Legacy Found: Legacy, Book 3 (27 page)

She finally understood that she and the wolf were one. Not separate.

Her paws made little sound as she raced over the soft ground. Moss, pine needles and dead leaves carpeted the forest floor, cushioning her steps. The sun came through the trees, painting the world with dark and light.

Shelley paused, raised her head and sniffed the air. He was close.

Instinct made her lift her head and open her mouth. What emerged was a long, baleful howl. She needed James with her. Now.

The air around her thickened. She sensed him before she saw him. Like a silvery ghost, the gray wolf emerged from behind a thick clump of trees.

Her entire body quivered. She bent her back legs, ready for action.

James erupted with no warning. Turning on her hind legs, Shelley darted off. Some instinct told her to run. To make him catch her.

It wasn’t fear making her heart beat faster, filling her veins with pure exhilaration. It was desire. Love. Need.

He was gaining on her. She pushed hard, but was no match for the large male wolf chasing her.

He pounced, taking her down easily. They rolled across the mossy ground, a tangle of limbs and fur. He stood over her, his hackles raised, a snarl on his face.

Shelley lay beneath him, panting hard, totally submissive.

She loved him. She’d hurt him. This was her way of telling him without words.

He leaned down and caught the slack skin of her neck between his teeth. She didn’t flinch away. Instead, she arched her neck, offering him her complete trust.

He stilled and his grip changed. James began to nuzzle and lick her neck, her ears, her muzzle. She returned the wolf caress, nipping playfully at his ears.

He pounced and rolled with her. Like two children, they nipped and played and frolicked. For the first time in her life, Shelley felt totally free.

She hadn’t needed to leave him to find herself. All she’d had to do was embrace every part of her. There would be problems in the future, but she was confident she could handle them with James at her side.

They started running. It only took her a few minutes to realize he was leading her back toward the compound. The tall fence came into view. Her brothers were all standing near one of the houses talking. They paused to watch as the two of them raced into the yard and up to James’s front door.

Shelley stayed in wolf form as James shifted and opened the door. She wasn’t quite ready to be naked in front of a crowd. Given her years of captivity, she might never be comfortable with it. But that was okay. She could deal with it.

“Shelley.” There was so much emotion in her name. James closed the door behind him. Naked, he was tall and broad and strong. Human or wolf, he was a fierce predator, one who would protect what was his.

Closing her eyes, she let the change wash over her. Her wolf went easily, understanding that she would be allowed to run free from now on. Her wolf also trusted what was about to happen.

Her eyes popped open as muscled arms lifted and carried her up the stairs toward the bedrooms. This time, he bypassed her room and took her to his.

Large and masculine, like the man himself, his room was filled with heavy wood furniture. The green comforter folded at the foot of his bed was the only splash of color in an otherwise austere space.

Yet, she didn’t feel out of place or unwelcome.

He set her down on the bed and followed her down. “You’re mine. Now and forever.”

She knew what he wanted and nodded. She wanted it too. “Now and forever.”

Chapter Eighteen

James was having a hard time believing Shelley was here with him. One minute, he’d been running in the forest, trying to escape the ache in his heart, the utter loneliness her leaving had brought. The next, he’d heard Shelley howl. Somehow, he’d known it was her. He’d smelled her. The rich, musky scent of female wolf. His wolf had stalked her, claiming her, dominating her in that form.

She was his.

He’d barely restrained himself from mounting her in animal form. But he’d managed. He wanted, needed, to be in his human form to claim her as his mate.

He knew they should talk. He had no idea why she’d come back. And right now, he didn’t care. Maybe it was unfair of him, but quite frankly, he didn’t give a shit. She’d come back to him, was naked in his bed and ready to accept his claim.

He threw one thick, muscled thigh over her legs to keep her pinned to the bed as he leaned down and captured her lips. She was so damn sweet. And she’d put him through hell.

His urge to be gentle fought with his urge to punish.

He pulled back and bared his teeth at her. “Don’t you ever leave me again,” he growled.

She brushed a lock of his gray hair out of his eyes and offered him a solemn promise. “I won’t.”

His wolf howled, urging him to flip her onto her stomach and claim her before she changed her mind.

The male wanted to touch, to taste, to savor every second of what was to come.

He kissed her again, his tongue tracing her full lower lip before plunging inside. She was so responsive. Little whimpers of pleasure came from her throat, making him crazy with need.

Their tongues danced. Twined.

He covered one plump breast with his hand, loving the way her nipple puckered and stabbed his palm. She writhed beneath him, pushing her breast more fully into his hand.

He released her lips and peppered kisses along her forehead, down the slope of her nose and along her cheekbones. He nipped at her jaw and licked the curve of her neck.

Working lower, he traced the line of her collarbone, marveling at her courage. After everything she’d been through, she was able to give herself so completely. It was nothing less than a miracle considering they’d only known each other for a matter of days.

Guilt began to tickle his conscience and he pulled back. “Are you sure?” There was no going back once he’d claimed her in the way of their people.

She nodded, her gaze solemn. She looked lovely with her light brown hair spread across his white sheets. “I’m sure. Are you?” She nibbled her bottom lip. His cock jerked as he watched her tongue soothe the small sting. “I come with a lot of baggage. Some might not like your choice of mate.”

“Screw ’em.” Savage pleasure washed through him. “You’re mine. Anyone who doesn’t like it can get the hell out or fight me for leadership of the pack.”

Worry filtered into her gaze. She raised her arms and locked them around his neck. “I don’t want you to have to fight.”

He shrugged. “Nature of the species. When the time comes, I’ll step down. But that won’t be for quite a few years yet.”

He’d had enough talking and slid down her body until his mouth was level with her breasts. Capturing one perky nipple, he suckled gently. Her hands slid to his shoulders, clutching at them.

The feel of her nails scoring his skin made him crazy. Leaving her breast, he continued lower. He lapped at her flat stomach, tasting heat and salt from her skin. His teeth grazed her hipbones and she arched her hips and moaned.

He could smell her now. Heat and woman and a touch of floral that was uniquely Shelley. He made a space for himself between her legs and went to work. He wanted her crazy for him when he took her.

Her legs shifted restlessly as he ran his hands over her inner thighs, teasing the crease at the tops of her legs.

“James.”

His name was little more than a breathy gasp but his balls drew up tight to his body. He wasn’t going to make it much longer. Not this time.

Opening her with his fingers, he blew on her slick folds. She quivered, tilting her hips toward him in silent offering. This was what he wanted. Shelley—willing and ready to accept him.

He ate at her delicate folds. Tasting, licking, nipping. He dipped his tongue into her slick channel. Damn, she tasted sweet. He couldn’t get enough of her.

She sobbed and writhed beneath him as he devoured her. He captured her clit between his lips and teased it with the tip of his tongue. Her long, tortured moan was music to his ears.

Pressing two thick fingers into her tight channel, he worked them deep. He wanted her ready for his claiming, which would be more intense than anything they’d done so far.

She gave a shattered cry and arched off the bed. Her inner muscles clutched at his fingers. Cream coated his hand. He kept working them until he sensed she’d had enough.

When she collapsed back onto the mattress with a smile playing on her lips, he knew she was ready.

Coming over her, he kissed her softly.

Then he sat back on his heels and rolled her onto her stomach. She tensed, but didn’t object.

“Come up onto your knees.” He’d explained to her about the claiming process, so she knew what was about to happen. Tucking his hands beneath her, he urged her upward. Shelley rose up, resting her weight on her hands as she pushed her butt up into the air.

The long length of her spine was delicate and very feminine. But it was marred by a crisscross of pale scars. Shelley had never mentioned them, so neither had he. She also had scars circling her slender ankles.

Just thinking about her being shackled made him want to kill someone. He hated that she’d had to save herself but was eternally grateful that she’d been able to.

He hated the scars. What they represented. He leaned down and kissed several of them.

Shelley stilled. “I know they’re ugly.”

“No.” He kissed another one. “They’re badges of courage. Of survival.”

“I don’t want to talk about them.”

He didn’t want to spoil their claiming with talk of her past. She’d tell him about them when she was ready. If that was tomorrow or ten years from now it didn’t matter to him. Only she mattered.

He gently eased her thighs apart, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn’t object. “That’s it,” he encouraged. He couldn’t resist caressing her ass. It was round and firm. “Spread your legs and make room for me.”

The wolf inside him howled as her legs slid open even farther. He fingered the dark cleft of her ass, flicking his thumb over the tight opening. She jerked, but remained steady.

He shifted until he was settled between her soft thighs. Holding her steady with his hands at her waist, he angled his body so his cock slid over her heated folds, bumping her clit. Her moist heat enveloped his cock as he repeated the action again and again.

Slowly, Shelley relaxed and began to move with him. “That’s it, baby,” he crooned. “I want you to feel good.”

He slid his hands over her sides and around to her front to cup her breasts. Her nipples were so tight. Hard little nubs of pleasure. He caught them between his fingers and pinched, careful to exert just the right amount of pressure.

She was panting hard now. But so was he. His heart was racing. His cock aching.

Easing back, he fit the head of his cock to her opening. He pushed past the natural constriction and slid the head of his shaft into her channel.

Sweat beaded on his temple. The sheets were cool beneath his knees. The air in the room was warm and filled with the scent of sex. Of male and female. His cock head was throbbing and hot as her sheath rippled around him.

“Forever,” he gritted out as he surged inward. She was tight, her inner muscles contracting around his shaft. She tilted her head back, a low cry coming from her lips.

Swearing, he worked his hips back and forth, going deeper with each thrust. “Relax, Shelley. You can take me like this. Take all of me,” he pleaded.

Every nerve ending in her body was on fire. Shelley didn’t know if she’d survive this. She only knew she had to.

The orgasm had ripped her to pieces, leaving her shaky and exhausted. Now a new energy gripped her. Expectation flooded her with adrenaline. It was time for them to complete the claiming.

She knew what it entailed. She knew James had to take her from behind in order for her to be claimed, for them to be considered mated. It was a submissive/dominant position. One that required trust. She hadn’t been too sure she’d ever want to make herself that vulnerable to a man. Now, she couldn’t wait for it to happen.

She was more aware of her body than she’d ever been in her life. Especially the imperfections. James had mentioned her scars for the first time. She knew he’d seen them. It was impossible for him not to, considering he spent every night in her bed. But they hadn’t turned him off. He saw them as badges of valor. For the first time, she didn’t mind them so much. Not that she’d ever want to talk about how she got them, but she could live with them.

She was panting hard now. Her hair was damp and hung around her face. The sheets below her were pristine white.

His hands gripped her waist in an unbreakable bond before shifting to her breasts. The ache was almost unbearable, but nothing compared to the need to have his shaft buried in her core.

She wanted him. Needed him. Loved him.

She’d cried out when he’d finally put the head of his cock to her opening and pushed. Her inner muscles were sensitized and swollen after her orgasm and it made it more difficult to accept him. James wasn’t a small man.

But she wanted him.

Desperately, she breathed in and out, trying to relax. He used his grip on her breasts to rock her as he made shallow thrusts, pushing deeper with each one.

“Take all of me.” She heard the urgency, the need in his words.

Shelley found a rhythm, rolling her hips back to meet him as he forged inward. Patiently, he worked his cock until he was buried to the hilt. She felt stretched to the limit. She had little control in this position. But she trusted James.

They were both panting hard now. There seemed to be a shortage of air in the room. It was thick with the scent of her cream, his heat, their growing need.

She sensed the growing determination in him and it fired her own. They belonged together and she wasn’t going to let her past rob her of her future. Not any longer.

A new sense of purpose grew in her and she shoved her ass back, wanting him to be a part of her.

He growled and began to thrust. There was no slow deliberation now. Hard and fast, he took her. His balls smacked against her sensitive clit with each thrust, driving her up quickly.