“The car will be fine here,” he said. “I’ve come here before on my way home from town.”
They got out of the vehicle and stretched their legs, and she contemplated stripping in front of him to shift. Would he think her too bold? Among her old pack, nakedness was normal. Not that they had been nudists, but when they’d been shifting, it was no big deal. Both forms were as natural as breathing.
“We’ll walk into the woods before we undress,” he said. “I doubt anyone will come along except maybe a deputy. I don’t think Sheriff Deveraux would be too happy to find us standing around in the buff.”
“Then Jesse would demand an explanation as to why we were naked outside the car rather than inside, making out.”
“Oh, he knows what we are. He just wouldn’t be happy about finding us naked.”
“He does? Since when?” That was news. Jesse Deveraux came into the Grizzly all the time, and she’d never gotten wind that he knew exactly what the Pack was or what they did.
“Since the Sluagh were attacking a bunch of local families and the sheriff saw shit he shouldn’t have. So Nick decided it would be good to have an ally inside local law enforcement, and the man has come in pretty handy, even if he is a grumpy bastard.”
“He is that, for sure. Sexy but an asshole.”
Micah frowned. “You think Jesse is sexy?”
Grinning, she pressed against him. “He can’t hold a candle to you, so don’t sweat it.”
They kissed slowly, which got her motor revved and ready to go. He tasted so good, she sincerely hoped to sample much more of him soon. Backing away, she took his hand and let him lead them into the forest.
After walking for a ways, he stopped next to a fallen log and began to undress, not bothering to turn away. That settled the question of whether they were going to stand on ceremony, and so she did the same. Unashamedly, they watched each other.
His shirt went first, and she admired his chest, sprinkled with a fine dusting of dark hair. He was toned and fit, not too bulky, his abs flat. On his right biceps was a gorgeous tattoo of a wolf’s head, and it rippled with his muscle.
Here and there she noted scars, some thin and long as though they’d been made by a whip or knife, some puckered and round as though by silver bullets or burns. But they were a warrior’s scars, and she admired him for them.
One baseball-sized scar on his chest looked recent and far too near his heart. “What happened there?”
“We had to battle some demons the other day. One almost got the best of me.”
“Are you all right?”
“A little tender, but I’m fine.”
When he pushed down his jeans, she saw that he’d gone commando, and her pulse sped up some. Here was a mouthwatering specimen of manhood. His thighs were long and muscled, athletic, his calves nicely shaped. And his cock, oh, my God.
His staff, quiescent against his thighs and nestled atop an impressive set of balls, was fairly large even in that state. Under her scrutiny it began to awaken, and plumped some. While erect, it surely had to be a good eight inches. She had a fleeting moment of doubt, but knew he’d fit inside her. Mates were meant for each other.
“Have you looked your fill?” His lips quirked up.
“Not nearly. You?” By now her clothes were off as well, and she wondered what he thought of her body. Her figure was slim, but her breasts were on the lush side.
“Not even close, because, Christ, you’re beautiful.” Reaching out, he took her hand.
Her heart did a slow turn in her chest. “Thanks. So are you.”
“Guys aren’t beautiful,” he said, looking away and shaking his head as though suddenly shy. “Or at least this one isn’t. Come on, let’s run.”
Before she could protest his words, he stepped back and shifted. Dropping to his hands and knees, he let the change flow gracefully, reshaping his limbs and face, growing a luxurious brown coat and a full bushy tail. When he was done, he was a good-sized brown wolf, half again bigger than her coyote.
“You’re wrong,” she whispered. “You’re gorgeous.”
Then she let the change take her as well, and her coyote finally got to come out and play. His wolf trotted over and greeted her with a happy bark, sniffing and nuzzling all over her face. Then with another bark, he took off, glancing back, clearly indicating for her to follow.
She ran after him, exhilaration coursing through her blood. Joy. Especially in running with another. It had been so long since she’d enjoyed companionship of any kind, and her family had been gone for years. And now to feel the wind in her face and the earth under her paws alongside the wolf who would be her Bondmate?
Heaven. Pure and simple.
With his more powerful legs, she knew he could likely outrun her if he wanted, taunting her with his greater strength. Yet he made sure to keep his pace steady so she could run by his side. His actions toward her as a shifter said a lot about what kind of mate he’d be in human form as well.
They finally came to a small brook and stopped for a drink. After satisfying their thirst, they took off again. Once Micah flushed out a rabbit that had been hiding and looked to her in question, but she merely shook her head. This one could go free tonight—she was still stuffed from earlier. With a bark, he sped off again.
She wished they could communicate telepathically, but it wouldn’t be long. After they bonded, they’d be able to speak in each other’s heads and feel the other’s emotions. It was a definite perk of having a mate, though her mother had sometimes complained good-naturedly that it gave her father far too many ways to pry.
Shutting off the sad memories before they could form, she concentrated on the rest of their run. When they ended up in a pretty clearing farther down the stream, Micah stopped and shifted back to human form, then sat down on a soft patch of grass and held out his hand to her. Following suit, she shifted back also and took his hand, sitting next to him.
Putting an arm around her, he pulled her close. She snuggled into his chest, inhaling his scent, stronger than before with just a pleasant hint of manly sweat from their exercise. But damn, he wasn’t even breathing hard.
“I like this,” he murmured. “Never thought I’d have this. Not even close.”
“Why? Because of your scars?” Reaching up, she stroked his cheek. His reply was quiet.
“Yes, but not the ones on the outside.”
The words seared her heart. “Oh, Micah, who hurt you?”
For a long moment he was silent. Finally he said, “Remember Malik?”
“The Unseelie king.”
“Yes. For a while, he posed as a human billionaire and ran a company called Lifeline Technologies. Most of the company was legit, but it was also a front for a more sinister operation. Malik and a rich human, Orson Chappell, were kidnapping humans and shifters of all types, and sending them to labs all over the country. In those labs, the subjects were experimented on, their DNA messed with, spliced, whatever.”
“God, that’s horrible.”
“It gets worse. Dr. Gene Bowman was in charge of the actual testing of the subjects, and a more evil man never lived.”
“He’s dead now?” she interrupted.
“Very, along with the other two. Anyway, Bowman’s goal for them all was to create a breed of super-shifter soldier who would basically be invincible in battle, yet could be controlled by his master to do his bidding.” Micah gave a sad laugh. “I was kidnapped in an ambush during an Alpha Pack mission, and they thought I was dead until they got a tip that I might be alive and being held hostage in one of those labs.”
“Thank God they found you.”
“Yeah. Some other Pack members were taken during that same ambush, and they got me back, plus Aric, who’d been kidnapped later and tossed in with me. They also recovered Phoenix Monroe from a different lab.”
“He’s the one who’s supposed to be Noah’s Bondmate, but it’s not going very well with them?”
“Yeah. You’ve met them?”
> “They’ve been in the Grizzly a couple of times with the group.”
“Oh. I keep forgetting you’ve met almost all of us.”
“So, this,” she said, touching his cheek again. “What happened?”
“Bowman had me strapped down and poured molten silver on my face. Even Zander, our Healer, can’t fix it, and he can heal damn near anything.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Like I said, it’s not really my face that bothers me, as much as I’d like for it to be healed.”
“It’s what the damage represents,” she guessed. “The power Bowman wielded over you to keep you under control.”
“You do understand,” he said hoarsely, gazing into her eyes. “I hate what he did to me, but I hate that he forced me to comply even more. I hate that I was used in every possible way, and that they made me, in turn, harm innocent shifters.”
“But you had no choice. I can see that in your eyes and hear it in your voice.”
“There was always a choice.” Bitterness crept into his tone. “I could’ve let them kill a poor girl by refusing to hurt two eagle shifters. I could’ve let the guards tear apart a young boy, had I not allowed the guards to use my body for their desires. Some choice.”
My God. “You did what you had to, Micah. They threatened weaker shifters, knowing your protective instinct would come to the fore, that you would never allow them to be hurt when the stronger ones could take the abuse. They tried to condition you, and they failed.”
“Did they? I hope so.”
“They did.”
“Can I touch you?” he asked softly. “Nobody has laid their hands on me since those horrible days, and I haven’t wanted to touch anyone else. Until now.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed his lips. “Yes, please.”
“I won’t claim you tonight, as much as I want to. It’s too soon, and there’s more you need to know about me.” His eyes were dark pools of need.
“Same here. But I do want you, so much.”
“You have me.”
With that, he laid her back on the spongy grass and levered his body slightly over hers. She loved the weight and feel of him, the tickle of his chest hair, the heat of his lengthening shaft on her belly. His hair fell forward to envelop his face, so sexy in the moonlight; he reminded her of some pagan god come to claim her as his own.
Bending, he kissed his way down her jaw, neck, and collarbone. He continued on to her breasts, lavishing attention on one peak, which had hardened to a tight little point. His tongue flicked it, sending shards of delight straight to her sex. She wriggled under him, palms splayed on his back.
His muscles flexed under her hands, and she found his smooth skin was interrupted by more long scars. She wanted to kiss each of them, to love the bad memories away and leave him with nothing but good.
Continuing his journey, his tongue blazed a path down her stomach as his hand slid between her thighs. She parted for him and he explored, rubbing the folds, dipping his fingers inside, and spreading the moisture. Heat spiraled through her sex to her limbs and she moaned, wanting him.
“I’m ready. Please, Micah.”
“I’ve got you, baby.”
Carefully, he positioned himself between her open thighs and brought the head of his cock to her opening. Then he pushed gently inside, moving slightly in and out, deeper each time, until fully seated.
“Sweet Christ, you feel so good,” he breathed, gathering her close.
“So do you.” She clutched at him, moving her hips.
In answer, he began to pump, slowly at first. She reveled in the delicious sensation, the scent of her mate wrapped around her, making love to her. His strength, his passion. All of that hidden behind a wall of sadness now broken down, she hoped for good.
His walls weren’t the only ones crumbling, she realized. Sex before had been a cold, passionless act without a real connection, and she hadn’t even known. But now . . .
Making love with Micah was like a burst of glorious color after being locked in a dark, lonely basement. A swell of emotion nearly overwhelmed her, and she held on tight, kissing his face and neck as he moved inside her.
Their tempo increased and she met him without stopping, hanging on to him as though she’d never let go. Her desire spiked higher, climax so close, and from his moans, his hips driving into her, his was near as well.
“Come for me, mate,” he growled.
A few more thrusts of his cock, and she did exactly that, crying out as her orgasm shook her to the core. Micah followed right after, hugging her to his chest, peppering her hair with kisses. When the last of his release was finished, he rolled to his back and carried her with him, settling her on top of him.
Snuggling in comfortably, she sighed. “It’s never been like that.”
“Never?” He held her tighter.
“No. Sex without the closeness of a mate just isn’t the same.”
“True.” He paused. “I’ve never felt that either, until now, and I’m not sure how I lived without it.”
“With any luck, neither of us will have to go back to that existence again.”
Her mate’s wonderful scent filling her nose, she drifted.
And they didn’t move again for a long time.
Five
Micah shivered as Jacee traced her fingers over the scar that the demon had left on his chest. “I could’ve lost you before I even knew who you were to me.”
“But you didn’t, and I’m here.” For now. How long can I last? If the real monsters don’t get me, the ones in my head just might.
“I’m glad.”
“Me, too.” He played with her hair. “So tell me about your family. Do they live around here?”
She was silent for so long, he didn’t think she’d answer. He was about to tell her to forget the question when she finally spoke up.
“They’re dead. My whole clan was destroyed by Hunters a few years ago.”
“Oh, honey.” He squeezed her tight, his heart going out to her. To lose one’s family was devastating, a shifter without a pack even more so. “I’m sorry.”
“I escaped for the dumbest reason ever. I was spending the night in town at a human school friend’s house and wasn’t even there for the slaughter. Nobody knew about me or ever came after me.”
“That’s not dumb at all,” he disagreed. “You were extremely lucky.”
“I felt guilty for years because my parents didn’t approve of my having a friend outside the clan. But I’d begged for weeks to stay over at Marcy’s. Finally they gave in, and that night they all died. Or so I was told, but I was never able to see the bodies since there wasn’t much left, and it was deemed too traumatic for me. My friend’s parents fostered me, helped me through everything. Got me through school.”
“I’m glad you had them.”
“Me, too.”
“Did you have siblings?”
“One younger sister, Faith. She’d be nineteen now.”
“Where did your pack live?”
“In Texas, the hill country near San Antonio. I moved here three years after high school graduation and got my bartender’s license, and I’ve been here ever since.”
“Well, I’m sorry about your family, but I’m glad you’re here now. I don’t mean that to sound selfish.”
“I know what you mean, and I’m glad I’m here, too.” He felt her smile against his chest, and then she shivered. “Cold?”
“Just getting a little cool. No fur coat in this form, you know.”
“I guess we should head back,” he said with real regret. “Early day tomorrow for me.”
“More demon hunting?”
“God, I hope not! The Pack has a meeting and then some training exercises. After that, Nick will probably have us wash the SUVs since that hasn’t been done in a while.”
“Sounds more fun than serving drunks.”
“Thought you like your job?”
“Most days,” she said. “But so
metimes it does get old.”
“Well, once we’re mated you can do whatever you want. Stay there and tend bar, work at the compound, or go back to school and learn something else. The choice is yours.”
Propping herself up on his chest, she stared at him. “You’d support me if I wanted to go back to school?”
“Why not? I’d like that a hell of a lot more than you being at the Grizzly every night serving guys like that asshole Grant. But like I said, it’s your deal.”
“You won’t try to use your influence as my mate to make me quit my job later on?”
“No,” he said firmly. “I’d never do that to you.”
“Thank you. I have thought of trying to do something else, but there’s never been enough money or time. I spend my days surviving, mostly.”
“Well, no more of that. My mate will do what she wants.”
She seemed so happy about that, it made him a bit sad that life hadn’t treated her the best for the last few years. She had struggled, but she wasn’t the sort to complain. He admired how she put her head down and simply did what had to be done.
With reluctance, he parted from her and prepared to leave. This spot would always be special to him, and to her, too, he hoped. There would never be another first time. But he prayed there would be many more. He still hadn’t confessed his problem and that worried him, but tonight hadn’t been the right time to spring his heavy crap on her.
Please let her understand.
They shifted back into their animal forms, and Micah admired her coyote once more. Real wild coyotes tended to be thin and scrawny, half-starved and not attractive. But Jacee’s smaller body was filled out, her coat shiny and plush. She was a perfect example of her species, and he had no clue why her kind was looked down upon in the shifter world. It didn’t make sense to him, but that sort of thing never did.
When they reached the spot where they’d left their clothing, they got dressed again, then walked back to his car. He kissed her soundly, then helped her inside. Once behind the wheel, he drove her home as slowly as possible, not wanting the night to end.
They made out in her driveway for a while, and when he couldn’t put it off any longer, he walked her to the door. “Good-bye, for now.”