Mating Season (5 page)

Although his hands shook with excitement, Koll managed to undo her pants and pull them down her legs. At the same time, he released her breast and kissed his way down her chest and stomach. He had to break away to remove her boots, but the detour was worth it. The sight of her sprawled naked in the snow would haunt him for the rest of his days. This was a fantasy turned reality. She was his fantasy.

He took a moment to fondle her large foot, a part of a woman he'd never found so arousing before. She made a purring sound when he pressed his thumb into her arch to massage it. It was a noise he definitely wanted to hear her make again.

Koll then positioned her legs so he had plenty of room between them. He kissed his way up the inside of her left calf, all the way to her knee and closer to the tempting folds beyond. When he reached her inner thigh, he glanced up and saw a frown form between her milky brows.

"What are you doing?” she asked.

Soft pink flesh glistened with pearly cream beneath her white down. He had to taste her there too.

"I'm going to eat you alive,” he warned her. He licked his lips in anticipation.

For the first time, Shila looked a little nervous, but he didn't give her time to fret. Unable to resist, Koll dove between her legs and speared her with his tongue. Pleasure, bright and sparkling, burst across his palate as he swallowed her juices. She was delicious. So were her sweet scent and those throaty sounds she made again.

In a steady rhythm, he alternated between probing her with his tongue and lapping at her plump clit. He didn't stop until she fisted his hair, on the verge of coming apart beneath him. Wanting to feel her pulses around his shaft, he stilled before she could orgasm.

Her growl of frustration made him smile.

Koll reared up on his knees, fumbled with his fly, and freed his erection. The punch of cold air should have dampened his arousal, but instead the sting added an extra stroke of sensation. His penis was fully engorged and desperate for her. He moaned when Shila wrapped her hand around the head, clashing hot with cold.

"Take me,” she demanded.

He loved her lustiness. Like him, his woman was insatiable. Grabbing the backs of her thighs, he yanked her legs wider and pulled her half over his lap. She set the head of his cock against her opening for him.

With his weight resting on his heels and her body laid out in front of him, Koll had the perfect view of his cock sliding deeply into her sheath. The sight alone made him spurt precum inside her. This was the most erotic experience of his life.

He seated his full length in seconds and groaned at how good she felt. She was tight and scalding, and her whole pussy rippled in demand. Unable to passively stand so much rapture, he drew back his hips and thrust.

It just got better. Her ring of muscle massaged his shaft up and down with each stroke, and being fully dressed while she lay nude provided an extra kick. There was also a naturalness to this coupling—a sense of rightness as he took her beneath the stars.

Koll fixated on the flushed length of his cock dipping in and out of her sheath. On each retreat, it shone beneath the starlight, flashing veins that pulsed with life. Then he foraged back inside, back to where her wet heat engulfed him. Her vagina formed a tight ring around his shaft, and her swollen nether lips cushioned him when he ground against her.

There was more to see, though. Lifting his gaze, he switched his attention to her fabulous breasts. They were full enough to fit even his big hands, and her hard nipples tickled his palms.

Even as he rode her harder, he kept his touch gentle so he could enjoy the smoothness of her skin. He swept his hands down her sides and brushed his thumbs over the soft swell of her belly, bracketing the hidden channel his cock plumbed. With the females he'd bedded in the past, he'd been able to span their waists with his hands. Not possible with Shila. She was too much woman for that, and he didn't feel as if he might break her.

Koll dug his cock into her more deeply, wanting her to feel every bit of his massive length. Her excited groans and the encouraging grip she had on his knees assured him he wasn't hurting her. That was good because he'd never been so hard. His dick felt overstuffed, ready to burst at the seams.

Shockwaves of pleasure ricocheted from his scrotum to his glans with every slap of his balls against her warm flesh. The flap of his pants muted the effect, reminding him he was completely clothed while she was at his mercy. For all her strength, Shila was vulnerable to him right now.

Koll capitalized on that vulnerability. Her clit peeked out at him from under its hood, begging him for a touch. He planted his hand in the snow beside him and allowed his thumb to go numb before setting the icy pad against her nubbin. Shila screamed and arched her back until her breasts pointed to the heavens. Still pumping his cock into her, he shimmied his thumb until her pussy dragged at him with good strong pulls.

Her orgasm nearly tripped his own. Determined to make this last, he gritted his teeth and stilled. He held his cock high inside her until her last pulse faded, which he was proud to say took a long, long time. Her hot little clit had thawed his thumb by the time she stopped coming.

Koll resumed thrusting. “More,” he growled. And more and more.

He shifted position so he could lay full length over her body. As soon as he had the leverage he wanted, he pounded her so hard her breasts shook. Beneath him, Shila writhed and tried to claw his back, but he could barely feel her nails through his thick fur coat. He lowered himself farther so her nipples touched his clothed chest.

In response, she threw her head back and moaned so loudly she made his ears ring. She went crazy, locking her legs around his hips and meeting his thrusts with greater fervor. He felt her hands fisting in the back of his coat to clutch him closer.

It took him a moment to realize what had her excited.

"Like a bear taking you,” he gritted out.

The fur of his coat slid over her naked body, caressing her nipples and rubbing her lower belly. At the moment, Koll felt like an animal as he rutted over her, humping her as hard and fast as he could. Sperm roiled in his balls, demanding release. He couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Come for me.” He wanted to feel her milking his cock when he climaxed.

With a shift in angle, he made sure to slide right over that sweet spot deep inside her. Shila's entire body tensed, and her wet sheath dragged at him with fierce spasms he felt all the way to his cock's core. Her contractions made her passage tighter, but he thrust past the resistance as he ejaculated.

Orgasm was the pounding heartbeat that pumped his seed in endless streams. He roared his satisfaction as he continued to climax long after he'd overflowed her. Just when he thought he was done, one final gush spilled out with a flare of pleasure that made him shudder. He hadn't even realized he'd dropped his full weight on her until he registered her hot breath where she'd tucked her nose against his neck.

Afraid he'd suffocate her, he started to push up, but she held on tight. When he sank down again, she made a happy sound.

They stayed like that for a full minute before she dropped her arms and legs from around his shoulders and waist. Koll looked at the soft glow of pleasure on her face and kissed her long and slow. He tried to infuse the caress with the growing tenderness he felt for her, along with the hopes and dreams he had for the days to come. Her lips clung to his when he pulled away.

He withdrew his softening shaft and instantly released a sharp moan. The blast of cold that struck his wet cock had an echo of his orgasm rocketing through him. That was one part of his anatomy he didn't want getting frostbite, though, so he hurried to tuck his dick back into his pants.

"We should get you inside,” he said, suddenly afraid Shila would catch hypothermia or grow ill.

Koll collected her boots and shirt and turned to help her get dressed. She stood and stepped back into the snow in her bare feet. There was a strange halo of light around her—one that intensified until it was nearly blinding. He was reminded of the auroras that sometimes appeared over the mountains. Rainbows danced over the ground and were refracted by the ice crystals, and then there was a final flash of brilliance before the night fell dark again.

Once his sight cleared, he looked at Shila, but his woman was no longer there. In her place stood a gigantic frost bear that stared back at him with unblinking eyes.

Never big on words, Koll was rendered well and truly speechless. He leaned to one side to look past the bear as if he expected to find Shila hiding behind it. There was no denying the truth of what he'd seen, though. This was Shila. She'd turned into a bear right in front of him—a bear with a pink ribbon hanging just in front of her right ear. All those stories about the magical Children of Nanook were reality, not myth, and here was the proof.

Fascination swiftly replaced his shock. He saw her eyes were the same shade of brown, still filled with sass and intelligence. Her hair was now a full-body pelt of icy white with clear guard hairs nearly as long as his fingers. Sharp, stocky claws studded her broad feet, which would give her good traction on the ice. Her most overwhelming feature, however, was her sheer size.

For the first time in his life, Koll felt small. As a frost bear, Shila was so tall that Gilby would barely reach her shoulder. She was huge—big enough to be intimidating even without the claws, and he was sure she had some lethal fangs behind her closed lips.

The sound of crunching snow snagged Koll's attention, and he turned to see Greyfell approaching. His hound kept his head respectfully low as he walked up to the frost bear. Shila stretched out her neck to sniff the canine and licked his muzzle. Then she turned back to face Koll.

He'd been told before he had more courage than smarts, but for once that stood him in good stead. Stepping closer, he held out his hand.

"Shila?"

Her breath was warm against his palm when she touched her nose to it. Slipping her head lower, she pressed it forward in a way Koll recognized from Greyfell. She wanted a good scratch.

"Demanding woman,” he muttered, but he felt his lips twitch as he said it.

Still holding her clothes, he used his free hand to scratch behind her ear and rake his fingers through her dense fur.

"Feel good?"

She released a satisfied sigh and pressed even closer. Apparently his woman appreciated all kinds of physical pleasure.

Koll kept going until his ministrations made her eyes nearly close in bliss. When he finally stopped, she butted her head against his chest, nearly knocking him over. She then flexed her body in a good hard stretch that seemed to travel all the way from her nose to her stubby tail. It occurred to him that maybe staying in woman form made her feel cramped after a while.

"Want to walk?” he asked. “Stretch your legs?"

He held his breath, not sure if she could answer. The idea that Shila's voice might come out of the bear's mouth was both disturbing and comical, but who knew what her magic let her do?

Evidently speech must have been impossible in bear form. Instead of a verbal reply, she bobbed her head.

Feeling as if he were in a very strange dream, Koll walked with her around the outer perimeter of the village. Elli's assertions aside, he suspected his neighbors didn't believe in the Children of Nanook, so it was probably best if they didn't see her in frost bear form. Then again, she was well camouflaged by her coloring and the darkness of the night. He wasn't sure they'd spot her even if he brought her closer to their homes.

They'd just reached the far side of the village when Shila came to a sudden halt. Even if he hadn't seen her big nose twitching, he would have known she tested the air. Her furry sides inflated with a series of deep inhalations that were clearly audible. Then she rumbled deep in her throat and reared up on her hind paws.

It gave him a dizzy feeling to see her standing even taller than he was. She was magnificent, all undisguised power and brawn. If she'd wanted to, she could have killed him in an instant, and there was very little he could have done about it.

That's when it hit him. The two males stalking her—Tartok and Cikuq—also had to be Children of Nanook. She'd explained they were part of a different clan, but they must be fellow shifters. That meant they could turn into frost bears too, and she'd said the brothers fought and killed together. His estimation of the danger immediately quadrupled.

"Come on,” he said gruffly. “Time to go inside."

Now that he understood the threat, he didn't want to linger out here tonight. He wanted her in his home, warm and safe, where he could defend her. Koll had no intention of letting any other male, Child of Nanook or not, get her. She was his, and he was going to keep her close.

Although she couldn't answer him, Shila obviously agreed. Dropping back onto four paws, she turned to follow him homeward. When they reached his house, he expected her to turn back into a woman, but she squeezed her bear form through the door.

Koll took the time to tuck Greyfell in his kennel and returned to his bedroom to find a sleepy frost bear crawling into his bed. It was a good thing he'd constructed it to easily support a man of his size. Smaller furniture would have collapsed under her weight. She hit the pillow face first with her forearms tucked beneath her.

A familiar flash of light filled the room, dazzling his sight. When it faded, there was his woman, already fast asleep with her cheek buried in the pillow and her naked rump facing the ceiling. She had a very attractive rump.

Without a word, Koll put her clothes aside, stripped, and climbed into bed with her. She may not have felt the cold, but he was freezing. He yanked up the blankets and snuggled her close, enjoying the way her body heat seeped into his skin.

As his eyes drifted shut, he felt a smile play at the corners of his lips. A Child of Nanook. Who would have thought it? This was certainly turning into a very exciting winter.

For Koll, winter usually passed with agonizing slowness, but this season felt as if it raced by. He had Shila to thank for that. Although she liked to take time for herself, she appeared to adopt his community over the following weeks and insisted on visiting his neighbors. Everyone in his village grew to like her in return, and consequently, Koll became more popular too.