IceHuntersMate (9 page)

“Ah, Carson,” Noah said slowly. “I think you’d better let
her go. Wachei doesn’t like what you’re doing one bit.”

Eryn stopped her struggles and looked over at Wachei. He
stalked closer, his gaze latched on to Carson as he growled in a menacing way,
his eyes taking on a muted glow. Her brother released her arm and took a
cautious step back.

She ran to Wachei and threw herself into his open arms.
Their lips came together in a heated kiss as they rubbed against each other.
The hard length of his cock pressing along her stomach had Eryn whimpering with
need. He picked her up and walked at a very fast clip toward the woods. Before
they entered them she heard Noah yell, “We’ll be here waiting.”

Wachei only carried her far enough to have the trees block
them from her brothers’ view. He put her against the closest trunk and tore at
her clothes. Eryn helped him get her jeans undone and shove them down to her
ankles. She toed off one of her boots to step out of a pant leg. All the
anxiety she’d felt for the past twenty-four hours was swept away on a tidal
wave of intense arousal. She’d never been this desperate for a man to take her
before.

As Wachei lifted her and pressed her back against the tree,
Eryn put her legs around his waist. “I need to have you inside me right this
instant. I feel as if I won’t survive unless you are.”

He nuzzled the side of her neck. Wachei held her up with one
hand as he worked on undoing his jeans with the other. “It’s the separation
anxiety. We were apart too long, we need to reconnect with sex. Mates have to
stay together or suffer through it.”

She wrapped her arms around his head when the tip of his cock
pressed into her pussy. She moaned. “That’s why you didn’t want me to leave.”

“Yes.” He groaned and pushed all the way inside her. “You
didn’t listen so I let you go through the anxiety, hoping it would be enough to
have you coming back to me.”

After that, neither one of them said a word, only felt. All
Eryn could focus on was wave after wave of extreme pleasure that surged through
her with each pump of Wachei’s hips. He rammed into her, pushing her climax
ever nearer. She couldn’t stop from chanting his name. He seemed just as
desperate as she. Growls continuously rumbled out of him, and he took her hard
and fast.

Wachei pulled his head back and stared at her with his
glowing eyes. The sight of them didn’t make her want to run in fear. Eryn
continued to keep her gaze locked on to his as he thrust into her. And when
they both came at the same time, she watched the pleasure he felt play across
his face.

They were both panting, fighting to get enough air into
their lungs. Even though he was still hard, Wachei didn’t move. He gave her a
gentle kiss. “I love you, my mate. I know you probably aren’t ready to hear it,
but I do. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you what I was before I claimed you. I did
try, only you wouldn’t let me.”

Eryn kissed him back. “I’m ready, more than ready. The
separation anxiety pretty much killed my fear. I’m sorry for running.” She
paused and bit her bottom lip. “And for nailing you in the balls.”

Wachei pulled out of her and slowly let her down onto her
feet with a laugh. “Good thing I’m a werewolf and heal a lot faster than
mortals. I’d probably still be in pain today.”

After they had both righted their clothing, Eryn met
Wachei’s gaze. “This isn’t the place to ask all the questions I need answers
to, but there are some that can’t wait.”

He tugged her into his arms and looked down at her. “Ask
away.”

“Okay. You said you were immortal. How are we going to work?
I’m just your average, everyday mortal.”

“The shaman, who turned us, gave us the means to turn our
mates as well.”

Eryn swallowed. “So you’re saying you can make me a werewolf
and as immortal as you?”

“Correct.”

Something passed across Wachei’s face that had her thinking
there was something else that went along with that tidbit of information. “What
aren’t you telling me?”

“There are risks being my mate. Ones that if I left you a
mortal for too long could put you in serious danger. I’ll have to turn you
today.”

Now that she’d made the decision to stay with Wachei,
knowing what he was, she wanted it all. If it took his turning her into an
immortal werewolf to be like him, then so be it. When she wanted something, she
never let anything get in her way. And she definitely wanted Wachei.

“I’m fine with that.”

“You are?” He gave her a surprised look. “You’re not having
any second thoughts? I know what it’s like to be faced with that decision. I
was as mortal as you when the shaman chose me.”

She smiled. “I’m sure.”

Wachei let out a sigh. “That went a lot better than I
thought it would. I figured you’d go for my balls again once I told you.”

Eryn laughed. “No more nailing you in the nuts. I have an
invested interest in that part of your anatomy. I won’t be abusing it anymore.”

“My manhood thanks you.”

He lowered his head to kiss her once again, but they both
jerked at the sound of someone bellowing in rage. It was Noah, and on the heels
of her brother’s shout were the haunting strains of wolves’ howls.

Chapter Nine

Wachei growled low in his throat as he picked up the scent
of two werewolves. But these weren’t from Brice’s pack, nor were they ordinary
lone wolves. They had the smell of the dark magic he and his wolf brothers had
been created to battle against. His upper lip curled at the stench of it.

Hearing another male bellow of outrage, Wachei took off at a
run to the spot where Eryn’s brothers waited for them. What he saw once he
cleared the trees had him going into attack mode and racing toward the mortals
who tried to fight off their werewolf attackers.

As he ran to the two beleaguered men, he heard Eryn shout
her brothers’ names. He wanted to tell her to go back into the trees and stay
out of sight, but it would take time neither Noah nor Carson had.

Just before he reached them, Carson went down with a
werewolf landing on top of him. Wachei put on a bigger burst of speed and
managed to tear the beast off Eryn’s brother before Carson had his throat
completely torn out. Wachei only had a split second to see that his mate’s
brother wasn’t getting to his feet before the two dark werewolves stalked
closer.

He shifted to his dire wolf form on the fly as he pounced to
take on the two beasts. They tried to claw and bite him, but he was more agile
and stronger. Even though they were created from dark magic, it appeared not to
be strong in them.

Wachei managed to drag one down onto the ground. He tore
into the werewolf’s side with his claws as he went for his throat. The other
one slammed into him, knocking him off. Then it was two on one again.

He dodged and looked for every opportunity to get in a
strike. Wachei soon realized they weren’t like the werewolves descended from
him and his wolf brothers. He tackled one, then bit down on the back of the
beast’s neck, and with a jerk of his head, he broke it. With an ordinary
werewolf, it would have instantly ended his life. Not so with the dark wolf. He
lay still as death only long enough for Wachei to release him, then with a
shake of his head, and the sound of bones realigning, he rose to his paws with
a growl. Wachei stood dumbfounded. The enemy was just as immortal as he.

Eryn’s shout, telling him to look out, had Wachei going on
the defensive once more. The dark wolves came at him from both sides,
inflicting as many wounds with their claws and teeth as they could before he
drove them back. They weren’t trying for major blows. It was almost as if they
thought to wear him down to weaken him.

A howl Wachei knew all too well rent the air. Edensaw
charged into the fray in wolf form and took on one of the werewolves. Now no
longer two against one, Wachei and Edensaw had the tables turned in their
favor. They showed their attackers how much stronger and agile a dire wolf
could be before they literally sent them running with their tails tucked
between their legs.

Wachei would have given chase, but the sound of Eryn calling
his name brought him up short. He turned to see her sitting on the ground with
Carson’s head on her lap. She had a hand pressed to a wound on his neck. The
coppery scent of blood filled his nose when he walked closer.

Eryn looked up at him after he shifted to human form.
Edensaw did as well. “He’s in a bad way, Wachei. I don’t know if he’ll make it
to the hospital in time to the stop the bleeding.”

He knelt and lifted Eryn’s hand away from Carson’s wound.
The blood flowed a little faster. His mate was correct. It was a fatal wound
for a mortal. A look at Edensaw, and seeing his grim expression, showed Wachei
he thought the same thing. He also noticed that Cassidy had arrived. She must
have stayed in the trees during the fight.

“We can’t do anything here,” he said to Eryn. “We have to
take him to the hospital if he is to have a fighting chance.”

His mate shook her head with tears in her eyes. “There’s
another way to save him. You can bite him and turn him into a werewolf like you
will me. He’d be immortal and would heal. You’re going to turn me. It should
work on Carson as well.”

“Whoa, hold on there,” Noah said. “What is this? You’re
going to let Wachei turn you?”

Eryn looked at Noah where he squatted beside her. “Shut up,
Noah. Right now.” She focused back on Wachei. “Will you do it?”

He sighed. “I don’t know if I can. The shaman told us we’d
be able to turn our mates. He never said anything about it working on all
mortals.”

“But you don’t know for sure. Please, you have to try,” she
begged.

Wachei looked at his alpha, who nodded. “Okay, but before I
do, Carson is going to have to agree to it. If he doesn’t want to be turned, I
won’t attempt it.”

Eryn looked down at her brother. He’d remained conscious
through their discussion. “Will you allow Wachei to make you like him? Like
what I’ll be by the end of today?” She appeared to fight back tears. “I don’t
want to lose you. You might be a huge pain in my ass, but you’re still my
brother and I love you.”

Carson’s gaze skipped from Eryn and then to Wachei, who gave
his mate’s brother a reassuring look. “Okay,” Carson croaked. “I don’t want to
die. I can feel myself getting weaker.”

Edensaw squeezed Carson’s shoulder. “If this works, you
won’t be alone. You’ll be a wolf brother, a part of my pack. We’ll look after
you.” He looked at Wachei. “Do it now.”

Wachei shifted to his dire wolf form and stepped closer to
Carson. Edensaw tugged the collar of the man’s shirt aside. Wachei bent his
lupine head and bit where shoulder and neck met. Carson grunted when Wachei’s
sharp teeth broke through his skin.

He took a step back and returned to his human form. Everyone
leaned over Carson, seeming to hold their breath. Eryn laughed and cried at the
same time when her brother’s wound started to mend.

“It worked,” she said through her tears. “How are you
feeling, Carson?”

“Better.” He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.
“My neck doesn’t hurt as much as it did, and the weak feeling is leaving.” He
suddenly stopped talking and sucked in a sharp breath. His panicked-looking
gaze landed on Wachei. “What’s happening? Oh, fuck. I feel as if all my organs
are being put through a meat grinder. Fuck.”

Cassidy spoke up. “He has to shift. Remember it was the only
way to stop the pain when Edensaw turned me.”

“Give him some room,” Wachei said. “Carson, look at me.”
Once he had the other man’s attention, he continued. “You have to go wolf.
There’s a spark of magic deep inside you. Reach for it and you’ll shift.”

The veins in Carson’s neck stood out as he fought against
the pain brought on by the turning. “All right.”

Eryn’s brother closed his eyes and breathed quickly through
his mouth. Two seconds later, his body blurred and shimmered as he shifted into
his dire wolf form for the very first time. His fur was the same dark-brown as
his hair. Wachei knew Eryn’s wolf would be the same since hers matched her
brother’s.

He called Carson by name to gain his attention. “In this
form you can still communicate with others, though telepathically. All you have
to do is think of what you want to say and who you want to say it to and they
will hear you in their mind, even several people at the same time.”

You mean like this?
Carson asked.

Wachei smiled. “Yes.” From the way Noah jumped and Eryn
grinned, he knew Carson had projected his thoughts to them as well.”

“As your alpha,” Edensaw said, “I welcome you as a new
member of my pack and a wolf brother.”

Thanks. This is fucking amazing. I’ve never felt this
good in my entire life. I can smell everything around me. And see and hear
three times better than I had before. I also want to run, for hours.
Carson
turned to look at Noah.
You have to do this. You have to let Wachei turn
you, especially since Eryn is willing to be a werewolf as well.

Noah held up his hands. “Slow down there. I have a wife and
kid to consider. I’m not agreeing to anything right now.”

Wachei pulled Eryn to her feet as he stood and led her a
little away from the group. He heard Edensaw telling Carson to shift once more.
His mate threw herself into his arms and held him tight.

“Thanks for saving my brother, and for trying when you
didn’t know if it would work.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You are my mate. I would do
anything for you.”

Eryn pulled back enough to look at him. “What will happen to
Carson now?”

“The same thing you’ll experience once I turn you. We’ll
accept you into our pack and teach you all you need to know to be a werewolf.”

“Then I guess we should go to your place and get it over
with. I want this guaranteed eternity I’ll have with you as my mate.”

Wachei smiled. “As you wish.” He looked over at the others
and chuckled. “But first we’ll have to catch Carson.” Eryn’s brother had gone
wolf once more and was running in a big circle around Cassidy, Edensaw and
Noah, and didn’t look as if he’d stop anytime soon.

* * * * *

Tanner knew the instant the two members of his pack returned
without a wolf brother in tow that they had failed Andre’s test. At one time,
he would have felt sorry for them, but now he didn’t give a shit. They’d not
been able to manage what their maker had ordered them to do and deserved
whatever penalty he dished out.

Andre stood in the middle of the room and waited for the
other two to stand before him. His eyes flashed red. “So you were unable to
capture the sentinel. It shouldn’t have been hard to bring me one wolf
brother.”

“He was a strong and agile opponent,” one of the men said.
“It took us longer than expected to weaken him. And before we could get him to
that state, another sentinel arrived. The alpha.”

“My dark magic in you should have made you stronger. You two
are weak and not fit to be in this pack.”

“Give us another chance,” the other werewolf begged.

Andre curled his upper lip as his eyes steadily glowed red.
“I don’t give second chances. To anyone.”

Tanner watched with glee as his maker unleashed his
punishment. Andre raised his hands and chanted a few words in a foreign
language. The two werewolves howled as if in great pain as a black smoky mass
flowed out of their bodies and into Andre’s palms. Once it was gone, his
ex-pack members fell to the floor and turned to piles of dust.

Andre looked at Tanner, his gaze boring into him. “Find me
better lone wolves or you might suffer the same fate.” With that said his maker
turned and walked out of the room.

Tanner stared at the two piles of dust. He’d do as his maker
commanded because there was no way in hell he wanted to end up like that.
Keeping Andre happy and doing his bidding was the only reason why Tanner
existed.

* * * * *

Eryn and Wachei walked up the stairs and headed for his
bedroom. They’d left everyone in the living room to answer all of Carson’s
questions. Her brother had taken to his new werewolf life rather well. It
showed her that being turned wouldn’t be a bad thing. Noah, on the other hand,
was not so sure. Edensaw had promised the choice would be up to her older
brother, and that neither she nor Carson could pressure Noah into doing it.

Once they were locked inside Wachei’s room, he took her into
his arms and kissed her. As always whenever her mate touched her, her body went
up in flames and she craved to have him inside her.

She soon pulled away before things really heated up between
them. “I thought you were going to turn me.”

“I am. Edensaw suggested I make love to you first, then once
you’re sated, I should bite you. That’s what he did with Cassidy.”

Eryn shook her head. “I won’t need you to do that. I can
handle it.” She gave him a sexy grin. “You turn me, then we’ll get to the sex.”

“I guess we can do it your way.”

She sat on the floor cross-legged and watched Wachei take on
his dire wolf form. Once the change was complete, she said, “Come over here,
wolfie, and give me your love bite.”

I don’t think Carson will like to hear you call it that.

Eryn laughed. “Probably not. But for us it’s a love bite.”

Wachei stepped closer so he stood over her and rubbed the
top of his lupine head against her chin. She put her arms around his furred
neck and waited for him to do what he had to do to make them true mates.

A cold, wet nose touched her skin as Wachei nudged the
collar of her shirt aside. Eryn’s fingers tightened in his fur as he bit down
where her shoulder and neck met. It hurt but soon faded. Her mate shifted to
his human form once more just as the first agonizing pain took hold of her
insides. It was as Carson had described. It felt as if someone stabbed her with
an ice pick over and over again.

Having watched Carson go through this, Eryn already knew
what to do at this point in the turn. She reached deep inside her and found the
spark of magic. Her shift tore through her, leaving her in a new body and free
of pain. Her senses were acute, able to pick up all the scents around her, and
see and hear way better than she had as a mortal.

She reached for the spark once more and returned to her
human self. “Carson was right. It’s fucking amazing.”

Wachei chuckled, then swept her off her feet, carried her to
the bed and laid her in the center of the mattress. “I’m glad you think so. Now
we can get to the sex.”

They stripped each other out of their clothes until they
were skin to skin. Eryn wrapped her fingers around Wachei’s erect cock and stroked
him. Growls rumbled out of him, making the wolf inside her respond in the same
way.

Her mate kissed her with a hunger that matched her own. He
trailed a hand down her body to her pussy and circled her clit with a
fingertip. Eryn spread her legs wider, gasping when he pushed two fingers into
her, stroking deep.

More than ready to have her mate inside her, Eryn pushed on
Wachei’s shoulder until he rolled onto his back. She straddled his hips over
his straining cock. She took hold of it at its base and slowly lowered herself
onto it.