Seduced by the Wolf (3 page)

“I can't wait anymore either, Ariel,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “You see what this is doing to my people. You must mate with me.”

His touch was gentle, but his eyes filled with purpose as he cupped her cheek. With a sinking feeling, she realized she had fueled his resolve. He could not see past his own urgent need for sex and nudging his people into continuing the cycle of life.

While she had her own need.

Ariel pushed her palms against his hard chest. “I have to return to my people. I need to refuel.”

Rethink. Pull back part of herself, because Jarrett could be overwhelming. Like a swirling tendril of smoke, he could wind himself around her, tighter and tighter until she saw nothing but him, and surrendered to everything he wanted.

While leaving behind her needs.

“You're not going back. I'm not risking you getting caught by whatever strange thing is taking the Fae. I need you. You're safe here. With me. We have a bargain, Ariel. In my bed.”

She knew him, knew his aggressiveness, his lethal sexuality. She wanted to push him, see the life flare back in him. Anything but that cold emptiness.

“You'd risk sex with me despite how it makes your men sexually aggressive? What about you, Jarrett?”

“I can control myself.”

Her breasts tingled at the smoldering look he gave her. Jarrett ran his hands over her arms, slid them down to her hips. “I scent you, Ariel. I know what your body is telling me.”

He pulled her close, pressing her against his narrow hips, the long ridge of his erection. “You want me, Ariel, just as I want you. No other lover can make you feel like I can.”

Jarrett bent his head, breathed in her scent, and then nuzzled her neck. His lips feathered over her skin, coaxing a shiver of pure pleasure. He swirled his tongue over her sensitive skin and found her earlobe and caught it between his teeth. Ariel suppressed an excited whimper. Sex with this wolf would prove dangerous. He'd consume her in flames.

“Trying to prove you always make your mark?”

He pulled back, his gaze glittering with savage hunger.

“No. But I always do mark what is mine. You're mine, Ariel. What I claim, I keep, and I don't let anyone else near.”

She could barely control the natural reaction her kind had when sexually excited. No more than she sensed he could control this wolf. Amber glowed in his eyes, the beast emerging.

What would happen when she gave him the much-longed-for heir and he no longer needed her? She craved love and affection and needed it as much as his wolf needed offspring. But Jarrett Lawson's heart hadn't merely been broken before.

It had been shattered.

Ariel wasn't certain if she could ever mend it.

The air turned cooler as the sun started descending behind the craggy mountains. Ariel wriggled her toes in the earth. She walked behind Jarrett's cabin, nearing the meadow that stretched out before the mountain. High above in the rocky recesses, purple and gray shadows across the cave seemed to wink at her.

Taunting her.

Jarrett hadn't found anything, nor had his men. But they were not Lupine Fae. Not connected to the earth as she was.

Ariel turned and headed for the cabin. Jarrett was inside, meeting with his men, probably about her. But when she bounded up the steps, he was standing on the porch. Hands braced on the railing, he stared up at the mountain.

And then she realized how quiet it was. So very quiet.

Jarrett's expression shuttered. Ariel's heart raced harder.

The stillness was unusual and disturbing. Ariel looked at the tall pines. She heard no birds chirping, no chatter of squirrels or chipmunks. Nothing. She searched out with her feelings, and felt only a terrible blankness.

“What is it? What's going on? The animals have vanished.”

He raised his eyes to the pine-covered mountain soaring toward the sky. “It's been like this since we returned to the cabin. Look at the trees,” he said softly.

About halfway up the mountain, a small clearing with a rock slide stood out from the thicket of pines. Trees around this oblong clearing were brown and dying. She saw a T-shaped recess.

“The old mine.”

“We checked out the recess you said the trail led to. There was nothing. But there has been activity at the mine.” Jarrett gestured upward.

Hairs on her nape saluted the air.

Thick clouds gathered over the mountain, grumbling with distant thunder. From the corner of her eye, she saw a dark shape emerge from the mine. It might have been a shadow.

Yet she felt it was not.

Jarrett's expression tightened. “When we returned to our land, I sensed a disruption. Someone's been trespassing, and something dark has moved into the mountain. My men picked up what seemed to be an odd scent, but then it vanished. Whatever it is, it's hiding up there.”

He braced his hands on the railing. “Tell me what's going on. What are you hiding from me, Ariel?”

His muscled body became taut. She sensed the leashed power in him. Instinctively, she took a step backward.

“All I know is when I returned to my people, Cael told me he'd been on your land while you were gone. The women, they let him access it. He didn't tell me what he'd been doing there. I assumed he was hunting.”

A sickening feeling twisted her stomach in knots. “Now I wonder what he'd been doing. You know Cael and my people. They hate imbalance in nature, and he did tell me one part of your territory pulsed with negative energy. But he's hiding something from me as well. What happened on that land, Jarrett?”

He didn't answer for a moment. Then he jammed a hand through his hair.

“I think Cael disturbed something that's been hiding for years. Maybe negative energy caused by a death in the mine. I need to investigate. But not with you. Too risky.” He gave a low growl. “Stay here.”

The molecules in the air became charged with energy. Jarrett shifted. The large gray wolf, alpha markings on its muzzle, leapt over the railing and bounded toward the forest.

Splashing sounds indicated he crossed the river. Ariel saw the wolf wend his way up the mountain, toward the mine.

Foolhardy wolf…she didn't need protecting.

And she didn't follow orders well.

She leapt over the railing, shifting in the process, and followed his trail.

The forest was cool and dark, her beloved woods taking on a sinister air as she scampered up the mountain. Ariel knew these mountains well, but today an undercurrent of darkness laced through the pines and whispered through the branches. Senses flared to life as she tracked Jarrett's delicious male scent of evergreen. He smelled like the wildness always churning inside her.

Thunder crackled nearby. Her animal half whined, hating the storm. Raindrops began pelting her thick, soft fur. Ariel pressed her nose to the trail, her paws skidding a little as she reached the rock slide. She raised her head and saw Jarrett standing outside the mine. Heard his low growl and saw him enter…

Instinct raged through her. Ariel lifted her head and gave a low, mournful howl. Jarrett raised his head as if to answer. Suddenly a large, black cloud flew out of the mine, sweeping past him. It headed straight toward her.

Startled, she instinctively shifted to her human form to fight, but the black mass wound around her like fog. Cold darkness filled her. Ariel fought the instinctive fear to turn and run. Instead, she batted at the cloud.

The dark, shapeless mass rushed at her again, stroking an icy finger down her spine. Her insides twisted like rope, sending shards of searing pain through her. Blackness clouded her mind. Never had she felt this much pain before. It was like being encased in an icy tomb filled with steel spikes.

Had to break free, get out… Ariel wrenched away, forcing the darkness out, and through her blurred vision, saw it fly back into the cavern. She struggled to maintain her grip on the loose rock, but skidded downward.

The only choice was to race down the mountain, trying to get her legs to work. She ran, lost her footing and rolled. Rocks spilled with her, the kinetic force causing a shower of stones to tumble with her.

Panic raced through her, making thought impossible. Ariel forced it down. No more animalistic terror like before. She could conquer this.

Using the adrenaline fueled by fear, she concentrated on flowing with the energy, becoming one with the avalanche. Sharp rocks dug into her tender skin, but she ignored the stinging pain and released her natural Fae energy, harmonizing with the elements holding her prisoner. Light bathed her in a white glow. She directed it outward, forcing the rockslide to spread out. Having lost momentum, the avalanche slowed.

Ariel landed near the mountain's edge. Light continued to bathe her naked body, healing her bruises and lacerations. She stood on shaky legs and glanced upward to look for Jarrett, worried he'd been caught in the rockslide.

Something slammed into her with the force of a locomotive. The black mass again.

Suddenly she had to escape the horrid choking feeling, cutting off her oxygen. Ariel dove into the swirling icy river. Thousands of needles stung her body as she swam, trying to stay afloat. But then the current pulled her downward.

Somehow she made it to the other side. Shaking violently, she lay on the bank, gasping for breath. Her muscles cramped painfully.

Depleted of power, she closed her eyes, fighting the drowsy urge to sleep. What the hell was that thing, and why was it on Jarrett's land?

Just as the grayness descended over her, Ariel felt two strong arms lift her up as easily as if she were a child. She fought those as well.

“Easy now. You're slipping into shock.”

Jarrett's deep voice soothed her like a warm blanket. Ariel tried to lift her trembling hands, but they felt like lumps of ice. Her muscles seized with pain and she let out a low moan.

He cradled her to his chest and she buried her face against his warm skin, soaking up his body heat. He jogged back to his cabin as if she weighed nothing, carrying her straight into his bedroom.

So warm, so delicious. Ariel buried her face into the crook of his shoulder. He laid her on the bed, but her toes were frozen. Jarrett climbed into bed next to her, massaging her arms and back. Heat radiated from him.

“So warm. Your kind always is.” Strength fled her. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep, but he rubbed her skin briskly.

“Don't close your eyes. Stay with me, Ariel,” he ordered.

Concern laced his deep voice. His features were etched with harsh strain. Jarrett pulled her close and she snuggled against him, the frozen leadenness slowly leaving her limbs. He adjusted their positions and kept up a steady massage.

Gradually, her body lost the chill. Muscles became less knotted and she could move her legs without pain. Ariel sighed, curling herself close to Jarrett.

A subtle shift happened. His touch became less brisk, more languid. A slow caress sweeping down the arch of her spine. He cupped her bottom and pulled her against him. She felt the rigid length of his arousal.

Ariel opened her eyes and saw him watching her.

“You do this to me. Every time you're near me, sweetheart. All I need is to breathe in your scent and I'm lost.”

Trepidation shadowed his face. “And I almost lost you. Damnit Ariel, I told you to stay in the cabin.”

“I had to follow. Couldn't let you have all the fun.”

A brief smile touched his mouth. “Some fun. Why did you panic and run?”

She blinked, confused. “You didn't see that?”

“See what? I was heading into the mine, turned and saw you clawing at something and then lose your footing.”

Ariel touched his jaw. “You're worried about me.”

“Bet your damn life I'm worried. Don't ever scare me like that again.”

He closed his eyes as her fingers caressed his chin, stroked up to his mouth. Such a firm, masculine mouth. Her heart beat faster.

She felt the silkiness of the hair on his thighs as he settled a leg over her hip, pinning her to the bed. Warmth stole over her. Ariel glanced down and saw her body begin to glow with white light.

She slid her hands around his neck. His gaze darkened.

“This time, I promise I won't run away,” she whispered.

“I might lose control. My kind… if I take you, I may get savage. Out of control. You make me wild, Ariel.”

“You won't hurt me Jarrett. I trust you.”

Maybe it was the word
trust
. Or her own burning need as she gazed into his eyes. But she saw something ease in him.

His wolf clawed to the surface. Jarrett took her mouth in a kiss.

He did not sample or savor. It was a claiming.

Jarrett probed inside with his tongue, swept into her mouth, staking his claim. She tasted of peppermint and spice. He pulled her closer to him, blood rushing through his veins. For the first time in years, he felt filled with life and wanted to laugh again.

He couldn't stop, she tasted so sweet and delicious. Ariel. Her name rang through his mind. She banished all the pain of his yesterdays and gave only the promise of pleasure. Jarrett couldn't get enough. His palms skimmed down her bare flesh, rough calluses gliding over silky skin.

Nudging her hips open, he settled between them. His cock slid between her legs, tunneling through the wetness of her core. Bliss. He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation, her small cries of pleasure sweet music to his ears.

He could spend the next century with Ariel in his arms, Ariel's scent stamped on his skin.

She was courage and light, and filled the empty spaces inside him with life. For too long he'd remained in emotional darkness. Denying his natural sensuality. His life had been filled with much pain.

Ariel eased it away with her warm, wet lips feathering over his body, the absolute trust shining in her eyes.

She trusted him not to lose control. He'd turn on himself before hurting her.

Outside a rose-and-purple sunset glowed through the lace curtains. Ariel felt the instinctive pull toward him, her body surging with sexual energy. Jarrett's mouth was rough and possessive, yet his hands stroked over her quivering skin with such tenderness. He looked fierce and wild, but his touch was gentle and cherishing. A masculine fragrance of spice and pine engulfed her, Jarrett's very male scent stamping into her skin to mark her. Rough calluses on his palms rubbed over her sensitive skin.

Moans filled the air. She naturally arched into his touch as he slid a palm over her hip and tunneled through the silky curls between her legs. Teasing, he slid a long finger inside her, coaxing out moisture to prepare her for his entry. He was breathing heavily, color flooding his face, his expression fierce, yet she sensed he leashed the primitive wildness inside him.

Her skin felt stretched tight over bone. Before she'd been frozen, pain screeching along her nerve endings. Now delicious heat filled every pore. She'd suspected making love with Jarrett would be consuming, but never knew it could be this powerful. This earthy and raw. He rubbed his body over hers in sensual, teasing strokes, a small smile playing about his mouth. This playful side of him was the Jarrett she'd known, the Jarrett who'd laughed and chased her until they'd both tumbled, breathless and panting, into the meadow, the sweet smell of grass as sharp as their desire.

She could do a little playing of her own. With a small growl, she straddled him, her hands pinning down his broad shoulders. Surprise flared on his face, then he grinned.

“Think you can keep me here?”

“I'm stronger than I look.”

“Maybe. Or not. This isn't my natural position, sweetheart. I'm always on top.”

With effortless grace, he sat up, hooked her about the waist and rolled over, reversing their positions. Jarrett slid a thigh between her legs, spreading them open.

Ariel quivered, breathless with need. It became a hot, stabbing force, erasing everything but the desire to have this man inside her.

His smile dropped, his features becoming taut and dangerous. She sensed the power inside him, felt him tense.

And then she caught the subtle shift in the air. Her nostrils flared with a mixture of several different scents.

Ariel turned her head toward the bedroom door.

Several men lingered there. They approached, lust clouding their gazes, their features hard and feral. Sam, who vowed to die for Jarrett, now looked ready to kill him for being Ariel's lover. He pointed to Ariel and snarled.

“Mine. She's mine.”

“Touch her and I'll rip you to pieces.” The softness of Jarrett's voice alarmed her. He acted controlled, but she knew he'd carry through with the threat. A primitive possessiveness claimed him. He held control over his beast by a thin thread and soon that would snap.

“We can't do this,” she told Jarrett. “It's too dangerous.”

Shocked, she saw Jarrett turn back to her. His face intent, his mouth covered hers in a possessive kiss. He stroked inside her mouth, slow and certain, but his mouth was gentle, not crushed to hers. Arousal pounded through her, heightened by the muscled weight atop her. Jarrett moved his knee, rubbing between her thighs. The silky brush of hair on his legs inflamed her sensitive skin. Her tongue darted out, touched his as he deepened the kiss.

The internal glow of her arousal spilled outward, bathing them in soft white light. Ariel couldn't suppress the natural energy.

“Jarrett,” she cried out.

Jarrett pulled back, his gaze burning into her. “Let it go. Shh. Let it go.”

The air grew thick with the salty tang of sex hovering in the air. Power hummed inside her, singing secrets as ancient as feminine instinct.

The hard lust on the men's faces faded. Their expressions changed.

Into the bedroom drifted the men's mates. Their faces soft with love, their bodies taut with desire. One by one, they took their mate's hands and left the bedroom.

Ariel tried to push herself up to see what was happening, but he caught her wrists and pinned them down.

An odd mixture of grief, joy and tenderness shadowed his expression. He brought his face close to hers and kissed her again with absolute gentleness.

Dazed, she looked into his eyes as his mouth left hers. Jarrett trailed a line of soft, wet kisses across her throat, up to her earlobe. He caught it between his strong teeth and bit ever so gently. Ariel's hands drifted over his back, testing the hard muscles there, feeling the leashed power of his wolf.

The man was still in control.

His touch was slow and gentle, his expression hard with passion, but his hands soothing. He stroked her skin, cupping her breasts in his rough palms. Delicious pleasure stole over her as he thumbed her nipples, making them harden. Jarrett's mouth encased one, his tongue expertly flicking and suckling. Ariel cried out, holding his head to her breasts, her legs draped around his waist, her feminine folds intimately pressed against him. Then he lifted his head and gave a lazy smile.

“I'm not done tasting you, not yet.”

He kissed his way down the length of her body, his tongue flicking into the tiny indentation of her navel, feeling like warm, wet velvet. Then he slipped further, opening her thighs wide.

He put his mouth on her. The shock of his warm tongue on her sensitive bud made her shoot upward, but he pressed his hands on her thighs. Each lazy swirl and flick ratcheted up the tension crawling through her body. Ariel fisted her hands in the sheets, her hips arching and falling back to the strokes of his tongue. It had never been like this, so sweet and engulfing, until all she could think of was Jarrett's mouth on her, his claiming of her flesh.

The internal glow inside her pulsed stronger. Moisture gushed out of her body, and with it spilled the sparkling white light. Her aura, fed by sexual energy. It seeped through her pores and wreathed them both. Fearing what would happen with the males, Ariel fought the tension, but Jarrett was merciless. He did not stop, even as she surrendered and screamed, the pleasure bursting from her as she climaxed.

He kept kissing her, riding through the spasms until she lay back, spent and shivering.

Then he lifted his head, wiping his mouth with the back of one hand. He mounted her then, spreading her thighs wide.

Jarrett laced his fingers through hers, his heavily muscled body pressing her into the mattress. His penis began pushing inside her.

Slow, gentle thrusts, then retreats. He felt thick and hard as a steel bar, each slide pushing him past her tiny muscles gripping him tightly.

The silky hairs of his chest abraded her nipples as his body slid over her. Ariel grit her teeth, frustrated beyond thought. Enough of this slow dancing.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and forced him deeper. Triumph filled her as he uttered a harsh groan of pleasure.

His hips began hammering back and forth as her nails dug into his shoulders. She threw back her head, flushed with erotic pleasure. The heat built higher and higher. Climax shimmered out of reach, a ball of white sparks fed by her aura.

Jarrett angled his thrusts, pushing past her sensitive bud, and she shrieked, her body taut as she climaxed. Her eyes opened in a daze of pleasure as she watched him throw his head back with a rough groan. Warm seed shot inside her, life-giving seed, as he bucked against her.

Then his shudders slowed, stopped. He looked down at her, and the flare of tenderness there surprised her. Then it vanished, replaced by masculine satisfaction.

“I love watching you come,” he said roughly. “Your eyes grow so blue, your cheeks so rosy. I just want to eat you up.”

He flashed a wicked grin. “Again.”

Sweat sheened his face, plastering his blond hair to his forehead. She knew exactly how much effort he'd used to leash the wolf.

Slowly, he slid out of her. She winced at the pull of her sore muscles. His expression became tender. He cupped her face in one strong palm.

“You okay?”

Roughness and male satisfaction edged his voice. She nodded, turning her face into his hand with a small sigh. Ariel wanted to curl up next to him, absorbing his toasty warmth, let the air cool the sweat on his body.

And then she heard it.

She twisted, startling him as he toppled off her. Ariel ran into the living room and ground to an abrupt halt. She felt Jarrett behind her, and his heavy sigh. He placed a hand on her waist.

Around them echoed the sounds of lovemaking, skin sliding over skin, small excited cries mingling with harsh moans. On the floor, several couples were frantically copulating. Their clothing partly shed, as if they couldn't wait. She recognized Sam, jeans down around his thighs as he covered his mate. His hips pumped hard and fast to the rhythm of Dina's tiny, excited cries.

Stunned with betrayal, Ariel turned to Jarrett. “You used me,” she whispered.

Jarrett shifted his hold on her, his jaw tight. “I used the situation to our advantage. They need to have sex. My men have been too wound up. The timing was right. I had to do something to release their tension or risk them getting into fights.”

“And me, Jarrett? What about me? What do I get?”

He cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Pleasure. I promise you, I will take good care of you. Very good care. I need you, Ariel. My people need you.”

Pleasure. Her sensual side pulsed at the word. She felt a mixture of sad resignation and faint hope. If pleasure was all he could deliver, she'd take it.