by Lacey Thorn
Chapter Fifteen
Emersyn waited until the last possible minute to leave for the main lodge. She accepted it for the little act of defiance it was, and Laramie did too based on the look he gave her when she and Ruby walked in the door.
“Yawamie!” Ruby yelled and took off running toward him.
“How’s my favorite girl?” Laramie asked as he scooped her up, so she sat on his forearm, one arm wrapped around his neck. He seemed so natural with her, and Emersyn thought he’d be a good dad one day.
“Me and Mama took a nap. We all wested,” Ruby assured him.
Laramie glanced Emersyn’s way again and grinned. “I’m glad you’re both rested.”
She fought the heat that wanted to fill her face.
“And my daddy cawled,” Ruby told him.
Laramie’s stare held Emersyn prisoner. “Yes, he called me, too.”
She held her breath. Had Malachi taken the ball out of her hands again and told Laramie the truth before she could. Did he really think she wouldn’t? The thought of revealing the truth scared her, but no one should blame her. She’d been told her whole life that the knowledge of what she was could get people killed. Her father had even hidden it from their pack. Shit! Maybe, Malachi was wrong. Maybe, she shouldn’t say a word.
“You okay?”
Matheus stepped up beside her, pulling her out of the chaos in her head and back to the room. She forced a smile and nodded, but apparently, she wasn’t very convincing. Matheus glanced between her and Laramie as if testing to see what was going on.
“I’m fine,” she assured the youngest Holloway. “Tired.”
“I thought Ruby said you’d napped?” he asked politely.
She opened her mouth but had no idea what to say.
“Of course, they’re tired,” Koby said as he joined them. “That had to be a long drive by yourself with a four-year-old with as much energy as Ruby.”
They all watched Ruby run around the room, darting around tables, bumping into chairs. She hadn’t stopped moving since Laramie had set her back down. Emersyn noticed Laramie kept an eye on Ruby, as well.
Emersyn latched onto the excuse offered. “It might take me a week to recover,” she offered with a laugh.
“Em,” Laramie called and held out his hand to her while he continued talking to the man beside him as if he had no doubt she’d obey.
“Is he always so arrogant?” she asked, and both Matheus and Koby burst into laughter. “I thought so.”
“I dare you to try it with him just once tonight,” Matheus urged.
“Try what?” she asked.
“Call his name from across the room and simply hold out your hand as if you expect him to appear,” Matheus said.
She glanced at Laramie again, saw the frown tugging at his lips and the way his gaze kept wavering between the man talking and her.
“He’d come to me,” she murmured.
“You think so?” Koby shook his head as if he didn’t believe her.
“I know he will,” she admitted, and it was just the confession she needed to push away her earlier doubt. After giving Koby and Matheus a smile, she walked to Laramie. She didn’t take his hand. Instead, she placed her palm on his back, the way he often did with her.
“This is Em,” Laramie told the man he spoke to. “Em, this is one of my enforcers, Fletch Calderson. His brother, Milo, is around here somewhere. We’ve known each other since we were all boys. They’re family.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Fletch said, nodding to her. “I’ll leave you two alone and go find where Milo’s gotten off to.”
“I see we’ll be staying at the cabin tonight,” he murmured by her ear as he lowered his head to brush a kiss along her temple. “It’s a good thing you’re well-rested since I plan to have my way with you all night.”
“You’ve got the stamina of a…” She paused, unsure what to compare him to in her limited experience.
“A Kodiak?” he suggested as he rubbed his nose along her hair. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining earlier when I gave you all those orgasms.”
“Laramie,” she admonished as she tried to step away from him. Her gaze darted around the room as she hurried to make sure no one had overheard him. Then she gave a slower, more thorough search. “Where’s Ruby?”
She glanced over and saw Laramie scanning the room as she had. “She’s here somewhere. No one here would hurt her, Em.”
She nodded, but something didn’t feel right. Instinct screamed at her to find her little girl. As soon as she went to step away from Laramie, he caught her hand.
“Matheus, Koby,” he called and waited for his brothers to step closer. “Did either of you see where Ruby went?”
Both men took inventory of the room.
“I’ll head through the dining room toward the kitchen,” Matheus said. “She might have gone looking for food.”
“I’ll check upstairs. There’s Holt. I’ll have him check downstairs in case she went back to the room down there,” Koby assured them as he headed off.
“I’ll check outside,” Emersyn said, tugging against his hold on her hand. “Maybe, she went back toward the cabin for one of her dolls or the teddy bear Malachi sent her.”
“I’ll go with you,” Laramie stated.
“We could split up. Cover more ground.”
“No,” he growled. “We stay together.”
She didn’t care. She needed to move. Something felt off. Her bear urged her to hurry. They stepped outside just as a truck and SUV pulled up in front of the lodge. She paid little attention as her gaze roamed, searching for any sign of Ruby.
“Wait here,” Laramie ordered as he moved to speak with whoever had arrived.
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A flash of blonde hair heading behind the lodge. Maybe, Ruby was heading toward the playground where she’d played before. If so, they’d have a long talk about how important it was to ask first. Em stepped around the building, but the play area was clear. She scanned the backyard once, then noted something lying beside the heavily wooded area on her second pass. Her breath caught as she hurried across and picked it up. One of Ruby’s dolls.
Ruby wouldn’t go into the woods alone. So help her if this was Xandra’s way of trying to take Ruby from Emersyn, she’d kill the other woman. Malachi and the Holloways would just have to deal with it. But as she stepped into the woods, another scent hit her. One that left her confused.
She moved as quickly and quietly as she could, but Ruby gave her away as soon as she caught sight of Emersyn.
“Mama!” Ruby yelled, and Natalie turned. Anger flushed her face. She had a tight grip on Ruby’s arm, and Emersyn feared there’d be bruises.
“Natalie, what’re you doing with my daughter?” Emersyn asked, working to keep her voice calm even as her bear raged inside her.
“Ow! You’s huwting me,” Ruby cried. “Mama!”
“I’m right here, baby bear. I’m sure Natalie doesn’t mean to hurt you. Right, Natalie?”
“Go back to your alpha, Emersyn. Live out your happy little human life,” Natalie warned.
“I can’t do that,” Emersyn told her. “I need you to let Ruby go.”
“No,” Natalie snarled. “I need the little brat.”
“You’re not leaving here with her.” Emersyn caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Xandra hold a finger to her lips as she slid perfectly behind a tree so she was no longer visible. Farther back was Jemma, who nodded once then worked her way to the opposite side Xandra was on. The three of them would have Natalie caught between them.
“I always liked you, Emersyn, but I will kill you if I need to,” Natalie warned.
“What do you need Ruby for?” Emersyn asked as she slowly edged her way closer. She moved sideways, trying to get nearer without Natalie realizing.
“Titus called Adam. He was hurt we came here without telling him. Asked if we planned
to leave the pack.”
Ruby was crying now. Emersyn tried to keep Natalie distracted while Xandra and Jemma both worked their way closer.
“Are you?” Emersyn asked.
“Of course not,” Natalie snapped. “I plan on mating Titus and being the female alpha. Do you know how much it pissed me off that he wanted you? Always you. Emory’s perfect daughter. Even though you’re a fucking human. Why the fuck would Titus want a human for a mate when he could have me? I can give him strong sons, shifter sons.”
“I’m not interested in Titus,” Emersyn said as she edged even closer.
“No, anyone can see you’ve got eyes for the Holloway alpha. It’s perfect. This alpha having a human mate and human kids will make it easier to take over here. The plan will work.”
“What plan?” Emersyn asked.
Natalie closed her mouth as if she’d said too much so Emersyn tried a different route. Jemma and Xandra were both close. She needed to keep Natalie focused on her.
“Is that what Titus wants? To take over this den?” Emersyn would kill the other woman for the way she held Ruby and for the terror in the little girl’s eyes.
“He will when I tell him to. It won’t matter that Malachi is sending members of our pack here. They’ll think of something, and we’ll take over. I’ll use the brat to get to Malachi. He’ll be easy to control. Then after I kill him, I’ll kill her. Stupid brat never should have lived anyway. When I left Amber at the cabin, I made sure no one knew where she was. Malachi was supposed to die. It seemed fitting that Amber and her brat die, too.”
“You were there?” Rage filled Emersyn. “You left her to die?”
Ruby started crying, tugging at her arm as she fought to get to Emersyn.
“Shut up and hold still, you fucking brat!” Natalie screamed, grabbing Ruby by both arms and giving her a hard shake.
A red haze came over Emersyn. A roar rocked the woods, and Natalie’s eyes grew wide, her hold slacking enough that Xandra was able to charge in, scoop up Ruby, and get her out of the way. Jemma stood slightly behind Natalie, but her gaze was on Emersyn. Eyes wide, mouth slack with shock.
“What the hell?” Natalie backpedaled away from Emersyn, hands out in front of her as if trying to ward her away.
Another roar filled the air, and this time, Emersyn realized it came from her. Natalie turned and took off running, shoving Jemma out of the way. Emersyn gave chase. She caught up to Natalie in a clearing, tackling her to the ground and slamming her face first into the hard earth. Natalie threw her off, but Emersyn quickly regained her footing. She caught movement and saw she and Natalie were surrounded by the Holloways and several members of Emersyn’s old den. Jemma was there, gaze hard on Natalie. Looked like she and Emersyn had settled the differences between them. Laramie moved to step toward Emersyn, and she held up her hand.
“No one steps foot in this circle,” she snapped. Her teeth felt almost too big for her mouth. She turned toward Natalie, who was just getting to her feet. “Just you and me.”
“I’ll kill you, you bitch,” Natalie swore and growled, her bones snapping as she shifted into her bear.
Emersyn merely smiled. She was more than ready for this battle. Trusting her bear, she gave the animal control, letting the powerful animal inside her take over. There was burning and pain as her bones and muscles changed. She embraced each sensation. Natalie’s black bear was nothing compared to the pissed off Kodiak that emerged from within Emersyn.
“Holy fucking shit!” someone muttered, and there were several murmured agreements along with other sentiments that were much the same. Emersyn ignored them all as she focused in on her enemy.
She and Natalie met in a clash of snarls and flying paws. Emersyn felt the burn as Natalie caught her side, then she sent the other woman flying with a hard hit to the face. Natalie got back up, shaking her head. Emersyn waited for her to charge, but the other woman was more cautious this time, circling Emersyn, looking for an opening. Emersyn dropped to all fours and roared with all she had. Natalie came at her again, and she sent her flying. This time, Natalie hit a tree and was much slower to get up. Blood trickled from her snout.
Emersyn didn’t wait this time. She went for Natalie, knocking the bear to the ground and shredding skin and fur with her claws. She’d hurt Ruby, terrified her and threatened to kill her. Then she’d confessed to leaving Amber alone, hoping the other woman would die. Blood for blood. Natalie would die. Tired of toying with her prey, Emersyn leaned closer, locking her jaws around the other woman’s throat and yanking. Blood sprayed, coating her fur as well as her mouth, but Emersyn didn’t care. No one would ever touch her family and think they could walk away. She rose up on her hind legs and let her gaze scan the people surrounding her. She let out another roar before falling to all fours again.
Around her the members of her father’s den, fell to their knees, bowing to her, claiming her as their alpha. Even Laramie’s pack bowed toward her, though they remained standing. All of his brothers were there, along with Holt, Fletch and three other males she hadn’t met yet. Jemma went to her knees, as well, accepting Emersyn as the dominant female. Laramie alone stepped toward her, completely unafraid. If anything, he appeared pissed. And, going by the bulge in his jeans and the scent spilling off him, aroused.
“You lied to me,” he snarled, getting right in her face.
She butted against him, but he stood strong and firm.
“You want to fight me, too?” he asked softly, too softly.
She shuddered and shifted without thought to what she was doing. It merely happened. One moment, she was a bear. Then next, she was human. And naked, very naked. His shirt was jerked over her head, then she was hauled up against him.
“I want the fucking words.” He growled the command at her, one fist in her hair, tilting back her head, the other hand splayed across her ass, holding her against his erection.
She growled back at him. Laramie bent and nipped her chin, his sharp teeth leaving a sting behind.
“Now,” he ordered. “Make the claim here and now, in front of everyone, or so help me, they’ll get even more of a show when I take you to the ground and fuck you until you scream my name.”
She glared at him. Her body still shook from the animal adrenaline. They needed to talk. She needed him to understand the danger she’d bring. He didn’t look concerned though. He reached for the hem of the shirt he’d forced onto her.
“Will you protect me?” She fired off the words, snapping each one like a bullet from a gun.
“Yes,” he snarled.
“Will you care for me? Make sure all my needs are met?”
“Yes.” He growled the words, his fingers tightening in her hair.
“Will you keep me at your side?”
“Always,” he answered, making it sound more like a command than a vow. “You’ve asked, and I’ve agreed. You’re mine.”
The verbal claim felt like a brand against her skin, or at least, one that seared her soul. There was no going back. She was his.
“You didn’t ask, but here’s my vow. I’ll protect you until my last breath. I’ll care for you and see to all your needs. All of them. You’ll be at my side. Not in front of me. At my side. Always. That is my vow. You’re mine, Laramie Holloway, and I’ll kill anyone who thinks to take you from me.”
He wiped his arm across her mouth, and she snarled until she realized he was cleaning some of the blood away. When she would have turned to glance toward Natalie, he commanded her attention. He took her mouth in a heated kiss, tongue playing along hers while his hands cupped her ass and lifted. Everything fell away but him. She didn’t realize he’d moved them until she felt a door at her back and he was pushing his way inside. One glance around and she knew it was the cabin where he’d taken her virginity.
He headed straight for the bathroom, closing them in then starting the water.
“I want her blood off you,” he snarled as if the sight and scent
of it offended him. “Then I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to fuck you until there’s no part of you I haven’t filled with my seed.”
She licked her lips with anticipation.
“We can start there,” he agreed, pushing her into the shower.
Chapter Sixteen
Laramie couldn’t touch her enough. One word screamed inside his head, urging him to possess her in every way imaginable. Mate. He’d known the moment he’d laid eyes on her that she was meant for him.
He pushed her under the spray and grabbed the soap, making quick work of cleaning them both while she lathered shampoo through her hair. His cock was long and thick and ready to claim. He wrapped one hand around the stalk and stroked it from root to tip then back again while he watched her rinse her hair. There was hunger in her gaze as she watched him through lowered lids. When she was finished, he turned off the water, not bothering with towels as he carried her to the bed.
She licked her lips. “Still planning to start here?”
He growled and didn’t even try to throttle the beast inside him. Instead, he gripped her hair in his fists and urged her to her knees before him. She immediately leaned in, running her tongue over his shaft and balls before sliding it over the head. He let her tease and play briefly before using his grip to tilt back her head.
“Suck my dick,” he ordered.
He expected her to challenge him. Was looking forward to her forcing him to make her. But she was as hungry as he was. She opened her mouth wide and took him in, wrapping those lush lips around him and sucking as she slowly slid down his cock. She wrapped a hand around what wouldn’t fit in her mouth and worked it in tandem with her mouth as she fed on him. He might be the one standing, but she had all the power. The sultry look in her gaze assured him she knew it.
He flexed his fingers along her scalp, urging her to move faster. “Take it, baby. Suck it hard.”
