17. Jax

17

Jax

The minute her hands touched my chest, I saw the flash of heat in her eyes. The warmth penetrated the fabric of my shirt, and her mouth opened just a little.

That was all I needed. Capturing her lips in mine, I kissed her urgently as I backed her into the rock. Just before her head hit the stone, I cradled her head, and it was my knuckles that smacked against the rough surface. I didn't care.

My tongue swept in, taking what was mine, and as soon as I tasted the sweetness of her mouth again, my fury grew. How could she be so fucking delicate? So goddamn innocent?

How could I crave her this much knowing what she was?

Growling, I tore my mouth away and stared down at her. Wet large and hesitant eyes stared up at me, and I was lost in her. "Turn around," I ordered. "I want you pressed up against me."

Quietly, she obeyed. As soon as my fingers moved down her soft belly, she shivered and squirmed against me. I could smell her arousal, and my own body tightened in kind.

Mine.

She was mine, and fuck, I wanted her.

"Spread your legs, Anna. Let me see just how hot you are for me."

With a small moan, she widened her legs. "I hate you," she whispered, her body belying her words. All she had to do was say no. Push me away. Instead, she was squirming against me and panting like a bitch in heat.

And she couldn't even imagine the kinds of things I could do to her body. The way I could make her quiver with pleasure. Beg for more. Cry out for mercy.

"The feeling is mutual. I hate that I think of you every day, my little honeyed wolf. Feel that wretched and traitorous bond tying us together. Think about that sassy little mouth wrapped around my cock while I slip my tongue between your thighs and make you come while you choke on me."

"God," she gasped.

"I haven't been with anyone else. Every time I even think about it, all I see is you, over me, under me, however the fuck you want me. Once. Just once, I need to know how it feels before I can finally be free of you."

I sank my fingers in her warmth, and she arched into me. Sliding my other hand up, I grabbed her throat and anchored her to me. "I've fucked myself raw thinking of how you taste, and now I'm going to find out."

Holding her to me, I brought my fingers up to my lips, I licked the tips and grunted. "Oh, yeah. I'm gonna enjoy getting my tongue inside you."

"Please. More," she hissed.

"You think you get to tell me what to do?" I palmed her pussy and stroked her with the palm of my hand. "Not tonight."

Maybe not ever. Would there be anything other than tonight?

I tightened my hold on her throat and strummed my fingers over her clit. I sure as hell hoped there were no other wolves in the area because her moans of pleasure were echoing off the cave walls, and I was having a damn hard time keeping my power withheld.

I wanted to unleash it. To let it wrap around her so she knew she was safe here with me.

"Come, Anna. Let it go. Just for tonight. Just for right now." I added a second finger, careful to only move in a way that made her moan. She was so damn tight, and then I smoothed my thumb over her clit.

Once. Twice.

Her voice caught, and she tried to pull away, but I could feel the climax rushing through her body. I wanted to feel it. I wanted to feel the way her body shuddered against me.

When it was over, I realized how desperately I wanted to hold her for just a little longer.

To murmur that I was hers as much as she was mine, and she could turn around and do whatever the hell she wanted with me. To sink my cock in her until there was no end and no beginning. Just us, fucking like the animals that we were.

Instead, I saw her on her knees, staring up at me, admitting that she'd helped her father.

What had her father done to turn her into that? Was she even the same woman?

"You can let go of my throat now," she said quietly, seemingly knowing that the spell had somehow broken. I was still rock hard, but I wasn't about to do anything about it.

What the fuck had I been thinking?

Quickly, I released her. "I shouldn't have been so rough. You can tell me to stop," I said gruffly. She didn't say anything or turn around, so I stepped away. "I'll lay out our clothes to dry. You don't need to be naked all night. I think I'm better. I just…I may need to hold you tonight while you sleep."

"It's not the same."

"What's not the same?"

Sighing, she bent down to pick up Finn's discarded clothes. "What you just did and what others did. They'd use me, not often. Just when their boredom had stretched too long, but my father did want me to stay a virgin. I think he wanted to auction me off."

I growled, and she snapped her head up. "Sorry, what I'm trying to say is that what you did, and what they did, are not the same. It feels different. Not abusive. You don't have to feel guilty about it, and you don't have to worry. I know it's just instinct. It doesn't mean anything."

"You're still a virgin?"

"Don't start thinking I'm pure and innocent. I'm not. I just haven't had anything fuck me outside of my dreams."

I slept in fits, one ear open for trouble and one arm wrapped around Anna. She slept fitfully as well, waking up, pulling away, and then coming back. We didn't speak about what happened again.

Our clothes were dry by the next morning, although they smelled like the river. It was still better than having her smell like Finn.

"I'm not familiar with this area, but I should still be able to spot any spell traps. You just have to follow me closely and listen to me," she said sharply as we stepped out of the cave.

She was feeling vulnerable about what happened yesterday. She wasn't the only one.

Rubbing my chest, I just nodded. "Finn said we're probably only a day or so away from the witch den."

"Lead the way," I said with a mocking bow.

With a roll of her eyes, she looked left and right. Finn had said to follow the caves north until we could find the narrow path to climb over them. From there, we'd be able to see the fortress.

We made it ten minutes before she stopped short and held out her hand. "Don't move."

Her voice held just a thrill of excitement, and I followed her gaze. It only took a second for me to see something shiny. "It's just the sun reflecting off some metal."

"Oh, no. It is not. What are the chances that you want to see what the piece of metal is?"

Pretty damn good, but I didn't want to admit that. "What do you see?"

"Silver. Shimmery silver, like glitter," she whispered. "It's beautiful."

"And deadly?"

"Maybe. Hold on."

Once again, I stepped to the side for just a moment to see what she did. I was still having a hard time believing that she could just see it differently, see the way that it worked. She was holding something back from me.

"Tell me what you're doing."

"Careful." She glanced over her shoulder. "Your power is slipping again, alpha."

"Why do you insist on keeping it a secret?"

"Maybe because it's so rare that I have something to myself. Would you quit moving?

This thing is bigger than you think."

"If you don't explain what you're doing, how am I going to get back safely?"

"Unless you're planning on hurting the witches, they'll guide you safely…Jax, fuck!

I said stop!"

At the sound of her panicked voice, I stopped, but it was too late. My body seized as something invisible grasped it. It tightened, like chains around me, pulled me to the ground and began dragging me into the bush.

"Shit." Eyes wide, she pulled her hands back and stared. "Stop fighting it. You'll make it worse. Try to relax."

Easier said than done. The pain was so intense, I could barely breathe. My wolf roared to the surface, and when I tried to shift, something tightened around my thigh until it cut into my skin and blood started to run own my leg.

"Breathe," she whispered as she grabbed my hand. "Let your wolf go. It just wants to fight. Seek something soft. Something comforting. And breathe."

I didn't even have to give my wolf an order. It heard Anna and obeyed, immediately curling up inside me and vibrating. The panic eased, just a little, and I tried to breathe.

The pain lessoned.

"The trap wants you to fight. It likes the challenge. Go to a happy place."

Focusing on her, I watched as she pulled her hand away and stood. Looked behind her shoulder and back at me.

Fuck. There was absolutely nothing I could do. She could walk away right now, and I'd be stuck in this trap until the vultures swooped down to gnaw at my insides.

She was going to leave me.