Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

She hadn’t just said the word “mate,” Tanner told himself. She hadn’t. No fucking way. That was not what—

“It’s on the hunt for a mate.”

Rage exploded in Tanner’s gut and rushed through his veins. A thread of something that suspiciously felt like panic tightened around his chest, squeezing until he felt like he couldn’t quite get enough air.

His hound let out a furious snarl as a dark jealousy clouded the edges of its vision. The demon didn’t want to stake a claim on her, but it didn’t want anyone else to have her either.

“Is that so?” Tanner bit out, nostrils flaring. He took a long breath, trying to find some measure of calm. It eluded him. His pulse just kept on elevating faster and faster. His anger just kept on burning hotter and hotter. A pounding filled his ears, and adrenaline coursed through his veins as if preparing him for battle.

Looking somewhat nervous, she licked her bottom lip. “Yes, it is.”

Another growl vibrated his chest—one that came from both him and his demon. A sick feeling took hold in his gut, and the pounding in his ears seemed louder.

His muscles quivered with the urge to lunge. Take. Taste. Bite. And no matter how hard and deep he dug for calm, he couldn’t fucking find it.

Brow wrinkling, she swallowed again. “Are you okay?”

Not in the slightest. Because he’d soon have to watch the first thing that he’d wanted for himself in a very long time bind herself to someone else. It was going to happen right in fucking front of him—all of it, from the first date to the decision to mate. He’d have a front row seat to every goddamn phase of it.

Desperation hammered at him, feeding his anger, driving him to do something—anything—that would shut this finding-a-mate shit down. “You’re young, you’ve got a lot of years ahead of you, there’s no rush to take such a big step.”

“My feline has made up its mind; it won’t change it.”

“So it’s just your demon that wants this, not you?”

“No, it’s both of us.” She shrugged. “I want to mean something to someone, Tanner.”

Was the woman fucking blind? He put his face closer to hers and growled, “You mean something to me. And that goes both ways, doesn’t it?”

“Look, I—”

“Doesn’t it?” If she denied it, he was going to lose it.

“Considering nothing could come of it, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Fisting her hair, he dragged her closer and snarled. “It fucking matters to me.” He slammed his mouth down on hers and boldly sank his tongue inside. Taken aback, she froze. No, he wasn’t having that. He kissed her hard, deep, demanding a response. A soft, broken moan of surrender poured down his throat, and then she was kissing him back.

Tanner growled, tightening his grip on her hair as he feasted on the mouth he’d fantasized about for too long. His demon would intervene any second now; would rise with a snarl of distaste. Tanner would have to pull back to be sure it didn’t lash out at her—it might not like the idea of her mated, but it would have no interest in taking what it viewed as a lesser demon to its bed. But until his demon made its move, he’d make the most of every second he could get with her.

He licked and nipped and consumed her mouth as he skimmed his hands over her, shaping and clutching and squeezing. Her little moans spurred him on, stroking his throbbing cock like slick fingers.

Gripping his hair, she arched into him and whispered his name. With a low growl, he cinched her hip and yanked her closer, grinding his dick against her. The scent of her need spiced the air, and he ached to slide his fingers into that pussy and feel just how hot and wet she was. Ached to strip her naked and shove his cock so deep inside her she’d feel him in her throat.

He tensed as his hound stirred. It didn’t barge to the surface. It moved slowly, edging its way close until, finally, it was pressing against his skin. It let out a chuff of disapproval. Snapped its teeth at Tanner in annoyance … and then it retreated, uninterested in interfering. He stilled for a few seconds, stunned. And then he lost all control.

Devon gasped as he clawed off her dress with a hungry snarl and backed her into the wall. He shoved his hard cock against her pulsing clit and, damn, that was one long, fat dick he was packing.

Stilling, he growled low in his throat. “Your nipples are pierced,” he choked out. He swooped down and sucked one into his mouth, grinding his cock against her clit just right.

Devon’s head fell back and smacked the wall. She’d initially frozen the moment his mouth crushed hers, but the kiss had been so hot, wet, and hungry that it quickly sucked all thoughts of protest out of her head. And every ounce of the control she’d managed to exercise over her need for him had just … dissipated.

Years, she’d wanted this. Years. And she knew by the aggressive desperation in his touch that he’d been fighting that same battle.

She thought her feline would shoot to the surface and attack him. Instead, it had hissed and given her a haughty sniff of disdain, but then it had turned its back on her. And so she’d decided to make the most of however long she’d have before his demon put an end to it. Only … his hound didn’t seem to be interfering either.

Never passive, she tore off his shirt and splayed her hands on his chest—it was perfectly defined and packed with hard, male muscle. His skin was hot and buzzed with power.

She tugged on his hair as he alternated between playing with her piercings and toying with her nipples—plucking, pinching, and twisting the throbbing buds, sending sparks of pleasure/pain to her clit. “Tanner.”

His cock throbbed painfully at the stark need in her voice. Tanner was just as desperate—no, frantic—for more. For her. Needed to slake the hissing, spitting need roaring through him before he went crazy with it.

He snapped off her panties and cupped her pussy hard. So hot. “Let’s see if you’re ready for me.” He sank two fingers inside her and groaned at how slick she was. “Fuck, kitten, you’re dripping wet. Wet enough to take my cock.”

He hoisted her up, frantic to get inside her before his demon could change its mind and interfere. “Wrap yourself around me. Good girl.” He inched the thick head of his cock inside her. “If this is the only time I get to have you,” he growled, “I’m going to imprint myself in your memory.”

He slammed into her with a shocking, possessive force that stole Devon’s breath, stuffing her full of the long, thick cock now throbbing inside her. She double-blinked. Jesus. The pressure of his cock stretching her to bursting was unlike anything she’d ever felt. She could feel every ridge and vein and beat of his heart.

She pricked his back with her claws. “Fuck me. Now.” He didn’t make her wait. No, he fucked her like he owned her. Hammered into her as if there was a fever pounding in his blood. Every thrust was as savage and ruthless as the mouth that hungrily ate at hers. That was how she wanted him—rough, demanding, out of control.

“I’ve wanted this pussy since the first time I saw you.” Tanner brutally slammed harder, needing to hear more of those little moans. He was hooked on her taste, the feel of her skin, the scorching hot pussy that held him so tight and sucked him back in again and again.

The succulent scent of her need filled his lungs, making him wish he’d taken the time to taste her. He’d been too desperate to wait even a second longer than necessary to get inside her. And there he was, pounding hard, relishing every moan and whimper that mingled with the dick-hardening sound of flesh smacking wet flesh. God, she was so perfectly slick and tight. And so very close to coming. Hell, so was he.

He bit her lip. “I’m gonna make you come so fucking hard.”

Oh, Devon believed him. His pace was feverish as he thrust deep again and again, driving her higher, winding her tighter, making her burn so hot she knew—

Devon frowned as his mind shoved demandingly at hers.

“Let me in,” he said.

Before she’d really thought about it, she dropped her shields. And then he poured into her, until she could feel him everywhere; until she felt what he was feeling—the hunger, the need, the pleasure, a hot slick pussy squeezing him so tight.

Her inner walls quaked around him, and she felt his cock begin to swell. “Tanner, I’m gonna—”

“I know.” He plucked one of her nipple piercings just right and growled, “Come.” He bit down on her neck, purposely breaking the skin.

Devon winced as his venom leaked into her wounds. Fuck, it stung like a bitch. It also threw her over the edge. Digging her nails into his back, she shook violently as waves of blinding pleasure viciously tore through her, arching her spine and wrenching a scream of his name out of her throat. He snarled a harsh curse into her neck as he slammed deep, and she felt his cock pulse over and over as he exploded inside her.

Every bit of strength seemed to seep from her body in a rush, and she slumped against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Mouth dry, chest burning for air, she floated on a post-orgasmic cloud, utterly dazed and completely sated.

It could have been minutes or hours later that she became vaguely aware of him moving, holding her tight in his arms. And then she was falling. No, she thought as she snapped her eyes open, she was being lowered to her bed. Limbs like noodles, she sank into the mattress flat on her back, and her eyelids fluttered shut once more.

She felt the bed dip beside her. Felt him burrow into her side and gently rub at her inner thigh. No, she realized, he was rubbing his come into her skin. Shit, they hadn’t used a condom.

She tried forcing her heavy eyes open—it didn’t work so well. “Tanner.”

He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Sleep, kitten. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Yeah, that would work, she thought. And then sleep pulled her under.

*

For once, Devon woke before her alarm. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know she was alone. Tanner’s scent still permeated the air, but it was faint.

Oh God, she’d slept with the fucking pooch.

It had been mind-blowing. Unparalleled. Would be etched into her memory for all time, just as he’d promised it would.

Ordinarily, she liked it when a guy delivered on his promises. This time? Not so much.

Her enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of someone puttering in the kitchen. She let out a tired groan. Hell, he was still there. She would have thought he’d be long gone before she woke, considering he was supposed to be escorting Harper to work. And, God, Devon wished he had left. She just didn’t know what to say to him. Didn’t know what to expect from him.

Was he regretting it? Was he worried she’d expect more from him? Was he going to ask her to keep it a secret so that Harper didn’t get involved? Was he—

Her alarm went off. Fuck, it was time to face the music.

Devon turned off the horrid sound, went through her morning ritual, and then shuffled through the apartment into the kitchen. Her demon huffed at the sight of Tanner sitting at the small dining table, reading something on his phone while he drank coffee, looking far too at home.

He also looked far too gorgeous and edible—which only grated on Devon’s prickly mood.

He looked up. “Morning, kitten.” He gave her one of his slow, sexually charged perusals that made her all tingly. “How are you feeling?”

Devon held up a hand and mumbled, “Don’t talk to me.” She needed caffeine before she had any hope of holding a conversation with him. And she certainly wasn’t capable of civility until she’d had her fix.

She was just about to head for the half-full coffee pot when something caught her attention. There was a little saucer of milk on the island.

Tanner glanced at it, his eyes dancing. “Thought you might be thirsty, kitten.”

And that was enough to jab at her foul morning temper. She sharply flicked her hand with a snarl. Power crackled through the air and zapped his ear hard enough to make his head jolt. “It’ll be your balls next,” she warned.

Even as a little blister formed near the tip of his reddening ear, the masochistic bastard smiled. “And there are my kitty’s sharp claws again.”

Devon narrowed her eyes at his possessive tone. Caffeine, she needed caffeine to deal with this shit.

It was as she moodily snatched a mug out of the cupboard that her cell phone rang. The chiming … God, the sound was so piercing right then, it was like having an ice pick shoved down her ear. She dug the phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen. Adam. She tapped the answer icon and snapped, “What?”

There was a brief silence. “You haven’t had coffee yet, have you?” Adam asked, a smile in his voice.

She grunted.

“Just wanted to check how you were doing.”

“Fine,” she bit out, watching through narrowed eyes as Tanner crossed to the coffee pot. If he tipped that precious liquid down the sink, she was so going to slit his throat.

“I actually intended to come check on you before I headed for work. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the hellhound’s Audi parked outside your building.”

Devon snarled at the note of amusement in Adam’s tone.

“I guess I don’t need to ask if you got much sleep last night.”

“Eat shit, asshole.” She ended the call on his laugh.

Tanner slowly approached her and poured coffee into her mug. “There.”

She grunted again.

“You’re welcome.”

Why was he still talking? Right then, she’d kill people for less. Ugh.

Devon lazily crossed to the table and sank into the chair. Cradling the hot mug in her hands, she drank her coffee quietly, enjoying the blessed silence, acting for all the world like she was completely alone.

It wasn’t until she’d drained the cup that she finally met the gaze of the male opposite her. And then memories of last night crawled all over her. Memories of his hot mouth eating hers, of his skilled fingers playing with her nipples, of his long cock driving so deep inside her it almost hurt. That quickly, the air snapped taut with that good ole sexual chemistry. “Stop staring.”

“But you’re such a pretty view.”

Whatever.

“Jolene called me a few minutes ago. She said Finn told her that Asa was … uncooperative. The prick swore to Finn that he’d already given him the names of everyone from his group.”

Devon ground her teeth. “Finn should hand the fucker over to Jolene—she’ll get him to talk.”

“Jolene made that same suggestion, but Finn turned her down; said he’d get the information. He also said he’d never heard of Sheridan. He intends to ask Asa about him.”

“Finn probably doesn’t trust that Jolene won’t kill Asa.” Which was a good hunch, because Devon was pretty sure her Prime would subject Asa to a truly agonizing death—and probably hum a merry tune the entire time.

Devon rose from the table, grabbed a Danish pastry from the cupboard, and refilled her mug. She didn’t need to ask if the pooch had eaten—there was an empty bowl near his cup. Taking a bite out of the Danish, she turned … and found herself face-to-face with him. Uncomfortable with the glitter of hunger in those eyes, she chose a neutral topic. “We’re going to see Sheridan today, right?”

“Later today, yes. Jolene said Ciaran will teleport us to Sheridan’s veterinary clinic just as the place is closing.”

Yeah, Jolene wasn’t one to question people at their homes where they felt most comfortable. She liked to take them off-guard; mess with their usual safe routines.

Tanner tilted his head. “You planning to pretend last night didn’t happen?”

Well, the thought had crossed her mind. She just had no idea what to say or do; didn’t like postmortems. She found herself blurting out, “We forgot to use a condom.”

“I didn’t forget.”

She tightened her grip on her mug. “You, what?”

“Kitten, I don’t forget stuff like that. I didn’t want to come inside a condom, I wanted to come inside you.”

It was a good thing for him that she couldn’t reach the knife block, or he’d have one of those blades buried in his chest right now. Now yeah, sure, there was a high chance that she was infertile, but he hadn’t known that. “It didn’t bother you that I might not be on the pill?”

He braced his hands on the counter on either side of her. “You’re not in heat—I’d have smelled it if you were, so there was no chance of you getting pregnant.”

“Well, did it occur to you that I might not like guys coming in—”

“Stop trying to pick a fight.”

“I’m not!”

“You are,” Tanner said softly, without judgement. “You’re feeling awkward and unsure, so you’re going on the attack. You don’t need to.” He dipped his head and skimmed his nose along her neck, breathing deep, taking her into his lungs. “Your scent makes my dick hard every time.”

Surprisingly chilled, his hound lay quiet, watching through hooded eyes. The demon was intense, by nature. Always alert and restless. Wired, even. The only time it was ever so relaxed was after sex, and the effect never lasted long. Right then, though, the demon was as close to content as it had ever been. Or maybe Tanner’s own satisfaction at having finally had the thing he most wanted had bled over onto the demon.

She probably had no idea that last night was the first time he’d slept at a woman’s house. He’d stayed, because he’d wanted to make the most of what time he had with her—unable to know for sure if his hound’s attitude toward her would change overnight. It hadn’t.

Tanner wouldn’t have thought he’d like sharing a bed. Wouldn’t have thought he’d be able to relax enough to sleep deeply. But she wasn’t a snuggler, so he’d had his space. She didn’t snore or hog the covers. And waking up to the sight of her right there while her scent cocooned him … yeah, he’d liked that a fuck of a lot.

“We need to talk about last night,” he said.

“Our demons didn’t interfere. I don’t get it.”

“It was probably a combination of things. One, they’ve grown to tolerate each other. Two, your demon has come to view me as an ally and trusts that I won’t harm you. Three, my hound considers you under its protection—I should have figured that meant it therefore wouldn’t hurt you. Your feline had obviously already worked that out or it would have surfaced to chase me off. You know what all that means.”

Pausing, he brushed his mouth over hers. “It means it doesn’t have to be a one-off.” He heard her pulse quicken, sensed she was going to object. “How long have we both been struggling with this thing between us, kitten? Too long. Far too long. It’s not going to go away, or it would have done so by now.”

“I don’t—”

“A month.”

“Excuse me?”

“Years’ worth of pent-up sexual frustration isn’t going to burn out fast. One month of you in my bed, night after night … yeah, I think that should do it.”

Devon’s stomach hardened. She felt as if he’d slapped her because … “Oh, you want to fuck me out of your system.” Hiding how much that stung, she gave him a sardonic smile. “Well, isn’t that nice. You sure know how to make a girl feel special, pooch.”

“You got a better idea, baby?”

“Yeah, go find yourself a fuck-buddy.”

He raked his teeth over her lower lip. “Is that really what you want, kitten? You want another man’s hands on you? You want another woman’s hands on me?”

Her claws almost sliced out, pricking the insides of her fingertips so hard she winced.

“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t like it. I sure as shit don’t.” Dipping his head again, Tanner dragged his lips down her neck and over to her rapidly beating pulse. He wanted to feel it beating in his mouth, wanted to bite down on that soft flesh again. But if he did that, he’d need more. And there was no time—she had to be at work soon. So he satisfied himself with grazing his teeth over her pulse, leaving the slightest mark.

“Look, I don’t—”

He lifted his head. “I know it’s pure reflex for you to fight me on everything, but what’s the sense in fighting me on something you want as much as I do?” He slid his hand up her arm, over her shoulder, and settled it on her neck. “A month. Think about it. You can give me your answer later.”

“And if you don’t get the answer you want?”

He skimmed his thumb over her lower lip and said softly, “You know me, kitten.”

She did know him, Devon thought. Knew that he wasn’t fazed by rejection, knew he never settled for anything less than what he wanted. He wouldn’t tip his hat and walk away if she turned him down. No, he’d be relentless and single-minded in his pursuit. And she couldn’t help but feel sad that he wouldn’t be in pursuit of her, he’d be in pursuit of a brief fling.

Oh, she knew a hellhound and hellcat could have no future together, especially since male hellhounds rarely mated, but it still hurt to know he simply wanted to rid his system of her … like she was a virus or something. Yeah, there was nothing flattering about that.

*

It wasn’t until much later, when she, Raini, and Khloë were having lunch in the break room, that Devon had a chance to tell them about Tanner’s little proposal.

Khloë’s brows rose. “A hellcat spending a month in the bed of its natural enemy. What could go wrong?”

Raini picked up her soda. “I doubt his hound would harm her, Khloë. Unless it withdrew its protection from her, of course.” Her gaze slid to Devon. “Do you think your feline would fight you on hopping into his bed again?”

“It might be okay with another night,” Devon replied. “But a month? No way. Not when it’s seeking a mate. But that works for me, because I’m not exactly itching to jump into bed with a guy when his objective is to flush me out of his system.”

Sure, there was a certain logic in burning out the lust that had held them in a tight grip for far too long. But although she had nothing against a fling, the way he’d put a time-limit on it and said it wasn’t about exploring what flared between them but about ridding himself of it … that just made the whole thing seem so cold. Impersonal sex was not her thing.

“Yeah, I can’t say I’d like that either,” said Harper. “So, what are you going to do?”

“Tell him no.” Simple.

Harper blinked. “You say that like he’ll hear and heed you.”

Khloë gave a wan smile. “Hello, alpha hellhound. Betas of his kind are annoying enough—all bluster and pigheadedness and ‘I want my way in all things.’ Alphas? They’re far harder to deal with, because there’s no reasoning with them. Getting them to accept that they won’t get what they want … yeah, that’s always a rough road.”

Harper nodded. “Tanner uses whatever method it takes to get his own way—straightforward or underhanded. If it means being sweet, he’ll be sweet. If it means playing dumb, he’ll play dumb. If it means coming across as harmless, he’ll do that too. And right now, what he wants is you. I don’t envy you.”

Cursing under her breath, Devon rubbed at her temple. She’d never expected to find herself in this position. Never expected him to ever claim that his hound “tolerated” her presence.

“I say you should agree to one more night,” said Khloë. “Then you can wow him with all your skills and make it a night he’ll never forget so it’ll be impossible for him to ever get you out of his system.”

“Ruthless.” Harper chuckled. “I like it. And it’d serve him right.”

“Totally,” agreed Raini. “I’m all for that idea.”

It wasn’t such a bad one. Devon hadn’t had a chance to use any of her skills last night—it had all happened so fast. She hadn’t done anything more than hold on tight for the ride. “I’ll think about it. For now, let’s talk about something else.” She tilted her head, regarding Raini carefully. “You haven’t been yourself today. Heard anything from Maddox?”

Harper frowned. “Maddox? Why would Raini have heard from him?”

Raini winced. “Oh yeah, I kind of forgot to mention that part earlier when I told you what happened at the club.”

It was while Raini was making her little revelation to Harper that Devon’s cell phone began to chime. She knew from the ringtone that it was a video call. Seeing Spencer’s name on the screen, she headed out of the room and tapped the answer icon.

“Hey,” she said to the face staring back at her. Just like Reena and Kaye, he possessed Leticia’s almond eyes and prominent cheekbones. But Spencer also had his father’s blond hair, lean build, and strong jawline.

“I heard about what happened from Dad,” said Spencer. “I wanted to check how you were doing.”

Able to tell from the high windows behind him that he was in his office, she suspected the call would be a short one. Spencer was as much of a workaholic as his father. “I’m okay,” she replied. “Just frustrated that Asa won’t spill whatever names he might be holding back.”

Spencer nodded, jaw hardening. “Dad had a long talk to him. Asa refuses to admit there were any others in his group. Don’t worry, Dad will get him to cough up the info.”

“Jolene could make him talk.” And if that failed, Knox would certainly step in.

Spencer snorted. “No one’s going to hand Asa over to another lair. You don’t know the shit he did, Devon. Dad might have told you the bare facts, but there’s so much more. He and his group destroyed lives without even killing anyone. And they did it because they could. Dad’s never going to hand over that fucker to someone else.”

She sighed. She’d already figured as much, but it was still frustrating.

“He won’t let you down on this one, Devon. Trust him to get the answers you need.” He paused. “Reena told me that Tanner Cole considers you under his protection. That true?” He didn’t seem to believe it.

In answer, Devon held up her palm, showing him the mark there.

Spencer’s brows flew up. “Well damn. You realize hellhounds are super territorial of whoever they mark, right?”

“Yep.”

He puffed out a breath. “Good luck dealing with him. I’m pretty sure you’re going to need it.”

Yeah, so was she.