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her to her seat with the family where they proceeded to embarrass her mother by barely keeping their hands off one another in the house of the Lord.
Once the funeral was over, Hugh hustled her out of the church and into the car with indecent haste. They didn’t speak to a soul. He drove with grim determination back to their hotel. Mary Elizabeth tempted his self-control mightily as she wiggled and squirmed in her seat, trying desperately to keep her hands off him.
As they rode up in the elevator, they stood on opposite sides, neither one looking at the other. Once they reached the room, he ordered the startled housekeeper out as he began ripping the clothes off his body. She took one look at his face and ran. Hugh slammed and locked the door behind her, barely remembering to put out the DO NOT DISTURB sign before he fell on a naked and waiting Mary Elizabeth.
* * * * *
Kiesha picked up the telephone after she and Alex had eaten. “Come on, answer.” It just rang and rang. She hung up when voice mail came on, and called again. This time, when there was no answer, she left a message. “Shay, call me and let me know you’re all right. If I don’t answer, leave a message.”
She disconnected and dialed another number.
“Who are you calling now?” Alex asked.
“I’m calling Shannon to make sure she’s okay and see if Shay is with her,” she answered distractedly as the phone rang and continued to ring. “Where the hell are they?” she asked, beginning to get worried.
She disconnected the call and tried again. When she still didn’t get an answer, she hung up the phone and snatched her keys.
“Whoa,” Alex said, blocking her way to the exit. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going to check on my cousin and my friend. Move out of my way, Alex,” she said, trying to push past him.
“Honey, I know you’re worried, but you can’t go over there. The moon will be out soon, can’t you feel it?” He placed an arm around her to hold her in place.
“Alex, I don’t care about the moon. Shay might be in trouble. I need to know that she’s safe.” Kiesha was still trying to get past him, even though she knew it was useless. Alex was strong enough to keep her in the house if he didn’t want her to go.
“Kiesha, look at me,” he said firmly. When she reluctantly looked up, he asked, “How much of last night do you remember?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked angrily, frustrated because he wouldn’t let go.
“It has a lot to do with it. Now answer the question.” 80 Zena Wynn
Knowing he was going to continue to push until she did, she told him, “Not much. I remember arguing with you, and I remember ripping at your clothes, but the rest is blank until I woke this morning.”
Alex nodded, as if she’d confirmed what he suspected. “And why do you think that is?”
“I don’t have time to play twenty questions. If you have something to say, then say it.
Otherwise, get out of my way. If I hurry, I can get over there and back before the moon rises.”
He shook her slightly, causing her eyes to widen. “You’re not going anywhere. The reason you can’t remember last night is because you shifted. Your first change. How much help do you think you’re going to be to them if you change? Rory is there. He’s an alpha.
Shannon’s an alpha as well. You go over there, and you’ll do more harm than good. They’re all right, and even if they’re not, there’s nothing you can do about it now.” Tears filled Kiesha’s eyes. At the sight of them, Alex cursed and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. You have to see that there is nothing you can do but wait it out. I know you’re worried. I am too. We’ll just have to be patient and hope for the best.”
“I’m fine. It’s these damn hormones. You’re right, and I know it. It just seems like there ought to be something I can do. I hate not knowing what’s going on.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “I changed? You’re sure?” He laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. I was there, remember?”
“Why can’t I remember? Shouldn’t I?”
“Not necessarily. You were angry. Strong emotions bring it on.” She’d been beyond angry. She was furious with Alex at his deviousness, worried for Shayla’s and Shannon’s safety, and guilty because if it hadn’t been for her, Shay wouldn’t be involved in any of this mess. Add all those emotions together, throw in a blue moon, and it’s no wonder she changed. “Will it happen again, tonight?”
“More than likely. Now that you’ve experienced your first full shift, you should begin changing more frequently, especially during the full moon. It will take some time before you are strong enough to resist its call. Let’s go upstairs and get comfortable. I don’t want to get caught in the kitchen again like we did last night.”
* * * * *
Shayla lay sprawled on the mattress on the floor, hands above her head. They’d given up trying to keep the thing on the bed. She lifted her head and looked down at her body before dropping back to the mattress. A person would think she’d been attacked with all of the bruises, bites, and claw marks on her body. She smiled contentedly. She loved making Rory go primal on her.
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Rory’s hand slid leisurely up her leg to play with the folds of her sex. She widened her thighs, granting him full access. And to think they’d made such a big deal about the blue moon that she’d actually been nervous. This was wonderful. She would have to make sure she was in town for the next one.
Rory leaned over and suckled her breast. She ran fingers through his hair as thoughts continued to run through her mind. She should be sated. Actually, she should be unconscious. They fucked and ate, then fucked some more. He’d spent more time inside her than out. She never knew a man could maintain an erection that long and get hard again with that amount of frequency. Must be a shifter thing. Whatever it was, she was going to enjoy it as long as it lasted. Thoughts faded away as he moved over her and the passion between them flared again.
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Chapter Nine
Nikolai awoke just before sunset. He scanned his surroundings, making sure all was secure before turning to his mate. As commanded, Shannon was still asleep. He had enough time to carefully wake her. If he did it too early, she would be in command of her senses and ask questions he was not prepared to answer. If he waited too late, her beast would gain control, strengthened by the full moon.
He walked a fine line. Because of the heat, he was able to claim her body. Her lust-filled mind offered no objections to anything he chose to do as long as he satisfied the passionate craving of her body. He was fully aware that the real battle to claim Shannon’s soul would begin once the moon waned and her heat subsided.
She would try to reject him. He was a different species. Her wolf was hostile toward him. Her family and pack would not approve. Then there was the transformation occurring in her body because of the blood exchanges of which she was unaware. All these things would work against him. None of them mattered. She was his chosen, his true mate, his soul mate. Whatever you wanted to call it, the bottom line was she was his. Nothing she did or said would change that.
In her one lucid moment, she rightly suspected that he was the source, the reason her body had been thrown into heat. There were a lot of things that she didn’t know, and it would be his pleasure to inform her, but not until he had physically bound her to him as tightly as he could. Time was not on his side. The moon would only be at maximum strength for another two nights. After that, he would have to let her go -- temporarily.
Then the wooing would begin.
He had no doubt he would win her, despite the things conspiring against him. He would prevail because she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and because he’d never failed to obtain that which he desired most. He wouldn’t fail now. He would bind her to him Nikolai’s Wolf
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so tightly that she wouldn’t know where she ended and he began. By blood and by passion, she would be his before she left his lair. Then he would work on owning her heart as surely as she already owned his.
He needed to prepare for his mate’s awakening. He hungered, but his needs could wait.
First, he would attend to his mate. Then he would satisfy his own.
He lit a fire to take the chill off the room. Going into his private bath, he filled the Roman-style sunken tub, large enough to hold four, with oil-scented water. While that was going, he went into the kitchen area and prepared a tray of food for his mate to satisfy her hunger and replace the energy she’d expended. Once everything was arranged to his satisfaction, he collected his mate and carried her into the bathroom.
Stepping into the tub, he cradled Shannon in his arms and sat on one of the bench seats lining the perimeter. With his arm supporting her back, he lifted her face to his. “Awaken hungry for me, my love,” he commanded before covering her mouth with his own.
Her arms twined around his neck and her body sought his own before her eyes ever opened. The heat, freed by his command, swirled like a living thing inside her, seeking relief.
Her body was a firestorm of need, and only he could put out the flames.
He positioned her over his cock. “Take what you need.” She sank down on him and began to move, instinct taking over where experience was lacking. She rose to her knees and rode him, the water making her movements languid in spite of the urgency he felt in her body. His hands explored while she took her pleasure, knowing that once she fed the hunger of her body, he would be free to feed his.
He cupped her breasts, their lushness filling his hands to capacity. He fondled them as he watched the intense concentration on her face. A quick tap into her mind showed she was focused inward on the sensations her body was feeling. Taking two fingers, he pinched her nipples and pulled, causing them to tighten and harden. As he tugged at them rhythmically, she gasped and her head fell back, giving him a tempting view of the veins in her neck.
“You like that,” he stated, unable to resist nuzzling the spot where he would later feed.
“Yes.”
“What about this?” He slid his hand down her stomach and parted her curls until his thumb was pressed against her clit. Using the oily water as lubrication, he rubbed back and forth.
She hissed in pleasure, her hips shooting forward to match his stroking. Her nails dug into his shoulders, the claws lengthening as her wolf began to surface. Her eyes began to change and glow as her climax neared.
“Control your beast, my love.”
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Remembering what happened the last time, she struggled to regain control. She was too close for him to draw back now. Her claws still dug into his shoulder, but her eyes returned to normal.
Nikolai smiled and placed his hands on her hips, guiding her movements as he matched her thrusts, adding an extra bit of force to the movements. He felt so good, she whimpered and closed her eyes. He was so sexy that she wished she had a camera to capture his image.
He pulled her closer so that her clit ground against his pubic bone. Her breasts rubbed against the light brushing of hair on his chest. Her fangs lengthened as the urge to bite and mark him as hers overwhelmed her.
Her wolf stirred in horror. No! Not mate. Other! NO MARK!
She jerked back just as her orgasm surged over and through her, driving every thought from her mind.
Shannon slumped against Nikolai, her body weak and trembling from more than just her release. She hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Her mouth was dry and parched from the blood he’d taken. A cup was pressed to her lips.
“Drink.”
She grabbed the water and drank. When empty, the cup was removed and food was substituted in its place. The mouthwatering aroma of cooked beef assaulted her nostrils, causing her stomach to rumble. Shannon gulped down the meat, barely chewing. As soon as she swallowed, another bite-sized piece took its place, and another, until the edge was off her hunger, and she slowed down enough to actually savor the food.
Nikolai began alternating pieces of meat with bits of cheese and fruit. Now that she wasn’t starving, Shannon noticed the tray of food stationed by his arm on the marble ledge of the tub. Feeling silly being hand-fed when she was perfectly capable of feeding herself, she reached for the food.
“No, my love. Allow me this small pleasure.”
Shannon subsided against him without protest. She hadn’t been fed since she was a young child. It was a novel experience. When she’d eaten her fill, Nikolai moved the tray out of the way and placed another cup of water in her hands. She needed to replace the fluids she lost before he’d feel comfortable enough to feed again. She finished drinking and handed him the cup, which he placed on the tray.
She leaned sleepily against him. “You didn’t eat.”
“Your needs come first.” He turned her body and positioned her with her back against the tub, then pressed his body between her outspread legs.
Shannon abruptly became aware that Nikolai was still hard. “You didn’t come earlier.”
“No.”
“Why?”
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“It wasn’t time.”
“Why would you deny yourself?”
“That was for you. This is for me.” He kissed her as he slid home. “Last night and earlier I held back, not wanting to hurt you with my passion. Now that you’ve eaten and been strengthened, I’ll give you a taste of what I withheld before.” He held her legs open and back until they met her chest. He stroked deep, long powerful strokes that touched her womb. Her head fell bonelessly against the rim of the tub as the passion in her rose to match his own. Pressed into the side of the tub as she was, she couldn’t move; she could only clutch his head as fire streaked through her body.
The water churned around them as the temperature rose. Nikolai kissed his way down to her throat and lingered there, scraping his teeth back and forth against her vein. He smiled as she clutched his hair and arched her neck, pressing his mouth more firmly against her skin in a silent appeal to bite her. He licked her and suckled the skin, pulling it into his mouth, toying with her.