Chapter Eight

Emmaleigh

I have no idea whether this will work. I don’t even know if Nico will agree to the idea that popped into my head mere minutes ago, but I know it’s something I want to try. Besides, trying and failing to do something is better than never trying at all. Right?

“You’ll have to tell me what your idea is,” Nico says with a chuckle. “But if you think it will help, I won’t say no.”

I stare at him, taking in every inch of his features. “I want you to kiss me.”

Shock scrolls across his features before he can hide his reaction. Shit. Have I overplayed my hand? This is embarrassing. I can feel my blush as it burns up my neck and across my face. Thank the Goddess it’s too dark for him to see the evidence of my embarrassment.

“Never mind,” I add hastily, jumping up from my spot so I can get away from him.

I don’t get two steps away from him before he grabs my wrist and spins me around, stepping into me and pressing my back against the rough bark of the tree I was just sitting beneath.

“You can’t say something like that and then just walk away,” Nico chastises, staring at me. “You never even gave me a chance to answer.”

“I saw the way you reacted.”

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but it shouldn’t have set you running from me.”

“You were shocked I would ask something like that. You don’t want to do this,” I say staring up at him.

Nico presses the full length of his body against mine before fusing our lips together. His kiss is soft and exploratory, his tongue pushing gently for entry, which I grant. His taste explodes through me and a soft moan escapes from me. His erection is pressed against my stomach, a testament of his need. His actions chase away any thoughts I may have had that he doesn’t want me.

Nico pulls away to gaze at me with a look of wonder on his face. He says something but I can’t focus on his words. In my mind, in my soul, my wolf is howling, shifting my entire being in my body as she comes roaring back. Her mate drawing her to the forefront.

“Emmaleigh,” Nico says loudly, worry creasing his features.

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

Nico frowns. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

“No! You were perfect!”

I tangle my arms behind his head and draw his lips back down to mine and kiss him again. My wolf prances around, enjoying the attention our mate pays to us. Nico wraps a hand around my hip, holding me firmly in place, deepening our kiss.

Using one hand, I push against his chest. Nico’s eyes shimmer with lust and I want to continue kissing him but I have more pressing matters right now.

“I need to shift,” I rasp out.

“She’s back?” Nico asks in a hushed tone filled with wonder.

Nodding my head, I lift my deep-blue sundress above my head and drop it to the grass beneath our feet. Nico licks his lips as he stares at my bare breasts, freezing me to the spot.

“I need to leave,” he mumbles. He runs the back of his hand over his mouth but never takes his burning gaze off my skin. “I can’t be here.”

“Why?” The question is a husky whisper.

“Because I want to throw you down on the ground and mount you like a maniac,” he replies honestly, finally looking at my face.

My pussy throbs with the idea that there might be truth behind his words. Taking his hand, I squeeze it gently.

“You have given me one of the greatest gifts of my life. I have my animal back and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

“Emmaleigh…”

“I’m going to shift and let my wolf run for the first time in years. And if you catch me, I wouldn’t mind you throwing me down on the grass and mounting me like a maniac.”

“What?”

He stares at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. But I don’t answer him. Instead, I allow my wolf to take over and I fall to my knees, the shift flowing over me. Shifting hasn’t hurt this much since my first time at eighteen. But the pain is worth it once my wolf is in charge. The grass beneath her paws feels better than anything I could ever imagine. Looking over my shoulder, I see Nico staring at me in awe before I bolt into the woods with a yip.

A loud howl rends the air and I know that he will catch me sooner rather than later.

****

Nico

My mind is a mess now. Her words have me on edge, but the sight of her sleek grey wolf steals my breath. She is fucking gorgeous and I can’t explain how honored I am to know I helped her regain this part of herself.

Her wolf gazes at me over her shoulder before taking off into the lush forest around us. The shift falls over me and my wolf is once more in control, howling loudly in joy as he sets off after his mate.

It doesn’t take us long to find her, and even though lust is coursing through us and the need to claim our mate is at the forefront, we don’t take her down. Instead, we run beside her, bumping her shoulder occasionally. She yips before swinging in a different direction, enjoying the freedom and the forest around her.

For an hour we allow her the freedom she needs to bond with her wolf once more before we catch her. We wrestle her wolf to the ground before my wolf allows me to take my human form. Pinned beneath me, the little wolf nips at my arm but doesn’t hurt me. It wasn’t the purpose, after all.

“Shift back, Mate. I want my reward for catching you.”

I watch the magic flow through the beauty beneath me until I am staring once more at my stunning mate. Her breasts heave as she tries to catch her breath, and I can’t stop myself from taking a nipple into the confines of my mouth.

Emmaleigh moans as I situate myself between her spread thighs, my cock nestled against her heat.

“Nico!”

“Yes, Mate,” I reply after releasing her nipple.

“Please, I want you.”

She rubs her pussy against my length. The feeling of wet silk heat has me almost simply entering her but I want to take a moment and experience her.

“And you’ll have me,” I reply, kissing my way down her body. “But first, I want to taste you. I’ve been dreaming of this every night since I found you.”

I place a kiss on her hip before spreading her thighs wide, and leisurely running my tongue through her slit. I gather her slick and savor the taste of my mate. The sounds she makes above me drive me wild and what should have been a luxurious tasting of her turns into a mindless feasting.

Her hips pump up into my face, all but fucking my face while I eat her out like a starving man. Emmaleigh screams into the crisp forest air as her orgasm hits, her entire body shaking. It’s a stunning sight to behold and I continue to lick her through the aftershocks.

“Nico,” she whispers but I don’t give her time to talk.

Flipping her over, I pull her onto her knees and thrust my cock all the way into her waiting channel.

“Fuck!” We shout in unison.

I hold myself as still as possible, giving her a moment to acclimate to my invasion. She mewls beneath me, and slowly I withdraw from her heat before pumping back into her. With every stroke, Emmaleigh’s moans grow louder and I thrust harder until we are nothing but slamming hips and thrusting bodies. The sound of our coupling ringing out through the night.

My orgasm starts to crest and I pull her back against me, raising her upper body from the ground. My hands cup her breasts, holding her tight. Emmaleigh orgasms, her walls clamping around my cock, setting off my orgasm as well, releasing my seed as I bury my teeth in her neck. I claim my mate in the midst of our joint orgasm.