The Mating Project (19 page)

He
pulled back slightly to give her some wriggle room, but that band around his
heart grew tighter, when her body followed his as though they were connected by
invisible string.

"Say
that again, please. I don't think I heard you right."

The
breathy little words wrapped themselves around him, and he ducked his head to
inhale her beloved scent. A shudder went through her when he let his canines
graze against the sensitive skin behind her ear. His wolf urged him to mark
her, so that everyone around knew she was his, but it would place her in even
more danger, and he wanted to do this right. He wanted her family's permission,
because, no matter how much she railed and cursed at her parents, Malachi knew
she loved them. She would go against their wishes, if she had to. He could
sense that quiet determination inside her, but he also knew she would wither
and die without their approval. And
he couldn't, wouldn't,
let that happen
.

"I
love you, princess."

Her
cat's sigh of submission calmed his wolf, and he grinned at her feisty reply.

"I'm
not a princess."

Tear
shimmered on her eyelashes when he pulled back again so that he could see her
expression.

"No,
but you're my princess."

Her
mouth fell slightly open, and this time he did kiss her. Maria melted against
him, and he put all of his emotions and all of his hopes for the future into
the kiss. She kissed him back, their tongues dueling for supremacy, until he
fisted his hands in her hair and she surrendered to him with a sigh.

He broke the
kiss with difficulty, and he groaned when she cupped his cock through his jog
pants and whispered.

"Yes, I'm
your princess. God help me, I shouldn't be, but I am. I love you, too."

Something broke
in him at those words, and he scooped her up and wordlessly carried her back to
his room. She shrugged out of the tee the minute he placed her in the middle of
his bed, and his throat went dry when she lay back and spread her legs wide in
a silent offering

It gave him the
perfect view of her wet cunt. Pink, puffy, and still slightly swollen from last
night's exploits, her outer lips glistened with her natural lubrication, and
already her clit peeked out of its hooded hiding place. A tremor went through
her when he took off his sweat pants and fisted his heavy erection.

"Touch
yourself for me, princess. Let me see how much you want this."

Her eyes widened,
but she opened her legs wider and parted her pussy lips with her fingers until
nothing was hidden from his view, and he groaned, as another trickle of her
arousal left her pussy hole and ran a path down into the cleft of her ass. He
had to taste her. A whimper went through her when he grasped her hips and
tilted them up to give him even better access. Her hands went in his hair at
the first swipe of his tongue along her soaked slit, and she arched her back.

"Oh, yes,
yes.
Just there.
Oh, Malachi, please…"

He pulled back
and blew against her quivering pussy. She mewled and tried to tighten her
thighs, but he simply shouldered her legs further apart and laughed.

"Oh
no.
I want to watch you fall apart like this. I want to see your cunt quiver and
shake and your juices gush for me as I watch." He used his thumb to circle
her nubbin as he spoke, and Maria let go off his hair and clutched the bed
sheets instead as her hips jerked in involuntary movements that told him how
close she was. In truth he, too, was grinding his aching cock into the bed to
relieve some of the pressure building up in his balls.

"God,
please, I can't. Help me."

He increased the
pressure and speed with which he manipulated her
clit,
and Maria's movements grew more frantic. Her pussy lips got darker as blood
rushed to that area, and her body grew tight and almost bowed off the bed. The
most endearing blush spread over her chest and up into her face, as the sheen
of arousal coated her skin. When he thrust two fingers into her clenching
pussy, her walls gripped them tight, and the tiny tremors told him how close she
was to release. He forced the tissues apart by adding a third digit, until he
found the little bump that would drive her wild with need.

Maria swore, and
for the longest time she stilled, trying to catch her breath as her body pulled
his fingers deeper and deeper and the tremors got wilder. She gushed for him,
soaking them both, and Malachi curled his fingers up and pushed.

It was what she
needed to get her off over the edge, and he watched as her eyes flew open and
she screamed as her release washed over.

On and on he
pushed her, until she begged him to stop, and he grinned and licked her clean.
It was only when the last tremors stopped that he reached across to grab a
condom, but Maria's breathless words stopped him.

"Please,
don't. I want to feel all of you. I'm on the pill, and … Oh."

He'd meant to go
easy on her. She would still be sore for him, but the minute his dick breached
her hole his wolf took over. The feel of her hot, silken walls closing around
him proved too much. The tiny tremors still shaking her vagina squeezed his
cock, and when she tightened her internal muscles around him, he was a goner.
His balls drew tight, and his orgasm shot through him, as he thrust into her
like a madman. Maria kissed him, and their hands interlinked as he emptied his
cum deep inside the clasp of her body. He ground his hips into hers until he
bumped his cock against her clit with every thrust in and out, and Maria came
again. Her orgasm milked his dick until he was completely spent, and, eyes
locked, they stared at each other.

When her
aftershocks finally stopped he bent to kiss her again, and Maria sighed against
his lips as his softening cock slipped out of her. He rolled sideways, taking
her with him and she curled into his side with a content sigh.

They stayed like
that for the longest time, until Maria propped herself up on one elbow. Her
long blonde locks wrapped themselves around them both, and he brushed them off
her face better to see her face.

"Where is
Silas gone?"

Maria looked so
worried again his wolf whined.

"He's gone
to speak to Cole Jackson."

Chapter
Fourteen

The ominous
conversation she'd had with Malachi a week ago forced its way back into Maria's
mind as she watched Cole Jackson work the room. There was no mistaking his
presence. The tall bear shifter demanded attention wherever he went. It was
hard to believe that a week had passed already. A week in which she'd spent
every minute of her spare time with Malachi and Silas. They should be with her
now, here, at this gathering. Instead she was playing hide away from Anton and
every other unmated shifter around. It was beyond ridiculous. The only bright
spark had been her little cousins and the obvious happiness that surrounded her
brothers and their mate.

It had even
wrung a reluctant smile from her dad. He seemed extraordinarily troubled
tonight. Maria tried her best to stay away from him, too. She was not taking
any chances that he might grab her and use the occasion to announce her
intended mating with Anton or something.

Emmi had proven
to be the distraction she'd hoped for. Even Maria had been taken aback when
Cole had introduced her to Maria's father. The little human was still human,
but her scent had changed completely. Anyone would think she was a bear
shifter, and as happy as Maria was for her friend, she was also insanely
jealous.

Emmi had Cole's
protection, and no one dared argue with him. Not only was he one of the few
remaining originals, he was also head of the council's security team. The man
had by all accounts been delighted to have Silas on his team. He had been less
enthused about the return of Malachi.

It seemed De
Souza had managed to link Malachi's name to all sort of heinous crimes, and it
had taken all of Silas's considerable negotiation skills to get Cole to even
listen to what he had to say.

A smile played
around Maria's lips as she recalled Silas's account of their conversation. Her
righteous Professor had resorted to blackmail to get what he wanted. It was a
measure of Silas's reputation and skill that Cole hadn’t simply taken his head
off for that impertinence.

Instead they had
struck a deal. Silas was joining Cole's team of scientists in return for Cole's
support in reinstating Malachi. The shifter had made no promises, but he'd
agreed to look into the evidence Malachi and Silas had amassed against De
Souza, which had left the three of them at a standstill.

Not as far as
their relationship went, of course. No, that was coming on in leaps and bounds.
If only they didn't have that Damocles sword hanging over them. Maria had never
been happier or sadder in her entire life. The seesaw of emotion was starting
to take its toll, and now she'd lost Emmi in the crowd. Cole, too, seemed to be
searching for her, and Maria watched in horror as he took off at a run,
changing into his bear as he did so. Doug, the original elephant shifter,
stomped after him, and even her brothers shifted and took off.

Most of the
assembled shifters reacted to the threat in the air, and Maria's cat, too,
strained to be let free. A horrible, paralyzing fear, gripped her as doors
crashed open and the breeze brought with it the scent of blood—Emmi's blood.

Good
God,
no.

With the sounds
of fighting in her ears Maria took off. There wasn't room for her to shift
fully in the crush of people that strained to see what was going on, but her
cat's abilities came in handy as she jumped over people's shoulders until one
of Cole's security team stopped her from entering into the room.

She didn't need
to go in to realize what happened. The once cozy sunroom had morphed into a
murder scene. The mutilated bodies of several shifters lay on the floor,
including a she-bear, who had once been rumored to be Cole Jackson's mate. But
it was the man himself that had the blood freeze in her veins. Back in his
human form he cradled an unconscious Emmi in his arms. The side of her face was
exposed down to the bone due to what looked the swipe of a massive paw, and her
entire torso was covered in blood.
So much blood that Maria
had to swallow down her bile.
Good
God, the baby.

It was the heavy
erection that dug into her ass, however, which made her bring up her earlier
hors d' oeuvres, as Anton's sickly smell wrapped itself around her.

"I'll take
care of her. You clean up this mess."

He yanked her
head back by her hair and lifted her clean off the floor, by wrapping his arm
around her waist.

With murmured
apologies of,
coming through, she feels
faint, pardon me,
he barged them through the crowd. Maria fought him like a
wild cat, but she was no match for his superior strength. Her claws left
screeching marks on the corridors as she dug them into the plaster in a vain
attempt to stop his relentless progress.

He slammed her
into a wall and pushed his arm into her neck with enough force to cut off her
air supply, and his hot breath singed her eyebrows as he leant in close.

"Oh, yes,
do fight, little cat. Makes breaking your spirit so much easier. By the time
I'm done with you, you'll be screaming my name, and every thought of your
pathetic little human will have left your brain. Think he's safe, now that he's
working for Jackson, do you?
Simpletons, the lot of you.
Jackson couldn't even protect his so called little human mate. I hope she dies
and her abominable offspring with her. Jackson knows the rules better than
anyone. Bloodlines need to be protected, not diluted."

Maria's vision
dimmed as she struggled to breathe, and it was a huge relief when there was a
curious crunch, and his hold on her lessened.

"What the
fuck do you think you're doing to my daughter?"

Her mother's
outraged screech rang in her ears, and Anton's growl was cut off as her
diminutive mother swung the heavy frying pan again and made contact with the
side of Anton's head. The cougar shifter stumbled and shook his head. As heavy
as the blow had been it only stunned him for a second, and then he yanked the
pan out her mother's hand and threw it away. It smashed though the kitchen
window, and Maria threw herself on top of her mother, to protect her from the
blow that never came. Instead Malachi's and Silas's scent surrounded them, and
the sounds of vicious fighting could be heard.

"Here,
little cat, I've got you. Mrs. Anderson, can you stand? Let me help you."

"Silas?
What are you
doing here?"

Before he could
answer her, the shrill sound of whistles deafened them all, and security swept
in, and separated Malachi and Anton.

The cougar
shifter's face was a mess where Malachi must have got a few good punches in and
he didn't look much better. Blood ran down his face from a cut above his eyes,
but he paid it no heed. His gaze bored into hers, and Maria shrugged Silas off
her and ran toward him.