Ashes To Ashes (Wolf Guard Book 2) (19 page)

Her body fell limply on the bed, muscles relaxed in an instant sleep. We removed our teeth from her flesh, licking at the wound that seeped a small trail of blood. We curled around her still form, tucking an arm securely over her body and tugging her into the warmth that pulsed from our own. Our head fell to her breasts, pillows of fluffy clouds that were exquisite to sleep on. We closed our eyes, utterly satisfied, satiated with our actions, snuggled perfectly into the breasts we'd marked as our own.

Chapter 24

"Arsehole."

I tried very hard to push the head that seemed to weigh a thousand tonne from its resting place on my chest. Golden strands of coarse hair splayed in something resembling a fan, a shade that melted smoothly with the light tan of summer that tinted my bust. His breath puffed in short bursts and shivered on a drifting current, raising tiny bumps along the surface skin with each exhale. My wolf rumbled within, a pleased kind of sound that had me narrowing my eyes her way. She ignored my annoyance and focused her adoring attention on the beast currently attached to my breasts.

She and I were about to have some serious words.

She shifted contentedly within, her fur bristling with each subtle movement. Sneaky, as she eyed me carefully while nudging our form to curl tighter around the blond crushing us with his weight. I glared menacingly at the vivid amber glow that pooled in innocence from wild eyes. She was fooling no one.

The empath beat a satisfied drum in my stomach, something warm and heavy that gave the illusion of a fullness I'd never before felt. We'd always worked together; the wolf and the empath allowing my control. But never quite like this. As if I'd spent fifty years being half starved and only now felt the contentment of gluttony. It was a glittering black that hummed in appreciation, a covering of gold spun midnight to chase away a barren emptiness. It gave me several moments of stilled concern - I was so serenely connected to each one of the parts that made me, so completely blended it was quietly euphoric. This seamless transition had made me whole when I hadn't even realised I'd been conflicted and I wondered at the cost to make the creature I'd always denied so sated.

The beast stirred in his sleep. Stubbled chin scratching roughly against my skin, large hands grabbing hold of my hips and encasing me tightly in his confining grip. The wolf panted within, stretching herself shamelessly against the male as if our human bodies were some inconsequential barrier to her fur against his. I narrowed my gaze on his face, burning with the need to see those grey eyes open. Perhaps he'd feel my stare like heated lasers of ill intent and remember he should currently be getting his apologies ready, not rubbing himself against me as if he'd suddenly turned feline breed over night.

As my wolf was not cooperating, I clenched my right hand in one hardened fist and settled for a punch to his arm. It was a solid hit, one with the weight of the wolf behind it if not her consent. Even so he only stirred more and flickered his eyes open as if I'd woken him with the softest kiss. The smile on his lips added fuel to the fire currently burning it's way through my chest. "You bit me, you arsehole."

His sleepy eyes crinkled as he frowned, a look of utter confusion."I mated you."

That fire raged a little brighter, even the amorous wolf seemed to back down a little at the heat that flooded my veins."Get. Off. Me."

He pushed himself up with arms bulging, muscles holding his heavy weight easily. "I told you...I wanted to mate." His eyes crinkled more, a slight sadness hovering deep within.

I shoved at his chest, ignoring the coldness his separation had left and the warmth that simple shove had produced. "You bit my breast!"

He smiled. It was like throwing one hundred percent proof alcohol onto a bonfire.

"You are in so much trouble." My words were low and quiet, a little seething beneath a calm front. I shook the wolf out of her distracted stupor and pushed her to give me her claws. She wasn't happy about it, grumbling as those diamond talons poked at my fingertips, but she allowed the partial shift, only because she trusted I wouldn't damage him beyond repair.

Lane's steel eyes dropped in time to watch the slow emergence, a smile brightening his face as the morning's sun glinted harshly off the finely honed knives. "You want to...play?"

He was seriously underestimating my anger. "I'm going to give you a matching mark." My wolf preened within, a whole lot more agreeable to stabbing him now - as long as it was deep enough to scar and leave her signature on his human skin.

He seemed to take my words the same way and I almost rolled my eyes at the futility. It was impossible to have an argument with the man. He spread his arms wide, his chest a massive bare target for the animal's claws. He looked almost enraptured as I sank four claws into his skin, inches deep to hit the ribs protecting his heart, a scratch of permanent scarring to the cartilage like a tattoo on bone. A rumble vibrated his chest, his wolf breaching the surface with a flash of gold breaking through the grey. His hands gripped my hips once more, a bruising hold that he lightened immediately when I winced slightly. I tried to pull the claws out of his skin, retracting as blood spilled slowly down his chest. The beast had taken possession of the human though and seemed to disagree with my attempts to pry my nails out of the wound I'd made. Gold eyes narrowed on me and growled until I stilled all movement, his face remained Lane but behind the faint disguise I saw nothing but wolf.

I avoided the blood spilling freely on solid muscle, a stream of ruby red that glistened and trailed each indentation and tilted my head in curiosity at him. "Don't bite me again without permission."

The wolf smiled savagely and lowered his head to my breast, his tongue flicking out to trace the mark he'd left, an expression of pride that shone brilliantly and failed to convey even a hint of remorse. It was overwhelmingly frustrating and yet, I was beginning to find it very hard to stay angry with him. I could pretend to blame the mark that now sat in its crowning glory, but some was simply the pride he never gave a thought to hide. Pride at marking a wolf he should have hated. It made my own first reactions to him feel very small in comparison.

I placed a hand on his skin, that heated shiver that thrilled at the contact and caused a frenzy of sensation to play across my palm. He groaned quietly, his face pressed into my cleveage, muffling the sounds he made as his wolf slowly receded to allow the man to take control once more. Lips touched my skin in rioting waves of devouring flames, consuming as readily as a dry forest succumbs to its destruction. Hands left my hips to scorch a path to my chest, claws tapped lightly against my ribs. A sharp pull, and my bra fell to the bed, destroyed by the wolf that eagerly lent his talons. My breath hitched as those lips created a suctioning pressure, drawing at my skin in greedy pulls. My claws finally left his chest, the male too intent on his current action to notice the loss.

The blood that still ran over his stomach seemed immaterial to him. It became a distraction for me though and I pushed at his chest until he registered the touch. He raised his head, eyes a little glazed and dropping every so often as if he couldn't keep his attention off my chest. "Hey," I held his face in my hands to keep his eyes on mine, "wash the blood off."

He blinked and nodded, grabbing my hand to pull me towards the bathroom attached to his room. I pulled back halting his march to the shower, although he firmly refused to release my hand.

"Shower with me."

It came across as a bit too much like an order for my tastes. I let it slide, only because he was already half way naked and my eyes fixed themselves to his fingers undoing the button of his trousers. "Uhuh." Apparently my ability to speak was just as unreliable as his.

His hand dropped mine and helped it's partner release the zip, his chest appeared to expand, puffing up slightly at the obvious appreciation of his mate. I found it even more endearing that he wanted to impress me, it was a new feeling and one I could become addicted to. His trousers fell to the floor in a thump and he stepped out of them with a confidence that was completely warranted. The man had an enviable package.

He grinned a little and reached out to pull me forward again, turning to start the shower as my eyes remained due south. My wolf was a lustful animal and made her intentions well known with little rumbles in his direction. His hands slipped my underwear to fall on the floor beside his trousers and I was weightless for a moment as he hauled my body up to catch me in his firm hold.

"Not getting away...ever."

His words were hot little whispers against my ear. A puff of breath that tingled all over and sent shivers from head to toe in wondrous chaos. I felt the water hit my back and steam mist around my eyes, a stinging heat that quickly pounded a beat my heart had already started. Large, rough hands placed me gently on my feet and slowly massaged soap onto every millimeter of skin. My breasts were paid special attention to - it seemed a fascination that bordered on compulsion. I took the soap from his hands and made my own discovery of his skin, every hollow dent and raised bump of quivering muscle, every carved and perfected line, every scar that traced the length of his thighs and crisscrossed in patterns of torture.

I ended up on my knees, looking up at Lane. His eyes clenched tightly closed and fists bracing the tiled wall. His shaft was a distracting presence, twitching with each touch of my hand to the point where I was unsure if it was from pleasure or my own brand of torment. "You okay?" My hands left his thighs as I asked.

He swiftly jerked his head in a nod, "don't stop...touching me."

I smiled and resumed my exploration, moving to calves that shaped a solid curving rock before roaming higher again to tease the back of his thighs and grip a perfectly shaped butt. My attention once again became diverted and I kissed the skin at the top of his thigh. His breath heaved in pants and I smiled up at him as I felt that steel gaze avidly watching for my next move.

"Don't tease...little witch."

Chapter 25

A river of slick steam that ran a blazing trail. Seeking water that poured it's desires over skin so brutally hard, it seemed impossible it could be so soft beneath my touch. Skin that shivered in blissful anarchy, pliant under my commanding will, held rigid in submissive surrender. I may have been on my knees before him but his wolf bowed to mine in this - an exchange of power he freely gave. I'd seen that animal's strength, the power wrapped in madness, an unrestrained flood of screaming influence that beat against the pack like thunder to a darkening sky. Did he bend to his Captain's will through authority or choice?

Saliva wet my tongue, dousing my mouth in expectation, a riotous act of treason from a body at war. I held myself back from tasting the scent that clung to every inch of him, hanging onto control that the wolf beat against. So enraptured by muscles quivering in response to my gaze it felt a travesty to interrupt.

A hiss sounded from above. "Little witch." A warning from shadowed grey that glared down at me, a clenched jaw that allowed only softly spoken words to escape.

I smiled up at him and bent my head forward, a little kiss to his thigh that only made the hissing more pronounced. I wasn't normally such a tease, it seemed with Lane though, I was much more playful. Slight touches of lips to heated, satin skin as hands ran from calf to bunching thigh. The smallest touch along the mark that wrapped around his thigh sent his muscles into riotous shaking. He rocked his hips towards me, an urgent push to stop my torturous game. I kissed higher, a little flick of the tongue that lapped to taste that blend of storm and sun. The wolf growled at me, just as impatient as his master, forcing his voice through the human to warn his mate of her dangerous amusement. I looked up at the teeth baring down at me, laughter I couldn't hide in my eyes, and ran a path with my tongue along the length of his straining manhood, halting the rumbling growl instantly.

I found I lost my playful mind in his taste. Some blinding mixture of dark and sweet that released tiny drops of pleasure on my taste buds with each draw of my mouth. I spent a long time savouring his essence - a prize my wolf fully believed was hers alone. So addicting a pleasure that it a took a long time to notice the dusted ceramic that floated to cover my skin in a mask of porcelain white. I looked up to find a fist that plowed it's way through the once pristine tiles. I raised an eyebrow at my big wolf and sighed before releasing him. "Lane, you broke the shower."

He rumbled at me before pulling his hand from the hole in the wall and hauling me up from the floor. He dunked me once beneath the cooling water, a move that barely cleaned the dust from my skin, and pulled me from the shower in one determined step. I grinned into his shoulder as I wrapped my legs around his waist, a falter in his step bumping his heavy cock against my thigh.

"Won't be laughing...in a minute." Words that pricked a glorious shudder whispered across my ear.

I fell softly on the bed as he released his hold, a bounce to the landing that had grey eyes lightening to gold. A wolf that prodded at his human's control, seeking to break through that iron will and tame the female wolf that played with his restraint. His head tilted to the side and a rumbling growl left his expanding chest.

"Turn." More animal than man commanded my action, a voice so doused in wolf, that even that one syllable seemed difficult to form.

I moved to my hands and knees, looking back at him over one shoulder and watched the struggle as man fought beast. Low grunts of appreciation left his chest before silence descended and I became rather unnerved at the fixated stare to my ass. As seconds passed to minutes and still I felt the heat of his flickering eyes I huffed and shifted to turn around again. A warning snarl bellowed around the room, my body stilling purely on instinct. A warm, rough palm landed harshly on one cheek, causing a surprised jump in the muscles beneath my skin. His hand traveled a soft path to my lower back, tiny trembles shivered in ecstasy, my entire focus narrowed to that one hand and it's continuing journey.

It's width spanned from shoulder blade to shoulder blade as it came to a final stop at the top of my spine. A forceful pressure pushed my chest to the bed and arched my hips in a gratuitous display, completely open to his face that was evidently, directly behind my ass. Hot breath that puffed out to gust along the back of my thighs. I huffed in annoyance. "Lane, what are y-"

His rumbling growl stopped my sentence. I was somewhat assured that the man was still hesitantly in charge from his lack of claws but it seemed tenuous at best. My thoughts came to a stuttering halt as that breath moved to land on such sensitive skin that even having my ass in the air failed to pull my attention from every movement he made. Low vibrations contracted muscles deep within my core. The softest touch of lips and a following tongue pulled a bone shaking shudder from sinew so tight in expectation, I couldn't breathe with the need for him to move. His tongue began a questing voyage, a dip of the lightest pressure before receding once more, only to return in agonizing slowness. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as just once, he trailed a gentle touch over the hood that caused my nerves to jump in uncontrollable twitches. He receded once again. My hands clenched to fists in the sheets that spread in rumpled chaos around my tensing form. His tongue dipped to run the slightest brush around that button, extremely careful to never allow an ounce of true pressure.

My leg twitched as anger built, a contracting of ligaments that pulled my knee up the bed slightly only to release it in one hard kick to the solid arm that braced itself behind me. I got a snarl in response, and so decided instantly to kick him again. I felt the bed dip dangerously as he gripped my hips, rubbing his shaft against me and prodding at my entrance as he held me tightly in place. The inability to hold still was my undoing. The slight pressure he exerted was only enough to make me even more aware of him, and the overwhelming need to have his mark on every part of me. A force that caused my body to push back, claiming every part of him.

Lane groaned and stilled all movement. "Sasha."

I may have overestimated my ability to take all of him in one hit." Shit."

His hands found my breasts again, a caress that set ablaze nerves in dancing displays of scattered light. He pulled me back against his chest and traced the length of my neck with his lips, an utterly perfect distraction that had me forgetting the initial intrusion.

"All mine now." Husky wolf that blended seamlessly with fractured man. "My witch."

He nudged a little inside me, testing my breath as it hitched in short bursts with each slow curl of his hips. He clasped me tightly to his front, that hard muscle a giant wall for me to brace against. The arms that wrapped around me in quiet bonds of sure restraint. I grabbed a hold of those arms and helped him tie me up in his embrace. Each slight movement steadily led to a deeper one, each slow release to a faster insertion. I felt every rigid bump that beat a hard rhythm against my cervix and every nerve ending that short circuited that trembling muscle. I succumbed to shaking at every pull and push of his shaft, such intensity that I fell willingly under his dominion. Calling out his name in an urgent order for more.

Teeth scratched against my skin, canines that dropped to score a pattern of ecstasy on my shoulder. Grunts slipped from his lips to puff against my ear, a cacophony of breathlessness that sang rapturous bliss between blended souls. I climbed a height so euphoric, it felt almost frightening to let go. The band of his arms around me however, seemed a security to depend on, and so I allowed that rushing release of control. A lessening of the lid I always kept so tightly closed, a leap of faith that pushed me violently off a cliff that held my body so tightly wound, to fall in rapturous scream that led to bursts of shaking frenzy.

A hazed vision returned with muffled sound, low grunts of absolute pleasure as he held my hips to his. His teeth sunk a little further into my shoulder, my head hanging limply to the side and giving him easy access to any part he felt like marking. I tried to drum up the irritation and general affronted displeasure but found my will utterly lacking. It seemed the only thing he had to do to compel my agreement was ensure he left me too limp to do anything about his teeth in my skin.

"You're perfect...my witch." A strained voice that spoke of spent pleasure and pure satisfaction.

I hid my smile against his slicked chest and licked at the scent that drowned my reason in craving. He shuddered at my tongue on his flesh and a twitch to his cock fluttered my core around him. I felt him harden again and raised my eyebrows at him over my shoulder.

He smiled, all teeth and feral grin. "Never get enough...of you."