Feral Instincts (The Feral Series) (23 page)

Finally
taking the deep breath she had feared to take a moment ago, the air rushed from
her lips on a groan as Teagan ran his large palm over her thigh and pulled her
leg up over his hip, opening her to him. With his claw now retracted Teagan ran
his wondering palm across the crease of her gently curving back side and up
through her silken folds from behind. Teagan growled in pleasure as she rocked
her hips in response to his touch. Exploring the warmth of her core, his
fingers slid through her dark curls. “Gods Ava, you are so wet for me. So
tight.”

Must
taste her.
Unable to wait any longer Teagan shifted
her onto her back again and moved down her body. Firmly he gripped her pale
thighs, forcing her to open for him and then settling against her with his
cheek resting against the inside of her leg. Suddenly unsure, Ava tried to
squirm away from him, causing him to growl and grip her even tighter in
warning. So, she was still insisting on playing the innocent?

The
scent of her arousal was calling to him. He wouldn’t allow her to refuse him
this.

“Teagan
wait!” Ava was overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through her body. She had
never experienced anything like this before and he was moving too fast for her
to process it all. She wasn’t sure she was ready for what he obviously
intended.

Her
resistance stirred his beast. How dare she deny him what she had already given
freely to another. Ignoring her plea Teagan took what he wanted. Restraining
her hips he slid his tongue across the delicate bundle of nerves. Hearing her
gasp of shock and pleasure, Teagan continued to explore her with his mouth, his
lips and tongue teasing and stroking her silken folds. The taste of her on his
tongue was even sweeter than he had imagined.

 He
wanted more, needed more. The sweet sounds she made were driving him mad.
Mercilessly he teased her, bringing her close to her peak, only to back off leaving
her writhing in anticipation.

“Teagan,
please.” Ava begged, the pleasure he caused bordered on pain. With a satisfied
growl, Teagan attacked the center of her pleasure. Some dark part of him had
needed to hear her beg first. As Teagan’s lips closed over her Ava cried out in
relief. A throaty moan left her lips as she arched her hips in reflex until a
low growl and Teagan’s forearm clamping over her slim hips had her pinned once
again.

Unable
to hold back her cries of pleasure, Ava held tightly to the sheets as she felt
her body splinter apart in a beautiful, blinding, explosion. Teagan’s ruthless
tongue, skillfully milked every spasm from her aching body. Arching her back,
she rode a tidal wave of pleasure as slowly, all the muscles in her body relaxed
in blissful surrender.

Seeing
his female climax, Teagan burned with the need to be inside of her, his shaft
swollen to the point of pain. Some small part of him that was still rational
feared for her. He was more beast than man tonight. Perhaps it was the alcohol,
but it had never affected him this strongly before. He feared he was past the
point of caring. His beast was winning, and he embraced it.

Rising
above her and pinning her small body beneath his, Teagan kissed her deeply,
easing her lips apart, his tongue danced with her own. Amazed that she could
still feel aroused after the climax he gave her, Ava cradled his larger body
between her hips. Dragging her leg up the back of Teagan’s she delighted in the
feeling of her softer skin against the rough hairs on his legs. She couldn’t
seem to get close enough to him. Feeling his hardness nestled at the junction
of her core, Ava wanted more. The rough palms of his hands grazed over her
sensitive breasts as he buried his face into the silken strands of her hair.

In
tune with every move he made, Ava felt Teagan suddenly tense above her. Where
her palms caressed his broad back she could feel a rumbling from deep within
his chest as his low growl vibrated across her skin. Alarmed, Ava realized,
this wasn’t a growl of passion, it felt more like anger.

Confused
she looked into Teagan’s eyes as he rose above her. The strange medallion he
always wore around his neck was glowing dimly. Raising her hand to his cheek
she looked into his brightly glowing eyes through a fog of passionate
confusion. Little tingles of alarm shimmered down her spine. Was he shifting?

“Teagan?
What’s wrong?”

Grabbing
the hand she had placed on his cheek, Teagan pinned it above her head, easily
holding both of her arms down with one hand. With a soft cry of alarm, Ava
struggled to pull her arms free of his tight grip.

“Do
not fight me!” Beginning to panic, Ava could see that his fangs had descended
when he snarled his command at her. Feeling his dominance washing over her, Ava
tried to lay submissively beneath him, instinctively knowing that her
resistance would make him even more aggressive.

“Teagan
what’s happening?”

“Did
you think I wouldn’t smell him on you?”

“What?”
Ava looked at him in stunned confusion.

“His
scent lingers in your hair. Did you let him touch you?”

“Teagan!
I… I… don’t understand.”

“No
one touches my mate.” Teagan snarled above her, his voice echoing with beast
like tones. “You will carry my scent. It will be my seed that fills you, my
blood in your veins. You will be bound to me.”

Ava
barely had time to draw a breath before his lips came crashing down on hers.
The rough stubble on his face rubbed against her delicate skin, burning her.
The grip on her wrists grew almost painfully tight as he held her pinned
beneath him. Ava could do nothing but surrender to the power that was coming
off of him in waves. She instinctively knew it was the nature of the beast to
need to dominate and although her heart beat quickly with her fear she accepted
that the beast above her was intertwined with the man, the man she feared she
was already falling in love with. She knew that she could not love one without
loving them both.

Settling
his hips against the entrance of her core Teagan began to ease his shaft into
her slick folds.
So tight. So good. My mate. Must claim her.
Ava’s gasp
of pain was muffled against his neck as he slid deeply inside of her and past
the fragile barrier. After giving her small body only a moment to adjust to his
intrusion, he slowly withdrew from her and then slid tightly forward again. His
mind in a haze, no longer able to hold back, he began rocking against her. With
each thrust it seemed he moved deeper inside of her, his thickness stretching
her painfully, his fullness overwhelming her. Ava’s body still desired his but
it was too much, Ava hurt, he wasn’t giving her enough time to adjust to his
size and his pace was too fast.

Continuing
to mindlessly bury himself in her silken heat, he suddenly released his
bruising grip on her wrists and cradled her head in the palm of his hand.
Never
again will she welcome another male into her body. Mine. Forever.
Pulling
her head to the side to expose her neck. Ava cried out in alarm as his sharp
teeth sank into the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Pain
and terror shot through her body. Suddenly images she had tried desperately to
bury flashed before her eyes. Images of Salvatore, tearing at her neck and
ending her life. Tears gathering in her eyes, Ava struggled to force the images
back, determined not to let them drag her back to that dark place.

Suddenly
a blinding surge of power, ripped through her body. Banishing everything in its
path until all she could feel was Teagan. Nothing else existed. She could feel
his strength seeping into every cell of her body. It ran through her system,
wild and untamed. Claiming her. She could feel her heart answering its call.
Her very essence joining with his, bonding their two spirits together, their
two hearts beating as one.

Teagan
could feel the power of the mating bond rising from deep within his soul. He
could feel the power of his beast, assaulting his mate’s small body. Her
delicate essence began to join with his own, the two of them blending perfectly
together until he could no longer feel where his heart ended and hers began. With
a deep groan, Teagan climaxed above her, spilling his seed deep into her body,
claiming her body and soul as his own. His wolf roared in lupine satisfaction.
She was marked as his mate in every way possible. She was forever bonded to him
and no other male would ever dare to touch her again.

Breathing
heavily, Teagan could feel his power receding. His beast purring in
satisfaction. His body began to feel heavy and relaxed, the burst of power
having left him drained. His eyes still glowing, he gently lapped at the wound
his teeth had left on his mates shoulder. Withdrawing from her he lay on his
side and wrapped his large body possessively around her back. Bring his arm
around her he held her tightly against his chest, surrounding Ava’s small body.

Ava
lay in a daze in his arms and anxiously waited for the soft sounds of his
breathing as he fell asleep. The heat of his body kept her warm and yet she
still shivered. Tears began to run unchecked from her eyes. Her emotions were a
mushy goo she had no hope of sorting out.

Her
body ached in the aftermath of Teagan’s possession. Confused and scared she had
no idea what had just happened. The bite on her neck throbbed with a pulse of
its own. Her body felt sore and ravaged from his love making. Was this how
werewolf’s always made love? Maybe female werewolf’s enjoyed being handled
roughly and being bit by their males. Did the males always shift like that? She
had trusted him not to hurt her, how could he treat her like that? Had the
blast of power she felt happened because he had begun to shift? Ava’s tormented
brain was bombarding her with questions she had no answers to.

She
forced herself to remain in his embrace, she wanted to make sure he was
sleeping deeply before she slipped away from him. Trying to stay awake she
studied the intricate celtic tattoo that wrapped around his forearm. Parts of
the artwork looked like the medallion he wore around his neck.

Fighting
her exhaustion, she experimentally tried to ease out from under his arm. With
his body relaxed in sleep, Ava was able to ever so carefully slide a little
further away from him. Little by little she was able to make it to the edge of
his bed without waking him. Standing up, her feet sank into something soft on
the floor. Picking up Teagan’s discarded t-shirt at her feet she slipped it
over her head. She needed to get away from him so she could think.

God
she was so exhausted, her limbs felt heavy, like they were trying to pull her
down to the floor. Ava found it a struggle to stay on her feet as she made her
way to Teagan’s bathroom. Grabbing the door frame she was alarmed as the room
began to spin around her.
Oh my god! Am I going to faint? I have never
fainted in my life! What’s wrong with me?
Sliding down to her knees, Ava’s
vision suddenly went black as she lost consciousness.

With
a painful groan Teagan rolled over in bed and pushed his palms against the
horrible thumping behind his eyes. What the hell? Was he hung over? Lykan
didn’t get hangovers. What the hell happened last night? His memories took
their time catching up with him as he stretched his arms over his head with a
groan, the muscles rippling down his back. Taking a deep breath, Teagan eased
into a gigantic yawn. Abruptly putting the brakes on the yawn, he tensed and
took another more careful breath. Ava’s sweet vanilla scent was all around him
but something was wrong. Her scent smelled of desire and… fear… and
BLOOD
.
Teagan jerked out of bed with a roar.

Memories
of last night slowly and painfully came into focus. He had claimed Ava as his
mate last night! What the hell had come over him! He had never been so out of
control before. Oh Gods, he hurt her! Teagan frantically pulled on his jeans,
determined to find her when he realized her scent still lingered in his room.
Where was she? Walking around his bed he could see into the bathroom and make
out her small form lying on the floor. “Ava!” He lept the distance to her, his
heart jumping into in his throat.

Scooping
her up in his arms as though she was no more than a rag doll he carried her
frozen form to his bed and gently laid her down. Her skin was as cold as ice
and had become a pale gray color. Light blue veins shimmered under pale skin
and her once rosy lips were a pale blue. Listening closely for her heartbeat he
could only hear one very faint beat every ten seconds or so. “NO!” With a roar
Teagan’s world came crashing down around him.

Quickly
searching for his phone he dialed Victor’s number. Thankfully Victor answered
on the second ring. “This is Victor.”

Teagan’s
voice shook with fear as he spoke. “Victor it’s Teagan. Something is wrong with
Ava. Her heart’s beating but it very faint. She is unconscious and her skin is
cold and gray.”

Teagan
could hear the alarm in the usually calm, vampire leader. “It sounds like her
body has shut down. Teagan when is the last time she fed?”

“She
hasn’t fed from me in five or six days but she fed from Joseph yesterday.”

“She
hasn’t been feeding from Joseph.”

“Victor…
” Teagan bit back a growl of anger. “I saw her bite mark on him at the meeting
yesterday.”