Chapter ten

Jude

The howl that sounds behind me makes a shiver run down my spine. I chance a glance down at my alpha, taking in his animal skin.

Oh. Oh my gods!

He's a hellhound.

He's larger than a wolf, hulking and intimidating. Yet, I don't feel fear because I know that's my mate, my Carlos. His fur is jet black with traces of fire red throughout, and his teeth razor sharp. He's fast. Faster than me by a long shot yet I stay far enough in the air that he can't quite reach me. There's steam coming off of his body, like he's burning up, and maybe he is. I've read that hellhounds can literally touch hellfire and not be burned. That hellfire runs through their veins.

His eyes stare up at me with pinpoint focus. There's no way I'm escaping him, but keeping up the chase for just a little while longer is fun. I'm finally seeing my mate in all his terrifying glory, I'm seeing him enjoy his animal skin instead of fighting against it. I hate that it took catching that damned rabbit's foot to get here but I'm not upset to see him like this.

Eventually, my wings grow tired and I slowly glide down to the ground. Carlos is there right away, slowly circling me. I swallow thickly, watching as a predator corners his prey.

For just a moment, I wonder if the animal has completely taken over, but in the next I know that's still my mate in control. He lays on his bellow, placing his large head onto the ground, his unique, glowing eyes meeting mine. He makes a whining noise that reminds me of a large puppy and my insides warm all over.

Yeah, that's still my Carlos.

I flap my wings one more time before shifting back into my human form. I sit on the ground before a surprised gasp leaves my lips. I'm being tackled onto my back, suddenly having a lap full of hellhound.

"Carlos!" I can't help but giggle as he licks my face over and over and over again, careful his teeth don't touch me even once. His wet nose runs against my jaw and over my throat, taking in my scent that must be so much deeper in this form. He's breathing me in through his animal side for the first time and I can only imagine how intense that must be for him.

"Carlos," I gasp out as he licks across my mating bite, his large paws holding me down and keeping me still. I'm pinned down and being enjoyed. His heat sinks into my skin and I shiver. He's pressing me into the dirt, his hot breath fanning over me, his tongue covering me in his scent.

Oh. Oh gods.

"Shift right now," I tell him, wanting him in his human form. We're far enough in the middle of the woods that no one will see us. No one will hear us. And all this licking and sniffing and tackling has me feeling desperate for my mate in a way I can only have him when he's on two feet instead of four.

Carlos uses his teeth carefully to pull my shirt out of the way so he can lick under my chin and across my chest. Those licks change from a wide dog tongue to a familiar human one and I wrap my legs around my very naked and very human mate.

"Fuck," he grits out, his hips riding down against me, brushing his cock against my jeans. "Fuck, Jude. I'm sorry. I feel so desperate, so fucking animalistic right now. Tell me to stop and I'll shift and run out of here. Tell me to stop and I promise I will."

"Don't you dare stop," I tell him, my hands buried in his hair, keeping his mouth against the underside of my throat. "Give me your best."

The growl that comes out of Carlos' throat is something closer to his hellhound form than his human. My ass is so slick, aching for his cock. I want him. No, I fucking need him. I've never felt like this before.

I shift under Carlos' body, flipping over onto my hands and knees, my ass up in the air. Carlos claws at my pants, tugging them down just under my ass. I try to spread my legs but can't, constricted by my jeans. Being held in place like this makes a fire burn within my belly.

"Fuck me," I tell him, pushing my ass back against him. "I'm ready. Just fuck me, Carlos."

With my full permission, Carlos doesn't hold himself back. As his dick pushes into my ass, we both moan, the sound echoing in the otherwise empty forest. When his hips meet my ass, he pauses only a moment, making sure I'm okay before fucking me hard with long strokes, his hips slapping against my ass over and over and over. I lose myself to the pleasure, to the animalistic way we're fucking.

"Oh. My. Gods."

"That's it," Carlos says, mouthing against my shoulder, the back of my neck, and my mating bite. "Take it, Jude. Taking it so fucking good for me."

Where the fuck has this dirty talk come from? Holy shit.

"Gonna come," I gasp out, my face pressing into the dirt below. I don't care that I'll very clearly look like a mess after this. I don't care about anything. Not when I'm overwhelmed like this, not when my mate is fucking me so good. Oh gods. I'm gonna come.

Carlos' hand wraps around my cock which is just barely pulled free from the front of my jeans and just that simple touch is all I need to go off like a rocket. "Fuck!" My cock pulses as cum hits the ground under me. Carlos' cock throbs within my ass, his knot popping so quickly I can barely prepare for it. It stretches me wide, tying the two of us together so quickly it's borderline painful, but that only makes this moment more intense.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Carlos grits out, biting down on the back of my neck as his hips continue to push against my ass, my hole pulsing and pulling every ounce of pleasure from my mate as I can.

We collapse in the dirt, breathing hard and sweating after all of that. I turn my head and Carlos is there, peppering soft kisses against my face. "Are you okay?"

"Fuck," I whisper, smiling from ear to ear. "That was something else, Carlos. Holy shit. You can fuck me like that any time you want."

Carlos kisses my ear and I shiver. "It won't be long before my knot goes down and then we can go find my clothes."

I snort, getting comfortable. "I'm so glad I don't have to worry about that. One of the perks of being a familiar is my clothes shift with me."

"Not fair," he says with a whine that makes me giggle. How the hell did we go from fucking like animals to joking? My chest feels near bursting with affection for my mate. I would even go so far as to say I'm falling head over heels in love with this man. It's all so fast that part of me wants to hold myself back, but then I remember we're meant to be. It's only natural these feelings are coming on fast and strong. I embrace them.

Once Carlos' knot has gone down, he pulls out of me, gingerly standing up and helping me up as well. He pulls my pants up, dusting them off as best as he can. Then he gently wipes the dirt from my cheek, kissing it once he's done.

"I liked seeing your other form," I say gently, taking off my sweater and giving it to him to wrap around his waist. "You're something else, Carlos."

"Something hellish," he says, shaking his head and covering himself up. "You can see why I've been holding that back for so long."

"Hey," I say, touching his chest. "That's you. You're not hellish or evil or whatever else you think. You're beautiful, Carlos. On two feet or four."

He looks down at me, seeing nothing but sincerity. "Thank you. I'm glad you think so."

Once we get back to Carlos' clothes, he quickly gets himself dressed. As we begin walking back to camp, I realize there's something in my sweater pocket. I pull it out, looking down at the fucking rabbit's foot. How the fuck did this get here?

"Fuck," I murmur before stopping at a tree and throwing up breakfast.