Ella and the Beast

Ella could see the lines of strain and fatigue on Ty’s face. He hadn’t had much sleep since he had brought her home. They often stayed up late, making love and talking. And he was getting up early before he left for work to go walking with her. Guilt pulled at her. She was used to not sleeping much, but nowadays even she found herself taking short naps during the day.

  “Do what you need to do. Are you hungry?” She asked. “I could warm up some soup for you and make you a sandwich. Martha showed me how to work the box that cooks things.”

  Ty shook his head. “No, Rhyanna had sandwiches delivered late this afternoon. The only thing I’m hungry for is you in my arms,” he admitted with a sigh. “I won’t be long, I promise,” he added, leaning forward to press a kiss against her lips.

  “I’ll wait for you,” she replied, sliding her hand tenderly down his left cheek before she took a step back.

  Realizing neither of them wanted to be apart again, Ella forced herself to turn around and takemoved up several steps before she stopped to glance over her shoulder. Ty was still at the bottom of the staircase. He smiled up at her before he blew her a kiss and finally turned away. She watched as he disappeared down the corridor. Releasing a sigh, she slowly continued walking up the stairs, and headed back to their living area.

  She couldn’t help but think it was an impossible task; trying to keep her existence a secret. So far just today, at least two additional people knew about her existence. It was only a matter of time before more of the Others found out about her. She just hoped that she was ready for it.

  *.*.*

  Ty drew in a deep breath. A worried, but amused smile curved his lips. He was worried about the fact that Van had brought Lorne into the house. Van’s younger brother had gone through a few, very rough times during his teenage years when he was a teenager. In fact, Van and his family had lost touch with Lorne for almost two years. When the young wolf had reappeared, he had been different – edgier.

  At eighteen, Lorne had left again, only this time it was to serve in the military. Six years later, it would appear that the wolf had once again come home. Ty knew and respected the Timberwolf family, he was just very, very protective of Ella. The fact that Lorne Timberwolf had withdrawn from his family meant that no one really knew him anymore.

  Ty ran a hand over the back of his neck and shook his head, Ella’s words ringing in his mind. He could just imagine Ella taking Lorne down with a vacuum cleaner wand. If she hit the wolf in the balls hard enough to bend it, he bet Lorne wouldn’t be walking, or doing anything else, very well for a while.

  “What has you so amused?” Rhyanna asked with a raised eyebrow, noticing his expression when he opened the door and stepped in.

  Ty gave a brief shake of his head. “Nothing important. Let me get you a copy of the inventory. If the snow keeps up like this, you may be stuck here,” he warned.

  Rhyanna shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time. It isn’t like it would be a hardship to stay here, especially if Martha makes her awesome pancakes and eggs,” she retorted in a dry tone.

  “True. You can take the blue guest room, if you don’t want to take a chance driving. You know what the roads were like coming in. They should have them cleared by morning,” Ty remarked in a distracted voice as he sat down at his desk and booted up his computer. “Do you need a change of clothes?”

  “No, I have a bag in the car,” Rhyanna replied, walking over to look out the window. “I learned after last winter’s storm to keep a spare set in case of emergencies.” They both became quiet while he pulled up the files he was looking for and saved them to a flash drive. “Ty, who was the woman? I… This is going to sound really strange, but I swear she looked like she was a… human. I know that is impossible, but her face! I mean… it’s crazy I know, but I swear she looked just like one of the women from the paintings.”

  Ty slowly ejected the flash drive and pulled up the weather satellite information. His lips tightened when he saw the dark red line cutting straight through Ella’s mountains. The forecast was predicting record breaking temperatures and snow levels.

  His head jerked up when Rhyanna suddenly turned and stared at him. It took a moment for her words to sink in. Shutting down his computer, he rose to his feet and held out the flash drive.

  “Rhyanna,” he started to say before he tiredly ran his hand down over his face. He stared back at her calm but curious expression. He finally released a long breath. “This is confidential.”

  “I understand,” Rhyanna replied in a quiet voice. “I’ve always respected anything you shared with me as being between us, Ty.”

  Ty nodded and slowly walked around his desk and over to the window where she was standing. He stood staring out at the falling snow. It was definitely heavier than it had been earlier.

  “Ella is my mate,” Ty calmly informed her. He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his dress slacks. He ignored Rhyanna’s surprised hiss. “I know, pretty incredible, huh? I never thought I would find a mate, but I did. The reason Ella looks like a human is because she is one. I should have known you would immediately pick up on the differences. You’ve studied enough human remains, artifacts, and paintings to know what they look like.”

  “A human!” Rhyanna repeated, stunned. “Where did you find her? How is it possible?”

  “It doesn’t matter where or how. What matters is keeping her safe,” Ty replied, turning to look down at Rhyanna.

  “The media will go nuts when they find out, Ty, you know they will,” Rhyanna said with a shake of her head. “Are there more of them? I can’t even imagine keeping this hidden. There hasn’t been any word of a sighting in centuries! The last known human in captivity died nearly four hundred years ago.”

  Ty could feel the muscle in his jaw twitch at Rhyanna’s description. Captivity – that was a nice way of putting what life had been like for the last human. The records were sketchy at best, but there was enough to know that death had been a blessing for the human female.

  “You’ve read the account of what happened to the woman. This is why it is imperative that Ella be protected at all times. I don’t want to take a chance of some delusional shifter trying to harm her,” he stated in a hard tone. “I will kill anyone who tries.”

  He forced himself to relax when he saw Rhyanna’s eyes widen in shock. She squeezed his arm in support. That was one of the things he liked about Rhyanna, he had never felt uncomfortable or awkward around her. It was mostly due to the fact that she was one of the rare women he had met that showed absolutely no interest in him except on an intellectual level. It was the main reason why they worked so well together and he trusted her. She cared about the Observatory and the preservation of the forests, animals, and artifacts that they were determined to protect for future generations.

  “I’ll do everything I can to help you,” Rhyanna promised. “You are going to need help. Who else knows about her?”

  Ty pulled his hand out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. “You, Van, Peterson, my family, and Lorne, Van’s younger brother,” he admitted. “Dad has a call in to talk to Michaela, but she hasn’t responded yet. She’s in a huge trade meeting at the moment.”

  “Was she the reason you took off for those couple of weeks?” Rhyanna asked.

  Ty nodded. “I was searching for her,” he said with a wry grin. “She found me instead.”

  “Listen, it’s getting late and the storm is obviously getting worse. I’ll grab my things out of the car, then compare the information you have and see what is missing. I’ll also try to brainstorm some ways to help protect Ella,” Rhyanna said, covering her mouth when she yawned. “Well, maybe I’ll take a look in the morning. I didn’t realize how late it was!”

  Ty glanced at his watch and grimaced. It was just past midnight. He hadn’t realized what time it was either.

  “I’ll walk with you. The guys installed an upgraded security system today and I don’t want you to accidentally trip it,” Ty murmured, turning and walking to the door
.

  Rhyanna laughed. “You mean like the last time I was here?” She teased.

  Ty smiled, but didn’t say anything. He held the door open for her. He escorted her out to her car, rubbing his hands and wishing he had stopped to put his jacket back on when the wind cut through his thick sweater. He reset the alarm system once they were back inside. They walked in silence up the stairs.

  “Good night, Rhyanna. Thank you for everything,” Ty murmured when they reached the top.

  Rhyanna paused and looked up at Ty. “You gave me a chance when no one else would, Ty. I will always be grateful for that,” she said, looking away from him to stare down the hallway.

  “No thanks are needed, Rhyanna. You’ve more than earned everything you’ve achieved. I’ll see you in the morning,” Ty replied, turning away.

  He quickly walked down the hallway to Ella’s and his living quarters. He opened the door and slipped inside. At the far end of the couch, a lamp was lit. Walking over to turn it off, he paused when he saw Ella curled up under a throw sound asleep. A tender smile curved his lips as he studied her relaxed features. She was so young and innocent, yet so strong and brave.

  He reached over and turned out the light. Pulling back the thin blanket, he tenderly picked Ella up off the couch and cradled her in his arms. She mumbled in her sleep even as she snuggled closer to him. A familiar wave of protectiveness swept through him. The slight figure in his arms would never know the horrors of how cruel a shifter could be.

  He held her against his chest as he walked down the hallway to their bedroom. Once inside, he walked over to the bed and carefully leaned down. He grabbed the covers between two fingers and pulled them back before he placed her on the mattress. She briefly stirred before rolling over onto her side.

  Another soft chuckle escaped him. She loved it when he held her and from the way she had pushed her butt out, she was expecting him to snuggle up behind her and wrap his arm around her. With a sigh of regret, he pulled the covers over her. He needed to grab a quick shower before he could do that.

  Ten minutes later, he was climbing into bed next to her and pulling her against him. He sighed when she snuggled back against him and wrapped her arm over his to hold him close. Fatigue quickly dragged him down into its inky depths and he didn’t even remember closing his eyes.

  Chapter 21

  A smile tugged at Ty’s lips. He was having the most amazing dream. His body arched in pleasure when he felt the delicious wave of heat sweep through him. He was aching in a very, very good way.

  His eyes flew open when he felt warmth surrounding his cock at the same time as his balls were gently being stroked. His fingers curled into the bed covers and his breath caught. It took only a few seconds for his brain to catch up with his body and realize he wasn’t dreaming, but what he was feeling was very, very real.

  “Ella!” He gasped, closing his eyes as another sharp shaft of need swept through him. “Goddess woman, you are going to drive me insane if you keep stroking me like this!”

  The vibration of a husky chuckle teased his cock. He slowly looked down. He could see the silky light brown strands of Ella’s hair spread out over her shoulders and his thighs. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

  When she looked up at him with her lips wrapped around his cock, he damn near came right then and there. His hips began rocking, his gaze locked on her lips. With each stroke, he slid a little deeper into her hot mouth.

  “You look so damn beautiful with your lips wrapped around my cock,” he muttered in a husky, hoarse voice.

  Her answer was to gently squeeze his balls. The feeling of being completely in her power was both exhilarating and awe inspiring. His heart, his soul, was totally wrapped around Ella’s slender fingers.

  “My turn now!” He growled.

  Ella gasped when he suddenly sat up and wrapped his hands around her waist. Before she could protest, he was behind her. His body spooned hers and his arm held her steady as his left hand slid down over her smooth buttock so he could see if she was ready for him. He released a long sigh of relief when he felt her moist curls.

  “I was dreaming of you,” she moaned, lowering her head when he slid his fingers deeper inside her. “It’s your fault.”

  “I’ll accept full responsibility,” he muttered, pulling his fingers free and licking them. “Now, let’s see if this was part of your dream.”

  *.*.*

  Ella glanced over her shoulder and watched as Ty wrapped his fingers around his cock. He aligned it with her channel before he entered her with a slow, steady thrust. She hissed loudly when her body closed in around him.

  Ella glanced at him when he gently applied pressure between her shoulder blades. Realizing what he wanted her to do, she bent her elbows and lowered her upper body until it was pressed to the bed. A soft moan escaped her when she felt his hand slide along the line of her spine.

  “You are an incredibly sensual woman, Ella,” Ty groaned.

  “Why… Why do you say that?” Ella asked in a husky voice, turning her head to look up at him.

  “If you could see what I’m seeing, you’d know why,” Ty replied in a strained voice.

  “Tell me,” Ella demanded, both curious and excited to know. “Tell me what you are seeing.”

  “Goddess, Ella!” Ty choked. “Watching my cock disappear into you has to be one of the most erotic things I’ve ever seen. Describing it as it happens – damn woman, but I think that will be the end of me.”

  Ella began rocking, her body pulling away and pushing back against him in a primitive dance designed to drive them both out of control. “And this? What do you see?” She asked, a smile curved her lips and power surged through her at his rasping oath.

  Ella slid her hand down between her legs and began rubbing the spot that Ty had touched with his lips and tongue on a previous occasion. She found it turned her on to the point she craved the intense relief that built up inside her. Spreading her legs further, she began stroking her clitoris at the same time as she rocked back and forth.

  Ty’s fingers tightened on her hips, digging into her flesh, as he increased the pace. Ella rocked forward from the force of his powerful thrust, her finger moving in rapid circles over the swelling nub until she erupted around him. She came so hard she could feel the liquid of her release coating his cock and sliding down the inside of her thighs.

  She released a loud sob, clutching at the covers in front of her. Sensitive from the continuing pulse of her orgasm, she desperately held on as he drove into her swollen channel, burying every inch of his cock inside her. Ty smothered a shout as his body locked with hers and he gripped her hips to keep her from moving.

  Ella reeled from the force of his orgasm, feeling the flood of his seed warming her. She swore from the feel of him that he was touching her womb. Her body felt stretched, full, and impossibly connected, as if they were one being instead of two.

  “I love you, Ella,” Ty finally choked out, bending forward and wrapping his arm around her waist as he fell to the side.

  “I… love you, too,” Ella whispered, cradled against his body.

  She stared at their reflection in the mirror across from the bed. Ty’s eyes were closed and she watched as his breathing slowed and he fell back to sleep. Their bodies were still connected. Exhausted but relaxed, Ella’s eyelids began to droop as well. This was more than she had ever expected – and much more wonderful.

  “I love you, my unusual beast,” Ella whispered sleepily.

  *.*.*

  Ty muttered another series of curses under his breath as he surveyed the empty case. He was alerted earlier this evening before he was about to leave that six additional artifacts turned up missing. Overall, twenty priceless pieces had disappeared from the archives storage area.

  “I swear the items were there earlier,” the technician insisted.

  Ty glanced at the young man who was nervously twisting his hands. The technician was one of the interns who worked with the uni
versity as part of his degree program. He remembered interviewing him a few months back.

  “Chan, is it?” Ty asked, trying to keep his temper from erupting.

  “Yes… Yes, sir,” Chan replied. “It’s really Chanler, but everyone calls me Chan.”

  “Chan, did you see anyone else come into the research or storage area today?” Ty asked.

  “No, sir. No one except for Dr. Badger,” Chan replied.

  Ty gritted his teeth. He wanted to point out that Theodore Badger was someone. Drawing in a deep breath, Ty released it before speaking again.

  “What was he doing here?” Ty asked in a harsh tone.

  Chan flinched and took a nervous step backwards. “He… He said he just needed… that he just needed to see a few pieces that were in storage for an… for an article he was writing,” Chan stuttered. “

  “Do you know which pieces he was looking at?” Ty asked in aggravation.

  “Yes, sir,” Chan said, perking up and standing straight. “It was in Vault B. I stayed with him the whole time like I was supposed to. He came in, pulled out the pieces he needed to look at, then handed them to me so I could return them to their proper shelf.”

  “He wasn’t out of your sight at all?” Ty insisted.

  “No, sir, not at all, well, except for a few minutes when he said he needed to use the bathroom. I stayed with the items he had out,” Chan explained with a frown.

  “Then, you weren’t with him the entire time,” Ty pointed out, clenching his fists.

  “I guess not,” Chan muttered in confusion. “But, it was only just a few minutes. I mean, he went to the bathroom on the same floor, then he came right back.”

  Ty slowly counted to ten before he spoke again. “Thank you, Chan. You may go,” Ty finally said.

  “Sorry, Mr. Bearclaw. Are you going to fire me? I really need this job,” Chan nervously asked.

  Ty shook his head. “No, Chan,” he replied. “I’m not going to fire you. Just – until we find out what is going on, I don’t want anyone else down here except for the technicians, Rhyanna, and myself. That includes the Board of Directors.”