“Amaya,” he warned, but she threw her hand in the air, halting him.
“Take me to him, Landon, because I promise you, if you don’t…that’s when I will go feral.”
Landon watched her for a second before nodding and standing from his seat behind the desk. Amaya was the first one out the door, but froze when six Guardians moved in her direction, carrying a comatose Storm toward the backyard. She backed into the office and waited for them to pass. Each and every one of them made eye contact with her as they went, most likely judging her mental status at seeing her mate hurt.
Wait.
She called him her mate.
For the first time.
The beast inside her mind howled loud enough to hurt her ears. It was true…everything they’d told her. It was true. Storm was her mate…her forever mate. He was the male born upon this earth to complete her. Not Sam…not any male she’d ever dated. Storm…he was hers.
“Amaya?” Landon came up behind her, bringing her mind back to the present.
“I’m going out there with him,” she mumbled and followed out the door. Talon was already there, standing over her male. He was naked, except for a thick blanket someone had thrown over his body.
Talon knelt at Storm’s side and laid a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and mumbled, “Shift, my dear friend. Shift and heal.”
Storm’s body shimmered once, twice. Then, it didn’t. He remained human, and the other Guardians’ brows pinched as they all looked at their leader.
“You have to push your power harder, Talon,” Harold suggested.
Storm’s body tightened and relaxed, small, black hairs appearing on his human skin. His eyes popped open and they were glowing amber. His canines thickened in his mouth and an inhuman sound ripped from his throat when his body shimmered again, finally changing into his panther form.
Amaya waited for his animal to open its eyes, but it just lay there taking shallow breaths. When Talon fell back on his ass from the exertion, she moved closer. The Guardians didn’t keep her from him, but she did notice several hurrying to put on the gloves Storm had used to touch her the night she was injured. Were they going to pull her away?
“Let me see him,” she blurted.
“Amaya,” someone warned, but she didn’t pay attention to who had said it. Her eyes were only for the panther laying there possibly at the point of death.
“Let her pass,” Talon said, his voice not holding its regular strength. The leader to the Shaw pride already sounded like he couldn’t force anyone to do anything until he, himself, healed.
“Thank you,” she whispered to her alpha as she dropped to her knees on the cold, hard ground. Her first instinct was to take him into her arms. Oh, how she longed to wrap her body around his panther and give him love and strength.
“Talk to him, Amaya. It may help him come around,” Talon suggested. The alpha never moved from his spot.
“Storm?” she whispered, fisting her hands on the tops of her legs where she crouched down right by his head. When he didn’t respond, she crossed her legs and leaned closer. “Storm?”
His panther eyes opened and closed, but there was no other response. The Guardians gathered behind her, making a circle around their brother. She assumed it was a protection thing. The pride reminded her of a Viking army; strong, loyal…protective.
“Come on, Storm,” she sniffled. “I need you to heal. I need you back. Please come back to me. I can’t do this on my own.”
The confession of love stopped on her tongue. Shock ran through her as her wolf surged with joy. Was she truly falling in love with him? The thought of touching another male disgusted her, and it wasn’t until Talon laid his hand on the panther did she realize that yes, she did care for him on some deeper level even though they hadn’t known each other long.
The talk the females gave her came rushing back. You would love your true mate eventually. It was a gift from their gods. But what about her God? Were they one in the same? Or did their species come from somewhere else?
“Storm, shift,” Talon growled next to her.
The alpha’s concentration paused her thoughts, refocusing on her male. Yes, her male. The revelation made her cry even harder. He wasn’t coming around, and she needed him back. Amaya wanted to tell him she was falling in love with him, and she wanted to complete the mating. She wanted to wrap her body around his and bleed her warmth into him when he needed it.
“Back up a little, Amaya,” Talon urged, reaching over to steady her as she stood. She started to jerk away, but he held her tight. “It’s okay. I’ll explain in a moment.”
Talon released her and added his other hand to the panther’s body, giving it a little shake. He was directing all of his magic to force Storm to shift. When his body shimmered, she cried more when he became human again. The scar down the center of his chest was still bloody and raw, barely healed. It looked awful.
“Talon?” she cried.
“Give it time,” he ordered over his shoulder. The leader’s eyes were glowing, and there were dark spots forming under them. How could he continue to force his powers on Storm and not collapse completely?
The Guardians surged when Talon stumbled. Winter and Savage were there to catch him as his body went limp. A gasp from the healer’s back door turned Amaya’s head away from Storm. Liberty was there, trying to get to the yard, but the Protectors were holding her back. Her long, brown hair was in disarray around her tear-streaked face.
“Get her out of here!” Talon’s voice was full of venom, and the males scrambled to make a barrier where Talon couldn’t be seen by his mate. She called out for him, and he had enough strength to throw his hand out in a silent plea for her to stop. Evie tucked her under her arm and walked the alpha’s mate back into the cabin.
“Talon.” Winter said his name in warning, but the alpha pushed the males away, kneeling to Storm.
“He will pull through,” Talon snarled. “Amaya, keep talking to him.”
She covered her face with her hands as he shimmered again, Talon forcing his shift. “Come on, Storm. Come back to me…please. I need you to heal. I…need…you.”
Not thinking about her own scars, she stood, making the Guardians jump back. With harried movements, she lifted her hoodie over her head and shucked the sweatpants and socks. In a few seconds, she had shifted and let her wolf free.
They couldn’t communicate, but she’d be damned if she let him go through the back and forth alone. He needed strength, and since she couldn’t touch him, shifting with him each time would be the only thing she could do to help.
The wolf sprawled out next to the alpha, feeling the rough patches of dead grass scratch at its belly. But it didn’t adjust to get comfortable. The wolf and human were only worried about her male…her mate.
For the next hour, they’d shift, and Storm never did more than blink in his panther form. The alpha wasn’t giving up, forcing him to shift at certain intervals. Amaya was exhausted. The back and forth was almost too much for her to handle. One of the Guardians had knelt at her side an hour ago and told her it was too dangerous for her to be shifting so quickly; that it would turn painful if she continued. She found that out on the current shift. She cried out when her bones reshaped into her human ones.
“No more, Amaya,” Talon ordered, but his words held no power behind them.
“I can’t let him do this alone,” she panted, laying on her side. The Guardian Savage had secured a blanket and draped it over her naked body.
“He’s coming around,” Talon mentioned, but she was certain he was trying to calm her. Storm wasn’t getting any better. “Rest. You need to stay human this next time.”
“But…”
“No,” he growled. “He’s getting stronger, Amaya. I promise.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied in defeat.
The next few shifts were more of the same until finally, he opened his eyes…his very human eyes, showing her the ice blue she had come to regard as her peac
e and new home.
“Storm,” she cooed. Amaya put her head to the ground and faced him; eye to eye…nose to nose, but never touching. “Oh, Storm. I need you to heal. Please.”
“I…I brought your freedom,” he mumbled.
“I know,” she whispered, letting the tears fall from her lashes. “Storm, I know, and I thank you, but I need you to get better. I need you to be my mate.”
“Mate.” He smiled as his eyes closed.
He never woke up again during the time Talon rested. She didn’t move. Amaya would never leave his side…not even for a moment. “Shift by yourself, baby. Please.”
Talon started to reach for him, but Storm’s body was already shimmering. A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows, and Amaya turned to look at her alpha. “Are you doing it?”
“No,” Talon breathed. “He’s doing it on his own now. This is good, Amaya. Very good.”
She watched him carefully as he slowly began to heal. Each time he was human, the scar on his chest disappeared a little more. By the time he finally stood on his panther legs, she felt the weight of exhaustion hit her full force. She closed her eyes when his beast laid on his belly beside her. She fell asleep to the sound of a low purr coming from the animal.
Lucky didn’t have to take the gloves away from his big brother again. The female had told him to mate her. He’d heard it himself.
Good, because snooping around Storm’s cabin was a risk, anyway. It was only a matter of time before he got caught, and Lucky had received too many ass kickings from him over their lifetime to know he didn’t want to do that very often.
Amaya was exhausted, falling asleep when his brother’s panther finally showed enough strength to prove he would be okay. The panther lifted its head, looking between his alpha and his future mate.
“Shift so you can take her home, Storm,” Talon urged.
When Storm finally stood on his human legs, he called out, “Lucky, grab gloves and take her to my cabin.”
The healer pulled a pair from his pocket, handing them over. Storm wouldn’t be able to carry her without touching her skin to his, and the female needed to be covered more than the blanket someone had draped over her. Everyone saw the scars, and a few males reacted when she first returned from a shift. Their deep inhales hadn’t been missed.
Whatever had happened to his brother’s mate was her own story to tell, but Lucky really hoped Storm killed the person who had done that to Amaya.
“I’ve got her,” Lucky promised as he knelt, unrolling his sleeves where they’d been pushed up to his elbows. He knew he wouldn’t hurt Amaya by touching her, but he didn’t want to do anything to upset Storm. He’d already been through enough while they had been at the warehouse.
Her eyes fluttered when he cradled her to his chest, but she didn’t wake fully. Storm walked close as they left the healer’s backyard and crossed the street. His brother was quiet as he opened the door and pointed toward his room. Once he had Amaya in his brother’s bed, Lucky backed out and nodded, closing the door while Storm pulled on a pair of sweatpants and knelt next to his future mate.
Chapter Thirteen
Amaya came awake with a jerk. She knew exactly where she was the moment his scent reached her senses. “Did you carry me home?”
“I had my brother carry you,” Storm admitted from his seat in a chair under the window in his room. A glass of whiskey hung from his thumb and index finger as he swirled the liquid around.
“Oh, Storm,” she cried, seeing the scar completely gone from the center of his chest. Tossing the covers aside, she sat on the edge of the bed, craving to run into his arms. “Are you okay?”
“I’m healed,” he promised, downing the last of his drink before setting it aside. “I heard you.”
His face was cast in darkness, but his eyes betrayed him, glowing a bright amber. His panther was sitting just under his skin and, as he stood, the mating scent coming off of him was too powerful to resist. His sweatpants showed his sexual need, but he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by it.
“I meant what I said,” she remembered. Yeah, she’d begged him to heal so they could mate. “I didn’t know what my wolf was doing…what it was trying to tell me when I first saw you. Your scent reminded me of home, and now I know why, Storm.”
“Why?” he asked, his voice deepening as he slowly approached her. She could feel the heat coming off his body, and her wolf responded. Everything in the room became clear with the shift of her eyes. Every detail of his sculpted chest was right there in front of her. She licked her lips as her gaze traveled over his pecs to his exposed neck.
“I love you, Storm,” she admitted. “I don’t know how I know. It just is what it is. I’ve never felt more like myself than I do when I’m with you. You give me a reason to live again. I was hiding in my human life. I hated it, but it’s what I’d reduced myself to after I’d been cut up and scarred. With you, and being a shifter, I feel like I can conquer anything.”
“You are the most beautiful thing in my life, Amaya,” he professed, reaching out to take a strand of her hair. He still didn’t make contact with her skin, and it was going to drive her insane until he did. “I promise to love you until our gods take away our eternity.”
“Oh, Storm,” she breathed. “Touch me. Please, do it now.”
The silent Guardian didn’t hesitate…he didn’t even give her a warning before he scooped her up into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.
Amaya gasped against his lips, feeling an overwhelming magic tingle through her body and soul. A binding of the two animals, attuning their souls…making them almost as one. She felt it…the magic. It was extraordinary…breathtaking. There were no words to describe how her body and mind changed in that moment.
The mating. It was what the females had tried to explain to her.
It was magical, unbelievable.
His scent was stronger. Her scent was more potent, too. The two combined was the most amazing perfume she’d ever scented. No chemist would ever be able to duplicate it.
Her body relaxed from the connection, but her wolf still bubbled under her skin. It howled inside her mind when the connection was made. “Oh, Storm.”
“Amazing,” he whispered when he pulled back slightly. His large arms remained wrapped around her in a protective blanket, keeping her body anchored to his. “I’m going to bite you, Amaya. We never talked about this part, but I’m sure your wolf is feeling the same thing.”
In fact, it was. She somehow knew exactly what was going to happen. Or, at least, what needed to happen. Trying to hide her thick canines, she blushed. “I want to bite you.”
“I want to feel your bite, but I must mount you from behind first.” He pressed his lips to hers again, finally releasing her when they needed to take a breath.
“Please?” Oh, my. She wanted that.
She reached for his sweatpants, making the first move. She kissed him again, slipping the material over his ass and raking her nails over his hip as she reached for his cock. It was hard as steel, hot…pulsing with need for her.
For her. A male who was perfectly made for her. The knowledge was shocking and sad all at the same time, but she wouldn’t look too far into it. Her only focus was Storm. Her mate.
“This is going to be over before it even begins if you keep touching me like that,” he warned. She was already naked, and he should’ve been, too.
“My wolf is howling for us to mate, Storm. What do I do?” Amaya knew she was supposed to submit for him, but she wasn’t sure if there was some rulebook as to how they did it.
“Let me make love to you first, Amaya,” he urged. “The actual mating will be hard and fast. The animals will be rough, but I just want to lose myself in you for a moment before our nature takes over.”
She nodded and held on to the top of his shoulders as he lifted her, laying her out across the bed. He didn’t stare at her scars, and she was thankful he didn’t. It would have killed the mood. She’d only been with her ex, but
she had a feeling Storm was going to make her forget Sam’s name before the day was through.
“Don’t think about anything else,” he said, kissing her lips. His tongue pressed between her lips, begging entrance. Amaya sighed when his hand slid down her side and over her hip. The moment his fingers touched between her legs, she relaxed and let him explore.
“Mmm, fuck. You’re perfect for me, Amaya,” he claimed, swirling his finger around her opening.
She couldn’t reply, because he’d entered her slowly, gathering her need for him on his fingers. His thumb worked slowly around her clit, moving faster and faster with each moan she produced. He was reading her signals and giving her exactly what she needed.
“Oh, Storm,” she growled, feeling her wolf demand she allow him to complete the mating.
It was dark in his room, but they didn’t need any light. Their bodies had shifted just enough to allow for their enhanced senses to guide them. She touched his face when he pulled back, still stroking her body. “Make love to me, Storm. Please. My wolf wants to complete the mating.”
He released her and crawled between her legs. His hands skimmed down her arms, his thumbs tracing the side of each breast as he passed. There were no words spoken as he released her, fisting his cock to guide it toward her.
As he breached her, Amaya moaned again. She’d never been as vocal during sex as she was then. “Yes.”
“I like hearing your pleasure, my mate,” he admitted, hissing the moment her body accepted him.
“Please, more,” she begged. Storm was going to make her turn into a dirty talker with the way he moved, hitting the exact spots she needed to achieve release. Fuck, he’s good.
His thrusts were slow, priming her for more. He leaned over and cupped her face with one hand while he held some of his body weight with the other. It didn’t matter. She wanted to feel him on top of her, surrounding her…protecting what they were doing.
Storm (Rise of the Pride, Book 12) Page 13
