Sorcha's Wolf (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Alex shifted deep inside Sorcha, making her gasp into the bedding and claw at the sheets in an attempt to gain a breath past the pleasure smothering her. “Oh, Alex.”

“Aye, witch, just once more, eh?” He thrust his hips forward, filling and stretching her with his thick erection until she felt his sac rest against her sensitive flesh. It was so erotic, so sexy feeling him like that, she shivered, aching for the orgasm he was withholding.

“Alex, stop torturing me!”

He chuckled low in his throat and nipped her along her shoulder blade. The hot rush of pleasure that caused almost shoved her over. Behind her like this, his big thighs on either side of her hips, his arms resting near her head, he dominated her. The feeling drove her nuts, and Alex, the cunning wolf, knew it. He flexed his shaft and managed to hit every spot he’d discovered these last three days of bliss.

“Oh, goddess, Alex!”

“Ah, torture. That would be you”—he dipped his sweaty head and brushed his unshaven jaw along her cheek—“bathing for me, eh?”

She smiled and snuggled against his jaw. Micro bursts of heat simmered along every nerve ending, but Alex, teasing her so tenderly, as if he’d only just learnt how, made her squirm with happiness. “You asked me to. This is torture. I want—oh, Alex!”

He rammed forward then, cutting off her oxygen. Immediately he started smooth movements, rocking her up and down his heavy flesh just with the command of his hips. Each collision of their bodies and glide of his cock inside her channel pinned her down, unable to move for fear of losing the bursts of pleasure.

“Aye, so warm, so damn soft and wet for me, eh?” he whispered heavily in her ear.

“Alex!” She arched her ass higher, when he simply bore down on her, tormenting her with his straining erection.

“Aye, woman, this, this is what you want, eh?” He squeezed her hips and shoved her forward with the next roll of his hips. She clawed the sheets, overwhelmed by his heavy strokes and the hot weight of him pressing her down. She wanted to watch him, see his tight ass flex and his back arch with each wonderful pump of his hips, but there was no mirror. Even if she had one, she thought as he nipped at her shoulder, she couldn’t find the power to move with the pleasure building inside her. He positioned one hand under her and found her clit, cupping her mound and sliding his fingers along her in the way he’d learnt she loved.

“Come, come, come for me,” he chanted and his harsh breath mixed with the urgency in his flexing body until she crashed over the edge, clinging to the arm he had positioned by her head. He cursed, and suddenly tugged her to her hands and knees. He began a hard and fast smack of his body to hers until with a ragged yell of her name he came. Right when she felt as if she’d floated off into space, he pulled them to their sides and bit her.

“Alex!” Another orgasm burst like a wild fire, sweeping her up with spinning, tightening spirals. She could feel his canines breaking the skin, the hot bite so sexy she moaned his name as his hard shaft continued to fill her.

He broke off with a loud groan at the end of one more lunge. “Ah, yeah, witch. I love that, Sorcha. How wet you get for me, woman.”

She grumbled a laugh into his arm.
Witch. Woman. Sorcha
. The man made her weep from orgasms that should be illegal, but his love words, endearments, needed work. But to be fair, she didn’t call him anything but Alex. After so long loving him and not being able to say it, or express it, now all she wanted was to hear his name on her lips and know he was hers.

“Ah, gods, I don’t want to move,” he murmured against her shoulder.

“Don’t.” She snuggled her butt closer to his body, smiling in his arm when he gave her a lusty growl.

“Aye? Stay like this, eh?” he asked, flexing his body so his cock pressed deeper.

“Why not?” She knew why not, and suddenly the butterflies, the ones that had been missing for the last three days took flight in her stomach. They had to go face Zith today. “We should wash and go.”

Instead of answering her, he tightened his embrace. “What do you want from me, Sorcha? Do you want me to let you go? Leave this chance at ending the man that took my family from me?”

She shivered at the cold, ruthless quality of his voice, understanding now that the colder Alex became the more emotions he tried to shut down. She wiggled until he let her turn in his arms. She stopped him when he tried to move away simply by touching his face. “No, Alex, of course I don’t want that. If we can, we beat him, if we can’t though I want you to promise me you’ll go when I ask.”

His face tightened, she felt it under her fingers, and her heart leapt with worry and panic. Alex, unlike her, had never run from what he wanted.

“Did you know, witch, did you know who I was before I kidnapped you? Is that why my name fell so readily from your lips?” He gently traced a finger over her bottom lip, before caressing his knuckles over her cheek.

She didn’t answer. How could she? What could she say? That she’d met him once before, ages past, and he’d stared at her, until she’d seen the disgust colour his face and he’d turned away, pushing through the crowded market to get away from her. She’d died a little that day. At seventeen, she’d felt her heart turn cold and her dreams burn to ash.

Why had he done that? She knew him so much more now, knew his expressions, knew him to be brave and fierce, but not cruel. Bossy. Pushy, every bit a man’s man. Dominant in bed and earthy with his lusts, but never harmful, never intentionally mean.

“Did you know me? Before? Did you know me here, in Scotland?”

He frowned and scanned her face as if seeing it for the first time.

When he didn’t speak, she broke eye contact with him to trail her fingers over his chest. Maybe he’d simply not really seen her.

“Alex! Open the damn door goddamn it!” Pounding followed the rough yell, nearly scaring her to death.

“Sonofabitch, damn pup doesn’t have good timing, eh? Up, witch, seems we have company.”

“Company?” she asked faintly, watching him gather her clothes off a chair and toss them to her.

“Aye, Markee,” he grumbled to her, then turned to yell, “Hold your damn horses!”

Sorcha breathed in deeply and got up, brushing aside her desire to hear Alex’s reply for her need to be presentable in front of Markee. Presentable. Her hair was in tangles, the curls a riot around her face all the way to her hips. She’d not bathed until this morning when Alex had teased her into stripping for him. She’d teased him back by soaping every inch of her body in the big wooden tub he’d procured for them from who knew where.

“You look lovely. Just dress quickly, he’s in a fine fit.” Alex brushed his hand along her back, a bare ghost of a caress, but her body, so tuned to his, warmed, and he grunted. “Damn, he better have a good excuse for being here. The plan was to meet at the mountain.”

“He’s probably worried. You heard Agni—”

Alex bent and placed a finger against her lips. He really, really didn’t like Agni.

“Shh, dress.” With an arrogant smile, he cupped her breast, wincing once before kissing the tip and lifting his head to stare at her.

“I thought you wanted me dressed,” she murmured.

“I
need
you dressed, I don’t want you to. Do it. Gods, you tempt me.” He backed off and rubbed his neck, watching her intently enough that she grew nervous just putting her panties on, let alone her snug jeans and bra. When she clipped the tiny clasp closed, he gusted out a sigh.

“I liked you stripping better, but damn, woman, I like to watch you move.”

“Alex, you’re impossible.” She would have said more, but Markee must have waited long enough because he started banging again.

“Dammit, Alex, open up now! Bloody hell I’ve—”

“Markee, will you just be patient while I get my clothes on!” she yelled.

At the sound of her voice, Markee stopped banging and quiet fell over the cabin. From outside, they both heard the hushed, “Aye, then, I’ll wait.”

Alex grinned and winked at her, but sauntered to the door. He waited until she’d got her sweater on then nodded to her feet. He didn’t open the door, but stood there, while she put on her socks and boots. She should be embarrassed. His scent covered her. She had several new bite marks, even pink patches from where his rough stubble had burnt her, but instead of feeling even the slightest bit embarrassed, she felt so well loved, she couldn’t stop smiling. Even with the unanswered questions between them, hope still bubbled up for the first time in such a long, long time, she simply felt good.

Alex examined her once more, then with a grin, he turned to open the door. “Well, what is it then?” he demanded.

Markee stood there, his head slightly down, his shoulders slumped, but when Alex spoke, he looked up.

She gasped and Alex cursed. Markee sported an evil bruise along his cheek and jaw and a slice along the side of his face, a black eye and his nose looked recently broken.

“Aye, dinna worry over me, Alex, I’ll be
fine
,” he muttered.

“Oh, goddess, who did that to you?” Sorcha asked, already moving towards him.

“Don’task, I’d rather no’ discuss it,” he mumbled his words, the rough accent she didn’t remember him having sounded slurred.

“What happened to you, man?” Alex pulled him in and shut the door.

“You happened to me. Didn’t I tell you they’d find out? Didn’t I tell you that there would be trouble? Didn’t I warn you—?”

“Are you telling me someone did this to you to get information?” Alex demanded. He grabbed Markee by the coat sleeve and hauled him into a chair. “What have I always said to you—?”

“No, this dinna happen over this—shit. Trouble wanted to strip my hide, but she didnae do this. The damn bar fight last night did this—or, eh, possibly this morning.” He shoved his hair back and eased into the chair until he could rest his head on the back of it. “Waiting on you, I got a wee bit bored and then that damn nosey demon and his drink. Ah, the man can drink.”

“You’re drunk!” Alex exclaimed.

Sorcha giggled at Alex’s outraged tone and he spared her a glare.

“What? It’s funny! Are you drunk, Markee?”

“Hell yeah, crazy bastard stole you, a witch—excuse me, I mean you, Sorcha, and traipses off after some warlock like he can defeat a magic user? Ha, like hell man, I cannae defeat Hunter in Pac Man and you want to go after some evil bastard and do you take a witch with you—sorry, Sorcha—with you to use her powers? Hell no! Bloody bastard’s blackmailing me, too. How the hell do you plan on defeating him, tell me that!”

Well, that was something. She covered her mouth to keep in a laugh, but Alex gave her another stern look and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Do you both think I’m an idiot?”

She froze but couldn’t stop her smile from growing. She shook her head quickly, at his deeper frown. “Of course not.”

“Damn straight we do!” Markee yelled, slamming his fist down. His nose had already straightened and the bruise on his jaw wasn’t as dark already. His Lykae healing seemed to work even when drunk.

“Witch, I don’t like it when you lie,” Alex said silkily.

She swung her head around and met his intense look. “Maybe I fibbed, not actually lied. I mean, I don’t
think
you’re an idiot,” she offered, nervously stepping back when he dropped his arms and stalked towards her. “You must have a good plan.”

“I must have a good plan.” He tilted his head and stopped hedging her in.

“Yes, I knew you had
something
.”
Just not what
. “What is it?”

“You. I have you.”

“But you’ve blocked her from helping you, ya daft bastard!”

Markee really wasn’t helping, but he was amusing. “Do you ever drink like that?” she asked Alex.

Alex’s eyebrows drew down and he spared Markee a glance. Markee belched loudly, fisted his chest, and said, “Excuse me.”

“Not hardly, why?”

“It would be interesting to see you like that. Markee is quite…talkative.”

“Aye, well, I can talk without enough whisky to pickle a vat of onions. Now, what do you think I plan to do, witch? I’d like to hear this.”

“Are you badgering me for answers? If you have a plan besides me breaking this potion, then spill it.”

Alex grinned and suddenly scooped her up, hugging her under his chin. “I plan to kill the miserable bastard. He’s hurt you, eh? For that, he deserves to die. For my father and brother, for everything. I have a witch. What can he do?”

“But my powers are bound! What if I can’t break the potion? I will be—”

“I don’t just have one potion, witch.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alex smiled. Her expressive face ran the gamut of emotions—worry, confusion, fear then realisation and now pissed off woman if he had to guess. She thumped her knuckles on his chest and narrowed her brilliant eyes at him.

“You had potion to cure me the whole time! How
could
you? How could you have that and not tell me!” she demanded, then rushed on to say, “Why tell me now?”

“Because you’ve been worrying over not being able to break this potion. If I’d told you before now that I could return your powers, Zith might have got the truth out of you if he’d captured you. I couldn’t chance that, or you.”

Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened then she did the most amazing thing—she jumped in his arms and kissed him. Not just kissed him, she went wild as if he’d done the most amazing thing and she couldn’t wait for them to be alone.

“Alex,” she whispered in his ear, “I want you. Right now.”

Holy mother of all
. He’d been all over Sorcha for three days and never once had she told him such a thing. Maybe because he didn’t give her a chance, but still, a man couldn’t let his woman tell him such a thing without rewarding her. “Markee, get down to the inn again.”

“Like hell I will, you two need to stop because I’m not leaving.”

“I want you right now, Alex, I want to lick every inch of you then make you come so hard you sprain something,” she whispered in his ear.

This could not be happening. Sorcha, telling him she wanted him and she wanted to lick him? Lick him…
His eyes locked on her lips and he yelled, “Markee!”

“I’m no’ leavin’ damn it, no matter what she whispers in your damn ear! We have a plan remember?”

Shit. Markee was right
. How could he
not
have this though? “You’d go to your knees for me and love me that way? Gift me with that?” he managed to ask in her ear.

“Yes, I want to suck every inch until you fall down.”

“Shit!
Sweetheart
you can’t
say
things like that to man—”

She cut him off with a happy squeal and kissed him so deeply he was ready to take her whether Markee was there or not.

She pulled away, taking those lush lips with her and cupped his face. He could barely breathe.
Damn woman
, he was the man, he controlled their breathing, not her.

“Together, we will kill this jerk, okay? I really like it when you call me sweetheart, too, Alex.”

A chill raced down his back as if she’d tossed him into the loch. She couldn’t have said anything that would have caused him to lose his erection as quickly. “Not a fucking chance.”

“What?” She blinked and frowned at him, clearly understanding him, but not liking it one bit. “You won’t call me sweetheart again?”

“You know what I mean, Sorcha. I’ve decided you’re not getting within a hundred miles of that sick bastard.”

“What? We already are within a hundred miles you idiot!”

“Aye, but you won’t be for much longer. Agni is going to—”

“Alex, you are not dumping me now. Not a chance. I won’t allow it no matter what you say or do. You
need
me.”

“Aye, you crazy bastard, you need ‘er,” Markee called with another loud belch.

“Markee go sleep off your damn drunk. Sorcha, I’m not chancing you getting hurt. I need you out of this—”

“No!” She tried to pull free, but he refused, holding her tightly with her legs around his hips. “Let me go this instant!” She struggled harder and damn it she was going to hurt herself so he reluctantly eased her to her feet. She tried to pace away from him, but he simply held her wrists.

She tossed her fiery curls and glared. Didn’t matter. This was right. Keeping her safe was right.

“Sorcha, I can’t risk it. Markee has another witch, she’ll impersonate you, and you will be—”

She lowered her head and hissed at him like a cat. “What! You have another witch all set to go, huh? Will you
take her virginity
too? Or simply gag her and drag her around with her wrists bound?” she demanded loud enough for Markee to hear.

“Ah, hell,” Markee grumbled.

“Damn it, Sorcha, I’m doing the right thing. The witch has been paid well—”

“Listen to yourself. Can you hear yourself? I can, I can hear you. But can you hear me? Markee can’t make me leave and you know what? Neither can
you
.”

She tried to jerk free, but he held on. He wanted her to understand that he’dd never meant to harm her, never would let it happen again, but she gasped and a tear fell from her eye.

“Ouch!”

He dropped her hands as if he’d burnt them. “Did I hurt you? I didnae mean to hold you so tightly.”

He bent to inspect her fragile wrists and she decked him. Amazed, he watched her hop around with her hand cradled to her bosom, sucking in a breath and wincing.
Could she be more adorable?

“Sorcha, you’ll hurt yourself.”

The door opened and Agni shoved inside, closing it with a snap to turn to them with a grin. “Miss me?”

“What are you doing here, demon?” Alex growled.

“I thought I’d take Sorcha to safety,
wolf
.”

Sorcha gave him a shocked look that quickly turned icy cold. “You called Agni? To come collect me and make room for your new witch?”

“Hell no—”

“Aw, fuck, a fight. Got popcorn, dude?” Agni called to Markee.

“Agni!” Sorcha stormed.

Alex took a step towards the grinning bastard. “Shut the hell—”

“Stop!” Sorcha yelled. Her eyes blazed, full of hurt and anger. At him. He’d fucked up, but how else could he keep her safe? “Enough, I’ve had enough,” she said, throwing her arms up. “I’m leaving. If you’re too stupid to see what you have right in front of you, then you don’t deserve this second chance. I’m sure Agni agrees,” she snipped.

“Yep, I agree,” Agni said crossing his arms and tipping his chair back against the wall.

Alex ignored him. Later he’d kick his ass, for now, he stalked towards Sorcha, the name Agni driving him like nothing else she could have said. She tripped a chair in front of him and he stumbled, hitting his shin painfully on the thing.

“You’d go with him?” he accused.

She nodded, pissing him off even more. “You called him to take me away, so complaining now—”

“I didnae call him!”

She sniffed and turned away to glance around the room as if looking for something.

“What are you looking for?”

“My jacket, so I can leave with Agni.”

“You do care for him!” He didn’t bother keeping his voice down.

She winced at his bellow but calmly twisted her riot of curls and flicked a contemptuous gaze over him. He thought she might deny it, but she shrugged and released her hair.

“Of course I do. He
values
me. He would never throw me aside for another. He
knows
I’m strong.”

He grabbed her upper arm. “I know you’re strong. I value you, can’t you see that?” he muttered to her, not liking one bit that the nosey demon listened not ten feet away.

“No, I can’t. I’ve never been good enough for you, have I?” She shrugged his hand off and stormed to where they’d tossed her jacket yesterday at the end of the bed. They’d been in too much of a hurry after a brief walk outside to care where their clothes landed. He watched her stab her arms into the thing. He stalked to her side and jerked it half off her.

“What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

“You’ve met me before. You simply don’t remember. I was a young, stupid girl, thinking she’d found her mate, and you—” She broke off and gestured at him, pulling her jacket free simply because he was too stunned by her words to hold onto it. A memory stirred—the same one he’d experienced when he’d claimed her virginity.

Tears shone in her eyes, and as he watched, they spilled, unchecked, down her cheeks. “Last time I left thinking maybe in time you’d see I was worth something, but this time, I know I am worth something,
Alex
,” she whispered brokenly.

A memory, so distant he’d tried to latch onto it before but failed—until now—spread out before him at the sound of his name. This time he caught and held the images, forcing his mind to recall the details that had eluded him until now. It was from that time in his life when all he’d wanted was death for those who’d killed his kin, he realised. Those distant memories blurred with the rage he’d survived on. That part of his life had been full of killing. Out of that past, a sudden, sharp detail emerged and hit with the force of a battering ram right in his gut.

Sorcha—only a Sorcha barely blossoming into the woman standing before him now—her glorious curls had been tousled by the wind. He recalled watching her tug them out of her eyes to stare at him hopefully. She’d not yet reached immortality, so full of life and hope, that he’d glimpsed himself through her eyes. She’d thought him a hero.

In response, he had felt dirty and ragged. He’d known then he was no hero, no warrior of worth. He had felt more like an animal than a man—and in that moment he’d been disgusted with himself. Sickened with what he’d become—a killer out for nothing more than the blood he could spill.

He remembered now, clearly, as if someone had ripped the curtain away from his past. He had stared down at her beauty, and turned from her and the life full of love and laughter he had seen shining so brightly in her eyes.

That distant memory only took seconds to fill him with the knowledge of all he’d lost that far away day. He blinked and Sorcha—live and whole—stood facing him, tears drowning out the brilliance of her eyes. Her hand covered her mouth, but she didn’t back down from him. She challenged him now as she hadn’t all those years before. This time he grabbed hold of her with both hands and hauled her closer.

There was no chance of letting her go now. Not even to protect her.

“It’s always been I who didn’t deserve you,” he told her quietly. “I wanted to protect you, Sorcha, then and now, but I can see, now, you are a survivor, a warrior, much as I am. We will go together, win this fight, and then we will talk, eh?” He watched her beautiful face as the pain etching her brow slowly eased.

Markee’s chair creaked and Agni muttered something about it was about time.

Alex ignored them both. Instead, he focused solely on Sorcha. She dropped her head, but not quickly enough for him to miss seeing her swipe at her cheeks. When she did look at him, she nodded cautiously.

“Perhaps, perhaps not, but if you try to set me aside again”—she folded her arms and glared at him—“I’ll fry you like a toad in the Mohave Desert.”

He held in his grin and resisted the urge to exhale in relief. “Aye, I suspect you will.”

A small ding sounded in the cabin.

“Markee! Agni! Take cover,” he shouted, tossing Sorcha down to protect her with his body. He dragged the heavy mattress on top of them with another curse at both men to get moving. Seconds later, the air exploded around them.