Chapter Six Desiree
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My breath lashes out of me in quick pants and bursts, stalling when he flips me over and drives his big dick inside me so hard that it drives me up the bed.
I claw and pull at the sheets until I feel them tear under me.
His huge body covers me, the fur on his chest rubbing at my back and driving my arousal higher.
My pussy feels battered and bruised and I can’t stop trembling. I bite my bottom lip until I draw blood. I hear him growl over me and I shiver, electricity coursing over my skin everywhere his body touches mine. Goosebumps raise on my flesh and I can’t stop whimpering. Begging him to take me.
“Austin, please. Take me now. I-I need you.” His big hands wrap around my hips and I can feel his claws tearing at my soft skin, marking me with his lust. His passion.
“Mine,” he grunts with each bump of his hips.
Furious and frantic, we grind and bump and tear at our own bodies until I feel his lips on my shoulder.
His tongue laps at my sweaty, soaked skin and then he closes his mouth on my shoulder where it was tingling earlier.
I shriek when I feel his teeth sink into my skin at the same time as he drives in so deep that I feel his cock kissing my cervix. I gasp and struggle for breath.
He digs his teeth and claws into me and the pain and pleasure barrel over me in an overwhelming orgasm that drags me under in the waves of ecstasy.
“Yes, oh god! Yes, Austin!” I sob and wail, writhing under him when I feel his body still over me and his dick grind one last time into my aching tunnel. Ropes of his warm seed splash my walls and I can’t stop coming until I black out, sucked under by our lust and passion.
I come to with his tongue lapping at the throbbing spot on my shoulder where he bit me. I’m flat down on the bed and I shakily push my hair out of my eyes to find his soft, loving gaze locked on me while he laps at the mark on my shoulder.
“Mine,” he grumbles, shoving me back down, his big hand in the middle of my back so he can concentrate on his task.
I want to argue with him. I don’t belong to any man.
But I’m so shaky and exhausted that I can barely move let alone form whole sentences and argue with the crazed man-er male who owns me body and soul.
I close my eyes and sink into the weird satisfaction of having my mate take care of me after taking my body so hungrily.
I draw in a shaky breath when I feel him lift himself up and then flip over onto his back, taking me with him. My breath whooshes out, startled. My eyes fly open and I stare up into the darkened eyes above me. He looks happy and satisfied and for just a moment I close my eyes and cuddle into him.
Until I remember our conversation and realize that I gave in and he marked me. What the hell does that even mean?
I must have asked the question out loud.
“It means you’re mine. We’re one. Heart, soul and body. You belong to me…I belong to you. Forever.”
My head pops up and my mouth pops open. “Forever? Wait, what? Don’t you ever die? Wait, what about me? What is going on here?” I shove my hand through my hair, my head swimming.
His big hands wrap around my shoulders and he grunts, “breathe. Just breathe, my mate. It’s all good. Don’t worry. We’ve got time to figure all of this out.”
A thumping knock hits the door. I can feel the little cabin shake and Austin growls, shoving me aside. “You wait here. I’ll get rid of whoever is out there.”
“Wait!” I can feel a shiver of alarm go through me. There’s still a killer on the loose out there. A brutal killer who for some reason has an ax to grind against my new mate’s family. My mind struggles to form around the strange words.
At the same time I leap from the bed and shove my body back into my pants and pick up my shirt, sighing when I see that it’s basically khaki ribbons.
I pull a drawer open and grunt in relief when I see t-shirts.
I drag one of Austin’s shirts on and tug it down over my wide hips.
I roll my eyes when I catch sight of myself in a mirror on the back of the dresser.
I look like a little girl playing dress up, the shirt hitting me somewhere about my knees.
I grab my utility belt that Austin tossed on the floor and pull out my gun, checking the chamber to make sure it’s ready to go.
Then I slink down the hall, following the sound of angry voices. I throw myself out of the hall and find myself facing two big men, both of them hollering angrily and shoving at each other.
“Jericho! You fucker! I don’t know what you want from me but you can just get the hell off my property!”
“I need to tell you something, you big damn oaf! The guy that was killed! I know who killed him and it wasn’t you. I saw the whole damn thing. Dammit! Listen to me!” The big blond man shoves at my mate and I see his eyes glow golden.
Dammit! Another fucking shifter! How many of them are there running around this town?
“Why the hell should I listen to a fucking word you say? You tried to screw my sister in law over and then you fucked with Callie and Micah. I’m not listening to another god-dammed word that comes out of your lying damn mouth!
Just get the hell out of here!” Austin hollers and shoves him hard, knocking the blond man into the wall.
His eyes flash and I see his fists clench and I know I have just seconds to get these two apart and hopefully get some answers before the fur literally flies.
“Stop it!” I run between them and shove at Austin’s big barrel chest. For one second I can feel that insidious weakness flow through me, making me feel weak and shivery.
But I push it back. “Austin. If he knows something, I need to know. Back off!” I shove at him and he growls and I can see he wants to push me out of the way but he holds himself together.
I turn back to the other man. “Now. You said you saw what happened. What did you see? Do you know who the man was who killed the foreman?”
He nods his head and shovels his big, tanned hands through his wheat-colored hair, ruffling it. If I was another woman I’d probably find it sexy as hell but my mate growls at me and attempts to shove me out of the way again.
“Stop it, Austin! Jesus! Settle down! He’s not doing anything to me!”
He grunts and wraps his arm around me, tugging me back into his hips, leaning his chin on the top of my head. I roll my eyes but don’t try to pull free. I actually like to be in his arms even if he’s being ridiculous.
“Go on, Jericho is it?”
He nods and throws Austin a smirk when I say his name. Austin growls into my ear and I feel his muscles tense again.
“Behave,” I grunt.
Jericho throws his head back and laughs. “That’s right, cub. Behave.”
“If my mate wasn’t here…” Austin warns.
“Mate? So you found your mate?” His golden-brown eyes study me with interest, sliding down my body until I actually want to hide behind Austin.
Something about this big shifter has my nerves jangling.
I don’t think he’s a good male and I want to shove him out the door and slam it closed behind him.
But I need answers. For myself and Austin.
I didn’t believe him when he said he could be the killer.
You can see it in his controlled gaze. He’s not dangerous.
He growls at my back. Well, not exactly.
I pat his muscular forearm that flexes and releases under my hand.
Damn, he’s sexy when he’s pissed.
Jericho grunts. “I don’t want your mate, cub. I wish…” his deep, gruff voice trails off and I feel shocked when I see the hurt and need in his eyes. Not for me. For someone else. He loves someone. Needs her desperately.
I’m guessing she’s not around anymore though.
I pull things back on track. “What did you see?”
“There was a man, a hand at Shiloh’s ranch.
Rhys fired him when he helped her take over the ranch.
I would have fired him too. He’s no good.
But he’s also a shifter. A wolf shifter.
He was mad as hell and I saw him in town a couple of times running his mouth when he had a few beers in him.
He’s bad news and he wants revenge on you and your brothers.
I’m guessing that’s why he killed your foreman.
” He shakes his head. “I was too far away to stop it. The stupid guy didn’t even try and run or do anything to stop it. Just let the shifter tear him apart.”
I can feel a shiver dancing along my spine.
Austin grunts and I feel the sorrow coming off of him. Feel his pain like it’s my own. Waves of loss and anger wash over me. “He didn’t care,” he whispers raggedly. “He’s been waiting to die for years. Since he lost his wife and children. He just didn’t want to go on anymore.”
The thought that a man could just let himself be torn apart like that because he couldn’t go on anymore has my heart shattering. That poor man.
Austin leans over me and pulls me in tighter. “It’s alright, baby. He probably barely felt it. He’s been numb for years.”
Tears fill my eyes. Why would love do that to you?
Does it always hurt like that? It makes me think of my sister and her husband.
Is it better to die with the one you love or live on with the loss withering you away until you’re just a husk of a person.
I’ve wondered why she didn’t live but now I have to wonder if she would have wanted to?
Sure, she had Cody so she probably would have gone on. But for how long. She loved Michael desperately. They were sweethearts all through school. Could she have managed to pull herself together?
Austin whispers, “breathe, baby. I’m not going anywhere. Neither are you.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” a harsh voice thunders out of the woods. I hear the whistle of the bullet and shove Austin back.
“No!” I scream.
A flash of black runs in front of me and I hear a grunt of pain. I look down and wait to feel the pain. See the blood pooling on Austin’s shirt. I run my hand up my chest, still feeling nothing.