Winter Craving (8 page)

“Will you do it,
Shyla?” Neha asked. “You don’t have to feel as if you’re alone. If you allow
Cyrus to claim you, you’ll be my sister. I can help you adjust to this new
life. You’ll get used to seeing them in their wolf forms. They still are the
same people on the inside no matter what form they’re in. And I know Cyrus
loves you. Once the link bonds you two, you’ll understand just how much.”

“I’ll do it. I
love him. I don’t want to lose him like that, especially since I can do
something to stop it from happening.”

Neha smiled.
“You won’t regret it. I promise.”

Shyla hurried to
the entranceway with Neha following behind her. She wasted no time getting on
her boots and jacket. Now that she’d made the decision to be with Cyrus, to be
his mate, a sense of urgency took hold of her. She was going to save him. There
was no question of her failing him.

Chapter Eight

Shyla stared out
the car window of Neha’s SUV and wished the scenery going by would go faster.
She needed to get to Cyrus, to make things the way they were supposed to be.
She just hoped she wasn’t too late.

Neha turned onto
the plowed path that led to Cyrus’ cabin. Once she parked in front of the shed,
they both got out of the vehicle. Shyla looked around. There didn’t appear to
be anyone around.

“I guess Cyrus
isn’t back,” Shyla said as she walked to the middle of the yard.

“They must be
still looking for him. I’ll call for Kiel.”

Neha cupped her
hands around her mouth and called her mate’s name. It wasn’t too long before a
large black wolf came running out of the trees from the right side of the
cabin. Shyla couldn’t stop herself from taking a step back as it slowed and
walked closer.

“It’s okay,
Shyla,” Neha said with a smile. “It’s Kiel. None of them will hurt you.”

As if to prove
her words true, the wolf came to a stop in front of Neha, then turned and
leaned against her. His back was almost level with Neha’s hip. The woman sank
her hands into the animal’s fur and gave him a good scratch.

“See,” Neha
said. “There’s nothing to worry about.” She titled up the wolf’s head to look
up at her. “Any luck finding Cyrus? Shyla knows everything now and she wants
her mate.”

The wolf’s body
blurred and a man with similar looks as Cyrus’ took its place. He had the same
black hair and light green eyes. The way he looked at Neha, and she at him,
there was no mistaking how much in love they were. He gave his mate a kiss
before he put his arm around her shoulders and turned to face Shyla.

“Hi, Shyla. I’m
Kiel. The brother you didn’t get to meet. I’m glad you came. My whole family
will be, actually.”

“Cyrus told me
about you. Where is he?”

“He’s on the
property somewhere. Memphis, Gage, Rhett and Talon are trying to herd him in
this direction. He’s resisting, but with you here now, I have a feeling that’ll
change. He should be able to pick up your scent soon.”

“Isn’t he too
far off for that?”

Kiel chuckled
and tapped his nose. “Wolf shifters have a very keen sense of smell. We can
pick up a scent trail a mile away. With you being Cyrus’ mate, once he gets a whiff,
he’ll head straight for you.” The sound of a wolf howling had Kiel smiling. “He
must have just picked up on it now. That was Cyrus’ howl.”

A patch of black
in the trees behind Neha and Kiel caught Shyla’s attention. She soon saw it was
another wolf just as big as Kiel had been. It came to a stop at the very edge
of the tree line, threw back its head and howled.

Kiel turned in
the wolf’s direction as Neha stepped to the side. “That’s Cyrus. It looks as if
you might have to coax him closer, Shyla. Plus, I think Neha and I being here
isn’t helping.”

Shyla quickly
made a decision. “You both can leave. Just tell me what I have to do.”

“Are you sure?”
At her nod, Kiel continued. “You need to get him inside the cabin. Once you do,
if he isn’t thinking much like a man, you’ll be able to trap him there since he
won’t know how to open the latch on the door. Then it’s just a matter of
getting him to shift to human form. From there, nature will take its course.”

“All right. I’ll
do my best.”

Shyla remained
where she was until both Neha and Kiel got into the SUV and drove away. Once
she and Cyrus were alone, she slowly walked toward him. He didn’t try to run.
He stood in place and intently watched her. After about a minute of that with
him doing nothing, she spoke.

“Cyrus, I know
you’re in there somewhere. I came here to be with you, to have you claim me, so
you need to shift.” He cocked his head. Good, he was listening. She just didn’t
know if he understood what she’d said. She shivered. “Neha told me male wolf
shifters feel they have to protect and keep their mates happy. Well, I’m
freezing. We should be inside the cabin where it’ll be warm.”

Shyla took a
chance as she turned her back on him and slowly headed toward the cabin. She
glanced over her shoulder and saw Cyrus followed a short distance behind. Once
she climbed the steps to the porch and opened the door, he stopped at the
stairs.

She tried
another tactic. “Cyrus, get your furry butt inside the cabin right now. I’m not
going in until you do. It’ll be your choice if I freeze or not.”

He put one paw
on the step, then another and another as he took them one at a time. He whined
once he stood on the porch.

“Now, Cyrus.”

Cyrus walked
toward her. He rubbed his head along her hand and gave it a lick as he stepped
by her and into the cabin. Shyla quickly followed him in and closed the door,
making sure the latch fell into place.

There was no
fire going in the woodstove. Shyla kicked off her winter boots, went over to it
and set to work building a fire. After she had it burning enough to throw some
heat, she headed to the bedroom. Cyrus followed her, still in wolf form.

She had a
roaring fire going in the fireplace before she took off her jacket and turned
her attention on the wolf. Shyla slowly closed the distance between them. She
reached out, touched the top of his furred head and scratched. His tail wagged
back and forth.

“You like that,
huh?” she asked with a smile. “If you shift, you’ll like even more what I’ll do
to you.”

He cocked his
head again, and she had serious doubts as to whether or not he understood her.

“Come on, Cyrus.
You have to shift.” Shyla kneeled on the floor and ran her hands down his back.
“I know you’re just about out of time when it comes to your humanity, but you
can’t have lost it completely yet. You have to fight for control. Come back to
me.”

Nothing
happened. He sat on his haunches and wagged his tail again. How the hell could
she entice Cyrus to take on his human form? It wasn’t as if she could strip for
him and turn him on. If he was more animal than man right now, it’d have no
effect on him at all.

Shyla wrapped
her arms around his furry neck and kissed his head. “Don’t do this to me. I
know I took it hard about what you are, but I’ve come to terms with it. You
have to shift and claim me. If you don’t, and you lose your humanity, I’ll feel
guilty for the rest of my life. It’ll be all my fault. There won’t be anyone
else for me. I’ll move into your cabin and live out the rest of my days here
just so I can be close to the wolf who owns my heart. It won’t be a happy life,
I can tell you that. I’ll mourn every day what could have been.”

She laid it on
kind of thick, but she didn’t know how else to play on his need to keep her
happy. If the guilt trip worked, all the better. She wasn’t above playing it
up. He had to shift, no matter what.

Her knees were getting
sore from kneeling on the hardwood floor. Shyla stood. “If this is going to
take a while, I’m going to get comfortable.”

She went to the
bed and climbed up on it. As she propped a pillow against the headboard and
leaned back on it, Cyrus jumped up next to her. He lay down and put his head on
her lap. Shyla didn’t think twice about petting him. Maybe her touch would help
bring him around.

While she petted
him, starting at the top of his head and running her hand down his back, she
said, “Since I’m going to live here one way or the other, the first thing I’ll
do is get electricity. I can understand why Neha wanted it in hers and Kiel’s
cabin. We city girls are used to the modern conveniences. Plus, I’d miss
watching television. I don’t watch tons of it, but I do like to relax at night
with it on.”

She was
rambling, but it seemed weird sitting there in silence with a big wolf next to
her. Shyla looked down to find Cyrus’ gaze fixed on her. He seemed to be
listening, but she didn’t see any understanding in his eyes.

A sudden wave of
hopelessness washed over her. What if she couldn’t reach him? It would
devastate her. If she lost him through her own stubbornness, by not listening
to Cyrus or allowing him to see her, she’d feel guilty for the rest of her
life. In a way, it’d be as if she’d killed him, because he’d lose a big part of
himself.

Her eyes filled
with tears, blurring her sight, as she continued to stroke her fingers through
Cyrus’ soft fur. “I’m sorry,” she said in a choked voice. “This is all my
fault. I should have come to see you before now. I didn’t realize how much it
would hurt if I lost you forever. I moved to Canyon Creek to start a new life
and hopefully find the right man to live it with. I did, and what did I do? I
walked away because of something I didn’t understand and feared. I want you to
come back to me, Cyrus. Please.”

Tears dripped
down her cheeks unchecked. Shyla didn’t bother to wipe them away. One landed on
one of Cyrus’ front paws. He licked the moisture from his fur. Another tear
fell and landed on the top of his head.

Shyla sucked in
a sharp breath as Cyrus’ wolf’s body blurred. The man took its place. He sat
beside her naked and very much aroused. She threw herself against him and held
him tight as if her arms would keep him from shifting again.

She kissed him
hard. “Stay with me. Don’t go again.”

Cyrus let out a
low growl. “Try not. Hard to think. I need…”

“I know, babe.
I’ll make this better.”

Shyla wasted no
time removing her clothes until she was as naked as he. His hungry gaze
followed her movements. His cock stuck out straight from his body, straining
toward her. Her pussy wept, readying itself to take him. She wasn’t going to
need much foreplay to be ready for him to have her.

She went
willingly into his arms and met his lips halfway as they came down toward hers.
Low growls continued to rumble out of Cyrus as he kissed her. It was carnal and
all-consuming. Shyla moaned. She wanted him. She needed his cock buried deep
inside her. Wetness leaked onto her inner thighs.

Feeling as if
time would run out for them again, Shyla positioned herself so she straddled
Cyrus’ thighs. She sucked on his tongue as she took him inch by inch inside her
pussy. Once she was completely impaled, she rode him. Their bodies joined, it
felt right. Perfect.

Cyrus took hold
of her hips and pulled her down as he rocked up into her, matching her strokes.
His cock filled her over and over again. He grew even harder, stretching her.
She held on to the tops of his shoulders and rode him harder.

“Shyla,” he said
with a growl. “Bite. You want?”

Even now, when
he was so close to losing his humanity, Cyrus wanted her permission. And she
had a feeling if she denied him, he’d respect her wishes no matter the cost
he’d have to pay.

She swept her
hair away from the left side of her neck and turned her head to give him better
access as she slid his cock in and out of her. “Do it. I love you. I want you
to claim me. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Love you.”

Cyrus wrapped an
arm around her waist, tugging her even closer, and buried his other hand into
the hair at the back of her head. He leaned in and sank his sharp teeth into
the skin where her neck and shoulder met. There was a sharp pain, then she
loudly moaned as she was swamped with intense pleasure. The best orgasm she’d
ever experienced slammed into her and seemed to go on forever. He growled as he
thrust up into her hard enough to lift her knees off the mattress. His cock
pulsed deep inside her, filling her with his cum.

Once it was
over, Shyla cupped Cyrus’ face in her hands and stared into his eyes. The man
and not the wolf looked back at her. It was then she felt something invisible
snap into place between them. A swirl of emotions took her over. The love she
had for this man unbelievably intensified, grew stronger. And from the look of
wonder that crossed his face, she guessed he felt it too.

“Did it work?”
she asked. “Your humanity is back?”

Cyrus brushed
the spot where he’d bitten her. There was no pain. He smiled. “It did. I can
think clearly again. And you now have the mate brand. The knot work is in
color.”

Shyla looked at
his. It was no longer just black. There were the reds, greens and blues, the
same as Neha’s was. She kissed him with all the love she had for him.

He held her and took
her to her back onto the bed. His cock was still inside her. It hardened. She
lifted her legs and put them around his waist as he slowly thrust in and out.

After Cyrus
lifted his head, Shyla said, “I’m sorry. I should have come to see you the next
day.”

He rested his
upper body on his bent arms. “You didn’t know. Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t
have taken so long to come to terms with me being a wolf shifter. I guess I
really have myself to blame. I could have gone to you. I didn’t want to take
your choice from you.”

“I know.” Shyla
moaned as Cyrus almost pulled all of the way out of her to surge back inside.
“That feels so good.”

“I’m going to
make my mate come again.”

“I don’t intend
to stop you.”

He thrust his
hips between her spread legs, his cock butting up against her cervix with each
stroke in. She tightened her inner muscles around his shaft, which had a sexy
growl pushing out of him. She panted and gripped his biceps as he lifted his
upper body off her.

The look of
pleasure on Cyrus’ face had Shyla’s body coiling tight as a climax built. He
angled his strokes so his cock rubbed her G-spot. Her pleasure grew until she
couldn’t hold it back. She came just as intensely as the first time and
whimpered his name. He hammered into her faster and harder. It only took a half
a dozen strokes before his cock pulsed inside her as he too came.

Shyla held him
tight as Cyrus collapsed on top her. He was heavy, but after coming so close to
losing him, she wasn’t going to ask him to move.