Harlequin Nocturne March 2014 Bundle: Shadowmaster\Running with Wolves (36 page)

Up ahead, the light dimmed as Jason squeezed through a small opening in the rock wall and disappeared out of sight. Not wanting to be left alone in the dark, she hurried after him into a small room. A chamber.

A battery-powered lantern lit up the small space. There was a trunk against the wall and inside was a jug of water, another bag of jerky, clothes and a large blanket.

“Wow, what is all this here for?”

“We've used this cave for shelter and protection for a long time. We've always kept fresh clothing and water in here, just in case anyone ever needed it.” He laid out the blanket next to a small fire pit then lit a fire from the stack of wood standing in the corner.

“Won't those men or whatever they are out there smell it?” she asked.

“Maybe, but they won't know where it's coming from. The smoke will go out the very top.” He gestured toward the ceiling and she saw a thin sliver of light bleeding through the rocks.

“Feel free to use the water to wash up. There are some towels in the trunk.”

Thankful, she reached inside the trunk and picked up a small cotton cloth, doused it with the cool water and ran it over her face and arms. After suffering the dust and dirt sticking to her skin while climbing up that hill, the cool damp cloth felt heavenly.

After a moment, Jason took the towel from her. He washed her forehead, her arms and the various cuts and scrapes where the demon had torn her skin. Then he inspected the wound on the back of her head.

“You need stitches. There's quite a gash.”

“Will it get infected?” she asked as he tried to clean out her wounds.

“It looks pretty bad.” He kissed her forehead gently. “If you transform, you will heal.”

“I'm not sure...” she said hesitantly as apprehension stole into her, tightening her insides. She wavered as another wave of dizziness stole over her.

“You've lost a lot of blood, Shay. I'm just not sure we'll be able to make it out of here if you don't.”

She stilled, barely breathing as his nimble fingers unbuttoned the top button of her blouse then the next before he slipped her shirt away from the bloody wound on her shoulder where the demon had bitten her. His face darkened as he ran the cloth over the bite wound on her shoulder slowly and gently until it was clean. Then he kissed her skin around the wound and warmth, slow and languid, crept through her. She should step away. Stop him. This cave, this time—it wasn't right. Not for what she was thinking of and hoping for. Not for what she hadn't been able to stop thinking about ever since she'd seen him standing in front of her at the store.

She'd wanted so much to touch him, to run her hands down his smooth skin, to feel and touch and kiss every part of him. Her heart thudded and her breath caught in a net of expectation that expanded in her chest.

They couldn't. Not here. Not now.

I'm just not sure we'll be able to make it out of here if you don't.

His lips found a soft spot on her neck and lingered, his tongue gently caressing. Her knees weakened and she grabbed on to his shoulders, holding tight. His mouth fell over hers and then she was lost. A blast of heat blazed through her skin, moving downward. Every nerve ending sensitized to the point that she quickened at the slightest touch; even his hot breath on her neck felt like a gentle caress.

She inhaled deeply, breathing hard and fast, and ran her hands down his beautiful chest, slipping her fingers beneath his T-shirt and across his hot skin. She knew what his body looked like. His exquisite, perfectly sculptured form would be forever emblazoned in her mind. Now she wanted to feel him, to touch him with her fingers, her lips.

Deepening their kiss, she swept her tongue inside his mouth, sparring with his, moving, dancing, tasting. She pushed her fingers farther beneath his shirt, scraping across the ripples in his abdomen, exploring the surge of his strong pecs, slowly, thoroughly, eliciting a gasp from between his lips. He kissed her even deeper, stronger and with more force, shooting fire down to her core.

She threw her head back and gasped a deep ragged desire-laden breath. He yanked off his clean shirt and unbuttoned his trousers. And then her arms were around him again, holding tight, holding her balance. She needed to be close to him, skin against skin, heartbeat against heartbeat, with an intensity she couldn't explain or even understand.

It was almost as if all her years alone were preparing her for this moment, for this place, for this man. “Jason,” she whispered as he pulled her down to the blanket next to the fire. How could she explain how she felt, this odd connection between them that had clutched ahold of her with unrelenting tenacity and refused to let go? And if she did, if she tried to explain, would she scare him away?

On their knees, he slipped his hands under her blouse, his warm touch gliding up her skin, his lips following close behind. “I'm here for you, Shay. Just me. Only me.” His mouth found hers again, and he kissed her until all rational thought slipped from her mind.

Chapter 10

H
er taste consumed Jason, pushing the heat coiling in his center outward in a fiery explosion of urgent need. Dean had always said that the moment he kissed Lily, he knew she was the one for him and that he'd never be able to let her go. Jason had never understood his friend's absolute certainty. Until now.

Until Shay.

Not even when he was with Maggie. Though his love for her had been strong, the heat of her touch had never consumed him. Not the way he was burning now. How could he let Malcolm have Shay after all they'd been through together? He pushed all thoughts out of his mind and slowly...carefully...finished unbuttoning Shay's tattered, bloodstained blouse until it fell free of her shoulders and dropped to the ground.

He gently pressed the wet wash cloth against her bite wound and felt anger surge within him for what that demon had done to her. “You will heal,” he whispered and ran his lips down her neck and gingerly across her collarbone, absorbing the taste of her and the softness of her skin. He felt her quick intake of breath and heard the staccato rhythm of her heart. She was nervous. So was he. He eased her onto the blanket then lay beside her.

“I want to make love to you,” he whispered in her ear then gently took her sweet lobe into his mouth.

She looked up at him, her blue-violet eyes wide and vulnerable.

He trailed his lips down the elegant column of her throat. His fingers played with the lace on her bra, slipping inside to find her pert nipple hardened and waiting for his touch. His blood raced as he caressed it, his body stiffening. Her quick gasp of breath told him she felt the same; she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He smiled, then leaned down, pushed the lacy fabric aside and took her sweet nub in his mouth, rolling it across his tongue, grazing it gently with his teeth until her back was lifting up off the blanket.

“Jason,” she breathed. “You said we couldn't be together. That it was complicated.” A soft moan escaped her lips.

He sighed, wishing she would forget, wishing he could make her forget. “Are you sure you want to hear about it now?” he asked, running his tongue along the top of her breast that pillowed above her bra.

“No,” she said on a sigh. “But something tells me I should.”

“All right. The quickie version.” He reached around to unclasp her bra. The very quick version. “Our Colony is run by an alpha leader. Your father was once that man.” He paused to clasp his lips over her nipple, not wanting to wait a second longer. He thoroughly kissed them, first one and then the other, leaving her breathless and squirming as heat pulsed through him.

“After your dad left, as sheriff it was a natural transition for me to step forward, but things...didn't work out. I had to leave for a while, and Malcolm stepped in for me. He picked up the reins and has led the pack ever since. He was my right-hand man. He knew how to do the job. He knew what needed to be done.”

Jason touched her again, running his hands down the curve of her hips and around her firm bottom, where he lingered. He was finding it hard to focus, to keep track of what he was saying. He couldn't help himself, she was just so...enticing, and then his lips were surrounding the soft peaks of her breasts once more, licking, sucking, loving. As fire burned through him.

And then she was touching him, fingers moving down his arms, across his chest, and lower. He had to get out of his pants. He had to get her out of hers.

She moaned softly as he fumbled with her buttons. “What else,” she asked on a deep breath, her hand falling over his, stopping him.

Torture. She was torturing him. “Some people aren't happy with Malcolm. They say power has gone to his head and he's too domineering. Your cousin, Scott, has claimed his right to usurp him and take his rightful place as leader.”

“And this Malcolm person obviously doesn't want that to happen.”

“Right. And neither do I. Scott, your cousin, is young. Inexperienced. A troublemaker. Malcolm believes, as do many of his followers, that if he can marry you, that will give him the lineage he needs to stay in control.”

“Is he right?”

“Yes.”

She pulled back. “You're telling me I'm supposed to marry this Malcolm person? Tell me I have a choice in this.”

“Yes, of course. Malcolm was counting on you wanting to fulfill your duty to the pack. He... None of us could have imagined that you wouldn't have been brought up understanding your lineage, your duty as a Mallory and the ways of the pack. If you did mate with Malcolm and marry him, you wouldn't just be his wife, you'd lead the pack with him. The two of you, together.” His voice broke over the words. “If we do this...if we continue...” He took a deep breath. “It's a lot for you to give up. It's selfish for me to want you to give it up for me.”

Shay stared at him, her eyes wide in the firelight, her lips swollen from his kisses. “Wait. So let me get this right. You were bringing me to The Colony to marry this...this domineering pack leader?”

Jason smiled, amused. “After spending the past few days with you, Shay, I'm sure you could handle Malcolm.”

“Handle? I want more out of a partner than a bully that I will have to handle. If that's my future, I think I'd rather take my luck with the demons.”

“Malcolm wasn't the only reason I came to get you. I promised your dad that if you started your transition and he wasn't there to do it, I'd go after you and bring you home.”

He sat up and pulled her onto his lap, his arms wrapping around her body as her back nestled against his chest. He slipped his hands over her breasts, feeling their weight, caressing them until he elicited a moan from her. His hands slipped down her stomach and lower, while his lips found the soft, tender spot on her neck.

“Jason,” she said on a deep breath. “Won't this complicate things?”

“Oh, yes. Malcolm will be furious. Many in the pack will feel betrayed and let down. I can take it. But, if I transform you, it will also create a strong connection between us. Whether you are married to Malcolm or not, we will always be aware of one another—our thoughts, our emotions. We will be able to feel each other, and be joined emotionally whether we are together or not. Are you sure you can handle that?”

She sighed, her head falling back on his shoulder. “When you're touching me that way, how can I be sure of anything?”

* * *

Shay gasped another breath as fire spread through her, heating the urgency in her blood. His skin against hers, his heat...his power. It was overwhelming and all-consuming. And yet, there wasn't anyplace else she wanted to be, no one else she wanted to be with.

His hand moved down her belly, stroking, caressing, fueling the fire within her. He unclasped her capris. She brought her hand up, moving it over the smooth skin of his chest, down his rock-hard biceps.

No, she wasn't sure about what he said, or what their future would bring. But she knew she wanted him right then more than she'd ever wanted anything. But if she gave in to her desire for him, would she regret it later? How much did she really know about him? About this world of his?

“Don't be scared,” he murmured, deftly moving his hand inside her pants, finding her sweet spot and sweeping away all her doubts with his quick sure strokes that stole her breath and had her body temperature spiking.

“I'll take care of you.” He slipped her pants down her hips, and in one quick movement had them off her. He removed his own, then pulled her on top of him, pressing her against his rippling muscles. She felt them moving as he shifted, pulling her closer, nestling his large hardness between her legs, making her tingle with expectation.

She pushed her hips against his while his lips fell over hers. She swept her tongue inside his mouth, searching for more, for the release only he could give her. An urgent need heated her blood, sending her reeling and gasping for more. The sensation was stronger than anything she'd ever felt or imagined. She wanted this man, wanted him now.

He flipped her onto her back and slid his finger inside her, making sure she was ready for him. He needn't have bothered. She'd never been more ready for anything ever. She ached to have him inside her. To feel the thick length of him nestled within her moist heat.

He entered her slowly, with teasing strokes, pushing in then pulling out. She cried out in protest, wrapping her legs tightly around him until he entered her fully in one swift movement. She threw her head back on a deep moan as he gave her what she wanted, pushing himself deep inside her. He stilled for a moment, letting her body expand around him, the fiery burn exquisite, turning molten within her.

Then he began to move again, his breadth filling her until she thought she would split. But she didn't. Instead, she molded herself to him, her body fitting perfectly with his. So snug that with each slight movement, each breath, her nerve endings fired with delicious sensations that made her want to scream and cry and never let go.

They rocked, moving in sync, the two of them fitting together as if they were meant to be together, interlocking, inseparable.
Connected.
She held on tight as his hips moved in a rhythmic dance, her hands sliding down around the smooth skin of his buttocks. His muscles tightened as he moved faster, pushing harder as he reached closer to his climax.

Hot desire surged through her. Her legs cradled him as she clung to his waist. He took her on his ride, pulling her out of her mind and to a place where there were no thoughts, only sensations—a building crescendo of feelings she didn't want to end. The heat. The longing. The need.

The tension between them built so long, so high and strong that with a last shuddering gasp it snapped and she fell, reeling into an abyss that was rich with the scent of pine and earth and a taste that was both sweet and salty. Liquid warmth filled her from the inside out, sluggish and thick. How could she ever want to be anywhere else, with anyone else?

She couldn't.

She didn't.

And then her pleasure peaked again, falling over her and she screamed her passion as it raced through her, sending her over the brink and into oblivion where she wasn't even sure if her heart was still beating, if her lungs were still expanding or if she could even move.

As she lay there, he shifted, pushing forward one last time, finding his release and piercing through her, spilling his love and breaking through some invisible veil. The room exploded, and all she could see was the fire and the pale blue light of his eyes. She smelled Jason's rich, earthy pine scent.

But there was more; she was surrounded in the smell of rain in the forest, the richness of the earth when burrowing deep within, the cleansing scent of a young sapling just sprouting its leaves. It was the smell of a field of wildflowers just beginning to bloom.

Her muscles pulled and flexed, popping, bones cracking. She stretched her toes, her feet, her ankles and calves, up her legs—every joint, every tendon felt tight and bunched. She arched her back, reaching high above her, flexing as her blood raced in her ears, flooding out all sounds but the roar of the change igniting within her.

“You are going to be fine,” Jason whispered, his voice a soothing caress across frayed and tattered nerves. “I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you.”

She reached for that voice, knowing it was her lifeline, knowing it would pull her back from the darkness and help her find her way.

“I'm here, Shay. Right here, holding you.”

Her nerves burned as fire raced through her body. She tilted her head back and screamed, but the scream changed, becoming a howl. Anxiety shot through her, and it took everything she had not to get up and run in a full-blown panic. But warm arms tightened around her and she held on to them with everything she had. Her heartbeat raced, thundering in her ears and then suddenly she could hear the pumping of Jason's heart and her own pulse blending together, becoming one.

Her blood was racing in her veins; her skin was suddenly too hot. A wave of pain exploded through her. Something was wrong. Fear detonated a mushroom cloud that grew and grew until it encompassed every cell in her body, stealing all thought, all reason. Instinctually, she curled up in a ball, barely feeling Jason as he cradled her against him, murmuring in her ear.

She had to get away from him. Get out of this room, this cave. Everything was too confining, the air too thick, the light too dim. She needed to run, to feel the earth beneath her feet, the night air filling her lungs. She took a deep breath and felt her lungs expand, and then she was up and running. Out of the chamber, away from Jason, away from the fire and into the darkness.

Buddy was next to her as she broke out of the cave and into the fresh night air, racing through the dark, aware of the intensity of the smells around her. The deep rich earth, the sour, heady scent of an animal buried deep in the brush. She raced forward, eager to stretch her legs, to hear the sounds of the night forest around her. And then Jason was next to her, running by her side, a beautiful gray wolf.

She could feel him, hear him, not a buzz, but a warm current of energy that grew stronger the closer he got to her. And then she caught the scent of a rabbit and she was gone, chasing after the elusive smell, thrilling in the game, the speed with which she ran, the dig of her paws in the earth and the ease with which she could see in the dim light.

Water ahead. Beautiful. Dark. Fresh, clean. She skidded to a stop next to the pond, staring at the reflection lit by a full moon shimmering off the glassy surface. She saw Buddy standing next to Jason and another wolf. A wolf with long flowing whitish light gray hair, and then she realized with a sense of startled excitement that she was the other wolf.

She was no longer human.

She was beautiful.

* * *

Shay didn't know how long they ran through the night, through the forest, before they ended up back at the cave. She followed the pull of energy leading her into the chamber, back to Jason. He lay on the blanket. Human. Naked. The dim glow of the fire's embers lighting his beautiful skin.