Ashes To Ashes (Wolf Guard Book 2) (18 page)

Chapter 23

"You're staying with...me." I held her eyes with mine watching for a denial. Not because I intended to allow her a choice, simply because I liked watching the little ticks in her cheekbones when she became annoyed. Her hair swept over her shoulder as her head fell to the side. She'd stood at the doorway to the room she'd been staying in, confused as to why her borrowed, small pile of clothing was missing. I suppose I should have told her about her impending move but I found surprising her, usually worked out better for me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her eyes flashed that golden glow of wolf and I knew I at least had the animal's support.

"You're staying in my room...with me." I liked the way the artificial light hit those eyes, made them even brighter than usual, so much like melted gold that I coveted that shine as if it were priceless. She stared straight at me for some time, perhaps wondering on my mental health - it was a common occurrence.

"Why?"

I frowned at her, perhaps she didn't understand what I meant. "I want you in...my bed, with me." She looked especially surprised at that.

"We're not mated, you don't have to share a room with me."

Her eyes dropped to the floor for a moment and at the loss of contact, I had a uncomfortable feeling about why she kept herself always at a distance. That even though I saw the wolf pushing her forward, tiny tremors beneath the skin that prodded her muscles to reach toward me, the human's control was absolute. It was quite remarkable how strong a hold she had on the animal, perhaps her fight to suppress the feeder kept the wolf on the same tight leash.

Was this my fault?

Somewhere between my own anger towards that feeding side and the memories I could not let go of, I'd made her feel this way. Let those doubts build in her head until she truly believed I wouldn't want this gift I'd been given. I wasn't the best at expressing myself but I felt the need to make her understand what she was to me. "You're mine, little witch. We may not be...mated yet, but I'd like to be."

She raised her eyebrows as if she hadn't expected that response."You do?"

I cocked my head to the side, watching the mesmerizing movement of each tiny muscle in her face. How every singular sinew twitched together to change her frown to a smile. "Very much so." Her scent breached the fractured man, peaches ripened in the sun until I could almost taste the sweetest juice on my tongue. Wolf was a constant hungry animal, snapping within for the chance to have a taste of his own. Every bare inch of skin she flaunted held my eyes a prisoner of their own addiction. I was especially drawn to the vest she currently wore, low enough to flash a glimpse of two perfect mounds that very nearly over spilled. Wolf rumbled in my chest, low and greedy -we liked breasts very much.

She heaved a breath that had my eyes falling lower than her face. "This isn't just because of Carver?"

My frown deepened, I had the premonition that she'd always confuse me. "What does Carver...have to do with it?" She shrugged, a move that lifted those breasts again and I fought hard to keep my eyes on hers.

"You copy him, follow how he acts towards Arya."

I shook my head and took her hand in mine, gave into the touch Wolf had been snarling for."Only so I don't...do the wrong thing." For once, it seemed I'd managed to give the correct answer. She smiled, so wide I felt I couldn't breathe, it changed her face from beautiful to otherworldly. I made a promise to Wolf that I'd try to make her smile that way again.

"I don't have any clothes to sleep in."

I growled. My teeth lengthened to beast, sharp points that urged to pierce her soft skin. My words failed, I found I couldn't speak over the canines that took over my mouth, at the thought of her skin against mine. I gripped her side with one arm, hauled her against me and picked up her legs with the other.

She was now trapped.

However much she wiggled, she'd not be getting away from me again. Wolf rumbled in my chest, a continuous vibration that probably made me seem more animal than man. I had issues to resolve, a red wolf that thinks himself a King, even a pack to work at re-establishing and yet, everything fell to the wayside the moment her skin came in contact with my own. No tar rubbed across my forearm, no oil that seeped beneath my skin, the worry that I'd not be able to touch her was lost under this precious gift that was all my own. A mischievous flash of shining gold was all it took to render Wolf a slave to the woman imprisoned in my arms.

A niggle worked it's way through the fogged desire that clouded my mind, the thought of slavery that punched a hole through that overwhelming draw. I found the thread of that distracting, debilitating feeling and attempted to crush it to dust. I pressed her tighter against my chest, the grip pushing her breasts up until they became a full and bouncing beguilement, an engrossing sight that had Wolf salivating within and my thoughts re-centering to the woman I'd caught, the tiny witch that had so captured me in her gilded spell.

I carried her to my room, behind a locked door that she'd not escape from. The window allowed a luminescent light to penetrate, a moon that smiled her approval to my actions. I set her down on her feet and stared at the female fate had made for me. At first I'd cursed destiny for the feeder she offered, not understanding why she'd deemed it necessary to force such remembrance on me. Now I saw the other side, the part of my witch that had attached itself to my thigh allowed me to feel the polished softness of silk that slipped so delicately around my flesh, saw some of the best parts of what an empath could feel like. There were moments that my hate overran my sanity but they were dissipating with each smile from this female. I wanted her and I was going to take what I wanted.

She coughed a little to clear her throat - perhaps I'd been staring too long. I lifted my shirt and tore it slightly in the haste to remove it, bared my chest for her perusal. I liked her eyes on me, it was like the softest caress that shivered over my skin and swept a heated palm on the most sensitive nerves. Wolf panted within, paced a small circle awaiting his first glimpse, the skin we craved to touch slowly unveiling as she lifted her top.

She's a tease.

She held the material at her chest, leaving just her stomach bare. We ached for that first look so much that we growled at her to continue. Those mounds of satin flesh that held our focused attention, skin we wanted beneath our palms so badly they itched with the need to touch.

"Are you okay, Lane?"

Wolf flicked eyes to hers at the sound of her voice, then back to her chest as quickly as possible so not to miss a single moment. We growled at her again - she was moving much too slowly.

Her arms lifted, dragging that small piece of material with them, the room disappeared as all conscience thought became focused on lustrous sheer cups surrounding the breasts we were fascinated by. The bra was too small, another borrowed item I'd given her, imagining just this moment when putting those clothes in her room. Her hand released the top to the floor, a whisper of sound that failed to break my concentration. I was utterly absorbed by her half naked form. Like a strip tease, she'd managed to reduce my thoughts to nothing more than how to win more of that coveted skin. She had a woman's figure, strong and curved, her stomach tight and delicately dented with slight muscle from the wolf's burning metabolism, but hips that would fill my hands to the brim. Tiny scars picked up the moon's glow, claws that another wolf had scoured her with before she'd found her own animal. We were matched in consummate symmetry. She was utterly flawless.

I pointed to her jeans and growled again, wanting nothing covering her from my gaze. She huffed at me a little, maybe because I'd so completely lost the ability of speech, but her hands still worked the buttons that would drop those trousers so I ignored the tiny sighs. As soon as her legs were bare both Wolf and I were stuck in indecisiveness, torn between the perfect mounds that were held in place only by that tiny bra and the lithe beauty of limbs that were just long enough to wrap around my waist. It seemed the most frustrating riddle of where to leave my eyes.

Clad only in underwear, she was a witch that sang an enchanted spell to lure unsuspecting wolves onward in their demise - I went willingly. I helped her pull my body to the bed, fell onto sheets that cooled my heated skin, a blistering fever that she controlled. I lay still for some time, her softness draped against my side, her eyes scanning my face for movement. I felt her confusion build but my own uncertainty kept me prisoner, the worry that perhaps I'd do something wrong in my eagerness to touch - grip her delicate skin too tightly with such large and rough hands. Her questioning eyebrows rose and she pulled herself over me slightly to stare at my face. She smiled tentatively, solid gold enthralling my thoughts once more.

Lips touched mine, wet and velvet against ones that must have been rough to such smoothness. Her tongue slipped against my lips and I opened hungrily to the peaches that overflowed. Wolf lost a little control. Floated on some sort of high in such floods of addictive taste, flipped her over until we had her pinned to the bed, our large body almost crushing her in our haste. Every single part of me begged to touch every part of her, it was almost maddening to the point of rabidity, a glorious pain that willed for more with each inch of ground gained.

Her hair filled my hand, more silk that flowed in rushing raven streams. I found my lips moving towards her neck, a place of interest that Wolf urged to put his scent. I kissed a path to her shoulder, licked a line that would dry in flavoured saliva, a temporary mark that would have her smelling distinctly of me. I pulled my head back slightly to gaze at the spot I'd left my scent, smiling proudly at the knowledge that everyone would know this female was taken.

She writhed a little beneath me, rubbing rather provocatively against my legs still encased in trousers. Her chest pushed upwards and her back arched, pushing those heaven sent breasts into the hands I'd dropped on instinct.

Breasts lightly covered in satin, plush overstuffed cushions that were some offering of sacrifice. Wolf took full control. I rarely lost the battle between us, so used to keeping him half chained it was odd to have him completely released. We thought along the same lines, both with more primal and instinctive values, both a little unhinged. The moment her breasts pushed harder against my hands we were one in our need to make this woman only ours.

Fangs fell from their casing, teeth that had receded slightly came rushing to the fore, intent on putting more than our scent on her. Our hand curled in her hair once more, pulling her head to the side while the other kneaded at the softness she'd pushed at us. We found our scent mark again, licked at it a little more, ensuring the right place to make it permanent. Our tongue licked a little lower, changing the spot at the last moment, deciding a permanent mark should be in our favourite place. We lowered the cup on her left breast, pushing the flesh up and towards the fangs that followed our tongue. Blood hit the back of our throat, Wolf growled in ecstasy. A short, sharp gasp came from the woman attached to our teeth.

"Fuck!"

We sank those teeth deeper, unwilling to remove them until there would be no doubt who she belonged to. Her small fists punched at our arm and we growled again - we were not letting go until she passed out and we were sure it was complete.