in between her thighs.
“Tell me, Rory,” he whispered, pressing his lips against her neck in a nibbling kiss. “Did you ever think of me when you touched yourself?”
Her breath shook as he pulled her to the edge of the dryer and rolled his hips against hers.
“Well?” he murmured as he trailed his mouth up to her sensitive earlobe. “Did you?”
“Yes,” she panted out.
“Good.” Easing back, he pulled her shirt over her head and snapped his fingers against the clasp of her bra. It fell forward and she shrugged out of it.
Cody kicked the door closed and tugged his T-shirt over his head. The words Veni, Vidi, Vici were tattooed in cursive across his rippling chest, and more curls of ink stretched from his collar bone down one arm. His abs flexed with each breath as his gaze ravished her body. God, he made her burn.
His skin was smooth and hard under her fingers as she traced the striations in his shoulders. But when he lifted his eyes again, he looked uncertain. Lost even.
She cupped his cheek and kissed him softly to put his fears at ease. He was afraid she’d leave again, but that was beyond her now. She couldn’t go back to Oklahoma and raise Aaron alone—not knowing that Cody was right here waiting for them to come back so he could be a part of their lives.
Jaw working under her palm, Cody thrust his tongue against hers and pulled her close until her breasts pressed against the hard planes of his chest. His skin felt divine next to hers. The kisses between them toed the edge of desperation as Cody unsnapped the button of her jeans.
The rip of her zipper had her arching against him as he nibbled his way down her throat. As he peeled off her pants, he latched onto her nipple, drawn up tight from the pleasure he had built inside of her. His tongue laved against the sensitive skin there, and she pulled his head closer.
“I need…” What did she need? Everything. All of him, but how to ask that of a man who wasn’t comfortable sharing himself yet?
A soft growl resonated from his chest as he pulled her lacy panties to the side. She didn’t even have time to balk in shock before his mouth was on her sex.
Hoooly mayo. She threw her head back as she ran her fingers through his short hair. The man definitely still remembered where her clit was. He tongued it gently, over and over until she was on the verge of release, then he angled his chin and pressed his tongue deeply inside of her. She was gasping for breath now, watching his head bob between her legs. The growling sound he’d been making earlier was getting louder by the moment, and as the pressure increased to unbearable levels, she whispered, “I’m coming!” a moment before her orgasm seized around his clever tongue. Pulsing aftershocks went on and on as he continued his affection.
“One,” he growled out, lifting her off the dryer and carrying her like she weighed less than air into his bedroom.
Her heart raced with the realization that he had more sexy plans for her. His eyes reflected like an animal’s in the dim light from the bathroom, but she wasn’t afraid. Not after earlier when he’d protected her from her own cub. Cody would never hurt her.
With his foot, he kicked the door closed, then set her gently on his bed. “Let me get a condom,” he whispered against her lips, then kissed her. His weight disappeared.
“Wait! Leah said you don’t get sick. Not like humans.”
“We don’t.”
“I’m on the pill.”
His movements by the nightstand stopped, and he turned slowly.
She sat cross-legged on his bed, mortification heating her cheeks. “I want to feel you.”
His eyes sparked with hunger as he crawled over the covers toward her, his arms flexing as he approached. Her breath caught in her throat when she dragged her gaze down his torso to the long erection he’d unsheathed between his legs. This part she’d forgotten about—how big he was. He wasn’t just long, but thick, too. Intimidatingly so.
“Don’t be scared,” he said on a breath. “I’d never hurt you.”
She smiled as the dim light illuminated one side of his face and cast the other in shadow. She’d just been thinking that moments ago, how he’d never hurt her. “I know.”
Cody nudged her knees apart with his and settled his hips against hers. The head of his cock brushed her wet seam, and she rolled her hips
instinctively, chasing him.
“More of that,” she whispered, running her hand down his steely arm.
The corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he pushed into her slowly, filling her, stretching her until she had to remind herself to relax or she wouldn’t be able to take all of him. Damn, he felt good as his hips bumped hers. Her nerve endings were sensitive right now after his thorough attention in the laundry room.
Cody closed his eyes as he pulled out of her, and when he opened them again, they were the gold-green wild color that said his animal was awake and with her. She loved him like this. Open and vulnerable—allowing her to see all of him, even the secret places he hid from everyone else.
He pressed into her again, bucking his powerful hips as he clenched his jaw. He was trying to be gentle with her, and it made her love him more.
Love.
Could it be that the stranger who’d fathered her child could be the one who belonged to her? She’d never dared to hope before, but here in the dim light, with his eyes on hers as he moved within her, she knew it was true. He was hers.
The realization loosened her chest as tingling pressure built with each brush of his pelvis against her clit. Cody was hers and worth fighting for. His breathing turned to panting as a frown took his face, as if he was feeling the same revelation she was. His eyes widened as he pumped into her faster.
“Tell me to stop now, or I won’t be able to,” he rasped out in a growly voice she didn’t recognize.
Confused, she held onto him tighter. “I don’t want you to stop.”
“I can’t… I can’t…” His eyes were growing brighter as he rammed into her, pushing her farther up the bed with each stroke.
Cries of ecstasy escaped her parted lips as he pulled at the backs of her knees and spread her wider. He slammed into her, bucking faster until she clawed at his back and panted out his name.
As her body clenched with the first pulses of her explosive orgasm, jets of warmth shot into her, heating her from the inside out. Cody gripped her hair and emptied himself completely. Pleasure and pain blinded her for an instant, and she gasped and bowed against him.
