Things That Go Hump In The Night (88 page)

Chapter Eight

MEGAN

“Megan…” the voice came, accompanied by hot breath against my cheek. “Megan, sweetie, wake up.”

My eyes fluttered open, revealing a familiar setting. I was lying on my couch, and facing the wall. A sharp pain emanated throughout my skull, thwarted somewhat by a cold surface being pressed against the back of my head. Why was I lying there…?

I shot up, the memories of what had happened returning to my mind. My vision swam as I fought off a wave of disorientation and I lurched back against the couch, away from the source of the voice.

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s me, Megan,” the voice whispered softly. “It’s me, Kal.”

I turned my head toward the source of the voice, seeing him for the first time. There he was, dark-haired with those same perfect orbs of green gazing into my soul. The dam broke then, and tears began streaming down my face. I dove into Kalvin’s waiting arms, letting him hold me as I sobbed against his shirt.

“A…man…he…was…here…” I managed between sobs.

“I know, I know,” Kalvin whispered, holding me tightly against his warm, solid frame. “He’s gone now. I’ve got you.”

I nuzzled against him as closely as I could, letting him occupy my entire world. Just the feel of his embrace was enough to comfort me and fight off my tears. I could hear his heart pounding against his chest, beating rapidly and, I realized, in time with my own.

Mine. All mine.
I thought to myself, not realizing where it was coming from. All I knew was that I wanted Kalvin. I
needed
Kalvin. All to myself. I didn’t want anything but to be with him.

Before I could convince myself otherwise or talk myself out of it, I looked up at him again, gazed briefly into his emerald eyes, then pulled his head down toward mine. I pressed my lips into his, expecting him to recoil away from me. Instead, he pulled me in closer, taking my lips into his. A powerful sensation of warmth and pleasure wreaked havoc on my inhibitions then, and I moved further into the kiss, opening my mouth and forcing his tongue into his. Kalvin returned the gesture, and our tongues danced for an eternal moment, tracing each other and exploring each other’s mouths. Hungrily, I wanted more.

As our passionate embrace continued, I began moving my hands over Kalvin’s body. His body was large and firm, a distinct complement to my own soft curves. Even over his clothes, I could feel the hard, rippling muscles that I so desperately wanted pressed against my skin.

Clearly, I wasn’t the only one with that idea.

Before I knew what was happening, Kalvin’s fingers hooked themselves around the zipper on the back of my dress, tugging downward until my luscious breasts spilled out. Kalvin pulled away from my kiss for a moment, examining my exposed breasts, then shook his head in exasperation.

“Oh my God, Megan,” he managed breathlessly. “You’re so beautiful.”

Smiling, I took one of his hands and brought it to my left breast. The warmth in his touch was enough to start a distinct wetness between my thighs, and I pressed his hand in further, letting him feel my heart pounding beneath my flesh.

“Yours,” I told him without thinking. “I’m yours.”

Kalvin leaned in and kissed me once. “I’d like that. I really would. But…” He looked away, despondent.

“What is it?” I managed.

Kalvin released me from his embrace and backed away, his hands clasped behind his head. He was looking for a way to explain something. But what?

“You’re a shifter,” I told him, trying to ease any obstacles. “I know that. I understand that. And I also know what that entails. I understand the concept of mates, of lifelong monogamy…”

“It’s not that,” he waved me off.

“Then
what
could it be?” I noticed that my breasts were still spilled out and moved to cover them again with my dress. Kalvin’s eyes shot to my hands, a look of desperation on his face.

“That man, the one who was here. He’s done a lot of damage, including what happened to me last night. And…” he paused, taking a breath. “He means to end it tonight. He means to
kill
me.”

I felt the color flee from my face then and that same wave of nausea returned.

Kill him?
I thought.
Why?!

“Remember the fight club I told you about?” Kalvin stammered.

I nodded.

“There’s…a sort of ranking system. I’m the alpha there, or I was. And in order for Darrel to claim that spot, he has to beat me. In this case, he’s going to the extreme. And that’s not all,” Kalvin told me. “He’s also managed to pretty much destroy my company overnight. And if I don’t go fight him tonight, it’s going to stay that way and then…” he trailed off.

“And then what?” I prodded.

“And then he’s going to come for you.”

“Oh,” I said flatly.

Kalvin only grunted.

“Well, if you’re the alpha, shouldn’t you be able to take him?”

Kalvin shook his head. “Normally, yes. But now… I don’t think so. Something has changed.”

“
What
has changed?” I shot at him, probably a little more harshly than I’d intended. “My life is apparently at stake here, Kalvin. You owe me an explanation at least.”

He took a deep breath as if mulling it over. Finally, he nodded, and sat down in front of me.

“My bear is gone,” he offered. “As in, I can’t sense him. Can’t feel him. Can’t tap into him. Can’t
shift
into him.”

“Wait,” I threw up a hand, trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying. “Your
bear
is gone? How is that even possible?”

Kalvin shook his head. “I don’t know. For as long as I can remember, he’s been there. A part of me. Inside my head, inside my feelings, breathing right alongside me. It’s…hard to explain.”

“And now he’s just gone? Poof?” I raised an eyebrow, doing my best to comprehend. I hadn’t had much experience with shifters, but I had treated a few during my clerkships. Shifters rarely took ill or needed hospitalization, but when they did, I’d always made an effort to be on their rotation. They were more than a little intriguing.

“Right,” Kalvin nodded. “I haven’t sensed or felt him ever since…” His eyes shot up, drilling into me. “Ever since I woke up in the alleyway. Ever since you treated me.”

I stared at him for a long moment, not taking his meaning.

“Did something happen while you were treating me? Anything unusual?”

I shook my head. “Nothing more unusual than watching your blood clot up without a humanly possible reason. I checked your vitals, cut up my sweater, then used it to bandage your wounds.”

He stared at me for a long moment. “Did you sanitize it first? The sweater?”

“Didn’t have any antiseptic. Are you seriously concerned about germs
now
?” I stared at him in disbelief.

“Shit,” Kalvin spat. “How much blood did you get on yourself?”

“I dunno? Not much. Enough that I had to wipe it off, but still…”

“That’s it then,” Kalvin said, a sudden grin forming on his face.

“
What
’s it?” I questioned, throwing my hands up, letting my breasts spill back out of my dress. Kalvin’s eyes immediately went to my breasts and a look of deep hunger and a primal need emerged on his face.

“That’s why Darrel thought we’d already mated. My blood was on you. You’d already been marked without technically being imprinted…”

By this point I was far past confused. Though, the memory of Darrel’s words echoed inside my head:
I can smell his scent all over you.

Kalvin must have noticed the confused look on my face. “There are two ways for a shifter to mark their mate. The first way is the most common, through sexual intercourse. Literal mating. There’s no stronger way to imprint on a mate than sex.”

“And the second?” I questioned.

“The second way, one that is significantly less widely used, is the exchange of blood. You were probably up to your elbows in my blood, and I’d be willing to bet that there were traces of yours in the bandages you made for me.”

I thought back to how I’d accidentally cut myself on the scissors, then absently wiped my own little trickle of blood off on the sweater. At the time, it had seemed like such a minor thing. I nodded, confirming Kalvin’s suspicions.

“There you go then,” he gestured toward me with his hand. “We exchanged blood. Technically, by the old laws, we’re mated. An exchange of blood - a blood oath - used to be a part of the old mating rituals. It’s very rarely used, though.”

“Okay,” I said, digesting everything he was saying. “So what does that have to do with your bear vanishing?”

Kalvin smiled. “That’s just it. He hasn’t vanished. He’s being repressed.”

“By what?”

“By you, actually.” Kalvin said flatly.

That one took me off guard. “Explain.”

“The blood oath was done when a shifter mated with a human. It was a show of compliance, done to protect the human until they’d been properly…er…claimed. Just because the human side of the shifter no longer follows the old laws, doesn’t mean the beast has forgotten them.”

“So basically,” I started, “Your bear is backing off until we have sex…in order to keep from hurting me during sex?”

Kalvin nodded. “Pretty much. The first mating can sometimes be very rough. Bears, especially, tend to be a little aggressive. After the first time, though, the lust isn’t as strong for the beast, because the claiming has already occurred. Does that make sense?”

I nodded, smiling coyly. “So, in order for you to get your bear back… In order for us to live through the night…you have to fuck me?”

Kalvin arched an eyebrow. “Well, I wouldn’t have put it so crassly…”

Not giving him another second to speak, I dove at Kalvin, landing on top of him and pushing him to the ground. My breasts bounced awkwardly in his face as we landed and I immediately began working my way down his body. I kissed at his neck as I went by it, nibbling lightly, and traced my fingers over his chest. I started unbuttoning his shirt, slowly and sensually at first. My inner goddess begged for me to hurry up, to rip his shirt off his body, and to run my lips and tongue across his perfect pecs and rippling abs. At first, I staved off the urge but finally decided that slow and steady would
not
win this race.

I tore at Kalvin’s shirt, snapping off a few buttons as I did, and began tasting his deliciously hard flesh. He was perfect, built like a Greek god, and he was all mine. Kalvin, meanwhile, followed suit and unzipped the rest of my dress, letting it fall off my body before thrusting to the side.

“Jesus,” he stammered, looking at me. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Megan.”

“And I’m all yours,” I whispered, feeling the bulge between his legs spike upward as I did. “I need to taste you, Kalvin.”

I didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, I continued working my way down, finally reaching his pants. I unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants, sliding them down as I did. Kalvin’s member sprung up, willing and ready, just as I’d remembered it from the shower last night. Thick and veiny, I knew at once that there was no way that I could fit it all in my mouth. Still, I needed to taste him. Needed to feel his manhood against my lips.

Grabbing his cock in my hand, I thrust it up and down for a moment, looking up at Kalvin’s face to judge his reaction. To my delight, he responded exactly how I wanted. His eyes rolled up in ecstasy, his body arching with each pump of my fist. Smiling, I began tracing my tongue over the tip of his cock, letting it run and circle the slit as I tasted his precum. Then, without warning, I took him into my mouth, pulling him as deep as I could go.

“Holy shit,” Kalvin panted between breaths. “That feels so good, Megan.”

I pulled my mouth back off, still pumping his cock with my fist. “I’m glad you liked it, Kalvin,” I whispered seductively. “Now for the best part…”

Then I released his cock from my hand, stood up, and settled down on his cock. My already soaked pussy throbbing and begging to be filled.

I pressed my hands down on Kalvin’s chest, digging my nails into his flesh as I sank down onto his member. I let him enter slowly, allowing my body to adjust to his massive girth. Even with only his tip inside, the pressure from his size was incredible. The powerful pleasure only built up the further I sank down onto his cock until, finally, he filled me until I could go no further. Then, I leaned forward, pressed my lips against Kalvin’s, and began to ride him slowly.

Up and down I moved, and Kalvin soon followed suit. For a long, unending moment, we went like that, his body thrusting and crashing into my own as I rode him. The pressure continued to build until I didn’t think I could contain it anymore, and I finally climaxed around him.

I took a second to recover, but it was a second too long for Kalvin. While I was readying myself for another go, he rolled over, putting me on my back, and pulled out of me. He took a moment to examine my body then shake his head with a look of incredulity about him. “I can’t believe you’re mine,” he whispered.