A Wolf's Obsession (12 page)

Taking a deep breath, he rolled the dead weight of his body off the bed. Stars danced before his eyes as healing wounds reopened but he remained silent. He was responsible for his mate’s suffering, he deserved this. Biting down hard on his lip to stop himself crying out at the excruciating pain, Wyatt began to crawl. He dragged himself forward, relying on the dwindling strength in his arms to pull himself towards his goal. The task would have been impossible if his wolf hadn’t been on his side but for the first time in an age Wyatt and his wolf were working together. He slithered into the bathroom on his belly, his eyes instantly finding the forlorn figure of his crying mate.

“Kass?”

She lifted her head from her knees slowly, blinking slowly as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing through her sore red eyes. “Wyatt?” She shook her head frantically. “You’re dead.”

Drawing on the last of his strength, Wyatt pulled himself into the bathroom and forced his body upright. He lay back against the wall, completely drained but smiling. The view he had now was definitely worth the trip. “I’m not dead,” he said slowly. “I’ve been trying to tell you that.”

Still shaking her head, Kass pulled back slightly. “I saw you tear your heart out. You’re dead.”

Holding out his hand, Wyatt smiled warmly, trying to get her to relax enough to release the death grip she had on her knees. “Come here. I’ll explain everything.” She didn’t move, her fear keeping her rooted where she was. “Please Kass, please.”

Slowly, hesitantly she crept forward keeping her bright blue eyes locked on his outstretched hand. She stopped in front of him, staring so hard at him that Wyatt swore she was looking into his soul. Her eyes were darker now, the white flecks in her gaze seeming brighter for the change in shade and he quickly found himself falling into her gaze. She was mesmerising and he was so content to look at her that he almost forgot that he needed to do more than just watch her. He needed to talk to her, to sooth her pain and ease her fears. He wriggled his fingers as best he could in invitation and waited with baited breath for her to take his hand. “It’s okay,” he said softly, trying to calm her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Her eyes darted away from his hand and met his own golden orbs. The tears that he saw threatening to flow almost undid him. “What if I try to touch you and find out that you’re not real? What if I really have just made you up so that I don’t have to think about what happened to you?”

“That isn’t going to happen Kass. I’m right here. I promise.”

“You promise?” She sounded like a small child, hesitation in her every word, her fear pouring from her skin in waves.

He nodded. “I promise.”

Her hand slipped into his and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re real.”

“Of course I’m real.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Kass tightened her grip on Wyatt’s hand letting his warmth seep into her skin. “How is this possible? I saw you tear your heart out. You should be dead.”

“I’m a wolf Kass. Unless something takes my head then I’m not going to die.”

Carefully she moved in closer and took a quick glance at the hole in his chest. True to his word there was something growing where his heart should be. Small and weak his heart was growing back. Just as quickly, she averted her gaze. He might be comfortable letting her look at his insides but her stomach was making its distaste known.

“Does it hurt?”

His head fell back against the wall, his skin loosing its pallor even now. “Every breath is agony,” he admitted.

“Then why would you do it?”

“Because we’re mates and I needed you to see that. You thought that being mated to me meant that I didn’t love you, that anyone would do, that I only wanted you for sex…I needed you to know that isn’t true. We’re mates and that means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

She shook her head and let the tears fall. “I shouldn’t feel this way about you. I’ve only known you for
a few days, I shouldn’t be crying because I thought you were dead. I shouldn’t have felt like the world was over because you weren’t in it anymore. What have you done to me?”

“I haven’t done anything Kass. We’re meant to be together. We’re destined.”

“But I don’t know you.”

“Not in here.” He lifted his hand weakly, tracing his fingers over her temples. “But your heart knows me, your soul knows me.”

“I don’t like feeling like this.”

“Neither did I but it’s how I felt when I lost Emily. It’s how I felt everyday until I met you. I can never go back to feeling that way. That’s why I had to show you that I meant everything I said about being mates and it’s why I flipped out yesterday.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t lose you Kass and I’ll do anything to protect you but there’s so much out there that could take you away from me. Your heart could give out at any second and even if it doesn’t, there’s someone out there that wants to tear it out of your chest. I could survive that but you can’t. My wolf just wanted to protect you, it wasn’t thinking straight after finding out just how vulnerable you are. It won’t make sense to you but that’s really what it was trying to do yesterday.”

“Dylan explained it to me.” She sighed heavily remembering Dylan's explanation. “If you claim me then I’ll become immortal straight away. Ethan won’t be able to hurt me and my heart will be strong enough that I won’t have my illness anymore.”

“Exactly. You have to believe me Kass I was just trying to protect you. That’s what mates do. We’re not fuck buddies.” He spat the words, struggling to control the anger that even referring to her as such made rise. “Being mates is so much more.”

Remembering how easily he’d torn his heart out, Kass nodded. “I’m beginning to see that.”

“Are you? Because I’m not sure you do. The moment that I accepted you were my mate you became my whole life. I breathe because you’re alive. I live for you and I know that you don’t feel the same way. It’s driving me crazy.”

“What do you want from me Wyatt?”

“I want you to see me for what I really am.”

“And what’s that?”

“Yours. That’s all I am, all I ever want to be.”

“That isn’t how phoenixes are made to be Wyatt. I don’t believe in love at first sight and that’s what you want me to feel for you. I don’t love you Wyatt, I can’t. It’s impossible.”

“It’s not impossible Kass.”
This is proof of that.

His words whispered through her mind like a soft caress, rubbing up against parts of her mind that she didn’t even realise were there and awakening feelings that shouldn’t exist. She shouldn’t want to smile because of him; she shouldn’t be looking at the hole in his chest and wishing that it was her that had suffered such horrific injuries just so that he wouldn’t have to suffer. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t natural…and yet she found herself softening to his way of thinking. He’d been right when he said that they weren’t like normal people. There was nothing normal about her existence and there was nothing normal about his. Maybe he was right. There was no way she could have lived and loved a human. She’d been devastated when she thought that Wyatt was lost to her, there was no way that she could have gone through that on a regular basis. It would have destroyed her soul but some force out there had given her the cure to her problem before she’d even realised it would become one.

She sighed and moved closer to him. Despite the blood and gore that covered him that was where she wanted to be and as soon as the heat from his skin seeped into hers Kass relaxed. It might not be conventional but it was safe here and for someone who had never felt the security that others took so much for granted it was a piece of heaven.

This is where you’re meant to be Kass,
Wyatt smiled.
Next to me.

The words made her relax even more and she moved even closer, holding his hand tighter. If the world without him in it had been one of hopelessness and despair it was a beautiful one now that he was alive and well.
I still don’t believe in love at first sight but maybe it’s not as impossible as I used to think.

That’s good enough for now. I have time to convince you that I’m right. And what happened last night will never happen again.
I promise.

How can you be so sure? Your wolf makes me nervous.

He won’t hurt you. We had a long talk last night. He didn’t mean to make you cry and neither did I. We won’t be doing that again. We’ve been failing as your mate but we’re going to fix that starting from now. As long as you trust me then we can work on getting you to trust him. He’s your best defender.

Dylan told me that if I didn’t let you claim me he’d become more and more feral.

Wyatt tensed. His sister was right, there was little that could be done to slow his wolf’s descent into madness unless he claimed his mate but he’d meant what he’d said. Until she was ready, he wasn’t going to risk throwing away the progress that they’d made.
I can handle the wolf. You don’t have to worry about him.

I think I understand how it feels. I know that I shouldn’t have felt like this but when I thought you were dead there didn’t seem to be any point in going on. You were dead and everything seemed pointless.

A low growl rose in his throat but he stopped it before it turned into something that would scare his mate. She might not want to accept it but the mating bond was firmly in place and it would only get stronger with everyday that they spent together. There was nothing that could separate them now. The growl turned into a full throated laugh. Life was good.

This isn’t funny Wyatt,
Kass scolded.

I know that but I can’t help but smile knowing that I have you here with me. Even if I can’t claim you my wolf isn’t going to turn feral straight away. You have time to get to know me. I’m not going to force you and neither is he. If you don’t want me to claim you then we can wait.
What my wolf wants isn’t important. If he gets out of control again then just remember that I would never hurt you and if I have to leave like I did last night I’m doing it to protect you not because I’m abandoning you.

Kass sighed heavily. There was no way around it; she was going to have to tell him the truth.
Wyatt, it isn’t as simple as me wanting to sleep with you or not. I can’t have sex with you or anyone else. My heart just isn’t strong enough.

His body stiffened as his wolf howled inside his head. Claiming his mate could kill her and not claiming her would drive him insane. He wanted to howl right alongside his wolf.
Someone up there hates me. Lost Emily and then got Kass who is so beautiful it makes my heart hurt to look at her but I can’t fucking touch her.
He slammed his head into the wall.
Can’t let her know how much this is going to kill me.
Forcing a smile onto his face, he placed a kiss against her scalp. “Like I said, don’t worry about anything. I can wait.”

A smile crept onto Kass’ lips.
You seem to be forgetting that I could hear every word of what you just said. I know it’s not going to be all right for you.

“I’ll manage. I’ve coped up until now and I’m not going to risk it. I’m not going to risk your life because of mine.”

Grinding her teeth in annoyance, Kass took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She failed. “How can you have such little value for your own health?”

Twirling a strand of her hair around his fingertip, Wyatt smiled. “Because I have a much higher regard for yours. This is enough. Let me hold you, touch you, smell you…kiss you and I’ll survive. Just having you here is helping in ways you can’t even imagine. I’ve managed until now, things can only get better with you here.”

A soft laugh spilled from Kass’ lips. “We’re quite a pair don’t you think? Me with my broken heart and you with your…” She trailed off unwilling to ruin the moment.

“My broken mind. You can say it. I’m not ashamed of my madness. If I weren’t crazy then I’d be dead and I’d never have met you and then you’d have to deal with that bastard all alone. If I wasn’t crazy you could be dead. If it means that I get to keep you then I’m happy to never be sane again.” He whispered conspiratorially against her ear, happiness welling within him as he felt her shiver in pleasure. “I’m going to let you in on a secret.”

“What is it?” she whispered following suit.

“Sanity is overrated.”

A wide smile appeared on her face before Kass burst into deep, throaty laughter. “Maybe you’re right.”

Tilting her head back, he forced her to look into his eyes. “There’s no maybe about it. I’m right and I’ll cope. If you believe nothing else then believe that.”

He could see the protest forming on her lips and moved quickly to put an end to it. His lips crashed into hers, stealing her breath and sending her thoughts fleeing in a hundred different directions. As the heat from Wyatt’s mouth seeped into Kass’ body and she relaxed against him she found herself agreeing with him. Kissing a crazed werewolf was madness and thinking about staying with him was pure lunacy but here she was doing both. If her actions were those of a crazy person then Wyatt was right, sanity was definitely overrated. For another one of Wyatt’s kisses she’d gladly put logic and reason to one side. Permanently.

Chapter Nine

Pulling back from the drugging power of Wyatt’s mouth, Kass sighed dreamily. Her heart was racing but in a good way and for the first time in a long time she was content. Her fingers rose unconsciously to his chest, the tips running over the hard muscles beneath his skin until they came to the jagged tears that marked where he’d torn his own heart out. If she hadn’t been so relaxed the blood coating her skin would have freaked her out but as it stood she could barely think of anything other than the kiss that they had shared moments ago. The peace that filled her meant there was no panic in her voice when she spoke, her fingers still caressing his flesh. “So that hole in your chest….is it going to heal by itself or do I need to get you a doctor?” Only vaguely concerned that she sounded as calm as someone asking for directions, Kass waited serenely for a response. She had no particular urge to move from where she was although she knew she must look terrible.

“It’ll heal by itself. By tomorrow you won’t even know that I was hurt. It’ll take even less time if I get some food then my body will have the energy it needs to make things happen even faster.”

“So if I fed you how long would it take?”

The corner of his mouth lifted in the beginnings of a smile as he began to tease his mate. “Why do you ask? Is it bothering you? The all powerful phoenix afraid of a little blood?”

It was all too easy to go along with his teasing, it felt like they had been doing it for years not mere minutes. “I never said that I was all powerful.”

“No? You have a werewolf at your command, ready to do anything you ask. I’d say that makes you pretty powerful.”

“That might be true but my werewolf is pretty beaten up right now I wouldn’t want to put my power to the test with him in his current condition.”

His wolf’s hackles rose at the idea that his mate thought him incapable of protecting her but Wyatt tamped down on the worst of its urges. There was no need to ruin the companionable atmosphere that he’d created between them. They were making progress and if he needed to remind her that she was safe under his protection there were other ways to do it other than growling and howling. “Looks can be deceiving. Even with my injuries I’m more than capable of taking down anyone or anything you want,” he said warmly though there was iron in his words.

“Well that’s good to know but for the minute I don’t need anyone taken down. What I need is to get you fed and then take a shower. I must look awful.”

“You look beautiful.”

“You’re half delirious from the pain. You’re not seeing straight,” she said dismissively. Getting to her feet, Kass held out a hand in invitation. Her own stomach was feeling the strain from a lack of food and the quicker she got Wyatt fed, the quicker she could take her much needed shower.

Gripping Kass’ hand hard, Wyatt forced her to look at him. “I’ve never seen clearer and I don’t want you making anything for me with that arm of yours.” He let her go and used the wall to help him to his feet.

Glancing down at the bandage wrapped around her arm Kass frowned. She’d completely forgotten about it. There was no pain and no lingering ache from the bullet wound. Unfortunately, she’d been shot before, she was all too aware of what she should be feeling but she felt none of that. Confused, her fingers shot to the bandage and she tore the material from her arm. Nothing. No red skin, no ugly torn skin and no scar. Aside from some bruising there was nothing at all to show that she’d even been seriously injured.

“What the hell?”

“It looks good,” Wyatt said softly, running his fingers over her arm. “The healing worked well.”

“Healing?”

“Mates can heal each other. I couldn’t let you suffer.”

“You did this?” Another nod. “So tell me how to do it and then I can help you fix that hole in your chest.”

“You can’t heal me the same way that I healed you. You’re not a wolf.”

Frowning, Kass
couldn’t help but find her eyes drawn to the healing mark on his chest. While there had been a massive improvement considering that his heart had been removed from his chest only a short while ago, she could still make out bone beneath the flimsy layer of flesh that had healed over the wound.

“Why not? Tell me what you did and maybe it’ll work for me. I’m a phoenix, it could happen.”

“No.”

Her fingers balled into fists when she saw the set of his jaw. She recognised that expression, had been on the receiving end of it as she’d grown up, he wasn’t going to tell her anything. “So you’re telling me that the best I can do for you is to make you breakfast.”

“No. I’ll make me breakfast. Just because your arm looks fine doesn’t mean that it is. You were shot.”

Her hand on her hip, Kass glared daggers at Wyatt. “And you’re growing back an organ. I think in the who’s most hurt stakes that you definitely win. I’m going to make breakfast and you’re going to take a shower.”
He’s not the only one who can be stubborn.
Striding from the room Kass refused to entertain any more discussion on the matter.

Stunned by her abrupt departure, Wyatt stood staring at the door that Kass had just walked out of. He should be annoyed that he’d been dismissed so effectively but he couldn’t even muster up mild frustration. Defying all logic, he felt arousal filling his veins.
Who knew stubborn could look so sexy?
Wyatt mused. Her skin flushed the most appealing shade of pink, the red tint to her cheeks reminding him of the sweet candy floss he devoured daily. He’d been tempted to reach out and taste her despite his earlier promises. Her eyes had darkened, the same way they had when he’d kissed her last night and her lips…He groaned, trying to adjust the rising hardness in his trousers. The way she’d licked them before delivering her orders was almost enough to make him come in his pants. He ran a shaky hand over his face and winced. He wasn’t sure which was worse, the pain in his throbbing shaft or the still healing wound on his chest.

Hurry up and get into the shower,
his wolf barked.
You’re wasting time. If our mate wants to take care of us then who are we to refuse her? The quicker you get this done the quicker we can get back to her.

The wolf was right and with a resigned sigh he stripped out of his filthy clothes.

“Wyatt, I forgot to ask what you wanted…” The door flew open, Kass walking into the room clearly having forgotten what her previous instructions would entail.

Unashamed of his nakedness, Wyatt did nothing to cover himself instead preferring to watch his mate’s reaction. The pink flush to her cheeks was back with a vengeance, her whole face turning as red as her hair. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating as she watched his hand move to grip the base of his shaft. Wondering for a moment how much he could get away with before she fled the scene, Wyatt let his hand stroke along his rigid length. The scent of her arousal began to fill the air and when she licked her lips, her eyes never leaving his shaft
, he decided to let thought slip away and take reason with it. He might not be able to touch his mate but if the hard nubs beneath her shirt were anything to go by he didn’t need to, she was enjoying watching him.

His hand moved faster along the length, gathering the bead of moisture that had appeared at the engorged head to help make his movements more fluid. In his mind’s eye it wasn’t his rough hand sliding along the thick length, it was Kass’. It was her delicate fingers gripping him and threatening to send him toppling to the ground as pleasure mounted. His muscles tensed as his hand moved faster, pumping hard as his imagination pushed reality to the side. Groaning, he tried to imagine what the wet heat of her mouth would feel like and his knees almost buckled. Watching her was too much, the scent of her arousal filling the air threatening to topple his control.

His body temperature sky rocketed as he began mentally stripping her of her clothes, his imagination filling in the gaps of what he’d managed to glimpse of her naked form. An image formed in his mind of Kass lying in his bed naked and sweat beaded on his brow, his heart beating wildly in response. Her nipples were hard, the dusky pink peaks sitting atop firm flesh. Her eyes heavy lidded with desire, called to him but it was her hands that had him stroking his shaft faster in a desperate race for relief. They stroked all over her body, cupped her breasts and thumbed her nipples, teasing him and calling him closer. They tempted him to thrust her hands away and take the same journey with his mouth. His heart stopped when she parted her thighs in invitation, silently calling him home.

Hand outstretched, he reached for Kass, trying to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. His daydream was intense but having her in the flesh would be soul changing. “Kass,” he breathed, trying to lure her towards him. “I need you so much.” He stroked harder, his movements becoming frantic as the pressure of his impending release built.

Her eyes dilated further, the blue irises swallowed by the darkness of her pupils. He could hear a sharp intake of breath as her heart rate picked up and her eyes grew wide. Her body tensed, her cheeks flamed as her body temperature soared and then she was gone. She turned on swift feet, fleeing the room and slamming the door hard behind her.

Groaning in frustration, Wyatt barely resisted the urge to howl. He was still rock hard and his muse had left him. It was a hard fought battle trying to convince himself that her departure was a good thing when he had a shaft that was hard enough to cut diamonds. Struggling to remember his mate’s heart meant that he couldn’t have taken her even if she hadn’t run away, Wyatt stepped into the shower. He was going to have to take care of his throbbing problem without her help but with the scent of her arousal thick in the air he didn’t think that it was going to be much of a problem.

The water was hot on his already fevered flesh running over his slick skin and bringing a measure of relief but when he reached for his aching shaft a pained groan was torn from his lips. Amber eyes wandered down to his healing chest and he cursed. He hadn’t been able to even think about it with his mind so wrapped up in trying to reach the peak of pleasure that was almost within his grasp but his frantic movements had done nothing to help his healing injury. Skin that had healed was torn once again, the muscles bleeding blood down his smooth chest.

It was totally worth it.

The wolf smiled, practically purring in contentment.
You’re not going to find any disagreement from me.

******

Eyes wide and heart pounding within her chest Kass fled the bathroom and didn’t stop until she reached the relative safety of the kitchen. Boneless, she let a wall hold her upright her body and mind reeling with what she had just seen.

“Shouldn’t have done that,” she muttered to herself.

Her face felt as hot as the sun and she barely managed to lift her hand to fan herself. Her body might have left Wyatt alone but she feared that her mind wouldn’t be so lucky. The images she’d seen, the things that he’d projected into her brain, were likely to be permanent additions to her psyche. Biting her lip she moaned as she remembered how his strong hand had stroked the length of his thick shaft. She’d never thought that watching a man masturbate could be particularly erotic but Wyatt had proved her wrong. She’d never seen anything that had turned her on so quickly and even now her body thrummed with excitement. Her nipples were rock hard, desperate for someone to caress them and her dripping wet sex clenched hard for something to hold.

Cursing her actions, Kass let her head fall back against the wall as she tried hard to slow her frantic pulse. “Definitely shouldn’t have done that.”

Her mind was well aware that she should have left as soon as she saw his naked body when she’d opened the bathroom door but her feet had refused to move. Her treacherous body had wanted to see him like that and she’d felt no need to move until he’d called her name. His voice had been full of desperation, longing and most importantly possession. His eyes had glowed with the need to possess her and if she hadn’t believed that she was his mate before, she did now. She’d always believed that the eyes were the windows to the soul and what she’d seen of his soul had been enough to send her running for the hills. It wasn’t natural to feel so strongly about someone that you had just met but Wyatt’s eyes had burned with passion, begging her to come and burn with him. The look he’d given her had terrified her because for a moment she’d been tempted to join him, to burn right along side him.

“I shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have done that.” Kass’ heart was pounding but surprisingly her mind had never been so alive. Her whole body thrummed with excited energy and she knew exactly why. She might have torn her body away from watching Wyatt pleasure himself but her mind was still in the bathroom with him entertaining his fantasies. She’d never seen anything so erotic as watching him stroke his hard shaft and her mind was running rampant with fantasies of her hand taking his place. She groaned imagining the heavy weight of his shaft against her palm, the searing heat of his intimate flesh as he stared at her with those burning amber eyes.

“Enough,” she snapped, forcing her mind to flee from the temptations of her imagination as surely as she’d run from the bathroom. Fanning herself more firmly, she pushed away from the walls and forced her legs to carry her weight. The kitchen beckoned, it’s calming allure calling her home.

As soon she was in the safety of the kitchen’s walls she breathed a sigh of relief. Cooking never failed to calm her rattled nerves and she was banking on it to do its job now more than ever. Washing her hands, she did her best to get herself cleaned up before she threw herself into her task. She opened cupboards, fridges and freezers with confidence as though she had lived in the house for years rather than hours and soon the mouth-watering aroma of breakfast filled the air. All too soon there was something else that was making her mouth water and it was definitely more tempting than the cooking food in front of her.