Winter Craving (6 page)

He thrust more
of his length into her, then pulled back. He continued the in and out motion
until she’d taken all of him. Her inner walls gripped him, increasing the
sensations he experienced. Her soft moans filled his ears. His mate gave him
more pleasure than any other ever could. She was the one. They fit perfectly
together.

Shyla matched
each of his strokes. Cyrus set the pace faster, gliding in and out of her, his
cock growing even harder. He wasn’t going to last much longer. Plus, the
instinct to bite her was getting harder to resist.

He reached
around her and found her clit. Cyrus rubbed his finger back and forth across it
as he took her in harder thrusts. She panted, his name a whimper. He put his
free arm around Shyla’s waist and bent over her back as he held her to him and
pistoned into her. He gently bit where her shoulder and neck met, barely
stopping from breaking the skin. His jaw ached from going against everything
that screamed inside him to do it, to make them mates.

Shyla moaned as
her pussy clutched and released his plunging cock. His balls rose closer to his
body and the point of no return slammed into him. Cyrus came, giving her
everything he had, thrusting as deep as he could go.

Once the last
wave of pleasure ended, he pulled out of her, then turned her and held her
close. He kissed her with all that he felt for her. He loved this human who
meant so much to him. Even though it hadn’t been quite twenty-four hours since
he’d come to know Shyla was his, he a hard time remembering what it was like without
her being around. Kiel had said how fast he’d fallen for his mate, and it
looked as if Cyrus was doing the same.

Shyla reached up
and stroked where his mate brand was on his neck and shoulder. “That was pretty
intense. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at a shower the same way again.”

He brushed his
lips against hers. “I have to agree.”

“I think we’d
better get out now. The water is starting to get cold.”

Cyrus realized
she was right. He let her go and turned. He turned off the taps before he
pushed open the shower curtain. He stepped out first and grabbed one of the
towels from the shelf above the toilet. Once Shyla stood beside him, he
proceeded to dry her off and then himself.

He scooped her
up into his arms and walked out of the bathroom. He headed straight for the
bedroom. Inside the shower had been round one. Before the night was through, he
planned to make love to his mate until she was too exhausted to leave his bed.

Chapter Six

Shyla slowly
woke up. She looked around the room, and given how there wasn’t much light, she
assumed it was still early morning. Why she’d awakened at this time, she had no
idea, considering she and Cyrus had made love for most of the night.

A smile spread
across her face. Sex with Cyrus had surpassed any of her expectations. It was
almost as if he worshipped her body as he touched, licked and kissed every part
of her. After he’d taken her in just about every position imagined, she
definitely didn’t feel self-conscious about being naked around him. How could
she when he made her feel beautiful?

It was after the
last time they’d made love she’d realized she’d fallen for him. And hard. It
was crazy to be thinking about having a happily ever after with him at this
stage, but she couldn’t stop herself. He was the one. The man she’d thought
she’d never find. With her feelings totally invested, she could picture them
getting married and having kids. She’d never told Nancy, not even her parents,
how badly she wanted children. At twenty-nine, and with no serious prospects,
Shyla had begun to think her time was running out.

Now Cyrus had
come into her life. He was perfect for her. If he were to ask her to move in
that very day, she wouldn’t turn him down. To start a new life, and hopefully
find someone to share it with her, had been a big reason for her move to Canyon
Creek. She liked the way people lived their lives there. It was laid back
compared to Chicago.

She just had to
work up the courage to tell Cyrus what he’d come to mean to her. She had a
feeling he felt the same about her. The way he looked and held her, it showed
how much he cared.

Shyla closed her
eyes, thinking she’d try to go back to sleep. A sound like one of the growls
Cyrus had the habit of making while he was in her arms had her opening them
again. With a smile, she turned her head to where he lay beside her. What met
her gaze had her sitting bolt upright.

It wasn’t Cyrus
who was in the bed next to her but a black wolf, just as large as the ones
who’d been outside in the yard the day before. Its head was on the pillow as it
lay on its belly with the covers partly pulled up over it. Its front paws
twitched, as if it dreamed. It growled and whined.

Shyla kept
perfectly still, not wanting to awaken the wolf. How the hell had it gotten
into the cabin let alone the bed was anybody’s guess. And where was Cyrus?
She’d fallen asleep in his arms. He had to be there somewhere.

Her breath
caught in her lungs as the wolf’s body suddenly blurred. Between one blink and
the next it’d changed into Cyrus. Her mouth fell open as she breathed too
quickly. Was she losing her mind? Had she actually seen him change from a wolf
to a man? It was crazy. She ran her gaze over him. He was stretched out on his
stomach in the same position as the wolf had been.

She remained as
still as a rock, staring at him. His even breathing told her he was deeply
asleep. The seconds ticked by and then the minutes. Cyrus stayed as Cyrus.
Shyla rubbed her eyes. Had she been half asleep and dreaming without realizing
it?

The answer to
that question was a big fat no when Cyrus’ body blurred and he was a wolf once
more. This time Shyla’s heart tried to beat out of her chest. A trickle of fear
pushed through her. She should run, but she couldn’t move. This shouldn’t be
happening.

Shyla took a
deep breath and a shriek pushed out of her on the exhale. The wolf came
suddenly awake and stood on its paws. It looked around the room as anyone would
when startled out of a deep sleep. It then turned its gaze on her.

She stiffened,
feeling on the verge of hyperventilating. “How…how can you turn into a huge,
freaking wolf?”

The wolf glanced
down at itself. He then did a very human eye roll accompanied by a shake of his
lupine head. If she hadn’t been so scared, she more than likely would have
laughed.

The animal
leaned toward her, and Shyla scrambled back until her hands touched the very
edge of the mattress. The wolf froze in place, then his body blurred and Cyrus
took its place.

“I guess that
answers the question of whether or not I still sleep shift,” he said.

She would have
jumped out bed, but he moved faster than she’d seen anyone accomplish and had
her wrapped in his arms. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed, but he
didn’t loosen his hold.

“It’s okay,
Shyla,” Cyrus said in a calm, even tone. “Slow down your breathing. I can hear
your heart beating too fast. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I-I saw you
ch-change into a wolf,” she stammered.

“I know.”

“H-how? It can’t
be real.”

Cyrus took hold
of her chin with one hand and titled her head up to meet his gaze as he kept
his other arm firmly around her. “I can smell your fear. It’s all right. It’s
still me. And it was real.”

“No, it isn’t.
If it is, then what I always thought was make believe is real and you’re a
fricking werewolf.”

“Sorry to burst
that bubble. And I’m not a werewolf. I’m a wolf shifter.”

“That’s the same
thing.” Shyla’s voice rose as her fear increased.

“No, it isn’t.
My base form is the wolf. I’m able to take on the form of a man. I was born a
wolf.”

“In other words,
you were a puppy and not a baby?”

“Something like
that.” Cyrus searched her face. “You’re only getting more scared of me. Relax,
Shyla. You’re in no danger. I’m still the same man who made love to you last
night.”

“Don’t you mean
wolf?” Something hit Shyla like a ton of bricks. “After you had my shirt for my
scent, you turned into a wolf and found me in the storm that way, right?”

“Yes. In that
form, I have the same sense of smell like any wild wolf so I made up having
hunting dogs. I just never expected your scent to mean more.”

“What do you
mean by more?”

“I don’t think I
should tell you. At least not right now. You’ve already had a big shock. I will
say I’d planned to tell you at some point what I was.”

Shyla shook her
head. “No. You’ll tell me now. You can’t say something like that and have me
allow you to explain when you feel I’m ready. Waiting won’t help.”

Cyrus stared at
her for a few seconds before he gave a curt nod. “All right. I knew from your
scent that you were my mate.”

She pushed on
his chest again, but that only had him putting both arms around her and holding
so she couldn’t break free.

“Your mate?” she
asked. “Like a wild animal takes a mate?”

A low,
real-sounding wolf growl rumbled out of him. “Not really like that. It means
you’re the one meant to be mine.”

“And you know
this how?”

“If I’m going to
explain this right, I have to start at the beginning. At the age of thirty, all
male wolf shifters have the mate brand appear on their skin.” Cyrus pointed to
what she’d thought was his black tattoo of the two howling wolves circled in
Celtic knot work. “This is the sign that it’s time for him to find his mate. He
feels a great need to find her and claim her. A certain part of his anatomy
stops working. Once he catches the scent of his mate, it comes to life. Only
she does that for him, which means she’s his.”

“So in other
words, I made your dick hard where before you couldn’t get it up?”

“As a crude
explanation, yes. To claim you, I’d have to bite you while we make love. I have
to break the skin. Only then will the invisible link that will join us together
form. Once it does, the same mate brand will mark you on the same place where
your neck and shoulder meet. The knot work will be in blues, greens and reds,
and mine will change from black to those exact colors as well. With the bond,
it’ll tie you to me, and me to you. Nothing will ever be able to break it.”

Shyla took a deep
breath to try to calm down. That delicious smell she’d always associated with
Cyrus filled her head. It also had some of her fear changing to arousal. She
shook her head.

“I don’t want to
be turned-on right now, but I get a whiff of how good you smell and I can’t
help myself,” she said on a wail.

“That’s nature’s
way of making sure the link forms. My scent is supposed to entice my mate, to
make her want me to complete the mating.”

She pushed at
Cyrus’ chest and kept pushing until he finally let her go. Shyla jumped out of
bed. “So basically it’s not giving me any choice. It acts like an aphrodisiac,
one I can’t resist. While I’ve been with you, I really haven’t acted on how I
truly feel about you?”

Cyrus came to
stand in front of her. “No. You’re my mate. You should have feelings for me. My
scent only helps it along. It makes it so you’ll be more than willing to have
me claim you.”

She took a few
steps back, putting more space between them. “That’s still not giving me a
choice. Before you, I never slept with a man I’d just met. Those I did go to
bed with, I waited until we’d been together for a while. Now I know why I acted
so out of character.”

He tried to
reach for her, but she jumped away. He blew out a frustrated-sounding breath.
“You make it sound as if I took you against your will. I didn’t. It played on
the attraction you already have for me.”

Shyla shook her
head. She didn’t want to listen to any more. She’d heard enough. “I need to
leave. If you won’t drive me to my cousin’s place, I’ll call John and have him
pick me up.”

“Shyla, please
stay. You’re confused. I can help you through it.”

“Confused?
That’s an understatement. I found out the man I slept with is a wolf shifter
who really isn’t a man. Then you tell me your scent makes me want to have sex
with you. I’m starting to question if what I feel for you is even real. I can’t
do this. I have to go.”

He looked
suddenly crestfallen, but she steeled herself against it. She couldn’t think
straight with his scent making her want him so much. She had to get away and
see if what she thought was love had only been lust.

“Don’t call
John,” Cyrus said. “I’ll take you. The roads should be clear by now. I’ll get
dressed, then we can go.”

She nodded and
set about gathering up her clothes. Shyla dressed without really looking at
Cyrus as he moved around the room doing the same. He walked out into the main
part of the cabin before she did.

After Shyla had
put on her boots, winter jacket, mitts and hat, she picked up her snow pants
and waited by the door for Cyrus to finish getting ready. He joined her, then
silently led the way outside. They didn’t speak to each other once he backed
his crossover out of the shed and she climbed into the passenger side. Nor did
the silence break during the short drive into town.

Shyla gave Cyrus
directions to her cousin’s house once they arrived at the outskirts. After he
pulled into the driveway, she placed her hand on the handle of the door to get
out. He reached across and captured the wrist on her free arm to prevent her
from leaving.

“Shyla, wait. I
understand you need some time to get your head around everything, but we still
need to talk.”

She turned to
look at him. “About what? I think you’ve said everything.”

“Ignoring it
won’t make it all go away. You’re my mate. Nothing will change that. And yes,
there is more I have to say. Like the fact I love you. No one can take your
place in my heart.”

“Stop,” Shyla
said. “Hearing that isn’t going to make me instantly accept what you are. The
only reason why I’m not screaming my head off is because of that damn scent of
yours. It’s messing with my mind. I need to have some space.”

“All right. When
can I see you again?”

“I really don’t
know.”

“When you feel
ready, you know where I live. Come to me there. It’s your choice. I’d never
force you into something you don’t want.” He slowly released her wrist.

Shyla nodded.
She pushed open the door and stepped out of the crossover. Once she closed it,
she headed for the front of the house. Numbness had set in. Now that she no
longer could smell Cyrus’ scent, the affect it had over her faded little by
little. By the time she’d reached the door, she heard the sound of the
crossover backing out of the driveway. She didn’t turn to look. And at the
moment, she had no idea if she could bring herself to see him again.

* * * *

Cyrus drove to
his cabin basically on autopilot. He hadn’t a fricking clue how things were
going to turn out with Shyla. He couldn’t lose her. She meant the world to him,
and no other woman would take her place. How was he supposed to have known a
sleep condition he’d had since childhood would be his downfall? He’d thought
he’d gotten over shifting between his two forms while sleeping a long time ago.
Maybe it’d started again because the need to claim his mate rode him. Shyla
being human had added a different stress level to it all.

He’d done all he
could. Now it was up to Shyla. Even though he had a time limit before he had to
claim her as his mate or lose his humanity, he’d never force her to accept him.
He wanted her to want him for him.