Mating Behavior (7 page)

“Do I what?” he asked, sick with the idea it
was Katie’s blood that he’d smelled. He wanted to rush forward and
demand to know what happened, but a strange calming energy seemed
to engulf the area. If he was thinking clearly he might have
dwelled on it more, but as it stood, his mind was a mass of mixed
emotions.

“I sent Noelle out to ask if you have a
first aid kit here,” she said, opening the towel and revealing a
long, clean slice down the center of her palm. “Don’t panic. It’s
not very bad. Just a nasty scratch.” Her brows drew together.
Something on his face must have tipped off how close to losing it
he was, because she winked. “Relax, big guy. I’ll live.”

Not if Noelle can help it.

Alan growled and Bersh grabbed his shoulder.
In an instant the man was leaning in and whispering to him. “That
cut is from a knife, not a claw. If you lose control and shift now,
she’ll run off into the night and Noelle and her friends will kill
her slowly.”

“Stop threatening Katie to keep me in line,”
Alan bit out in a hushed voice. He was beyond tired of Bersh’s
threats.

Bersh shook his head. “I’m not. I don’t want
her hurt. Christ, I can’t stop thinking about her. Noelle’s insane.
More so than me and she’s pissed. I don’t know about you, but I
can’t stop over a hundred pissed off she-wolves. Can you? Because
that’s how many reinforcements she’ll gather.”

Alan’s blood ran cold. He forced a smile to
his face as he stared at Katie. “The kit’s in the bathroom. I’ll
get it.” He headed down the hall with Bersh at his heels and waited
to speak again until he was sure Katie couldn’t hear. “I need to
get Katie off this mountain.”

“I know.”

Bersh’s confirmation left Alan feeling as if
he’d been hit by a bus. When the bad guy thought it was bad,
everyone was screwed.

“I’ll go to Brone and tell him what’s
transpired. If he’s not still pissed at me, he’ll assure you and
your bitch … umm … Katie, safe passage.”

“Brone?” Alan asked, getting the kit out
from under the sink. His hands shook, a testament to how shot his
nerves truly were. Lashing out was an option, now that Noelle
wasn’t in close proximity. He could kill Bersh without immediate
danger to Katie, but he was no fool. Bersh was their only way off
the mountain safely.

Bersh stepped aside, allowing Alan to pass.
“Yeah, our pack Alpha.”

Alan snorted as he started down the hall. “I
can’t fucking stand you. How is a guy subjected to you all the time
going to let you have a say?”

Clearing his throat, Bersh appeared
uncomfortable. He went for his pack of cigarettes, but Alan shook
his head no. Bersh nodded, and much to Alan’s surprise didn’t press
the issue. “Brone is my brother. My twin brother to be exact.”

The news made Alan come to a grinding halt.
“You tried to fuck your brother’s mate?”

“No.” Bersh gave him a cock sure smile.
“Tried implies I haven’t succeeded and mate would assume the bitch
he currently shacks up with was claimed by him. Oh, I’ve fucked his
girlfriend each and every time she’s come to me begging me to.
She’s pissed Brone won’t claim her.”

“Kind of like how Noelle’s pissed you won’t
claim her?” Alan asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his
voice.

“Yeah.”

Alan pushed past Bersh and covered the
distance between he and Katie quickly. He took the towel from her
hand and gasped when he saw just how deep the wound was. It wasn’t
just a scratch. “Katie, honey, I need to get you to a…”

Heat flared between them and Katie cried out
as Alan seized hold of her hurt hand. He hadn’t meant to, but an
unseen force demanded he hold her close. The heat continued and he
knew what was happening a split second before it did. He was
healing her. Before his eyes Katie’s skin pulled back together,
smoothing out as if nothing had happened. She stared up at him with
wide, questioning eyes.

Bersh let out a long ragged breath. “Holy
shit, she’s your true mate!”

“Bersh,” he said, his tone warning.

“How the hell can that be? She’s human?”
Bersh asked, sounding stunned.

Katie froze. “W-what?”

Great. She finds out I’m not human from a
loud-mouth asshole who would love nothing more than to fuck her
brains out.

Bersh picked then to quietly excuse himself.
Alan didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he focused on Katie. “So,
how’d your hand get cut?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Your hand.” He lifted it to his lips and
planted a kiss on her palm. “How did—”

“Oh.” Katie glanced at the sink and Alan
spotted a knife there. “I was looking for a can opener and wasn’t
paying attention. The knife was in the drawer, the sharp side
up.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I should have—”

“Alan.” Katie pulled away from him. “What
did he mean about you and I being true mates even though I’m
human?”

“Honey.” Alan moved to take hold of her, but
she dodged his grasp. “Bersh was just—”

“No more secrets, Alan.” She shook her head.
“No more lies.”

The hurt in her eyes and the quick lift and
fall of her chest as her breathing grew faster did him in. He
advanced on her with his supernatural speed, not bothering to hide
what he could do. Katie gasped as Alan jerked her against his body.
He took hold of her hair and tugged enough to force her to meet his
gaze. “I need you, Katie. That’s the truth. I need you more than
you’ll ever know.”

“Alan, I need to know what Bersh—”

Capturing her lips with his, Alan silenced
Katie. He swept his tongue in, greeted hers and let go of the
long-standing desire to consume her. Before Alan knew it, he had
Katie backed against the counter and was kissing her like a
depraved man. She tasted so sweet, so perfect. The scent of her
blood still lingered from the towel and the beast within nudged its
way upwards, coming dangerously close to freedom.

He stiffened, but didn’t pull away. Instead,
he licked the inner edges of her mouth slowly, savoring the feel of
Katie melting in his arms. Her arousal grew and his supernatural
senses picked up on the changes in her body. She wanted him. There
was no hiding the fact now.

Katie surrendered to Alan’s advances,
tipping her head back and giving him better access to her. Only
moments ago she’d been bleeding and then trying to understand
Bersh’s cryptic words. Now her body seemed to have a mind of its
own. Her inner thighs tightened and her nipples peaked. It was
happening so fast, but she didn’t dare stop it. No. Katie wanted
everything Alan was willing to give so long as her heart remained
whole in the end.

Don’t hurt me, Alan.

“Never,” he whispered, biting at her lower
lip lightly and driving her mad with lust. “I’d never hurt you.” He
kissed her harder then, leaving her no room to dwell on the fact
she didn’t remember speaking out loud. Alan pressed her body
against the countertop and ground his hips. His powerful thigh
rubbed against her clit just right, creating a friction that left
Katie panting and clinging to him.

Moisture pooled at the juncture of her legs.
Alan ran a hand up her side, sliding it under her shirt and
bringing it to a stop just below her breast. He hissed as if she’d
scalded him before palming her breast. He rolled her nipple between
his forefinger and thumb, moaning in sync with her as he continued
to grind against her. She shuddered as pressure built deep within
her. Each swipe he took brought Katie closer to an orgasm.

Unable to restrain herself, she went for his
shirt, yanking it up and over his head. A cry broke free of her
lips as Alan briefly lost contact with her breast. She chucked his
shirt aside and ran her hands over his virile chest, committing
each plane, each dip to memory. He was perfection. Pure and
simple.

He pressed his bulging fullness against her
mound, instantly pushing her to her zenith. Katie cried out,
clinging tight to Alan’s powerful arms. He lifted her with no
effort and captured her mouth with his. The orgasm continued to
rack her body. Each moan she let out was lost in Alan’s kisses.

Alan carried her through the cabin, kissing
her all the way to the main bedroom where he laid her out on the
bed. Katie felt like an offering. She was all too willing to play
the part.

As Alan stepped back and stared down at her
with lust-filled eyes, Katie’s cheeks flared pink. He shook his
head. “No. Don’t be embarrassed by this… by us.” His gaze heated
before raking over her slowly. Each spot he stared at seemed to
burn under the weight of his stare.

Katie’s power picked then to flare. Her skin
prickled and a low buzzing filled the air. Alan glanced around,
looking puzzled before a threatening growl escaped him. “I’ll be
right back.”

“No,” she said faster than she should.

He stopped and stared down at her.

“Don’t go.” Katie put her hand out to him.
He took it and she tugged gently, wanting him closer. Alan obliged
and Katie’s magik continued to build. Knowing he sensed it, Katie
decided to distract him. She pulled their joined hands to the
buckle of her pants. “Stay with me, Alan.”

“K-Katie,” he said, sounding pained. “I have
to check on something. I don’t want to leave you but…”

She unbuttoned her pants and pushed his hand
down the front of her jeans. Alan’s eyes closed and his jaw set.
His breathing grew short. “Katie, honey, I can’t control it right
now. I need to step away. I won’t risk hurting you.”

Can’t control it?

Taking hold of his chin with her free hand,
Katie jerked on it slightly. He opened his eyes and she met his
gaze head on. “Alan, if you walk away or tell me you need space one
more time, I won’t forgive you again. Do you understand?”

“But, Katie, there are things you need to
know about me. Things that could put your life in danger. I love
you too much to let—” He stopped short of saying anything else and
attempted to pull away.

Katie’s power broke free of her as her mind
raced to catch up.

He loves me?

Her magik bounced around the room before
slamming into Alan. He glanced around, his eyes wild as he sniffed
the air. Katie tried and failed to rein her power back in. Sensing
it was hopeless, she did the next best thing—she cupped the bulge
in his jeans and stared up at him. “Make love to me, Alan. Fuck
me.”

Alan’s gaze snapped to her. His eyes
widened. “Katie?”

“Fuck me.”

With that, he shed his jeans in record time
before reaching down and yanking hers free of her body as well.
Katie simply stared at Alan’s naked body. Desire coated her tongue
as his long, thick cock stood at attention. He ran his fingers
under the sides of her bikini cut panties and she heard shredding.
The next thing Katie knew, she was in nothing more than her t-shirt
with Alan between her legs. He pushed her legs open wider and
stared up at her.

It was the most erotic thing she’d ever
witnessed. Alan spread the folds of her pussy and dipped his head.
As his tongue flickered over her slit, Katie jerked and squirmed up
the bed. Alan’s sensual assault continued. He varied licks and
sucks, finding the perfect blend that drove her over the edge of
culmination. She thrashed on the bed, yanking on the quilt as wave
after wave of pleasure rushed over her. Alan didn’t slow until he’d
made her come two more times and had her legs quivering.

He moved up and over her with inhuman speed
and Bersh’s words tugged at the back of her mind. Katie ignored the
thoughts, focusing instead on Alan as he kissed his way up her
body.

“Mmm.” He licked his lips. “You taste so
good, Katie. Like honey.”

She felt her upper chest and neck heating at
the comment. Alan simply laughed as he nudged her shirt upwards,
kissing her stomach as he went. “I told you not to be embarrassed
about us…about any of this. It’s natural, Katie. It’s what happens
between …”

“Men and women,” she said with a sigh.
“Yeah, I know. I’m not a virgin.”

Alan’s face hardened. “Not just between a
man and a woman, Katie, but between mates. And never bring up being
with another man again. From this day on, you’re mine and mine
alone. Understand? I don’t share.”

“Mates? Alan?”

He took hold of her wrists and pinned her
arms above her head as he nestled himself between her legs. The
head of his cock lay against the entrance to her wet core and it
was all Katie could do to keep her breathing regular. Alan’s hands
were so big that he held her wrists easily using only one hand. As
he brought his free one over her she caught a glimpse of what
looked to be a knife in his hand.

“Alan!”

“Shh,” he whispered, pulling his hand down
the front of her t-shirt, ripping it from her body without harming
her. He did the same to her bra and then stared down at her with
nothing short of rapture on his handsome face. “So beautiful.”

He bent, taking a nipple into his mouth and
circling his warm tongue around it, making Katie moan in delight.
She writhed beneath him, wanting more than he was giving. Alan held
back, refusing to enter her as she desperately wanted.

“Alan, please.”

He bit gently on her nipple, causing
pleasure to center in Katie’s lower abdomen. He stared up at her,
his eyes full of mischief. “Swear that you’re mine and only mine
from here on out, Katie. Pledge yourself to me.”

Her power picked then to circle back around
them, encasing them in a shroud of magik. The sound of her own
heart beating pounded in her head, mixing with Alan’s words. She
stared at him, dazed from pleasure and power. For a split second
she thought for sure she saw his eyes swirl to amber.

“Swear to me, Katie,” he said, his voice
deeper than normal.

Alan pressed the head of his cock into her
core just enough to make Katie cry out from the size of him.
“Promise me, Katie. I won’t claim you until you swear to always be
mine. I have to know that you want me for all eternity too.”