Chapter 22 Forbidden Waters
Wynn
Iggy disappears into the trees as he flies back to the cabin alone. He told me he’d make sure the coast was clear, but I think he’s just giving me a moment alone after whatever we saw with my cousin Adelaide.
The remote cabin is still a long way off, and I can't stop myself from glancing over my shoulder every few steps. Stop being paranoid, Wynn. I'd know if someone were following me—wait, what was that?
A sudden snap of a twig up ahead has me freezing in my tracks. Who’s there? Animal, human, or wolf?
Slowly, I creep forward, senses on high alert. No one can find Marlow. I refuse to lead any pursuers right to him.
There—a rustle of leaves and barely audible footsteps. I cautiously creep toward the disturbance to find a dark figure crouched in the bushes.
"Marlow?" I whisper, relief and exasperation warring within me.
He jerks upright from his hiding place in the underbrush, catching sight of me. "Wynn? Shit, you scared me."
"What are you doing out here?" I demand.
"Didn’t like sending you into the wolves' den all alone.” He nods a few times, his eyes darting away as he glances down at his boots. “I needed to make sure you were okay. It's romantic if you think about it."
"It’s my pack and you need to be hiding from them," I remind him.
"Right. See, the thing is… I was worried about you,” he tells me seriously. “But I’m also lost.”
“Oh my god,” I laugh. I sent him back on his own with what I considered good directions, but the idiot got lost. “What would you do without me?”
“Die. I’d obviously die.”
I take a moment, making sure we aren't followed, then I start leading us in the right direction while I explain what happened on my visit to the pack.
"We saw Adelaide with a necromancer tool, and Iggy was close enough to sense the underworld energy. He had to be right on top of the thing but that’s a good sign.
” Marlow might be able to find the real killer the same way.
But there’s more. “There’s a chance… my cousin might be hiding the man you’re after. "
Marlow says nothing, and when I look back, a guilty expression appears on his face. The demon never looks guilty, even when he's caught red-handed. I'd love to savor this, but I can’t.
"Do you know something I don’t?”
"No. I suspected," he admits. “I've seen how your pack operates. When I veered off the path during a fight night full of commotion, I was still spotted and taken down."
Oops. My bad. "Sorry about that."
"You and I were hiding at the furthest edges of your pack lands, and you still never took a moment for granted.
It's even harder to hide from werewolves in the heart of their own territory. The simplest way to stay hidden is with help, and the wolves most capable of sheltering someone are those who don’t answer to anyone else, which only leaves the Alphas. "
He isn't wrong. But the pack means everything to Adelaide. Why would she harbor a killer? "My cousin... I just can't see her..."
"Hey wait." He swings around in front of me, forcing me to stop. "Let's not worry about it now."
"Yeah, right. Not going to be able to think about anything else," I grumble.
“Oh, challenge accepted.” Marlow grabs my hand, pulling me along as he steps backward. "Don't you realize the rare opportunity we have here? We're alone."
"We've been alone for the majority of the time we've known each other," I point out.
"No," he corrects me, a smirk playing on his lips. "My gargoyle shadow has been with us."
"Oh."
“Let me take your mind off everything.” Marlow grins, looking like a demon kid on his equivalent of Christmas morning. "I found something before I gave up on wandering aimlessly without you. I think it's right around here."
We step into a clearing where a spring comes into view.
Wow, I haven’t been swimming in this secluded little oasis for a long time.
It’s popular with the younger members of the pack in the summer but usually empty this time of year.
Water bubbles up from the ground, creating a serene pool surrounded by moss and smooth stones.
“Let’s go for a dip,” Marlow suggests.
“No, absolutely not. We’re heading back.”
“Come on, the water’s fine.”
“How do you know? You haven’t been in—” Marlow strips off his shirt and pants so fast that I could swear he has super speed powers. He sprints toward the spring and dives into the water. The splash sends ripples across the surface.
Marlow surfaces with a triumphant grin, water glistening on his chest. “See? Water’s fine!”
Water droplets cling to his skin, catching the sunlight filtering through the trees. I force myself to look away.
"This isn't a vacation," I insist, crossing my arms over my chest. "You're a fugitive, Marlow. Wanted fugitives hide. They don't take swims."
"If you think about it, being on the run is similar to a vacation. It's a getaway, of sorts."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "A getaway where we have to constantly watch our backs and evade the authorities. Some vacation."
"You're only getting me out of the water if you come in and get me."
I know he's baiting me… Dammit. It's working.
I let out an exasperated sigh as I shrug my shirt over my head. "We just had a room to ourselves. Didn't you get enough then?"
Marlow's grin widens as he watches me undress. "Nope, not nearly enough. I need more."
Well, that’s nice to hear.
I wade into the water, only taking a step or two before I stop short. Oh, fuck! Cold, cold, cold. The frigid temperature sends a shock through my system.
"Ah! You said the water was fine."
Marlow swims closer, that devilish smirk firmly in place. "I lied." He reaches out, his fingers trailing along my arm. "But I know how to warm you up."
The spring isn't on one of the paths wolves normally run through when they roam the woods, and now that the cold water hits me, I remember why this spot is dead all year round, except during the summer. We should be in the clear.
I let the water swallow me up, even as my skin breaks out in goose bumps. I sink into Marlow's embrace, my body molding against his as the cool water laps around us. Having his hands move across my chest and down does get my blood pumping faster, that's for sure.
Maybe this is a risk worth taking.
"Mmm, you feel good." His low, sultry voice sends a flood of heat through me.
"You've felt me before."
Marlow chuckles. "Never wet."
The cool water of the hidden spring still feels a bit bracing but not enough to douse the heat building inside me.
Marlow's touch is like a match to kindling, igniting a blaze that no amount of water can quench.
His fingers trace a path along my back, past the base of my spine before sliding down and finding my crack.
I stiffen, the water sloshing around us as his fingers circle my hole with a maddening gentleness that makes me crave more.
“You know, maybe nature isn’t so bad," he murmurs, his finger slick with water and pressing firmly against my entrance. "I could get used to this, enjoying a nice soak in the great outdoors while I play with your hole."
I forget the circumstances we're in and release a moan that fills the air around us.
"Yeah, big bad wolf," Marlow encourages. "Let me hear you."
“That’s a terrible idea. How do you have the worst self-preservation instincts?”
"My instincts for having a good time are spot on. Live dangerously for a moment," he urges. “I like having you like this, all loose and incoherent."
"Perfectly coherent," I protest.
"I'll have to try harder then." His finger presses with enough pressure that it pushes inside just enough, enough to tempt me with the promise of more. "Unless you want me to stop."
"Don't you dare," I growl.
"Aww, you do like me fingering you."
"I'll claw you to pieces if you stop," I warn, the words coming out as more of a plea than a threat.
"Oh, I don't believe you, big bad wolf. You like this too much, don't you? You like when I do this."
He's playing with me and teasing. Opening me a little at a time, dipping his finger in and back out, in no hurry. I'm gnashing my teeth and trying not to beg, practically vibrating with need by the time he's got two fingers knuckle deep inside me.
"Oh, fuck," I gasp, my hips jerking involuntarily as Marlow's fingers curl just right, hitting that sweet spot within me.
"Is that where you need me, huh?" Marlow's voice is a husky whisper. "My fingers making you feel all nice?"
All I can manage is a low, drawn-out, "Mmmm." His fingers work expertly, each press and curl sending jolts of pleasure radiating through me.
"You're almost purring," he comments. "Thought that was cats, not wolves."
I want to retort, but the words die on my tongue as his fingers press deeper, the sensation robbing me of coherent thought.
"Fun as this is, I think I'd rather prop you up on that rock over there and take you right now."
I moan at the thought. Marlow grins and pulls back, floating away from me. He hops out of the spring and onto the rock near the side, patting the smooth stone. “Be a good wolf and get over here.”
"A good wolf? I'm not a damn dog." I swim over to him at the edge of the spring. "You be a good demon and give me your dick, or else."
Instead of realizing the dire threat of having a grumpy wolf shifter on his hands, Marlow grins. "God, you're cute when you make demands."
"Cute?" A snarling werewolf isn't cute, even one with a cock as hard as mine. “You’re demented.”
"Cute in an unbelievably sexy way," he corrects, planting a kiss on my cheek. "It makes me wanna..."
"What?"
"Give you exactly what you need." He grins. "More of me."
Maybe I'm the demented one because that sounds fantastic.
Marlow maneuvers me against the rock, face up. It's a little annoying since I won't have much leverage on my back, but the angle is right so that he can slide right in. He drops down into the spring, positioning himself between my knees.
He lines himself up and pushes his cock into me, steady and sure, not stopping until he's fully seated inside.
I arch off the rock. "Oh, fuck!"
"Yeah? You good? Need to slow down?"
"Don’t you dare," I hiss.
Water isn't exactly the best lubricant, but it's enough in this case, given that he's been playing with my hole and getting me all loose and open, teasing me with his fingers and driving me crazy. Plus, I'm a werewolf. I accommodate to the stretch and burn easily, and now all I feel is good.
"Fuck, Marlow," I pant, my arms wrapping around his shoulders as I try to pull him closer. His skin is slick with water and sweat, and I almost lose my grip on him as I feel every inch of him slide in and out of me. "Harder. More."
But Marlow doesn't seem to get the hint. He sets a steady pace, holding me in place as he leans down to capture my lips in a bruising kiss.
"Marlow," I groan against his lips, "Need more. If you don't—"
He arches an eyebrow, and I want to wipe that smug look off his face, mostly by kissing him stupid. "Are you going to threaten to claw me again?"
"No." I have a better idea. "But if you don't give me what I want, I may not let you do this again for a very long time."
Marlow's hips twitch and falter, which isn't exactly what I'm after but seems like a good sign. I've got his attention. Finally, he's realizing not to mess with me.
"You're bluffing," he accuses.
"Do you really want to find out?"
"…Touché."
The demon pulls nearly all the way out before driving himself home with one powerful thrust that takes my breath away. Finally, it's exactly what I desire, so good my words fail me and breathy noises are the only thing escaping my lips.
Huh, he was right, it does sound like I'm purring.
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him even closer as he drills into me hard and fast, leaving me powerless to do anything except feel every snap of his hips in and out.
Marlow finds the perfect angle, adjusting until I shout helplessly and shudder with every thrust as he nails my prostate, making stars dance behind my eyelids.
"Yes, like that," I murmur. "Oh god, I'm close."
"Are you gonna come apart for me, big bad wolf?" Marlow's hand closes around my cock, stroking me fast in time with his quick thrusts. The water splashes as he moves, a few droplets even landing on my chest and I gasp and pout up at him when I feel the cold there.
"Hey!"
"Let me make it better." He grins and leans down, blowing on the water that landed on my chest, and my cock jumps in his hand. God, he plays my body so well. If he's not my mate, Marlow Maddox will be the death of me.
But I can't even care, not when he makes me feel this amazing.
"Come for me, big bad wolf," he demands.
I can't resist, my body obeys his request. Definitely gonna be the death of me.
The world goes white, stars exploding behind my eyes as I come, and I scream out his name. The entire Concordia police force could surround us right now and I'd barely even notice.
Marlow thrusts into me one last time and finds his own release. He drops down, collapsing on top of me.
"Fuck, the water really is cold," Marlow says after a few moments. He shoves at my side. "Move over."
I scoot up on the rock and make room for him. Getting warm isn't the only reason I melt into him, resting my head on his chest. It feels nice.
"Okay, you were right," he admits. “That probably wasn't the best idea. But if the alternative was not fucking you as soon as possible, I made the right decision, didn't I?"
…Can't argue with that logic.
"That's what I thought," he says triumphantly when I don't protest.
We'll need to brave the chilly water eventually and wash off, erasing every trace of what we've just done. For now, I'm in no hurry.
Is this what being mates would be like? Him dragging me off to semi-private places, desperate to have me. Joking around together, all the fantastic sex, and him treating me like I'm the most important thing in the world.
Maybe it's just post-orgasm bliss talking but it doesn't sound bad, not at all.