Beauty and the Brute [Werescape III] (14 page)

Now, Wolf growled.

Slow. We don't want to frighten her. I eased forward an inch into her damp heat.

Her eyes pinched shut. Her head tilted back.

Where I couldn't see her expression. But an expression would tell all. Would show she was mine. “Beauty?"

She snapped her gaze to mine, wearing curiosity that revealed my name for her was a surprise. “What?"

"I call you Beauty."

She blinked, thoughtfully.

"Don't look away,” I commanded.

Mine, Wolf insisted.

Gods-be-damned mutt would ruin this for us. I shoved my turgid flesh into her tight little vise.

Against the clamp of her muscle. Stretching her.

Snagged.

No. Her first time?

Wolf thrashed to continue.

Her eyes darted across the room.

I was the only one? “Beauty?"

Mate. Wolf clawed at my ribcage.

No. Stay back. Don't frighten her. Gods, not the first time. “Beauty, look at me."

Her eyes rolled more than her head turned back to meet my stare.

My skin prickled with an itch.

Wolf attempting to surface.

How could I restrain Wolf? Protect her. Make her as content as she was after I made love to her?

Wolf bit at the inside of my chest, ripping, tearing, demanding I fulfill the promise I made out in the forest in bringing him here tonight.

"I don't want to hurt you.” I choked back Wolf's growl.

Her eyes widened.

Had I growled? “Give me your hands."

Her heart raced faster than a hummingbird's wings in flight.

She delayed a moment but offered both.

Any second I'd explode. Had to inside her. Just plant my seed. Tomorrow we could finish the marking. Tomorrow.

Mine, Wolf snarled.

I laced my fingers through hers and pressed the backs of her hands to the quilt.

Make mine, now, Wolf insisted. Now.

Stop yelling. I shook my head. Shook to make him shut the fuck up.

My cheek stilled against the velvet of hers. “Brutus,” she whispered.

Almost too quiet to hear at all. Wolf and I had to strain to listen.

"It's alright, Brutus. I want you to do it.” She wiggled her hips.

The tight pressure didn't give against my cock.

Couldn't. Not until I broke through. Had to. To be careful. I sucked in a deep breath and shoved into the well.

She stiffened, squeezing my fingers.

I wouldn't let go. Wouldn't rise up to tower over her as Wolf claimed his mate. No. Had to hold her. Make the pain go away. I turned my nose to the shell of her ear. “I didn't want to hurt you."

"It's alright."

Words a man would never forget and dare not believe. Or regret the moment he made the mistake of choosing her. I'd make it up to her. Convince her she was more than a quick fuck.

Wolf wouldn't lie back.

Kept thrusting into her inner channel. Into her womb.

The room faded away. All my energy focused on the wet sucking sound of our bodies joining.

The little woman sounds she made. How they intensified into cries. How her elevating cries channeled my pounding blood into imminent explosion. Had to see her face. Had to know. I

shoved at arm's length.

Head tilted back. Mouth gaping. She ground those hips against my stiff rod. Matching my frantic rhythm. On the verge of orgasm.

Her head jerked up, hands wrenching my grip.

Like she gave birth to something.

Mine, Wolf howled.

Darkness exploded.

Beauty screamed.

The world stilled for one fraction of a heartbeat.

To sink fangs into her skin. To snap bone like twigs with my teeth. To sip on the salty rivulets of blood that would bleed from the bite.

Can't let Wolf hurt her. Not now. Not ever.

Wolf roared with demand.

Pushing for freedom from every cell in my body. I swallowed him back.

The sharp protruding fangs didn't vanish.

He'd hurt her. No. I lunged, sinking Wolf's fangs into her pillow of clothing.

That's when I felt the pump and grind of our hips. The dying dance of mating. One I couldn't witness lying gagged.

Tomorrow. Mark her tomorrow. Wolf will be calmer after staking his claim. And I could explain what took place. Make it easier for her.

What Brutus did while lying atop me, face buried in my clothing, only reinforced the fact something went wrong. Octavius said I was the problem. But I'd given myself to him. Totally.

Even made a place for him in a corner of my heart. But he didn't mark me. A bite meant I'd been chosen. His chosen. Maybe I had in one way. In that I was convenient. Nothing more.

My heart sank.

And he called me Beauty? That's what I was. A pretty face to fuck. Otherwise insignificant. A

pain in his ass. The charge he had no intention of keeping.

He groaned, shaking his head, rolling his weight off of me onto the floor beside me.

What now? I couldn't look at him. Couldn't face that I was merely somewhat useful. I closed my eyes.

I'd try to be more helpful.

Try to stay out of his way.

Try to accept I'd allowed him to take the one thing I held so dear to myself that I didn't permit Yale to give it away. For what? The key to something I had no knowledge of. What was

I doing listening to Octavius?

Truth rustled in on the blanket beside me.

Brutus was my only hope to survive in a world where those men raised to be gentle died young and those trained to be ruthless survived to abuse anyone they fancied. Brutus was simply a brute.

[Back to Table of Contents]

closed. Could she have fallen asleep?

She rolled onto her side, her back facing me.

Perfect. I eased onto the crumpled blanket, hooking an arm around her waist, and pulled her against my ribs.

Her cheek settled on my bent arm.

Her firm little ass tucked neatly into my groin where my legs bent.

This is the way life was meant to be. Shared. To make love to her again. Rub that hot skin.

Bury my nose into her Well. I nuzzled her neck. “I didn't mean to frighten you."

Her body trembled.

Was she cold? The cool air could do that to something as fragile as Beauty. I pulled the edge of the blanket over her body and tossed the end behind me.

So warm. She was so Gods-be-damned warm. And Wolf finally shut the hell up enough my cock dozed. I curled my arm around her and made myself go to sleep.

Lorelei stared at the pale light seeping through the small square window as it painted the dark formless space with hard lines. Dawn. Dark and formless. Hard lines. Yes. Dawn illuminating everything. Many things had been revealed in my imprisonment, lying on my back, beneath his heavy chest. Even now, I lay trapped. His body curled atop mine like his lightweight blanket did not that long ago. Back when I welcomed the comfort his smoky scent and commanding stare offered. Back when I was a foolish girl. But life changed in a heartbeat

AEI.

The muscles in his arms flexed against my ribs.

Like the terrifying white python Yale's science tutor kept the summer when I was twelve.

Before all the mansion's cats went missing. Did each cat lay as I do now, wondering if this were its end?

Brutus bolted onto his palms, studying me with his golden gaze.

The mask impenetrable. And his bulk still pinned me to the hard floor.

"What's wrong?” he demanded.

His bloody Wolf senses would be my undoing. He could probably smell me a mile away. Hear my heart beating that far as well. Would he know I lied too? I couldn't just tell him I now know I'm his whore. I wagged my head. “Bad dream."

A breath passed.

His hand slowly rose, reached for my face, settled its broad hot palm against my cheek.

Tenderness? How could he be so caring now when he'd ignored what passed between us last night without the marking?

He petted my skin like one of those mansion cats the python swallowed.

But the Shifters found that vile snake. Killed it. Would they save me from this one? All was over. And I didn't even have Brutus’ unconditional protection. Would the other Shifters retaliate because Octavius insisted I'd be marked? Probably not since Octavius fed me to the snake. I had been stupid. Not only did Normals plan to sacrifice me to the extraterrestrials but Octavius and the other Shifters tossed my virgin ass to The Brute.

"Tell me I didn't hurt you, Lorelei."

He seemed awfully concerned with my pain. I stared at his earlobe. “You didn't."

That omniscient gaze scanned me for four more breaths.

Assessing. Calculating. Probably wondering whether or not to swallow me now or save me for a handy lunch later today. What could I do? Where could I go? I knew no one. Only owned weapons because of Brutus. And he fed me. I guess he wasn't heartless. Just hard as stone.

And he'd made love to me before taking what he wanted. Yes, taken the same amount of time with me as he does his horse. Maybe I was wrong to expect more. Was it such a bad exchange to give sex for safe passage to some safe haven? I could live like this. Survive. I just had to keep from irritating him.

Beauty had withdrawn within herself. Even when I touched her, now, in the strengthening sunlight, lying with my flesh against her soft skin, wrapped in my blanket. Her body stiff. No longer responding to mine. I had mistaken. Terrified or disgusted her. And she wouldn't have me. The animal. She had to see me like the other Normals.

My heart rammed into my throat.

Wolf whimpered and began clawing at my ribcage.

Everything was wrong. Soured. I should have marked her last night. Like the animal she viewed me as. Before I lost the chance to take freely what Wolf and I desperately wanted.

How could I have behaved so badly?

Play, Wolf whined.

You Gods-be-damned dog got me into this trouble. I had to prove I wasn't the monster she saw. I snaked my arm under the blanket, found her warm stiff fingers, and drew her hand out into the cool air.

She watched me.

Studied me while I raised the hand and exposed her palm.

Mine, Wolf growled.

Shut up, you stupid fool, before you scare the hell out of her. How could I change what she saw? I pressed my lips into her stiff palm's silken skin.

She blinked.

Thoughtfully. Good sign. I pulled her hand, her arm, her body off the floor until she sat inches away, her hand in my lap where I held our fingers laced together on the blanket.

Too damned far away. But she would never look at me so blankly again. “I'm sorry, Lorelei. I

didn't mean to hurt you. I'll never hurt you again."

Her breath knifed. “It's alright."

Wrong. What could I do? I wanted to hold her. Squeeze that emotionless look off her face. Beg her to forgive me. To believe every cell in my being quaked at her refusal. I had to do something. I scooped her up, plopped her down on my lap, and waited, my arm encircling the curve of her lower back.

Beauty sat nude, statuesque, the domes of both breasts a testament to her perfection, her gaze down. Those green eyes rolled up to meet mine.

"Tell me what to do,” I whispered.

Her gaze flicked, just a fraction away and back.

Enough to confirm my suspicions. What we shared between us would not end because of my stupidity. I pulled her frail form into my chest and buried my face in her the hardness of her shoulder.

Tiny females shouldn't feel so hard.

The stiffness in her body relaxed.

Melted.

Her arms slid around my shoulders until her hands rubbed the back of my neck. “Can we leave, Brutus?"

If that's what she wanted. At least she planned to travel with me. Giving me time to make amends. “Yes.” I shoved upward, gaining my feet beneath me, carrying her along.

Her feet fell to the floor. Her arms slipped from their hold on my neck.

She grabbed for the slithering quilt, snatching an edge, pulling it up to cover her breasts.

Then her forlorn stare met my gaze.

My heart sank.

So far down into a pit of inescapable doom. I doubted Wolf could ever recover the organ. The accursed beast would do something to get me out of this. But I wouldn't bite her. Not until she asked me to. Wolf would mend the gap between us because his Mating Fever wouldn't subside until we had dealt with the issues between us. Until she carried Wolf's child. An aloof mate meant a frustrated Wolf. Not good traveling companions.

The rip above my knee in my blue jeans would be impossible to hide. The pants had been so comfortable. So perfect the last year. Now, everything changed with one bite. The punctures from Brutus’ fangs would begin to fray as well. The hole would widen. The garment fall apart.

Like my life had. Maybe I could find some sturdy fabric and patch the hole?

Dress like the vagabond I had become.

So goes my future. I yanked on my last boot and tied the laces.

The door swung wide.

Brutus. Back in his camouflage. Assuming the position of Guardian. I couldn't look at his magnificent form and not feel loss. So, he admitted to hurting me. To insulting me with his brand of value. Fine. His sincerity had been enough to help me stitch my bleeding heart and dress my ass even though my butt would have a fine time trying not to fall out of the other tears from his bite. I'd just climb back upon Trance and head west. Pretend nothing bothered me.

And that's just what I did. Without any pomp or production, Octavius handed me a stuffed saddlebag, bid us farewell, and opened the massive log gate. What about the marking?

The vast wilderness loomed, blocked by Brutus’ shoulders. He was the only thing standing between me and The Wild. Octavius had fed me to the python.

The morning heated with the climbing sun.

Or maybe the heat from Brutus’ body wicked up my arms. Amplified my overly self-conscious state. But women were renowned for their obsessing over foolish things. I guess I should just let the snubbing go. Forget the past and face the future. But a woman had a lot of free time sitting behind a saddle with little more than a camouflage shirt to stare at. There wasn't much to say about the view. Unless a person contemplated what the mottled fabric covered.