CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ahandful of her hair bunched in his fist, Luke watched as his mate swallowed his cock over and over. He’d woken to the feel of her tongue lapping and swiping along his shaft. Once she’d been sure he was fully awake, she’d taken him in her mouth.

He’d spent the past ten or so minutes battling back the orgasm that was hot on his heels. He was losing that battle. The heat of her breath, the tight suction of her mouth, the little hums she let out, the rasp of her tongue against each ridge and vein … There was only so much he could take.

He remembered the first time she’d blown him. It had been shortly after her eighteenth birthday, when they’d been making out on his sofa. She’d surprised him by slipping off his lap and, without a word, unbuttoning his fly to wrap her fingers around his cock. There’d been no awkward fumbling. No, she’d shot him a confident smile, told him he might be interested to know she’d read a lot of magazines filled with tips about oral sex, and then she’d promptly sucked him deep.

That was Blair. A damn minx through and through. One who shamelessly took and gave—something he loved about her.

He growled as her tongue flicked the sensitive spot beneath the head of his dick. “I’m going to fill your mouth with come,” he told her as she went back to swallowing his length. “I want it in your belly while I fuck you. Because I will fuck you. But not until I’ve eaten that pussy I own.”

A moan vibrated around his shaft. Inwardly cursing,he dragged in a breath, fighting for control. It didn’t help, because he got another lungful of her heady scent. It infused the air, laced with arousal. It was more intoxicating than any drug or aphrodisiac. It called to him and his cat on a primal level.

“Make me come, baby.”

She tightened her lips. Upped her pace. Sucked harder. Took him deeper.

His balls drew up tight, and the base of his spine tingled. Luke began pumping his hips, fucking her mouth with short, shallow digs of his cock. “Swallow it, Blair. Don’t miss a drop.” An electric pleasure coursed through him and seemed to zip up the length of his dick as he exploded.

Her jaw aching just a little, Blair pushed up onto her hands and knees and licked her lips. His breathing a little choppy, her mate stared at her through sex-drunk eyes that made her stomach clench.

“We need to frame those articles you read,” he said.

Blair felt her mouth curve. She and Kiesha had pored over several back when they were eighteen, each determined to blow their male’s mind despite their inexperience.

Luke grabbed her arms, dragged her to him, and kissed her hard. His tongue swept into her mouth, bold and sure, as he rolled her onto her back. “Now it’s my turn to play.” He slid down her body and settled himself between her thighs. His warm breath washed over her slick folds as he used his thumbs to part them. And then his mouth was on her.

Sweet Jesus, he knew how to use that tongue. It circled and rubbed at the sides of her clit, pausing now and then to lick and lap at her slit. His fingertips bit into her thighs as he held them in place while he tasted and touched and took the responses he wanted from her.

She burned. She moaned. She writhed. She wound tighter and tighter.

And then her release swept over her—dazing, consuming, devastating.

Her orgasm had no sooner subsided than Luke was bringing his body over hers, giving her his weight. She splayed her hands on the twin columns of his back, her lips parting as the blunt tip of his cock stretched her entrance, causing the most delicious burn.

Then he slammed home, savagely forcing her pussy to take every inch.

She almost choked on the ragged breath that got trapped in her throat. “Christ, Luke.” Wanting to ride him, she tried flipping him onto his back. It didn’t work.

His eyes dark and fevered, he pinned her hip down, the pads of his fingers digging into her skin. “No,” he rumbled, all alpha. “You’ll stay where I put you.” His pace fast, he began roughly pounding his hips forward, taking her in viciously hard thrusts.

She scored her nails down his back, moaning at how damn deep he sank. The sex last night had been sweet and tender. This was savage and explosive. He all but rutted on her, and her animal reveled in it. Reveled in being so elementally taken.

“You were born for this,” he snarled. “Born to be fucked by me.”

His sharp teeth repeatedly scraped and bit as he plowed into her body, leaving little marks on her lip, her jaw, her neck, and her breasts. Each sting fed the orgasm building inside her. It was a hot, spasming, bubbling force in her lower stomach that kept stretching and stretching like an elastic band destined to snap.

Still hammering hard and deep, he delivered a soft bite to the side of her face. “My baby needs to come, don’t you?”

“So do you.” She could feel his cock swelling and pulsing.

Teeth raked over her claiming brand. “You first.” He bit down hard, ramming his cock faster and deeper … and the elastic force in her belly finally snapped.

She scratched at his scalp, a silent scream snagging her breath, her pussy clutching and rippling and milking. He locked his cock deep, filled her with hot bursts of his come, her name a growl in his throat.

Aspen chuckled at the TV screen. “God, I love this movie. So much blood and gore. Sadly, no matter how often I try, I can’t get Camden to watch it. And I’ve tried really hard.”

Sitting on the Alpha pair’s sofa beside the bearcat, Blair dived her hand into her bag of popcorn. “He’s not into zombie movies, I take it?”

“No, not even a little. Which I just don’t get. They’re not only ace, they double as training videos.”

Blair blinked. “Training videos?”

“Yeah. For Z-Day. It’ll arrive at some point. I intend to be ready.”

At a loss for words, Blair looked from Havana to Bailey, who both smiled.

“To answer the question that’s got to be floating through your head, yes, she’s totally serious,” said Havana, curled up at the other corner of the sofa.

Huh. Well okay.

Blair chucked popcorn in her mouth, returning her gaze to the TV. The girls had invited her to a “movie afternoon.” Not a movie night, because the Alphas would apparently be busy later.

Wanting to know the girls better, Blair had easily accepted the invite. She would have done so even if she hadn’t gotten the sense that she could really like these women, because it was important for the pride’s inner circle to know each other well and hopefully get along.

As nosy as he was overprotective, Luke had accompanied her but headed onto the back deck, where Tate, Deke, Camden, and Isaiah were then sat drinking beers. Not that Luke had stayed out there. He’d popped his head into the room every fifteen minutes or so, or even crossed to her to drop a kiss on her head and ask if she was fine—like he couldn’t sense for himself through their bond that she was indeed perfectly fine.

As much as she adored him, the constant are you all rights got old fast. So she’d been glad when Tate earlier asked both him and Isaiah to accompany the Alpha while he handled a pride issue that required his personal attention.

Comfortable with the other pride members, Blair had no problem remaining behind. She suspected that Tate had taken Luke because he’d wanted Blair to have uninterrupted quality time with the other females. Or maybe he’d noticed how close she’d been to throwing her popcorn in Luke’s face.

Sinking deeper into the armchair, Bailey said, “If there ever is a zombie apocalypse—”

“If?” echoed Aspen.

“—we’ll hardly need to kill any. They don’t eat animals, right? So we can shift into our animal forms whenever they’re around. Boom.”

Aspen held up a finger. “Okay, first of all, there will be an apocalypse. Let’s not pretend otherwise. Secondly, there’s actually no clear-cut answer as to whether or not animals will be at risk. Different instruction videos show different scenarios.”

“Movies, Aspen,” Havana corrected with a sigh. “They’re movies. Fiction. Forms of entertainment.”

“Educational forms of entertainment,” Aspen insisted.

The Alpha female rolled her eyes.

Blair’s phone chimed. Digging it out of her pocket, she snickered at the funny meme Kiesha sent her by text.

“Is that Luke checking up on you?” asked Havana.

Blair shook her head. “It’s Kiesha. But I don’t doubt that I’ll receive a message from him soon to make sure I’m good, despite that he knows I’m safe here. Just the very idea of me being out of his sight makes him a little edgy.”

“Ordinarily, I’d tease him about it,” said Havana. “But with the way things are right now, I can’t blame him. Tate told me about the latest note you received. The person obsessed with you really isn’t in touch with reality. The stuff he says, the way he says it … It’s more chilling than any threat. And to know the sicko isn’t simply a from-afar-admirer but someone who knows you only makes it worse.”

Aspen nodded. “Your animal must have lost her mind when she realized he’d marked her old territory.”

“Oh, she did,” confirmed Blair. “She still snarls whenever she thinks about it. Like right now.”

“I heard she tore into Finley’s ankle,” said Bailey, a twinkle in her eye.

The memory made Blair’s inner female bare her teeth in a feral grin. “The bitch dismissed her like she was no more than a gerbil. Not sure why Finley thought that would be advisable.The woman really needs to make better life choices. Such as dropping the idea that she can take my status from me.”

“She will drop the fantasy eventually,” began Havana, “she just won’t do it easily.”

“Yeah, I sensed that. It doesn’t help that some of the pride seek out her rather than me regarding matters that should be taken to the Beta female. It reinforces the idea in her head that the position should be hers.” Blair tossed more popcorn into her mouth and chewed a little harder than necessary.

“What you did at the Tavern went a long way to convincing people that you’ll be the Beta female they need,” said Havana. “But some are so loyal to Finley—either because they’re her friends, family, or people who feel indebted to her—that they go to her for assistance rather than you. That won’t last long, though, if for no other reason than that their inner animals will push them to go to you, recognizing you as stronger and more dominant.”

“Which will leave Finley with two options—back down, or challenge me to establish herself as the stronger female.”

“She’ll probably do the latter,” said Aspen, taking the words right from Blair’s mouth, “but I don’t doubt that you can handle her. Luke said you’re quite the scrapper.”

“I’ve had to be,” Blair told her. “Bush dogs begin fighting for dominance among their peers at the age of eight.”

Aspen’s brow puckered. “Eight?”

“It’s instinctive for us,” said Blair with a shrug. “There are no fights to the death when we’re that young, though.”

“Well at least there’s that,” said Aspen.

“We generally don’t try to kill each other during duels until we’re eleven or so.”

Havana’s mouth opened and closed. “I really don’t know what to say to that.”

Blair snickered. “Luke said those exact same words when I told him about it years ago. He also plainly and publicly stated that he’d murder the shit out of anyone who even entertained the thought of ending my life. I don’t think he ever realized that the other female bush dogs only found it cute.”

Bailey angled her head. “What was it like finding your true mate so early and having him around all this time watching over you?”

Blair felt her face soften. “Like the most natural thing in the world. He was always there when I needed him. Always had my back and built me up. I never felt alone. Never felt unsafe. Never doubted myself. He wouldn’t have accepted anything else.”

A slow, warm smile curved Havana’s mouth. “I think that’s beautiful.”

“I’ve had Camden in my life since we were kids,” said Aspen. “We grew up together. We had a tight bond even before we mated. We didn’t actually realize we were predestined mates until recently, but having him at my side through all my highs and lows and all that jazz … I loved it. It’s a special thing to have your true mate with you as you grow and mature and establish your sense of self.”

“I’ll bet having Luke around as you aged wasn’t always easy, though,” hedged Havana with a teasing smile. “He must have been an interfering pain in the ass at times. Such is the life of an alpha.”

“For the most part, he was careful not to be too pushy,” said Blair. “But that changed when I reached my mid-teens. He got more intense with each year that passed. My hormones kind of loved it, though. Even when he went all growly and caveman on me one night.”

“Growly and caveman?” echoed Havana. “Ooh, I wanna hear about the growly and caveman incident.”

Bailey leaned forward. “Yeah, do tell.”

Blair smiled. “He came to a party on Sylvan territory when I was seventeen. I was talking to a bunch of people, including a few unmated males, when I sensed that Luke was nearby. Just before I turned toward him, one of the guys put his hand on my arm. The same guy Luke once caught trying to stroke my hair.”

Aspen sucked in a short breath. “Oh, how unbelievably stupid.”

“Yup.” Blair crossed one leg over the other. “As you can imagine, Luke stalked right over like a Viking warrior. The male who’d touched me, Ryker, noticed him coming and backed away. But Luke got right in his face, threatened to snap each of his fingers if they ever touched me again, and then hauled me off to a dark corner where he backed me up against the wall.”

Bailey fanned her face. “Stop, I might swoon.”

Blair chuckled, her mind replaying the incident …

Luke shoved his way into her personal space, growling. “You smell of that fucker. I don’t like it. My cat doesn’t like it. He shouldn’t be touching you.”

She frowned. “It’s not like he tried feeling me up or anything.”

“Not the point. Has he made a move on you?”

“Of course not. No one would dare.”

Luke planted a hand on the wall either side of her head. “Would you tell me if they did?”

“No, I’d probably just settle for breaking their will to live. Maybe also their nose. Stop growling. There’s no way women don’t come on to you sometimes. You never tell me about it.”

“That’s different, because they don’t know I’m taken until I make it clear—which I do. The males here know not to touch you. They know you belong to me.”

“You’re still growling.” She playfully snapped her teeth at him. “Bad kitty.”

“You will not make me smile.”

“He says while smiling.”

“What did you do?” asked Aspen, pulling Blair back to the present.

Blair delved a hand into her popcorn again. “I planted a kiss on him. It was the last thing he expected. He almost pulled back. Almost. I ended up having the breath kissed out of my lungs, and then he marked me right there.”

Bailey fanned herself again. “Well damn. It’s not often the dude loses his composure like that.”

“He’s very self-contained a lot of the time,” Blair agreed before chucking popcorn into her mouth.

“He’s different with you, though,” Bailey added. “He doesn’t hold back from you. And he’s a lot less restless now that he’s mated to you. At peace, even, despite all that’s happening.”

Just then, Deke prowled into the room, fluid and smooth—no doubt coming to check on Blair on Luke’s behalf.

Growing up, she hadn’t seen other males. Luke took up all her mental space, he was the only man she’d ever wanted. But she could certainly objectively acknowledge that another guy was attractive. And there was no denying that Deke was supremely hot.

He glanced from one female to another. “What are you four talking about?”

Bailey sighed. “They don’t believe me that bees can actually detect bombs.”

He pinned her with a blank stare. “I don’t believe you.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s true. Look it up. They can detect them with their tongues. Though how someone discovered that, I don’t know. I didn’t even know bees had tongues.”

Shaking his head, Deke slid his gaze to Blair. “I’m surprised that Luke left you alone with the unholy trinity.”

“Unholy trinity,” Bailey echoed, her lips curling. “I like that.”

Deke snorted. “You would.” He muttered something beneath his breath and then returned to the backyard.

Blair looked at Bailey. “There’s some kind of weird tension between you two.” One that carried a sexual undertone. “Is he an ex bed-buddy?”

“What? Oh no,” said Bailey with a chuckle. “He just doesn’t like me. As such, he really doesn’t like that I’ve gone on the occasional date with one of his BFFs. In Deke’s opinion, Shay can do better.”

Blair’s brow furrowed. “He actually said that?”

“No,” replied the mamba. “It’s just plain obvious.”

Aspen’s nose wrinkled. “I’m not so sure that’s the case at all, though I agree he doesn’t like that you’re dating Shay. I know you disagree, but I still think there’s some jealousy involved.”

Bailey snorted. “Deke wouldn’t touch me with someone else’s cock, let alone his. I annoy the hell out of him.”

“You annoy the hell out of most people,” Aspen pointed out. “And you do it on purpose.”

“Life is for living,” said Bailey.

Aspen frowned. “How does deliberately irritating people count as ‘living?’”

“Why you gotta ask me rhetorical questions? You know I don’t like them.”

“It wasn’t rhetorical. I genuinely don’t understand.”

“Well that’s a you issue. Don’t drag me into your problems.”

Aspen ground her teeth. “You know, sometimes, I really want to hurt you.”

“Yeah?” Bailey raised a daring brow. “Bring it, Montgomery.”

“No,” Havana cut in, slashing her arm through the air, “there’ll be no bringing.”

Feeling her mouth curve, Blair put her bag of popcorn on the table. “Is it okay if I use your bathroom, Havana?”

“I’d be bothered if you didn’t,” replied the Alpha. “I don’t condone people peeing on my floor.” She shot Aspen a hard look.

Aspen sighed. “I apologized for that.”

Blair reared back. “You took a piss on her floor?”

“No, but my bearcat did while she was fighting with Bailey’s mamba.”

“Dirty bitch,” Bailey muttered.

Aspen bristled. “Don’t start throwing stones at my bearcat. Your damn snake is no innocent.”

As the two females proceeded to argue once more, Blair left the room and headed to the half-bath that branched off the hallway. It was as she finished washing her hands that she heard loud hisses and yowls.

Racing into the living room, she skidded to a halt. Aspen and Bailey had shifted into their animal forms and, well, things weren’t going well. The bearcat was slamming the snake’s head on the coffee table, wheezing from the pressure of the mamba’s body constricting around her body.

Havana charged into the room with Deke trailing behind her. “Both of you stop!” she ordered. “Now.”

Thankfully, they did stop. Though not before the tip of the snake’s tail bitch slapped the bearcat. Aspen’s animal then bared her teeth and gripped said tail, her claws unsheathed. The mamba lunged at her with a hiss.

“I said, stop!”

Again, they did.

Havana looked at Blair. “I stepped out onto the deck to speak to Deke for mere seconds—I repeat, seconds—and in that short time the situation somehow managed to devolve to the point that they were brawling. Unreal.”

At her side, Deke grunted. “I can guess who started it.” He fired a harsh look at the black mamba, who then hissed at him—it was a long, drawn-out, chilling sound. To his credit, he didn’t flinch or back away. Instead, he flicked up a brow. “You got a problem, Hissy Elliot?”

The snake launched herself at him.

Swearing under his breath, he snapped his hand closed around her neck before her fangs could get near him.

Havana growled. “Enough with the lunging!”

As Luke strolled along the street toward the cul-de-sac with Tate and Isaiah, he kept a close eye on his surroundings. He noted that his enforcers—most of whom currently posed as pedestrians to fool humans, since they couldn’t afford to look like they were on patrol—were just as vigilant.

Finally done dealing with the pride issue that pulled him away from his mate … Okay, to be fair, Tate had pulled him away from Blair—rightly pointing out that Luke needed to give her the space to get to better know the other females rather than constantly invading said space.

His cat urged him to walk faster, eager to return to their mate. She was fine—they could feel it through the bond. Nonetheless, the feline wanted to be with her. Whether or not she’d be pleased that Luke had returned he didn’t yet know.

Had he sensed that his hovering had quickly begun to grate on her nerves? Yes. It was a wonder she hadn’t clawed him, really. In truth, though, Luke hadn’t really been hovering so much as reminding Havana, Aspen, and Bailey that he was close in case they got the stupid idea to mess with Blair.

He didn’t believe they’d give his mate any shit—so far, they hadn’t been anything but friendly toward her. And the fact that they were attempting to pull her into their circle said good things. But his level of protectiveness had hit an all-time high the moment his bond with Blair partially formed. Pretty much everything felt like a potential threat to it.

That would settle once their bond fully snapped into place—something he believed should have happened by now. He had thought that their sharing of secrets and grief would have been enough to ensure it. However, it seemed that something else was blocking the bond’s frequency, because it remained incomplete. It bugged Luke’s cat just as much as it did him.

He’d ruminated on it for most of the day, trying to understand what the problem could be. Generally, fears, secrets, and barriers were responsible for jamming mating bond frequencies. But he had no more secrets from Blair. His barriers were down for certain, and he felt through their bond that she was not emotionally holding back from him.

All he could figure was that either she had a secret or two that she hadn’t yet shared with him, or one of them harbored fears about mating—perhaps consciously, perhaps subconsciously.

Luke had searched within himself; found no fears. It was possible that Blair worried that mating with him would mean losing her mother for good. Luke was inclined to believe that Noelle would eventually get her act together rather than lose her daughter forever. But if Blair didn’t hold that same belief, it could be interfering with their bond’s development.

It didn’t help to know that it was only a matter of time before their bond fully formed, because he’d done enough "waiting" when it came to Blair. For six, long years, he’d impatiently waited to claim her, to bring her to his pride, to move her into his apartment so it could officially become theirs.

Living with Blair hadn’t required any “getting used to.” Mostly because he’d already known her quirks and habits and patterns, just as she had his. But also because it felt easy and natural to have her there, sharing his space and making it theirs. They’d quickly developed a rhythm, totally in tune with each other, their lives merging effortlessly.

“Yo, Luke!” Damian called out.

Tracking his brother’s voice, Luke spotted him standing across the street.

“You got a minute?” Damian asked.

Luke nodded and then turned to Tate and Isaiah. “You two head back. I won’t be long.” After a quick check of the road, Luke began to cross it.

A mechanical roar filled the air, and a screech of tires quickly followed.

Luke’s head whipped to the right just in time to see a car gunning his way. His pulse leaping, he rushed toward the sidewalk.

A hard impact slammed into his leg, making his body roughly spin before he hit the pavement. Pain barreling through his limb, Luke ground his teeth and watched the vehicle speed away.

Damian, Tate, and Isaiah quickly materialized, their faces lined with both rage and shock.

“Jesus,” said Damian, his eyes wide.

Tate squatted beside Luke. “You all right?” he asked, his voice almost a growl.

No, Luke wasn’t all right. It was like a scorching hot force had exploded in his leg. And now it throbbed like a goddamn bitch even as it began to feel numb. He gently prodded it and hissed out a breath through his teeth. Definitely broken. “Could be worse.” Which placated neither him nor his currently raging cat.

Tate flicked the grocery store a quick look. “Get Helena,” he told Isaiah, referring to one of their healers. “She should still be at work.”

Isaiah gave a curt nod and ran off just as several of their other pride mates gathered around Luke to check on him.

Luke’s phone rang in his pocket. Since he could feel Blair’s anxiety and panic spiking along their bond, the sight of her name flashing on the screen of his cell was of no surprise.

“I’m okay, baby,” he assured her on answering.

“No, you’re not,” she gritted out. “I can feel that you’re in pain. What happened? Where are you?”

His heart jumped at the thought of her leaving the Alpha pair’s house. Which was exactly what she would do once she knew where to find him. He didn’t want her out in public right now, fearing that whoever pulled the hit and run would return.

“I’m going to be fine,” Luke told her. “The healer is on her way. I’ll be at your side in a matter of minutes. I’ll tell you everything then.”

“What happened, and where the hell are you?”

Odd as it might sound, hearing her voice soothed him and his cat even though it rang with fury. “I know I’m not being fair right now, but I’m asking you to stay where you are. I’m not lying when I tell you I’ll be fine, I promise.”

At that moment, Helena appeared and crouched before him.

“I swear,” began Blair, “if you don’t tell me what happened I am gonna fuck your shit up, Skywhisker.”

He winced. “My leg got clipped by a speeding car. Helena is healing the break right now.” The healing energy crackled through his limb.

A long pause. “A speeding car?” asked Blair, a shake to her voice.

“Yes. I would imagine you’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking; that our boy is done sticking to the shadows. He could have done this to not only draw you out but to weaken me enough that I can’t do shit when he nabs you. So please, stay where you are.”

He never begged anyone for anything. Ever. Didn’t need to anyway. He dished out an order, and people obeyed. But he could never do that to his mate—they were equals. And if he had to beg to be sure she was safe, he’d do it.

“Okay.” The word was a whisper.

Luke closed his eyes, relief blowing through him. “Thank you.” He knew it was killing her to give him this; that it went against her every instinct to not come to him. “I’ll be with you soon, baby, I swear.” He rang off.

“You’re healed,” said Helena, standing.

Luke thanked her as he rose to his feet. “Did anyone get the license plate of the car that hit me?”

“I did,” said Tate, his thumbs tapping his cell phone. “I’m currently texting it to River.”

“It had to have been whoever’s locked on Blair,” said Damian. “They hit you on purpose, Luke. They sped up as they neared you.”

“I know.” If he’d been a second or two slower, the vehicle wouldn’t only have clipped his leg. “The son of a bitch will pay for that.”

“Yeah,” said Damian. “But you’ll be lucky if you get the chance to make him pay. In my opinion, Blair will beat you to it.”