Chapter 24
It’s been several weeks since Thane set me free, and there’s been no sign of him. Each day, it’s getting harder and harder not to get my hopes up. Not to go down the rabbit hole where I allow myself to believe he really did let me go and he’s not spending his days plotting some new way to hurt me.
If he really did have something planned, why would he wait this long? I don’t take him for the kind of guy who appreciates delayed gratification. Surely he would’ve made his move by now.
Maybe the better question I should be asking is, why haven’t I?
By now, I could’ve made my way to California, but I haven’t.
Instead, I’ve stayed in Seaside. Made a home for myself right where I know he’d be able to find me.
It made sense in the beginning when I thought he would come for me within a week, and I wanted to be prepared rather than try to run.
But what’s my excuse since then? If I was playing by the old rules I had set for myself, I would’ve at least headed for Cannon Beach by now. So, why am I still here?
I shake my head, not wanting to think about it and set out toward the woods.
I’ve been debating if I should try and catch some fish now that I can safely be out by the shore, but after eating tuna for ten days straight in the dungeon, the thought of fish still isn’t appetizing.
So, for now, I’ll stick with squirrel and rabbit.
As I make my way deeper into the forest, I can’t help but feel a little on edge. Even though I know the vampires and wolves won’t hurt me, I still try to avoid them as much as possible. After living in fear of them for so long, it’s hard to feel differently.
The first trap I check is empty, so I leave it and move on to the next one. It’s gotten colder over the past month, so I’ve made sure to bundle up with some of the clothes Thane had given me. I still haven’t figured out why he went the extra mile to do that, but I’m thankful he did.
I’m just about to check my second trap when a deafening howl sounds from behind me.
I spin around so fast that my foot catches on a tree root and sends me falling back on my ass.
Standing on the incline several feet away from me is a giant wolf with its head tossed back.
Its hot breath expels into the cold night air, and without even getting a look at his scar, I know it’s him.
Thane bounds down the incline stopping in front of me, and I quickly scramble to my feet, digging my nails into my palms to slow my heart rate.
If he’s here, it means he’s changed his mind about my freedom or he’s ready to fulfill whatever grand plan he’s had this whole time. Either way, it’s not good for me.
Thane remains in his beast form, pushing me with his enormous head until I’m pressed up against a tree. His tongue slowly runs up the side of my face, but I don’t dare move.
“Why are you here?” I demand, even though he’s still in his wolf form.
In a matter of seconds, he’s standing over me with his face buried in my hair. He inhales a deep breath, running his fingers to the back of my head where he grabs a fistful of my hair.
“Because Grey, I’m hungry, and the only thing I want to eat is you.”
Something that sounds a lot like a purr echoes around me, causing heat to crawl along my skin. He yanks my head to the side, grazing his sharp fangs along my neck where the mark lies.
“Just do it,” I order, not wanting to give him any satisfaction by resisting.
His breath warms my skin right before his fangs claim me. Electricity sprints through my veins, and some part of me misses the feeling of it. The feeling of power and heat. The feeling of being awakened just by his touch.
Thane’s hand releases my hair and begins to drift down the curve of my neck while he uses the tree to hold me up as the paralysis of the bite sets in.
The gentle touch of his fingertips scorches a path along the length of my collar bone, but they only linger for a moment before he grabs a hold of my ass, pressing me against him so that I can feel his arousal.
Suddenly, I’m fully aware that he’s naked, and the clothes I’m wearing feel like a barrier of defense between us.
A barrier I find myself wishing didn’t exist.
A needy moan slips from his lips as his hand squeezes me tighter, and I follow with a moan of my own, pleading him to keep going as his signature scent wraps around me, clouding any reason I may have for hating him.
In this moment, everything he’s done to me ceases to exist. The only thing that matters now is how good his cock feels pressed between my thighs.
I only wish that my leggings weren’t keeping me from him, and judging by the way he’s grinding against me, I’m pretty sure he’s wishing it too.
I’m a prisoner to the bite, unable to act on my own desires while he holds all the power, making me ache with each move he makes.
Thane slaps my ass, practically branding a handprint on it with the amount of heat flooding into my body.
He's close, but I need him closer. I need every inch of his hard body pressed against mine. It’s the only way to save me from this madness stirring within me.
A little part of me dies when I feel his hand fall from my ass, but before I can wither in its absence, he slips it beneath my shirt, making my body shiver despite the paralysis.
His fingers lightly trace my lower stomach, and it tickles in the best way possible.
This time apart has built up an insane amount of tension between us, and now that we’re together, we’re being driven wild with insatiable hunger.
Each second we’re wrapped up in each other, it’s like we’re being punished and rewarded all at the same time.
It’s a delicious kind of torture that neither of us wants to stop.
While he continues to paint circles with his tongue, his fangs remain deep in my neck, drinking my blood like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.
Just the thought of that makes my pulse race, and Thane must notice because a savage sound escapes him as his fingers trail along the front of my waistband.
The feeling of it makes my lower half throb for him, and a gasp expels from me when his hand slips beneath my leggings, sliding toward the part of me that is craving his touch.
When he makes it to my underwear, he retracts his fangs and begins sucking on my neck as I regain control of my body. I reach for his hair, pulling him closer to me while the effects of the mark remain strong.
“You’re so fucking wet,” he breathes into my ear just as his fingers slide down my center, teasing me to the point I physically ache. “Tell me you want me, Grey.”
“I want you,” I practically whimper, reaching for his cock with my free hand.
A guttural growl rips from his throat right before he sinks his fangs back into my neck, immobilizing me once again. My hand falls away, but I can still feel how hard he is as he drives himself between my thighs like he needs the release just as much as I do.
It feels like an eternity as I wait for him to make his next move, but his hand stills beneath my underwear, making my body burn with so much desire I can hardly breathe.
Somehow, I know he’s in a mental battle with himself, so I release a pleading moan, encouraging him to keep going.
Whatever hesitation he may have had quickly melts away as his finger begins rubbing circles over my clit.
It feels like fucking heaven and torture all in one.
Fuck, I wish I could reach for him.
I want to feel the length of his cock in my hand as he drives his fingers into me, and I want to stroke him and grip him until he can’t contain his need for me.
As if he can read my mind, he slides a finger into me, drawing a gasp from my lips while the feeling of his arousal sends wild thoughts running through my mind as he continues to grind against my inner thigh.
I’m still savoring the feeling of it when he plunges a second finger inside of me, nearly making me come undone. What I would give to be able to run my hands all over his body right now. It’s a twisted kind of torment, not being able to match his greed with my own.
His fingers curl inside of me, hitting the perfect spot, and I release a whimper that Thane seems pleased to hear.
Each time he moves his fingers in and out, I can feel my body dripping with this insatiable appetite I have for him.
It feels like I’m caught in a whirlpool, unable to tell up from down.
The chaos swimming in my mind only intensifies when his attention moves back to my throbbing clit.
His thumb begins rubbing it in perfect rhythm while his fingers remain inside me, and the euphoria of it all threatens to consume me.
Every move he makes sends me tumbling further into the abyss until my body begins to quake.
A final burst of pure ecstasy sprints through me as I fall victim to the lust once again.
Thane removes his fangs from my neck, pulling his head back to take in the view of me unraveling beneath him.
His tongue runs along the sharp tips of his fangs with a wicked grin forming on his perfect lips, tempting me closer.
“Satisfied?” I breathe.
“No,” he answers, dropping to his knees. “I haven’t had dessert.”
Heat devours me whole as I look down at this beast of a man, kneeling before me. I’m still etching the image of it into my memory when both of our attention is pulled.
“Kole,” Thane says in a terrifying growl. “What are you doing here?”
Kole continues down the incline, his eyes darting between me and his brother.
“You told me to do whatever it takes to keep you away from her tonight. Do you remember that?”
Thane slowly stands, not allowing any space to grow between us. I crane my neck to look at him, but his face is shrouded in shadow as he presses into me like he’s shielding me from his brother.
“You’re not needed,” Thane declares, grabbing a hold of my waist with a squeeze. “I’m in control.”