Song of the Guardians (6 page)

Holding a hand to the nape of her neck, I took her in my arms, brushing my lips along the side of her neck. She arched her back, her legs touching mine. I tilted my head back to look at her, but for whatever reason, I kissed her again. She parted her lips, moaning when my tongue connected with hers.

Without breaking our kiss, I led us deeper into the room. Emma grunted when the backs of her legs hit the side of the bed. She clawed at my back, digging at skin that was too new, too sensitive.

She moaned, her eyes full of need.

"Tucker," she gasped for breath, locking her legs around my waist.

Alarms sounded in the back of my head. Too fast. Too soon. We were so tangled in each other’s arms, we weren’t getting out until our fever of passion broke.

I hoisted her onto the bed so her legs were hanging off the side of it. She whimpered when I backed out of her embrace. Lying on the bed, her blonde curls shimmered on the mattress above her head. The way she laid there caused her back to arch.

Crashing onto the bed beside her, I pulled her up so her legs weren't hanging off. I propped myself on an elbow, using my free hand to caress her skin, tracing the curves of her breasts and hips.

I drew circles around each nipple, tightening them until my fingertips reached the small buds that rose from my touch. I leaned in, taking one between my lips. Emma’s heart thundered beneath me. She combed her hands through my hair, then moved to the back of my neck and finally hooked them over my shoulders, her nails tearing at the untouched flesh.

I hissed, my exhalation causing her to squirm under my touch. I continued my search, slowly approaching the curls between her legs. I moved a finger along the inside of her thigh, following where her panty-line would’ve been if she’d had the chance to put any on. Her body trembled as she lifted her hips away from the bed.

I rolled onto my side, taking Emma with me. She released her grip, however, when I circled my fingers around her clit. She settled on her back, searching for something to hold on to.

"I find the sheets work best," I said, then pressed my lips to hers.

She followed my direction, clutching a handful of the sheets in her hand. Her hips bucked against my palm when I carefully squeezed her clit between my thumb and forefinger. Her scent rushed up to meet me. Gods, I wanted to taste her.

She reached for my cock, and all thought left my mind. My vision fogged, and I blinked around it. I forced my tongue past her lips, my finger teasing the cleft between her opening and her clit.

Her hold on me tightened.

"Easy," I murmured.

She eased back, her lips searching mine. I deepened our kiss, and as I did, I pressed one finger inside her. Emma’s body froze, her back arched as far as it would go. I withdrew the finger, joining it with a second one moments later. Her hips pressed against me, driving my fingers even deeper.

She caressed the base of my shaft, her touch like silk against my skin. I thrust into her palm and hooked my fingers inside her, smiling when she broke our kiss, a low, throaty moan escaping her lips.

"Okay?" I asked.

Emma managed a nod before throwing her head back onto the bed. She brought up her knees, widening the space between her legs. I groaned, my erection pulsing against her hand.

Swallowing, I removed my fingers and pulled away from her. Disappointment filled her eyes as they searched for mine.

"Wait here," I panted, inching down toward the foot of the bed.

Digging through a nearby drawer for the condoms, I threw one onto the bed before wrapping my arms around her legs. She thrust her hips up at me when I kissed her clit. Holding her steady, I licked at her sex, delighting in the sweet taste I found there. Emma’s body quivered. She put her legs over my shoulders, completely oblivious to everything else around her.

My tongue pierced her folds as she released a hiss of breath.

"Oh, my...God," Emma murmured, her hips rocking against me.

Untangling one of my arms, I pressed two fingers inside her, using the distraction to move back up to her lips. I kissed her, letting her taste what I’d experienced. She kissed back. Passionately. Full of need.

"Please," she begged, her voice a mere whisper against my ear.

"Soon," I said. "Not yet."

Her body tensed. I bit at her neck. Her body shuddered, and I moved my fingers a little faster. She bucked at me, rubbing her clit against the palm of my hand. I cursed at myself for not having more hands. Not enough damned hands. I wanted to touch her all over, to bite, nip, tug and pull.

I applied a little more pressure, brushing against her g-spot. She rewarded me seconds later with an orgasm, her muscles clenching against my digits, drawing me in even further. I moved my fingers slowly after that, pushing her climax until she rode it out.

Her eyes were wide when I looked at them. "Now?" she asked, shaking so hard I could barely keep her still.

"Now," I breathed, positioning myself between her open legs.

Retrieving the condom I'd thrown on the bed earlier, I tore the foil with my teeth, wincing at the slight chill as I rolled it on. Emma grabbed my hand. I squeezed it and held on to either of her hips.

"Last chance," I said, guiding myself to her.

She lifted her head away from the bed. "Last chance for what?"

"To back out."

"Are you kidding me?"

I shrugged. "Thought I'd offer."

"Overprotective."

I smiled and shook my head. Assured she was okay, and knowing I'd regret it later if I backed out now, I thrust against her. She rocked her hips, drawing me in even deeper, and for a single breath, we didn't move.

Her body hugged around my cock. Gods, she was wet!

I slipped in some more. She locked her legs behind my back and threw her arms around my neck. Using her legs, she rocked her hips against me, her tight walls rubbing up and down my length.

I thrust again, growling when I drove deep inside her.

I buried my hand beneath the small of her back and could almost hear her exasperated sigh when I asked, "You sure you want to do this?"

Emma bobbed her head, opening her mouth as if to say something, but it never came out. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head when I delivered a single stroke. I quickened my pace when she pushed back.

Her body tensed. Gods, she was close. Too damned close. I had to slow down.
I should say something. I should—

"Oh. My. God." Emma’s body shuddered.

"Come for me, Emma."

Her mouth opened, her voice a strangled cry as her body pulsed around me. I withdrew, thrust in again, stroking her gently. When I was sure she’d come back down from orbit, I pushed even harder. Faster. My body wanted it. Craved it. I struggled to stay in control.

Her hands were on my arms when I opened my eyes. Words were foreign to us, but her silent nod was permission enough for me. I directed her legs onto my shoulders, swallowing around the lump in my throat as she tightened around me.

I clawed at the mattress, and I’m sure if I’d been a wolf, I would’ve done a great deal of damage. She dug her nails into my skin as I made quick, fluid strokes. The muscles in my back and arms tensed, rippled, and I came.

After getting rid of the condom and still gasping for breath, I collapsed beside her, resting my hand on the curve of her stomach. Emma rolled over to face me and pushed back my hair as she combed her fingers through it. Her body was still trembling, her eyes glazed with unshed tears.

I wiped my thumb under them, forcing the tears to crawl down her cheeks. "Happy tears?"

Still out of breath, Emma nodded. Her body shivered from the cold, and I pulled her against my chest. She stayed there, her pulse slowly returning to normal as I arced my thumb across her cheek.

Her breathing quieted, and I tilted my head so I could see her face.

"You can do that to me anytime," she said, curling in my arms, about to fall asleep.

I reached behind her for the bed sheets, cocooning them around us. "Anytime."

T
ucker

Night came a lot sooner than I would’ve liked. After my lovely afternoon with Emma, the last thing I wanted to do was shift and run after Zarrius.

The fire came to life as I shifted the logs around, then closed the screen before sitting back in my chair. Emma had gotten lost in one of her notebooks earlier in the evening and was now tracing a finger over lines of code she wouldn't allow me to see. She hadn’t asked about Zarrius, and I decided not to tell her.

He’d kept himself hidden, retreating into the woods where he knew I wouldn’t follow. I couldn’t risk getting pulled in or turned around. Not when Emma was by herself.

I'd caught sight of his gray pelt as he circled me a few times, covering every mark I left on the territory. Toward the end, it had become a contest to see who could mark faster. He'd been challenging me, daring me to go out into the open. In the end, I'd called his bluff and came back inside. So long as Emma was safe, I didn’t care what he did to our shrubs.

It wasn’t just that, though. Emma had made it sound so easy, as though talking to him would make a difference. Unfortunately, pack life was a little more complicated than that. Zarrius was the one who'd taken me in and taught me how to be a guardian after mine faded into twilight.

The rest of the pack had been too preoccupied with their own changes to teach me how to be what I’d become. I hadn’t been the only new guardian that year, but Zarrius had told me I held the most promise. When I'd asked him about Ika, my guardian, he'd assured me she was safe. And when I asked why he hadn’t found a child of his own, Zarrius told me there was no one else suited for the role of alpha within the pack.

"We need to keep balance," Zarrius had told me one night, well after the other guardians had returned to their dens. "The pack is nothing without its alpha. That's why I remain, as others fade from memory."

"And Ika?" I'd asked, bowing my head to him. "Will she fade from my memory, too?"

"Only if you let her."

Only if I let her.
I pushed the memory from my thoughts and stirred the flames of the fire until they glowed. I couldn’t confront Zarrius, not after everything he’d done for me. He could’ve left me to die, to fend for myself. Instead, he'd shown me where to find the best prey, when to hunt and where to go if a human ever spotted us in the woods.

It was Zarrius’s words of wisdom that had kept me safe. I owed the alpha my life, and now I owed him the bond I shared with Emma.
No. Not Emma.

I’d never seen him so hell-bent on having a child of his own, or so willing to forfeit his place as the pack’s alpha. Then again, Zarrius insisted his being alpha would allow him to sacrifice a child to the Earth instead of himself, and for Zarrius, this would’ve changed everything. It was his last season. I was sure of it.

He was still as keen and strong as before, but the white around his muzzle showed his age in ways the rest of him did not. A guardian without a child in times such as this was bound to fall to the Earth. He’d go feral first. He’d become a normal wolf, then fade away like all the others. That was why he wanted the child.

I growled under my breath and glared at the fireplace. Once I was sure the fire wouldn’t burn out, I returned to my chair, my eyes on Emma as she scratched words into her paper, her expression being one I couldn’t read.

"What are you writing?" I asked, thankful for the beautiful distraction from Zarrius and anything else regarding the pack.

Emma looked up from her work. "About earlier today."

I canted my head to the side. "What part of it?"

Emma let out a sound of approval before closing the book. "Memories."

"Anything I should know?"

Emma shrugged and handed me the notebook. Curious as to what had held her attention for so long, I accepted the block of lined paper and sat back down, perching restlessly on the arm of my chair. The first page was a point-by-point list of what had happened since I'd picked her up from the ward, but what I was most interested in was what had happened earlier today while I was out.

It was a short entry compared to the one in the front of the book, but it drew my attention even more when I noticed a series of lines written at the very end of it.

Lying beside you, in a lasting embrace / I fall deep within your eyes / Your fingers caressing my face / And when they cry / I fall out of place

When they cry?
Her words could’ve only meant one thing.
The pack.

"Emma, this is a verse." My hand shook as I pointed at the handful of words. "It’s incomplete, but that’s a verse."

Emma joined me, leaning over to study the words. She furrowed her brow. "It's all I remember from earlier today. In my daydream, we were tracing words on each other’s skin, and the words came to me as I was lying there." She studied the words a second time and shook her head. "They’re just words, Tucker."

"You wrote them for a reason."

"But you said the words would come from a memory, like a photograph. This wasn’t a memory, at least, not when it happened."

"Maybe a daydream is the same thing."

I set the notebook in my lap. It was a start.

"How long was your song?" Emma asked, returning to her chair. "The one you sang with your guardian."

I shook my head. It had been so long, I couldn’t remember. The only thing I did remember was the melody. My chest tightened just thinking about it. I couldn’t afford to share it with her now. No two songs were alike. If it were that simple, the bonding between a child and his or her guardian wouldn’t have been as important, and that’s exactly what the songs were based off of.

"Do you remember her?" Emma asked, her words tiptoeing around the ache in my chest.

"Every day," I replied, glancing up at her. "But it isn’t the same as how we are now. I remember the way her fur smelled or how one ear was more crooked than the other. It’s going to sound a little messed up, but I remember her more as a wolf than as a human."

"I don’t think it’s strange at all. I think about you being a wolf all the time. I guess it’s that imprinting you mentioned. I know you’re you, but as a wolf, I suppose it’s more unique. Any human can fall in love with another human."