Seduced by the Wolf (2 page)

Stunned disbelief shot through Ariel. Was she really listening to Jarrett telling her he needed to father a child? How he would instruct his pack to assist her only if… She closed her eyes as naughty fantasies she'd abandoned resurfaced. She was naked, lying beneath him in that big bed. Sweat glistened on his brow, his chocolate-brown eyes darkened in fierce concentration as he pushed into her body, his flesh slapping against hers as they made love to conceive his longed-for heir.

It was sex. Just sex.

And dangerous. If his men were around…

“You want me as a mate to give you a child. But nothing more.”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have feelings for me, Jarrett?” She had to know. “Or is it just the sex?”

His mouth thinned to a tight slash. “I have no more feelings left to give, Ariel.”

The Fae inside her cried out to draw him closer and offer comfort. She had to leave. Now, before she capitulated. Because with Jarrett, it wouldn't be comfort. It would be mind-bending, wild sex that could send them both spiraling out of control.

She pushed to her feet, and a violent trembling seized her muscles. Ariel grabbed onto a nearby bedpost, missed and began to fall.

Jarrett stood and caught her, hefted her into his arms. A lock of blond hair spilled into his face. So handsome, the face of an angel with devilish dark eyes. A beast looked out of those eyes, the wolf held at bay.

“You're freezing. Let's get you warmed up.”

For a wild moment she thought he would toss her onto the big bed. Instead, with the toe of one boot, Jarrett pushed open the bathroom door. He elbowed aside the glass doors and stepped inside a shower the size of a walk-in closet. Very gently, he set her down on the seat. Closing her eyes, Ariel sagged against the wall. She felt so damned exposed and vulnerable. She wanted to collapse in a shivering heap on the floor and curl up in the fetal position.

Sheer will prevented her from doing so.

The slow rasp of a zipper caught her attention. Jarrett shrugged out of his jeans, tugged his mulberry sweater over his head. His chest was broad, dusted with dark blond hair. A scar slashed across the thick muscles of his right shoulder. It looked like a claw mark.

Black boxers fit snug against his lean hips. He was leanly muscled, six feet of lethal wolf in a man's strong body. Ariel's breath hitched as she remembered the passion between them that had once threatened to consume them.

And then she'd slipped out of his bed before things got too dicey. Went too far.

Jarrett stepped into the shower, helped her to stand. One arm locked around her middle as he stood behind her and twisted the knobs. Warm water cascaded over her battered body. Ariel flinched, sagging against him as he murmured assurances. He pushed a hand through her hair, his touch oddly soothing. Her life was literally in this wolf's hands.

He could snap her neck for intruding on his territory.

Jarrett reached for the soap and began washing her. His touch was gentle as he slid the bar over the scrapes and bruises on her arms, washed the lacerations on her face. Delicious warmth stole over her body. Ariel closed her eyes.

“I can't give you what you want, Jarrett.”

Water beat against her overly sensitive skin. A slow glide of soap over her midsection. She felt his big body grow taut as he stroked the bar back and forth.

“You're a Lupine Fae. You have shifter blood mingling with your Fae genes. You can mother my children.”

“Your people would never accept such a child.” Ariel couldn't do this. Not with Jarrett. Too much was between them.

“They would. They need an heir. I need you, Ariel. I want you.” His voice became rough with desire. “You belong in my bed.”

“There's nothing between us but the past.”

He set down the soap. Cupping her chin in one hand, he forced her to turn.

Jarrett took her mouth.

His lips were firm and commanding as he kissed her. His scent of pine and spice filled her senses, sent the wolf inside her whining with excitement, ready to mate. Jarrett coaxed her lips apart and plunged his tongue inside. Sexual need made her body soft and pliant, willing. Ariel turned into the kiss, tasting him, her mouth moving against his. She sensed rather than saw the glow of white sparks, like tiny fireflies, rising from her wet skin.

No. Not again. Not ever. Ariel pulled away.

His mouth was on her skin now, lips lightly tasting the droplets on her shoulder. Ariel's breasts tingled. She opened her eyes, saw her lower body shimmering with white light. Panic raced through her.

He must not see. But soon he would, and then…

“I can't do this. There's nothing between us anymore.” Ariel wriggled, trying to free herself, but he held her tight against him.

“Liar,” he said softly. “I can scent your arousal.”

Jarrett stroked the bar of soap up and lathered one breast. He trailed a finger lazily over a pebbling nipple. She ached for his touch. Moisture gathered between her legs, her body betraying her.

She threw her head back in a small moan as he thumbed her nipple, flicking it expertly.

“Give in,” he murmured. “Let it go, Ariel. Let it go.”

“I can't.”

The pleasure built higher and higher, her body growing tight and hot. No longer was she cold, she was fire, molten fire with the heat at her core intensifying….

Through the silk boxers, his erection prodded at her backside. It grew thicker and longer. His strokes grew harder, more intent. She sensed he was slipping, his arousal becoming painful and urgent. Soon…he'd lose control.

Jarrett growled deep in his throat. “Damn,” he grated out, the roughness of his voice turning guttural. “Have to have you. Now. On your knees and spread your legs.”

“No. Stop, please.”

Words whispered, fear seeping from her pores. Ariel wriggled against his grip, but he was stronger and taller. He could force her easily.

“Jarrett.” She said his name louder. “Jarrett!”

Then his arm loosened around her waist. She turned and backed against the shower knobs. They dug painfully into her back, but not as painful as the stunned realization on his face.

Jarrett stepped back, shock whitening his mouth. Amber flashed in his eyes, the glow of the wolf's change emerging. Ariel slid her hands down her hips, willing her desire to fade. Slowly, he breathed in and out, wrestling for control of the beast.

“Shit,” he murmured. “That never happened before.”

“I wouldn't let it. Because we never got to that point before, Jarrett. And that day in your bed, I felt it happen, felt myself becoming aroused to that point…” Ariel gulped down a breath. “That's why I left you and never looked back. It was too dangerous.”

Claws poked through his fingertips, then slowly receded. Jarrett wrestled the beast back into its cage.

“This is why I can't mate with you, Jarrett.” Her throat closed tight. Too many memories and regrets. “I am a Lupine Fae and it's safest to have sex with another of my kind. None of your people have ever seen this. Experienced it. And if the males do…”

“They'll be unable to stop themselves from coming after you.”

Ariel nodded, shielding her breasts with her hands, feeling her nakedness. “It's in your blood, the pheromones my body emits are irresistible to male werewolves. It will drive them mad with lust, and they'll come after me. You won't let that happen….”

“And I'll be forced to take them down. Fight my own damn pack. To the death.”

Jarrett's jaw clenched. The need for Ariel was burning, his body tight, his cock painfully thick and hard. Never before had he craved release so badly. Having Chloe as a mate, oh, he'd loved her. Protected her, kept her safe. Theirs had been a relationship filled with pleasantries.

Not like this, the crazed, mindless frenzy to mate driving him blind with lust. He could barely think.

Inside, the wolf howled for release. Passion drove it to the surface. Jarrett grimly forced down the beast, his human half struggling for control.

He rubbed the nape of his neck. “We'll work around it.”

Ariel shrank against the wall of the shower as he reached past her to turn off the water. He hated the flash of fear in her eyes.

“I won't hurt you,” he promised. Damnit, he would claw himself apart before allowing that.

Had to get out, get away from her delicious scent shooting through his body and firing his blood. Jarrett stepped out of the shower. He stripped off the boxers, wincing as the silk scraped against his erection. He reached for a towel, glanced at Ariel, and tossed it to her.

Wrapping the towel around herself, she left the shower. He hated the misery on her face, her own sexual need reflecting in those deep blue eyes. A white glow tinged her pale flesh. She smelled sweet as chocolate and sinfully dark. His hands reached out for her. Jarrett forced them to drop.

“Out, Ariel. Get dressed.” Christ, he could barely force out the words. “I'll be out in a minute.”

When the door clicked shut behind her, he stalked over to the sink. It didn't take long. Two quick pumps of his fist. Jarrett released a long groan, his body clenching as his cock jerked and shot the warm seed into a towel. Trembling, he gripped the sink's edge. The quick satisfaction hadn't satisfied the need. Just dulled it a little.

He looked into the mirror, saw his jaw clench, the wild amber in his eyes masking the dark brown. Droplets rolled down his wet hair, splashing into the sink.

Breathing through it, he thought of every painful memory to force back control. Gradually he could think again.

Jarrett wadded up the towel and pitched it into a wicker hamper, feeling disgusted and frustrated.

“Jarrett!”

Hair on his nape stood at the fear in Ariel's voice. Growling, he ran out of the bathroom, not caring he was still naked and half-erect. Only thinking of Ariel, she sounded so scared…. Damnit, he had to get to her.

Jarrett skidded to a halt just outside the kitchen.

Through the smashed screen door, he saw dozens of his men mingling on the porch, their bodies tense. Fingers curled knuckle-white, claws emerging from their fingertips. Sam, his best friend, his buddy who'd taken a direct hit by a big jaguar to save Jarrett's skin, stepped up. Jarrett barely recognized his Beta. Sweat beaded his forehead. His eyes were wild and he looked dangerous.

“What is that scent? I need…it's driving me mad.”

With absolute gentleness, Jarrett clasped Ariel's arm, pulled her back behind him. He growled a warning at his men.

“Get out.”

Relief filled him as they slowly turned and trudged down the porch. Jarrett released Ariel's arm. She was pale and shaking.

“Too bad females emit pheromones by air,” he said, jamming a hand through his damp hair. “Because unless we move to Utah, there's no escaping this. And next time, damnit, I don't know if they'll listen to me.”

Two hours later, Ariel stood on the porch of Jarrett's cabin, looking upward at the dark recess in the cliff.

Jarrett had gone hunting with his men, leaving her alone. Earlier, a few pack females had introduced themselves. Dina, Sam's mate, was gentle and sweet, but her features were taut with strain.

Ariel wondered if they'd sensed their mates had been drawn to Jarrett's cabin. She propped her feet on the porch railing and studied her bare toes.

Even in the cold, she preferred walking barefoot, like most of her people. Freeing, the feel of earth beneath her soles. It kept her centered with nature.

Wind rustled through the pines. Distant howls echoed down the mountain. Her skin prickled.

Her people seldom shifted. Their magick was too weak to withstand the pain. Only Ariel had been strong enough. It was the reason she and Jarrett had found each other years ago. She'd been splashing about in the river in wolf form, playfully catching fish, when he'd chanced upon her.

They'd almost become lovers. But she'd run away, far from him, returning reluctantly to Colorado only when her Fae leader pleaded for help.

And now…

Two dozen large gray wolves entered the meadow, racing through grass. Ariel's heart beat faster as she glimpsed the leader, his black markings clearly defining him as the Alpha.

The leader ran toward the cabin, leapt over the porch railing, shifting in the process. Jarrett waved a hand, clothing himself by magick. He silently assessed Ariel as his men joined him, shifting into their human forms.

Their faces were taut, bodies tense. The one called Sam had two vicious claw marks on his arm. A few others sported bruises. She sensed their anger, their feral need.

They circled her, like the wolves they were. Ariel suddenly felt very small and powerless.

“Back off.”

Jarrett's voice was soft but filled with menace. The men left and he straddled a chair beside her and picked up her left foot. Calloused fingers stroked over her sole, his touch gentle and erotic on her sensitive skin.

A breathy laugh escaped her as he tickled her toes.

“Bare feet still, huh? I always thought they were sexy.” Jarrett's smoky gaze stroked over her body like a sensual caress.

“You know we always go barefoot. Keeps a link to the earth.”

She felt open, wanting, craving him as much as before. A hank of blond hair hung over his brow. His dark gaze burned into her. Yet it was the new lines of pain carved beside his mouth, the haunting shadows in his eyes that called to her.

“You miss Chloe, and blame yourself for her death. But you must not,” she said gently.

Jarrett stiffened. “I carry no guilt. I got rid of that a long time ago.”

“Yet I feel emptiness inside you, Jarrett.” Ariel reached out to touch him.

He caught her finger, brought it to his mouth and gave it a long, slow lick. Jarrett inhaled deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs. Desire pulled her forward as he slowly licked her finger.

“Then fill me, Ariel. Make me forget, as only you can.”

The husky timbre of his voice caressed every inch of her body. For her own protection, she had to get this conversation back to the business that had brought her here.” What did you find on the mountain?” Ariel jerked her hand away.

He jumped up onto the railing, balancing himself as he squatted down and locked gazes with her. Watching. Waiting. Like a wolf assessing prey.

“We saw nothing in the cave.”

“Nothing? But there is something. I followed the scent, it was heavy, dark and metallic. .”

“There was no scent. The cave was empty, except for a few bleached animal bones.” Jarrett stalked over to her. He lifted her chin with a finger. “What aren't you telling me, Ariel?”

“It must be the cave. I tracked the scent, it trailed up the mountain and I know it was leading to the cave. If it's not in the cave, then whatever it is must have moved. But I'm certain it's still on your land.”

He slid a palm up her cheek, his gaze heated. “Then you'll need me to track it down. Mate with me, Ariel, and I'll find whatever it is.”

“I can't. It's too dangerous.”

Her heart thudded a crazy beat as he leaned closer. “We'll find a way. Somehow. I need you, Ariel. We need each other,” he said as he leaned in closer and nuzzled her neck. “Damn, you smell so good. All I could think about when I was running was you, how you'd taste beneath my tongue….”

Ariel leaned away. It hurt, knowing he wanted her body, but nothing more. “I want more than sex, Jarrett. If you need me as your mate, I have to have more.”

“I can't give you what you want.”

He sounded weary. His gaze was flat as a muddied pond. She wanted love, companionship. Not merely to become someone to warm his bed, bear his children. But Jarrett couldn't give her more.

A dull ache settled on her chest. Could anyone give her anything more? Her own people had let her leave without protest. They knew how strong she was in her shifter abilities. She felt the familiar loneliness engulf her.

Ariel pushed aside her emotions. She'd made a promise to Cael and would keep it. Her own joy was secondary to her people's survival.

“Find what is taking my people. And I'll do as you ask.”

She'd thought he'd pounce, wolf that he was, and insist on consummating their agreement in his bed. But his expression went oddly blank. Jarrett pulled away. He leaned against the railing. “The scent you followed, it led from your colony? From which house?”

She wriggled her bare toes. “Doesn't matter where it originated, only where it ends.”

“What are you hiding from me, Ariel?”

“It's not important.”
And it's too sensitive to reveal to you.
She changed the subject. “Have you seen or heard anything odd?”

“We've been back on our lands only six months. My men and I were kept as prisoners on acres of land in an isolated area in Washington, away from humans, away from everyone. We had freedom to rove, but a magick barrier kept us from leaving. We were separated from our females for three decades. Three decades, even in the lifespan of a werewolf who lives for hundreds of years, is a hell of a long time. They're getting more and more…difficult. Dangerous.” He rubbed the back of his neck, muscles in his mouth pulling downward. “A few got into a fight on the mountain. Sam had to pull them apart. Too much testosterone.”

“Why?”

“Because they're avoiding their mates. They crave them, want them badly, but refuse to conceive until I take a mate and impregnate her. So to avoid any accidental pregnancies, they've remained celibate for the past few months.”

“That's absurd!”

“Pack rules are rules. The alpha produces offspring before all others can. And until I do, my men will remain testy and frustrated. Each day pushes them closer to the edge.”

But for him?

“You would do anything for your people.”

A statement, not a question. She knew his dedication, his fierceness for protecting the pack. The pack came before all else.

“I took a mate after you left because of it. Chloe was pregnant with our first when she—” He paused, his expression stricken. “When she died.”

A knife lay on the railing nearby, its ornate gold handle dull. Jarrett picked it up and examined it. “This is the ceremonial blade the alpha uses to cut the cord of his firstborn. My father used it after my birth, and his father used it before him. It's an honored tradition among my people, signifying the continuation of life. The blade always rested in a velvet case. After Chloe died…”

Jarrett whirled and threw the knife. It sank into the cabin's wall, quivered there for a moment. “I started using it for target practice.”

His shoulders sagged a moment. He shoved a hand through the thick mass of his blond hair. “What's the use? Are we doomed to die out, never leaving a legacy to our children because of past mistakes? Because I was foolish enough to react in anger, and help start the fight that killed her?”

The tough demeanor masked the waves of pain radiating from him. Ariel went over and pulled the knife free. She handled it with reverence, and then reached for his clenched fist. Gently she pried open his fingers and set the blade in his palm. “You must not lose hope, Jarrett. Life always finds a way. My people know this. The cycle continues.”

Doubt shadowed his expression. “Does it? When you've lost so much, and you risk your own people? The cycle for us has been blood, violence. Death.”

“There has to be balance. There will be. You can do it.”

A spark of desire sizzled inside her, the need to fuel his blood with passion and erase the darkness inside him. This Jarrett mimicked a dead meadow, devoid of green grass, waiting for the spring rain's restoration. She must find the old Jarrett, who laughed, burst with passion and energy and wildness.

Against her better judgment, Ariel touched him.

Her palm slid up the roughness of his chambray shirt. A few blond hairs showed on a small triangle of exposed skin. She touched them, and then placed her hand over his thumping heart. Chocolate-brown eyes gazed at her in a guarded look.

“You were filled with passion for life before. Find that passion again, Jarrett. Your people need it more than they need you to father a child. When I talk of life, I'm talking about your life. Not the life of future generations.”

He looked so lost, she ached for him. Needed to chase away the emptiness, and find the Jarrett who once spent hours enjoying running through the woods for the thrill of the chase. He'd honed his skills with playfulness, and his zeal extended to hot kisses and tender passion.

Not this shell of the man he once was.

Ariel leaned up, slid her hands around his neck. “Find your life again, Jarrett. I can help you.”

His mouth was cold, firm, but she pressed her lips against him. The knife tumbled to the floor with a clatter.

Like a block of melting ice, she felt him heat with her touch. Jarrett pulled her closer. With a groan, he surrendered. Deepening the kiss, his tongue thrust urgently into her mouth as if he were drawing air from her lungs. Drawing out her life and fueling his own.

Every Fae cell burst with energy, the craving for connection and bonding sparked by his desperate need. Her people were of the earth, pulled their energy from it and gave it freely to replenish. No one needed her energy and magick more than Jarrett. Her body began to glow with natural arousal. White light bathed them as Jarrett unfastened her jeans, slid a hand down past her panties and cupped her sex possessively.

He slid a long finger into her and she cried out. Ariel pumped her hips against his teasing strokes, as his caresses became more urgent and frantic.

“Come for me, Ariel,” he whispered. “Look at me. I want to watch you come for me.”

Her eyes flew open. She saw his face, ruthless with lust and intent. He stroked harder and she clung to him. His finger stroked her wet core, sliding back and forth. The pleasure built higher and higher, cresting over her as a shuddering cry wrung from her throat.

Jarrett pulled away, fastening her jeans. The swirls of darkness vanished from his eyes. The chiseled angles of his face did not soften, but hardened with purpose.

He brought his fingers to his mouth, slowly licked them. “My mouth on you. Soon, Ariel. You will be in my bed. What you felt is nothing compared to the pleasure I'll bring you.”

Desire became a hot, throbbing need singing through her body. She could smell her own arousal, feel her body's natural glow pulse like an aura, harmonizing with the natural cycle of life.

Then he glanced past her and swore softly.

Onto the porch came his men, tension knotting every muscle in their bodies. They looked feral and wild as they stared at Ariel.

Sam, the largest and strongest, snarled. His eyes were filled with hard lust. He reached out and she saw claws emerge from his fingertips. Jarrett snarled back, his wolf rising to the surface. Fresh panic raced through Ariel. The sweet moment of loving faded in light of the ferocious males. Jarrett released her, pushed her behind him, using his body as a shield.

Sam raised his hands as if to strike. Jarrett's own claws emerged. Both men were heavily muscled, but Jarrett had the advantage of height. Ariel knew he could hurt Sam badly. She saw him look at her, torment swirling in his eyes.

Hurting Sam to protect her would shatter Jarrett. Ariel whipped her head around, spotted a few of the women in the distance. She screamed for them.

Both Sam and Jarrett hesitated.

The women raced toward the cabin. Dina was first, bounding up the steps, pushing past the throng of sullen men until she reached her mate.

“Please Sam. Look at me. At me. I need you.”

Dina's soft, musical voice eased the tension. Both men seemed to struggle with their frenzied emotions, the need to protect finally overriding the demanding animal instinct to fight and possess.

Dina approached the big male and laid a hand on Sam's forearm. He quivered and shuddered. It was like watching a small, delicate woman pet a tiger. “Please Sam. Don't do it. It's Jarrett, our leader and your friend.”

Sam turned to Dina, his jaw working. “I want you, Dina. Damnit, I need you. This is killing me.”

“We promised. We made a vow never to break the pack rules. You know we can't risk loving each other until Jarrett gives us an heir. It's the law.”

“I can't wait.” Sam's jaw became granite, his gaze glittering with misery and sexual need. “It's getting worse.”

Dina stroked his cheek, her own misery apparent. “We must.”

Slowly he eased out a breath, then with a gentleness surprising for such a big male, took Dina's hand. “I love you,” he whispered.

Ariel's heart ached for the couple. She sagged against the porch railing as the other males filed down the steps, going to their mates. Jarrett's hands relaxed, but when he turned, his mouth was a narrow slash.