Hunter's Heart: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 5) (10 page)

“Get used to it,” Grammy called out. “My Jessa’s got
her own mind. And she’s not wrong. Besides, anything comes within a hundred
feet of her, you’ll be able to sense it and move fast enough to stop it.”

Derek kept right on growling and narrowed his golden
eyes. A thrill ran through me as he fixed his gaze on me.

“I’ll go with you,” my father said. But, when he
tried to stand up, his legs gave out and he would have hit the floor if Grammy
hadn’t been right there to steady him.

“You’ll stay put,” Grammy said. “Derek and Jessa can
take care of themselves. Besides, just in case one of those bastards is out
there just waiting for the chance to get in here, I’d really rather not be here
by myself. Or alone with that one, even if he is out of commission.”

The wolf in the cage squeezed his eyes shut. I
almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Then, the vision of him charging Grammy with
bloodlust in his eyes cured me of it.

I flipped the safety off the rifle and gave Derek’s
wolf a nod. “Let’s get this over with. I go where you go.”

I reached over Derek and slipped the bolt. Grammy
was right behind me. “Don’t open this up again unless you’re sure it’s me. Keep
your eyes glued to the monitors. We’ll head to the south end of the yard first.
That’s where it looked like they were headed. And if you spot any more of them
headed this way, shoot them.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, honey. Not my first time at
the rodeo.”

I gave Grammy a hug and a firm kiss on the forehead,
then turned and followed Derek out the door. Grammy slammed it behind me, and I
heard her engage the deadbolt. Nothing was getting through there unless she
allowed it.

I turned toward Derek. Smoke quickly filled my lungs
along with the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. I covered my mouth with my
arm and kept my eyes on the white underside of Derek’s tail as he loped toward
the south end of the lot.

An eerie silence settled over everything. Ash
covered a lot of the cars as we drew closer to the burned out storage shed,
adding to the post-apocalyptic vibe. Derek waited for me. I came to his side
and put a hand down, threading my fingers through the thick fur on his back. He
pricked his ears, turning the left one sideways. His heartbeat slowed as he listened
for danger. His black nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. Then, he kept
going.

We were alone. No distant howling. Not even crickets
or frogs from the swamp on the other side of the north gate. We walked the
perimeter, looking for damage to the fence. We found it at the southernmost
edge of the lot. Just a tiny hole made with wire cutters, probably. So, they
hadn’t ripped through it with their teeth. They’d come prepared. But now, they
were gone.

I felt the tension go out of Derek’s back when I
rested my hand against his spine again. He stretched out his front paws and
raised his tail high again. His fur rolled, and I stepped back, sensing a
change in the rhythm of his pulse. I remembered what Grammy said. Don’t get too
close to him during a shift.

This time, Derek’s movement was seamless. Quick and
full of power. He rose to his full height, fur replaced with tanned skin
glistening with a thin sheen of sweat. Then, he turned toward me, amber eyes
alight with fire. A shudder ran through me as I looked at him. He was
beautiful. Naked. It was the first time we’d been truly alone since I learned
the truth about who he was. And for the first time, I wasn’t afraid.

Chapter Eleven

The world became the sound of my own breathing as I
moved toward Derek. Warmth flooded through me with each step I took. He pulled
me to him with no words, no touch. But still, I craved him, like the air
filling my lungs. I wanted to touch him. He stood completely still, letting me
come to him. I hadn’t realized until just then, that I needed exactly that.
Though I wasn’t afraid, I was unsure. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. On some
level, I think I’d always known it. But, so many years of believing one thing
about all shifters took time to sift through.

“Jessa,” he said, his words a rippling whisper
across my skin.

On an elemental level, I just needed Derek. His
touch. His breath. His body. But this was instinct talking. I knew that. I
hadn’t lost all sense of myself. It wasn’t like that. I just
needed
.

I wanted to drink in every detail of him, and he
seemed to know that. He stood before me. Perfect. Strong. And . . .
mine.
My eyes raked over the hard curves of his strong chest. The dusting of curls
over his nipples that tapered down to a dark trail below his belly button. The
flat planes of his stomach. His cock. Huge and turgid. Heat blossomed inside of
me, rising to a pulse between my legs.

I wanted this man.

No amount of reason or rationalization mattered now.
I went to him. I stood just an inch away from him. I raised a hesitant hand, hovering
it over his chest. Then, I laid my palm flat against him, letting his body heat
permeate me, making my knees shudder. Moisture pooled at the juncture of my
thighs. I wanted to lay down in the tall grass, spread myself open and give in
to every wild instinct surging trough me. Through us both.

But I couldn’t forget what brought us out here.

“They’ve moved off,” Derek said, reading my thoughts
behind my eyes. “At least ten miles to the southeast.”

I nodded. “They might be heading for Tygart’s forest
or wherever they came from.”

“They lost two of their own. One killed. One
captured. If it were my pack, I’d retreat and regroup until I knew just what I
was dealing with.”

“Uh huh.” Derek filled my senses. I breathed in his
heady musk. It intoxicated me. His rough skin over hard muscles. I wanted him
to wrap his arms around me. And his eyes. The clearest amber, flashing dark
then glowing gold as the beast within him flared just below the surface.

“Derek,” I said, swallowing hard. I could barely
think straight. It felt like
I
was the one with toxin running through my
veins. And Derek’s touch seemed to be the only antidote.

“Can they see us?” he asked, sliding his arms around
me. I craned my neck to keep his gaze.

“Huh?”

“Your father and grandmother. The security cameras.
Does he have anything in this corner of the lot?”

“Huh? Oh. What?” I took a step back and shook my
head, trying to clear my brain from the pull of Derek’s presence. We were far
beyond the storage shed. This part of the lot was overgrown with the tall grass
and purple wildflowers. If you could ignore the stacks of tires just a few
yards away, it was almost beautiful here. Like an island of prairie in the midst
of my father’s property.

“Jessa?”

“No. Actually. The southern part of the fence is about
twenty yards that way past the trees. He’s got it wired with cameras, but
they’re stationary and face out beyond the lot. He’s been meaning to fix that.”

“Hmm.”

“You’re sure the wolves aren’t coming back?”

“For now,” Derek said. “I’ll be able to hear them if
they get within a couple of miles of the place. I don’t think they planned on
you
not
killing me.”

I smiled, running my hands across his shoulders. I
traced the faded outlines of the scar my bullet made, and my heart went into my
throat. God. What if I
had
shot him through the heart? I could have
killed him. It would have tormented me right along with him.

“I’m sorry for that.”

“You said that before. And I already forgave you.
It’s a different world down here for you with the Kentucky wolves. I think you
and your family have done what you had to, to survive. I understand.”

I’d leaned up on my tiptoes, but now, I went back
down flatfooted. “What’s it like where you come from?”

Derek smiled. He took my hand and we walked even
further out toward the south gate. He kept scanning the horizon, moving his
body between me and open field. The grass grew even thicker here and tickled my
knees as Derek led me through the wildflowers. It felt natural, to be with him
like this. Like I’d known him all my life. Or more accurately, like I’d
waited
for him all my life. Only now I’d finally realized it.

“We’re a family. A big, loud, sometimes
dysfunctional, but always supportive family. We have a wide expanse of land
reaching from the northern part of the lower peninsula, all through the upper
peninsula of Michigan and into Canada. Wild Lake is kind of our sanctuary.
Neutral turf, if you will. Non-shifter friends of the packs own farmland in the
center of it. The Bonners. Brother and sister. You’d like them. I’m not saying
all the packs agree with each other about everything. But, when it comes to a
fight, the packs stand together.”

“How many packs?”

Derek shrugged. “Ten now. The number keeps growing.
I’d like to take you there, Jessa. I want you to see how mates are supposed to
be treated.”

I slid into his arms. It was good and natural. His
warmth spread through me, sending a shiver of pleasure along my spine. Oh, I
wanted so much more. All of a sudden, my clothes chafed against me. I wanted to
be naked and natural just the way he was.

Derek leaned down and hooked a finger beneath my
chin. He tilted my head up toward his and kissed me. Slow and tender, with an
undercurrent of heat. I felt that kiss all the way down to my toes. Rippling
heat and pleasure flooded through me. It was perfect. And yet, it wasn’t
enough.

“Derek,” I gasped when he let me up for air.

His wolf eyes glinted gold as he looked down at me.
I couldn’t stay with him like this much longer. I needed him too badly, and so
did he. It was hunger and lust and a thousand other things. I knew the timing
couldn’t be worse, and it bothered me a little I couldn’t seem to control my
own urges. I’d never been like this before. I’d never
wanted
the way I
did with Derek. Finally, Derek finally gave voice to what I knew we both felt.

“Jessa. I
need
you. But if you’re not ready .
. .”

Oh, God. I probably wasn’t ready, but at that moment
I so didn’t care. I threaded my fingers through the thick, soft hair at the
nape of his neck and pulled him back down into a kiss. Derek shifted his weight
and pulled me into his lap. He held me against him; heat surged through him and
into me. I knew what this was. It would be hot. It would be quick. It would be
perfect.

I slid my shirt over my head and threw it to the
ground. Derek picked me up and laid me gently in the grass. I wriggled out of
my pants and lay before him. Exposed. Naked. Panting with expectation.

Derek hovered above me, resting his weight on his
hands. He gave me that sexy smirk then leaned down to kiss me. I ran my hands
down his strong back and cupped his muscled ass.

“Please,” I gasped. Yes. I wanted to beg him. I
wanted to give everything to him. I just
wanted.

I spread my legs and drew him down to me. Derek let
out a low, rumbling growl of desire. It was just a moment. A fraction of a
second before he entered me. I knew there would be no going back for either of
us. And I also knew in that instant I never wanted to go back. I wanted this. I
wanted him. It was everything.

I arched my back and begged for him. Whatever
self-control he had melted away. Derek kissed me hard and slid into me. My
slick wetness eased his path, but he was so big, so hard he stretched me wide.
My eyes snapped open as he sheathed himself to the root. Pleasure flooded
through me. It was so quick. Just one thrust and I already felt myself starting
to come. I felt born for this. Born for him.

“Jessa,” he whispered my name against my temple as
he started his slow, powerful thrusts. I brought my legs up and wrapped them
around his hips, bringing him into me even deeper. Pleasure flowed through me,
building momentum. He held his weight on his palms and looked down at me, eyes
flashing with desire.

“Yes,” I gasped. Oh yes. This. More. Always.

With each thrust, I grew wetter for him. He was
thick and solid and all for me. I clawed his back and he bared his teeth. A
thought flashed through me. The instant it did, I knew how badly I wanted it.
The silent command pulsed through my head.
Bite me!

“Please,” I gasped. Derek twitched inside of me, and
I knew he was close to his release. So was I. He thrust deep and held himself
there, his cock pulsing within me as he waited for me to grind out my orgasm. I
had one hand on his buttocks, the other digging into the ground to get the
purchase I needed. I thrust up, grunting. Though he had a beast inside of him,
I was the one who felt wild.

I let myself go and gave in to it. As Derek held
himself still within me, I let wave after wave of sensation swell through me. A
starburst of color exploded behind my eyes as I took my pleasure from him. When
I reached the top, Derek finally began the slow rhythm that would take me down
and down. Pleasure. Light. Heat. He was everything. He was in me. And he was
mine.

Derek pulled out of me and flipped me. Dizzy, he had
me on all fours, my ass angled high for him. Oh, yes, this. His pulse filled me
as he entered me again. I dropped my head down, letting my hair fall to the
side. A new pulse seemed to grow in my core and spread out in a wave of heat.
It centered on that space at the base of my neck. I knew what I needed. What
he
needed.

Derek growled and his body went rigid as he poured
himself inside me. I took it all, bracing myself against the earth. He filled
me with his heat and his power. He sated himself and me. And yet, there was
still something else. Finally, his body went limp and Derek drew me to him,
cradling my body against him, both tender and strong. When I looked up at him, the
first evening stars glittered over his shoulder and seemed to fill me too.

For the first time in my life, I knew exactly where
I belonged.