Savage Sanctuary 2: Panther Moon (7 page)

“What’s going to happen now?” she asked finally, daintily applying a napkin to her

mouth before folding her hands in her lap.

“I’m not sure. I talked with Titus last night and I imagine he has set the wheels in

motion to take care of things. I’m pretty sure we’ll talk with him eventually but honey, I don’t want you to worry about things. We protect our own around here. I want you to

rest and take care of yourself. Let us handle the details.”

“My brother has to be told.” Her eyes filled and she blinked furiously to keep them

at bay. “Max. He’s a detective with the Houston Police Department.”

Hudson nodded. Naturally he had known of the tough panther male for many

years with Titus often mentioning how he wished he would become a part of Sanctuary.

The security force of Declan Technologies where Hudson worked could use such a man.

Hudson agreed. “He’ll be contacted. For all we know he could be heading this way

now.”

“I hope so,” she whispered.

He noted the faraway look in her eyes and felt a sharp pang in his heart knowing

she thought of home and family. One day he’d give all of that back to her. Not the same, of course, but something to equal it in the family they would make together. Hudson

stood and started gathering up the breakfast dishes.

Trea went to her feet, her chair scraping lightly against the tiled floor. “No, you

cooked. Let me.”

“I’ve got it.”

“Damn it, Hudson, I’m not helpless.” The sharp edge of temper surprised him and

suddenly he laughed.

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Regina Carlysle

“Sheath your claws, darlin. We’ll do it together.”

“I’m sorry, Hudson.” Trea shook her head. “I’m normally not bitchy but I’m feeling

just a little on edge.”

“Understandable.”

Together they carried plates and platters to the sink, loaded the dishwasher and

took care of business until Trea paused by the table, a damp cloth in hand, and gasped.

The cloth dropped to the floor when she gripped the wooden surface with both hands.

Her legs appeared shaky and barely able to hold her weight. Alarmed, Hudson rushed

up and saw her eyes her wide, frantic and dilated. Sweat beaded along her hairline. Her breathing accelerated. “Hudson! Wha—”

It was obvious to Hudson that her
time
was rushing toward her like a runaway train. The truth hit him like a punch. He swiped his hands across the surface of the table and the salt and pepper shakers crashed to the floor along with two remaining coffee

cups but he couldn’t give a hot damn about that.

“Hang on,” he murmured as he whipped the oversized tee shirt over her head. Her

pink nipples were pearled into tight little knots but he couldn’t take the time necessary to appreciate the little beauties as he wanted. Lifting her slightly he spread her out on the now-bare table like an after dinner dessert, noting the dampness glistening between her thighs. Hudson spread her open absorbing the sight of her drenched beauty. Heat

rolled from her body in waves that seemed to wrap him up like a warm blanket and the

scent of her lust, that instant flash of passion filled his nostrils. His cock, already hard, thickened farther behind the fly of his jeans.

He ached. Wanted. Had to have her.

But this moment wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about his hunger or his own need for

release. This moment was all about her. With most females of their kind, the heated

moments, the intense desire came unexpectedly and sporadically until full-blown heat

occurred. He didn’t think she was there yet but close. Her need would be almost painful for her and he couldn’t bear it.

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“Please help. Now. Now.” The words burst from her lips as he swept his palms up

her inner thighs, capturing her wetness as he went. “Touch me. H-hurry.”

Her frantic plea didn’t go unheeded. No time to play. The sound of her breathing

sped up seconds before he plunged two fingers deep into her soaked pussy. Instantly,

her vaginal walls clenched around them but he knew what she needed. He planned to

give it to her. In, out, in, out, he rammed them deep and hard, careful to circle and press her clit with each pass. Spread out on the top of the table, Trea writhed and when he crooked his fingers to stroke her G-spot, she came almost violently as her fists

hammered the tabletop as if it were a drum. He rode the wave out with her, his fingers continually stroking until she eased but then the instant he drew away, she started to peak again.

Hudson bent to her and, grabbing her bare ass with both hands, began to eat her

out. Her flesh was meltingly sweet against the lash of his tongue. Trea went still for a single heartbeat then wild beneath him as he sucked her swollen clit gently and then

with more force. He sent his tongue on a teasing quest through the flushed petals of her sex before stiffening it, thrusting it deep into her pussy. She was game for anything he wanted, pliant under his mouth as he ate her, a man starving for yet another taste and loving the little gasping sounds that burst from her throat. Her choked cries poured out spurring him on as he licked, nibbled and sucked her tender flesh and then her hands

were there, stroking his shoulders and neck before clasping fistfuls of his hair to hang on as if for dear life. Her body heat swept over him seconds before she went still. Tense as a drawn bow, her back arched against the hard surface of the table an instant before she flew apart again.

She was gasping for breath by the time he began to kiss his way up her body. To

know she was his still amazed him. Hudson settled his lips on her belly then brushed

the curve of her ribs with his tongue and in a final act of satisfaction laid his ear against her chest as her heart pounded out a frantic song. Her fingers gentled in his hair as she struggled to catch her breath. “Gods! I never knew, never imagined,” she whispered.

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Regina Carlysle

Hudson lifted his head and looked at her. Her pretty eyes were at half-mast, her

cheeks flushed. Sliding marginally up her body, he pressed his lips to hers. “Just the beginning. How many times has this happened?”

Trea closed her eyes and sighed. “You mean this overwhelming lust? This feeling

that I have little to no control over my body?” She shook her head. “This is the third time in a matter of a few weeks. It happened now and early this morning but the first time—”

“The first time?”

She finally looked at him, smiling a little. “At home. Dad was off at work. It was

just Mom and me. Fortunately she had supplies.”

He knew about the turning from woman to graceful panther but only in a

secondhand sense. He’d never served as a second nor had he ever conversed with a

female panther on such personal matters. “Supplies?”

Color climbed over her cheeks and though he knew she was embarrassed she kept

her gaze steady on him. Had to admire that. “Um, a vibrator. She had a new vibrator

loaded with batteries and handy for me. She realized my time was close. After a while the moment passed.”

Belatedly Hudson realized she was lying supine on a very hard surface so backing

away, he tenderly lifted her until she sat on the table’s edge. He stood between her

spread knees and reached for her. “So it’s headed your way. Thank the gods I found

you.”

Trea turned her face to rest against his chest. Her voice went low. “I think that’s

why Dad quit his job and was planning to come here. My parents didn’t keep secrets

from each other and surely she told him that my time was coming. He was afraid for

me.”

“A good father.”

“The best.”

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Panther Moon

“Trea, I—” he began and then the doorbell rang, jarring him. He stepped back, a

curse on his lips, and reached for a remote control sitting on the kitchen counter. He turned on a television mounted on the wall and pressed channel three. The state-of-theart security cameras he’d installed worked just fine, he noted, as he saw Titus Declan and Mahara waiting at the front door. Stepping to a unit on the wall, he pressed the

button. “Give us a minute, my king.”

“Take your time,” was Titus’ reply.

Hudson released the switch and turned to find Trea shrugging into the tee shirt

he’d flung to the floor earlier. He went to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Relax, honey.”

“How can you say that? I’ll be meeting my king and queen wearing your tee shirt

and nothing else. Goodness gracious, I’m so embarrassed.”

Goodness gracious
.

The old-fashioned term made him smile considering minutes earlier she’d been

screaming his name as she’d been spread out on the kitchen table like a twenty dollar buffet. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Go into the bedroom

and look in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I have some sweat pants with a

drawstring. Pull them on. They’ll be way too big but at least you’ll be properly

covered.”

Trea groaned and spinning around, rushed for the doorway. “I’m so embarrassed. I

can’t believe this,” she muttered, heading out.

“And grab me a tee shirt, would you?”

When she answered in the affirmative, Hudson managed to suppress his smile and

dragged his fingers through his hair, restoring some order to it. He headed out of the kitchen, walked through the dining room and was just entering the living room when

Trea emerged, clutching his favorite Grateful Dead tee shirt. He shrugged into it,

murmuring his thanks then gave her an appraising look. “You are just fine. Better than fine. No fretting now.”

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Hudson watched Trea absently bite down on her bottom lip. It was a nervous

gesture he’d seen from her before. Oddly, she looked adorable in his oversized clothing but he promised himself that scrounging up things that fit would be his first order of business.

After dealing with his king, of course.

“Hang on,” he murmured, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading

across the room. Hudson threw open the door to find the mighty Titus Declan filling up the space. His black hair hung loose to his shoulders and he wore jeans and a solid

black tee shirt. He was built like a goddamn bulldozer. Mahara, his mate, stood by his side, worry etched on her lovely face.

“My king.”

As custom dictated, Hudson stepped aside and bent his head as Titus and Mahara

swept into the room. Titus’ mate carried a small, red overnight bag, which she

immediately set on the floor at her feet. Chantrea stood watching them and within mere seconds, his queen dashed across the room to pull the new arrival against her in an

enveloping hug. “We’ve been so worried. Are you all right? I’m so glad you found

Sanctuary.”

The women clung together for a moment. When they separated, Titus cleared his

throat then stalked across the room to stand before Chantrea. Her head was bowed but

when he placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him. “My king.”

“Rest easy,” he said gently. “The hunters have left the area. Your truck has been

moved onto the compound and you’re safe.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m in your debt.”

“Nonsense,” Mahara said. She put an arm around Trea, offering comfort. “You are

one of us and under our protection but we must talk now.”

Feeling fiercely possessive, Hudson stepped forward and as gently as possible, he

drew Chantrea from the queen’s side and tucked her against his body, thankful she

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didn’t protest. He cleared his throat, ignoring the raised eyebrow of his king and made quick work of introductions. Finally he met Titus’ eyes.

“She has been through too much.”

His king went very still. Intensity burned in his golden gaze. “So possessive, my

friend,” Titus murmured. “I promise to be gentle.”

Against him, Chantrea went still. Though it was against his nature, he stroked her

arm in a soothing motion. Nothing was more important in that moment than

comforting her. His actions weren’t lost upon Mahara and Titus. The couple exchanged

quick glances and Hudson knew they would tread cautiously.

The message was clear.

Chantrea Morgan was his mate and no one, man, woman, or beast, would ever hurt

her again. Not if he could help it.

Hudson motioned to one of the two leather couches in his living room and once

Trea was seated, he sprawled next to her. His king and queen sat opposite them, where Titus leaned forward intently to rest his forearms across his knees. Silence fell until finally, Mahara narrowed those laser blue eyes. “Quit scaring her, Titus. You look like you’d rather attack her than question her.”

Titus scowled, then shook his head. “Forgive me,” he said. “I promise not to bite

but I have so many questions.”

Next to him, Trea drew a shaky breath and he sensed the moment she’d gathered

her courage. She was a brave little thing.

“First, let me say that I’m sorry I’ve brought trouble to your door.”

Titus waved the apology away. “This is home. It’s about time you got used to that

idea. We may be solitary creatures by nature but we stick together through the hard

times. That has been the key to our survival over these many centuries. I am sorry for your loss, Chantrea.”

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Regina Carlysle

“Thank you.” Her eyes filled and she blinked rapidly. The ache of empathy he

experienced was almost overwhelming. Her pain and grief were like living things and

he felt them with unimaginable clarity.

Mahara smiled softly. “They will always be your parents. They live still. In your