Savage Silence: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 4) (12 page)

Yeah…no. “Baby, you’re completely naked, straddling my hips, and sitting on my cock. It’s the sexiest thing in the fucking world.”

“Such a charmer.” She leaned down to give him a kiss, a deep one. The first that held so much passion. One led to two, which led to three, which led to her tongue in his mouth as she rocked her hips over him. His cock was covered in her wetness, and his balls pulled tight to his body as he fought his release. As she fucked his mouth with her tongue and rolled that soft, wet pussy over him with every breath. Ariel was going to make him come before he ever even got inside her.

“Ariel,” he hissed as she pressed back. Sitting up, she let her head fall and rolled her hips over him in a rhythm that made him shake. Made him want to grab. Made him weak. And she fucking moaned. “Oh, now
that’s
fucking sexy. By the gods, I want to be inside you.”

She moaned again, rising up to grasp the base of his cock. And then she sat back. Slowly. Taking him inside in the longest, most torturous slide in the history of the world.

Thaus knew he’d finally died.

“You feel so huge inside me.” Ariel hummed a soft, smooth sound. Not quite moan, not quite growl. All kinds of sexy. “I mean, I knew you were big, but to actually
feel
it…”

Her moans almost killed him, almost threw him right over the edge. And the way she curled her shoulders and closed her eyes, how her jaw fell open in what looked like uncontrollable pleasure…she was going to ruin him. He had to fight to hold back his orgasm, had to bite his lip and think of other things like some sort of pubescent pup to keep from embarrassing himself and disappointing her. The metal panel creaked as he tightened his grip, as he fought the hardest battle of his life not to let go.

“Fuck, Ariel.”

Ariel groaned and rocked her hips in slow, sensuous moves, taking more of him, working herself down his cock. “Oh, yes.”

“That’s it,” he said as she rose up just to slide back down. Teasing him in a way. Killing him in another. “Just like that. You okay?”

“Good. So fucking good.” And she was. Ariel moaned and groaned and rocked her little body over his until she was gasping and arching and clenching around him. Until he knew she was ready to come. Thaus lifted her with his final thrust, rolling her to their sides even as he kept hanging on to the headboard.

“What…” Ariel’s eyes popped open, unfocused and dark. Thaus wanted to run a finger along the side of her face, wanted to wrap his arms around her as they moved into this segment of their mating. He wanted so many things, but he couldn’t have them. Not yet. Maybe not ever. And that was truly okay with him.

“Mating bites?” Thaus kept his hips moving, his thrusts shallow. Ariel’s head fell back as he dragged the base of himself over her clit. Interesting. The position had merit—he’d have to remember it.

“Yes. Please, yes.”

Thaus had to close his eyes, had to slow his hips and focus hard on not coming for another ten seconds. Had to keep her riding that wave toward her own release, though. He slid a hand between them to tease her clit as he leaned over her, giving himself to her first. Offering.

“Go.” He pressed down on her clit, harder than he would have if she wasn’t already so close. She grunted and gasped, her body responding to his touch in the way he knew it would. A powerful orgasm rolling over her, making her shake.

“Thaus…”

“Go.”

And she did. Her teeth slid into his neck in a bite that set off explosions within him. It took everything he had not to roll her over. Not to pull her underneath him and fuck her until they both saw stars. He fought that urge hard, focusing on the pleasure she’d given him, the needs laid out before him.

He focused on his own bite.

Legend had it that some pack women would give their mates bites in secret places. Legs, backsides, right above their cocks…someplace meant for that female alone. Thaus had never understood that compulsion. Part of the mating imperative was that every other fucker around would know the shifter had a mate. He wanted his bite visible to the world, wanted it to be a calling card of sorts. Ariel had bitten his neck—high enough that no shirt would ever cover it—and he wanted to return the favor.

Without pinning her, without even holding her in place, Thaus scented along her neck muscles until he found the perfect spot. Still thrusting, still rubbing her clit, still pushing them toward more and more, he leaned in. And he fucking gave his mate her claiming bite.

Explosions and fireworks and utter pleasure raced through him, her groans and screams as she came all over again adding to the moment. She was his. He was hers and she was his. Their bond was solidified, deeper and stronger than anything else. He would nurture it, cherish it, and help it grow. And no one would ever get between them. Period.

They collapsed in a heap of legs and skin, her on top of him in a way he found surprisingly erotic. His arm around her waist, her body lying across his chest, Thaus was as blissed out as he’d ever been before. There was nothing like his mate in his arms, and there was nothing that would stop him from keeping her safe.

Which was why he jumped up the way he did when he heard footsteps approaching.

“What’s wrong?” Ariel asked, pulling the sheet up against her chest.

“My brothers are here.” Jeans were enough. He didn’t need the rest, but he took the time to search out Ariel’s clothes because she’d need them. Every stitch.

“We knew that,” Ariel said, still looking confused. “They were outside, right?”

Thaus tossed her clothes on the bed. “They’re on patrol for the night. They wouldn’t be at the cabin unless something was wrong. Especially not both of them.”

It took her a second to register his words, but when she did, she was on her feet. He hurriedly helped Ariel into her clothes before pulling her with him into the living room. Hands grasped together, no looseness to his grip. He refused to let her go. Couldn’t stand the thought of being separated from her for a second. Especially not if there was danger nearby.

“What’s happening?” he asked as soon as Phego walked in.

“They’re closer than we thought and coming up more of an eastern route.” Phego stopped and sniffed, looking from Thaus to Ariel and back before shaking his head. Shit, they had to reek of sex and mating and each other. A thought that was oddly comforting to Thaus. Phego would need to deal.

“Got something to say, brother?” Thaus asked, pulling Ariel closer.

Phego didn’t even look at her, which was probably his smartest move. “We saw them at the bottom of the valley on the northeast side.”

“Fuck.” Thaus hurried outside, dragging Ariel with him.

Mammon was waiting just off the porch. “If we blast the whole thing instead of in sections, we can block them, but because of the vastness of the slide, our best route of escape would be west toward the ocean. Every human around will be trying to head south, and they’ll be in our way. We can’t risk exposure or collateral damage.”

That was not the plan Thaus had intended on. “If we don’t blow the ridge?”

“They’ll be here in a few hours.”

“We fight either way,” Phego said.

“Why is having to run west a bad idea?” Ariel asked.

Thaus couldn’t answer her, couldn’t doubt her when everything was going to shit, but Phego could.

“Because of you.”

Thaus’ growl came without warning. “Phego—”

“No disrespect whatsoever, but you’re what they’re after and our weakest link. Without you here, running wouldn’t really be part of the plan. It would be a last-ditch effort should those fuckers get too close, sure, but not a main option. Running toward the ocean limits our escape routes.”

“I can run,” Ariel said, standing up to the big, bad wolf before her.

But she didn’t understand the dilemma, and Phego did. “Can you swim, though? Can you leap off a cliff to avoid the rocks below and swim through the rough into deeper water?”

Ariel stared, not answering. Probably not having thought about the geography of the area.

“I can’t swim,” she finally whispered, sounding so scared and lost. Thaus hated that voice.

Phego sighed, looking as upset by the tone in Ariel’s voice as Thaus felt. “I say we blow the ridge and get ready to run west if need be.”

“Ooh Rah,” Mammon grunted. “Let’s blow some shit up.”

Thaus tugged Ariel closer, keeping to the one-arm hold she seemed to be okay with. “You need to hole up inside. I know you don’t want to be left out, but I have to make a fuckton of bombs go off in just the right sequence, which takes time. I need to know you’re safe.”

She sighed but rose up to drop a quick kiss to his lips. “Fine. But next time, I get to blow shit up, too.”

There wouldn’t be a next time—he’d make sure she was never in danger like this again. But she didn’t need to know that. “Understood.”

A
riel had thought
she’d fought back her demons and earned a bit of peace, but she’d been utterly and totally wrong. It had taken less than three minutes of the Dire Wolves planning for the hammer to fall. Thaus needed to go with Mammon to set up the blast site. He’d obviously struggled with the decision, so she’d made it easier with a smile and an
I’ll be fine
and a
Hurry back
. He ended up buying her lies, kissing her forehead and rushing out the door as she fought to control the panic attack she could feel building, which meant she was left alone with Phego. A man who scared her more than the rest.

Perfect.

“Are you hungry?”

Ariel jumped and spun, tearing her gaze away from the door Thaus had left through to focus on the man trying to be nice. She was a mess.

“Uh, no. Not at all.”

Phego frowned and gestured toward the kitchen. “I’m going to eat. You don’t mind?”

“No. Please do.”

He left her in the living room area of the open floor plan cabin so he could pull some supplies from the pantry. She could feel his eyes on her now and again, but she didn’t react. Instead, she stood and stared at the door, willing herself to stay calm. To not panic. To focus on her breathing so as not to upset Thaus through their bond.

But Phego had other ideas. “You’re number four, you know.”

“Four what?”

“Mates.”

If her heart could have crashed through the floor, it would have. Had Thaus had other mates? She’d never heard of a shifter being gifted more than one fated mate, but Dire Wolves lived a long time. It could be possible. As much as she would hope such a thing would be irrelevant to her current situation, that wasn’t the case. Anger and jealousy bubbled up within her, almost overriding her fears.

“Four?” She cocked her head, regarding the shifter uneasily. “How’d they die?”

Phego growled, his eyes wide and his hand frozen in midair holding a huge butcher knife. “What?”

“Thaus’ mates. How did they—”

“No, no, not Thaus.” Phego laughed and shook his head as he went back to chopping up…something. “You’re his one and only. I meant you’re the fourth Dire Wolf mate. The fourth female brought into our pack.”

“Oh.” Four men mated out of seven after a millennia…those odds were slightly sad. “Where are the rest?”

“Bez and Sariel live in Texas. They’re in Fort Worth right now with Mammon’s mate, Charmeine. He wouldn’t have come if he’d had to leave her alone. And Levi and Amy live in North Carolina.”

“Your pack is spread out?”

“Yeah. We all choose our homes, you know? Wherever we feel comfortable.”

The scientist in her was intrigued by this lifestyle as it went against everything most wolves cherished. The newly mated woman in her was more cautious about the whole idea. Live apart from pack? How did that work?

“And that doesn’t strain the pack dynamic?”

Phego huffed an almost sarcastic laugh. “We’ve been together for centuries upon centuries…nothing strains that.”

He gave her a look that seemed to say
not even you
, which only made her feel worse. Ariel hadn’t thought about where she and Thaus would live once the Glaxious pack issue was taken care of, but apparently, it could be anywhere. So long as he was accessible to his pack for jobs. Would he want to move south to be with the two couples there? Did he have a place he saw as his home? He’d mentioned the cabin being his den, but she had no idea if he meant that as temporary or permanent. Funny, as bad as things were, she didn’t want to leave the little house. Thaus and she’d created memories in this cabin, had started their mating here. She wanted to stay right where they were.

“You know you’re safe, right?”

Ariel startled, refocusing on Phego who stood staring at her. Knife nowhere to be seen. “What?”

“You’re safe with us. Any one of us.” He sighed and shook his head. “Thaus is a brother, which makes you family. We’d never let anything happen to you.”

“I…okay.” But she didn’t feel safe. Or maybe she didn’t feel settled. Without Thaus by her side, there was a staticky sensation to her thoughts. Something rough and hard to decipher. Something she wanted to get rid of so she could concentrate once more.

“You lucked out. He’s the best of us all. Loyal to the core,” Phego said as he sat down to eat his meal.

But the food didn’t matter. Not when his voice carried so much emotion. “You care for him.”

He took a bite, chewing and swallowing as he seemed to think over her words. “I care for all my brothers and would die for any one of them, but Thaus is exemplary. I’d do anything for him because I know he’d do the same for us.”

Ariel wanted to say something back, but her senses fired at that moment and propelled her toward the door. She could sense Thaus coming closer, could feel him through the mating bond. He was returning to her, and she couldn’t wait.

Ariel was almost to the door when it flew open, and Thaus came storming in. He appeared like a man possessed, as if he’d lost something precious and was looking tirelessly for it. And when he saw her, when his eyes met hers, he growled. Precious thing…found.

She was in his gentle hold in a heartbeat, completely surrounded by him before she could take a breath. With his arms holding her off the floor, she wrapped her legs around his hips and held on tight. Needing him just as much as he seemed to need her. Sending him her own relief and need and desire as he flooded their bond with his.

“Yeah,” Phego said with a sarcastic lilt to the word. “We’ll be watching for the Glaxious pack outside.”

He and Mammon shuffled past, but Ariel didn’t care. Her mate was back, safe and sound in her arms once more. And she needed him.

“How long?” Ariel asked when the door closed behind the other Dires.

Thaus growled and pulled her tighter, nuzzling into her neck. Scenting her. “An hour or so, mate.”

By the gods, did she love hearing him call her that. “Plenty of time.”

Ariel bit his jaw and rocked against where he was already so hard for her, letting her desire be known. He set her on her feet and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Fucking her mouth the way she wanted him to do elsewhere. The two stumbled to the bedroom, clothes torn off as they went, no care given to things like doors and locks and delicate skin. Scratches formed, lips were bitten, and fingers probably caused bruises as they grappled to get naked, but she didn’t care. Let them both come out bloody and battered. It would be in the best way.

She was still wearing her panties when she finally pushed him onto the mattress. His jeans were around his ankles still, but she didn’t bother with them. She needed. Wanted. Craved. And he didn’t have to be naked for her to take.

Needful and unable to wait another second, Ariel climbed on top of him just as he grabbed that beloved headboard. She pulled the cotton fabric covering her pussy to one side and lined him up, sinking down with a quiet moan. But it wasn’t quite enough.

“I want to be stronger,” she said, rocking as she stretched to take him in. “Need to get better.”

“You’re pretty fucking perfect as you are,” Thaus said with a groan.

“No, not that.” She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, still rocking, licking across his lips in a way that almost seemed obscene. “I want to get better so you can be on top, my mate. I want to feel your weight on me.”

“Fuck, baby.” The headboard creaked as he pulled, but Ariel didn’t want that. She didn’t need safe or free at that moment. She wanted to be held by him. Only him.

“Put them on me.”

Thaus frowned, slowing his own movements as he stared up at her. “Are you sure?”

Ariel gave the thought the time it deserved, but in the end, she nodded. The idea intrigued her, made her pussy wetter, exciting her to the point of pain. The bond to her mate reassured her that he had no intentions of hurting her. She knew that in a way, but the backup was nice. The surety that came from feeling such a connection a gift. She could be with him without fear…at least in some ways.

“Please. I trust you.” And she did, which was something she hadn’t fully expected to happen so soon. Thaus seemed to realize that. He moved his arms slowly, releasing the headboard almost one finger at a time. When he was finally free, he lowered his arms and grabbed her hips gently, not controlling, not pushing. Just…holding. Touching.

And it felt good.

“Harder,” she gasped as she slid a hand to her pussy to press against her clit. Thaus groaned, his eyes locked on that hand. His fingers digging deeper into her thighs. The two rocked and thrust and groaned their way through their orgasms, both crashing within seconds of the other. Thaus arched almost off the bed, snarling through his teeth as her pussy clenched around him. Ariel came a second time, Thaus’ pleasure pulsing through their bond throwing her over the edge one more time. A definite benefit to the whole mated-feeling bond thing.

“Baby,” Thaus whispered, pulling her into a deep and delicious kiss. His hand on her hip, hers on his chest. It almost felt normal. Expected. No fear or panic, no visions of terror or anxiety blackouts. This was Ariel and her mate, and the moment was more beautiful than she could have imagined.

“We’re almost there,” she whispered, smiling down at the man who brought her so much joy. “You’re putting me back together, and we’re almost there.”

Thaus furrowed his brow and leaned up for anther sweet kiss. “You’re putting yourself together. I’m just holding the glue as you do.”

They curled up together, one big pile of tangled limbs and sweaty skin. And as Ariel rested, as she prepared herself for what she knew was to come, she wondered if that was true. Had she made all the repairs herself? Or had Thaus pushed her with his patience and support? She might never know, the only way to be sure being to break the mating bond. Something she didn’t want.

Something that brought back every ounce of anxiety she’d ever lived with.